Latest Posts:
Asphalt & Rubber
Tag

naked

Browsing
Bikes

2016 Ducati Monster 1200 R Mega Gallery

By 56 Comments

Just in case you didn’t know, the Ducati Monster 1200 R debuted today, and with 160hp, it’s officially Ducati’s most powerful naked bike…ever.

Ducati hopes that the changes to the motor and chassis will make the Monster 1200 R more skilled on the track – something that Monster 1200 S doesn’t really do well – and it shows from the photos.

Speaking of photos we have 74 mega-huge – yup, that’s a word now – photos ones for you to enjoy, after the jump of course.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Is this a worthy successor to the Ducati Streetfighter 1098? How does the Monster 1200 R stack-up to the KTM 1290 Super Duke R and Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 RR, in your mind?

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Ducati Monster 1200 R – Powerfully Naked

By 19 Comments

As promised, the Ducati Monster 1200 R debuted today, making this new top-of-the-line Monster the most powerful naked bike ever from the Bologna brand.

Helping Ducati with that powerful claim is the use of the 160hp Testastretta 11° DS engine on the Monster 1200R, which is an interesting choice, as it’s not the DVT units found on the new Ducati Multistrada 1200.

Helping Testastretta motor are large oval throttle bodies, 58mm exhaust ports, and a compression ratio of 13:1. The Monster 1200 R is still EURO 4 homologated though, making the machine both powerful and friendly to the environment.

Other noticeable enhancements for the “R” model are the new tail and front section designs, along with revised chassis that includes higher-spec Öhlins suspension, fore and aft.

For good measure, the wheels are forged aluminum Marchesini units, which should help make the 456 lbs (curb) mass of the motorcycle move a little more easily.

Available in either “Ducati” Red or “Thrilling” Black, the 2016 Ducati Monster 1200 R will be available at dealers in early 2016, says Ducati North America.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

KTM 690 Duke To Get Upgrades for 2016

By 10 Comments

KTM is pulling the interesting move of only alerting certain outlets to the fact that the Austrian company will be bringing updates to the KTM 690 Duke for the 2016 model year. Regardless of that alienating choice, the facts remain, and we’re here to give you the details of their new models.

As such, expect to see the 2016 KTM 690 Duke to get a power boost, roughly to the tune of 73hp @ 8,500 rpm (up 1,000 rpm over the previous model), with peak torque also getting a boost of roughly 6%.

This increase in power comes about partly to internal changes, which include a larger bore and shorter stroke. These give that 690 Duke a very slight displacement increase of 3cc, for 693cc in total.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Ducati Monster 1200 R – The Most Powerful Monster Ever

By 27 Comments

Ducati has just teased the first images of its most powerful naked bike ever, calling the machine the Ducati Monster 1200 R, which is set to officially debut on September 14th.

The Italian motorcycle company says that the Monster 1200 R has a “more powerful engine, a sportier chassis and an advanced design,” though fails to say in comparison to what – we presume the Monster 1200 S.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Spy Photos: KTM 800cc-Class Parallel-Twin Duke

By 35 Comments

It looks like KTM is getting ready to add another Duke to its street bike line, as spy photos of the above machine have broken cover.

Said to be roughly 800cc in displacement, the new Duke would slot in well between the KTM 690 Duke and the KTM 1290 Super Duke R, which is a fairly obvious base to cover.

What is interesting about the KTM 800 Duke (our name, not KTM’s) though is that at the heart of the machine is a parallel-twin engine, which breaks from KTM’s general affinity for single-cylinder thumpers, and v-twin monsters.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Victory Empulse TT — A Rebadged Brammo Empulse R

By 33 Comments

When Polaris acquired Brammo’s electric motorcycle business, and left the startup to be its electric drivetrain guru, much was talked about what would come to the electric motorcycle manufacturer. So, when a Brammo Empulse RR electric race bike showed up at the Isle of Man TT in Victory Motorcycles livery — let’s not forget the Brammo employees in Victory t-shirts — a bit of Polaris’ game was tipped.

