Latest Posts:
Asphalt & Rubber
Tag

photos

Browsing
Bikes

KTM 390 Duke Gets a Facelift for 2017

By 14 Comments

The KTM 390 Duke has sold like hotcakes since its 2013 debut, and now the pint-sized street bike is getting a facelift for the 2017 model year.

As has been the case with many of KTM’s new model releases, the 2017 KTM 390 Duke will get a similar kendo-styled LED headlight design, which we have already seen debut on the updated KTM 1290 Super Duke R and the recently released KTM 1290 Adventure R.

Bodywork changes come to the 2017 KTM 390 Duke as well, which give the entry-level machine a very edgy look and feel. Other changes include an improved ride-by-wire throttle, a full-color TFT dash, and a rear subframe that now bolts directly onto the steel trellis chassis.

The new subframe also means that the seat design has been changed, and KTM has seen fit to adopt a larger 3.5-gallong fuel tank for the 390 Duke. There are new 43mm WP suspension forks to soak up the bumps, and also a 320mm front disc for better stopping power.

Overall, the changes address many of the complaints levied at the original KTM 390 Duke design, which really should be taken as a compliment since the original model was pretty good out of the box.

The new bike is quite the looker as well, so it looks like KTM has another hit on its hands.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

The BMW R nineT Urban G/S Helps Us Remember When the Dakar Rally Still Raced to Dakar

By 8 Comments

Our Bothan Spies came through once again this EICMA season, bringing us news that the BMW Lac Rose Concept would enter production as the 2017 BMW R nineT Urban G/S motorcycle.

As the name implies, the Urban G/S is based off the BMW R nineT platform, which means that it uses the iconic 1,170cc, 110hp, air-cooled, boxer-twin engine as its base, and then builds out from there.

As such, the chassis is the same modular frame that powers the rest of the R nineT line, complete with telescoping fork suspension at the front, along with a 19″ wheel wire-spoked wheel in the front, and a 17″ wire-spoked wheel in the rear.

All of this means that the BMW R nineT is mostly an aesthetic exercise – but it is quite the exercise, if you want our opinion.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

2017 BMW R1200GS Gets Upgrades, And a Little Rallye

By 10 Comments

As expected, the BMW R1200GS is getting some updates for the 2017 model year. Beyond the anticipated engine refresh for Euro4 compliance – which sees the 2017 BMW R1200GS continuing to make 125hp at 7,750 rpm, thanks to a new catalytic converter and modified ECU settings – other improvements have also been made to this iconic machine.

The changes run the gamut, and include visual changes to the bodywork, mechanical updates for better operation, ergonomic refinements to the controls, and electronic upgrades to the standard and optional equipment.

BMW Motorrad has also made several model variations available of the 2017 BMW R1200GS, shown here is the very tasty BMW R1200GS Rallye, which shows an off-road focus with its rally seat, sport windshield, radiator and frame guards, wide enduro foot pegs, and spoked wheels with optional studded tires.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

The Energica Esse Esse 9 Concept Cannot Be Unseen

By 19 Comments

When it comes to the technology that Energica uses to make its electric motorcycles, we can sing only strong praises. The Italian firm has one of the best electric motorcycle packages on the market.

However when it comes to more subjective matters, like the styling of their machines, we find Energica’s designs to be challenging to enjoy, if not sometimes impalpable.

The Energica Ego superbike and the Eva streetfighter are not the most beautiful machines we have ever seen, though their designs do grow on you over time.

We don’t think we will be making the same concessions about the Energica Esse Esse 9 concept though, which debuted at EICMA today.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 “Black Arrow” Gets Green-Lit

By 12 Comments

The Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 is the yin, the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401’s yang, with the Swedish “black arrow” providing a unique twist on the typical scrambler motorcycle.

Another model that is based off the KTM 390 Duke platform, the Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 is a bike we have seen for quite some time, and now it has finally been given the nod to become a production bike for the 2017 model year.

Like its “white arrow” compatriot, the Svartpilen 401 takes a modern approach to an old aesthetic, and creates something entirely new in the process.

Though Husqvarna is a name with deep off-road roots, we imagine the Svartpilen 401 is about as dual-sport capable as the next “scrambler” you’d find, though we should mention that the small-displacement machine does have some qualities that would lend to its success on down a fire road or two.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

The Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 Aero Concept Is F’ing Gorgeous

By 26 Comments

Anyone that reads enough Asphalt & Rubber should know that I don’t particularly shine to the café racer aesthetic. So knowing that upfront should add some gravitas to the statement that the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 Aero is blowing my mind right now.

