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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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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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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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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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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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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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More Details on the KTM 790 Adventure R Emerge

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The KTM 790 Duke hasn’t even made it to American soil yet — though, it strangely can race in the production middleweight class at Pikes Peak… — and we are already talking about its off-roading sibling, the KTM 790 Adventure R.

Built around the same 799cc parallel-twin engine found in the Duke model, the Adventure variant takes things to a whole new level for ADV riders.

Promising light weight, plenty of off-road power, and Dakar-inspired chassis components, this should be the adventure-tourer that dual-sport riders have been asking for.

With the production version of the KTM 790 Adventure R set to debut later this year at the annual industry trade shows, most of our appetite has been sustained by the prototype bike, which has been making the marketing rounds.

Adding some details along the way though, we have a slightly better idea of what to expect in a few months’ time.

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Gone Riding: Triumph Tiger 800 XCa

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Riding bikes is what we do, and the dude abides, so I am out here in Moab, Utah swinging a leg over the new Triumph Tiger 800 XCa – the British brand’s fully loaded middleweight off-road focused adventure-touring bike.

Kitted with extra goodness, the XCa is the more premium counterpart to Triumph’s other off-road 800cc model, the Tiger 800 XRx…and if you are confused by Hinckley’s alphabet soup, don’t worry, you are not alone.

To be clear, the Tiger 800 XCa is the fully-loaded off-road model, complete with a 21″ front wheel and 17″ rear wheel. It includes also things like a heated seat and grips, an aluminum radiator guard, and LED lighting, 

New for the 2018 model year is a bevy of updates, namely a revised dash and smoother three-cylinder engine. Triumph says that there are over 200 changes to the Tiger 800, though you would have a hard time seeing them. This truly a model refresh, not a new machine.

Still, these are welcomed updates to the class-leader, and I have high hopes for riding the XCa on Moab’s dusty and dirty trails – the previous edition was a very capable off-roader, after all.

Per our new review format, we will be giving you a live assessment of the new Triumph Tiger 800 XCa right here in this article (down in the comments section), and there we will try to answer any questions you might have.

So, here is your chance to learn what it’s like to ride the Triumph Tiger 800 XCa, before even my own proper reviews are posted. As always, if I don’t know an answer, I will try to get a response from the Triumph personnel. So, pepper away.

You can follow our thoughts on the bike live via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Ducati Desert Sled ADV Alaska Prototype by Earle Motors

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Just the other day, I was lamenting to a Ducati person about how the Desert Sled should have been the first model from the motorcycle makers Scrambler sub-brand…since, you know, it goes off-road quite well.

Built for the hard hits and jumps that come with taking a production street bike scrambling through the woods, the Desert Sled pretty much lives up to its name. But, if you really want to do the business, some changes need to be made.

This is where Alex Earle comes in the picture, with his Ducati Desert Sled “ADV Alaska” Prototype. A designer for Audi by day, Earle is known better in motorcycling circles for his street-tracker inspired custom Ducatis. You’ve probably seen them before.

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