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Is This the Future of the Ducati Scrambler Design?

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If you want to design motorcycles for a living, the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California is the premier place to begin your studies, and attending the school could very well lead to a position as a designer at a two-wheeled or four-wheeled manufacturer. There is no better proof of that than today’s story.

Partnering with the Ducati Scrambler brand, the ArtCenter had students working on designs that explored the future of the Scrambler lineup, and the winner of the competition was rewarded with a training internship at the Ducati Design Center in Bologna, Italy.

In total, 10 projects were submitted for review, and it was Peter Harkins who took home the winning prize. While many students explored electric concepts for the Scrambler brand, Harkins thought of a more classic approach for Ducati’s heritage-based sub-brand.

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Bikes

Up-Close and Personal with the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S

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If you haven’t read my thoughts on riding the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S already, I suggest you do so before going further. Don’t worry it is a “short” review – only a couple thousand words or so.

For the TL;DR crowd, the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S is an amazing machine. It has all the low-speed manners that its 1098 predecessor lacked, but does so without sacrificing the astounding speed and horsepower found from its Panigale V4 lineage.

“Refinement” is the word that I keep coming back to when I talk about the Streetfighter V4 S, which is both a nod to the differences found from the Streetfighter 1098, but also an acknowledgement of the bar that Ducati is setting with its motorcycle lineup.

At $24,000 a pop – roughly $5,000 more than its closest competition – the Ducati better bring something extra to the table, and frankly buyers expect a more polished machine when they are paying that kind of pricing premium.

Is the Ducati that much better than the Aprilia or KTM? The journalist in me says the jury is still out, primarily because of the testing restrictions we have to deal with concerning the coronavirus outbreak.

But, I can speak about its refinement, which is what I want to do today.

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News

Ducati 1299 Superleggera Recalled for Brake Pad Failure

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If you are the lucky owner of a Ducati 1299 Superleggera, then you should pay attention to this recall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as it pertains to all 97 of these bikes that are in the USA.

The recall comes from an issue with the brake pads, which may see the brake pad’s friction material detaching from the brake pad’s back plate. This can happen specifically, but not exclusively, for motorcycles that have been operated in corrosive environments.

According to the recall documents, if this occurs, the distance between the braking plate and brake disk cannot be balanced with a single action on the brake master cylinder, rendering the brake pad ineffective and defective. Accordingly, potentially defective pads can increase vehicle stopping distances.

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News

Ducati Returns to Production in Borgo Panigale, With Changes

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Starting this week, the Ducati factory in Borgo Panigale will once again rev to life, as the Italian brand returns to production work in Bologna, Italy.

While the production lines will continue, Ducati will not be continuing with business as usual. This is because the Italian motorcycle maker will only be recalling the minimal number of employees to restart the production and research operations.

Working together with the union (RSU), Ducati has created a new safety protocol, which includes everyone wearing masks, regardless of distancing.

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Bikes

Dear Ducati, Can You Please Make A V4 Version of the MH900e?

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Ducati MH900E V4 Cafe Racer

The Ducati MH900e is a special bike in the brand’s history. It is a model that this author lusts over often, with its unique modern take of the old classic aesthetic.

The bike was ahead of its time, in many ways, and we can see now brands imitating in 2020 what Ducati made two decades ago.

The Ducati MH900e might be the best thing that Pierre Terblanche ever penned, and if you can find one in good shape these days, be prepared to spend some coin if you want it in your garage.

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Lifestyle

Now You Can Build Your Own Panigale V4 R Superbike, In Legos

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Ducati Panigale V4 R superbike in Lego bricks

There are two things I want to say off the bat. First, we will always post motorcycle-related stories about Legos – partially because Lego bricks hold a special place in this author’s formative years, but also because we want to support Denmark’s #1 export to the rest of the world.

Second, the Ducati Panigale V4 R is absolutely worth every dollar of its $40,000 price tag. Every. Dollar. The bike is amazing. If you want the best superbike on the market, there it is in all of its 230hp glory (of course you’re going to put the “optional” exhaust on it, are you kidding me??!).

That being said, if you want a slightly cheaper alternative to Ducati’s superbike opus, and have a little fun during these “stay at home” days, then we have a good option for you. Say hello to the Ducati Panigale V4 R superbike build kit from Lego.

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Reviews

A “Short” Review About Riding the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S

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Every new model year, I sit down and write a short list with the bikes I simply have to swing a leg over before the year is out.

The list is governed mostly by what catches my personal interest, but also includes important machines across the different segments of the industry, with the idea that I want to be able to speak intelligently about them and what’s going on in our two-wheeled world.

For the 2020 model year, at the top of my list was the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S. The bike not only appeals to my sport bike loving temperament, but it also marks the return of Ducati back to one of its more core elements – the sport bike category.

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Dirt

Ducati’s Beppe Gualini Tell Us How to Ride an ADV Bike Off-Road

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A constant theme you will hear in the ADV space is how you can’t do real off-road riding with a big dual-sport, like the Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro and its siblings in the category.

They are too big, too heavy, and have too much power to be real off-road machines, some will tell you. Of course, to say that, you have to forget some history – namely that iconic off-road races like the Dakar Rally were competed on machines that aren’t all that different from today’s ADV bike.

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Bikes

Mega Gallery: 127 Hi-Res Photos of the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S

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As we speak, dealerships in the USA are starting to see the Ducati Streetfighter V4 arrive at their doorsteps, which is certainly some good news in a time where the world (including the two-wheeled one) is a bit crazy.

This news is lucky for those soon-to-be owners as well, because not even the world’s press (outside of a few partnering publications) have been able to swing a leg over the Streetfighter V4 yet, as the international press launch for the machine had to be canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

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News

Ducati Will Stream the Launch of the Streetfighter V4 Tomorrow

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As you can imagine, the coronavirus outbreak has disrupted many plans in the motorcycle industry, especially as the virus comes right during the new-bike launch season. With events canceled left and right, brands are either having to postpone the debut of their new models, or think creatively on how to adapt.

Tomorrow, Asphalt & Rubber gets to see Ducati’s solution to this problem, and you do too, as the Bologna brand is going to live stream to the public the launch of the new Streetfighter V4.

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Bikes

This Russian Three-Wheeled Ice Racer from Balamutti Is Super Cool

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What you are looking at here is a Ducati Hypermotard 1100. Well…it started life as a giant Italian supermoto, but after finding itself in the workshop of Russian outfit Balamutti, this Bologna Bullet is leading a very different life as a three-wheeled ice machine.

If you look closely, you can still see the Hypermotard’s steel trellis frame, single-sided swingarm, and its air-cooled v-twin engine. But, you will also notice the extra wheel at the front of the leaning reverse-trike, as well as a supercharger, studded tires, and controls that look like they belong on a Star Wars speeder.

This is because Balamutti’s Vitaliy Selyukov intends to race the machine, which he calls “Yondu” (after the Guardians of the Galaxy character), at the Baikal Mile – an ice speed festival that takes place each year in Siberia, near the Mongolian border…and Selyukov intends on making his ice runs in style.

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