Therefore it is perhaps without surprise that today we bring you the Victory Empulse TT, which is basically a rebadged Brammo Empulse R street bike.

There are some improvements to the Victory Empulse TT over the Brammo Empulse, namely a larger battery pack (+10% for 10.4 kWh nominal), a narrower rear tire (180 is now a 160), a new seat, and most importantly, a rubber cush drive for the rear wheel.

We won’t waste words hyping a motorcycle that has effectively already been on the market for several years, but we will point out two things: 1) Brammo Victory has improved upon an already competent design, and 2) the addition of the cush drive could change our luke-warm opinion of the Empulse R.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

2016 Yamaha XSR700 – Hip Meets Modern Tech

By 26 Comments

Yamaha’s new FZ/MT platform has been a home run for the Japanese brand, with both the Yamaha FZ-09 and Yamaha FZ-07 selling well, here in the United States (the bikes sell around the rest of the world as the MT-09 and MT-07).

So how does Yamaha build on that success? How do they reach riders who aren’t looking for the modern naked aesthetic? Well, you give them what they want.

Meet the 2016 Yamaha XSR700. Underneath that retro-standard exterior resides the basic makings of the FZ-07. It’s the same 700cc parallel-twin engine with its 270° crankshaft mated to a new lightweight aluminum chassis.

The Yamaha XSR700 is the production version of Yamaha’s recently unveiled “Faster Sons” concept, and is an obvious offering to the hipster motorcycle crowd that has come to adore the work of Japanese bike builder Shinya Kimura, who made the concept bike.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Rumors: Ducati 1299 Streetfighter & New Engine Coming?

By 22 Comments

If you believe everything you read on the internet, then surely you know that Ducati is allegedly getting ready to release a Panigale-based Streetfighter in the next few months. Another potent rumor making the rounds is that Ducati is working on a totally new v-twin engine, which will meet Euro 4 emission standards.

The first rumor got its start from Visordown, which says that it has received an invitation for press launch in September that will consist of “a track test for a road bike.”

The British publication deduces that the new model must be a sport-oriented machine to warrant the track time for journalists, and the only model in Ducati’s lineup that’s long-in-the-tooth that fits the bill is the Streetfighter 848, and the recently discontinued Streetfighter 1098.

The second rumor comes from Moto-Station, with the French site getting word from a source that Ducati has an all-new Euro 4 compliant engine that it will debut at EICMA this November. They go on to speculate that the engine could have Ducati Variable Timing (DVT), and would fit a sport-touring bike.

Let’s examine these two rumors a bit further, in turn.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

2015 BMW R1200R Mega Gallery

By 28 Comments

Though the addition of BMW’s water-cooled engine to the 2015 BMW R1200R was a move everyone saw coming down the pipe, the German company’s extensive style shift on the BMW R1200R was perhaps a move unexpected.

The classic looking roadster of before is now replaced with a more aggressive design — though perhaps not as aggressive as the BMW Roadster Concept that we saw earlier this year.

Still, the new BMW R1200R is a handsome machine that incorporates both mild-touring capability with a fun sporty ride. Since we had a tough time pulling images off BMW’s press site earlier this week, because of all the traffic from INTERMOT, here’s a “mega gallery” of 181 high-resolution images. Enjoy!

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

2015 Triumph Street Triple RX — Naked Daytonafied

By 15 Comments

Building a special edition machine for INTERMOT, the Brits have debuted the 2015 Triumph Street Triple RX, which is based off the Triumph Street Triple R. Borrowing from the Triumph Daytona 675 however, the Triumph Street Triple RX takes many styling points from its supersport cousin, namely the Daytona’s tail section.

Also coming in a matte silver with red accents, the Street Triple RX is channeling heavily on the Daytona, and even has a quickshifter to mimic the Dayton’s sport appeal. At the heart of the machine though is the same 675cc three-cylinder engine, that pumps out 106hp.

Mostly a cosmetic exercise from Hinkley, this is what we get to chew on, since Triumph canned its 250cc sport bike project. 20 high-resolution photos await you after the jump.

Keep Reading
By