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Ducati Scrambler Hero 01 by Holographic Hammer

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We’ve been big fans of the work done by Holographic Hammer for a long, though we have only curious featured their work once before — and that’s a shame, since the French outfit is making some interesting concepts, both digitally and physically.

We’re therefore happy to share with you their latest work, the Ducati Scrambler “Hero 01”.

Holographic Hammer tells us that they wanted to keep the purpose of the Scrambler at the Hero 01’s core, namely a bike that you actually used on a day-to-day basis. It would get dirty, it would get scratched, it would tip over…therefore a bunch of intricate and expensive kit wouldn’t do.

The changes therefore are practical and affordable, sans maybe the $3,000 carbon fiber Rotobox wheels…after all though, one has to live. Right?

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Bikes

BMW R nineT Concepts by Iban Domigo & Xavier Vairai

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We have already talked about how important, from a customizer’s perspective, the BMW R nineT is with its modular design. The tragically named, yet intelligently built motorcycle can be the foundation for a multitude of different ideas, styles, and trends.

Nothing illustrates that more than the concepts put together by Iban Domigo (of Ruleshaker) and Xavier Vairai (of Dream Machines), as they take the German café racer and apply streamline moderne and art deco lines to them.

The result is beautifully smooth machines that give the impression that motorcycle design evolved purely from a baseline rooted in the 1920’s, 1930’s, and 1940’s. There is something distinctly modern about the bikes, but the air-cooled heads and aerodynamic fairings tell another older story.

There’s something very visually pleasing here, and so we thought we would share it. More examples await you, after the jump.

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News

A BMW Scrambler Cometh?

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It appears that BMW Motorrad wants in on the retro-styled scrambler game that Ducati and Triumph are playing, and is looking to use its R nineT platform to do the job.

The scrambler model, which has already been previewed to BMW’s European dealers, would be just the first of several budget-oriented models to come from BMW, all of which would be based off the BMW R nineT.

The scrambler is expected to debut later this year with its 100hp air-cooled engine, while the other models, namely a café racer model, will come in 2016.

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Bikes

“Scrambler Café Racer” Ducati Scrambler by Mr. Martini

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The third, and last, Ducati Scrambler concept from the Verona Motor Bike Expo, the “Scrambler Café Racer” by Mr. Martini is exactly what the name implies: a cafe racer styled scrambler motorcycle.

Mr. Martini appropriately added a high-mount exhaust to his “scrambler” and retained the Scrambler’s Pirelli knobby tires. The addition of a cafe racer fairing though is an interesting choice, and leaves this concept straddling the two staples of hipster motorbiking in the custom scene.

We’ll let you decided whether this doubles the “post-authentic” nature of the Scrambler, or if the work is just an overload of the self-ironic.

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News

Husqvarna 401 Concepts Will Be 2017 Production Models

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One of the more intriguing things to come out of the 2014 EICMA motorcycle show in Milan were Husqvarna’s two “401” concepts, the Vitpilen and Svartpilen. The café-styled bikes are based off the KTM 390 Duke platform, though you wouldn’t know it from looking at them.

Husqvarna said at EICMA that if there was sufficient interest, the Vitpilen and Svartpilen could go into production. With an overwhelming critical response from the press and fans, it should come no surprise then that our friends at Bike.se are reporting that Husqvarna intends to make the small-displacement machines a part of its 2017 model lineup.

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Bikes

2015 Yamaha XJR1300 Racer — Japan’s Cafe Racer

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Yamaha has debuted three machines ahead of the INTERMOT show, and the first two birds of the same feather: the Yamaha XJR1300 and Yamaha XJR1300 Racer. Based around Yamaha’s 1,300cc air-cooled inline-four engine (98hp / 80 lbs•ft), the XJR1300 and XJR1300 Racer take on the lines of the classic “naked bike” aesthetic — building upon Yamaha’s previous offering.

