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Ducati Multistrada 950 – A “Baby” ADV Bike from Italy

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The Ducati Multistrada line is growing at this year’s EICMA show, with the debut of the 2017 Ducati Multistrada 950. This “baby” Multistrada uses the 937cc engine that is found in the Hypermotard 939 and Ducati SuperSport, which makes 113hp and 71 lbs•ft of peak torque.

The design borrows bits and pieces from the current Multistrada 1200 and Multistrada 1200 Enduro, and it is designed to be a more affordable ADV model that will appeal to a wider range of riders.

As such, the Ducati Multistrada 950 has some versatility with the fitting of a 19″ front wheel, as well as a double-sided swingarm, to its street-focused chassis.

This allows the Ducati Multistrada 950 to come in four flavors with its accessory packs: Sport, Enduro, Touring, and Urban. Each pack includes accessory items fitting that application, like knobby tires, engine guards, luggage racks, hard bags, and more.

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Bikes

A Baby Version of the Ducati Multistrada Cometh?

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The above photo was sent to the Italian website Moto.it by one of its readers, and it is supposedly a photo of an upcoming new version of the Ducati Multistrada, which is physically smaller than the current 1200cc model.

Presumably, this would make the machine in question then the Ducati Multistrada 939, thus adding to the Euro4 compliant engine’s call to action for the 2017 model year.

We say this all hypothetically however, because it is hard to verify anything from this photo…beyond the very obvious double-sided swingarm setup.

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Bikes

2016 Triumph Tiger Sport Gets Updated

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The Triumph Tiger Sport isn’t a model that we get here in the United States of America, but the adventure-sport model does round out Triumph’s European lineup quite well, slotting in between the Tiger 800 and Tiger Explorer (1,200cc).

For 2016, the Triumph Tiger Sport gets some updates, namely the same revamped 1,050cc three-cylinder engine that came to the Triumph Speed Triple earlier this year.

As such, the 2016 Triumph Tiger Sport will have increased torque and fuel economy, according to Triumph. The updated Triumph Tiger Sport also has a new ride-by-wire throttle, complete with riding modes, traction control, cruise control, ABS, and a slip-assist clutch.

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Bikes

2016 Ducati Multistrada 1200 Pikes Peak

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I have a soft spot for the Pikes Peak models to the Ducati Multistrada 1200 line. Perhaps it’s because I have spent many a cold morning on Pikes Peak, photographing the race version of these machines. Or perhaps it’s that I’m drawn to the Ducati Corse livery, which drips carbon fiber and Rosso Corsa.

Either way, here we are, talking about the 2016 Ducati Multistrada 1200 Pikes Peak motorcycle – the latest model from Ducati to get the special livery from “The Race to the Clouds”, which also comes with Öhlins suspension, forged aluminum Marchesini wheels, and a Termignoni exhaust.

If you have seen the previous Ducati Multistrada 1200 Pikes Peak models, this is perhaps not something that moves the dial on your rev-limiter too far, but the newly updated Ducati Multistrada 1200 certainly looks good with the Pike Peak package.

It seems that the 2016 Ducati Multistrada 1200 Pikes Peak will be available in both Europe and North America, thus bringing more awareness to Ducati’s racing efforts on the 14,000+ foot mountain.

More photos are after the jump. Bring your drool-rag with you.

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Reviews

Ride Review: BMW S1000XR

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Attending BMW Motorrad’s launch of the 2016 BMW S1000XR, our friends from Testmotor.nl have been kind enough to share their thoughts and a short review on BMW’s new “Adventure-Sport” motorcycle. – Jensen

BMW Motorrad admits that the S1000XR is a combination of the S1000RR and the R1200GS…a pedigree to be proud of, but also one that creates a lot of expectations.

The German company would like to join the party of all-road focused adventure bikes, which has conquered the market these last couple of years.

BMW calls this the “adventure-sport” segment and hopes to steal some sales from bikes like the Ducati Mutistrada, Suzuki V-strom, Honda Crosstourer and Kawasaki Versys.

In turn, BMW is trying to avoid in-house competition with its own GS, by giving the S1000RR more sportive looks and less rugged, more vulnerable construction.

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Opinion/Editorial

A KTM 1290 Super Duke Tourer?

