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10 Custom Honda CB650R Motorcycles from Europe

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Honda Motor Europe has a rich history of customizing the Honda CB650R for public exhibition – some of our most favorite bikes have been customs that Honda has shown at trade shows such as EICMA and INTERMOT.

So, when Honda set out to have 10 dealerships bring their creative touches to the venerable four-cylinder platform, we were intrigued.

Unfortunately, their exhibition at the 2021 Wheels & Waves festival in Biarritz was halted with the event’s cancelation, but there is some good news – Honda is showcasing the bikes online.

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Bikes

Don’t Call It a Harley-Davidson, The Electric LiveWire ONE Debuts

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Part of the overhaul of the Harley-Davidson business operations is the creation of the LiveWire electric motorcycle brand, which will stand apart from the Bar & Shield and offer Milwaukee’s future electric ventures.

As such, LiveWire is ready to show us its first motorcycle…again, as the LiveWire ONE is a lightly updated Harley-Davidson Livewire motorcycle.

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Bikes

BMW CE 04 Electric Scooter Coming in 2022 with $11,800 MSRP

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The BMW CE 04 electric scooter has debuted, as expected, and will be coming to the US early next year.

Focused on being an electric two-wheeler for the urban market, the BMW CE 04 will come with a price tag that starts at $11,800, which is neither a bargain-basement deal nor a wallet-busting MSRP.

The bike’s aesthetic is probably the machine’s biggest draw, as despite the BME CE 04’s modern look, the new EV platform is a bit underwhelming in the performance category.

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Rumors

BMW Motorrad’s New Electric Scooter Will Debut Tomorrow

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The BMW Motorrad Definition CE 04 electric scooter will become a real motorcycle tomorrow, as the German brand is teasing a very obvious photo of the bike and its launch date.

The photo above was taken from BMW Motorrad’s Instagram account, with a little exposure added in Photoshop to show the lines of the machine in question, which show the very obvious silhouette of the CE 04.

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Recall

Aprilia Replacing Engines on Certain RS 660 & Tuono 660 Bikes

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Certain owners of the Aprilia RS 660 and the Aprilia Tuono 660 should expect a notification soon that their motorcycles are up for recall, which will see the Italian brand swapping out their engines for new ones.

In total, less than 100 motorcycles will be affected by the recall when it comes out, with Aprilia targeting certain VIN ranges for the two models of motorcycle with the 660cc parallel-twin engine.

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Bikes

The BMW S1000RR Gets Modest Updates for the 2022 Model Year

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The BMW S1000RR is getting some very mild updates for the 2022 model year, but they do go beyond the attractive “bold new colors” that come with the new black livery that is available.

The biggest change is that BMW Motorrad is making the M Chassis kit for the BMW S1000RR standard on the 2022 model, which means an adjustable swingarm pivot and adjustable tail riser.

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Racing

Photos from the MotoAmerica Round at the Ridge Motorsports Park

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MotoAmerica was in the backyard of Asphalt & Rubber last weekend, and we sent our man Ryan Phillips up to the Washington track to snap some photos of the national series’ stop at the Ridge Motorsports Park.

The temperatures were hot (115°F), and the racing was fast. The Ridge Motorsports Park has changed a lot too, since the last time the national series stopped by the Pacific North West.

With fresh asphalt, more facilities, and a heck of a lot more black-top, The Ridge is quickly becoming a national-caliber race track, and a popular destination with riders.

If you haven’t had a chance to spin some laps on its 16 turns (plus chicane), then you are missing out. The racing there is pretty good too.

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Bikes

Is This the Future of Electric Motorcycle Land Speed Racing?

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If the future of motorcycles is electric, then is this the future of land speed racing for motorcycles? The WMC250EV by White Motorcycle Concepts has been making the rounds on the internet this week, primarily for its big claims and unique design.

Boasting of unparalleled streamlining, Robert White and his team are looking to make waves, first by breaking the land speed record for electric motorcycles in Britain later this year, and then taking on the FIM world record for electric two-wheelers (228.006 mph).

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News

Energica Debuts Lighter, More Powerful Liquid-Cooled Electric Motor

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The global pandemic might have disrupted the plans of many motorcycle manufacturers, much to their chagrin, but the folks at Energica found a way to make a positive out of the negative situation.

Planning to upgrade their electric motorcycle offerings for the 2022 model year, the Italians have jump-started that process with a new motor design, which they are phasing into their current bike sales.

Lighter, more powerful, and water-cooled, the motor was designed and developed with the help of Italian engineering firm Mavel, and is being called the “Energica Mavel Co-Engineering” (EMCE) motor.

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Rumors

Our First Proper Glimpse of the Upcoming Bimota KB4

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The folks over in Rimini have been quiet lately, likely hard at work on getting the Bimota Tesi H2 out the door after its delay during the pandemic.

We have covered the supercharged motorcycle with its hub-center steering a bit already, and day’s news turns to what will be Bimota’s second motorcycle since its rebirth, the Bimota KB4.

Finally caught in its final form, we can see what this retro-inspired machine will look like, once its paint has dried.

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A&R Pro

The Supersport Segment Reboot – A Story About the Yamaha YZF-R9

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Yamaha is in the midst of redefining its sport bike lineup. The first step was to kill off the popular and iconic YZF-R6 supersport, but that left a massive hole between the R3 and R1 models. To help fill that void, Yamaha recently debuted the Yamaha YZF-R7, but while the 75hp / twin-cylinder platform makes for a good stepping stone from the R3, an R6 replacement it is not (and never was supposed to be). That duty will likely fall to another machine, whose name has been spotted in government documents: the Yamaha YZF-R9.

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