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As the Honda Transalp Arrives, Wherefore Are Thou Africa Twin?

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Wherefore art thou, Honda Africa Twin? For years now we have been lamenting Honda's inclusion of a true middleweight ADV offering in its lineup, to go up against bikes like the BMW F850GS, and newcomers like the Aprilia Tuareg 660 and Yamaha Ténéré 700. Today, that wish has been answered.

On paper, the Honda Transalp fits the bill, though I reserve some judgment until I see US pricing and availability.

My only serious gripe with the spec sheet is the bare-bones suspension pieces, but a cut-throat price tag could help me swallow that pill (along with some nice drop-in cartridges in the aftermarket).

Instead, most of my thoughts on the Transalp actually concern the Africa Twin.

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Bikes

The Honda XL750 Transalp Finally Returns

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After much expectation and waiting, the Honda Transalp returns to Big Red’s lineup. Officially dubbed the 2023 Honda XL750 Transalp, the bike shares its 755cc parallel-twin engine with the new Honda CB750 Hornet.

This means power comes in at 90hp (67.5 kW), with torque at 56 lbs•ft (75 Nm). That should be plenty to appease those shopping in the middleweight ADV segment, and the 458 lbs (208 kg) wet weight means that the Honda Transalp competes nicely against even the latest crop of machines in this category.

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Rumors

Bimota About to Debut a “TERA” Supercharged Adventure Bike?

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In addition to leaking us a plethora of photos and details about the Bimota BX450 enduro model (the first dirt bike from the Italian brand), our Bothan spies tell us to expect another debut at EICMA from this iconic motorcycle brand.

As such, we are getting indications that the third pillar to Bimota’s on-road lineup will be more of an adventure-sport machine, and use the supercharged inline-four engine found on the Bimota Tesi H2.

With semi-active suspension, a variable ride height, and probably more horsepower than you can shake a stick at, the Bimota Tera has the ingredients to be the King Kong of the ADV space.

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Rumors

Bimota BX450 Dirt Bike Leaks Ahead of EIMCA Debut

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Another EICMA show is on the horizon in Italy, so that means no sleep for the wicked and our Bothan spies, as they scour the corners of Milan for information about next year’s bikes – ahead of their official release.

Already it seems that Bimota is going to be the talk of the show, as the boutique Italian brand is making a foray into the off-road world, first with a limited-series Kawasaki-powered enduro.

Dubbed the Bimota BX450, this enduro model is an intriguing offering. The power plant comes from the 2023 Kawasaki KX450X “cross-country” dirt bike, and we can see that much of the chassis comes from the green machine as well.

That makes sense considering Kawasaki’s sizable investment in Bimota, and the obvious ability to tune an already stout package. Bimota takes the trail bike and adds a proper headlight, tail light, and larger fuel tank to the offering.

Looking beyond the surface, we understand that Bimota has also added a robust electronics package to the green machine, offering an adjustable traction control setup and selectable throttle maps.

A fatter 140/80 profile 18″ rear tire is another change, and it is mated to 80/100 profile 21″ front tire – both featuring Metzeler 6 Days Extreme rubber.

For more details, we will have to wait for Bimota’s official unveiling at the 2022 EICMA Show, but if our report of a possible ADV model is true, then it is an exciting day to see the Bimota brand getting its feet dirty.

Source: Bothan Spies – More photos and analysis available below to our A&R Pro readers.

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Bikes

Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally Brings Us an Italian Rival for the GSA

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The Ducati Multistrada V4 family got a little bigger today, with the Italian brand offering the Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally for the 2023 model year.

The bike is aimed at the niche carved out by bikes like the BMW R1250GS Adventure, where long-distance travel (over questionable terrain) is the name of the game. 

To aid in that goal, Ducati has added several key features that set the Multistrada V4 Rally apart from the rest of the Bologna brand’s lineup.

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Bikes

Too Many Photos of the Ducati DesertX in Action

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The Ducati DesertX is an important model for the Italian brand, as it marks the first modern 21″ dual-sport from the brand, and Borgo Panigale’s entry into the middleweight ADV space.

The DesertX has come a long way since its 2019 concept debut, where it first came from the Scrambler subrand and with an air-cooled DesmoDue engine.

Now water-cooled (using the 937cc Testastretta 11° engine) and under the main Ducati marque, the Ducati DesertX is finally getting into the hands of the motorcycling press, which means we have no shortage of high-resolution photos to share with you.

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Bikes

Updated KTM 390 Adventure Coming to the USA for 2022 – $6,600

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Fans of small-displacement ADV bikes will rejoice to hear that the KTM 390 Adventure is getting some updates for the 2022 model year.

Looking skin-deep, we can see that the 2022 KTM 390 Adventure get a bodywork revision for the new model year, which includes some new graphics and color choices.

However, it is the changes beyond the outer layer that are perhaps the most intriguing, as the Austrian brand has brought some key upgrades and refinements to its base ADV offering.

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Bikes

Ducati DesertX Debuts for Your Dual-Sport Desires

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The Italians left the best for last on their six-part motorcycle teaser campaign for the 2022 model year, as today we finally get to see all the details about the Ducati DesertX adventure bike.

In a way, we already knew the important bits about the DesertX, having seen the concept bike at the 2019 EIMCA show.

The idea has involved since that Milan unveiling, however, with the air-cooled motor it showed with in Milan now being replaced by Ducati’s venerable water-cooled 937cc Testastretta 11° engine.

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Rumors

Bimota Is Working on a “Tesi” ADV Bike with Hub-Center Steering

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The Bimota workshop in Rimini is hard at work. The Italian brand debuted two new bikes at this year’s EICMA show, the KB4 and KB4 RC, both based off the Ninja 1000 four-cylinder platform.

However, it is the craziness that is the Bimota Tesi H2 that is putting the Italian marque back on the map, help by the machine’s supercharged 228hp wedged into hub-center steering chassis with avant-garde carbon fiber bodywork.

Now, Bimota is set to follow-up that hub-center steering madness with another “Tesi” model, this time one that’s focused on the adventure/touring segment.

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Bikes

Benelli TRK 800 Adventure Bike Surprises at EICMA

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In my EICMA preview article, for our A&R Pro subscribers, I wrote that the Chinese continue to impress each year with their two-wheel offerings, and that one would do well to watch what Benelli brings to the Italian trade show, as the Chinese-owned brand has a habit of bringing intriguing machines each year. I was not wrong.

There has been no shortage of middleweight adventure bikes debuting at EICMA (and before), but it is the Benelli TRK 800 that caught me the most off-guard.

Riffing on the Benelli TRK 502 that debuted in 2015, the Benelli TRK 800 is a middleweight ADV that features a 19″ front wheel, and plenty of bang for its buck.

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