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2015 Triumph Tiger 800 XRx – More, for the More On-Road

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For the 2015 model year, Triumph is continuing its new trend of offering more premium “x” variations of existing machines, as we saw with the Triumph Street Triple Rx, last month at the INTERMOT show. Getting the x-treatment at EICMA is the Triumph Tiger 800, and first up is the 2015 Triumph Tiger 800 XRx.

A more refined version of Triumph 800cc road-going adventure bike, the big news is Triumph adding traction control as standard, cruise control as standard, and switchable ABS to the Triumph Tiger 800 XRx.

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Honda Africa Twin “True Adventure” Prototype Revealed

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Honda doesn’t have any actual new bikes to show at the 2014 EICMA show, but it did bring two “prototypes” of the bikes we most eagerly wanted to see from Big Red.

We already posted about the Honda RC213V-S prototype street bike with MotoGP blood, and here we have what Honda isn’t calling an Africa Twin, just yet.

The long-rumored dual-sport looks quite similar to the renderings we have already seen, and Honda is using the working name “True Adventure” for now.

Expected to be based off the company’s Honda CRF450 Rally race bike, the prototype diverges with its parallel-twin engine, the headers for which can be seen in the photo above.

Like the RC213V-S, we hopefully will see the finished machine at the Tokyo Motor Show, later next month. Until then, chew on these photos from the Honda stand in Milan.

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Honda RC213V-S Street Bike Prototype Unveiled

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Perhaps the most highly anticipated machine at the EICMA show, Honda has finally debuted its road-going MotoGP bike, dubbed the Honda RC213V-S.

Still officially considered a prototype (along with the Honda Africa Twin off-road machine), the RC213V-s is essentially what you would imagine, an RC213V MotoGP bike with lights.

Brought onto the EICMA stage by Marc Marquez, the RC213V-S is a stunner in its pure carbon fairings, but we think the Japanese flag livery on the static machine takes the cake.

Honda isn’t talking specs at this time, and hopefully we will know more by the time the Tokyo Motor Show rolls around. So, we’ll just have to drool over these photos until then. Check them out, after the jump.

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2015 BMW S1000XR — Ducati, You Have Been Put on Notice

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One of the motorcycles we’ve been anticipating at EICMA, the 2015 BMW S1000XR has finally debuted. As the name suggests, the S1000XR borrows from the S1000RR superbike’s 998cc inline-four engine platform, and its derived heavily from the S1000R roadster, thus it makes a cool 160hp and 83 lbs•ft of torque.

Like the Ducati Multistrada 1200 it competes against, the BMW S1000XR is seen more of an adventure-sport motorcycle, than an outright tourer. Built to satisfy the go-fast needs of on-road riders, the 502 lbs (wet) S1000XR still has the chops to go where the sidewalk ends, but is more at home pounding pavement.

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Up-Close with the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1M

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While the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1M was being debuted in Milan, Italy at a star-studded press event, Yamaha Motor USA invited a group of journalists down to southern California to experience the new liter bike first-hand — Asphalt & Rubber was among those attending.

For anyone who has been up-close with the Yamaha YZR-M1, Yamaha’s MotoGP bike, then there are obvious design cues that you can see carried over to the new street bike. The airbox cover is gilled, the air intake is squared, with the pointy nose slightly covering it, making it look like a collapsed pentagon.

Indeed, Yamaha is trying to draw distinctions between the new R1 and its sophisticated M1 race bike. The electronics package on the latter has certainly helped in developing the 2015 Yamaha R1, taking the Tuning Fork brand as having one of the least sophisticated superbike, to now one of the most sophisticated.

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2015 Yamaha FJ-09 — Three Cylinders of Budget Touring

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A bike that we know has been coming down the pipe for quite some while, the 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 (or the Yamaha MT-09 Tracer, as our European readers will know it) is finally a reality. No more trademark applications, no more CARB filings, no more leaked photos, the budget-minded three-cylinder sport-tourer is here, debuting at the EICMA show today.

As expected, the Yamaha FJ-09 is based off the Yamaha FZ-09 platform, gaining longer suspension pieces and more touring features for its purpose. The windscreen, handlebars, and seat are all adjustable, allowing one to tailor the ride to their preferences. And with a 4.8 gallon fuel tank, that ride can go quite some distance.

