In my list of the Top 10 motorcycles ever, I think the Bimota Tesi 3D would make a strong showing. A truly unique machine, the lack of fairings only serves to showcase the hub-center steering mechanism, making the Tesi 3D an intriguing work of both art and science. Separating the braking forces from the suspension travel, on paper motorcycle’s with hub-center steering have a significant mechanical advantage over their traditional counterparts, in reality though they have failed to live up to the hype on the track. A product of either riders who are groomed to expect the workings of traditional linear fork suspension systems, or simply a answer to question that wasn’t asked, hub-center steering hasn’t exactly taken off…yet.
Suzuki is remaining fairly tight-lipped about its V-Strom Concept it is showing at EICMA in Italy, which first broke cover…
Leaked well ahead of the EICMA show, we can now officially talk to you about the 2013 Aprilia Caponord 1200,…
As we said before in our EICMA coverage, the teased machine under the orange sheet was not a production model, but in fact a concept bike of the KTM 1290 Super Duke R Prototype. The first fully functional concept bike that KTM has ever shown, the KTM 1290 Superduke R Prototype makes an estimated 180hp and looks bat shit crazy, in a good way. Based on the new KTM Super Duke, the KTM 1290 Superduke R Prototype uses the same pavement kicking LC8 motor as the KTM 1190 RC8 R, though with an extra 100cc of skin in the game. Radical in just about every way, our favorite aspect has to be the custom Akrapovic exhaust, which is simply delicious. The boys and girls at Kiska really out did themselves on this one.
Officially official now, there isn’t much about the 2013 KTM 390 Duke that we don’t already know ahead of the opening of the EICMA show. Built in India by KTM minority shareholder Bajaj, the KTM 390 Duke is a 373cc single-cylinder bike that shares the same chassis as the KTM 125 Duke & KTM 200 Duke. Suitable for Europe’s A2 licensing system, the largest baby Duke competes well against bikes like the Honda CBR500R and Kawasaki Ninja 300, and thus finishes out the Austrian’s bid to control the small-displacement market. Underneath the hood, KTM’s new lump features a short stork cylinder dimension (89mm x 60mm), which is good for 43hp and 26 lbs•ft of torque.
Like the 2013 Triumph Daytona 675, the “R” model of Britain’s three-cylinder supersport has gotten a number of refinements and changes for the new model year. Virtually every aspect of the Triumph Daytona 675 has been seen to, and we won’t rehash those changes here (head over to our article on the base model for the full-monty). Commanding a $1,900 premium over the base model, the 2013 Triumph Daytona 675R adds a TTX rear shock and NIX30 inverted forks to the mix, along with a new quick shifter, higher-spec Brembo monobloc brakes, and some carbon fiber bits. Would we spend the extra green for the Daytona 675R over the base model? Yup, but the better question is whether you would buy the Triumph Daytona 675R over the MV Agusta F3. Decisions, decisions, decisions…