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Yamaha Niken GT Brings Proper Sport-Touring to Three Wheels

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When the Yamaha Niken debuted, we didn’t know what to make of this leaning three-wheeler. Yamaha pitched the Niken as a sport bike, but our time riding it in the Alps showed a machine that was better suited for touring.

Seemingly following that feedback, the Yamaha Niken GT has come for the 2019 model year, debuting at the EICMA show in Milan, and it offers more touring-focused features for three-wheel enthusiasts.

Perhaps the perfect touring platform, the move makes sense for Yamaha, and the Niken needs few changes in order to adapt to this new concept.

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Bikes

Yamaha Ténéré 700 Will Be a 2021 Model for the USA

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We have been waiting a very long time for the Yamaha Ténéré 700, with the machine first debuting as a concept in 2016. A no-show at the 2017 EICMA show, the Yamaha T7 concept instead went on a worldwide promotional tour.

So, surely we thought that the 2018 EICMA show would announce the Yamaha Ténéré 700 as ready to go…yes and no. The Yamaha Ténéré 700 is finally coming as a production motorcycle…but not quite yet.

Expected as a Fall 2019 model in Europe, off-roaders eager for a middleweight adventure-touring bike will have to wait another year. If you happen to live on this side of the pond however, we have even worse news for you.

The Yamaha Ténéré 700 will be a 2021 model year machine in the USA, debuting in the second-half of 2020, making this perhaps the most disappointing new model release at the Milan trade show.

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Rumors

More Photos of the 2019 BMW S1000RR Leak Online

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The new BMW S1000RR hasn’t even officially debuted yet, but it feels like we already know a great deal about this new superbike.

Photos and details of the machine have already leaked ahead of the EICMA trade show, giving us a good idea of what to expect from the German brand, and now more photos have leaked online.

Found on Reddit, and first posted by the Instagram account @S1000RRgram, these photos appear to come from the catalog for the 2019 BMW S1000RR, giving us a good perspective on how the bike compares in size to its rider.

The photos also give us a strong look at the S1000RR’s front fairing and headlight design, which finally features symmetrical lights.

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Bikes

MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR America, An Homage to the Past

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While the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro is grabbing all the headlines, the Italian brand has released another Brutale model for our two-wheeled consumption, this one another special edition machine: the MV Agusta Brutale 800 RR America.

The concept should be pretty simple to understand. Like the Brutale 800 America that debuted last year, MV Agusta has again brought out the red, white, and blue livery – this time applying it to the Dragster 800 RR motorcycle.

Taking its name from the 1973 MV Agusta S America 750, this new motorcycle thus blends a bit of history with its modern electronics, components, and styling. As such, the MV Agusta Brutale 800 RR America makes a fetching homage by the Varesini brand, 45 years after the original debuted.

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Bikes

MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro – A New Generation of Style

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It’s here. The next generation of four-cylinder sport bike from MV Agusta just broke cover at this year’s EICMA show in Milan. As such, say hello to the 2019 MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro. This is likely as close as you will ever get to one, as only 300 will be built.

An evolution of Massimo Tamburini’s original Brutale design, the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro does not disappoint, especially with its 205hp (152 kW) peak power figure – the highest performance figure of any production streetfighter.

With the special race kit installed, power on the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro increases to 209hp (156 kW), with the 4-1-4 titanium exhaust from SC Project highlighting the change in peak horsepower.

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Bikes

Is The Ducati Monster 821 Stealth a Final Farewell?

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If I was a betting man, I would put money down that this is the last model year for the Monster 821. I say this because Ducati just debuted at EICMA the Ducati Monster 821 Stealth – a special edition version of the popular street bike.

Beyond the obviously dark paint job, the 2019 Ducati Monster 821 Stealth offers a few improvements over your run-of-the-mill Monster 821.

First up are the adjustable 43mm Kayaba forks (the standard Monster 821 forks are non-adjustable). Then, there is the nose fairing/windscreen. And lastly, Ducati has installed an up/down quickshifter on the Stealth model.

