The Ducati Hypermotard is a great bike, but boths its 796 and 1,100 air-cooled twins run out of revs too early for seriously enthusiastic riding. This spy photo, though, shows what’s clearly a liquid-cooled motor in the Hyper chassis. Il Ducatisti suggests its the Testastretta 11 from the Ducati Streetfighter 848.
MCN has captured spy pictures of the new KTM 1290 Super Duke testing in its home country. According to the model plans that leaked last year, the bike will adopt the new 1290cc v-twin that’s also destined for the new, road-biased KTM 1290 Adventure. Power is expected to grow from the 123bhp of the current 990 to something around 150bhp, while the new bike will clearly carry over the compact dimensions and aggressive riding position. The 1290 Super Duke is expected to debut late this year (EICMA) as a 2013 model and will be imported to America.
MCN has snagged photos of an undisguised 2013 Triumph Trophy 1200. Sharing its 1,215cc triple with the new Tiger Explorer, the new touring bike will be equipped with ride-by-wire, switchable engine maps, traction control and ABS as standard. In the ADV bike, that engine develops 135bhp. MCN reports that the Trophy will be officially launched at the Cologne Motorcycle Show in October; Germans have an odd obsession with British motorcycles, possibly linked to their strong predilection for sexual humiliation and losing all those wars.
They fixed the tail! One of legendary auto spy photographer Brenda Priddy’s minions managed to snap a couple photos of the Brammo Empulse R as it appears to be undergoing a commercial shoot. The photos, available on AutoMedia, reveal a bike that’s predictably similar to the concept version from two years ago, just here with the tiniest of tiny tail pieces, upright flat bars, a bellypan, and yes Virginia, pillion pegs. The Empulse R is expected to be the first electric motorcycle capable of exceeding both 100mph and 100 miles in range. :continue:
Spotted nearly undisguised while undergoing validation tests in Germany, InfoMotori brings us the best photo yet of the upcoming KTM Adventure 1290. So far, so expected. Trellis frame, a larger v-twin for more power, the saddle-style fuel tank appears to remain (as the more rearwards of the two body work pieces extending down from the “tank” area), 21-inch front wheel, etc. Much-needed upgrades comes in the form of a new headlight incorporating LEDs across its lower half and radial brake calipers. There’s also a 690 Duke-style aluminum swingarm with exposed webbing. Sexy. But how does this bike fit into KTM’s upcoming product plan? :continue:
Like the sound of the 135bhp, 1,215cc triple in the Triumph Tiger Explorer, but don’t want to sit up high? Well then, this new 2013 Triumph Trophy 1200 might just be the bike for you. Like the 2013 Triumph Street Triple, the Trophy was spied undergoing pre-production validation testing in Spain by Motociclismo.es. Where that Tiger Explorer is a cheaper, more powerful, more technologically advanced rival to the R1200Gs, this Trophy is is all those things to the R1200RT. :continue:
Motociclismo.es snagged these images of the 2013 Triumph Street Triple undergoing final validation testing in Spain. Like previous spy shots of the bike, these clearly show a new, low-mount exhaust, slimmer tail section and new swingarm. The rest of the bike appears unaltered. :continue:
These images have leaked from a private presentation of the new Moto Guzzi California 1400 at the same dealer conference that the concept model leaked at last year. The first images of the all-new, production-spec cruiser, what do they reveal? Well, a bike that looks shockingly similar to the concept. Same tank, same seat, same “big block” v-twin. But, the finned wheels of the concept have given way to traditional spokes and, are those remote-reservoir shocks on a cruiser?!
Update: clearer, larger, more pics from the WildGuzzi forum reveal details. :continue:
Leaked on Twitter and Facebook earlier today by a handful of close followers of the Ducati MotoGP circus, these are the first-ever photos of The Doctor’s GP12. Apparently snapped during pre-season testing at Sepang, what do they show us? Well, the aluminum beam frame appears identical to that of Karel Abraham’s bike. Yes, the Ducati Desmosedici GP12 will be ditching the controversial carbon monocoque.
Update: Now it looks like the Rossi-livery bike is the one being used by satellite teams, while the black one seen here is the actual GP12. The swingarm pivot plates are slightly different. Bunch of new images in the gallery.
InfoMotori has grabbed the first images of an undisguised 2013 Triumph Street Triple. Changes? Well the frame, motor, suspension and controversially attractive headlights all appear to remain unaltered while big changes come to the exhaust, swingarm and tail. That pretty much addresses what scant criticism we were able to conjure up on the 2012 Triumph Street Triple R. :continue:
