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Bilstein Set to Enter the Motorcycle Suspension Business

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German suspension brand Bilstein (rhymes with Frankenstein, for those debating the pronunciation) is about to get into the motorcycle business.

One of the more historic brands in automotive suspension, Bilstein is known best for its products in the four-wheeled realm, and in most current history for its off-road offerings in that space.

But now, Bilstein is setting its eyes on the two-wheeled realm, and for the past five years has been developing its first crop of motorcycle suspension pieces. As such, Bilstein is poised to debut its first wave of motorcycle suspension pieces later this year.

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Dirt

Ducati’s Beppe Gualini Tell Us How to Ride an ADV Bike Off-Road

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A constant theme you will hear in the ADV space is how you can’t do real off-road riding with a big dual-sport, like the Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro and its siblings in the category.

They are too big, too heavy, and have too much power to be real off-road machines, some will tell you. Of course, to say that, you have to forget some history – namely that iconic off-road races like the Dakar Rally were competed on machines that aren’t all that different from today’s ADV bike.

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News

Indian Plays with Home Delivery for Motorcycle Purchases

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Mainstream headlines right now are talking about how the United States is surviving on home delivery purchasing services – like Amazon, Instacart, and UberEats – in order to get the goods we need while maintaining stay-at-home orders. For many, it has become a way of life.

Now, the motorcycle industry is starting to catch onto the same idea, as Indian Motorcycle announces its Click.Deliver.Ride program, which the company says lets you shop, configure, and purchase your new Indian motorcycle online and over the phone – all without changing out of your COVID-19 sweatpants attire.

In reality, the program is just a basic online lead-generation platform for local dealerships, which have always been able to handle the bulk of a motorcycle purchasing transaction over the phone (or via an online form). Though perhaps the ability to home-deliver has not always been so prevalent at the dealership level.

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Recall

KTM 790 Adventure Recalled for Rear Brake Failure

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If you are one of the lucky few who have managed to put a KTM 790 Adventure or KTM Adventure R in your garage, well today’s news won’t sound quite as lucky. This is because the Austrian brand is recalling these models for an issue with the rear braking system.

The issue stems from the fact that the rear brake hose can overheat during hard use, which can lead to the brakes failing. This is obviously a safety hazard, hence the recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In total, 3,164 units are involved in this recall.

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WSBK

Photos of the Honda CBR1000RR-R All Kitted Out for WorldSBK Duty

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There are many tragedies to the disruptions coming from the worldwide coronavirus outbreak, the loss of motorcycle being one of them (though certainly at a much lesser scale of importance to many of the losses we are suffering right now).

But for the purposes of being a daily motorcycle publication, not being able to see the new Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP on the WorldSBK stage is certainly a disappointment for us though.

This is because theHonda CBR1000RR-R represents HRC’s great inline-four hope for a production-class world championship title, most notably because the Japanese racing outfit has finally built an all-new racing platform for the superbike market.

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Podcast

Paddock Pass Podcast #139 – Meet the Team

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Episode 139 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is a departure from our usual broadcast, as we take you behind the microphones to meet the podcasting team that brings you your weekly motorcycle racing fix.

As such, this show includes David Emmett, Steve English, Neil Morrison, and Jensen Beeler on the microphones talking about how they got involved in racing and with each other on this podcasting endeavor.

We admit, it has been a bit rude of us to go so long without introducing ourselves, but hopefully this episode gives our listeners a little insight into who we are, why we are so crazy for motorcycle racing, and how the media landscape in the paddock has changed over time. We hope you enjoy this special episode.

As always, be sure to follow the Paddock Pass Podcast on Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud – we even have an RSS feed for you.

If you want to support the Paddock Pass Podcast, we now have a Patreon account, where members will get exclusive content. Help support our podcasting endeavors and sign-up to get behind-the-scenes looks at the motorcycle racing paddocks.

Source: SoundCloud

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Rumors

Is Honda Working on a Midsized Africa Twin?

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It looks like we are resurrecting a rumor from five years ago, as once again there is talk of a midsized adventure bike from Honda in the pipes.

It remains to be seen if this new model will take over the “Transalp” moniker (Honda canceled its Transalp trademark in 2016 for the USA, after reviving it in 2013), but right now the rumors from Europe are suggesting an 850cc twin-cylinder ADV bike is coming from Big Red.

Whether the rumor is true remains to be seen, but there is plenty of ammo to see a so-called Honda CRF850L hitting the market.

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News

Watch a Life-Sized Britten V1000 Get Made from Legos

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I will literally publish any story that has to do with motorcycles and Legos, such is my love for the little Danish blocks that marked my childhood. But, I think this is a story that should have some universal appeal to the A&R readership.

After all, who doesn’t want to watch a Britten V1000 – one of the most-iconic motorcycles ever – get reproduced in a full-sized replica made from Legos? 

The build comes from The Brickman, which was commissioned to do the model for toy store in New Zealand, and the work is pretty phenomenal – hundreds of hours went into the work.

Though, it will only take you less than a minute to watch it all come together. Leave in the comments your best guess on how many bricks were used. Enjoy!

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Bikes

Mega Gallery: 127 Hi-Res Photos of the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S

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As we speak, dealerships in the USA are starting to see the Ducati Streetfighter V4 arrive at their doorsteps, which is certainly some good news in a time where the world (including the two-wheeled one) is a bit crazy.

This news is lucky for those soon-to-be owners as well, because not even the world’s press (outside of a few partnering publications) have been able to swing a leg over the Streetfighter V4 yet, as the international press launch for the machine had to be canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

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News

Moto Manufacturers Seek Delay to Euro 5 Because of Coronavirus

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For our friends across the pond, this year and next were to be critical years for the motorcycle industry, as the first stage of the Euro 5 homologation requirements was to come online – first in 2020 for brand new motorcycle models, and then in 2021 for existing motorcycle models.

This first stage of the Euro 5 requirement for motorcycles affects primarily the noise emissions from the vehicle, and it will be several years before motorcycles sold in Europe will have to adhere to the full Euro 5 package, which is quite stringent.

The delay on the full Euro 5 implementation comes over concerns about the costs and R&D associated with meeting emission targets, but even this first stage is proving to be difficult for OEMs to implement, and the reason for that is because of the coronavirus outbreak.

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Bikes

More Photos of that Sexy Carbon Fiber Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R

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Last week, we brought you photos of a carbon fiber clad Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R race bike that was put together by the Japanese brand to help promote the model’s launch, and to give an idea of what to expect from their upcoming spec-series for the quarter-liter screamer.

You liked it. We liked it. The motorcycling internet liked it. And let’s be honest, what isn’t their to like about this new motorcycle when its dripping in go-fast parts and ready to do the thing on any race track you point it at?

Feeling the need for an encore, Kawasaki has released some more photos of its carbon fiber ZX-25R, and naturally we feel obliged to share them with you.

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