Latest Posts:
Asphalt & Rubber
Tag

photos

Browsing
Racing

Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP Reporting for BSB Duty

By 4 Comments

With racing getting started around the world in the coming weeks, we see that the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP (officially the longest name in the superbike category) is ready for British Superbike duty, with Honda Racing unveiling the bike’s livery today.

With black fairings, and notably few sponsors on the machine’s fairings, this CBR1000RR-R might be a bit of a statement about the status of the world’s economy, and the role that motorcycle racing plays within it, but we appreciate the clean look nonetheless.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

This Honda CBR750RR Concept Looks Very, Very Nice

By 15 Comments

With all the talk of the possibility of a new Honda CBR600RR-R supersport debuting later this year (we are still dubious, but going with it so far), one intrepid soul has wondered what a 750cc variant might look like.

The 750cc sport bike category is an interesting one, since they typically don’t have a home when it comes to racing, but provide the best of both worlds for those who think that a track day is a good use of a weekend.

Light and nimble like a 600, but with the brawn closer to a 1000cc, the category is defined by the Suzuki GSX-R750 and currently lead (in our opinion) by the Ducati Panigale V2.

With bikes like the MV Agusta F3 800 and Triumph Daytona Moto2 765, the segment has no shortage of potent and intriguing motorcycles. So, could Honda fit in as well?

Keep Reading
By
Dirt

Behold the Honda CB650R Rally by Honda Wingmotor

By 8 Comments

That the Honda CB650R and its ilk make for excellent custom motorcycles should be an established fact by this point in time. Honda Motor Europe has prove this point extensively with its bevy of customs over the years.

So, it does not surprise us to see that the Japanese brand’s operations on the Iberian peninsula are using the CB as the basis for a custom bike build competition. What does surprise us though are some of the entries, as they are truly unique.

Take for instance this example, dubbed the Honda CB650R Rally. It’s done by Honda Wingmotor in Lisbon, Portugal, and as the name implies, it is a rally raid interpretation of the venerable street bike.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Ducati Adds More Graffiti with the Mid-Range Hypermotard 950 RVE

By 6 Comments

Starting in July, Ducati will have a new Hypermotard 950 variant for you to chose from, as the Italian brand has just announced the Ducati Hypermotard 950 RVE.

The new “RVE” model is a spitting image of the Ducati Hypermotard 950 concept that we saw last year at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, which got rave reviews from us and many others.

Interestingly enough though, the Hypermotard 950 RVE is built off the base model Hypermotard, adding the unique graphics package of the concept, as well as an up/down quickshifter that comes as standard on the “SP” variant.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

KTM 790 Cafe Racer Concept by SKK AutoDesign

By 13 Comments

When it comes to using platforms for motorcycle design, KTM is definitely the brand at the top of the game – they launched a whole separate brand using KTM bikes as their basis, after all.

Husqvarna digs aside, the Austrians are very skillful at building a variety of motorcycles from a single power plant, the 790cc line being a prime example of this

The KTM 790 Duke is our pick for sport bikes on the market, and the KTM 790 Adventure is head-and-shoulders above anything else in its category when it comes to off-road ADV bikes.

We know from investor documents that KTM has more 790/890 bikes in the pipe, the most likely of which is a 17″ shod SMT version with long-travel suspension. But, what if the company had a neo-café racer in mind?

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

BMW M1000RR Superbike Concept by Nirjar Mardal

By 11 Comments

Nirjar Mardal’s concept of the rumored BMW M1000RR superbike is blowing up the internet right now, and we can tell why. It looks really good.

Taking the pleasing, but safe, lines of the BMW S1000RR and then cranking them up to 11, these renders from Mardal make for a lurid idea.

The bike is much more angular than the S1000RR model, and numerous upgrades can be spotted in the render’s design.

The most notable one though is what appears to be an electric supercharger, which is appropos since the Bavarian brand was spotted last year patenting ideas around this concept.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

The Nito N4 Concept Is a Little Gem for City Riders

By 10 Comments

This little gem, the Nito N4, has been burning a hole in our to-do list for far too long, ever since we saw it at the EICMA show in Milan last year. It’s not a big fancy superbike, and it’s not even a proper supermoto.

Instead, the 15hp Nito N4 is just an attractive people-mover that extends the Italian brand’s offering of urban-use two-wheelers.

On that vein, Nito says that the N4 is good for over 90 miles of range, can reach a top speed of 90 mph (150 km/h), and tips the scales at 385 lbs.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

A Honda CB1000RR-R Streetfighter Needs to Happen

By 18 Comments

The Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade is one of the most anticipated motorcycles for the 2020 model year, and once Big Red finishes up its con-rod recall on this brand new superbike, eager speed-fiends will be able to test their mettle on the race track.

But what about those who prefer to stay on the streets? Sure, you can ride the Honda CBR1000RR-R as a street bike. But, for the first time in its superbike-making history, Honda has focused on making a race bike first, and a street bike second.

Riding the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade as a dedicated street bike is certainly possible – it has all the lights, mirrors, and plate holders for such a job – but there has to be a better bike for the task.

As such, we would be very disappointed to learn that Big Red doesn’t have plans for a streetfightered version of the CBR1000RR-R in its product roadmap.

And after today’s concepts from Kardesign, we would be very, very disappointed if that were the case.

Keep Reading
By
News

Back in the Swing of Things, MV Agusta Rush 1000 Delivering in June

By 10 Comments

Perhaps the most lurid motorcycle we saw at the 2019 EICMA show, the MV Agusta Rush 1000 is truly a bike that stands out from the crowd. Designed with what MV Agusta calls a “drag racing” aesthetic, the Rush 1000 takes the already gorgeous Brutale 1000 RR streetfighter, and dials it up to 11.

On the technical side, MV Agusta hasn’t distinguished the Rush 1000 too much from the Brutale 1000 – they both share a 205hp inline-four engine (209hp with the kit exhaust, which surely one would install for the full “Rush” effect), which is pulled straight out of the MV Agusta F4 RC superbike.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

This Akira Motorcycle Concept by James Qiu Is Fire

By 10 Comments

I am, and forever will be, a complete sucker for a good rendition of Kaneda’s motorcycle from the cult Japanese anime movie Akira. Growing up as a kid (versus growing up as an adult, which is my current state), Akira‘s portrayal of motorcycles was one of the few things that got me interested in two-wheels.

I was a “car kid” growing up, with pictures of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche automobiles hanging on my walls. But, Kaneda’s bike was an influence too, and judging from the comments section when we post about this bike, it was a transformative machine for many others as well.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Bimota Teases Us with Some Blurry Photos of the KB4

By 2 Comments

It didn’t take long for Bimota to respond to stories about its next model, the Bimota KB4, as the Italian manufacturer has released two photos of the bike on its Facebook page…sort of.

The photos are purposefully blurred, thus obfuscating many of the bike’s details, but we can see that the round retro-styled headlight from the concept drawings is still a prominent feature on the KB4.

Keep Reading
By