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Energica Brings More Battery to Its Electric Motorcycles for 2020

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As expected before the EICMA show, electric motorcycle maker Energica will bring a significant boost to its 2020 model year lineup, starting with larger capacity battery packs.

Now with 18.9 kWh (nominal) of energy onboard (the most of any production electric motorcycle on the market), the Italian brand has nearly doubled its battery capacity, without adversely affecting its models’ weight and cost.

Energica says that this battery increase is a direct result of its participation in the MotoE World Cup.

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Bikes

Up-Close with the Ducati Scrambler Desert X Concept

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While the Streetfighter V4 S was center stage at the Ducati stand at EICMA, our eye drifted over towards the Scrambler setup, where the Italian brand was showcasing two concept bikes for the Milan show.

At the Ducati launch event in Rimini, the Ducati Scrambler Desert X concept was the big tease, with the Italians saying very little about the bike.

Really, all that was revealed (beyond a couple sketches) was that the motorcycle would use the brand’s 1,079cc air-cooled engine, and instead Ducati encouraged fans to see the bike at the EICMA booth, if they wanted more than a rendering. So, we obliged.

For us, the Ducati Scrambler Desert X concept was the star of the Ducati EICMA experience, perhaps because we knew so far in advance that the Streetfighter V4 was coming, and had a pretty good idea about what this 205hp street-shredding machine would look like.

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Dirt

Aprilia Very Quietly Teases the New Tuareg 660 at EICMA

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No press releases. No social media hype-posts. No big fancy displays. In fact, it was very easy to miss that Aprilia was giving us a glimpse at its next middleweight motorcycle at EICMA at all. But, it was there if you were careful to look at your surroundings.

Now granted, it is very hard to tell what is going on with the Aprilia Tuareg 660, since…well, the Italians covered it in shrubbery. Such is the state of their display at the Milan trade show, as they try to tease us with this ADV model.

But, we can pick out some details between the vines, bushes, and leafs…and they are intriguing.

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Bikes

LEAKED: Supercharged Bimota TesiH2 Wows Before EICMA Debut

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Is there a more iconic motorcycle brand from Italy than Bimota? I think you could make some arguments to the contrary, but you would be hard-pressed to deny that the brainchild of Valerio Bianchi, Giuseppe Morri, and Massimo Tamburini hasn’t produced some of the most impactful and drool-worthy motorcycles in the past 50 years.

Sadly, the story of Bimota is not always a happy one, and after a failed restart by Swiss investors Marco Chiancianesi and Daniele Longoni, the Italian brand seemed like it was finally set for the deadpool. But then, something interesting happened.

About six weeks ago, news started circulating that Bimota was to be reborn again…and that Kawasaki had purchased the now defunct Italian marque. Well, we have good news for Bimota fans and motorcyclists alike. Bimota is back!

And to get things started right, we have been leaked images of the company’s first new creation, the Bimota TesiH2, and it looks very, very good.

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Bikes

The Husqvarna Norden 901 Concept Is Ready for Adventure

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Every year, for the past five years, Husqvarna has worked like clockwork at the EIMCA show in Milan. This is because the Swedish variant from KTM has been steady in its approach of releasing one new street bike in Milan, and one new concept model for possible future production. For 2019, this trend continues.

Behold the Husqvarna Norden 901 concept, a uniquely styled adventure-tourer, with an 899cc parallel-twin engine, and plenty of styling cues to keep your pouring over the high-resolution photos below.

As the name suggests, the Norden 901 gets the upgraded “890” engine from the KTM 890 Duke R, but fit into a package that is similar to the KTM 790 Adventure platform.

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Bikes

The Beast Gets Upgraded with the 2020 KTM 1290 Super Duke R

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They call it The Beast, and for good reason, because the KTM 1290 Super Duke is a v-twin monster for the street, and now for the 2020 model year, it is getting even more beastly as it just debuted at EICMA.

Instead of giving the KTM 1290 Super Duke R a ridiculous top power figure (peak horsepwoer remains at 177hp (132 kW), the Austrians focused on coaxing more tire-shredding torque from the Super Duke R. As such, a whopping 103 lbs•ft (140 Nm) of torque is on tap at 8,000 rpm.

The changes for 2020 don’t stop there though, as a new chassis has been thrown into the mix, which is closely based off what was seen on the KTM RC8 superbike. The Beast even loses weight in the process, with a claimed 416 lbs (189kg) when dry.

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Bikes

Aprilia Tuono 660 Concept Teases Us at EICMA

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How do you follow up a class-killing motorcycle like the Aprilia RS 660? You turn around and do it again, in a different category. That is what the Aprilia Tuono 660 aims to do next year, with the concept of the machine debuting today at EICMA.

Based off the same parallel-twin engine design, the Aprilia Tuono 660 makes 95hp – only a 5hp difference to its 100hp full-fairing sibling.

It is strange that Aprilia is talking power figures so soon, but we suspect it is to whet our appetites on the new Tuono 660. The Italian brand has signaled too that a 46hp (34 kW) A2 license compliant model will also be available next year. 

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Bikes

As Expected, Noale Stuns with Aprilia RS 660 Debut

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One of the most anticipated motorcycles for the 2019 EICMA show, we have been waiting for the 2020 Aprilia RS 660 to set the middleweight twins category on its head, and now that we have the spec sheet, we know that it will.

Try this on for size: 100hp from the 660cc parallel-twin engine, in a package that weighs 372 lbs (dry). Even with the fuzzy math the comes from dry to wet weight conversions, it is clear that the Aprilia RS 660 is going to lead its class on power-to-weight ratios.

But the Italian aren’t stopping there with their twin-cylinder assault. The 2020 Aprilia RS 660 also comes with the brand’s robust APRC electronics suite, which means IMU-powered traction control, wheelie control, and cornering ABS, along with an up/down quickshifter, cruise control, and switchable power modes.

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Bikes

The All New BMW S1000XR Debuts at EICMA – More Power, Less Weight

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A bike that we knew we would see at the 2019 EICMA show, it didn’t surprise us when the BMW S1000XR rolled onto the stage in Milan, but we are certainly glad that we saw it.

Based off the new BMW S1000RR platform, the 2020 BMW S1000XR takes that superbike DNA, and puts it into an adventure-sport format.

This means long-travel suspension, plenty of wind protection, all the damn farkles, and the horsepower to get it all there with a smile on your face.

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The Honda CB4X Concept Is Drop Dead Dead Sexy

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Every year at EICMA, we can look forward to some intriguing concepts from Honda’s design team in Europe.

Now in its fifth year of showcasing work, there are two things that we can say about Honda’s Rome R&D work: the concepts will likely be dead sexy, and they will likely be based off the venerable Honda CBR650 platform.

Today is no different, as we can see from the striking lines of this light blue crossover, which is complete with the iconic sweeping four-pipe CB header.

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Bikes

MV Agusta Rush 1000 Surprises with Unique Styling

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A little surprise landed in Milan today, courtesy of the folks at MV Agusta. We thought that the Italian brand had already shown us everything for EICMA this year, but now we get to see the new MV Agusta Rush 1000.

Based off the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RR that was released this past weekend, the MV Agusta Rush 1000 is the naked bike taken to the extreme.

The folks at MV say that the Rush 1000 is an homage to the drag racing scene, but to our eye, it looks like the design team was let loose to make a truly unique streetfighter.

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