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2022 Yamaha Ténéré 700 Raid Prototype Teases an Up-Spec Model

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The Yamaha Ténéré 700 has become a popular choice amongst dirt-focused ADV riders, especially those shopping in the middleweight ADV category, but the Tuning Fork brand is surely feeling the pressure as that segment continues to heat-up.

So, it is not surprise then to see Yamaha toying with a more capable, more up-spec, and more expensive variant to the Yamaha Ténéré 700 ADV machine, to help fend off the entries from other brands.

This is where the 2022 Yamaha Ténéré 700 Raid Prototype comes into play, and it just broke cover at the 2021 EICMA show in Milan, Italy.

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Reviews

What It’s Like to Ride the Aprilia Tuareg 660, A Review

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When I first met the Aprilia Tuareg 660, it didn’t make much of an impression. It was the 2019 EICMA show, and the bike was quietly on display in a glass box, covered with plants and vines.

The display was so nondescript, that thousands of attendees and hundreds of journalists passed by the Tuareg 660 without even noticing that it was there.

Nothing is subtle about the Tuareg 660 now though, as the middleweight adventure bike is riding the wave of success that has come with Aprilia’s previous two models from its 660cc platform.

Add into that notion how popular the middleweight ADV space has become recently, and we can begin to see why the Aprilia Tuareg 660 is one of the most anticipated motorcycles for the 2022 model year.

So to test its mettle, Aprilia brought us to the Italian island of Sardinia, where the winding mountain roads make for challenging and technical riding on the street.

And to get our feet dirty too, we tackled some rough gravel roads/trails, as well as an off-road circuit that Aprilia created with a good mix of sandy, rocky, wet, and bumpy conditions.

Is the Aprilia Tuareg 660 any good? Ask 31 riders and you will get a Baskin Robins of answers back in this highly personal two-wheeled space.

But, the Aprilia Tuareg 660 does seem to inhabit the Goldilocks zone of the middleweight ADV space that should impress many, and leave quite a few riders reaching for their wallets. Let me explain.

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Dirt

New Triumph Tiger 1200 on the Way with “Significantly Lighter” Weight and More Power

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Triumph continues to churn out teasers for upcoming models, first showing us the half-fairing Triumph Speed Triple RR, then the street-focused Triumph Tiger Sport 660, and now the Triumph Tiger 1200.

Appearing to be an all-new model, the British marque is making big boasts about a reduced weight figure on the chassis, and added horsepower from the 1,200cc three-cylinder engine.

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Bikes

Mega Gallery: 2021 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R

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An updated KTM 1290 Super Adventure R debuted yesterday, but unfortunately we had only low-resolution photos to share with you, and that is simply just not how we do things here at Asphalt & Rubber.

With no pixel left behind, we bring you a fresh set of “Ready to Race” photos of the 2021 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R, to sustain you as we wait for this capable adventure bike to his US soil – it’s going to take a while.

That long wait is a shame, because the 2021 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R looks like a ripper for ADV riders that are looking for a machine with a 21″ front wheel.

The Austrian have changed a number of key items on this bike for the 2021 model year, most notably the fairing design.

The chassis has been modified too though, and the engine is now Euro5 compliant. The 7″ TFT dash is sure to impress as well, as KTM has revised the user interface on it, while also modernizing the bike’s handlebar switchgear.

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Rumors

First Glimpse of the Buell 1190AX “Super Tourer” Adventure Bike

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Buell Motorcycles is back, in case you missed the news. The American brand is in new hands new, merging back with its offshoot of Erik Buell Racing, under the leadership of Bill Melvin from Liquid Asset Partners.

For their resurgence, Buell aims to have 10 motorcycles on the market by 2024 – a grand ambition by any standard.

To help them reach that goal though, Buell will leverage three of the known models from the EBR days: the 1190RX superbike, the 1190SX streetfighter, and the less-known-about 1190AX.

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Reviews

What It’s Like Riding the Ducati Multistrada V4 S, A Review

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One of the most anticipated motorcycles of the 2021 model year is finally here for us to test, and in case the title to this review didn’t give it away, I am talking about the Ducati Multistrada V4 adventure bike.

Ducati has teased us long enough on this new ADV machine, including giving us an early look at its new Granturismo V4 motor, which is most notable for its lack of desmodromic valves. *Gasp* goes the Ducatisti collective.

With 168hp (125 kW) on tap, and 92 lbs•ft of peak torque coming from the compact V4 engine, it is hard to imagine why anyone would complain about what is beneath the fairings on this new Multistrada model, but then again…Ducati did leave a few sacred cows on the slaughterhouse floor when designing this motorcycle.

A pillar to Ducati’s two-wheeled lineup, the Multistrada V4 is a critical bike for Ducati to get right, as it accounts for roughly 20% of the company’s unit sales.

And for all of its changes and upgrades, the Multistrada V4 continues Ducati’s core principle for the Multistrada lineup – of having a model that is four motorcycles in one.

To see if Ducati got this recipe correct, the Italian brand invited us down to Borrego Springs, California, to ride the 2021 Ducati Multistrada V4 S in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Our ride involved equal parts of curvy mountain roads and sandy desert tracks, giving us a good glimpse of what the Multistrada V4 S was capable of on the street and in the dirt.

The verdict? It’s a big one. If there was only one motorcycle we could buy with our hard-earned blogging dollars, this would be it. The Ducati Multistrada V4 S is the new standard in the premium ADV space. Let me explain.

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