Last week, we got news that the Aprilia RS 660 would cost €11,050 in the European market, which gave us some idea on what to expecting for pricing in North America…or so we thought.
In our analysis, we figured on a price tag in the low $12,000 range, but now Aprilia has proven us very wrong.
Releasing pricing for the 2021 Aprilia RS 660 this morning, the Italian brand has done a bit of a shocker, announcing a $11,299 MSRP for the Aprilia RS 660.
By the end of this year, Aprilia will finally bring its new two-cylinder platform to reality, putting the Aprilia RS660 (pictured above) on dealership floors.
This full-faired sport bike will be joined in early 2021 by the Aprilia Tuono 660, and from there we can expect at least one more model from this parallel-twin platform.
But what about something on the smaller end of the scale? There is an obvious hole in Aprilia’s lineup when it comes to the 300cc/400cc segment. That might be set to change, however.
The new Honda CBR600RR may not be coming to the United States for the 2021 model year, but it certainly has generated some interest on this side of the Pacific Rim.
Adding fuel to that fire now is the race-ready version that HRC is making available in January 2021.
After a bit of teasing, the new Honda CBR600RR is finally here, and with it comes a few surprises.
Because of Honda’s teasers, we already knew that this machine would be an overhaul of the current model, using the same chassis and basic engine architecture as the American-sold Honda CBR600RR.
Photos and video though confirmed that the bike would get a facelift, most notably with winglets installed to the front fairing, and that a robust electronics package would be added to the mix, to help things feel modern on this aging beast.
Also, we already knew that the late-2020 arrival would sadly not be coming to the North American or European markets, being likely a Japan-only model, though some sales in other parts of Asia could happen as well.
Now that Big Red is spilling the beans on the new Honda CBR600RR, we can see that there are a few items about this supersport that we didn’t know about.
Fresh with its new livery design, MV Agusta sent us these photos of the Superveloce 800, which is just now starting to make its way out of the Italian company’s factory in Varese.
While the basics of the motorcycle center around MV Agusta’s modern 145hp, 800cc, three-cylinder platform, the exterior of the Superveloce 800 is what is grabbing headlines, as the retro-modern look of the sport bike is quite the head-turner.
Therefore it should go without saying that we needed little convincing in order to publish the 98 high-resolution phots of this machine.
The Bothan Spies of Asphalt & Rubber have been hard at work during the recent months, and they bring us news from Austria: the KTM 200 Duke will be coming to the USA as a late 2020 model.
The KTM 200 Duke is not a new model in the Austrian brand’s lineup, as it is available in various markets world, and most notably in the Asian markets where tiered licensing and cost-of-ownership constraints make the 25hp motorcycle a great choice for street riders, but it is a new and curious model for the United States.
After much teasing, and much waiting, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R has finally debuted in Indonesia, which means we can finally answer some of our most pressing questions about this rad little machine.
First off, the Ninja ZX-25R makes 50hp (37.5 kW) with Kawasaki’s dubious “RAM Air” power rating, which in normal numbers should mean a 49hp machine (though it seems to make 41hp on Akrapovic’s dyno).
The second big piece of information is pricing on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R, which Team Green has set at 96 million IDR (roughly $6,700). Now, there is an up-spec version, called the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R ABS SE, which include ABS and a KRT Livery option, and it pops for 112.9 million IDR (roughly $7,800).
Oberdan Bezzi has an interesting concept for us today, taking a peak into the world of Italian heritage at the motorcycle factory in Mandello del Lario, Italy.
We are of course talking about Moto Guzzi, and the bike in question is an idea that is built off the Moto Guzzi V85 platform, which we know Moto Guzzi is keen to use in a variety of motorcycles, not just the current V85 TT adventure-touring bike.
Dubbed the “Black Eagle”, the concept shows a sporty usage of the air-cooled 853cc transverse 90° v‐twin, with the bike using a half-fairing design, clip-ons, solo seat, and copious amounts of carbon fiber.
The Ducati MH900e is a special bike in the brand’s history. It is a model that this author lusts over often, with its unique modern take of the old classic aesthetic.
The bike was ahead of its time, in many ways, and we can see now brands imitating in 2020 what Ducati made two decades ago.
The Ducati MH900e might be the best thing that Pierre Terblanche ever penned, and if you can find one in good shape these days, be prepared to spend some coin if you want it in your garage.
Every new model year, I sit down and write a short list with the bikes I simply have to swing a leg over before the year is out.
The list is governed mostly by what catches my personal interest, but also includes important machines across the different segments of the industry, with the idea that I want to be able to speak intelligently about them and what’s going on in our two-wheeled world.
For the 2020 model year, at the top of my list was the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S. The bike not only appeals to my sport bike loving temperament, but it also marks the return of Ducati back to one of its more core elements – the sport bike category.
With all the headlines about the coronavirus that inundate our social stream, I don’t think it’s a big stretch to assume that you would like to talk about anything but a virus on the pages of Asphalt & Rubber.
Let us talk then about a different kind of viral outbreak, the Vyrus Alyen. The latest creation from the boutique Italian house of two-wheels, Vyrus has taken the 1,285cc Ducati Superquadro v-twin engine, wedged it into their hub-center steering chassis, and well…the bodywork is unlike anything on the market.