Bikes

After teasing us last week with a video of the new 2012 MV Agusta F4 RR, the Italian company has come out and released official details and photos of the 198hp superbike. Using a shorter-stroke Corsacorta motor, MV Agusta has been able to coax more top-end speed and power from the iconic F4 design. Expected to go on sale in Italy later this month, the F4 RR is carrying with it roughly a 20% premium over the base F4, and will cost €22,900 in that market.

Racing

We got this concept sketch of the new 2012 “Flying Banana” that gives us some idea or what to expect this weekend at Infineon for the first round of the North American TTXGP series. What we can tell from this information though is that the Lightning is suspiciously svelte compared to last year’s racing machine. Though it’s easy to hide a motorcycle’s mass in two dimensions, it looks like Lightning Motors has gone on a diet with its design philosophy, which backs up the information we got that the machine has lost 150 lbs from its previous bulk.

Bikes

Our favorite Slovenian motorcycle exhaust maker is getting into the custom chopper scene, and helping promote the company’s launch of cruiser-styled exhausts. Built in collaboration with Dreamachine Motorcycles, the Akrapovič Morsus features an S&S 113 CI (that’s 1,852cc for the mertic-inclined) motor that pumps out 114hp through its modified Akrapovič exhaust pipe. The Morsus design appeases our modern-leaning design sensibilities, but true to its ethos, it’s the Akrapovič exhaust that really makes us drool over this bike. There’s something about an underslung side-venting pipe that makes us happy, and the Akrapovič Morsus is no exception to the rule.