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Something New From MV Agusta
There was a time when MV Agusta was one of the world’s premier motorcycle brands. Not only did they make fantastic and beautiful motorcycles for street use, but Agusta was also a potent force–and for a time, perhaps the potent force– in motorsports all across the world. Sadly, in recent years, Agusta has suffered a steep decline from those glory days. Not only has MV Agusta essentially disappeared from the racing world, the company has essentially produced only two models for the past decade: the F4 sportbike, and the Brutale naked streetfighter.
This appears to be changing.
Earlier this month, the first spy pictures of a brand newMV Agusta 675cc triple sportbike appeared on the UK motorcycle web site Visordown. Now, Visordown is reporting that they will be revealing a new MV Agusta superbike model in the next few weeks. This bike will not be an F4 model, but a completely new Superbike-class machine, that is also expected to lead MV Agusta back to participation in WSS or WSBK racing. Other than that, no one seems to have any idea about what this new superbike model will be. We don’t even know if it will be a new model that slots in above the F4 in Agusta’s line-up, or if it replaces the F4 as an entirely new model. All we know is that it’s on the way.
I’m not exactly sure what value MV Agusta brought to Harley-Davidson when the MoCo purchased agusta several months ago. But it appears that Harley brought MV Agusta the opportunity to expand their decade-old line-up.
Honda VFR1200F Interview
Honda UK’s test rider Dave Hancock has done some extensive riding of the new VFR1200F. He seems to like the new bike a lot. He’s positively glowing about it.
It sounds like a wonderful machine, doesn’t it? The thing is, while he’s talking about the bike in such glowing terms, I can’t help noticing that he’s wearing a red shirt. And it has a big ol’ white wing on the left breast. That says “Honda” right beneath it. So, I gotta wonder if he’s, you know, the most objective source of information.
I’m just saying.
The Mysterious V-4 and the Return of the UJM
Honda has been hinting about it. They’ve been dropping tantalizing videos about it. They’ve issued technical white papers on it. They’ve even had it out in semi-public places where the overly-inquisitive could take spy shots of its pre-production form. But today, Honda officially confirmed that the new 1200cc V-4, V-Tec motorcycle will be a part of the 2010 Honda Line-up, and will unveil it to the world at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show in three weeks. Named the VFR1200F, Honda says the new motorcycle is a dedicated sport-touring bike. We still can’t see it yet, because Honda is keeping the final appearance under wraps until the Tokyo unveiling, but I’m sure all the VFR fanatics–and are there any other kind of VFR riders?–are now thinking seriously about getting hold of one as soon as their finances allow.
2010(?) Honda CB1100
But that’s not all they confirmed today. Big Red will also be bringing the CB1100 to the Tokyo show as well. It harks back to the iconic UJM bikes of the 1970s, like the 750Four or the Kawasaki Z900. It even has the throwback chrome fenders.
Interestingly, it’s not water-cooled, but rather obviously an air/oil-cooled inline-4.
This is what motorcycles were like when I was a kid. Naked bikes, ready to accept whatever customization you wanted to provide.
The only down side is that Honda hasn’t specifically said that this is a 2010 production bike. Just that they will be unveiling it in Tokyo. But I suspect they wouldn’t unveil it for no other reason that to say, “Glad you liked it. We aren’t going to do anything with it.” I suspect this is, in fact, an upcoming model, especially since it looks almost exactly like the CB1100F concept bike they showed off two years ago.
Can Am Spyder RT First Ride
Motorcycle-USA has gotten hold of a brand new 2010 Can Am Spyder RT and taken it out for a spin. Not only that, but Adam Waheed has kindly furnished us with a ride report.
Like nearly everyone else who has ridden the Spyder, the big thing to get used to is cornering. Other than that, Waheed seems to like it. Especially the monstrous amount of cargo space than it offers for touring.
One of my favorite features on the Spyder RT is its sheer amount of cargo capacity. There are a total of five storage areas (hood, trunk, right/left side hard cases, and small cockpit glove box) that allow you to tote a tremendous amount of gear with you. Even better is the optional Spyder RT travel luggage (with roller wheels and handle) that neatly fits right into the compartment allowing for seamless luggage removal when you arrive at your destination. And for those who literally want to bring their kitchen sink with them, Can-am offers a pull-behind trailer with a whopping 164-gallon capacity. It’s so big that I could literally sleep in it! The trailer features independent coil-over suspension, aluminum wheels, carpet, interior lighting and separate front and rear lid access. Furthermore the trailer is set-up to work in conjunction with its VSS and can be color-matched to your Spyder.