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Bikes

Ducati Multistrada 950 S Brings More Features to the Budget ADV

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One of Italian brand’s lesser reveals for the 2018 EICMA show is the Ducati Multistrada 950 S, which as the name implies is an upscale version of the “middleweight” adventure-touring machine.

Adding more features to the Multistrada 950 package, the “S” model brings Ducati’s semi-active “Skyhook” electronic suspension into the mix, as well as an up/down quickshifter, full LED headlight, TFT display, and backlight switchgear.

Like all the 2019 Ducati motorcycle models, the 2019 Ducati Multistrada 950 S also comes with cornering ABS from Bosch, and other noticeable changes include a fairing design that borrows from the Multistrada 1260.

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Bikes

2019 Ducati Hypermotard 950 – More Power, More Features, & Less Weight

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One of our favorite machines in the Ducati lineup is about to get a big upgrade for the 2019 model year. As such, say hello to the Ducati Hypermotard 950. We have seen a teasing of photos and details on the new Hypermotard already, and now today at EICMA we finally get to see this new supermoto for the street.

It is evolution, not revolution, for the 2019 Ducati Hypermotard 950, with the bike getting a modest 4hp increase (now 112hp / 84 kW), thanks to its renewed 937 cm³ Testastretta 11° engine, along with a 6.6 lbs weight reduction. Ducati has also blessed the Hypermotard 950 with more features, which include a large TFT dash and robust electronics suite.

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Bikes

Ducati Panigale V4 R Debuts with 217hp, Wings, & More

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The big reveal at Ducati’s live stream event for EICMA 2018 is surely the Italian brand’s new homologation racing machine, the Ducati Panigale V4 R. A 998cc version of its potent street bike, the 2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R takes full advantage of the homologation rules for the WorldSBK Championship.

As such, the Ducati Panigale V4 R will surely hit the top limit of the World Superbike pricing cap, which is €40,000. For that price though, you get the pinnacle of Ducati’s superbike technology, including the company’s first use of winglets on a street-legal machine, which come straight from Ducati Corse’s MotoGP program.

Of course, the real show-stopper for the 2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R are the tech specs: 217hp (162 kW), with 83 lbs•ft (112 Nm) of peak torque, wrapped up in a 425 lbs (193kg) package, when fully fueled at the curb.

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XXX: MV Agusta Releases 2019 Version of Its Delicious “RC” Models

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By now, true motorcycle enthusiasts should be familiar with MV Agusta’s lineup of “RC” models from its sport bike lineup. These race inspired machines are limited in quantity, feature a unique race-inspired livery, and arrive with extra go fast parts that come in a special wood box.

The RC models are strong sellers for MV Agusta, so it is not surprising to see that the concept has permeated from the company’s superbike offering to virtually every machine in the Italian company’s lineup. For the 2019 model year, this idea is no different.

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Bikes

Spicy Meatballs! 2019 Aprilia RSV4 Factory Makes 214hp with 1,078cc

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The 2019 EICMA show in Milan is next week, and there we expect to see a bevy of new models, including a few from Aprilia, but those crafty Italian have gotten a jump on things, releasing today the 2019 Aprilia RSV4 Factory.

As we predicted, the new top-spec superbike is getting a displacement increase to 1,078cc on its 65° V4 engine (we wonder why), which gives the new Aprilia RSV4 Factory a class-leading peak power figure of 214hp (159.6 kW), and 90 lbs•ft (122 Nm) of torque.

Matching that substantial gain in power, the 2019 Aprilia RSV4 Factory gets a solid weight reduction, tipping the scales at 439 lbs when fully fueled. Helping cut the weight down is a lithium-ion battery from Bosch and a street legal titanium exhaust from Akrapovic.

For those doing the math, we will save you the trouble: the 2019 Aprilia RSV4 Factory weighs 11 lbs lighter than its predecessor, and makes 16hp more power, and 5 lbs•ft more torque as well. Win, win, win.

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