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Moto Guzzi V85 “Black Eagle” Concept by Oberdan Bezzi

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Oberdan Bezzi has an interesting concept for us today, taking a peak into the world of Italian heritage at the motorcycle factory in Mandello del Lario, Italy.

We are of course talking about Moto Guzzi, and the bike in question is an idea that is built off the Moto Guzzi V85 platform, which we know Moto Guzzi is keen to use in a variety of motorcycles, not just the current V85 TT adventure-touring bike.

Dubbed the “Black Eagle”, the concept shows a sporty usage of the air-cooled 853cc transverse 90° v‐twin, with the bike using a half-fairing design, clip-ons, solo seat, and copious amounts of carbon fiber.

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Racing

Voxan Looking to Beat the FIM Motorcycle Land Speed Record

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We were surprised to hear that French brand Voxan was going to make an attempt on the FIM land speed record for electric motorcycles (specifically the I.A1.B VII +300kg record).

Last we heard, the Voxan brand was being shut down by parent company Venturi, with the company’s electric cruiser model, the Voxan Wattman, classified as dead on arrival.

Now taking that same platform (though the two motorcycles seem to share nearly no components), Voxan has sprung back to life to try and tackle the outright FIM record for partially streamlined two-wheeled electric motorcycles.

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News

BMW Strikes First with Adaptive Cruise Control Feature

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Adaptive cruise control has been coming for a long time now to the two-wheeled world, and in the past couple of years we have seen more than a few European brands playing with the technology (all of which are likely working with Bosch to integrate this feature).

Already a staple in the automotive industry, now adaptive cruise control comes to the motorcycle industry, with BMW Motorrad being the first company to feature the tech on its bikes, which the company calls “Active Cruise Control” (ACC).

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Bikes

XXX: Too Many Hi-Res Photos of the Ducati Superleggera V4

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In just over two weeks’ time, Asphalt & Rubber will be swinging a leg over the Ducati Superleggera V4, giving this $100,000 bike a run for its money at the iconic Laguna Seca race track in sunny California. It’s a hard life.

Only 500 models of this mean machine will be produced in Borgo Panigale (the production run is currently underway), making the Superleggera V4 a fairly exclusive affair – and that’s before you factor in the MotoGP and WorldSBK track experience packages, which are basically unobtainium opportunities.

At the end of the day, the Superleggera V4 is a 233hp (174 kW) fire-breather when the race exhaust is installed, and Ducati quotes a dry weight of 335.5 lbs (152.2 kg).

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News

EICMA Trade Show Canceled for 2020

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Just 10 days ago, we had to bring you the sad news that the INTERMOT show in Cologna, Germany would not be held in 2020, with the show’s organizers looking to 2022 to resume the trade show’s biannual schedule.

With INTERMOT arguably the second-most important trade show for the motorcycle industry, eyes then moved to Milan, to see if the EICMA trade show would follow suit, and today we have our answer.

Because of COVID-19 concerns, and perhaps due to a mild mutiny from participating brands, the EICMA trade show in Italy has announced that this year’s edition would be canceled, with aims to resume in 2021.

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Racing

Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP Reporting for BSB Duty

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With racing getting started around the world in the coming weeks, we see that the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP (officially the longest name in the superbike category) is ready for British Superbike duty, with Honda Racing unveiling the bike’s livery today.

With black fairings, and notably few sponsors on the machine’s fairings, this CBR1000RR-R might be a bit of a statement about the status of the world’s economy, and the role that motorcycle racing plays within it, but we appreciate the clean look nonetheless.

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Bikes

Akrapovič Lists the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R Max Power at 41hp

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Last week we brought you a report that said that the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R made over 40hp at the wheel at a recent dyno test.

The report attributed no source, which made that horsepower claim a bit hard to verify, but today we seem to have found where that power figure came from, thanks to our friends in Indonesia at the TMC Blog.

Slovenian exhaust maker Akrapovič briefly listed the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R on its website, showing both the stock horsepower and torque figures for the quarter-liter four-cylinder monster, but also the gains made from the company’s racing exhaust line.

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Bikes

Yamaha Ténéré 700 Rally Edition Model Announced in Europe

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The Yamaha Ténéré 700 just debuted for the US market a matter of weeks ago, and already the Tuning Fork brand has a new edition of this middleweight ADV bike for our consumption.

The new model is called the Yamaha Ténéré 700 Rally Edition, and as the name implies, it is a more off-road ready variant of the Ténéré 700 motorcycle.

Before you get too bent out of shape about having to wait even longer for another Ténéré 700 model, the Rally Edition is mostly a parts bin bike, with Yamaha kitting a number of its aftermarket parts to the machine, along with a killer blue and yellow “speedblock” paint job.

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