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Honda Begins Teasing the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR

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Honda launched a dedicated website for its arriving 2017 model year motorcycles today, giving us a glimpse into what Big Red has in store for us at INTERMOT, EICMA, and the IMS Show in Long Beach, and the first machine they’re teasing seems to be the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR.

While the current teaser is set in the United States, at Thunderhill Raceway Park, we first caught glimpse of the new Honda CBR1000RR while shooting at a similar promo video in Croatia, strangely enough.

From those photos, we know that the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR (that’s the 2017 Honda Fireblade to our European readers) is based off the current model’s design, with the two machines sharing a chassis, and likely many engine parts.

Obviously, Honda has wrapped the 2017 CBR1000RR in very different fairings, and updated the superbike for Euro4 emissions.

Logic also dictates that Honda’s updated superbike will have ride-by-wire, traction control, and other electronic aids, and we can likely expect the engine to get a little bit more pep as well, just to keep us from moaning too loudly that the aged platform is seeing yet another year of service.

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Bikes

Hi, Are You the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR?

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If you were hoping that the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR would be a completely new machine for sport bike enthusiasts, the following might disappoint you.

This is because photos published on Twitter seem to suggest that the 2017 Honda Fireblade will get mostly cosmetic changes for the upcoming model year.

As you can see after the jump, what looks like the new CBR1000RR was caught lapping for what appears to be a PR video spot for the Japanese OEM.

While it is clear from these shots that the pictured Honda CBR1000RR has a radically new fairing design, a closer comparison to the chassis (see above) suggests that the machine is simply the current generation machine, with new clothing.

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Bikes

Two New BMW Models Debuting a INTERMOT

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Every other year, the motorcycle industry gathers in Cologne, Germany in October, for the INTERMOT trade expo. The show provides a good alternative for the Germanic brands to launch new machines, with BMW and KTM often showcasing new models at the show. This year will be no different.

To that end, BMW Motorrad is already getting its hype machine warmed up, telling us that several models will debut updates in Cologne. More importantly, zie Germans tell us that two new motorcycles will also debut at the INTERMOT show.

What those models will be is certainly the conjecture du jour, since there are several possibilities that BMW Motorrad could be working on.

Adding to the mystery is the fact that BMW often leaves something interesting for the yearly EICMA show in Milan, Italy, which happens a month later, in the first week of November. This might make decoding BMW’s game plan all but impossible, but we can still give it a try.

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Bikes

The Carbon Fiber VanderHeide Is A “Gentleman’s Racer”

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Dutch motorcycle-builder Rolf van der Heide calls his machine a “gentleman’s racer” – we’re not sure what that means exactly, so we’ll just settle on calling it beautiful.

The VanderHeide features a monocoque chassis, made completely from carbon fiber. The swingarm and front-end assembly are also made from the composite material, all of which was engineered and hand-built by Rolf van der Heide himself.

At the core of the machine is an Aprilia RSV4 engine, which makes 201hp in its stock form. VanderHeide says it can provide a 230hp superbike option, if one’s wallet so desires.

Other go-fast bits include 17″ BST carbon fiber wheels, a MoTeC dash, Brembo brakes, and a very unique setup for the bike’s Öhlins TTX36 shocks, which provide the suspension for both the rear and front wheels.

All told, the VanderHeide weighs 175kg dry (386 lbs) in street form, with the race version tipping the scales at 165kg dry (364 lbs). But, we haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg on what makes this motorcycle so breathtakingly unique.

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Bikes

More Photos of the MV Agusta F4Z by Zagato

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It seems MV Agusta really couldn’t wait until September 4th to show us its collaboration with Italian coachbuilder Zagato, because today we have a high-resolution gallery of this one-off machine.

As the name suggests, the MV Agusta F4Z started life as an MV Agusta F4 superbike. Zagato then gave the F4 a visual restyling, with the intake, fuel tank, battery, and exhaust system all having to be redesigned to accommodate the flowing bodywork.

The lines of the MV Agusta F4Z are certainly polarizing, especially for hardcore fans of the MV Agusta brand, and that is probably just fine. This is because the MV Agusta F4Z is to be a one-of-one design, with a wealthy Japanese entrepreneur said to be the bike’s final recipient.

