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WSBK: No Replacement for Monza, Series Now 13 Rounds

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The 2016 World Superbike calendar will have just thirteen rounds. Attempts at finding a replacement for the canceled Monza round have failed, causing the calendar to definitively lose a round.

Dorna had been in talks with several other circuits to replace the races at Monza, with the Estoril circuit being the most popular candidate. However, no agreement could be reached with any of the replacement candidates, and Dorna had no choice but to cancel.

All hope is not lost for Monza, however. Work continues at the iconic Italian track, including efforts to make it suitable for motorcycle racing. The circuit could yet make a return, but not this year.

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News

MV Agusta Looking to Part Ways with Mercedes-AMG

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The story of MV Agusta continues with even more interesting developments, as the Italian motorcycle manufacturer seems intent on buying back its shares from Mercedes-AMG, and recapitalizing with new investors.

Talking this week to Italy’s Il Giorno, MV Agusta CEO Giovanni Castiglioni said that he is “negotiating a buy-back of shares,” though that might be a task easier said than done for the Italian CEO

This is because MV Agusta’s current financial predicament is due primarily from the company’s massive debt accumulation, which now totals over €40 million.

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News

No, MV Agusta Hasn’t Declared Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

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Despite what you may have read, MV Agusta isn’t declaring protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the United States Code. But, we can understand the confusion.

Just so we are clear, by definition Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings are a figment of American law. Since MV Agusta is an Italian company, it would be fundamentally wrong to say that MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. was seeking a protection under the US Code that pertains to bankruptcy.

The branch of MV Agusta that would be able to file for Chapter 11 would be MV Agusta USA, but the US subsidiary is not embroiled in MV Agusta Motor’s financial troubles, which makes the use of the term incredibly inaccurate.

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Products

Samsung Smart Windshield Brings a HUD Near You

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It’s 2016, and I’m not sure why we all aren’t zipping around on motorcycles that have integrated heads-up displays (HUD).

The technology has been around for decades, the components and software are available and easy to implement, and with our connected digital lifestyles, the concept just seems like a no-brainer.

Yet, here we are, with our boring “Motorcycle 1.0” motorbikes.

Samsung hopes to change that though, showing off its “Smart Windshield” concept. The idea is straightforward: Samsung’s Smart Windshield connects to your smartphone via a special app, and it displays navigation, call, text, and email information on your windshield, through a special projection system.

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Bikes

Armotia Due R – An Electric 2WD Supermoto

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The electric side of the motorcycle industry is slowly showing life again, as we first got the flash in the pan, and now we are getting the sizzle. Some of that sizzle is coming from projects that have been in the works for quite some time, like the Alta Motors Redshift.

However, some of that sizzle is coming from new players, like Armotia. The Italian-based outfit has two interesting offerings to show us, the Armotia Due R and the Armotia Due X.

The Due R is Armotia’s electric supermoto, while the Due X is the company’s electric enduro model. Both bikes feature a two-wheel drive setup that makes 15hp, 5.1 kWh battery pack, and a smartphone dash.

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Bikes

The Motul Onirika 2853 Concept Is Not Your Typical MV

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Another tasty item from the 2016 Motor Bike Expo in Verona, the Motul Onirika 2853 concept builds upon a different Italian sport bike, the MV Agusta Brutale 800.

Commissioned by the Italian arm of the French lubricant manufacturer Motul, the Motul Onirika 2853 was designed and built by Luca Pozzato at Officine GPDesign.

The name “Onirika 2853” takes some deciphering, as it refers to dreaming or imagining of what the Motul brand will look like a millennia after the company’s founding (1853). At least, that’s how Motul explains it…we will have to take their word for it.

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Bikes

Ducati draXter Concept Debuts in Verona

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Ducati is at this year’s Motor Bike Expo in Verona, and it has a bevy of concepts and customs it wants to show the world. The Italian brand’s trio of Sixty2 Scrambler concepts didn’t really spark our engine, but the Ducati draXter Concept is certainly of note and worthy of further scrutiny.

The Ducati XDiavel was Bologna’s big reveal at EICMA this year, and while the cruiser model wasn’t our cup of tea, we might have to change our tune with this decked-out version of the machine.

Ducati says that the draXter model interprets the XDiavel from a “sports” point-of-view, and the modifications made to the machine certainly do a good job of connoting a bike that leaps from the line.

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Bikes

Ducati Sold 54,800 Bikes in 2015 – Another Record

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As expected from earlier sales reports, Ducati Motor Holding is posting a banner year for 2015. The Italian motorcycle maker says that it sold 54,800 bikes last year, a 9,683 unit (+22%) increase over the number of bikes sold in 2014.

Helping break the 50,000 units barrier, the Ducati Scrambler line accounted for virtually all of Ducati’s sales growth in 2015, with over 16,000 Scrambler models sold worldwide. As we have reported before, this paints an interesting picture of what is going on behind Borgo Panigale’s walls.

“The record sales of 2015 are the result of our company’s courage and skill,” said Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding.

“Ducati closes 2015 with record volumes and also a substantial growth of 22% over 2014. During the year Ducati not only launched successful new motorcycles, but also a new brand, Ducati Scrambler, which immediately won global acclaim with over 16,000 sales worldwide.”

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News

Marzocchi Bought by Italian Automotive Company VRM

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Suspension brand Marzocchi has been saved from liquidation, as Tenneco is set to sell the Italian company to VRM – an Italian automotive company from the Bologna province of Zola Predosa.

Last year, Marzocchi seemed destined for the chopping block, as Tenneco seemed set on shutting down the business, and its 70 employees, rather than selling the company.

However with intervention from the local government in Bologna, and its strong labor unions, Marzocchi has been seemingly saved before the new year.

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