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Ducati 1299 Panigale – 205hp, Across the Board

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As was rumored, Ducati’s flagship machine, the Panigale superbike, gets an update for the 2015 model year. Now called the Ducati 1299 Panigale, the number designation means different things for the base, S, and R models.

All three models will sport a class-leading 205 peak horsepower, have the “cornering ABS” thanks to the inertial measurement unit (IMU) that is installed, and have the new Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) system, with its up and down clutchless shifting.

All three models also have a revised chassis geometry, with the steering head angle set at 24° now, while the fork pivot is 4 mm lower — all in the name of more precise steering (a critique of the 1199 model).

For the Ducati 1299 Panigale and Ducati 1299 Panigale S trim models, the high-revving Superquadro motor gets a displacement increase to 1,285cc, via a larger bore size (116mm). The Ducati 1299 Panigale R will remain at the original 1,198cc displacement, in order to comply with World Superbike regulations.

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Ducati Diavel Titanium – A “Bold” Limited Edition

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Ducati describes the Diavel Titanium as making “a bold statement” and “wanted to take the bold and unique Diavel to a whole new level of prestige and desirability.”

We’re pretty sure that many uses of the word “bold” really just means bold new graphics for the Diavel, as the Titanium paint job and titanium panels (fuel tank and headlight covers) on the Ducati Diavel Titanium are really what set Bologna’s newest power cruiser apart from its predecessors.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the Diavel Titanium is certainly an attractive looking version of the Diavel, though the machine lacks the Desmodromic Variable Timing that is debuting on the 2015 Ducati Multistrada — something we would have liked to see on the stout power cruiser.

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Bikes

Ducati Monster 821 & 1200 S Stripe

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Another “bold new graphics” model from Ducati, the Ducati Monster 821 Stripe and Ducati Monster 1200 S Stripe add exactly what the name implies, a racing stripe to the naked bike’s sweeping lines.

The double-white side-stripe is painted on the mudguard, fuel tank, passenger seat cover, and fairing/windscreen. Completing the look are carbon fiber belt covers, and a Ducati Performance license plate holder. Huzzah.

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Bikes

Here are the First Photos of the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1

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The 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 has leaked ahead of its EICMA debut today…with two images of the superbike hitting the interwebs just a few hours ago. The model shows obvious lines from the Yamaha MotoGP bike, the YZR-M1; and is expected to come in two trim levels, one for the street, and the other for racing purposes.

We should know more about the new R1 in a few hours, but until then, we will have to chew on these first photos. Accordingly, we’re not so sure about the headlights, though they look verrrry easy to remove, which might be a salient feature for them, on a homologation special.

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News

First Photo of the 2015 Aprilia RSV4 RR

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Our friends at Oliepeil are at it again this year, sneaking into the EICMA showroom ahead of tomorrow’s official opening. As usual, bikes left out in the open are being spied, and first up is the 2015 Aprilia RSV4 RR — a model we should have perhaps expected, since Noale already teased us with the Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 RR model this weekend.

No word on specifications yet, though if the Tuono is any indication, we can expect a modest power boost, and additional refinements to the RSV4’s already class-leading APRC electronics package. We should know more tomorrow with Aprilia drops all the news on its 2015 models, officially.

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Bikes

Yamaha WR450F Rally by Rebel X Sports

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If you’ve ever looked at your Yamaha WR450F enduro, and wished it was better suited for Dakar-styled adventure riding, well here is your chance. The folks at Rebel X Sports have built a kit that takes the mild-manner WR450F and turns it into their “Rally ‘Pronto’ Dakar” machine, suitable for amateur racers.

Adding a fuel cell under the rear of the seat, the Yamaha WR450F Rally has 29 liters (7.6 gallons) of fuel, giving it a range of roughly 300 km (186 miles). Other enhancements include special protection for the water pump, a larger toolbox, specially tuned exhaust, rolling roadbook holder, handlebar buttons for the navigation system, and 50w LED headlights.

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Bikes

Benelli BN251 – Return of the Small-Displacement Italian

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Brands like Ducati, Vespa, and Benelli can trace their roots back to post-WWII Italy, where infrastructure and roads were shattered, and the country desperately needed a cheap, reliable, and effective way to navigate from Point-A to Point-B.

Enter the rise of the motorcycle to meet those needs; and from that, what has become over half a century of motorcycle culture in Italy. The first Italian motorcycles were really just bicycles with motors, and as more proper machines came into being, they were still tiny in displacement.

Therefore, the quintessential Italian motorcycle was what we would call today a small-displacement bike. Benelli is getting back to those roots now, introducing the Benelli BN251 at this year’s EICMA show.

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Columns

Destination Malaysia – Day Eight: Thanks for the Fish

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It’s our last full day on the island of Langkawi, as tomorrow all of us will disperse back to our corners of the globe…making close to 24hrs of travel in the process. Today is perhaps the first day where we didn’t have much to do, a welcomed sight on our itinerary, and finally the adoption of the slower pace that comes with island living.

We took to the mangroves via a powerboat, where we explored the stalagmites and stalactites that have taken a millennium to grow. Ducking low, so as to avoid an unintended souvenir, we also had to contend with a side of bats hanging from the ceiling. Langkawi is teaming with wildlife at this natural preserve, and we can spot mudskippers below, as well as small crabs scurrying through the mud.

The nature tour continues with the monkeys that greet us along our path (looking for a handout, those cheap bastards), and later we would watch eagles feeding off the fish skins we left them in the estuary. Our trip is cut short though, as we’re having lunch at another resort on the island, The Datai (totally staying here, if I ever come back).

Our official schedule ends there, and the unofficial schedule finds us at the pool the rest of the day. The ample time under the sun gives us plenty of duration to chew on the trip as a whole, and take in everything we have experienced in the past seven days.

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Bikes

First Photo of the Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 RR

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The alphabet soup that is the Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC ABS is about to get an update for the 2015 model year, as the Noale brand is set to debut the Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 at next week’s EICMA show in Milan, Italy.

As the name implies, the new Tuono V4 1100 will get a displacement increase, to 1,110cc via a larger bore size (81mm, up from 78 mm). This puts peak power at 175hp (up from 170hp), with peak torque hitting 88.5 lbs•ft (up from 84.8 lbs•ft).

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Columns

Destination Malaysia — Day Seven: Langkawi

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Today is perhaps the day I have been looking forward to the most. Not that I don’t like a good MotoGP race, especially at a venue I’ve never been to before, but come on…a couple days on a tropical island? That’s tough to beat.

Our itinerary before we left the USA originally had us flying to Borneo these few days, but the aftermath of tropical storms there meant we would visit island of Langkawi instead.

While I had heard much talk of Borneo, Langkawi was an unknown to me. My worry was for naught though, as the once “cursed” tropical locale was just as decadent as we had been told — of course, staying at the five-star Danna Langkai resort helped in that regard as well.

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