Latest Posts:
Asphalt & Rubber
Tag

leak

Browsing
Bikes

Honda Africa Twin Specs Leaked with Hi-Res Photo

By 14 Comments

Last night we brought you a leaked video of the new Honda Africa Twin, which revealed the off-road oriented adventure bike in all its glory. Today, we get to see the leaked specs of the Honda CRF1000L (the model designation of the Africa Twin), along with what looks like an official high-resolution photo.

The spec-sheet for the Africa Twin has long been something of interest for ADV fans, with the obvious questions being 1) how much horsepower will it make? and 2) how much will it weight. The answers are 94hp, and 458 lbs dry (467 lbs with ABS, 489 lbs with DCT).

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Finally, Here is the Honda Africa Twin in All Its Glory

By 17 Comments

UPDATE: Technical specifications for the 2016 Honda Africa Twin have also leaked.

Honda has been teasing a six-part video series about the Honda Africa Twin, and the final installment has just leaked onto the internet. As you would expect, the video finally gives us the full monty on what the Honda CRF1000L will look like, along with some great action footage.

Perhaps even better, the final installment of Honda’s video series also features a very interesting discussion with HRC riders, Honda engineers, and stakeholders to the Africa Twin brand.

The discussion is very insightful to the development of the 1,000cc adventure bike platform, including off-roading’s first dual-clutch transmission (DCT).

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Leaked Video of the Honda Africa Twin Out Testing

By 13 Comments

It looks like some video of the new Africa Twin has leaked out of Honda HQ, showing the adventure-touring bike going through its paces.

From the few glimpses we see from the video, the Honda Africa Twin looks very similar to the True Adventure prototype that Honda unveiled at EICMA.

Designated as the Honda CRF1000L, the Africa Twin is shaping up to be a very interesting motorcycle from Big Red.

Keep Reading
By
Lifestyle

PSA: For the Love of Motorcycling, Don’t Taste Your Fluids

By 13 Comments

One of the more amusing stories I think we’ve ever come across in A&R history, a Reddit user published his/her account of having a mystery fluid leak on their Suzuki V-Strom (shown above).

Unable to initially identify the fluid that was leaking down their forks, brakes, and front tire, our protagonist did the only logical method left to them: guess and check.

Tasting the fluid they found on their garage floor, and comparing it to the various “jus de vie” that make a motorcycle come to life, this Goldilocks of motorcycling was puzzled…nothing quite seemed right to their tongue.

The whole story, especially its ending, is perhaps best left to the original account on Reddit. But just so we’re clear…for the love of everything that’s holy, don’t taste the fluids on your motorcycle. It’s never a good idea.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

MV Agusta F4 RC Leaks Again with More “AMG”

By 19 Comments

We are still waiting for the 2015 MV Agusta F4 RC to break cover officially, but the top-of-the-line superbike from Varese continues to make itself sneakily available to the public.

First there were the leaked studio photos, which looked spot-on to the photos MV Agusta USA teased us with at its press launch earlier this year.

Now, we have more photos of the F4 RC leaking, though with some changes to the design — namely more prominent “AMG” badging, for MV Agusta’s newest minority partner.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Are You The MV Agusta F4 RC?

By 25 Comments

What look to be official photos of the MV Agusta F4 RC have leaked out onto the internet, along with a slide from MV Agusta’s media presentation on the machine. The photos give us our first glimpse into Varese’s homologation special, complete with a special two-can exhaust by Termignoni.

The leaked slide confirms some of the numbers being thrown around about the F4 RC, namely that it will have 212hp, 81.86 lbs•ft of torque, weigh 175kg dry, and cost €36,900 (we already know that the MV Agusta F4 RC will cost $46,000 in the USA).

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

LEAKED: Here is the 2016 Indian Chief Dark Horse

By 43 Comments

Cruisers aren’t really our forté, here at Asphalt & Rubber, but breaking stories is…so, without all the typical fanfare, we bring you the first full photos of the upcoming 2016 Indian Chief Dark Horse.

The Stead is murdered out and visually appealing, with black engine covers, black fenders, black forks…hell, even the tires are black. Under the hood is Indian’s Thunder Stroke 111 engine, which is an air-cooled 1,811cc v-twin good for 73hp and 100 lbs•ft.

More technical features include ABS as standard, a keyless ignition system, cast wheels, and a solo seat. Our Bothan Spies suggest an MSRP of $17,000, and more accessories (all black, natch) than you can fit into the belly of a Tauntaun.

Expect to see the Indian Chief Dark Horse launch officially on February 13th elsewhere.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Here are the First Photos of the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1

By 53 Comments

The 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 has leaked ahead of its EICMA debut today…with two images of the superbike hitting the interwebs just a few hours ago. The model shows obvious lines from the Yamaha MotoGP bike, the YZR-M1; and is expected to come in two trim levels, one for the street, and the other for racing purposes.

We should know more about the new R1 in a few hours, but until then, we will have to chew on these first photos. Accordingly, we’re not so sure about the headlights, though they look verrrry easy to remove, which might be a salient feature for them, on a homologation special.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Technical Specifications of the MV Agusta Stradale 800

By 5 Comments

Earlier today, we showed you the first photo of the MV Agusta Stradale 800. Essentially an MV Agusta Rivale with touring bags and a windscreen, the technical specifications of the MV Agusta Stradale tell a slightly different story though.

The biggest different between the Rivale and the Stradale comes from the 798cc three-cylinder engine, which is down 10hp, and thus makes 115hp at 11,000 rpm. The power disadvantage seems to come from a lower rev limit — a simple but effective way to differentiate the Stradale from the Rivale to consumers.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

LEAKED: First Photo of the MV Agusta Stradale 800

By 15 Comments

Our Bothan spies are hard at work, ahead of this year’s EICMA show, and thus we have another leaked photo for your viewing pleasure. Giving us our first glimpse at the rumored MV Agusta Stradale 800, we can see that Varese is borrowing heavily from Ducati’s playbook.

If the Rivale was MV Agusta’s response to the Ducati Hypermotard, then the Stradale is the company’s riff on the Ducati Hyperstrada, as our photo shows what appears to be a Rivale with bags and a windscreen attached.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

LEAKED: First Photos of the MV Agusta Dragster RR

By 29 Comments

MV Agusta had us guessing as to what the Varese company would be debuting at the upcoming EICMA show, though the latest video from the company seems to clearly show that a Dragster RR will be coming.

A built up version of the Dragster 800, the MV Agusta Dragster RR features Kineo wheels, new paint, and we presume some sort of launch control mechanism.

We expect the MV Agusta Brutale Dragster RR to officially debut a day before EICMA starts, as MV Agusta usually holds a press event on the Monday before the show.

You don’t have to wait that long though, as we have 18 high-resolution photos sent to us by our Bothan Spies, who seem to be busy little Bothans, as our friends at Nieuwsmotor also appear to have received these shots (some different, some the same).

Keep Reading
By