French site Moto-Station is reporting, and multiple other sites are confirming, that Ducati is about to debut a Hypermotard 796. Just as the current Hypermotard 1100 borrows on the basic design of the Monster 1100, the 796 will center around the same 696cc, air-cooled, two-valve, motor found in the Monster 696.
Rumors are circulating that Suzuki is about unveil its 2010 motorcycle line-up, which will reportedly feature an all new 1,250cc Bandit, new GSX-F, and an updated GSX1000R. With the Gixxer 1000 being completely revamped just last year, we’re not sure if that means just new colors for 2010, or if Suzuki will be making modest performance enhancements, like we saw with the 2010 Honda CBR1000RR and 2010 Yamaha YZF-R6.
Those are all the details we know now, more as it comes to us. Remember to always tip your waiter, and your daily motorcycle blog.
MotoRevue is reporting that the 2010 Yamaha FZ1, like the 2010 Yamaha R6, will not be updated with the R1’s cross-plane crankshaft. The FZ1 is a shining example of Reaganomics, getting the trickle down technology of the YZF-R.
So, it comes with some surprise that we hear that it won’t get the MotoGP inspired crankshaft, but never fear loyal Fazzer owners, it does seem that the FZ1 will get some love in the next two years.
For this Tuesday morning we have a vague rumor on what the Suzuki GSX-R600 & GSX-R750 will look like for 2010. Both bikes should see a modest power increase, with the GSX-R600 going from 125hp to 128hp, and the GSX-R750 going from 150hp to 154hp. The bikes will also see cosmetic changes and new features, as Suzuki once again sticks to its 2-year revision cycle.
This rumor might not surprise anyone, but Ducati is alleged to be bumping the 1098R out of the line-up for 2010, finally calling the Superbike homologation by its 1198cc capacity, and erasing any reference to the 1098 line.
There might be a pulse after all in the town of Milwaukee. A&R has gotten word that the Sultan of Slow is working on a cafe racer motorcycle, similar to the classic XLCR 1000.
For many, this will come with a sigh of relief. Ducati VP of Marketing, Diego Sgorbati, has confirmed that Ducati has no intentions of making a cruiser motorcycle…for the time being. Long rumored to appear at the upcoming EICMA expo, the Ducati Vyper concept has stirred a few imaginations, as well as a few stomachs. Reported in various forms, we still like to visualize it with the renders that Luca from Bar-Design provided us with last year.
As we get closer to the unveiling of Ducait’s Multistrada replacement in Novemeber, the spy shots of the “GS killer” are becoming more apparent. After trolling the interwebernet, we’ve found two more shots that reveal some more detail about what the Strada Aperta (no word if that’s the official name, but it does seem to keep coming up) will look like from the side and front.
French magazine, MotoRevue, has speculated and rendered up what they believe to be the upcoming GSR750. Expecting the bike to hit the streets in early-2010, the render borrows heavily on the lines of the B-King, and is expected to be Suzuki’s answer to the growing 750cc standard bike market. As such the GSR will have stiff competition from the Kawasaki Z750, Aprilia Shiver/Mana, Triumph Street Triple, etc.
Powering the bike will be a detuned GSX-R750 motor, which you can expect to make power south of 120hp. No word on what markets the bike will enter into, but don’t hold you breath to see it on American soil. Considering the GSR series has traditionally been a European/Asian market bike, we expect the 750cc version to be available only abroad as well.
Source: MotoRevue; Photochop: Jérôme Vannesson
This week, the Piaggio group, which owns several brands including Aprilia & Gilera released its 2009-2012 strategic plan, where it told investors that the company intends to develop a range of sports bikes with mid-sized engines for the American market.
What that means exactly is fairly vague, as no other details beyond this simple statment were given, “The Group intends to work on the growth of different brand names, also through the development of sport bikes with mid-sized engines.”
Many have speculated that this means that Aprilia will be releasing a 600cc sport bike to go along side its , and that seems like a fairly logical conclusion.
And then, we remembered this rumor from last year, Gilera 600cc Supersport 2009 Fact or Fiction?
With Jorge Lorenzo’s contract up at the end of this season, rumors are beginning to make their way through the MotoGP paddock about where the Spaniard will be racing next season. While Lorenzo has stated he would prefer to stay at Yamaha, he has also stated that he “knows what he’s worth.” For anyone playing MotoGP silly season, that’s an open invitation to assume that offers from Honda could have potential of becoming true.