Like the FZ-09, the FJ-09 comes with a ride-by-wire throttle, ABS brakes, traction control, and adjustable riding modes. Yamaha also has a range of accessories for the Yamaha FJ-09, helping riders add luggage and other touring items to the new sport-tourer.

Available in either Matte Grey or Candy Red, the 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 will be available in the USA and Canada. American riders can expect the new FJ-09 to be in dealers in November 2014, with a price tag of $10,490 MSRP.

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2015 Yamaha YZF-R1M — An Exclusive Track Weapon

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While the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 is pretty impressive in its own right, the folks at Iwata weren’t content to let things be, and thus have produced the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1M. An exclusive extension of the R1, Yamaha calls the R1M the closest thing there is to the company’s GP machine, the Yamaha YZR-M1.

Featuring the same 200hp “CP4” crossplane 998cc inline-four engine as the base model, Yamaha has added Öhlins’ ERS semi-active suspension pieces to the superbike, along with carbon fiber fairings, and a robust GPS-powered data acquisition system.

The Yamaha YZF-R1M utilizes the powerful electronics package that Yamaha has developed, with traction control, launch control, wheelie control, slide control, and anti-locking brakes all acting in unison through the inertial measurement unit (IMU).

Able to know how the motorcycle is moving through six-axis, the Yamaha YZF-R1M can then tailor how it responds to rider and road inputs, via the engine, the suspension, and the brakes.

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2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 — Game On

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As expected, and leaked earlier today, the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 has broken cover at the EICMA show in Milan.

An all new machine from Yamaha, the new YZF-R1 is a giant leap forward from Yamaha, with its eyes squarely on dominating the race track, throughout all racing leagues.

At the core of the new R1 is a new crossplane motor, now dubbed the CP4 engine, which is producing 200hp without ram-air.

The engine features titanium fracture-split con-rods, 10.5 liter airbox, titanium exhaust, and a slipper clutch to boot. For the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 though, the story is really all about the electronics.

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2015 Ducati Multistrada 1200 – A New Face in ADV

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Confirming the news we broke last month, the Ducati Multistrada 1200 has been reworked for the 2015 model year, getting a major facelift, along with Ducati’s Testastretta DVT engine with variable valve timing.

The new Ducati Multistrada is also fitted with the Bosch MSC “cornering ABS” package, and thanks to its Intertial Measurement Unit (IMU), the Multistrada can brake more effectively and use cornering LED light (DCL) technology.

The IMU also help reduce wheelies, with the Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) system. Like with the Ducati Traction Control (DTC) there are eight-levels of adjustability to the DWC parameters, helping riders dial-in how high they want the front wheel to loft.

Lastly, the IMU helps improve the function of the Ducati Skyhook Suspension (DSS). Our last acronym is ECC, for the electronic cruise control system, which has also been added to the 2015 Ducati Multistrada 1200.

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Ducati 1299 Panigale – 205hp, Across the Board

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As was rumored, Ducati’s flagship machine, the Panigale superbike, gets an update for the 2015 model year. Now called the Ducati 1299 Panigale, the number designation means different things for the base, S, and R models.

All three models will sport a class-leading 205 peak horsepower, have the “cornering ABS” thanks to the inertial measurement unit (IMU) that is installed, and have the new Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) system, with its up and down clutchless shifting.

All three models also have a revised chassis geometry, with the steering head angle set at 24° now, while the fork pivot is 4 mm lower — all in the name of more precise steering (a critique of the 1199 model).

For the Ducati 1299 Panigale and Ducati 1299 Panigale S trim models, the high-revving Superquadro motor gets a displacement increase to 1,285cc, via a larger bore size (116mm). The Ducati 1299 Panigale R will remain at the original 1,198cc displacement, in order to comply with World Superbike regulations.

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Ducati Diavel Titanium – A “Bold” Limited Edition

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Ducati describes the Diavel Titanium as making “a bold statement” and “wanted to take the bold and unique Diavel to a whole new level of prestige and desirability.”

We’re pretty sure that many uses of the word “bold” really just means bold new graphics for the Diavel, as the Titanium paint job and titanium panels (fuel tank and headlight covers) on the Ducati Diavel Titanium are really what set Bologna’s newest power cruiser apart from its predecessors.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the Diavel Titanium is certainly an attractive looking version of the Diavel, though the machine lacks the Desmodromic Variable Timing that is debuting on the 2015 Ducati Multistrada — something we would have liked to see on the stout power cruiser.

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