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Is This the Future of Electric Motorcycle Land Speed Racing?

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If the future of motorcycles is electric, then is this the future of land speed racing for motorcycles? The WMC250EV by White Motorcycle Concepts has been making the rounds on the internet this week, primarily for its big claims and unique design.

Boasting of unparalleled streamlining, Robert White and his team are looking to make waves, first by breaking the land speed record for electric motorcycles in Britain later this year, and then taking on the FIM world record for electric two-wheelers (228.006 mph).

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News

Energica Debuts Lighter, More Powerful Liquid-Cooled Electric Motor

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The global pandemic might have disrupted the plans of many motorcycle manufacturers, much to their chagrin, but the folks at Energica found a way to make a positive out of the negative situation.

Planning to upgrade their electric motorcycle offerings for the 2022 model year, the Italians have jump-started that process with a new motor design, which they are phasing into their current bike sales.

Lighter, more powerful, and water-cooled, the motor was designed and developed with the help of Italian engineering firm Mavel, and is being called the “Energica Mavel Co-Engineering” (EMCE) motor.

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Rumors

Our First Proper Glimpse of the Upcoming Bimota KB4

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The folks over in Rimini have been quiet lately, likely hard at work on getting the Bimota Tesi H2 out the door after its delay during the pandemic.

We have covered the supercharged motorcycle with its hub-center steering a bit already, and day’s news turns to what will be Bimota’s second motorcycle since its rebirth, the Bimota KB4.

Finally caught in its final form, we can see what this retro-inspired machine will look like, once its paint has dried.

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A&R Pro

The Supersport Segment Reboot – A Story About the Yamaha YZF-R9

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Yamaha is in the midst of redefining its sport bike lineup. The first step was to kill off the popular and iconic YZF-R6 supersport, but that left a massive hole between the R3 and R1 models.

To help fill that void, Yamaha recently debuted the Yamaha YZF-R7, but while the 75hp / twin-cylinder platform makes for a good stepping stone from the R3, an R6 replacement it is not (and never was supposed to be).

That duty will likely fall to another machine, whose name has been spotted in government documents: the Yamaha YZF-R9.

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MotoGP

Official: Maverick Viñales Will Leave Yamaha after 2021

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With the news coming out on Saturday, talk of Maverick Viñales leaving the Yamaha camp was rampant in the MotoGP paddock.

Tipped widely to be headed to the Aprilia Racing garage for the 2022 season, Viñales’ woes on the Japanese squad have reached a zenith in their difficulties, shown clearly at the Sachsenring round last weekend.

The Spaniard’s experience on the Yamaha YZR-M1 has been mercurial, however, also shown clearly by this weekend’s result at Assen.

Nonetheless, following Maverick Viñales‘ request, Yamaha has agreed to put an early end to their current two-year contract.

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MotoGP

Team VR46 Signs a Three-Year Deal with Ducati Corse in MotoGP

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As expected, Valentino Rossi’s Aramco Racing Team VR46 MotoGP squad will be on Ducati machinery when it comes into the premier class next season.

Considered widely to be the best bike on the grid, and with Ducati eager to expand its ranks in the grand prix class, the leasing of Italian machines by VR46 was widely tipped, despite Rossi’s links to Yamaha.

As such, the Saudi-funded race team has a three-year contract with Ducati Corse for Desmosedici race bikes, which will span the 2022-2024 seasons, while the Saudi government has a five-year deal with VR46.

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MotoGP

Garrett Gerloff Will Replace Franco Morbidelli at Dutch TT

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American racing fans will see a familiar face on the MotoGP grid this weekend, at the Dutch TT in Assen, as Garrett Gerloff will be filling in for Franco Morbidelli on the Petronas Yamaha SRT squad.

Making waves already in the WorldSBK paddock, Gerloff’s race debut in the MotoGP Championship could be a sort of audition for the 25-year-old, showing off his skills for the grand prix paddock for the first time.

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Rumors

A Touring Version of the Suzuki GSX-S1000 Cometh?

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We have just seen the unveiling of the Suzuki GSX-S1000 (and in Europe, its underpowered sibling, the Suzuki GSX-S950), and now we get word that Suzuki is working on a touring version of the platform.

Spotted by the eagle eye of Ben Purvis at Cycle World, European homologation documents show a Suzuki “GSX-S1000T” is on the books (horribly rendered in a “five-minute photoshop” above) , and it could be a replacement for the Suzuki GSX-S1000F model.

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Bikes

This Royal Enfield Continental GT535 by Barbara Custom Motorcycles Shows Off a RADD Front-End

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Royal Enfield is a brand that doesn’t get a lot of action on the pages of Asphalt & Rubber. Despite its inroads into the US market, the machines from the Indian manufacturer just never seem to strike our fancy. That is not the case today.

Now granted, what you are seeing here is the work of pixel manipulation, and not a bonafide real motorcycle, but it shows the transformative work that can be done with a motorcycle as mundane as even the Royal Enfield Continental GT 535.

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