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Benelli Due 756 Finally Goes Live…in China?

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The Benelli Due concept has been in the works for so long, we’re officially giving it the Duke Nukem Forever status of the motorcycle industry. I first laid my eyes on the two-cylinder street-standard back in 2009, as the then called “2ue” was making its second EICMA appearance (the Due made its first appearance as early as the Cologne show in 2006).

Essentially a Benelli triple with a cylinder lopped off, the Benelli Due displaces 756cc with its inline cylinders, and is an otherwise attractive motorcycle. Given how much of a basketcase the “Tre” motor was, we can only imagine the “character” its two-cylinder counterpart brings to the table, though that is an entirely different issue.

Finally announcing that the Benelli Due will hit dealership floors in 2012, the Chinese-owned Italian company has an interesting twist with its news: the Benelli Due will be released in China first, then Europe and other markets.

At play surely is the idea and principle of pride that Chinese companies should release models in their home country first, before servicing other markets. This notion is surely understandable, but does strike us as interesting considering that Europe and North America are likely to be bigger volume markets for this big-displacement motorcycle.

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Racing

Bimota to Wild Card in a World Superbike Race?

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Aside from one or two suspiciously similar motorcycles a year, we don’t often hear from the Italian brand of Bimota. Known for building exotic motorcycles that feature custom frames around production motors (now, what does that sound like?), Bimota used to sample the best engines from all the manufacturers, but lately the motorcycle company seems to favor almost exclusively another certain Italian company in Bologna.

There was also a point in time where Bimota raced its designs, helping the small firm earn a reputation not only for its aesthetic graces, but also for its technical prowess. Hoping to return to its roots with that latter element, Bimota was caught on the track in Spain recently. Testing at the Almeria track, Ruben Xaus (yes, that Ruben Xaus) has settled into his new job as Bimota’s Sporting Director quite nicely.

Xaus is helping the small Italian company improve upon its Bimota HB4 Moto2 bike and Bimota DB8 Superbike. With this testing, Bimota is teasing the possibility of the Ducati 1198-powered Bimota DB8 making a World Superbike wild card appearance for the 2012 season.

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News

Rendered: Ducati 1199 Panigale Race Replicas

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It’s only a matter of time before Ducati releases some race replica paint jobs for the recently unveiled Ducati 1199 Panigale. It almost certainly won’t be during the 2012 model year, but in 2013 don’t be surprised to see some race-inspired colors adorning Bologna’s flagship superbike. Seemingly beating Ducati to the punch, the guys over at MotorBikeTV have put together some fine photoshops of what the Ducati 1199 Panigale race replicas would look like. Hayden, Bayliss, Checa…the only thing missing is perhaps the most important race replica of all: Valentino Rossi’s.

With The Doctor signing onto the Italian MotoGP squad for two seasons, the match was a marketing director’s dream come true. And while the Rossi yellow might clash with the Rosso Corsa, you can beat anything stamped with a 46 and the Ducati Corse logo will sell like hot cakes…it did for the Ducati Monster at least. A Rossi-branded Ducati 1199 Panigale? The sound you just heard was Ducatisti worldwide having spasms of joy, of the change-your-pants variety. Thanks for the tip Sergio!

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Products

Star Wars Stormtrooper Leathers – Yes! Oh Baby Jesus Yes!

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With all of our subtle and not-so-subtle references to the franchise, you’d have to be a newbie to Asphalt & Rubber to miss the fact that we’ve seen the Star Wars movies at least a couple times. So of course it goes without saying that it tickles our fancy that UD Replicas has unveiled another motorcycle-friendly costume replica, this time a Stormtrooper leather motorcycle suit. Clearly the droids you are looking for, UD Replicas’ Stormtrooper suit is made from form-molded leather, and features CE armor throughout the suit.

For the Star Wars purists, there is the standard Imperial White Stormtropper uniform available, but those looking for something more appropriate for evening attire, a black Shadowtrooper variation is also available. For only $1,165 CAD (that’s $1,152 in US Freedom Dollars), you get the jacket, pants (which zip into the jacket), boots, and gloves. You’re on your own when it comes to a DOT-approved Stormtrooper helmet, but the AGV AX-8 Dual Sport in white might be a good start (UD shows a helmet made by eFXcollectibles). Thanks for the tips everyone!

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Banter

You Can Always Count on KTM for Some Good Photos

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We don’t cover the off-road sector of motorcycling too often (we’re really trying to put the “asphalt” in the Asphalt & Rubber around here), but KTM makes us wish we broke that vow to the tarmac more often. Sending us these photos of the official Red Bull/KTM Factory Supercross Team practicing at The Ranch in Anza, CA, the Austrian brand certainly seems “ready to race” (oh, brother), but with the lens of Frank Hoppen at the ready, Red Bull/KTM factory riders Ryan Dungey, Ken Roczen, and Marvin Musquin looked the business as well.

I’ve waxed on before about how KTM really is the standard by which other motorcycle companies should rate their marketing materials, and these photos are no different. Keep in mind that KTM employs a variety of photographers, over varying locations worldwide, yet consistently comes out with stunning well-shot photos, which all have a touch of the KTM style. That’s almost as impressive of a feat as the body of work itself. But enough about that, onto the goodness after the jump.

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Bikes

Up-Close with the MV Agusta Brutale 675

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Finally making its public debut, the MV Agusta Brutale 675 was easily one of the most anticipated motorcycles of the 2011 EICMA show. Representing Varese’s commitment to more affordable motorcycles, the Brutale 675 comes with a €8,990 price tag in the EU (US pricing is still up in the air, but should be competitive with the Triumph Street Triple). No exactly a surprise in its design, the 2012 MV Agusta Brutale 675 is true to the Brutale format, and follows the lines of the F3 supersport…without fairings of course.

