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November 2009

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Stopping by the Benelli display at EICMA, we got our first chance to check out the rarely talked about Benelli 2ue. We first spotted the finalized version of the 2ue earlier this year without its fairings on, but for Milan the bike was fully dressed. While seemingly similar to last-year’s concept, Benelli left 2ue completely out of its press information. What few details we have on the 2ue 756 are after the jump, along with more photos of the 2ue up-close.

For 2010, Ducati has added the option of a matte black finish to its 848 Superbike line. Originally thought to be a “Dark” version of the 848, the middle-weight Superbike shares all the same specs as the other color’s of the rainbow, including the new aluminum cam belt tensioner pulleys, LED dash and 30mm mirror extension kit.

Accustomed to the shiny, almost mirror like, finishes that adorn black Ducatis, the 848’s paint is truly devoid of color. No reflections, no specular highlights, nothing. It’s like looking into a heartless vacuum that threatens to steal your soul…and it creeps us out. Click past the jump for a full photo series of the new 848 color scheme.

Harley-Davidson, Inc. has just announced that Erik Buell, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of the soon to be closed Buell Motorcycle Company, will leave the company to establish Erik Buell Racing, an independent motorcycle race shop that will specialize in making 1125R-based racing motorcycles and parts.

UPDATE: Erik has made a video that explains his move to Erik Buell Racing further, and rehashes the information already available in Harley-Davidson’s press release.

Harley-Davidson, Inc. has retained the services of French investment banking group BNP Paribas to help sell the sportbike manufacturer MV Agusta, thus taking the next step in divesting the Italian brand from the Milwaukee company. Helping fuel speculation, BNP Paribas, with its team based out of Milan, Italy, is another sign that MV could end up in Italian hands after its sale concludes.

After leaking out ahead of EICMA, we were excited to go check out the CR&S booth to see their new Duu cruiser. With an S&S v-twin motor, the bike is a mixture of American street muscle, and Italian styling, which makes for an interesting effect. While we like the concept overall, there are certainly elements of the bike we crinkled our nose at, despite the obvious master craftsmanship. More on the Duu, and a plethora of photos after the jump.

It’s been a few weeks since Harley-Davidson announced the immediate closure of its subsidiary Buell, where dealers began slashing prices both to liquidate stock and to cash-in on Harley’s $5,000 sale incentive. Basic economics dictates that any time a price is raised or lowered it has repercussions to the product’s resale value, and in the case of Buell’s sudden price drop and dumping of basically new bikes into the market, the consequences for current Buell owners seem dreary. Or are they?

In order to find an answer to that question, we asked Joshua Minix, former government think-tank Economist, and current John M. Olin Fellow in Law and Economics at Harvard Law School, to wade through the implications of Buell’s closure, and how it affects the used Buell motorcycle market. Click past the jump for his analysis.