As the year winds down, it’s time to reflect on a year of new releases and exclusive snap shots on of new and upcoming motorcycles. Here’s the stories of 2019 that you have read the most.
KTM’s 1290 Super Duke R caught testing ahead of 2020 release!
We got a first look at a production-ready prototype of KTM’s new 1290 Super Duke R, after it was caught on camera during testing in the Alps.
At first glance, it didn’t appear that much was changing for the 2020 model – but looking a little closer, KTM has made a handful of serious tweaks to help make the next generation 1290 Super Duke R better than ever before.
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And that’s a big ask as the current model’s made a name for itself thanks to its punchy 1301cc, 174hp V-twin engine and exceptional all-round handling.
First things first, look at that trellis frame. Undeniably KTM in its styling, it’s a significantly different setup when compared to the outgoing 2019 model. Not quite as exposed and slightly less industrial in appearance, KTM could have shed some weight from its hyper-naked machine, or it could just be a styling exercise. Check out the full story of our mega gallery!
Ducati 2020 Panigale V2 caught in secret test
We caught a revised and face-lifted Ducati Panigale 959 which shares it’s brakes, front forks, subframe, face and seat with the hot-to-trot Panigale V4 R track-weapon-sibling.
Factor on the bike making around 170bhp when it appears officially at the end of this year. The Panigale V4 face that’s grafted onto the 959 will undoubtedly grab buyer’s attention and with that much power on tap, it’s a more usable and friendly motorcycle for the road than the 234bhp (with race pipe fitted) V4 option.
Our spy shots have the 959 with a smart single-sided swingarm (not a feature on the 899 or the 959 originally but it was a feature on the bigger 1199, 1299 and Panigale R).
So this is the bike that’s a bit more powerful than what is currently available – could possibly have a bit more engine size to it than the 955cc of the current bike and will kick out more than the 2019 bike’s 157bhp. What do you reckon to this?
2020 Triumph Tiger snapped while testing
Back in August, whilst our spy snappers were out getting shots of the 765 Daytona and the Thruxton R Black – they also grabbed this motorcycle too, and it was a doozy. This is the heavily updated Triumph Tiger 1000.
The radiator’s split, allowing the more streamlined bike’s downtubes to exit the engine in a more compact way, the bike is getting upgrades to its suspension (they look like Ohlins units), there’s a much bigger TFT screen that’s likely to be touch-sensitive, the end can stays in the same place but the bike gets a new subframe (no more trellis) and the bodywork has been trimmed down and pulled back towards the rider’s knees.
There’s a new sump guard which has been seriously beefed up and the Brembo calipers look to be upgraded too. The bike’s swingarm has come in for some work and looks quite different to what’s on the current 800.
At the back, the pillion seat looks to be a touch smaller than on the current bike and the 2020 model’s rear lights and entire back-end bodywork has been sharpened up and slimmed down also. Full spy shot here.
First ‘noise’ cameras from the cops trialing on real roads and just one catches hundreds on it’s first Sunday ‘live’
This summer we first brought you the news that the UK is to undergo trails of the so-called ‘acoustic cameras’ in the UK – new tech where microphone-enables roadside tech can pinpoint vehicles with loud exhausts. Now the same technology has gone on live trial in France.
Sited in the Yvelines region near Paris, specifically on the 17-corner rider’s road in Saint-Forget (take note of this specific detail if you’re out that way this summer) the units have been given the snazzy name of ‘Medusa’ according to the newspaper Le Parisien.
So far, so Orwellian, but here’s the rub. It’s reported that on Sunday the multi-microphoned unit on this particularly nice bit of road indicated 450 “peaks of noise”. What that means in terms of how loud the vehicles were, nobody is saying right now.
But the fact that this number has been made public is clearly a push to persuade the public at large that this emerging tech is the way to go in terms of solving the perceived ‘noisy vehicles’ menace. Catch the full story here.
The return of the Honda Deauville for 2020! According to the French, it’s up to 998cc and it’s on its way…
We showed you this first a couple of weeks ago, but in case you missed this article – well, we figured you’d appreciate seeing it again. After all, it’s a really good bit of gossip going on at the moment, weeks after it first broke…
The fellas over at Moto Station in France have filed the story and they say that TWO separate sources have confirmed to them that a new version of the venerable Deauville is on the way from Honda.
MS says that the new bike is using the current 998cc twin-cylinder motor from the firm’s Africa Twin DCT – so the new bike will only be available without a clutch – and it’ll have a Cardan shaft drive.
There’s detail in the information that the French title has from its sources too; the bike’s seat will be less than 800mm tall, it’ll make around 95bhp and it’ll weigh 260kg in road-ready trim. The new Deauville (it’s worth mentioning that there’s no confirmation that the bike WILL be called this, it’s what the French are calling it right now) will also get huge panniers as standard that will be able to hold a full-face helmet.
And electrically-adjustable screen, top-flight electrics and a price tag of around £13,500 are on the cards also.
How feasible is this bike, in reality? Well, we’ve heard for some time that Honda was going to use the current 998cc twin motor from the Africa Twin in something else – the Africa Twin is going up in engine size for next year – and it makes some sense for the factory to pitch a motorcycle between the market that’s interested in something like the Africa and something like, say, a Yamaha FJR. Click here to catch the FULL story.
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