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Yamaha Super Ténéré Looking Good in “Competition White”

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We really enjoyed riding the 2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré around the picturesque landscape that is Sedona, Arizona, but Yamaha’s variety of color schemes for the Super T leaves a little bit to be desired if your favorite color isn’t blue or black. Never fear, the tuning fork brand has you covered, as Yamaha has debuted the 2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré in “Competition White” at the Verona Motor Bike Expo.

The new racing-inspired white color scheme is just one of four colors Yamaha has rolled out at Verona, with a “Silver Viper Tech” livery also reportedly being teased. We’re not sure which, if either, of these two new colors will be available in the United States, but we imagine that if there was enough expressed interest, Yamaha would make them available on this side of the pond. Check out the gallery of the “Competition White” Super Ténéré after the jump.

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Vyrus 986 M2 Moto2 Race Bike Unveiled at Verona – It’s Time to Breakout the Kleenex

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After covering the debut of new motorcycles for a little over two years now, I’d like to think I’ve become immune to the sheer product lust the occurs when seeing an exceptional two-wheeler. Well wheel me back to the insane asylum of discretionary consumer income, because the only thing I can think of today is this Vyrus 986 M2 Moto2 race bike, and what it’s street counterpart could look like if Vyrus green-lights the project.

I don’t care if the hub-steering design is truly superior to traditional fork suspension. I don’t care if a single team even picks up the Vyrus chassis to race in Moto2. And in fact, I don’t even care if this whole talk about racing in Moto2 is just a ploy to launch the 600cc sibling of the Vyrus 987 C3 4V Supercharged.

Looking at these photos (courtesy of our friends at MotoBlog.it), the only thing going through my mind is OMGWTFBBQ I Want One! Eloquent I know, but if you can handle your streetbikes being non-traditional is design, I think you’ll have a similar response after the jump when you see the Vyrus 986 M2, which was finally unveiled at the Motor Bike Expo at Verona today.

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2011 Harley-Davidson Blackline

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Fresh from the International Motorcycle Show’s stop in New York, Harley-Davdison has released a new motorcycle for its 2011 line-up that’s set to be another entry point into the Milwaukee brand. Based off the Softail platform, and a part of Harley’s Dark Custom thought process on design, the 2011 Harley-Davidson Blackline has that hardtail bobber look, and that features a new asymmetrical fuel tank styling and split drag handlebars.

At the core of the Blackline is a rigid-mounted, counter-balanced Twin Cam 96B v-twin motor that makes 89 lbs•ft of peak torque at 3,250 rpm, which is mated to a six-speed transmission. New from the Harley-Davidson parts bin are the split drag handlebars that connect directly to the top yoke, giving a near shoulder-height arm position.

If you’re looking for that old-school bobber look on a Harley-Davidson this summer, when gas prices will surely climb to ridiculous levels once again, the Blackline with its $15,499 MSRP, and 54 MPG highway / 35 MPG fuel economy rating might be the place to start. Photos of noticeably rebellious 20-somethings and press release highlights after the jump.

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Here’s One for the MV Agusta Fans

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If you’re a lover of all things Italian (MV Agusta‘s in particular), and near the Midland, Michigan area, then you should stop by the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art before April 10, 2011. A part of the Midland Center of the Arts, the museum is showing an exhibit on Italian art that includes a gallery full of classic and modern MV Agusta motorcycles, along with photographs of Italian cars, and 17th century Italian sketches.

Showing the merger of form and function, MV Agusta motorcycles easily top our list as some of the finest-looking two-wheeled machines ever made. As much as we slog the Italian company for going to the well on its most recent creation, the 2012 MV Agusta F3, its predecessor the MV Agusta F4, whose lines were penned by the master Massimo Tamburini, has to be the most gorgeous modern motorcycle ever produced by mortal man.

A video of the exhibit is embedded after the jump, along with a gallery of the MV Agusta F3. If any A&R readers go to the exhibit, we’d love to post your photos of the MV’s on display.

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Three New Colors for the Aprilia Dorsoduro 750

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For 2011 Aprilia is gracing the Dorsoduro 750 with three new colors: white, black, and what’s passing as green these days. For now the colors seem to be only coming to the European market, but we wouldn’t be surprised if a couple of them ended up bound for the shores of North America (especially the white and black models, yum). The new colors for the Dorso 750 will join Aprilia’s larger displacement model, the newly debuted 2011 Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 (which will also come in white and black color schemes). No news yet on the a 1,200cc version of the Aprilia Shiver, the Dorsoduro’s sister bike.

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The Mission R with Its Clothes Off

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The Mission R, the latest creation to come from San Francisco-based Mission Motors, looks like any typical gasoline-powered sportbike (well, any really good looking gasoline-powered sportbike), and that’s sort of the point behind the machine: an electric motorcycle that can excite petrol-heads and electron nerds alike. Although the Mission R was made to draw mainstream appeal, today we see further proof that any resemblance to modern ICE motorcycles was made to be only skin deep.