And, of course, with an automatic tranny, electric windscreen, ABS brakes, and stereo, you’ve got about all the comfort features you could want, too.
2010 Can Am-Spyder RT, with optional trailer.
If the Spyder doesn’t have enough room to take along everything you need for a trip, then you just aren’t doing it right.
2010 MV Agusta Brutale Models
The new, redesigned, 2010 Brutale models have been announced by MV Agusta. And by redesigned, I mean redesigned. According to MV 85% of the components in the two models are new, including the frame, swingarm, and engines. The suspension has also been redesigned.
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- 2010 MV Agusta Brutale 990R
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- 2010 MV Agusta Brutale 1090R
The US retail price for the 99R will be $15,000, and the 1090R wil be $18,000.
2010 Ducati Hypermotard 796
Ducati has officially announced the availability of the new Ducati Hypermotard 796 for the US market for 2010. The b ike will have an air-cooled engine, and tip the scales at just 368 pounds. According to Ducati’s press release:
A brand new model for 2010, the Hypermotard 796 incorporates many new features requested by Ducatisti worldwide; striking color selections, lighter weight, lower price point, lower seat height, and the inclusion of a super-light action APTC clutch. Whether it’s dicing through the daily commute or attacking the open roads, the 796 perfectly balances Ducati’s unrivalled twin-cylinder power and sportbike heredity with the lightweight and minimalist Supermotard concept. The Hypermotard 796’s engine is a brand new powerplant; air-cooled with 2 valves per cylinder as per Ducati tradition. Rated at 81hp and 56 lb/ft of torque, the engine promises to deliver an exhilarating ride without compromising the smooth tractability found in Ducati’s other L-Twin engines.
Continued chassis development to the Hypermotard includes redesigned top and bottom fork clamps, and an improved frame layout which eliminates almost all of the forged elements used previously on the 1100. This adds up to an agile, lightweight, 368 pound package that is guaranteed to attack corners.
The bike’s official unveiling will take place in Milan in a few weeks, and it should start showing up in US showrooms–with a price tag under $10k–in December.
2010 Ducati Hypermotard 796
| <script language=”JavaScript” type=”text/javascript”> document.write(‘<a href=”http://clk.atdmt.com/UIM/go/159266308/direct/01/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://view.atdmt.com/UIM/view/159266308/direct/01/”/></a>’); </script><noscript><a href=”http://clk.atdmt.com/UIM/go/159266308/direct/01/” target=”_blank”><img border=”0″ src=”http://view.atdmt.com/UIM/view/159266308/direct/01/” /></a></noscript> |
Continued chassis development to the Hypermotard includes redesigned top and bottom fork clamps, and an improved frame layout which eliminates almost all of the forged elements used previously on the 1100. This adds up to an agile, lightweight, 368 pound package that is guaranteed to attack corners.
Ural Loses the Sidecar
Ural Motorcycles are known around the world for their 750cc, boxer-engined, sidecar-equipped adventure bikes. Now, they are going to give us an old-style, go anywhere, do anything motorcycle without a sidecar. Named the Ural ST, for Solo Tour, the new bike is supposed to be a lightweight (460lbs) capable all-rounder, much like the Nortons and BSAs I remember as a kid.
2010 Ural ST
Despite dropping the sidecar, it’s still pretty much the same Soviet copy of the 1930s BMW R71 that Commie spys ripped off from the Nazis just prior to WWII. That means its 70 year-old technology is drop-dead simple to maintain–not that you’ll need to worry much about that, since it’s a design that’s as reliable as hell.
It puts out 40HP and 38 lb-ft of torque, so it’s obviously no speed demon in modern terms. But, Wes Siler and Grant Ray, of the Hell for Leather motorcycle blog, got to take a ride on it, and they made a key observation, saying it has “a breadth of ability utterly absent from modern motorcycles….capable on gravel or dirt despite road-based tires.”
I suppose that younger readers may find this a bit hard to imagine, but right up into the 1970s, practically all motorcycles were like this. Apart from the big Harleys, which were more or less purpose-built for highway cruising, here simply wasn’t the level of niche specialization that you see in motorcycles today. There were no sportbikes, cruisers, power-cruisers, sport-tourers, etc. There were just…motorcycles.