Yamaha says that it has worked closely with motorcycle customizers to update the 2015 Yamaha XJR1300, and the result is an addition to its “Sport Heritage” line, with a decidedly sporty twist coming from the 2015 Yamaha XJR1300 Racer, which has carbon fiber bodywork and clip-on handlebars.

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Bikes

Moto Guzzi V7 II – A Classic Evolves

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In addition to the Aprilia Caponord 1200 Rally, Piaggio is teasing another new motorcycle at the INTERMOT show, the Moto Guzzi V7 II. An evolution of the previous V7 design, the 2015 Moto Guzzi V7 II features an all-new close-ratio six-speed gearbox, which also has a revised clutch.

Other additions include dual-channel ABS brakes to the V7 line, as well as traction control; while other changes include moving the transverse 90º v-twin 10mm lower in the frame, and also pitching the lump forward 4º than on the previous generation.

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Bikes

MV Agusta Teases New Machine: ADV Bike or Cafe Racer?

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MV Agusta has a new model it is ready to debut, as the company has begun its marketing hype ahead of next week’s INTERMOT show. A simple email to the press, with a single photo, is the only clue we have of what’s to come, outside of the visual or course, and that the file name of the photo is “worth_waiting.jpg”.

That’s not much to work on, but the photo does give us some clues: a wire-laced rim, s tubeless wheel, s Pirelli Diablo Rosso tire, a single-sided swingarm, and the first tip of what looks like MV Agusta’s three-pipe exhaust (a brighter Photoshopped image is after the jump).

In our minds, this narrows things down to just two possibilities: a completely new café racer styled machine, or a more off-road version of the company’s still unreleased Turismo Veloce ADV-tourer.

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Bikes

More Renders of the Bottpower BOTT XC1 Café Racer

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Forget the Honda CB350 or the old BMW R-Series machines, this is a proper modern café racer. We have brought you the work of Bottpower before, and have even already shown you renders of the BOTT XC1, but the firm has made another twist on its Buell-powered café.

Adding a half-fairing to the front, and reworking the fuel tank and tail into a more modern shapes, this variant of the BOTT XC1 draws from both newer and older thoughts for inspiration. And if your tastes vary day-to-day, Version 3, as it’s being called, can still be easily turned into the BOTT XR1 street track machine, as most of the changes are only skin deep.

Since Bottpower makes bikes to each customer’s personal spec and taste, we imagine we could see all three variants, and more, roaming the streets…or even hitting the track. Looking good fellas!

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Dirt

The 5 Most Dangerous Motorcycles in America?

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Contrary to what the AMA or motorcycling gentry may believe, not all motorcycles are created equal. Due to a combination of marketing, riding styles, and environment, the following five types of motorcycles are the country’s most dangerous.

While the NHTSA doesn’t track motorcycle accidents and crashes based on the type of motorcycle being ridden (among other things), the cultural factors that surround motorcycle injuries and fatalities paint a stark picture, which we’ve shared with you here.

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Bikes

Bimota BB4 Concepts by Oberdan Bezzi

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I had to check the last time we showed you some of Oberdan Bezzi’s work, and it was over three months ago. The Italian designer has certainly been busy since that time though, as he has produced a number of BMW/Bimota concepts for us to ponder about.

Imagining the Italian company’s current trend of using BMW power plants — as has been seen with the Bimota BB3 — Bezzi’s drawings instead use BMW Motorrad’s popular boxer engine as their base.

The effect is an interesting one, as the BMW’s boxer engine has proven to be the base of the German brands Top 3 selling bikes, and has found interesting applications in the BMW R nineT modular machine, and the BMW Roadster Concept motorcycle.

Here dubbed the “Bimota BB4”, these concepts come in a variety of sporty standard, cafe racer, and streetfighter varieties that Bezzi’s simply calls a “Café Fighter” concept.

It’s hard to pick our favorite from the bunch, but we are enthusiastic about the idea of a boxer-powered Bimota. We doubt we’ll see such a move from the now Swiss-owned brand, but like a good concept sketch, it’s good to dream.

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