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Bold New Graphics Come to the 2022 KTM 890 Duke R

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KTM made a big deal about the month of February, teasing not one, but two new KTM 890 Duke motorcycles that were coming soon.

One of those bikes was the 2022 KTM 890 Duke R, while the other is a new trim-level, the KTM 890 Duke GP.

While we will have to wait and see what makes an 890 Duke a “GP” bike (we’re guessing a bellypan some other track bits), today we get to see what the fuss is all about with the 2022 KTM 890 Duke R

And frankly, we are disappointed in what we have to report to you with this story…

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WSBK

World Supersport Set for Big Rules Overhaul for 2022

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The World Supersport field is ripe for change, and that shouldn’t be new or surprising information for anyone following the space.

This is because the 600cc inline-four market has disappeared, especially in Europe, leaving the middleweight class with an uncertain future in racing.

Where there is an absence, there is a vacuum, and the space being left behind by the Japanese supersports is being filled rapidly by European twin and three-cylinder offerings.

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A&R Pro

The Supersport Segment Reboot – A Story About the Yamaha YZF-R9

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Yamaha is in the midst of redefining its sport bike lineup. The first step was to kill off the popular and iconic YZF-R6 supersport, but that left a massive hole between the R3 and R1 models.

To help fill that void, Yamaha recently debuted the Yamaha YZF-R7, but while the 75hp / twin-cylinder platform makes for a good stepping stone from the R3, an R6 replacement it is not (and never was supposed to be).

That duty will likely fall to another machine, whose name has been spotted in government documents: the Yamaha YZF-R9.

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Racing

Live Video Coverage and More Is Coming to the Isle of Man TT

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If we weren’t living in the time of COVID, we would be wrapping up our coverage of the Isle of Man TT right now, but instead the iconic race sees another year of canceled races because of the global pandemic.

The Isle of Man government has been busy planning for the iconic race’s return though, with a plethora of changes and announcements made for the 2022 edition and onward.

The biggest news is the live video package that is planned, but there are also a number of rule changes to the Lightweight TT and Sidecar TT classes, in addition to more races and more races days.

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Bikes

A Brand New Yamaha MT-09 Debuts for 2021

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If you had to draw up a list of motorcycles that provide excellent bang for the buck, the Yamaha MT-09 would have to rank high on that list, as the tuning fork brand has put together a potent motorcycle for the price with this three-cylinder machine.

Now for the 2021 model year, the Yamaha MT-09 is getting a massive overhaul, with virtually every piece of the bike changed for next year. This means more power, less weight, and certainly more features.

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Bikes

The Updated Triumph Tiger 900 Finally Debuts

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Right on schedule, the Triumph Tiger 900 has debuted with an updated ADV offering for fans of the three-cylinder adventure bike. As was expected, the 2020 Triumph Tiger 900 comes in five slightly less confusing varieties.

That said, there is the base model Triumph Tiger 900, the road-going Triumph Tiger 900 GT, and the off-road focused Triumph Tiger 900 Rally.

On top of this, there are “Pro” options for the Rally and GT models. There is also a low-seat height option for the Tiger 900 GT model.

While still a handful of models for what is essentially one motorcycle, the designations are still clearer and easier to understand than Triumph’s “XR, XRx, XRt, XCx, and XCa” alphabet soup of uppercase and lowercase letters.

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Rumors

A Triumph Tiger 900 Is Coming Soon for the 2020 Model Year

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It would seem that Triumph Motorcycles didn’t quite show us everything at the EICMA show in Milan (which is a good thing, since the British brand didn’t have much of note on display in Italy), as we are gearing up for the release of a “new” Triumph Tiger 900 in a few days’ time.

The news comes from Triumph itself, which is teasing the Tiger 900 on YouTube, and the rumormill is suggesting that the increase in displacement also brings a number of improved features to this popular middleweight ADV machine.

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Bikes

The BMW F900XR Is Set to Take on the Middleweight Adventure-Sport Market

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One of BMW Motorrad’s big reveals for the 2019 EICMA show in Milan, the BMW F900XR brings two big announcements with it.

First, there is the obvious middleweight addition to the XR “adventure-sport” lineup, and second that the German’s 270° parallel-twin will see a 895cc displacement for the Euro5 homologation.

Riffing on the BMW 9cento concept that we saw a year-and-a-half ago, the 2020 BMW F900XR keeps many of the concept’s lines, while infusing more of its bigger sibling into the design as well.

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Bikes

Aprilia Tuareg 900 Concept by Oberdan Bezzi

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When we look at Aprilia’s lineup, it is surprisingly sparse. The brand has only a pair of models with its V4 engine, and another pair with its 900cc v-twin. Four bikes – that’s it.

The revised middleweights – the Shiver 900 and Dorsoduro 900 – debuted in 2017, bringing some refinements to the lackluster 750cc machines that they replaced. The 900cc bikes are not the stars in Aprilia’s lineup though, and they struggle to sell at Aprilia dealerships, but they have a tremendous amount of potential.

We say this because it always felt like Aprilia could have done more with the engine platforms available to the Italian brand. A long-travel suspension adventure-sport makes a ton of sense for the V4 platform, and today we see what could be done with the v-twin platform.

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Bikes

Yamaha YZR-09 Endurance Concept by Oberdan Bezzi

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Yamaha really hit on something when it made the MT-07 and MT-09 motorcycles – two machines that still offer plenty of features and fun, while enjoying the benefit of not emptying the bank account.

Similarly, we have already seen that the Yamaha MT-07 makes a convincing track bike, especially when you change out the lower-spec components and add a full set of fairings.

Today, Oberdan Bezzi imagines a similar treatment for the Yamaha MT-09, with a slant toward endurance racing duties, which we find very appealing.

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Bikes

Retro-Styled Kawasaki Z900RS Debuts in Tokyo

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As expected, at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, Kawasaki unveiled a new retro-syled model based off its popular Z900 street bike, thus creating the 2018 Kawasaki Z900RS.

As the core of the bike is the same four-cylinder, water-cooled, 900cc engine that is found on the Kawasaki Z900, but Team Green has completely revamped the styling to have a more heritage look and feel to the “RS” model.

Peppy motorcycle meets trendy aesthetics, the Kawasaki Z900RS truly lives up to its “Retro Sport” moniker. Equipment includes LED lighting, new spoke-looking wheels, and a revised exhaust design.

The paint scheme is meant to mimic the design found on the 1972 Kawasaki Z1, one of the Japanese brand’s more classic motorcycles, while appealing to the features that modern motorcyclists rely upon.

Set for sure for the European market, it will be interesting to see if Kawasaki brings the Z900RS to the USA. We would expect so, but stay tuned for more information.

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