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KTM 200 Duke Officially Coming to the USA for 2020

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Confirming the news that our Bothan spies brought to us three weeks ago, KTM North America is going to bring in the KTM 200 Duke as a 2020 model.

The little baby Duke might not seem like the first choice for motorcycle models coming to the United States, that is until you look at the price tag that will come on this 200cc thumper: $3,999 MSRP.

This makes the 2020 KTM 200 Duke the only full-sized motorcycle from a major OEM that is under $4,000 new, which could be a game changer for the Austrian brand as it tries to capture younger riders.

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Bikes

So Many Photos of the MV Agusta Superveloce 800

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Fresh with its new livery design, MV Agusta sent us these photos of the Superveloce 800, which is just now starting to make its way out of the Italian company’s factory in Varese.

While the basics of the motorcycle center around MV Agusta’s modern 145hp, 800cc, three-cylinder platform, the exterior of the Superveloce 800 is what is grabbing headlines, as the retro-modern look of the sport bike is quite the head-turner.

Therefore it should go without saying that we needed little convincing in order to publish the 98 high-resolution phots of this machine.

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Bikes

More Photos of the New Honda CBR600RR Emerge

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Honda gave us quite the surprise last week, announcing that there would be a new Honda CBR600RR sport bike for the 2021 model year.

While we are still another week away from the official debut (and thus when all the details will be revealed), we learn more about the supersport with each passing day.

Today, we get a fresh batch of photos (which we first saw on Italian website Moto.it), which give us a better glimpse of this restyled CBR600RR.

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Bikes

BMW R18 Dragster Custom by Roland Sands…With NOS

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One of the motorcycle launches that was swallowed by the coronavirus outbreak was the debut of the BMW R18 – the german company’s giant air-cooled cruiser model.

There is a bit of irony in that fact, considering how long the German brand teased the bike in its near final form, only to see it production debut overshadowed by a global pandemic, but that’s the tough reality.

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Bikes

MV Agusta’s “Smart Clutch System” Comes to the Brutale & Dragster

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MV Agusta is making an interesting move in its sport bike lineup, announcing this week that they will be adding the company’s “Smart Clutch System” (SCS) to its Brutale 800 RR and Dragster 800 RR models.

For those that don’t remember the debut of the Smart Clutch System, it was built in collaboration with Rekluse, and first debuted on the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce Lusso sport-tourer.

Effectively, the implementation of the Smart Clutch System means that an MV Agusta rider needs only to use the clutch when firing up the motorcycle, as the clutch will auto-engage when coming to a stop, and isn’t necessary when shifting because of the up/down quickshifter.

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Bikes

KTM 450 Rally Replica Debuts for the 2021 Racing Season

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Not everyone can be like Toby Price, and enjoy the benefits of a factory seat inside the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, but you can at least get pretty close to having a true Dakar race bike, thanks to KTM offering a replica of its rally raid race bike.

Now with the latest installment of that customer-racer machine, we say hello to the KTM 450 Rally Replica for the 2021 racing season.

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Reviews

Gone Riding: Ducati Superleggera V4

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With only 500 being made worldwide (and maybe 100 or so of them coming to the USA), the chances of getting to swing a leg over the Ducati Superleggera V4 are pretty slim. Riding one around Laguna Seca in anger? Even slimmer.

So naturally when Ducati North America called and asked if we wanted to do exactly that, the answer was an obvious yes.

That brings us to this moment, where on Thursday Asphalt & Rubber will get a chance to ride a $100,000 carbon-fiber-everything superbike around one of the most iconic race tracks in America. Sometimes, this job is really, really tough.

Funny enough, this is a rare case of the coronavirus actually causing some positive changes in the motorcycle industry, as normally the US would only get to send one publication to the press launch for a bike like this.

But instead, Ducati North America has the ability to host its own event, while the European magazines were forced to slum it at Mugello for a day. Hence, here we are.

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Bikes

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R Debuts, 50hp & Cheaper Than We Thought

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After much teasing, and much waiting, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R has finally debuted in Indonesia, which means we can finally answer some of our most pressing questions about this rad little machine.

First off, the Ninja ZX-25R makes 50hp (37.5 kW) with Kawasaki’s dubious “RAM Air” power rating, which in normal numbers should mean a 49hp machine (though it seems to make 41hp on Akrapovic’s dyno).

The second big piece of information is pricing on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R, which Team Green has set at 96 million IDR (roughly $6,700). Now, there is an up-spec version, called the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R ABS SE, which include ABS and a KRT Livery option, and it pops for 112.9 million IDR (roughly $7,800).

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Bikes

So Many Photos of the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RR

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I am not sure why all the motorcycle publications are covering the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RR this week, as if 1000cc streetfighter was just unveiled as a new model. Well actually, I do know why – it is because MV Agusta held a media presentation for the bike, in lieu of a on-road press test.

You can’t fault MV Agusta for trying to salvage a press launch during a global pandemic, though it is curious why my colleagues are reporting this bike as if they have never seen it before. Maybe they were asleep during EICMA?

For those who feel that they need their memories refreshed, the “RR” model isn’t that different from the “Serie Oro” model we saw in 2018, though it has some key high-end pieces missing.

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Racing

Voxan Looking to Beat the FIM Motorcycle Land Speed Record

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We were surprised to hear that French brand Voxan was going to make an attempt on the FIM land speed record for electric motorcycles (specifically the I.A1.B VII +300kg record).

Last we heard, the Voxan brand was being shut down by parent company Venturi, with the company’s electric cruiser model, the Voxan Wattman, classified as dead on arrival.

Now taking that same platform (though the two motorcycles seem to share nearly no components), Voxan has sprung back to life to try and tackle the outright FIM record for partially streamlined two-wheeled electric motorcycles.

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Bikes

XXX: Too Many Hi-Res Photos of the Ducati Superleggera V4

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In just over two weeks’ time, Asphalt & Rubber will be swinging a leg over the Ducati Superleggera V4, giving this $100,000 bike a run for its money at the iconic Laguna Seca race track in sunny California. It’s a hard life.

Only 500 models of this mean machine will be produced in Borgo Panigale (the production run is currently underway), making the Superleggera V4 a fairly exclusive affair – and that’s before you factor in the MotoGP and WorldSBK track experience packages, which are basically unobtainium opportunities.

At the end of the day, the Superleggera V4 is a 233hp (174 kW) fire-breather when the race exhaust is installed, and Ducati quotes a dry weight of 335.5 lbs (152.2 kg).

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