You can continue your love/hate relationship with this motorcycle after the jump, with some very high-resolution photos.

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Bikes

Behold, The MV Agusta F4Z

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The much hyped MV Agusta F4Z broke cover today – much to our surprise, ahead of its scheduled September 4th debut. The bike is a collaboration between MV Agusta and Milan-based design house Zagato, using the four-cylinder MV Agusta F4 superbike as its platform.

Thanks to the not one, but two teaser videos from MV Agusta, we had a good idea what the F4Z would look like, but now there is little room for speculation with what appears to be CG renders images of the machine..

We expect that this design will certainly be polarizing, especially considering the iconic form that the F4 embodied. As such, leave your thoughts in the comments section.

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Bikes

The MV Agusta F4Z Teases Us Again

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MV Agusta continues to tease its collaboration with design house Zagato, with their MV Agusta F4Z set to drop in a couple weeks’ time.

Using yet another teaser video, MV Agusta pulls the curtain back a little further, giving us a better glimpse of the F4Z’s lines, which shows off a very unique sport bike.

Zagato has given the MV Agusta F4 quite the makeover, going from superbike to something closer to a futuristic café racer. We’re not sure how that’s going to play with hardcore MV Agusta fans, but the design partnership is certainly producing some interesting results.

Tell us your thoughts, is the MV Agusta F4Z a yay or a nay? The teaser video (after the jump) is full of fast cuts, so we added some screen captures of the good bits for you.

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Bikes

Norton Announces V4 Superbike, Again

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A year ago, to the day, Norton announced that it was working on a street-going superbike that featured a 200hp, 1,200cc, V4 engine. Now, Norton confirms that news, saying that we will see the limited-production (200 units) machine later this fall. Yay.

On the bright side, Norton posted a concept drawing of the new bike to its Facebook page, giving us at least something new to whet our appetites on the new motorcycle.

The concept looks very similar to the sketch we saw last year, making today’s new a little bit about nothing. But, our friends at MotoFire report that Norton is still working on a 650cc project, which will debut later this year as well.

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Bikes

Tamburini T12 Massimo – The Maestro’s Last Work

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It has been exactly two years since we lost Massimo Tamburini, the father of iconic motorcycles like the Ducati 916 Superbike and the MV Agusta F4.

Despite his passing, the Italian designer’s influence can still be felt in the motorcycle industry today, and his creations continue to be highly coveted pieces for motorcycle collectors around the world.

Many know that Tamburini was the “ta” in Bimota, which saw The Maestro team up with Valerio Bianchi and Giuseppe Morri, and together the three pillars of the industry would create countless exotic two-wheeled examples.

In essence, Tamburini’s name can be linked to the most lust-worthy motorcycles in the modern era, and we are about to add one more machine to that list.

It would seem that Tamburini apparently had one last design up his sleeve before he departed this world, and it is debuting today. Giving tribute to his name, the Tamburini T12 Massimo is a BMW S1000RR powered superbike that is meant purely for the race track, and maybe the museum.

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Bikes

New Honda Superbike for 2017, But Will It Be Any Good?

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It’s the worst kept secret in the motorcycle industry right now, Honda is finally updating its superbike offering for the 2017 model year – replacing the now extremely long-in-the-tooth Honda CBR1000RR.

The interesting part of that news of course is whether that new superbike will go by the name CBR or RVF, as there is a bit of a debate regarding what kind of engine will power the Honda.

Despite whether it is an inline-four machine like the CBR1000RR, or a V4-powered beast like Honda’s MotoGP bike, the new superbike will have big shoes to fill.

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Racing

World Superbike Races Will Split Over Saturday & Sunday

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The World Superbike championship is to undergo a radical shake up. Today, the Superbike Commission, WSBK’s rule-making body, announced two major changes aimed at improving the health of the series.

The first change is the most noticeable. As predicted when the 2016 WSBK Calendar was published, World Superbike races are to be held on both Saturdays and Sundays, with Race 1 being held on Saturday, Race 2 on Sunday. This means that Superpole has now been moved to Saturday morning, rather than the afternoon.

The move, the Superbike Commission says, is to provide a fuller experience for fans at a WSBK weekend. The move has been made after consultation with the teams, TV broadcasters, and with circuit owners, which produced positive feedback.

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