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KTM Teases New Super Duke GT & Super Adventure for 2021

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When we didn’t hear anything from KTM during the typical new model year blitz at the end of the last year, we worried that the Austrian brand had decided to pack it in, after the tumultuous ride of 2020.

Don’t worry though, KTM hasn’t forgotten about its 2021 obligations, and zie Austrians have more than a few plucky machines to debut for the current model year.

Two of the biggies are a new KTM 1290 Super Duke GT and an updated KTM 1290 Super Adventure lineup, as both bikes are being teased on its social media channels right now with a January 26th release date.

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Bikes

Honda Gold Wing Tour Gets More Junk in the Trunk for 2021

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If there is one complaint to make about the current edition of the Honda Gold Wing Tour, it is that Big Red really screwed the pooch when it came to the size of the integrated luggage compartments.

At the time, the thinking was that the modern motorcyclist needs less room to pack for a weekend getaway, thanks primarily to the fashion and use of compact camping materials.

That thinking lead the Japanese down a fatal path though, as the panniers became awkwardly shaped and small, and the top box couldn’t even fit two full-face helmets inside it (despite Honda’s insistence that it could).

Well, for the 2021 model year, Honda has finally answered the call for a revision on the luggage situation on the venerable Gold Wing.

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MotoGP

Sepang MotoGP Test Canceled – Early Part of 2021 Calendar Still Subject to Change

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The MotoGP Test at Sepang, due to be held from 19th – 21st of February, has been canceled, Dorna announced today.

The King of Malaysia, at the request of the Malaysian government, has declared a state of emergency in Malaysia, which is due to last until August 1st.

The state of emergency has been declared in an attempt to stem the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to spread around the world.

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Bikes

The Aprilia Tuono 660 Is Finally Here – $10,499 in the USA

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When we first saw the Aprilia RS 660, we knew that the parallel-twin platform would be used on a variety of bikes, one of which being a “naked” Tuono 660 model (as well as an ADV-styled Tuareg 660).

While the RS 660 took a little longer than expected to go into production, thanks largely to the coronavirus outbreak, the Italians in Noale have caught back up with things, and today we see the Aprilia Tuono 660 debuting as a 2021 model – ready in dealerships in just a couple months.

Announcing deliveries of the bike for the “end of Q1 2021”, the Aprilia Tuono 660 is a model that we have been eagerly awaiting for this year.

Pricing starts at $10,499 in the USA ($12,795 for our Canadian readers), and you can tack on another $200 if you want it in the “Acid Gold” color scheme (Canadians are looking at $13,095 for this Mountain Dew green livery).

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Bikes

Come Drool Over the 2021 Honda CRF450 Rally Race Bike

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Today marks Stage 2 of the 2021 Dakar Rally, which means that the field is starting to separate a bit through the timed special stages. The day was a fruitful expedition for the Honda boys, with Joan Barreda leading the pack, with Ricky Brabec in close pursuit. 

That’s good news for HRC, as the Japanese brand hopes to defend its historic #1 plate from last year, which Brabec won by upsetting KTM’s 18-year winning streak at the iconic rally-raid.

Helping Brabec & Co. challenge for victory is the 2021 Honda CRF450 Rally – an off-road racing platform that has evolved over multiple years of development into a proper dirt bike weapon.

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Bikes

A Bigger, Better, Badder Moto Guzzi V7 Debuts for 2021

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When the Moto Guzzi V85 TT debuted, we speculated that the new 850cc engine could show up in other models. Now, it seems that day has finally come as we get word that the Moto Guzzi V7 is getting a hefty update for the 2021 model year.

Using a variation of the transverse v-twin engine found on the V85 TT, the 2021 Moto Guzzi V7 makes 65hp (up from 52hp), with 54 lbs•ft (73 Nm), in this street-bike friendly tune.

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Bikes

What Happens When You Make a Cruiser Out of an Africa Twin?

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Close your eyes, and imagine you have a Honda Africa Twin. Now, strip away everything about the bike that makes it one of the most potent adventure-touring models on the market, and start adding back the design elements found in the metric cruiser thing. Open your eyes.

What you just built in your head is the 2021 Honda Rebel 1100, and as you might be able to decipher from its name, the Rebel-styled full-sized cruiser features a parallel-twin engine that shares more than a few chromosomes with the 1,084cc motor found in the CRF1000L.

That might seem like a weird way to build a cruiser, but there is at least a little genius in Honda’s madness.

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MotoGP

Aprilia Can’t Decide Between Smith or Savadori to Race in 2021, Will Decide Next Year During Testing

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The 2021 MotoGP grid is finally complete. Or complete-ish, anyway. Aprilia has finally made a decision on their second rider for 2021, and their decision is that they will decide after the winter tests at Sepang and Qatar have finished.

Both Lorenzo Savadori and Bradley Smith have been signed for 2021, to fill the roles of second contracted MotoGP rider alongside Aleix Espargaro, and MotoGP test rider.

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