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Spicy Meatballs! 2019 Aprilia RSV4 Factory Makes 214hp with 1,078cc

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The 2019 EICMA show in Milan is next week, and there we expect to see a bevy of new models, including a few from Aprilia, but those crafty Italian have gotten a jump on things, releasing today the 2019 Aprilia RSV4 Factory.

As we predicted, the new top-spec superbike is getting a displacement increase to 1,078cc on its 65° V4 engine (we wonder why), which gives the new Aprilia RSV4 Factory a class-leading peak power figure of 214hp (159.6 kW), and 90 lbs•ft (122 Nm) of torque.

Matching that substantial gain in power, the 2019 Aprilia RSV4 Factory gets a solid weight reduction, tipping the scales at 439 lbs when fully fueled. Helping cut the weight down is a lithium-ion battery from Bosch and a street legal titanium exhaust from Akrapovic.

For those doing the math, we will save you the trouble: the 2019 Aprilia RSV4 Factory weighs 11 lbs lighter than its predecessor, and makes 16hp more power, and 5 lbs•ft more torque as well. Win, win, win.

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Bikes

The New MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Will Have Over 200hp

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Nestled deep in the announcement that MV Agusta has raised €40 million and has a new CEO is a slightly less business-focused news item, one which concerns the soon-to-be-released MV Agusta Brutale 1000.

The new streetfighter will make 212cv – making it the most powerful production naked bike on the market, with a top speed of 193 mph. Do we have your attention? Good.

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Bikes

After 10 Years of Waiting, The Benelli 752S Is Finally Coming*

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It started life as the Benelli 2ue, debuting at the 2009 EICMA show as a follow-up model to the gorgeous (but horribly flawed) Benelli TnT 1130 series. The next year, the concept stayed the same, though the name changed to the Benelli Due – the “two” referring to the parallel-twin engine of this middleweight, distinguishing it from its three-cylinder sibling.

Since then, Benelli’s 750cc-class naked sport bike has popped up here and there, teasing us relentlessly. Last year at EICMA, the machine showed up again as a concept, slightly changed from its previous incarnation, though largely the same.

Now, we are being told that the 2019 Benelli 752S is ready for primetime (we have heard that before, mind you), and seemingly still, the Italian designed motorcycle continues to intrigues us.

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Rumors

Leaked: Photos and Details of the 2019 BMW R1250GS Adventure

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EICMA might be next week, but the 2019 BMW R1250GS Adventure is hitting the internet right meow. Leaking ahead of the trade show in Milan, an Italian YouTube channel has the scoop on the venerable ADV bike, giving us our first look at the new ShiftCam powered BMW R1250GS Adventure.

As you would expect, the new BMW R1250GS Adventure shares a motor with the rest of the water-cooled boxer lineup, which means a 1,254cc displacement for the boxer-twin engine, which makes 134hp (100 kW) and 92 lbs•ft of torque, with help from its variable valve timing setup.

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Rumors

This Week’s Honda CBR1000RR Rumor, The 2020 Edition

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Another week, another rumor about a new Honda CBR1000RR. You can almost set your clock to the rumors that surround Big Red’s future superbike offering, and there are several factors for this.

First, the Honda CBR1000RR is a woefully old machine, even in its “all-new” guise, the current model can trace its lineage back to the 2008 model year. Second, the Honda CBR1000RR is obviously underpowered when you make spec sheet comparisons, by a palpable 20hp/10% margin.

The Honda makes up for this by being one of the lightest superbikes on the market, and it is easily the best handling of the bunch. But even still, in our tests, we found it to be a second a lap slower than the rest of the superbike class…and the stopwatch decides all in this segment.

Despite all this, the real reason that we keep seeing rumors about a new CBR1000RR likely stems from one simple reason: Honda is working on a new machine. Will that new bike debut for 2019? 2020? 2021? Well, that’s the debate, and even a broken clock is correct twice a day, so…

Here we are, another week, and another rumor about a new Honda CBR1000RR.

