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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

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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Dirt

Ducati’s Beppe Gualini Tell Us How to Ride an ADV Bike Off-Road

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A constant theme you will hear in the ADV space is how you can’t do real off-road riding with a big dual-sport, like the Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro and its siblings in the category.

They are too big, too heavy, and have too much power to be real off-road machines, some will tell you. Of course, to say that, you have to forget some history – namely that iconic off-road races like the Dakar Rally were competed on machines that aren’t all that different from today’s ADV bike.

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Dirt

Cake Kalk INK – The Future Just Got a Little Bit More Affordable

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Cake Kalk INK, Cake Kalk INK, Cake Kalk INK…say that three times fast. This Beetlejuice of electric motorcycles is the epitome of the growing “not a motorcycle” segment of the motorcycle industry, which is straddling the divide that sees bicycles on the other side of it.

This is of course nothing new for the Swedish company Cake, which has been working on its e-mopeds since 2016. Now, we have the latest iteration of the Kalk series, the Cake Kalk INK, which tackles perhaps the biggest criticism of the Kalk line: its price tag.

Coming with a price of $9,500 MSRP, the Cake Kalk INK still isn’t as cheap as many would like, but it does fit in the pricing scheme of being just above high-end e-bikes and just under pricing of potent electric dirt bikes.

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Bikes

Go Farther on the new Husqvarna 701 Enduro LR

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If there is a complaint to be made about the Husqvarna 701 Enduro, it likely has to do with the bike’s 3.4 gallon (13-liter) fuel tank.

The size of the tank isn’t unreasonable, mind you, especially since the Huqvarna 701 Enduro does pretty well at sipping fuel, despite its big single-cylinder engine, but if you really want to explore where the trail ends, there just isn’t enough go-juice on the bike…until now.

Say hello to the Husqvarna 701 Enduro LR, and as you can probably figure out for yourself, the two-letter designation stands for “long range”.

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Rumors

Report: KTM Is Readying Five 490cc Motorcycles

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A little over 10 months ago, we brought you the first news about KTM’s planned mid-sized lineup, with KTM CEO Stefan Pierer spilling the beans that his company was working on a new 500cc twin-cylinder platform.

Now it seems, the first of these “490” models is getting close to prime time, and we can expect five motorcycles in total to come from this new parallel-twin lineup.

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Dirt

Is a New “Big” Suzuki DR Coming to the Market?

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One last internet rumor for the week, before we let you go on your way into the weekend, as there is much talk about Suzuki’s plans to bring a “Big” DR model to market.

We use the word “Big” in quotes, as it gives a nod to a previous model from Suzuki’s past, and gives us a hint that the Japanese manufacturer could be working on a large adventure bike, worthy of giving the Honda Africa Twin a run for its money – a bike we should add that is getting its own fair share of rumors this week as well.

The news first came from Spain, and spread through the internet like wildfire. Maybe it is because we are hungry for truly new models from Suzuki. Maybe it is because we are intrigued by a name from motorcycle lore. Or, maybe it is because the idea of a cost-effective but capable ADV from Suzuki is exactly what we have been wanting from the Japanese brand.

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Dirt

Moto Guzzi V85 TT Priced Aggressively at $11,990

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When we first saw the Moto Guzzi V85 TT, details on the retro ADV bike were scarce – we knew only what we could see. But, slowly the Italian company has shed light on its creation, bit by bit.

Today, we learn what is perhaps the most important aspect of this 2019 model year machine: its price.

Aggressively positioned in the market, the Moto Guzzi V85 TT will start at $11,990 MSRP with its grey paint, while the Moto Guzzi V85 TT Adventure (which comes with bags and red/yellow/white paint job) will retail for $12,990 at the dealership.

With both bikes available in the United States starting in May 2019, adventure riders will have a new middleweight to choose from when they consider adding a new bike to their stable…and the offering from Moto Guzzi is very strong.

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Bikes

BMW F850GS Adventure Brings the Middleweight ADV

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As we predicted, the 2019 BMW F850GS Adventure made its debut at the EICMA show in Milan, giving the German brand another adventure bike in its arsenal on the segment. Obviously based upon the BMW F850GS that we saw debut last year, the F850GS Adventure takes the middleweight’s off-road capability to a higher level.

At the core of the machine is the same 853cc parallel-twin engine that is in the F850GS model, which means a 94hp (75 kW) peak power figure, along with 68 lbs•ft (92 Nm) of torque. It also means a 538 lbs (244 kg) wet weight at the curb, which is absurdly heavy, if we do say so.

Of course, some of that bloat comes from the 6.07-gallon (23 liters) fuel tank that has been added to the mix, which BMW Motorrad says is good for 340 miles (550 km) of riding, which is no joke. So, there are trade-offs to be made there.

Feature-wise, there is also a larger touring windscreen, which is taller and wider. BMW has also included adjustable shifter and brake levers, for better ergonomic adjustment.

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Bikes

KTM 690 Enduro R Gets Serious Upgrades for 2019

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We have long been wondering when the KTM 690 Enduro R would get an update, especially after seeing the Husqvarna 701 Enduro get the revised big thumper from the KTM 690 Duke street bike.

That wait is over for the 2019 model year, as the KTM 690 Enduro R gets a bevy of revisions.

A new motor, a new chassis, better suspension, and a slew of electronics, the 2019 KTM 690 Enduro R is better in practically every single way, which should ensure that this popular dual-sport continues to be at the top of the big-bore heap.

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Bikes

BMW R1250GS Adventure Officially Debuts with ShiftCam Engine

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It is not like the BMW R1250GS Adventure was a big surprise for the 2018 EICMA show. It’s debut was telegraphed in emission documents filed with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), and photos of the machine recently leaked onto the internet.

But, the GSA has always been an important motorcycle to the German brand, and as such, the debut of the 2019 BMW R1250GS Adventure is a bit of a thing.

As expected for the 2019 model year, the big feature on the R1250GS Adventure is the addition of BMW Motorrad’s “ShiftCam” boxer-twin engine. Getting a bump to 1,254cc, this increase in displacement means that there is a modest performance increase of 134hp and 92 lbs•ft of torque.

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