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Gone Riding: Aprilia Tuono 660

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The other side of the same coin? The Aprilia Tuono 660 is the “more naked” sibling (it’s a little unfair to call it a naked bike) to the Aprilia RS 660 sport bike.

With a more upright sitting position, cheaper price tag, and a lack of an IMU, the Aprilia Tuono 660 hopes to be a bit more approachable for street riders who aren’t looking for the race-ready design that comes with the RS 660.

Is there enough meat on the bones to hoon around on the track with this 660cc Tuono though? That’s what we aim to find out.

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Rumors

Moto Guzzi Teases a New Model for Its 100th Anniversary

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Last week, Moto Guzzi marked its 100th birthday of making motorcycle – a pretty significant achievement for a motorcycle brand – and the Italian brand showed that even after a century of being in business, they still have some tricks up their sleeve.

We say this because Moto Guzzi casually snuck a glimpse of a future motorcycle in its plethora of anniversary materials, and it doesn’t seem like too many people noticed.

The photo in questions is a relative low-res glimpse of a motorcycle, which of course has been further obscured through Photoshop manipulation.

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Rumors

Yamaha YZF-R7 Spotted in CARB Filings for 2022

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The Yamaha YZF-R7 is coming back as a 2022 model, according to filings made with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), but before you get too excited about the news of this iconic motorcycle name, you should understand it’s not what you think.

Spotted by the eagle eyes at Motorcycle.com, the CARB filing tips that the 689cc motorcycle will use the parallel-twin engine found in the Yamaha MT-07.

As such, today’s news would seem to confirm the rumor that we were first to publish, that Yamaha is working on a full-fairing version of the MT-07, to compete in the growing middleweight twins segment.

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Bikes

The Magni Italia 01/01 Pays Special Tribute to Arturo Magni

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When it comes to motorcycle brands that are based in the Lombardy region of Italy, the thought of MV Agusta immediately comes to mind.

However, an even smaller boutique marque exists in this beautiful region of the boot-shaped country: Magni Motorcycles.

The name Magni should be a familiar one with students of the industry, as the company’s namesake, Arturo Magni, is one of Italy’s more important figures in the motorcycle industry.

And this, the Magni Italia 01/01, is an homage to Arturo’s legacy.

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Bikes

Enjoy This Custom Yamaha XSR900 “Æon” by Diamond Atelier

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I am always a bit envious of designers who can look past the lines of a rather bland motorcycle, and see something new and stunning. That vision is a rare gift.

Yamaha’s three-cylinder budget platform, the Yamaha MT-09, is surely one of those bland motorcycles, and even in its XSR900 form, it can be hard to see how the bones of this machine can be something bigger and better.

The eyes at Diamond Atelier saw the potential in the MT-09 platform though, taking a Yamaha XSR900 and turning it into a creation they call “Æon”.

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News

The Yamaha YZF-R6 Has Been Discontinued in the USA and Europe

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The news came first from Europe, that the Japanese brand would no longer make the Yamaha YZF-R6 for the European market because of the costs associated with Euro5 homologation, and because of the dwindling number of supersport models sold in the region each year.

Then, the news came as a final thought in a much larger press release from Yamaha Motor USA. It said that 2020 would be the last model year of the Yamaha YZF-R6 in the United States.

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Bikes

The Yamaha MT-09 SP Is Coming to the USA in 2021

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If you took a look at the all-new Yamaha MT-09, and were left wanting something with a bit more of a premium punch, then Yamaha Motor USA is picking up what you’re putting down.

As such, say hello to the more premium-spec 2021 Yamaha MT-09 SP.

The concept here is simple: take the value-positioned Yamaha MT-09 that just debuted a few days ago, and put on it better suspension and visual features. Pricing starts at $10,999 MSRP.

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Bikes

A Brand New Yamaha MT-09 Debuts for 2021

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If you had to draw up a list of motorcycles that provide excellent bang for the buck, the Yamaha MT-09 would have to rank high on that list, as the tuning fork brand has put together a potent motorcycle for the price with this three-cylinder machine.

Now for the 2021 model year, the Yamaha MT-09 is getting a massive overhaul, with virtually every piece of the bike changed for next year. This means more power, less weight, and certainly more features.

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Reviews

What It’s Like Riding the Aprilia RS 660, A Review

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Almost two-and-a-half years ago, Asphalt & Rubber broke the story that Aprilia was working on a twin-cylinder sport bike, which would be a more affordable and approachable option than the company’s flagship RSV4 superbike offering.

After teasing us at EICMA with the prototype in 2018, and then with the production model a year later, we were set for the Aprilia RS 660 to debut as a 2020 model…but then, the coronavirus outbreak changed all that.

With Italy no longer under lockdown, this bike is finally ready to take the stage, and of course the 2021 Aprilia RS 660 is headed stateside, with the first examples of it landing at dealerships in time for Christmas (and what a present that would be under the tree).

It has been a long wait for this eagerly anticipated motorcycle, and last week the American motorcycle press got their first miles on this middleweight-twin.

Riding the canyon roads near Santa Barbara, we put the Aprilia RS 660 through its paces on some of the best roads California has to offer (in this author’s opinion, at least), to see how this unique creation from Noale stacked up.

Would it live up to the hype? Is this the new twins class killer? Does Aprilia have another opus on its hands? That is what we aim to explain to you in this review.

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