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Bridgestone Finally Gets into the ADV Knobby Tire Game

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We heard rumors of this tire at the beginning of the year, and finally we can talk about the new Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross AX41 tire. A knobby dual-sport tire made for adventure-touring machines, the AX41 means that Bridgestone finally has an offering for ADV riders.

It is surprising to think that the Japanese brand has been without a tire for such an important market segment for so long, but that is water under the bridge now, with the Battlax Adventurecross AX41 tire debuting at INTERMOT and coming to American dealers at the start of next year.

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Bikes

Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro Debuts for 2019

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It looks like our Bothan spies were right once again, as Ducati has unveiled its latest model for the 2019 model year, the Multistrada 1260 Enduro.

As the name implies, the big feature with the new Enduro is the Testastretta DVT 1262 that makes its way from the XDiavel into the Multistrada lineup.

This means a power bump to 156hp and 94 lbs•ft of torque from the v-twin engine with variable valve timing. Like its counterpart in Multistrada 1260, the Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro makes 85% of its torque below 3,500 rpm.

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Bikes

Up-Close with the Moto Guzzi V85 TT

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I had to check our coverage of the Moto Guzzi V85 TT, to see how many words we managed to use when talking about this new adventure-tourer – 398 words, if you wanted to know – which is pretty astonishing considering the complete lack of actual information coming from Piaggio on this new motorcycle.

Little more was revealed at INTERMOT as well, beyond what we could see physically on the machine. We know that the V85 TT will make 80hp from its 850cc v-twin engine. We know that it will have ABS, cruise control, LED lights, and a TFT dash (which looks great, by the way). Beyond that…well…it’s a very bright motorcycle.

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Dirt

Ducati Gets Dirty, Here Comes the Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro

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After showing us three repainted Scrambler models at the INTERMOT show in Germany, Ducati has another reveal in the works, and the Italian company has begun teasing a new model that is set to debut this Friday.

Details are tight, but the teaser photo does give us a hint that the soon-to-be-released models like to play in the mud. Our guess? We think this will be the revised Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro – or so say our Bothan spies – with the same engine upgrade that came to the rest of the Multistrada lineup last year.

At the core of the update will be the Testastretta DVT 1262 engine, which makes 158hp in its Multistrada 1260 form.

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Bikes

Moto Guzzi V85 TT Officially Debuts at INTERMOT

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We got a quick teaser of the new Moto Guzzi V85 TT just a day ahead of this year’s INTERMOT show, but now the uniquely styled adventure-tourer is officially ready for its debut.

Surprisingly, Moto Guzzi is still being tight-lipped when it comes to specs on the V85 TT, choosing instead to wax poetically about the bike’s retro styling, and the brand’s longing to return to the Paris-Dakar rally of many decades ago.

Moto Guzzi’s launch at INTERMOT was equally as confusing, with the Italian brand making little of a presentation, and then referring the world’s gathered media to a press kit that had no discernible information.

As such, the details we can share on the 2019 Moto Guzzi V85 TT are reduced to mostly what we can observe, which we have already shared with you before.

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Dirt

Moto Guzzi V85 TT Breaks Cover a Little Early

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Last year, Moto Guzzi intrigued us with its V85 Enduro concept. The bike was based around a new 850cc, 80hp, longitudinal v-twin platform, and promised to be the basis for several new models for the Italian brand – the first of which would be an adventure-touring model.

Now, that wait is over, and we get our first glimpse of the 2019 Moto Guzzi V85 Tutto Terreno a few hours earlier than expected. True to expectations, the Moto Guzzi V85 TT is a middleweight ADV machine that promises some solid adventuring capabilities in a retro-styled package.

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Bikes

The KTM 450 Rally Replica is Ready for Your 2019 Dakar Dreams

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Do you have eyes on starting your rally raid racing career? If so, we suggest KTM’s updated privateer model, the 2019 KTM 450 Rally Replica. There is one slight problem, however…it’s already sold out.

Built off the same machine that took Matthias Walkner to the winner’s circle during the 2018 edition, the Rally Replica model is still built for racers only, but it keeps in mind those who are competing without the budget of a factory team.

