Yesterday we speculated that MV Agusta’s new teaser photo could be a more off-road offering of the company’s still unreleased Turismo Veloce multi-tourer. A quick dive through the European trademark filings seems to confirm that notion, as MV Agusta registered the name “Turismo Leggero” just two months ago.
Literally meaning “light touring” in Italian, the name isn’t terribly helpful by itself, though its analogous structure to the Turismo Veloce models does give us some sort of framework. How the new model will be “lighter” in the two-wheeled context remains to be seen, though as many have noted, the bike’s Kineo wheels are certainly a good start.
Hanging out with Valentino Rossi has its perks. The nine-time world champion has all the cool two-wheeled toys a guy could want. He has an epic flat track course in the backyard of his house in Tavullia called MotoRanch. When his buddies come over to hang out, it’s people like Marc Marquez, Loris Capirossi, Bradley Smith, and a bevy of other professional motorcycle racers who show up.
Playing host to such a party after the San Marino GP, which takes place only a few miles away at Misano, Rossi & Co. seemed to be having an epic get-together. Thankfully, someone in Rossi’s entourage had the idea to film the 20-something riders who showed up all day to fraternize and ride.
Amongst those in attendance were Leon Camier, Loris Capirossi, Federico Fuligni, Luca Marini, Mattia Pasini, Marc Marquez, Franco Morbidelli, Chad Reed, Niccoló Bulega, Tito Rabat, Mauro Sanchini, Pecco Bagnaia, Bradley Smith, Andrea Migno, Lorenzo Baldassari, and Miguel Oliveira, though we think you’ll spot a few others in the video. Enjoy it after the jump.
While some publications have been outright fabricating information about the new Kawasaki H2 to get eyeballs and clicks, we have been trying to filter Kawasaki’s massive marketing campaign, so you only get the most distilled information. That’s sort of our mantra here at Asphalt & Rubber.
So, you will forgive us then for showing you yet another teaser video on the H2, but we think there is an interesting development here. The ninth installment thus far, Kawasaki is focusing on the aerodynamics of the hyperbike, and from what we can see, the Kawasaki Ninja H2 comes equipped with aerodynamic wings.
The winglets look a lot like those found on the Ducati Desmosedici GP10, which served more to help flow air across the very hot V4 engine, rather than to provide any sort of downforce. What Kawasaki is using them for, that’s up for debate.
One shot seems to show the H2’s mirrors, and their aerodynamic shape, while the other two shots have us guessing. One is clearly a winglet, possibly near the front of the machine, which would help pull the air around the rider (especially around the legs) more effectively.
The third shot (actually the first in the video), look like a rear spoiler/diffuser to us, but we’d love to hear your theories in the comments section.
In addition to the Aprilia Caponord 1200 Rally, Piaggio is teasing another new motorcycle at the INTERMOT show, the Moto Guzzi V7 II. An evolution of the previous V7 design, the 2015 Moto Guzzi V7 II features an all-new close-ratio six-speed gearbox, which also has a revised clutch.
Other additions include dual-channel ABS brakes to the V7 line, as well as traction control; while other changes include moving the transverse 90º v-twin 10mm lower in the frame, and also pitching the lump forward 4º than on the previous generation.
Set to debut at INTERMOT next week, the Italians have taken the wraps off the 2015 Aprilia Caponord 1200 Rally — a more adventure-focused variant of the Aprilia Caponord 1200.
The changes are subtle, but to the point, as the Aprilia Caponord 1200 Rally comes with a 19″ wheel up front (a 17″ wheel remains in the rear), as well as side boxes, auxiliary lighting, skid plate, and crash bars.
MV Agusta has a new model it is ready to debut, as the company has begun its marketing hype ahead of next week’s INTERMOT show. A simple email to the press, with a single photo, is the only clue we have of what’s to come, outside of the visual or course, and that the file name of the photo is “worth_waiting.jpg”.
That’s not much to work on, but the photo does give us some clues: a wire-laced rim, s tubeless wheel, s Pirelli Diablo Rosso tire, a single-sided swingarm, and the first tip of what looks like MV Agusta’s three-pipe exhaust (a brighter Photoshopped image is after the jump).
In our minds, this narrows things down to just two possibilities: a completely new café racer styled machine, or a more off-road version of the company’s still unreleased Turismo Veloce ADV-tourer.
The Suzuki V-Strom 1000 was a big step for Suzuki and the V-Strom name, as the Japanese company put forward a very convincing offer on the ADV table. Now Suzuki seems set to deliver an encore to that production, in the guise of the company’s smaller V-Strom 650 machine.
Spotted by our Dutch friends at Oliepeil, Suzuki’s parts catalog shows a new model tagged as the DL650X, which features a new beak-like headlight/mudguard, dual-sport treaded tires, and wire-laced wheels. For those who don’t know “DL” has been Suzuki’s letter-based model name for the V-Strom series, since its inception.
We are only a week away before the new models for 2015 will begin hitting the internet, but already we are hearing whispers from our Bothan Spies about new motorcycles that are coming forth.
Traditionally Ducati has been a leaking sieve of information, though now under corporate control of Audi AG, the Italian company has been more cautious about letting information slip.
That being said, we’ve heard information from several sources now that suggest a new Multistrada model is coming down the pipe, and will debut at the EICMA show. Likely a response to the ever-crowding ADV space, which sees the addition of BMW Motorrad’s Multistrada-killer, the BMW S1000XR.
Brammo continues to build upon its war chest of investment, and has turned to crowd-funding site EarlyShares for help in that regard. The site is targeted towards Angel-type investors, and is along the lines of a Kickstarter-style site for the wealthy and investment-minded.
The news that a company like Brammo is looking to raise more capital is nothing new, nor is it terribly noteworthy, but the documents provided to EarlyShares investors are certainly worth chewing on by two-wheeled enthusiasts.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect is a diagram of Brammo’s planned model lineup, which briefly appeared on EarlyShares; and among other things, shows an eCruiser model from the Oregonian company. Boom goes the dynamite.
Yamaha Motor Corp. USA is recalling 5,300 units of the Yamaha FZ-09 motorcycle because of faulty headlight harness. The recall affects only 2014 model year machines, and comes about as the FZ-09’s headlight harness is too short.
Thus, when the handlebars are turned fully to the left or right, the harness may break near the coupler, or the coupler may disconnect from the headlight bulb.