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Indian Has Two More FTR1200 Based Bikes Coming Soon

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When we first rode the Indian FTR1200 prototype motorcycle – one of our better A&R Pro stories, if I do say so myself – it was clear that the American brand was seeing this model as the first iteration from a platform of machines.

When pressed the Indian reps on whether we would see more bikes with the new v-twin engine arriving, and the answers in reply were deliciously vague, though hints of an ADV machine and other models could be read between the lines.

So, it doesn’t surprise us today that our colleagues at Motorbike Writer have gotten wind of Indian releasing two more variations of the machine, a “Street” bike in 2020, and an “Adventure” bike in 2021. Though, the story looks to have originally come from the ADV Rider web forum.

This is a very interesting proof of what we suspected, but we should say that the conclusions reached by Motorbike Writer are mostly incorrect.

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Rumors

This Week’s Yamaha YZF-R1 Rumor

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Get the gears turning, because the rumor mill is starting to churn away on speculation for the next generation Yamaha YZF-R1.

This particular rumor looks towards the 2021 model year, when the Euro5 regulations for motorcycles take effect. Of course to that, we say “well of course there is.”

We will get to all that in a minute, but first, the buzz from Europe on what we can expect to see from Yamaha in two years’ time.

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Rumors

Aprilia RS 660 Coming as a 2020 Model

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When the Aprilia RS 660 concept was debuted at last year’s EICMA show, what we saw was actually three thing. One was a new engine platform, based around a parallel-twin engine that is basically an RSV4 motor cut in half. Another was a middleweight supersport model based on that new twin-cylinder engine, and the third was an active aerodynamics concept.

Our Bothan spies tell us that the active aerodynamics package is destined for the next generation of the Aprilia RSV4 superbike, which we expect to see in 2021 when the Euro5 regulations first come into affect. They also told us that the Aprilia RS 660 was the first model of a new platform, which we would see debut for the 2020 model year.

Now with Aprilia talking to our colleagues at Moto-Station in France, we get confirmation that the Aprilia RS 660 will debut as a production model later this year, at the EICMA show in Milan, which is held in November.

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Rumors

BMW F850RS: Typo or New Model?

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Is a new middleweight bike coming from BMW Motorrad? That’s the debate on the internet right now, as the company’s UK office has released the above language to dealers via a  brochure.

Not so fast says BMW Motorrad UK though. While a sport-touring version of the F850 platform would be a pretty interesting model, the company says that the use of the “F850RS” handle was a mistake, and they instead meant to use “F850GT” in the brochure’s text.

Honest mistake? Freudian slip? A sign from the Flying Spaghetti Monster (All Hail His Noodliness!)…well, that is up for you to decide.

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Dirt

Is a New “Big” Suzuki DR Coming to the Market?

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One last internet rumor for the week, before we let you go on your way into the weekend, as there is much talk about Suzuki’s plans to bring a “Big” DR model to market.

We use the word “Big” in quotes, as it gives a nod to a previous model from Suzuki’s past, and gives us a hint that the Japanese manufacturer could be working on a large adventure bike, worthy of giving the Honda Africa Twin a run for its money – a bike we should add that is getting its own fair share of rumors this week as well.

The news first came from Spain, and spread through the internet like wildfire. Maybe it is because we are hungry for truly new models from Suzuki. Maybe it is because we are intrigued by a name from motorcycle lore. Or, maybe it is because the idea of a cost-effective but capable ADV from Suzuki is exactly what we have been wanting from the Japanese brand.

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Rumors

More Details on the New Ducati Hypermotard

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It is by pure happenstance that the featured story at the top of the Asphalt & Rubber homepage is about the new Ducati Hypermotard, which also coincides with today’s story that highlights more info about the 2019 model. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.

With that said, more information about the new Ducati Hypermotard has leaked, though it will depend on who you ask what those specifics are when it comes to this new machine. This is because we have conflicting reports from the British site BikeSocial and Italy’s GPone.

Both sites have proven themselves to be reliable in the past, which makes it difficult to decipher their differing opinions on the new power and weight figures of the Ducati Hypermotard. So, let’s dive into what we know, and what we don’t know.

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Rumors

This Week’s Honda CBR1000RR Rumor

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We are knee-deep in new bike season right now, and it seems no motorcycle is safe from the internet’s two-wheeled rumor mill. This week, we see a number of rumors concerning the Honda CBR1000RR, and what the 2019 model year will bring for Big Red’s superbike offering.

Credible rumors suggest that the Honda CBR1000RR will see another update for next year, with promises of 212hp as Honda follows the rest of the pack with two variations of its venerable superbike.

Less credible rumors involve the CBR1000RR getting a name change for the US market, as the word “Fireblade” has been registered with the US Patents and Trademarks Office by the Japanese brand.

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Rumors

So, Is There a New Honda CBR600RR Coming for 2019?

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If you read publications from our colleagues in Europe, then you will know that Honda must surely have plans for a new CBR600RR for the 2019 model year. The proof that they offer is that the recent CARB filings by American Honda show a CBR with a significant weight drop for next year.

First spotted by our friends at Nieuwsmotor, the CARB filings quote a 10kg (22 lbs) weight difference between the listed Honda “CBR600RA” and Honda “CBR600RR” motorcycles, which makes it seem like a lighter and more focused supersport is on the way.

It is an interesting dream – and a funny one for European journalists to spot, since the CBR600 series is all but dead in Europe. But what is the reality of this discovery?

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Rumors

Ducati’s Project 1309 Reveals a New Diavel Coming

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We didn’t hear too much about “Project 1309” from World Ducati Week 2018, which is surprising considering what the past has shown us about Ducati’s secret reveals, but the Bologna brand was once again giving a teaser to fans in Misano.

In the past, World Ducati Week has been the place where Ducati showed us the first Scrambler model, and last year the event debuted the return of the Ducati SuperSport. This year, it is another new bike. A new Diavel, to be precise.

Set to compliment the current XDiavel model, the new Diavel features the same 1,262cc DVT engine with variable valve timing, but puts it into the more sport Diavel riding platform.

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Rumors

BMW Plans To Launch Nine New Motorcycles

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It might be still be summer, but our eyes are looking ahead to the new bike season in the fall and winter, where the major motorcycle manufacturers will debut their new motorcycles for the future.

The big trade shows to watch are INTERMOT and EICMA, as these have traditionally been the venues of choice for new model unveils, prototype teasers, and concept debuts.

One brand that is certainly going to be showing us some new motorcycles is BMW Motorrad, with the German company saying that it plans to launch nine new models in 2018.

What those nine models will be is up for conjecture, though we have some good ideas, and some bad ideas, on what they could be. Let’s take a look.

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Rumors

Aprilia Is Quietly Working on a Two-Cylinder Supersport

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Do you want further proof that the supersport segment isn’t dead? I mean, besides the fact that both Suzuki and Kawasaki have plans to released new 600cc sport bikes later this year, for 2019?

Our Bothan spies have been hard at work in Noale, and they bring us word of a project brewing at Aprilia: a two-cylinder supersport model, that should debut for the 2020 model year.

The concept for this new model is pretty simple: take the class-leading Aprilia RSV4 superbike (which is also set for an update in 2019), lop off the rear cylinders, thus making it a parallel-twin engine. Boom goes the dynamite.

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