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Team USA “Against the World” at the Supermoto of Nations

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Three American racers made the trek to the Circuito San Martino Del Lago in Cremona, Italy earlier this year, representing the United States of America, for the first time, at the FIM Supermoto of Nations event. Racing for the Red, White, & Blue were Johnny Lewis, Monte Frank, and Gage McAllister, along with Team Manager Jay Klinger.

Team USA finished 15th overall in the event, with Gage McAllister grabbing one Top 10 finish (a 9th), while Team France won the competition outright, with two race wins to their name in the three races.

Putting together a short-ish video of the team’s journey to Italy and competition there, you can watch Team USA’s efforts at the Supermoto of Nations, after the jump. America is seeing a resurgence in supermoto racing, hopefully this won’t be the last time our country competes at the Supermoto of Nations.

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News

Watch Ducati Unveil Its 2015 Models Right Here

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The 2014 EICMA show officially starts on Tuesday, November 3rd, though Ducati typically holds a private event the Monday ahead of the show, likely in the hope to get a little extra space on the news cycle, and to help build buzz ahead of Tuesday’s opening day for press and trade. The event is usually open to VIP and press only, but that’s about to change this year.

Setting up a live stream of the pre-EICMA unveiling on YouTube, Ducatisti around the world will be able to see Claudio Domenicali introduce the all-new Ducati Multistrada, with its new Testastretta DVT engine, as well as the 1299 superbike. We can also expect some “bold new graphics” changes to several models, and Domenicali will reintroduce the Ducati Scrambler as well.

It’s a pretty good show the few times A&R has attended, and it’s interesting that we are just now seeing OEMs embrace streaming technology for unveils like this. Of course, it has the downside of making it difficult to un-invite rogue journalists at the last-minute…maybe that’s cause enough in the slow movement for change.

Watch the live steam after the jump, starting November 3rd at 5:15pm Central European Time.

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Bikes

Bienville Legacy – From the Mind of JT Nesbitt

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The Confederate Wraith is perhaps one of our most favorite custom motorcycles ever produced, and it happens to be the product of JT Nesbitt’s supreme imagination.

Working now out of his own shop, Bienville Studios, Nesbitt has produced the first of his ultra-premium, tailor-made, American-born motorcycles, dubbed the Bienville Legacy.

Beyond the radical lines, there is the familiarity of things like the Wraith’s carbon fiber girder front-end style, the Motus MST’s V4 engine, and…that is about it.

The rest of the Bienville Legacy motorcycle is unlike anything else on the market, which should surprise no one considering its source (Nesbitt) and the fact that Bienville is setting out to make commissioned bespoke machines for its patrons.

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Dirt

Video: Dubstep + Flat Track + Slow-Mo

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If I’m doing my math right, it’s Monday back home. Time to get the week started. Time to start the countdown to the next weekend. If you cringed at the thought, we have something to help get you through the rest of the day. Dubstep, meets flat track racing at the Springfield Mile, meets slow-motion cinematography. It’s not going to win at Sundance, but it’s highly mesmerizing…and flat track is just damn cool.

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Bikes

Video: MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800 RR in Motion

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It looks like since the MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800 RR (its full name) has blown cover, thanks to our Bothan spies, MV Agusta has gone ahead and released a few photos and this video to the press. A longer version of the drag strip video we brought you two weeks ago, this time around we see the Dragster RR in full.

Some seem to love this bike, while others hate it. We certainly agree it looks better in the black variation, than the white, but MV Agusta has no shortage of design prowess — expect this machine to be a stunner in person, when it debuts officially at EICMA.

With upgraded wheels and vibrant paint, how does this 140hp three-cylinder hot rod strike your fancy? Let us know in the comments.

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Bikes

Video: Kawasaki Ninja H2R’s Electronic Controls

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With great power, comes great responsibility…I’m fairly certain I read that in a comic book somewhere. The adage carries over to the Kawasaki Ninja H2R though, as any 300hp supercharged machine needs some snappy electronics to keep all that power in line. It’s something we talked about yesterday, when we got up-close with the H2R at the AIMExpo.

Seemingly reading our thoughts on that matter, Kawasaki has released a terse video on the H2R’s electronic controls. The video essentially confirms that the Kawasaki Ninja H2R, and presumably the Kawasaki Ninja H2 street bike, will come with anti-locking brakes (KIBS), traction control (KTRC), launch control (KLCM), quick shifter (KQS), engine braking control (KEBC), and an electronic steering damper (ESD).

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Bikes

New Yamaha YZF-R1 Confirmed for EICMA

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A new R1 for the 2015 model year has been rumored heavily for almost a year now, and today Yamaha confirmed that we will see a new Yamaha YZF-R1 at the EICMA show. The perhaps isn’t surprising, especially since Yamaha teased us this very info at the INTERMOT show last month.

However, this is the first official confirmation from the tuning fork brand, as well as our first non-spy photo glimpse, of the new liter-bike. All of course to whet our appetite.

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Bikes

Yamaha YZF-R3 Revealed – 321cc Twin Coming to the USA

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The rumors were true, Yamaha is bringing a special small-displacement model to market, the Yamaha YZF-R3. As the name indicates, the new R3 gets a fuel-injected displacement bump over the R25, to the tune of 321cc. Debuted at the AIMExpo today, the Yamaha YZF-R3 is coming to the USA, with a price tag of $4,990.

Said by Yamaha to have “class-leading power”, the new R3 finally adds a small-displacement sport bike to Yamaha’s North American lineup, and makes an attractive offering when compared to the other 250cc/300cc machines from the other Japanese manufacturers. Expect to see it in Yamaha dealers, starting January 2014.

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News

Ducati Announces DVT — Desmodromic Variable Timing

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As was teased, Ducati is unveiling its “DVT” technology today, which stands for Desmodromic Variable Timing, and to showcase that technology (borrowed from Volkswagen), Ducati has produced the first motorcycle engine with variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust camshafts.

Adapted to the now-called Ducati Testastretta DVT engine, which we reported will debut first on the new Ducati Multistrada for 2015, Ducati’s new v-twin powerplant can change the intake and exhaust timing independently, and throughout the rev range.

This means that the Ducati Testastretta DVT engine can be optimized for peak power at high rpms, while maintaing rideability and smoothness at lower rpms — not to mention keeping with emission and noise regulations throughout the rev range.

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MotoGP

Marc Marquez is the 2014 MotoGP World Champion

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After the results of the Japanese GP, Marc Marquez has clinched the 2014 MotoGP World Championship. Securing the win on Honda’s home race, on its corporate-owned track no less, Marquez is now officially a four-time World Champion, with half those Championships coming from the MotoGP class.

The celebrations are surely still underway in Japan as we publish this, and rightfully so, after the masterful season Marquez has put in thus far for 2014. Helping to commemorate the occasion, Repsol has produced a short video, which you can watch is after the jump, along with a bevy of photos.

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Bikes

Watch the Kawasaki Ninja H2R Rip It Up on the Track

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We will be talking about the Kawasaki Ninja H2R for quite a while we suspect, even well after the dust has settled on the hyperbike’s launch. A supercharged 300hp track-only macine doesn’t come from one of the Japanese Four too often (read: ever), and what it means for the industry is still being assessed by pundits and enthusiasts alike.

For now, it has our ADD-like attention, just as Kawasaki begins teasing out its 200hp Ninja H2 street bike. So while we wait for the H2 to drop, here’s a video of the H2R doing its thing around the race track. For those of you wondering how 300hp is going to hook up in the tight and twisty, here is your answer.

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