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News

Harley-Davidson Livewire Will Make European Debut at EICMA

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The Harley-Davidson Livewire will show at EICMA, says an awkward press release to the European and Canadian markets. Our sources confirm that news though, and as such the Livewire will make an official public debut, at the trade show in Milan next week.

The Harley-Davidson Livewire is expected to make a late-2019 arrival, likely as a 2020 model year machine. This makes this debut announcement an interesting one from the Bar & Shield brand, which has seemed over-eager lately to explain and show its future plans, though we can’t imagine why.

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WSBK

Tom Sykes Signs with Shaun Muir Racing, Will Race WorldSBK on a BMW S1000RR

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Our Paddock Pass Podcast colleague Neil Morrison is reporting on Crash.net that Tom Sykes has signed with the Shaun Muir Racing team for the 2019 World Superbike season, and that the team is set to switch machinery from Aprilia to BMW.

Markus Reiterberger will join Sykes on the factory-backed BMW team, as he has the correct passport to appease the German brand.

Of course, all of this came as a surprise to Eugene Laverty, who talked about his surprise at the news, which is set to be announced at next week’s EICMA show in Milan.

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Bikes

Ducati Electric Mountain Bike Will Debut at EICMA

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A new type of Ducati will be taking center stage on Sunday, when the Italian brand begins its EICMA reveals. While we expect a number of new motorcycles from Borgo Panigale, like a new Hypermotard, the Panigale V4 R, and another Scrambler model, one machine we didn’t expect was an electric bicycle.

This is where the Ducati MIG-RR electric mountain bike comes in, with the Italian motorcycle brand partnering with the Italian e-bike maker Thok. Ducati is no stranger to branded bicycles, partnering with other brands in the past to bring Ducati bikes to market.

The Ducati MIG-RR is special though, as it marks Ducati’s first foray into the e-bike space, which is booming in Europe and just starting to gain traction in the United States.

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Rumors

Specs of the 2019 BMW S1000RR Leak: 204hp, 434 lbs Wet, ShiftCam Variable Valves

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Some of the technical details of the 2019 BMW S1000RR have been leaked to Facebook, which show the upcoming superbike to make some considerable gains over its predecessor. We first saw the leak from US tuner Alpha SBK, which posted a photo of the basic specs on its Facebook page.

The goods? 204hp (152 kW) at the crank, with 83 lbs•ft of torque, which is aided by the new ShiftCam valve train that debuted on the BMW R1250GS and other “R” models from BMW Motorrad.

Curb weight is 434 lbs, when 4.35 gallons of fuel is in the bike. That weight can be reduced to 427 lbs, when the option “M Package” is installed, which includes a bevy of carbon fiber pieces and forged wheels.

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Rumors

Updates Coming to the KTM 1090 Adventure

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Spy shots from Europe suggest that the KTM 1090 Adventure is getting some updates. The changes appear to be a mix of cosmetic and functional, with the biggest difference on the new model being its front bodywork design.

While giving the KTM 1090 Adventure a bit of a makeover for what we assume will be the 2019 model year, this refresh also seems to include a new fuel tank design, borrowed from the soon-to-be-released KTM 790 Adventure R.

This means that low-slung side-mounted fuel tanks are coming to the KTM 1090 Adventure, which should dramatically help handling and lower the center of gravity on this big ADV bike.

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A&R Pro

INTERMOT Round Up – Digesting What We Saw in Cologne

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The INTERMOT show is done and dusted, and we have had some time to chew on the models that we saw in Cologne, Germany…or didn’t see, as the case might be. The second largest trade show in the motorcycle industry, one can wonder though whether the INTERMOT show is the second most important.

Having two major shows on European soil, with INTERMOT coming every other year, creates a Sophie’s Choice for motorcycle manufacturers. EICMA might draw the crowds and the press, but it is also a maelstrom of new models, and it is easy for a bike’s launch and debut to be lost in the chaos.

To that vein, INTERMOT provides an opportunity for manufacturers to see the forest for the trees. It is less pressure, with most manufacturers choosing to debut more minor releases at the German show, but this makes it ripe for some surprises as well. For 2018, things were no different.

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