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Back in the Swing of Things, MV Agusta Rush 1000 Delivering in June

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Perhaps the most lurid motorcycle we saw at the 2019 EICMA show, the MV Agusta Rush 1000 is truly a bike that stands out from the crowd. Designed with what MV Agusta calls a “drag racing” aesthetic, the Rush 1000 takes the already gorgeous Brutale 1000 RR streetfighter, and dials it up to 11.

On the technical side, MV Agusta hasn’t distinguished the Rush 1000 too much from the Brutale 1000 – they both share a 205hp inline-four engine (209hp with the kit exhaust, which surely one would install for the full “Rush” effect), which is pulled straight out of the MV Agusta F4 RC superbike.

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Bikes

Aprilia RS 250 SP Finally Gets a Price Tag: €9,700 – Ready to Race

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At the 2019 EICMA show in Milan, one of the surprises we saw in Italy was the Aprilia RS 250 SP motorcycle. A race-only machine, this quarter-liter four-stroke motorcycle from Noale is designed to be one thing: a cheap racing platform for Italy’s future two-wheeled stars.

Built in partnership with the FMI (Italy’s motorcycling federation) and Ohvale, the Aprilia RS 250 SP promised to be an affordable turnkey race bike, which would compete in a spec-series in Italy next year.

While we knew a bit about the bike’s technical bits, the one key feature missing from the Aprilia RS 250 SP’s debut at EICMA was its price. But now, we know that too: €9,700 – ready to race.

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News

Ducati Returns to Production in Borgo Panigale, With Changes

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Starting this week, the Ducati factory in Borgo Panigale will once again rev to life, as the Italian brand returns to production work in Bologna, Italy.

While the production lines will continue, Ducati will not be continuing with business as usual. This is because the Italian motorcycle maker will only be recalling the minimal number of employees to restart the production and research operations.

Working together with the union (RSU), Ducati has created a new safety protocol, which includes everyone wearing masks, regardless of distancing.

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MotoGP

Both the Mugello & Barcelona MotoGP Rounds Are Postponed

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Another week, another motorcycle race postponed, with no date set for rescheduling. This week it is the turn of the Mugello and Barcelona rounds of MotoGP, scheduled to take place on May 31st and June 7th respectively.

Today, the FIM, IRTA, and Dorna announced that the Italian and Catalunya rounds of MotoGP have been postponed, and no new date has been set for them to take place.

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News

MV Agusta Closes Factory After New Government Restrictions

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To be honest, it was a bit of surprise when last week MV Agusta announced that it was going to keep its factory open in Varese.

Situated in the hard-hit Lombardy region of Italy, the move seemed counter-intuitive to what was happening to the region because of the coronavirus.

Now, we get word that MV Agusta is going to close its factory, after the Italian Prime Minister announced on Sunday night more restrictive measures for prevention and containment of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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News

Ducati Factory Will Remain Closed Through March 25th

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As the spread of the coronavirus continues, motorcycle manufacturers in Europe (especially in Italy) are having to continuously adjust their plans and expectations.

Accordingly, we get news that Ducati Motor Holding will continue to suspend and augment its factory activities through March 25th, pushing back its reopen date as the situation in Italy continues to worsen.

For the Italian brand, the move isn’t a total disruption, as the factory was already slated for closure between March 13th and today, March 18th.

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News

MV Agusta Decides to Keep Factory Operating

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While much of the talk in the motorcycle industry right now is what factories are closing, and how to recover from the devastation the coronavirus is having on the world economy, one motorcycle brand is taking a different tack.

MV Agusta has announced today that it has decided to keep its factory open in Varese, despite the Lombardy region being one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak in Italy.

The Italian brand says it has come to this decision in agreement with its workers’ representatives, and that the factory will operate in full compliance with Italian restrictions and quarantines concerning the health epidemic.

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News

Ducati Sales Flat Worldwide, But Down 2% in the USA

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While news of the Ducati Superleggera V4 is breaking the internet right now, other headlines are also coming out of Bologna, as Ducati has released its 2019 sales figures.

Tallying a total of 53,183 motorcycles delivered to customers worldwide, Ducati managed to beat the 53,004 units from 2018 – an increase of 0.34% in worldwide sales, for those who are counting.

Holding that figure back though was the brand’s progress in the United States, with the American market dropping close to 2% compared to last year, with 7,682 motorcycles sold last year.

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Bikes

Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP Priced at €27,000 in Europe

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We continue to wait to see what pricing will be on the 2021 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP (whew! say that three times fast!), when it comes to the USA later this summer. 

Our Bothan spy tipsters have pointed to the new Fireblade as being a pricey superbike (we have been expecting a roughly $25,000 price tag), and American Honda’s decision to import only the up-spec SP model adds further fuel to the fire that some price-point trickery is afoot.

With pricing already shown for the UK market, and seemingly confirming out suspicion, now we have another data point, as pricing on mainland Europe is finally out, and it seems to confirm the trend.

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Lifestyle

In This Video, MV Agusta Makes You Want to Take an Italian Vacation on Two Wheels

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If you have never visited North Italy, especially along the Swiss and Austrian borders, then you haven’t really lived a complete life yet. One of the most picturesque places on Earth, and some damn fine riding, the Dolomites and the larger Alps ranges should be on every motorcyclist’s bucket lists.

Don’t take my word for it though, let the above video from MV Agusta do some of the talking, as CIV Supersport Champion Davide Stirpe flogs the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro around some of Italy’s most famous passes and locales.

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