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BMW Lac Rose Concept Going into Production for 2017

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In addition to updating the BMW R1200GS for the 2017 model year, our sources tell us that the BMW Lac Rose concept will debut as a production model at the EICMA show next month in Milan, Italy.

Based off the BMW R nineT platform, the Lac Rose (not the name that BMW will use once it debuts) will serve as the Bavarian brand’s heritage ADV bike, keeping its obvious themes to the Dakar Rally in place, with the proper amount of nostalgia for the category.

This should give O.G. airheads a proper air-cooled throwback ADV bike option (say that three times fast), which will serve as a counterpoint to the updates we can expect from the 2017 BMW R1200GS and the revisions we have already seen for the 2017 BMW S1000XR.

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BMW R1200GS Getting Updated for 2017

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We call our inside sources in the industry “Bothan Spies” because they work tirelessly to provide us with good information, and today is no different. As such, Asphalt & Rubber can confirm that BMW Motorrad will update its best-selling motorcycle at the EICMA show in Milan, the BMW R1200GS.

Our sources tell us that the 2017 BMW R1200GS will see a host of improvements over its predecessor. The most notable changes will be the revised bodywork, though changes have also been made to the suspension and electronics as well.

What remains to be seen though is whether BMW massages in some more power to the boxer-twin on the R1200GS, to help it keep up with the more powerful offerings coming from other manufacturers.

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New Base Model Honda CBR1000RR to Debut at EICMA

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If the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR SP is a little out your superbike budget, with its roughly $20,000 price tag (actual MSRP to be confirmed soon), then you will be happy to hear that a base model version of the updated CBR1000RR will be debuting at the upcoming EICMA show in November.

There is no word on the base model Honda CBR1000RR beyond the bike’s debut, at this moment, though we can make some guesses about what to expect from Big Red in Milan, based off what we’ve seen with SP and SP2 models.

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BMW G310GS Spied, Again

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BMW Motorrad’s pint-sized adventure, the BMW G310GS, has been spied again, this time in motion on a public road. Looking ready in production trim, we surely will see the small-displacement model debut next month at the EICMA show in Milan, Italy.

This is the second time that the 2017 BMW G310GS has been spied in recent days, giving us a good idea of what to expect from this ~300cc ADV machine.

The styling takes a strong resemblance to the BMW R1200GS, likely to help forge a relation between the iconic adventure bike with its new smaller sibling.

At the core of course is the same 313cc single-cylinder engine that powers the BMW G310R street bike. This should give the BMW G310GS roughly 34hp at the crank, and a mass that is around the 350 lbs mark, wet and fully fueled.

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A Pint-Sized ADV Bike Spotted, The BMW G310GS

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When the BMW G310R debuted, we knew that the Germans would use its small-displacement machine as a platform for other models.

There have been hints that one of those models could be a 300cc-ish adventure bike, and now we get out first glimpse of the so-called BMW G310GS, thanks to Italian magazine Motociclismo.

It’s not clear if we’ll see the 2017 BMW G310GS at this week’s INTERMOT show, or if BMW Motorrad will save the bike for November’s EICMA show, in Italy. Either scenario is equally plausible, and this is something we’ve already covered here at Asphalt & Rubber.

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Is This the Year of the Monkey, The Honda Monkey?

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If you read as many motorcycle news sites as I do, then you surely know that Honda is almost definitely probably maybe debuting a new “monkey bike” in the near future. The source of this news is Honda’s recent application for design patents in the European and Japanese markets.

Intellectual property filings are a great way of seeing what a motorcycle OEM is up to, but as our colleagues at Motorcycle.com correctly pointed out, they can also be a great source of red herrings.

This is because motorcycle manufacturers not only patent and trademark the design they intend to put into production, but also the design they don’t intend to produce, but have still shown the public. This is just smart policy when it comes to intellectually property protection.

Fortunately or unfortunately, it’s easy to jump to conclusions when one sees a filing that exactly mimics a show bike or concept, as we’ve seen this week with the Grom-powered Honda Monkey.

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Two Enthusiasts Podcast #33 – Wankeled

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I’m not going to lie to you, Episode 33 of the Two Enthusiasts Podcast starts off a little rowdy, and never really stops partying. In it, we look at the recently spied 2017 Honda CBR1000RR and recently teased 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6, two incredibly important machines in the sport biking side of the industry.

We also talk about the Wazer water jet cutting project, and how that’s going to affect builders and makers. From there, we pivot to a discussion on the consumerization (that’s a word now) of high-tech manufacturing techniques, which has made things like water jet cutting and rapid prototyping accessible to the masses.

The show ends with a listener question about ABS brakes, which is good timing, considering our interesting discussion about electronics as a whole, and the progression of rider aids in the motorcycle industry. Wankel jokes aside, it is a pretty interesting, and dare we say entertaining show.

As always, you can listen to the show via the embedded SoundCloud player, after the jump, or you can find the show on iTunes (please leave a review) or this RSS feed. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well. Enjoy the show!

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A Baby Version of the Ducati Multistrada Cometh?

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The above photo was sent to the Italian website Moto.it by one of its readers, and it is supposedly a photo of an upcoming new version of the Ducati Multistrada, which is physically smaller than the current 1200cc model.

Presumably, this would make the machine in question then the Ducati Multistrada 939, thus adding to the Euro4 compliant engine’s call to action for the 2017 model year.

We say this all hypothetically however, because it is hard to verify anything from this photo…beyond the very obvious double-sided swingarm setup.

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Two New Ducati Scramblers Spotted in CARB Docs?

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More new model news, as filings with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) suggest that we will see two new Scrambler models debuting, later this year.

We come to this conclusion because emissions papers from CARB state that “Scrambler CR” and “Scrambler DS” models are coming from Ducati for 2017, in addition to the models we already have from the Italian manufacturer.

The two-letter designations imply that we are likely to see a café racer (CR) version of the Ducati Scrambler, as well as a dual-sport (DS) version of the machine, which we have already seen in spy photos.

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Honda X-ADV Adventure Scooter Will Debut at EICMA

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The folks at Big Red have just sent word that the Honda X-ADV adventure scooter is headed into production.

The crossover model, which is based closely off the Honda City Adventure concept, takes your typical maxi-scooter design, and adds some off-roading capability.

Honda says the scooter has long-travel suspension, a five-stage adjustable windscreen, and storage space for an off-road helmet.

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New Four-Cylinder MV Agusta Brutale Debuting at EICMA

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You know the new-bike season is just around the corner, because we’re starting to get glimpses of what the motorcycle OEMs will debut at shows like INTERMOT and EICMA.

We’ve already had a glimpse of the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR, as well as the 2017 BMW S1000R, and if the folks at Italian motorcycle magazine Motociclismo are correct, the following is a concept sketch of the four-cylinder 2017 MV Agusta Brutale.

The new Brutale is one of two new bikes that MV Agusta will launch at the EICMA show, with the other machine pegged as a special edition three-cylinder model.

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