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Triumph Daytona 250 Caught Testing

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Seeing a Daytona-inspired 250cc sport bike concept at the 2013 EICMA show, it hasn’t been a considerable amount of time since we last heard about Triumph’s plans to bring a quarter-liter motorcycle to market.

Set to be built at the company’s production facilities in India, the Triumph Daytona 250 (as it’s being called) will help bring the British brand to the hot markets of India and Southeast Asia.

Caught testing via a series of “spy photos” by Motorrad in Germany, we can see that Triumph hasn’t strayed far from its render preview, which itself didn’t stray far from the Daytona 675.

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Bikes

Ducati Scrambler Spotted Again

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The Ducati Scrambler work horse has made its way onto the internet again, this time with Italian site Insella.it getting a glimpse of the prototype on the outskirts of Bologna.

While the machine hasn’t developed much further than from the last time it broke cover, we do at least get a better view of the Scrambler’s early lines, and can clearly spot the bike’s air-cooled v-twin engine.

Also visible is the Ducati Scrambler’s elongated tank and flat-ish seat, key elements to the scrambler aesthetic. Absent however is a high-mounted level exhaust, though Ducati’s unit here seems to be anything but finalized.

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Bikes

Are You The Ducati Monster 1200?

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At the German Auto Show, the Boys from Bologna debuted the Ducati 899 Panigale, a “super-mid” version of the Italian company’s superbike platform. A bit too big to be a supersport class machine, the 899 Panigale should however be fun on the track, in a vein that is similar to the Suzuki GSX-R750 and MV Agusta F3 800.

That premise will have to remain as conjecture for us though, as while Ducati’s chosen few are currently gathered in Bologna right now for the press launch of the 2013 Ducati 899 Panigale, Asphalt & Rubber was not among those who crossed the pond for the launch and test ride. Not to worry though, we should start hearing the initial impressions from journalists shortly.

Meanwhile, we can turn our attention to the machines that Ducati has yet to debut to the public, though will be shortly. A&R broke the news last week about the upcoming Ducati 1199 Panigale R Superleggera, and we have already seen spy photos of the Ducati Scrambler (said to be a 2015 model, if it gets the production nod), and a liquid-cooled Ducati Monster 1200.

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Bikes

Are You The New Ducati Scrambler?

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Back in July, Asphalt & Rubber broke the news that Ducati was working on a Scrambler model, which was based on the drawings originally inked by Pierre Terblanche during his tenure at the Italian company.

A month later we confirmed that report, noting the Ducati had trademarked the use of “Ducati Scrambler” for the American market, in relation to a model of motorcycle. Throughout all this time though, we had yet to see a photo of the expected 2015 model — that is, until now.

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Rumors

Are You the Ducati 899 Panigale?

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With the 2013 EICMA show just a couple months away, it is unsurprising to see next year’s bikes cropping up on the internet — case in point, this photo of the Ducati 899 Panigale.

Rumored since the Ducati 1199 Panigale broke cover two years ago, the Bologna Brand’s supersport-class sport bike appears to be mostly as expected, though it is surprising to see Ducati fitting a standard-style swingarm to the machine instead of continuing its iconic single-sided design.

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Bikes

Video: Streetfighter Version of the BMW S1000RR Spotted

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The eagle eyes over at the Italian magazine Motociclismo have caught BMW testing the naked-bike version of the BMW S1000RR out in Italy. A machine that has long been rumored, and expected to be the encore production of the Germany company’s very successful superbike project, the streetfightered RR is expected to have the same four-cylinder superbike motor, though likely in a lower state of tune.

Dressed in BMW’s typical black and white swirl camouflage, it is hard to see all the details of the new motorcycle, though the front fairing looks ahem interesting. Building off an already existing model, a naked RR is the logical next machine to come from zie Germans, and if it debuts as a 2014 machine, then we can expect to see it at the EICMA show in Milan later this year in November (there is no INTERMOT show this year).

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Bikes

The KTM 1290 Super Duke Caught in the Wild

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Spy photos of the KTM 1290 Super Duke are nothing new, and the Austrian company has even gone as far as to tease us with a heavily massaged KTM 1290 Super Duke R prototype at the 2012 EICMA show. With the final version of the superbike-powered streetfighter expected to be decidedly less edgy, the photo brought to us today (one can only guess when it was taken), if anything else, is a reminder to be reluctant our expectations.

The ever elusive “spy” photo, what we have here looks to be a near production prototype of the KTM 1290 Super Duke that has been caught in the wild. Easily the clearest photo we have seen of the road-going bike, it clearly holds KTM’s LC8 motor as well as the same trellis frame found on the “beast” prototype.

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Racing

Are You the Ducati Desmosedici GP13?

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UPDATE: Nope, according to Italian TV’s Gudio Meda, it is a model built from leftover parts of the GP3 & GP7. For those picking out those design elements, good eye!

While the official launch of the Ducati Desmosedici GP13 is supposed to be tomorrow, the folks at GPinside have seemingly snagged this photo of the GP13 at the 2013 Wrooom event that Ducati co-hosts with Scuderia Ferrari. While the livery appears relative unchanged, there are several noticeable changes to the Desmosedici GP13, namely the skinnier tail section.

Our eyes also spot changes to the exhaust system, with a much shorter side-pipe, and what appears to be a larger undertail cannister. The fairings have also been refined from their previous shape, and give away a figure that’s longer than the GP12 (shown after the jump), with noticeably fewer side vents.

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Bikes

Spy Shot: Husqvarna Nuda Touring Bike

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Not long after we talked about how Husqvarna’s on-road segment was saving the boutique motorcycle manufacturer from its dwindling off-road segment, do we get a spy photo of what appears to be a Husqvarna Nuda 900 in a touring setup.

Featuring more of a top fairing, proper windscreen, and a broader saddle for the rider and passanger, the changes should make this Nuda variant a bit more comfortable on long hauls when compared to its predecessor, if not more attractive as well.

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News

Spotted: 2013 Triumph Daytona 675

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Expected only to get a modest makeover for the new model year, we now have proof that the 2013 Triumph Daytona 675 will bring us mostly only cosmetic upgrades in its new revision. Featuring a frame and updated bodywork, perhaps the most noticeable change to the Triumph Daytona 675 is the absence of an undertail exhaust on the three-cylinder supersport, which has been replaced with a GP-style side exhaust can and routing.

Anticipated to be receiving the same update as we saw with the 2013 Triumph Street Triple, the Daytona 675’s motor has likely been untouched, while the new frame and subframe assemblies benefit from a weight reduction (13 lbs on the Street Triple), and improved handling characteristics. We can likely expect similar gains on the 2013 Triumph Daytona 675, with the GP-style exhaust helping Triumph get past stricter European emissions standards.

Expect to see the official unveiling of the 2013 Triumph Daytona 675 at the EICMA show on November 12th. Two more photos are after the jump.

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