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At the Long Beach International Motorcycle Show, 2017

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This year’s IMS kicked off in Long Beach, signaling the start of the consumer motorcycle show season in the United States. The three-day show was a mix of both excitement and disappointment.

On one hand, the show was an opportunity to see many models for the first time in North America.

On the other hand, many of the amazing offerings from EICMA, such as the KTM 790 Duke and 790 Adventure prototype, the Husqvarna Vitpilen 701, Yamaha’s futuristic three-wheeler, the Niken, and the Kawasaki Z900RS and H2 SX, were curiously absent at the Long Beach show.

Besides missing motorcycles, there were some missing manufacturers as well. Triumph did not have a factory booth at the show, but rather, used a local dealer to provide a small representation of the British marque’s lineup.

Additionally, Can-Am pulled out of the show completely, with neither a show display, nor demos outside. Conversely, it was great to see the Piaggio Group back at the show with a display of Aprilia and Moto Guzzi motorcycles, as well as Piaggio scooters.

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Bikes

New Honda Rebel 500 & Rebel 300 Models Debut

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It would be hard to count the number of motorcyclists who got their start in the two-wheeled world on a Honda Rebel motorcycle, with the line going back through decades of time. The number is certainly a large one.

Now, a new generation of rider can begin their two-wheeled journey on a new generation of Rebel, with Honda debuting the all-new 2017 Honda Rebel 300 (above) and 2017 Honda Rebel 500 (after the jump) ahead of the IMS Long Beach show.

The Honda Rebel 500 and Honda Rebel 300 use the same power plants found on the CBR500R (471cc parallel-twin)  and CBR300R (286cc single-cylidner), respectively, repackaging those engines into a cruiser platform that is friendly to new and shorter riders, with a 27″ seat height.

Available starting in April 2017, tentative pricing for the Honda Rebel 300 is set at $4,399, while the Honda Rebel 500 is priced tentatively at $5,999, both sans ABS, though ABS models will be available as well.

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Bikes

EBR’s “Black Lightning” Is A Lowered 1190SX Street Bike

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In September of this year, EBR Motorcycles let it be known that the American brand was working on new models for the 2017 model year, in addition to a sub-$10,000 platform that would be available in 2018.

Teasing that we would see something “quick, dark, and low” by the year’s end, we subsequently saw EBR trademark the name “Black Lightning” for use as a new motorcycle model. This certainly got our imaginations turning, wondering what the folks in East Troy had up their sleeves.

Unfortunately, it would seem we alone had our imaginations at work, since EBR Motorcycles has given us a glimpse of its Black Lightning project today, which shows a true lack of inspiration, as it turns out to be an all-black EBR 1190SX that sits about an inch lower than before.

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Bikes

KTM 990 Adventure Baja – ADV’s Substitute Teacher

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KTM USA is down at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show at Long Beach, debuting the 2013 models that will make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean. Already surprising us with the 2013 KTM 690 Duke for the North American markets, KTM USA has another trick up its sleeve for American riders, namely the KTM 990 Adventure Baja.

What we assume is a venerable adventure-touring machine, considering the pedigree that the KTM 990 Adventure has established, the shock move here with the “Baja” model is that it even exists since KTM has already shown its next generation machine at INTERMOT, the KTM 1190 Adventure & KTM 1190 Adventure R.

As the Baja model would appear to be the only other addition to KTM’s street line-up, we are a bit baffled and confused by pretty much all of KTM USA’s street-going models for next year. As such, we will let the company do the talking, after the jump (our apologies for KTM’s low-quality photos).

Meanwhile, we will try to figure out what is going on with the KTM 1190 Adventure, and the KTM 390 Duke models.

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Bikes

Hell Freezes Over as the KTM 690 Duke Comes to the USA

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The following news from KTM USA today might shock you, but the KTM 690 Duke is headed to America’s favorite democracy in 2013. That’s right, the previously available everywhere but here model is coming to North America (both the US and Canada), much to the surprise of A&R…and just about everyone else. KTM isn’t talking dollars yet, though it says that the KTM 690 Duke will be competitively priced in its North American markets.

Assuming the US model is the same as the European version, we can expect that 90% of the bike is completely brand new from the previous iteration of the 690. Accordingly, at the heart of the 2013 KTM 690 Duke is a 690cc LC4 single-cylinder thumper that puts out a crushing 67hp and 51 lbs•ft of torque, while the whole motorcycle package weighs only 330 lbs (without fuel) at the curb.

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News

New Victory Motorcycle to Debut at IMS Long Beach

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Victory is set to debut a new motorcycle at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show at Long Beach next week, and is teasing the new model on . What will the new model be? Your guess is as good as ours, though it appears to have spoked wheels and a pinstripe paint job.

Judging from the imagery in Victory’s teaser video, we imagine a flat black murdered-out urban warrior on two wheels is the flavor du jour. The bigger question though is whether the new bike will take Victory into a new model segment, or just bolster its current offering. We hope it’s the prior, though we’ll have to wait until December 9th to find out.

Source: Victory (Facebook)

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