In person, the MV Agusta Brutale 675 comes with the fit and finish you would expect from the historic Italian brand. For as much as I bag on MV Agusta for its various monetary and business troubles, the Italian factory is trying to make available a gorgeous motorcycle at a very attractive price tag. For all the concerns made about how MV Agusta was going “down market” with its brand, the basic bullet points of what defines an MV still remain true with the Brutale 675, which should make it a winner when it comes to market.

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Racing

Photos: 2003 Yamaha YZR-M1 Prototype

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It seems only fitting that after reviewing the BRD RedShift SM prototype, that we should turn our attentions to another prototype machine…or should we say, a prototype of a prototype. A glimpse into how lost in the woods Yamaha was with its MotoGP program pre-Rossi, the 2003 Yamaha YZR-M1 prototype is the work of a company desperately looking for a solution against Honda’s very potent RC211V. Employing two Öhlins rear shock absorbers, Yamaha’s philosophy and process of handling over power is very evident in this prototype’s design, though the implementation seems a bit murkier.

Laced with linear potentiometers through out the M1’s chassis, it is at least interesting to note the unit extending from one of the rear shock mounting points to the front of the frame — presumably measuring the flex of the chassis from front to back. With all the data acquisition that is on the 2003 prototype M1, you would think Yamaha would notice one of the most obvious mistakes with the design, namely how the exhaust routing was cramped in with both shock absorbers, surely cooking both units as the machine came up to temperature.

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Reviews

Ride Review: BRD RedShift Supermoto Prototype

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It is a rare opportunity when a journalist gets to swing a leg over a prototype motorcycle. Virtually assured by definition to have perceivable flaws, effectively all the companies in the motorcycle industry prefer to keep the public and media at arm’s length until they have massaged their work into something that is ready for primetime consumption. Testing the BRD RedShift SM electric supermoto at Infineon Raceway today, we could attribute our good fortune to the fact that BRD Motorcycles (faster-faster.com) does not subscribe to the motorcycle industry’s status quo.

Conversely, we could also just as easily say that the boys at BRD are easily crazy enough to let a couple moto-journalists test the only existing example of what nearly a million dollars in motorcycle technology builds you, and the fact that those journalists are online blogger internet nerd types, well that just proves BRD’s insanity, right?

That notion of craziness comes almost without question though, as you would have to be crazy to think that you can take on the major OEMs in their own backyard. You would have to be crazy to give up the security of your day job to start a new venture in the worst recession since the 1930’s, crazy to convert your successful existing business into a risky startup, crazy to spend your accumulated life savings so every dollar raised goes into the company’s shared vision.

There is something crazy about what is going on with a small motorcycle startup in the San Francisco Bay Area, and as I not-so-prudently signed my life away on the test ride disclaimer today, Asphalt & Rubber got to see what manifestations BRD’s farce had produced since we last saw the BRD RedShift SM in August of this year.

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Bikes

Confederate X132 Hellcat Breaks Cover

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It has been almost a year and a half since we first heard of the third generation Confederate X132 Hellcat, and today we get word that the “more affordable” Confederate has been finalized and is ready for pre-production orders. Borrowing on the namesake of its predecessors, the new Hellcat shares some of the basic characteristics of the original Hellcats, while still bringing a very unique look and style to the custom cruiser.

Set to begin production in January, Confederate is taking orders now with a price tag of $45,000 through February, though that price will go to $49,500 in March of 2012. With only 164 Confederate X132 Hellcats to be made, the Alabama-based company expects to make only two units a week.

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Bikes

Yamaha Super Ténéré Worldcrosser Becomes a Reality

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We thoroughly enjoyed the 2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré when we rode it last year (yeah..do the math on those numbers). Properly thrashing the machine through the outskirts of Sedona, Arizona, the big-displacement Super T is fun adventure-tourer that balances Japanese bang-for-the-buck economics with a robust feature set normally reserved only for European machines.

So it is hard to imagine how Yamaha could improve on an already fine motorcycle (we guess the tuning fork brand could give the Super Ténéré away for free), but the Japanese manufacturer did so with its Yamaha Super Ténéré Worldcrosser concept.

A more rugged and off-road oriented variant of the Super T, the 2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré Worldcrosser seemed too-polished, and certainly too well received to avoid going into production, and sure enough, we have gotten word today that Yamaha has green-lit the Worldcrosser for production (we’ll take one in competition white, please).

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Bikes

Pierobon X60R – Your Xmas Wish List Just Got Longer

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One of the nice things about actually going to motorcycle events, instead of phoning it in like many publications seem to do these days, is that you get to see all the treasure trove items that didn’t find their way onto some press release mill for mass consumption.

Such is the case of the Pierobon X60R, a custom sportbike that will surely cause some revisions to your Christmas wish list to Santa. We’ve featured Pierobon’s work before, with the Bologna company’s Pierobon F042 causing quite a stir earlier this year.

Like the F042, the Pierobon X60R features an air-cooled Ducati v-twin power plant, and the tuning firm’s own proprietary chassis design. There are plenty of performance parts and carbon fiber to drool over, and the design strikes as one that would have occurred had Ducati made a true air-cooled sportbike.

With Pierbon’s extensive experience in the racing scene, we can imagine how much fun an X60R would be on the track, we’ll just have to wait and see if a street model also makes a debut. If you’re a Ducatista and want to stand out from the cappuccino crowd, there are some photos after the jump that might interest you.

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