If you wanted a dirt bike, you put knobby tires on your motorcycle. If you wanted a touring bike, you picked up a pair of leather saddlebags and threw them over the rear fender. If you wanted an adventure bike, you got knobby tires, and welded mounts to some surplus .50 caliber or .30 caliber ammo cans and bolted them to the frame for tough, waterproof saddlebags. Then you hit the road. Or the dirt. Whatever.
The Ural ST harks back to those simpler days, with some adjustments for modernity, like a Marzocchi fork, Brembo brakes…and EPA and CARB compliance (Yea, I said “CARB compliance, which means you can get it in California, too). And if you’re going to be in Seattle in the near future, why not give Ural’s office there a call. They may let you ride one and get your feedback for the production model.
Best of all, the list price is expected to be about $8,000.
New Honda V-4 Seen In the Wild
We’ve seen pre-production spy shots. We’ve had technical details released. Now, motoblog.it has captured what looks like a production version of the motorcycle tooling around in the wild. Click the thumbnails below to enlarge.
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- 2010 Honda V-4 Spy Shot 1
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- 2010 Honda V-4 Spy Shot 2
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- 2010 Honda V-4 Spy Shot 3
It looks nice, and has interesting tech. So, how much torque and horsepower? Inquiring minds want to know.
The front headlight still looks like a mutant frog, though.
Yamaha Announces 2010 Model Lineup
2010 Yamaha YZF-R1 Special Edition
Yamaha has announced the remainder of their 2010 motorcycle lineup, and all the models for 2010 are now up on their web site. There are several changes for the new model year, of course, although few big ones.
One of the biggest changes appears to be the elimination of the clutchless FJR1300AE version of their flagship sports tourer. Beyond that, both the R1 and R6 get bold new graphics packages. The R1 also has a Special Edition graphics package that replicates the graphics on Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP R1. Other than that, the R1 remains unchanged.
The R6, on the other hand, gets a host of changes to replace the power loss that environmental controls imposed on the 2009 models. Included in the changes for the R6 are “optimized the intake funnels and airbox”, changing the diameter of the exhaust pipe, a 100mm longer muffler, and new ECU mapping to put back low and mid-range power.
2010 Star Stratoliner Deluxe.
Yamaha has also introduced a new flagship “casual full dress touring” bike, the Stratoliner Deluxe. the new Deluxe sports a streamlined bat-wing fairing and matching bags. The fairing also has speakers and iPod connectivity. This new bike gives Yamaha a direct competitor to the Harley-Davidson Street Glide and Victory Cross Country. The Deluxe uses the same 1854cc V-Twin engine and chassis as the base-model Stratoliner.
I’ve always felt the styling on the Star Cruisers–the Venture excepted–were attractive and the Stratoliner Deluxe adds yet another attractive cruiser to the Star line-up.
More information about the 2010 Line-up can be found at Motorcycle USA.
New 2010 Hondas
Honda has announced four motorcycles–two of them completely new for the US market–for the 2010 model year. The other two are the 2010 updates for the Fireblade and CBR600. But it’s the new bikes that should grab some attention.
2010 Honda Shadow Phantom.
First up is the Shadow Phantom. Just as the Fury gives Honda a factory chopper, the new Phantom is a factory “dark custom” bobber. Powered by a 754cc V-Twin with Honda’s new sophisticated Programmed Fuel Injection under the hood, the exterior is all old-school, down to the black wire wheels, and fat front tire.
Most of the engine and body work is blacked out, leaving some chrome on the forks, pipes and rear brackets for a nice accent. I’ve always thought the Honda air cleaner looked like a chrome tumor on their bikes, but this blacked out version is far more acceptable.
I’m not generally a big fan of Honda cruisers, but this new dark custom is not a bad-looking bike at all. I guess with Harley-Davidson making a mint on the whole dark custom look, Honda decided to get in on the act, too. They’ve done a great job with this bike in doing it.
Oh, I guess I’d quibble a bit about doing it on a 750cc bike instead of one of the big twins, but other than that, I give this one a thumbs up.