Based on the same unassuming 373cc single-cylinder platform as the Husavarna Vitpilen 401 and Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 motorcycles, the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 Aero concept completes the post-authentic holy trinity of retro standards, scramblers, and café racers.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

The Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 Is Finally a Production Model

By 16 Comments

We have known for quite some time that the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 would debut at the 2016 EICMA show, with the Swedish brand teasing us with the pre-production model at last year’s gathering in Milan.

Since that time, we have seen numerous confirmations that the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 would debut as a production model in 2017, and today we can finally tick off the box on that launch.

Based on the KTM 390 Duke platform, the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 (Swedish for white arrow) takes a drastically different tack from its orange-clad sibling, as you can readily see.

Keep Reading
By
News

The Honda CB1100 TR Concept Gives a Nod Towards Europe’s Flat Track Racing Fascination

By 16 Comments

The American Flat Track aesthetic is catching hold over in Europe. We can see evidence of such by the popularity of flat track racing for Europe’s top MotoGP athletes, the rise of the Spanish Superprestigio event in Barcelona, and with the concepts we are seeing come from the European divisions of motorcycle OEMs.

Add the Honda CB1100 TR concept to that pile of evidence, as it is one of two motorcycle concepts that Honda Motor Europe is debuting at the 2016 EICMA show (the other being the very tasty Honda Africa Twin Enduro Sports concept).

Built off the Honda CB1100 street bike, the Honda CB1100 TR concept takes a motorcycle we otherwise would not be terribly interested in riding, and gives it a healthy dosage of sex appeal.

Go-fast parts come from Öhlins and Termignoni, with the #58 numberplate honoring the memory of Marco Simoncelli, who passed away five years ago, and whose passing is still deeply felt in Italy.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

KTM 790 Duke Prototype Debuts with Parallel-Twin Engine

By 46 Comments

For KTM, the 2016 EICMA show is all about the Duke line of streetfighters. The KTM 1290 Super Duke R got a pretty sizable upgrade for 2017, the KTM 690 Duke received a facelift, and the KTM 390 Duke is now easily the best bike in its class.

The Austrians didn’t stop there though, they also gave us a taste of what is still to come for the Duke brand, teasing us with the KTM 790 Duke prototype.

Rumored heavily before the new bike season, this “KTM 800 Duke” features an 800cc parallel-twin engine, slapped into an upright motard-esque chassis.

The Kendo-styled LED headlight that’s finding its way into the entire KTM range features here as well, though that is hardly the most radical part of the 790 Duke’s design – checkout the undertail exhaust, which probably spit plums of fire before the lawyers got ahold of it.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

KTM 1290 Super Duke R Gets an Update for 2017

By 29 Comments

Call it The Beast 2.0, because the KTM 1290 Super Duke R is getting an upgrade for the 2017 model year, debuting today at the EICMA show in Milan, Italy.

The first most noticable change is the new LED headlight, which will debut throughout the Duke line, and draws links to KTM’s remodeled Adventure bikes, which have a similar LED setup.

KTM has also modified the TFT dash, which seems like a minor change, except the old version always made the streetfighter feel cheaper than its price tag suggested. The new dash richens the user experience with its look and feel, and is a welcomed addition to the 2017 KTM 1290 Super Duke R.

Of course, the change your most interested in is the revised 1,301cc v-twin engine, which has a reworked cylinder head and intake, and now produces 177hp. Cornering ABS from Bosch has also been added, with the IMU also helping control the traction control system.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

2017 BMW G310GS Debuts with 300cc of ADV

By 5 Comments

One of the four new motorcycles we were expecting to see from BMW at the 2016 EICMA show, the BMW G310GS adds a small-displacement model to the German brand’s already iconic adventure-touring line.

Based off the BMW G310R street bike, the 313cc single-cylinder platform has been reworked for dual-sport riding, offering not only a smaller ADV machine for adventure enthusiasts, but also an entry point into the BMW brand via one of its best-selling segments.

As such, the GS model gains some suspension travel (1.6″ in the front, 2″ in the rear) over its street bike sibling, the styling is obviously a nod towards the rest of the GS line, namely the best-selling R1200GS, and the ergonomics have been reworked for adventure-style riding.

Power is rated at just under 34hp, with a curb weight of 374 lbs.

Keep Reading
By