Bikes

KTM seems set to update its still young adventure bike model, as the 2015 KTM 1190 Adventure has been caught in the wild. Featuring a noticeably bigger fuel tank, refined windscreen, and numerous other subtle changes (note the larger air vents in the bodywork), the KTM 1190 Adventure seems to be getting improvements for next year, rather than an all-new model appearing, as had been said recently by other publications. Caught outside the Circuito de San Miguel by Canary Island motorcycle rental firm Canarias Moto Rent, the photos of the 2015 KTM 1190 Adventure tell a pretty convincing story of a very modest model refresh by KTM — likely building off the feedback from current KTM 1190 Adventure owners.

News

Today was a pretty big day in the electric vehicle world, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote in a company blog post that the California based company would not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wanted to use their technology. While the term “good faith” is a subjective one, Musk’s announcement opens up Telsa’s arsenal of patents to any other OEM, with the hope that the adoption rate of electric vehicles at these manufacturers will be improved. If a small manufacturer, or small product team in a large OEM, wants to start an EV project now, they can use Telsa’s patented technology to jump-start their development, and bring something to market quicker.

MotoGP

At the Barcelona round of MotoGP – or to give it its full title, the ‘Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya’ – title sponsors Monster Energy are to unveil a new flavor of their product, called ‘The Doctor’, marketed around Valentino Rossi. Why is the massive interest in backing motorcycle racing a bad thing? Because energy drinks, like the tobacco sponsors they replace, are facing a relentless onslaught to reduce the sale and marketing of the products. A long-standing ban of the sale of Red Bull – though strangely, only Red Bull – was struck down in France in 2008.