2010 Honda NT700V
The next bike is another sub-1000cc bike aimed for the commuter and light-tourer. The NT700V is the little brother of the big ST1300 touring bike. Everything on the NT700V is cut down in size from it’s big brother..but it still has the tip-over wings that the ST guys love so much.
Unlike the ST, the NT has an interesting feature to its saddlebags: There’s a pass-through space between them, which allows you to put some fairly large items inside the luggage area. That’s kind of a neat idea.
This is not, by the way, actually a new motorcycle, it’s just new to the US market. European riders have had access to the NT for a decade now, but Honda has decided to bring the bike to this side of the pond.
It’s powered by a 680cc V-Twin, so it might be a little anemic for two-up riding, but it would probably make a great light tourer for a single rider. And, coming in at just under$ 10k for the base model, the price is pretty good, too. ABS brakes are available for another grand.
2010 Honda CBR1000RR
The remaining two bikes are updates of Honda’s CBR-series sportbikes. New for 2010 is a black and orange paint scheme for the Fireblade. It’s also got the Honda Electronic Steering Damper that increases damping as speed and acceleration increases. It’s also available with Honda’s racing ABS braking system as well.
The CBR100RR is a top-flight sport-bike, and Honda is carrying on the Fireblade’s venerable tradition in the 2010 model year.
2010 Honda CBR600RR
The CBR600RR also gets a bit of a facelift for 2010, with some of the Fireblade’s color schemes also available for the 600cc model.
Like the CBR1000RR, the 600 also has an available option for Honda’s racing ABS system.
The pricing and availability for the two CBR models has not yet been announced by Honda.
2010 Ducati Multistrada 1098
Over the past month or so, some spy shots of the 2010 Ducati Multistrada, equipped with a 140HP version of the 1098 engine, have been popping up. The trouble is that all of the bike’s body panels have been covered with electrical tape and wrapped with padding or something, so you can’t really see what the bike looks like. Since that’s the case, I’ve refrained from mentioning it.
Until now.
2010 Ducati Multistrada 1098 - Now with luggage!
Because this spy shot, taken out of someone’s car window in Italy, shows a little something extra. Ducati is apparently offering saddlebags and a touring trunk with the new Multistrada. Yes, the rest of the bike is still covered up with tape and whatnot, but the luggage appears to be shown in all its glory.
The Multistrada isn’t truly an adventure bike competitor with the BMW R1200GS, but with this luggage, it’s just jumped into the “very nice and versatile sport-tourer” category.
New 2010 Suzukis
We’ve gotten the first look at two new Suzuki’s for 2010, both of which are new entry-level bikes that take their styling cues from the big boys.
2010 Suzuki GSX-R125
First up is an entry-level Gixxer, the 15-horsepower GSX-R125. The chassis is steel, rather than aluminum, but it does have the LCD instruments of the big Gixxers.
2010 Suzuki GSR-250
Next is the baby B-King, the Suzuki GSR-250. This 30-horsepower naked sports a water-cooled, DOHC-injected, parallel-twin engine. Like the big B-King, it also has the big LCD gauges, and under-seat storage.
Expect Suzuki to show these bikes off at the motor shows this fall, with sales starting at the first part of 2010.
2010 Can-Am Spyder RT
It was a test ride of the original, pre-production Can-Am Spyder that got me back into motorcycling a few years ago, after a long hiatus. So, it’s nice to see Can-Am isn’t just standing still when it comes to updating the trike. Indeed, for 2010, they’ve taken a big step forward.
2010 Can-Am Spyder RT
In addition to the Roadster, and the semi-automatic-trannied SE5, Can-Am has an all-new RT touring model for 2010. The Spyder RT has, in addition to the big trunk up front, a touring trunk with passenger backrest and full saddlebags in the rear, as well. They’ve also completely revamped the lighting, making this tadpole trike almost impossible to miss, with 4 headlights, running lights, etc.
It also has an optional trailer package–color-matched–with 22 ft3 of storage.
That’s a lot of storage.
The RT will come in three versions: a silver base model with a manual transmission, And Audio & Convenience version in silver or blue, with your choice of transmissions, or the RT-S, shown here, which has all the goodies, and a special paint job and styling.
With all the extra gear, Can-Am has also re-tuned the engine to offer more torque and a bit less horsepower, with the Rotax 991cc V-twin putting out 80 lb-ft. @ 5500 RPM, and 100 hp @ 7500 RPM.