Beneath the carbon-laid fairings of the Mission R, we see a hint of the bike’s unique chrome-moly trellis frame that mates to a previously hidden headstock/front sub-frame unit that was made by Speedymoto and designed by James Parker (of GSX-RADD fame). With the Mission R’s mass centralized around the 141hp 3-phace AC induction motor, Parker also had to contend with Mission’s carbon enclosed two-tiered battery pack that comprises the bulk of the race bike’s weight.

Read after the jump as Parker walks us through his process and thoughts on designing the Mission R, and be sure to check out the photo galleries for an up-close look.

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Racing

Castrol Honda Returns to World Superbike

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Ten Kate Honda officially became Castrol Honda at the 2011 launch of the team in the UK today. Though Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus were confirmed as riders in November 2010, the return of a Castrol Honda team to World Superbike was kept pretty well under wraps until today’s launch. Naturally the livery is very different from last season, with the previous yellow-green color of previous sponsor Hannspree completely removed in favor of a Castrol green, red, and white and a bit of Honda’s wing logo.

“When our world championship racing adventure was first beginning, many years ago now, Castrol Honda was the one team in the paddock which everyone looked up to, whose professional and performance standards we all wanted to achieve. It is an honour for us now to be racing under this famous and historically successful banner and we are privileged to be following in the footsteps of the team we admired so much in the past,” said team manager Ronald ten Kate. The factory Honda team sponsored by Castrol won three superbike championships: John Kocinski, 1997, and Colin Edwards, 2000 and 2002.

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Roland Sands Talks about Bell Helmets

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We’ve had more than a few Bell Helmets rolling around the A&R office these past months, and one of the things we’ve really liked from this American-based company is how it has teamed up with notable designers from inside and outside of the motorcycle industry to bring attractive and fresh looks to consumers. While it’s been the Bell Star and Vortex that have been keeping our brains firmly in-between our ears, it’s the designs by Roland Sands and Jona Cerwinske that have been attracting us to Bell, and propelling the company back into the motorcycle helmet market as a whole.

Taking some time to talk to Roland Sands at his new Southern California shop, Bell Helmets has put together this short video with the former motorcycle racer turned designer. While Bell and RSD are obviously out to hock the new gold-leaf-over-carbon fiber “Speed Freak” helmet they’ve created for 2011, Roland has some interesting stories about his process and growing up around motorcycles…the photography is spectacular too boot.

With Bell in the process of restoring its name after having its motorcycle helmet division operated overseas by another company, we expect to see more videos in the future like the one after the jump that engage riders with this once-defunct American brand.

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Marc Coma Edges Out Despres for His 3rd Dakar Rally – Brings Home KTM’s 10th Consecutive Dakar Victory

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Because KTM employs some of the best adventure racers in the world, there was little debate that the Austrian manufacturer would win its 10th consecutive Dakar Rally, on this the 33rd running of the race. However which of KTM’s top riders, Coma or Despres, would take the checkered flag this weekend at Buenos Aires was a question of some contention among adventure racing fans, as going into the latter stages of the event, it was either rider’s race to win.

That debate can finally come to a conclusion thought, as after racing over more than 3,000 miles on one of the most grueling Dakars to-date, Spaniard Marc Coma edged out Frenchman Cyril Despres for the overall rally win by a mere 15 minutes, which included a 10 minute penalty that Despres incurred earlier in the racing week. Photos, results, and more after the jump.

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Behind the Scenes with Rossi and the GP11

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Ducati Chilé posted a link to these photos on our Facebook page, and we’d thought we’d share them with the 10 people who read A&R, but aren’t friends with us on Facebook (do you see what we’re doing there with the links?). Showing a glimpse of the nine-time World Champion getting ready to pose with his new Ducati Corse leathers and the Desmosedici GP11, we like the trend we’re seeing of images and video of Rossi’s quasi-personal life coming to the surface — they add an element to the story that fans normally don’t get to see. We’re not sure on the photo credits, but we have a feeling it might be the work of Gigi Soldano.

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Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – Christmas Comes Late in Italy

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If you are a Ducati owner, Valentino Rossi Fan, Italian, or have more than a passing interest in MotoGP, then today is the day you’ve had marked on your 2011 calendar (with perhaps the Valencia test being the date of 2010). Finally released from his contractual obligations with Yamaha, Valentino Rossi can officially begin his duties working for Ducati Corse this week, and Ducati has already capitalized on the moment by showing off Rossi’s new leathers to great fanfare. Now the pièce de résistance and the end to our torment, Ducati has finally debuted the Ducati Desmosedici GP11 at the 2011 Wrooom media event, a joint launch event between Ferrari and Ducati held in the Dolomite Mountains.

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