For 2019, KTM says that it has redesigned the Rally Replica from the ground up, to provide an excellent racing platform for the company’s racing customers.

As such, the 2019 KTM 450 Rally Replica has a completely new chassis, which has improved mass centralization.

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Bikes

Mega Gallery: BMW R1250GS

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For the 2019 model year, BMW Motorrad is updating the venerable GS with a revised boxer engine, and thus is giving birth to the BMW R1250GS with ShiftCam technology. With that, the new engine makes a stout 134hp and 92 lbs•ft of torque.

To earn its name, the new ShiftCam motor uses a shifting camshaft on the intake valves (hence the name), which provides one set of valve duration and lift for cruising and city speeds, and another set for full-power applications. This should make the BMW R1250GS more well-mannered, while also improving fuel efficiency and engine response.

The R1200GS is easily the German company’s best-selling motorcycle in the US market, not to mention the world, which makes the R1250GS an important update for BMW Motorrad, and for 2019 BMW Motorrad has brought some smart updates to the bike.

For our money, the red/white/blue “HP” version looks the business, and ready to hit the trails. It includes more than a few bits from the aftermarket parts bin, including a solo “rally” seat, crash armor, shorter windscreen, wire wheels, and of course an Akrapovic exhaust.

It’s not clear when the 2019 BMW R1250GS will hit American dealers, but we’re expecting at least a $1000+ increase to accompany the updated GS when it finally arrives. Until then, we have almost 200 hi-res photos for you to drool over.

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Bikes

Here Is the 2019 BMW R1250GS in All Its Official Glory

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We have known about the 2019 BMW R1250GS for some time now. Details about the bike’s new boxer engine were published over a month ago, which tipped off the use of variable valve timing on the venerable GS. We also learned that a displacement increase of1,254cc  was coming, and with that a modest power increase of 134hp and 92 lbs•ft of torque.

Then last week, we got a teaser of the 2019 BMW R1250GS adventure-tourer, as a promotional video was leaked onto the internet, and it showed us in great detail what to expect from BMW Motorrad. More specifically, the video showed us the German motorcycle manufacturer’s new variable valve timing technology, called ShiftCam.

Providing two possible cam lobes for each valve, the camshaft shifts position in the cylinder head to engage one of the two lobes, depending on throttle inputs. Hence the name, ShiftCam.

This allows for different intake valve actuation (timing and stroke) during touring and city riding, for better gas mileage and softer throttle response, but still leaves the engine the ability to wake up during spirited riding, and provide more power.

The new “ShiftCam” boxer engine is coming to all the “R” bikes in BMW’s lineup for 2019, which of course includes the 2019 BMW R1250GS.

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Rumors

A Quick Glimpse of the Triumph Scrambler 1200

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Triumph continues to tease its big model reveal for the 2019 model year, the new Triumph Scrambler 1200. Releasing yet another teaser video (above) we get our first glimpse of the new machine.

Our sources tell us that the Triumph Scrambler 1200 will be a capable full-sized dual-sport, and it will be fitted with the “high torque” version of Triumph’s 1,200cc parallel-twin engine, which makes 80hp and 77 lbs•ft of torque.

Two model variations are also expected. One will be road-going, and have cast wheels and street-focused rubber. The other will have spoked wheels and knobby tires. We expect both bikes to have a robust electronics package (straight from the Tiger series, if our Bothan spies can be believed).

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Bikes

Harley-Davidson Debuts ADV Concept Bike

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For as long as Asphalt & Rubber has been in business, we have never seen Harley-Davidson debut an actual new motorcycle.

Rehashing the same design ethos over and over again, Harley-Davidson’s “new” bikes each year fail to stray very far from their predecessors. This notion changes today, however.

Releasing a number of concepts for future machines, the Bar & Shield brand is showing signs of life. The concepts include electric motorcycles, e-bikes, a new roadster, a streetfighter, and even an adventure-tourer.

We will take a look at these machines in turn, but first up, let’s look at Harley-Davidson’s biggest surprise to us, its ADV bike, which is called the Harley-Davidson Pan America.

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