Matching the announcement by its sister company KTM, today we see the debut of the 2021 Husqvarna FS 450 supermoto.
Like the years before it, the 2021 model doesn’t see any major changes, though Husqvarna has tweaked the FS 450 enough (primarily in the suspension setup) to at least make you consider the spec sheet.
The Aprilia Tuono V4 X is a limited edition, track only, version of the Noale’s hyper-naked bike…and of course it comes with MotoGP-inspired wings. It makes 218hp at the crank, weighs 366 lbs bone dry, costs €34,900, and only 10 bikes were going to be made.
Now, Aprilia tells us that production for the Aprilia Tuono V4 X is going to increase three-fold. That means 30 bikes will be produced, which would seem like good news if you were not one of the lucky 10 who first got a chance to own this unique motorcycle.
We still have some bad news, however. All 20 of those additional units are already spoken for.
Good news supermoto fans! After a seven-year hiatus, the KTM 450 SMR is coming back to the United States as a 2021 model.
Based off the KTM 450 SX-F motocross bike, the KTM 450 SMR features the same 450cc engine and five-speed gearbox. As you would expect, the frame is chromium molybdenum steel, with a cast aluminum swingarm.
Two weeks ago, we caught glimpse of a track-prepped Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 with wings and camoflage, and wondered what was to come of the Italian streetfighter. Today, we get that answer.
Behold the Aprilia Tuono V4 X – a limited edition, track only, version of the Noale’s hyper-naked bike. Complete with MotoGP-inspired wings, this carbon fiber clad Tuono V4 posts some impressive figures: 218hp (crank), 366 lbs (dry), and €34,900 (+VAT).
Built by Aprilia Racing, the Tuono V4 X is similar to the RSV4 X that we saw last year – most notably that only 10 units will be made available to the public. This is a shame, because the Aprilia Tuono V4 X is dripping with awesome.
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.
Race replicas are nothing new in the motorcycle industry. Take your street model, slap some paint and sponsor graphics on it, and call it good. Easy peasy. The folks at Yamaha Motor Europe didn’t get that memo, however.
Teaming up with the YART GTYR Pro Shop, these stalwarts of the tuning fork brand have created a unique YZF-R1 that pays homage to another of their sister outfits, the Petronas-backed Sepang Racing Team.
Good news if you are a small-displacement racing fan, as the Aprilia RS250 SP will not just be a European affair, as we get word today that the 250cc track bike will be coming to the USA as well.
Interestingly enough, the Aprilia RS250 SP will not make its way across the pond via the Piaggio Group, but instead Rise Moto – the Ohvale distributer for the United States – will be importing the machine.
That shouldn’t be too much of a surprise for those who are in the loop on how the Aprilia RS250 SP came to be (and of course you are, as you religiously read Asphalt & Rubber every day).
Today is a twofer for the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R, as we get word from Southeast Asia that the bike’s debut this week has been postponed because of worries about spreading the coronavirus, which means we have to wait just a little longer to find out everything about this 250cc four-cylinder wonder.
On the bright side though, Team Green has posted up this unique carbon fiber creation, which it calls the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R Racer Custom model. As the name implies, it is a carbon-fiber-everything version of the ZX-25R, that is track-only.
I have been lucky in my career to ride some of the finest one-off electric motorcycles ever created. I was the first to ride the Mission R street bike from Mission Motors, and first of two journalists to swing a leg over the Isle of Man winning MotoCzysz E1pc.
I was the first to ride the Alta Redshift SM prototype, back when the company was still called BRD Motorcycles, one of only a handful of souls can lay claim to riding the Lightning LS-218 around a race track, and one of the first to swing a leg over the Energica Ego.
Coming to the Valencia track in Spain, I knew though that I would be adding another one of these special machines to my list, as Energica had invited Asphalt & Rubber to ride its MotoE race bike, the day after the Valencia GP.
Five flying laps on the Energica Ego Corsa is all that we would get this day at the Spanish track, which didn’t include our out-lap and in-lap, which I have to admit disappointed me.
It is hard to believe that it has been 10 years since the Aprilia RSV4 debuted, and yet after a decade of service, the V4-powered superbike is still at the pointy end of the game.
To celebrate that heritage, along with the three World Superbike Championship wins, the team at Noale envisioned one special machine, of which only 10 units would be produced. As such, say hello to the very potent Aprilia RSV4 X.
Now finally making deliveries to the 10 worthy souls who purchased the €40,000 machine, we get to see what a hand-built 222hp (165 kW) 1,078cc V4 engine can do in a 364 lbs (165 kg) dry weight chassis.
In a few minutes, I will be getting back on a plane to the United States, after having spent some time with the folks at Energica in Modena, Italy. There is a lot to say about this electric motorcycle company from Italy, so keep an eye out for those stories, but I wanted to whet your appetites with this machine, the Energica Ego Corsa.
The racing version of the company’s electric superbike, the Energica Ego Corsa is the consumer model to what the Grand Prix paddock will be racing in the new MotoE World Cup, which will see 18 riders from 11 teams battling it out in sprint races at 5 venues on the MotoGP calendar.
With some big names on the bikes (Sete Gibernau, Randy de Puniet, Bradley Smith, and more) the spec-series should have some close and hard-fought races. I think the electric series is going to surprise some race fans, and start making some petrol heads into EV freaks…but that is a different story.