Latest Posts:
Asphalt & Rubber
Tag

2021

Browsing
Bikes

The Ducati Multistrada V4 Debuts as One Bike to Rule Them All

By 42 Comments

After much anticipation, the next-generation of the Ducati Multistrada motorcycle has debuted, and as was expected, the machine features a V4 engine. Accordingly, say hello to the 2021 Ducati Multistrada V4.

As is Ducati’s custom, the Ducati Multistrada V4 will really only come in two trim levels, with the Ducati Multistrada V4 S featuring more up-spec components over the base model bike.

Both bikes though have a new monocoque chassis, a double-sided swingarm, and a 19″ front wheel (with a 17″ wheel in the rear), and a robust electronics package.

With these choices, the Italian’s are clearly pitching the Ducati Multistrada V4 as the bike to have, if you can only have one motorcycle in your garage.

Keep Reading
By
MotoGP

MotoGP Headlines: Whither 2020, A Possible 2021 Calendar, And Dovizioso & Lorenzo as Test Riders

By 1 Comment

The last intense three weeks of this intense MotoGP season is upon us.

On Thursday, the diminished paddock reassembles in Valencia for the last of the back-to-back races, with the Grand Prix of Europe this coming weekend, the Valencia Grand Prix a week later.

Then, two weeks from today, the paddock will pack up and head down to Portimao, for the last race of the 2020 season. If all goes well, of course.

Keep Reading
By
Reviews

What It’s Like Riding the Aprilia RS 660, A Review

By 21 Comments

Almost two-and-a-half years ago, Asphalt & Rubber broke the story that Aprilia was working on a twin-cylinder sport bike, which would be a more affordable and approachable option than the company’s flagship RSV4 superbike offering.

After teasing us at EICMA with the prototype in 2018, and then with the production model a year later, we were set for the Aprilia RS 660 to debut as a 2020 model…but then, the coronavirus outbreak changed all that.

With Italy no longer under lockdown, this bike is finally ready to take the stage, and of course the 2021 Aprilia RS 660 is headed stateside, with the first examples of it landing at dealerships in time for Christmas (and what a present that would be under the tree).

It has been a long wait for this eagerly anticipated motorcycle, and last week the American motorcycle press got their first miles on this middleweight-twin.

Riding the canyon roads near Santa Barbara, we put the Aprilia RS 660 through its paces on some of the best roads California has to offer (in this author’s opinion, at least), to see how this unique creation from Noale stacked up.

Would it live up to the hype? Is this the new twins class killer? Does Aprilia have another opus on its hands? That is what we aim to explain to you in this review.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Suzuki Is Celebrating 100 Years with Bold New Graphics

By 10 Comments

This year might be a throw away for many people (for the record, it lost me at murder hornets); but for Suzuki Motor, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of its incorporation – having been formed as the Suzuki Loom Manufacturing Co. in 1920 by Michio Suzuki.

To celebrate this century-long milestone and achievement, Suzuki Motor is doing what it does best: bold new graphics. As such, the three GSX-R models are getting a special 100th Anniversary livery, which draws heavily from the brand’s MotoGP program.

These special colors for the GSX-R600 ($11,599), GSX-R750 ($12,699), and GSX-R1000R ($17,999) will be available in only limited numbers  and will be sold as 2021 model year machines.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Honda Trail 125 Coming to the USA for 2021

By 14 Comments

If you’re in the market for a small-displacement grocery-getter, then we have good news for you, as American Honda has just confirmed that the Honda Trail 125 will be coming to the USA as a 2021 model year machine.

The pint-sized dual-sport(ish) machine has been on the radar for quite some time, ever since a concept of the bike debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2019.

Looking production-ready, it seemed like only a matter of time before the CT125 (as it’s called in other parts of the world) showed up on dealer floors. Given the history of the Trail 125 in the United States, the bike was certain to come here as well.

Keep Reading
By
WSBK

Tom Sykes Will Stay at BMW for the 2021 WorldSBK Season

By 4 Comments

Tom Sykes will spend a third season with the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK racing team, signing a one-year deal with the German outfit this week.

He will be joined in the garage by Michael van der Mark, who will take his first season on the BMW S1000RR next year.

The re-signing of Sykes is no surprise, though the real news here might be the shifting of Michael van der Mark from the Yamaha squad to the BMW outfit.

Keep Reading
By