Ducati is onto its second of four teasers about the upcoming Multistrada V4 model, and today we learn the theorem that “the power is smooth and thrilling on demand.”
That isn’t too much of a reveal, but reports from Italy are saying that the follow-up to that release is that the Ducati Multistrada V4 will make 170hp when it debuts, which is a bit of news.
Ducati has begun officially teasing a new V4 engine platform on its website and social media channels – a move that is almost certainly the beginning of an unveiling for the Ducati Multistrada V4 adventure-touring motorcycle (the two off-road / on-road panels are a bit of a giveaway, shown above).
That a V4 version of the Multistrada was coming has been known for quite some time, with even Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali acknowledging that we would see the new model by the end of this year.
So that news, coupled to a bevy of spy photos that have caught the machine testing in its pre-production form, give us a good idea what to expect about this new model.
Still, there are some details we do not know about the Multistrada V4, and Ducati seems intent on teasing out those details in the coming weeks, via various “theorems” it is postulating.
The first time we saw the Aprilia Tuareg 660, it was in a glass box at EICMA, surrounded and covered by plants that obscured our view.
But, with the dirt-focused adventure bike getting closer to reality, we were bound to get a better glimpse before its debut. That brings us to today.
Caught for the first time on the open road, this photo posted to the Aprilia RS660 Facebook group (and then removed) shows the mid-sized adventure bike in its pre-production form.
You may have already seen the news from yesterday, where California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that will require all new cars and passenger trucks sold in the Golden State to be zero-emission vehicles by the year 2035.
The order also goes on to say that the state will phase out all new medium and heavy-duty trucks that are not zero-emissions by the year 2045, thus setting up the state to push electric vehicles onto its roadways in a big way.
There is a third provision in this executive order though, and it is getting far less attention than the other two, but it will greatly impact the motorcycle industry.
This is because Gov. Newsom’s executive order also says that by 2035 California will ban the sale of all new off-road vehicles that are not zero-emissions, where feasible.
Effectively, California has just set an expiration date on the sale of new dirt bikes, side-by-sides, and ATVs within its borders.
Matching the announcement by its sister company KTM, today we see the debut of the 2021 Husqvarna FS 450 supermoto.
Like the years before it, the 2021 model doesn’t see any major changes, though Husqvarna has tweaked the FS 450 enough (primarily in the suspension setup) to at least make you consider the spec sheet.
The Husqvarna Norden 901 was one of the highlights of the 2019 EICMA show, with the Swedish brand showing its 890cc interpretation of the KTM 790 Adventure.
The bike displayed at the trade show was only a concept though, which left at least some doubt as to what the final production-ready machine would look like – not that Husqvarna strays too far from concept to conception, mind you.
Now spotted in a Pierer Mobility investor presentation (where all the best KTM/Husqvarna stories come from), we have caught a pixelated glimpse of the 2021 Husqvarna Norden 901.
Good news supermoto fans! After a seven-year hiatus, the KTM 450 SMR is coming back to the United States as a 2021 model.
Based off the KTM 450 SX-F motocross bike, the KTM 450 SMR features the same 450cc engine and five-speed gearbox. As you would expect, the frame is chromium molybdenum steel, with a cast aluminum swingarm.
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.
When the Husqvarna 701 Enduro LR debuted at EICMA last year, we lamented that the “long range” version of the 701 Enduro wasn’t coming to the USA at the time, as its 6.6-gallon (25-liter) gas tank seemed like a great idea for the North American market.
The minds at Husqvarna North America must have agreed with us, because today we get news that the Husqvarna 701 Enduro LR is coming to the USA, as a 2021 model – available in US dealerships in Fall 2020.
Ever since the demise of Alta Motors, the motorcycle industry has been in need of a proper electric dirt bike offering.
There is some hope that Honda’s electric CR prototype could come to fruition, and Yamaha’s electric trial bike certainly looks the business, but as of yet, there is surprisingly nothing on the market that looks like it would be at home on a motocross track.
That might change if the Dutch have anything to say about it, though. Here is the EMX Bike – a joint-project from SPIKE Technologies and Dohms Projects, with support by Yamaha Motor Europe and KNMV, which has been in the works for the last year and a half.
The official launch of the EMX Bike is set for the end of this year, but the team is already teasing their project, which promises 250cc performance, a swappable battery pack, and a potent off-road package.
Not everyone can be like Toby Price, and enjoy the benefits of a factory seat inside the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, but you can at least get pretty close to having a true Dakar race bike, thanks to KTM offering a replica of its rally raid race bike.
Now with the latest installment of that customer-racer machine, we say hello to the KTM 450 Rally Replica for the 2021 racing season.