MForce Bike Holdings, the official distributor of SYM motorcycles here in Malaysia, has unveiled their special 2020 SYM VF3i Limited Edition 185cc ‘super moped’. Why special? Well, it has the biggest capacity in its class, enhanced with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), and limited to only 5,000 units for production. (more…)
Perhaps it’s an understatement to say that many are awaiting the appearance of the production Aprilia RS660 since its launch two years ago at EICMA.
But to be more specific, many enthusiasts are eagerly hoping that the middleweight sportbike will be affordable, compared to the fully-loaded RSV4. That’s before mentioning that the RS660 looks beautiful and purposeful.
We’ve been following its development progress since then, first seeing it being tested on the track but there’s been no further news since then.
Lately however, the bike was spotted undergoing road testing on the road. The test mule wore complete bodywork, sans paint and markings. But more importantly, it wasn’t equipped with data logging equipment. According to Visordown, this meant that the bike was being tested in final production form.
Also noteworthy is the Honda CBR650R next to it. Now, we’re not sure if the two riders knew each other, but they did, it meant that Aprilia was testing the bike against a rival in the same category. Honda claims that the CBR650R’s inline-Four engine produces a healthy 70 kW (approximately 94 hp) and 64 Nm of torque. On the other hand, Aprilia says that they are aiming for the RS660’s parallel-Twin to pump out “more than 100 hp.”
We shall see what happens next from the manufacturer from Noale.
Source: Visordown
While the motorcycling world was closely watching the launch of the Ducati Streetfighter V4 and Kawasaki Z H2, the MV Agusta Rush 1000 was akin to a bomb dropped on all of them.
It started out as just a styling exercise for the Italian firm. However, they decided to turn it into production – albeit a limited run.
The bike will feature both MotoGP and Formula 1 technology, including a 1000cc, inline-Four engine with radial valve arrangement (they are set all around the head, rather than pairing them in different locations). This boosts engine power to 208 hp. Not enough for you? Then you should purchase the Rush Racing Kit to bump it up to 212 hp.
The kit also includes a titanium exhaust system, a carbon fibre passenger seat cover and obviously, a remapped engine ECU. The use of carbon fibre parts drops the wet weight from 186 kg to 184 kg.
The MV Agusta Rush 1000 is already equipped with 8-level traction control, launch control, anti-wheelie electronics, electronic Öhlins suspension and Brembo Stylema front brake calipers. The manufacturer claims a top speed of “over 300 km/h.”
Customers in the UK and Europe are set to receive their orders beginning June 2020. Only 300 will be made.
The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R garnered lots of positive response since its introduction at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show.
We can’t see why not: a screaming 250cc, DOHC, 16-valve, inline-Four engine, upside down forks, quickshifter, etc. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a 250cc inline-Four, so the bike would most probably still get plenty of interest just for the engine without everything else.
But Kawasaki Indonesia is taking it a few steps further, by creating a track weapon out of the bike.
First off, the bodywork’s replaced with an all-carbon fibre set by A-Tech Japan. Look closer and you’ll see that the frame and subframe are carbon too! The body is then given the “mesh” graphic, first seen on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP bike. The tail definitely looks similar to the Ninja ZX-6R and Ninja ZX-10R.
The metallic orange coloured footpegs are hard to miss, too.
But we think there’s still more to come, as they have not touched the suspension, brakes, ECU, engine and exhaust system. It’ll also be interesting to see what they would do to the bike’s rider aid electronics and such.
Will we see this kind of effort in Malaysia when the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R makes it here? You betcha!
While many are still awaiting to take delivery of the 2020 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade (besides being kept indoors by lockdowns in various countries), the manufacturer has issued a recall campaign in Europe.
The campaign affects some 300 bikes. Honda says that it’s a precautionary measure to fix what could be potential conrod (piston connecting rod) failure. The defect may be due to metallurgical defect.
The number makes up about 10% of the bikes allocated to the continent. Other countries are thus far unaffected. It leads us to believe that the conrod supplier made a bad batch.
In any case, we’ll keep you updated in case those of other markets are involved.
On another note, it’ll be interesting to see how this new CBR1000RR-R will do in the market, especially given its price. Such price point was last seen with other Honda World Superbike homologation specials such as the VFR750R RC30, RVF750 RC45, VTR1000SP RC51. All these bikes were either built entirely or in part by the maker’s racing arm – HRC (Honda Racing Corporation).
Lastly, a recall campaign issued by a manufacturer ought to be seen in positive light, despite being as sensational as it seems. It’s better for manufacturers to discover problems early and notify consumers as soon as they can.
Therefore, recall and service campaigns are a commonplace these days.
More photos of the new Benelli 600 and 1200 have been leaked online.
But that’s not all. It seems that the 600 will be equipped with the latest electronics that’ve so far graced premium motorcycles. The photos below show a new colour TFT screen, besides a keyless go ignition system. Another photo shows backlit switchgear, although you can already find this feature in another Chinese bike.
Another photo shows the factory floor filled with the new 600cc bike, which is based on the current TnT600i. The different here is the underbelly silencer as opposed to the current underseat design. The bikes are look ready and are awaiting their bodywork.
There’s also a picture of the Benelli BJ1200J police bike, which resembles the BMW R 1250 RT. The Qianjiang Group (owners of Benelli) are hoping to compete with CFMoto and their CF1250J to equip China’s police force.
Benelli has a 1209cc three-cylinder engine based on the previous 1130cc three-cylinder which powered the TreK, Tornado and TnT1130. It produces 134 hp, compared to CFMoto’s 140 hp V-Twin which was based on the KTM 1279cc LC8.
It has to be said that Chinese motorcycle manufacturers are coming into the premium segment. Yes, there are still manufacturers who produce cheap knockoffs, but the premium makers are starting to become like Huawei who’s challenging the likes of Samsung and Apple.