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We have already seen “spy photos” of the KTM 1290 Super Duke based tourer. Some more photos are making the rounds again, you’ve probably seen them on other sites.

We stumbled upon this render of the new model, and think it looks pretty spot-on to what the general public can expect to see later this year, when undoubtedly the new model debuts.

Whether you call it an SMT or a Grand Tourer, this new model looks simply to be a Super Duke with a windscreen and luggage options — an interesting choice from the Austrian brand.

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Bikes

BMW S1000XR Mega Gallery

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One of the highlights of the 2014 EICMA show, the BMW S1000XR is Germany’s direct assault on the Ducati Multistrada 1200 et al. That move is an interesting one, considering bikes like the Multistrada 1200 were in response to the popularity of the BMW R1200GS — thus making the adventure-touring-sport segment one big dog chasing its tail, but we digress.

The S1000XR officially splits the adventure segment in two, making a clear distinction between adventure-touring motorcycles like the BMW R1200GS(A) and KTM 1190 Adventure, and the adventure-sport segment, which includes the Ducati Multistrada 1200 and MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800.

Built for speed and long-distance travel, the adventure-sport machines mimic the sport-tourers that they are replacing in sales, with their added offer of longer suspension travel and at least some gravel-road competency (whether you’d take any of these machines off-tarmac is another debate entirely).

All of this means that the BMW S1000XR is an important machine for the Bavarian brand, as well as the motorcycle industry — we are already seen other manufacturers respond to this new segment.

The S1000XR is also on A&R’s short list of new bikes to try this year, and it looks like BMW is finally close to granting us that wish. After rumors of production delays, the 2015 BMW S1000XR finally seems ready for showtime. As such, we have a mega gallery of 302 hi-res photos for you, after the jump.

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Opinion/Editorial

Newspeak: The Advent of the “Adventure-Sport”

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In the past decade the ADV segment has been a confusing amalgamation of differing interests, and over that time-period, two distinct groups have boiled to the surface.

First there are the “Long Way Round” hopefuls, who invariably own a BMW R1200GS/A, and seem to be on some sort of perpetual preparation for an African safari, regardless of how much dual-sport experience they actually have.

And more recently, a second group has appeared: those riders who look to these big ADV bikes as more versatile Sport-Touring machines, that have at least some credibility in continuing the trip beyond where the sidewalk ends.

All these riders, and their bikes, have been wedged into a single “Adventure” category, and it has created a bit of confusion for the segment. So, I want to introduce the concept of the “Adventure-Sport” and how it differentiates from the previous “Adventure-Touring” category.

First, let us make some definitions. Adventure-Sport bikes are “middleweight” and “heavyweight” motorcycles, with longer off-road styled suspension. They have an on-road bias, with their 17″ front wheels, and they make sport bike horsepower from their lightweight engines.

Adventure-Sports usually have an abundance of rider aids, which are typically aimed at taming these bikes’ powerful and peaky engines for mixed road conditions.

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Bikes

Spy Shots: KTM 1290 SMT – Another Beast?

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KTM fans should brace themselves for another model, as the Austrians have been caught teasing a successor to the KTM 990 SMT. Based of the KTM 1290 Super Duke R platform, the new SMT borrows the Super Duke’s core, and adds proper panniers, taller suspension, more cowling, and a windscreen.

Visibly similar on the SMT are the chassis and motor of the Super Duke R, and as such the SMT highlights the same steel trellis design and single-sided swingarm.

The LC8 engine can easily be seen as well, and the SMT-sucessor can be seen with even the same stock exhaust as found on the 1290 Super Duke R.

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Bikes

Erik Buell Racing 1190AX Adventure-Tourer Due in 2016

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Erik Buell Racing’s release of new models has been slow and steady, despite the American company teasing the names of its first three consumer-level machines from day one. EBR gave the world an early look at the 2015 Erik Buell Racing 1190SX, the streetfighter version of the company’s EBR 1190RX superbike, and now we await the company’s third model.

It has long been rumored that the third model from Erik Buell Racing, the EBR 1190AX, would be an adventure-touring model, and Gary Pietruszewski, the Vice President of Global Sales at Erik Buell Racing, confirmed as much while talking to Autoevolution.

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