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Ducati Mega-Monster Spy Shots

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MotoBlog.it has snagged some spy shots of the rumored Ducati power cruiser, or Mega-Monster as it’s now being called in the press (the Ducati Vyper nomenclature has seemingly been dropped). Aimed to take on Yamaha V-Max and it’s crew, the Mega-Monster is a big step for Ducati in tackling new market segments.

Taking a page from the Multistrada 1200 campaign, which saw a plethora of “leaked” images, we don’t really know if you can call these photos true “spy shots”. As with that release, these photos are clearly being staged by Ducati PR people, and then being leaked to motorcycle magazines.

With each rider clearly wearing Ducati apparel, the dots are being connected for us as we can see that the Bologna brand has indeed been working on a cruiser-styled bike, despite saying the project was canned last year. Photos and more after the jump.

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Bikes

2011 Aprilia Tuono V4 Spotted – Spy Video/Photos

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The lucky bastards at Motociclismo.it have spotted the Aprilia Tuono V4 testing at a track day at Mugello, and were fortunate enough to have their photo and video cameras at the ready. At an event that feels more like a setup press leak, than a true spy capture, we still get some of our clearest views of the 2011 Aprilia Tuono V4 yet.

The street-naked draws heavily from the RSV4, and has the usual differences where we’d expect to find them on these two bikes. Perhaps the most exciting is what appears to be an ABS and/or traction control system pick up on the front and rear wheels, which might be a hint of things to come in the Aprilia sport line. Check after the jump for a video of the Aprilia Tuono V4 going around the track, and more photos.

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Rumors

Ducati Willing to Stop WSBK Efforts to Get Rossi?

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This Friday silly season rumor was too good not to publish, but according to GPone (usually a very reliable site) Ducat is at least pondering closing its World Superbike effort if it means securing Valentino Rossi on a MotoGP ride. It sounds like the work of fiction, but let’s take a minute, and forget the fact that Ducati rests its racing laurels on WSBK victories, and examine this rumor a bit further before we dismiss it.

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Rumors

Silly Season: Ducati Offers Rossi €15 Million & Benefits – Yamaha Reduces Salary to €9 Million

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The Italian press is buzzing about the latest silly season info regarding Valentino Rossi, and where he will be racing next year. According to Corriere dello Sport, Ducati has upped their offer to Rossi to €15 million and has included provisions that would allow the Italian to race later with either Ferrari F1 or Fiat Rally teams once he’s finished with motorcycle racing.

Now…you’d expect Yamaha to up its ante on the nine-time World Champion, right? Not quite. Instead Yamaha has reduced Valentino’s Rossi contract price from the €14 million they current pay him each year to €9 million. More on the reasoning behind that after the jump.

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Products

Kickstand Kritters: Curiously Classy

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Have you ever tried to park your motorcycle on a soft surface like grass or gravel, only to watch your kickstand sink a hole into the ground deeper than British Petroleum? Neither have we, afterall who would admit to doing the two-wheeled yoga routine that’s involved in finding a piece of wood (or other suitable weight distributor), while balancing a sinking motorcycle? But in case this phenomenon has “happened to a friend of yours”, we’ve stumbled upon the solution to your “friend’s” problem. Cue the Kickstand Kritter.

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News

Hello Kitty Oil – Yes, You Read That

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Branding can be a tricky trade, especially when it comes to putting your mark on someone else’s product. The optimal goal is to find partnerships where both products benefit from being associated with each other. For Agip, the Italian gasoline and oil company, the obvious perfect partnership is one with Hello Kitty, the cute white cat that does $1 billion in business each year. After all, who doesn’t like their 11 year-old Japanese girls mixed with three liters of motor lubricant? Oh yes, we went there.

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Banter

Aprilia: Victories Trump Tablecloths

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Aprilia USA has tapped Hell for Leather and Tangent Vector to help them market the 2010 Aprilia RSV4 sport bike in a three-part video clip series. First up is a response to the BMW tablecloth trick video, which went viral on YouTube three months ago. Deciding to rest its laurels on its World Superbike doubles at Miller Motorsports Park, Monza, and Portimao, instead of cheap parlor tricks, Aprilia is clearly poking BMW in the eye with this video response. Check it out after the jump.

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Bikes

2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R Teaser & Concept

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Kawasaki has released a glimpse to its all new 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R sport bike with this concept sketch. While it’s hard to say how closely the production bike will be to this still artistic sketch, we do know the new 2011 ZX-10R will have a new motor, new frame, and new suspension.

After holding-off on bringing us new sport bikes for 2010, Kawasaki seems ready to gear up for production again (another sign the economy is getting better), and has seemingly re-done the 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R from the ground up. Promo video after the jump.

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Racing

Boom Goes the Dynamite! – First Podium For…

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If you haven’t seen today’s British GP at Silverstone, stop reading this article, and go watch your Tivo right now. We can hardly contain ourselves after watching the race, so we’ll keep this intro short. While the race winner is not going to surprise too many GP race fans, it’s the rest of the finishes that had us jumping up and down on our chairs. Spoilers after the jump.

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Bikes

2010 BMW K1300GT “Exclusive Edition” – BMW Starts Clearing Out Its Stock

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No sooner did spy shots of the 2011 BMW K1600LT surface, than BMW announced the 2010 BMW K1300GT “Exclusive Edition”. What makes an Exclusive Edition motorcycle you ask?

Well take your standard BMW K1300GT, and then throw just about every add-on feature your have in your parts bin, for instance things like custom paint, heated grips/seat, a xenon headlamp, dynamic suspension (ESA II), automatic stability control (ASC), and a tire pressure monitoring system (RDC).

Unless you’re someone that really likes to have a motorcycle badged as exclusive, you might be asking BMW what’s the big deal, and that’s where the K1600LT connection comes in.

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Bikes

2011 BMW K1600LT Spotted in the Wild

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Get excited Cordura lovers, because Tourenfahrer has spotted the 2011 BMW K1600LT out testing in Southern California. Based off the BMW Concept 6 that we brought to you live from EICMA last year, the BMW K1600LT features a six-cylinder motor that, like the Horex VR6 concept, is just marginally wider than your standard in-line four motor.

The result should be a silky smooth K-bike that any tourer can enjoy. Noticable on the bike is an adjustable windscreen and ample on-board storage, both of which are basically standard components now with sport-tourers. Expect to see the 2011 BMW K1600LT debut at EICMA later this year, if not earlier.

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