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Recall: Ducati Scrambler

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Ducati is recalling over 5,500 units of its Scrambler motorcycles for a faulty kickstand pivot nut, which can potentially detach from the motorcycle. The recall affects 2015 and 2016 model year bikes, manufactured between February 17, 2015 and November 11, 2016.

If the pivot nut loosens or detaches, it can cause the kickstand position sensor not to function properly, which can lead to either the motorcycle stalling, or the rider being able to operate the motorcycle with the kickstand still down. Either scenario is potential dangerous.

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News

Federal Tax Credits for Electric Motorcycles Set to Expire

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If you are in the market for an electric motorcycle (or any road-legal electric vehicle, for that matter), you have only a few more days to take advantage of the federal tax credit that comes with the purchase of these machines.

For potential electric motorcycle buyers, that means the 10% federal savings (some states offer their own incentives as well) will only be available for purchases made for the remaining four days of 2016.

Once January 1st, 2017 rolls up on the calendar, electric motorcycles will cost their full freight. How this will affect the space though, remains to be seen.

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News

No Money for New MV Agusta Superbike, Says Castiglioni

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To call the last couple of years for MV Agusta turbulent would probably be understating the situation.

The company has struggled for financial stability ever since its re-acquisition by the Castiglioni family, and that struggle has recently come to a zenith with the firms debt restructuring and investment by the Anglo-Russian investment group Black Ocean.

With that comes some harsh realities, namely that MV Agusta will not be producing a new superbike any time soon, as the cost of the project exceeds the Italian manufacturer’s capabilities – so said MV Agusta CEO Giovanni Castiglioni while talking to Alan Cathcart for Australian Motorcycle News.

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Recall

Recall: Suzuki V-Strom 650

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Suzuki has issued a recall on a number of its DL650 motorcycles, better known to the riding public as the venerable Suzuki V-Strom 650. The recall affects 8,613 machines, which were manufactured between August 30, 2011, and October 12, 2015.

Suzuki’s recall notes that the bikes might have an alternator stator that has insufficient heat resistance, which results in a short circuit of the stator wires. A short circuit of the stator wires may prevent the battery from properly charging, which could cause the engine to stall, and thus possibly cause the motorcycle to crash.

To prevent this, Suzuki Motor of America has issued this recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

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News

Happy Holidays from Asphalt & Rubber

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Seasons Greetings from Asphalt & Rubber. While we stoke the fires on the yule log, everyone at A&R would like to wish our readers a Happy Holiday.

We will be taking the day off as we sip some cider and gorge ourselves on delicious home-cooked nom noms (yeah…nom noms), but we should be back in the swing of things next week.

Whatever your denomination may be (bagger, café, sumo, etc.), we hope you are with good friends and family, and that the two-wheeled vehicle in your garage gets some seasonal merriment as well.

We hope you are as excited about 2017 as we are…now go get you ‘nog on!

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Bikes

Rumors Peg 2017 Triumph Street Triple to Be 800cc

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The rumor mill says that this video from Triumph is teasing us an “all new” Triumph Street Triple for the 2017 model year, which will see a displacement increase to 800cc.

The new bike is set to drop on January 10th, and promises to set “a new benchmark” in the streetfighter category. That is tough talk from a British brand that has let its modern sport bike offering languish over the past decade. But, we’re intrigued.

We have seen a revival in the streetfighter category as of late though, so hopefully the folks at Hinckley are wise to that trend and not keen on seeing the iconic Street Triple and Speed Triple models slip further from the riding consciousness.

Like you, we look forward to seeing what debuts in a couple weeks’ time. Hopefully it lives up to the hype — we’re suckers for nakeds.

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Dirt

Christini II-Track AWD Snow Bike Is Ready to Hit the Slopes

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The snow from Portland’s Snowpocalypse is melting right now, and the rebuilding has begun. Jokes aside, we could have had some serious fun last week with Christini’s latest AWD motorcycle, the Christini II-Track.

Taking the snow bike concept to the next logical Christini progression, the Christini II-Track features not one, but two, power-giving snow tracks, and the machine is now available for purchase from this plucky boutique American brand.

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Bikes

Say Hello to the 250hp Aprilia RSV4 R FW-GP

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Two years ago, Aprilia started its “Factory Works” program, where racers and customers alike could order professional-level versions of the popular Aprilia RSV4 RR superbike.

Available from the program are turn-key superstock and superbike machines, and for those with the right pocketbook, the near MotoGP-level Aprilia RSV4 R-FW Misano version was also available.

With Aprilia’s MotoGP program having taken an evolution from then to now, the Noale-based manufacturer has also updated its ultimate superbike offering.

We bring you the Aprilia RSV4 R FW-GP, which comes with pneumatic valves, post-sales support, and a factory guarantee of 250hp.

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MotoGP

Much To Learn from This Pramac Ducati Video There Is

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And now, for something completely different. Here’s an interesting video that the folks at Pramac Ducati put together during the off-season test at Jerez (and thus outside of Dorna’s choke-hold on video usage).

In it, we see a compilation of several video spots from laps that Scott Redding and Danilo Petrucci turned at the Spanish track, which when put together give great insight into how the MotoGP riders tackle a race course.

For those of you who say “I never use the rear brake,” Mr. Redding’s right foot has a tutorial for you. Meanwhile, Petrucci’s left-foot shows how GP riders are shifting (note the reverse shift pattern) well ahead of the fast corners, letting the slipper clutch and engine management systems do the hard work.

If you are astute, you can probably pick up a couple new tricks…though we doubt you’ll watch the video only once.

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News

A Glimpse into Kawasaki’s A.I. for Motorcycles

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A few months ago, we told you that Kawasaki was working on an artificial intelligence system for motorcycles, and while the term “artificial intelligence” is thrown around too liberally, the proposal from Team Green was an interesting one for the Japanese manufacturer.

Details were light at the time, but now Kawasaki has released a demo video showing how it sees its “A.I.” system working with motorcyclists.

The demo isn’t too compelling, with many of the features being just an implementation of vehicle-to-vehcile systems with a voice-command veneer tacked on top of it,  but it does show that Kawasaki is feigning interest into what the future will hold for motorcyclists.

The question will be though, when true artificial intelligence hits the mainstream, will our robot overlords be more like JARVIS or HAL 9000?

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Dirt

Paddock Pass Podcast #43 – Superprestigio

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Episode 43 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and the show covers this past weekend’s Superprestigio flat track race in Barcelona.

Talking about the Superprestigio and flat track racing in general, Neil Morrison, Steve English, and David Emmett are joined by American freelance motorcycle journalist and photographer Andrea Wilson, who brings her unique insight into the sport of to the podcast.

The show covers first the action-packed day in Spain, where some of the biggest names from multiple two-wheeled racing disciplines competed for the ultimate in bragging rights.

After analyzing Marc Marquez’s victory over Brad Baker, the show takes a turn to talk about flat track racing in the United States, and the changes that the American Flat Track series is seeing for the 2017 season.

Packed with insight, we think you will enjoy this special episode immensely.

As always, be sure to follow the Paddock Pass Podcast on Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to the show on iTunes and SoundCloud – we even have an RSS feed for you. If you like the show, we would really appreciate you giving it a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

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