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Yamaha Teases a New TMAX Scooter

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The Yamaha TMAX doesn’t make too many waves in the US market, but abroad it is one of the most popular scooters on the market, and the TMAX custom scene is as strong as any other “proper” motorcycle.

So it is pretty big news to hear that Yamaha will be updating the TMAX for the 2017 model year, with the new design set to debut at EICMA next week.

It’s not clear if Yamaha will make any technical changes to the TMAX for 2017, or if we simply will see new bodywork and graphics in the coming model year.

Judging from the waves that Yamaha is making abroad though, we expect some good things.

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Bikes

KTM Begins Teasing a New Duke, But Which Is It?

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EICMA is only a few days away, so it is not surprising to see some last-minute teaser campaigns popping up on the internet. We already saw one earlier today from KTM’s sister-brand, Husqvarna.

In it, the 2017 Husqvarna 401 Vitpilen was teased, which will be one of two new street models launched at EICMA, along with one concept bike.

For KTM, we expect a bevy of street models at EICMA, especially from the company’s Duke range. The Austrian brand acknowledges as much, though it is tough to tell which bike they are trying to hype in this bracket, as there are several possibilities.

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Bikes

The Husqvarna 401 Vitpilen Readies Its EICMA Debut

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Husqvarna says that it will be debuting two new street bikes at the upcoming EICMA show, along with one new concept bike. We have known for some time that one of those machines would include the Husqvarna 401 Vitpilen, the Swedish brand’s neo-retro take on the KTM 390 Duke platform.

Teasing us now with a short video of this “white arrow”, we get our first obfuscated glimpses of the 2017 Husqvarna 401 Vitpilen, though we doubt the bike has changed much from its concept form.

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Bikes

Energica Debuting New Electric Motorcycle Concept

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It looks like we will get to see a new electric motorcycle at the EICMA show in Milan, as Energica says it will debut a new electric motorcycle concept at the Italian trade show.

Saying in its press release that the new concept will be “an evolution of design and technologies already adopted on Energica models. The company with this new concept will approach the most recent motorcycle market trends.”

Beyond this, Energica is being very tight lipped about the new machine. As such, it is not clear what kind of motorcycle Energica will actually unveil.

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BMW Motorrad Is Releasing Four New Bikes at EICMA, And We Know What They Are…Sort Of

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BMW Motorrad sent out a press release over the weekend, teasing that it would have four “world premieres” at the upcoming EICMA show, in Milan.

With EICMA being the largest trade show for the motorcycle industry, it’s not surprising that the German brand would hold back some new bike launches, even from the very popular INTERMOT show, which is home territory for BMW Motorrad.

We have already scooped a few of the new BMW models that are coming for 2017, but with EICMA close at hand, we thought it best to disclose the rest.

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MV Agusta Introduces Repayment Plan in Court

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MV Agusta has unveiled in court its plan to get back to financial stability, after seeing cash flow issues reaching a zenith in March 2016.

The plan is exactly as it has been previously advertised by MV Agusta CEO Giovanni Castiglioni: MV Agusta will reduce its workforce, produce fewer machines, focus on high-margin models, and seek a freeze on its debts to creditors and suppliers.

Whether the Varesini court will accept this plan remains to be seen, it will also require some buy-in from MV Agusta’s creditor and suppliers, who are owed €50 million from MV Agusta.

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Bikes

Part Descriptions Leak About the Ducati 1299 Superleggera

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With the news that Bologna is showing its new lightweight project, the Ducati 1299 Superleggera to would-be owners, it shouldn’t surprise us then to see information leaking out about the superbike.

Unsurpsingly then, some of the component images and details have leaked out from the Project 1408 microsite, posted to forums by invited guests.

These leaked details give us a glimpse as to how Borgo Panigale is going to improve upon its namesake even further, namely through the use of carbon fiber.

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Bikes

A Ducati 1299 Superleggera with a Carbon Fiber Frame??!

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Ducati has begun teasing something very special, which for now is going by the name of “Project 1408” on a micro-website the Italian manufacturer has setup.

The site itself has no information, and doesn’t even tease what Project 1408 could be, but Ducati has already begun reaching out to its VIP customers, teasing something made from carbon fiber.

Sources tell us though that the Ducati Project 1408 is a new Superleggera model, based off the Ducati 1299 Panigale platform.

This new superbike isn’t just the Ducati 1199 Superleggera with the 1299 motor bolted into it though, with our sources saying that the Ducati 1299 Superleggera takes the weight savings a step further, with the highlight being a carbon fiber chassis.

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Ducati Scrambler Café Racer Cometh Soon

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In addition to bringing the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled to market at the upcoming EICMA show, Ducati will pair its off-road focused scrambler model with a café racer version of the Scrambler, which has cleverly been named the Ducati Scrambler Café Racer.

The models will use the same 803cc air-cooled v-twin engine that we’ve seen already in the Scrambler lineup, and as you would expect, the machine will have the typical café racer aesthetic, with a round headlight and bullet fairing.

As with all of the Scrambler Ducati lineup, you can expect customization to be a big part of the Ducati Scrambler Café Racer’s appeal. Keep an eye out for its debut, November 7th in Milan, Italy.

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Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled Teased for EICMA Debut

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We know from filings with the California Air Resources Board that we should expect two new Scrambler models for the 2017 model year – a “DS” model and a “CR” model.

With photos of a long-travel suspension Scrambler circulating, we assumed that the “DS” designation stood for “dual-sport”, but the latest teaser video from Ducati corrects our almost-right assumption.

While Ducati will indeed launch a more off-roady Scrambler model, as we expected, the 803cc machine will be called the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled, an homage to the Baja-busting bikes of yore that carried the same name.

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Bikes

More Photos of the New Ducati Multistrada 939

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For the 2017 model year, Ducati will release a smaller version of its popular adventure-tourer, dubbed the Ducati Multistrada 939. As the name suggests, this new Multistrada will use the 937cc v-twin engine that is found on the current Ducati Hypermotard, and recently released Ducati SuperSport.

Photos reveal that the 2017 Ducati Multistrada 939 will have a double-sided swingarm, helping to distinguish it from the Multistrada 1200, which uses a single-sided swingarm.

What is harder to glean from the photos though is that Ducati is said to have made the Multistrada 939 physically smaller than the Multistrada 1200, offering a lower seat height and overall lower riding height than its larger sibling.

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