No price has been mentioned yet, but we’ll probably learn that at the formal rollout in Quebec on 9-10 September.
Motorcycle-USA has more details.
2010 Roehr 1250sc First Ride
Motorcycle USA has posted the results of Executive Editor Steve Atlas’ first ride of the new Roehr 1250sc sportbike. I’ve written about the Roehr’s technical specs and general background before, but this is the first time I’ve seen an independent write-up of it.
MCUSA has a lot to say about the bike, some of it good:
[I]n the world of B-roads and canyon passes the Roehr is right at home. It works reasonably well at the track but without a doubt, the power and the unorthodox way in which it’s produced, is more suited for street riding…
This type of power delivery is exactly what is needed to make it a fun and entertaining sportbike on the street. And while Walter [Roehr] himself can tell me how great that engine is and the potential it has until he’s blue in the face, it’s hard to get your head around it until you actually ride the thing. And after riding it on the roads, there’s no question the supercharged V-Twin philosophy works very well.
Some of it bad:
It handles very similar to the 1198 though it simply doesn’t have the gearing to keep pace with its Italian counterpart. Initial power is on par but it runs-out quickly as we were often hitting the rev-limiter while finding that happy medium between getting a good drive and battling to keep traction from the stock Diablo Corsa tires…The problem is that the engine hits redline before ten-grand so there’s not much margin for error when connecting corners on the track because it builds quickly.
Although it seems like a handful on the track, the ergos seem built for track days.
Seating position and ergonomics feel very much like a Tamburini-era Ducati. The reach to the bars is a bit stretched out, the tank is long and skinny, the riding position is aggressive and the cockpit itself is reminiscent of the Italian Twins.
To be fair, this isn’t a bike designed for the track. So, despite the sportbike looks and ergonomics, it’s really a street bike, and from what the write-up indicates, it’s not really designed for the track. Obviously it can be done, as the reviewer did here, but the Roehr apparently isn’t really at home there, as the reviewer repeatedly assures us.
So, if it wasn’t designed for the track, why the tortuous Italian ergonomics? Who wants to ride on the street stretched out over the gas tank? And if it’s not designed for the track, then why have the fully-adjustable–and expensive–Öhlins setup?
Reading over the review, it seems like this bike is neither fish nor fowl. It’s got all this race-spec stuff jammed on a bike that has a power-cruiser engine with a redline at 9500 RPM. It has massive–nearly 100lb-ft–street-usable torque, but you’re forced to tuck like Valentino Rossi just to take a spin to the corner store.
Then there’s the price. At $42,000, it’s not going to be a high volume selling item. For about half the price, you could get a Ducati that will smoke it like a cheap cigar.
So who’s going to buy it? And why? I mean, it has a great engine for a sport-tourer, but not a sportbike. It’s got great sport-bike/track ergonomics, but not a very suitable powerplant. From what I can tell, riding it on the street will quickly get tiring and uncomfortable, and when it hits the track, a 193HP CBR will eat it for lunch. It may be exactly the bike Mr. Roehr wants to ride, but I don’t see it as a good competitor with either street or sport bikes at it’s price, so I have to wonder, who else besides him wants to ride it?
It seems like an interesting bike, but, at the end of the day, it also seems like the answer to a question that no one asked.
Thankfully, it’s well engineered and the ‘scary hit of power’ commonly associated with other forced-induction-powered bikes just doesn’t exist on the Roehr. But, that’s not to say it isn’t fast. In fact, it’s quite the contrary. Power comes on from low rpm smoothly and gets the American-made 1250 moving with some serious steam. As one can see from the dyno chart it makes 167.5-hp at the rear wheel, which is nothing to scoff at on any level.
2010 Honda Gold Wing
Honda has announced their 2010 line-up of the Gold Wing model. And for this exciting new year’s models, Honda has sent its top engineers back to the drawing board with this motorcycle, in order to come up with a number of big changes to the colors in which it is available. And why would they do anything else? As honda puts it, “How do you improve on perfection?”
How, indeed.
This year, The Gold Wing is available in four colors instead of five: Basic Black, Gunmetal Gray, Dried-Blood Red, and International Safety yellow.
As an added feature, now that the Marysville, OH plant has been shut down they’re guaranteed to be manufactured in Japan.
This is a very exciting time for Honda, I guess.
Anyway, you can see the new lineup here, if you’re interested.