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Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Will Debut on February 22nd

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The long wait is nearly over, as the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 will finally get its production debut on Monday, February 22nd, 2021 – the Bar & Shield brand tells us (they will “preview” the bike, yet again, on January 19th).

Accordingly, this date will end what will be an almost three-year tease and wait process from the American motorcycle company, as the first Pan America concept broke cover in July 2018.

Since that time, Harley-Davidson has “let go” of CEO Matthew Levatich, and swapped its “More Roads” plan for the current “Rewire” scheme that has seemingly killed many of the diverse models once announced by Harley-Davidson.

The ADV project remains though, if for no other reason than it was the furthest along in Harley-Davidson’s portfolio by the time that current CEO Jochen Zeitz came onboard.

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Bikes

The Honda CRF300L Rally Brings Upgrades to Europe – USA Too?

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Our friends across the pond got a surprise today, as the Honda CRF300L Rally broke cover for the European market.

Rumors of the bike coming for the 2021 model year have been pretty rife the past few months, so perhaps “surprise” is the wrong word to use here, and of course the Euro5 regulations have pushed for a number of “new” bikes to debut in Europe.

Still, the bump from the 250cc machine to the 2021 Honda CRF300L Rally is a welcomed sight for this small-displacement machine.

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Dirt

2021 Dakar Rally Route Revealed in Saudi Arabia

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The route for the 2021 Dakar Rally has been announced, as the iconic race once again traverses the country of Saudi Arabia.

There had been hope that this year would see The Dakar leaving the Saudi Kingdom, but with COVID-19 restrictions, opening borders is not a viable option at this time.

That is okay, because the Arabian country has more than enough terrain to challenge the Dakar competitors, and this year we see roughly 3,000 miles of special timed stages being used.

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Bikes

Bold New Graphics Come to KTM’s 690 Supermoto/Enduro Lineup

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Loyal readers of Asphalt & Rubber will know that I have a soft spot for KTM’s 690cc LC4 engine. The most powerful production single-cylinder motor on the market right now, the 73hp (55 kW) power plant is at home on the street, track, and trail.

For 2021, KTM plans on using this opus in the 2021 KTM 690 SMC R supermoto, as well as the 2021 KTM 690 Enduro R dirt bike.

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Bikes

What Could Be, The XR338 Street Tracker Concept by E&E

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That Harley-Davidson has been working on a small-displacement motorcycle for street rider is not a well-kept secret.

The project involves a collaboration with Chinese motorcycle manufacturer Qianjiang Motors, but the fruits of that labor have been slow to reveal themselves.

Like many of Harley-Davidson’s planned future models, the alleged “XR338” is at best MIA, and at worst DOA.

No one seems to know the next move from Harley-Davidson, including the Bar & Shield brand itself, which has been extremely terse about the details of its “Hardwire” business plan.

To help nudge them along the way, A&R contributor Michael Uhlarik has been working with Italian design show Engines Engineering (E&E) on an XR338 flat track concept for the street.

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Products

Alpinestars Tech-Air Off-Road Brings Airbags to Rally Racers

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The airbag revolution continues in the motorcycle industry, as Alpinestars has just released its Tech-Air Off-Road airbag system to professional rally-raid racers.

Used by Alpinestars-supported riders since 2018, the new consumer-facing version is being offered to all professional racers now, just ahead of the Dakar Rally mandating airbags for all of its entrants.

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Bikes

Base Model KTM 890 Adventure Debuts for 2021 Model Year

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When the KTM 890 Adventure R and Rally motorcycles debuted two weeks ago, our Bothan spies not only brought us the first pricing information for these two bikes, but they also told us that a third model was set to debut.

Our spies told us that bike would be a more affordable base model of the KTM 890 Adventure family (and similarly named).

Well now today, we get to see what that bike looks like, as KTM USA has officially confirmed that the KTM 890 Adventure is coming as a 2021 model.

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Bikes

KTM 890 Adventure R Surprise Debuts, With a Rally Edition as Well

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The upside to no motorcycle shows is that a new motorcycle model can debut at a moment’s notice. Such is the case with the 2021 KTM 890 Adventure R, which just dropped on the internets.

As the name suggests, KTM has taken the very competent 790 Adventure R, and dialed things up a notch by 90cc. As if that wasn’t enough, there is a KTM 890 Adventure R Rally for 700 lucky owners worldwide (200 in the USA).

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