In case you missed it, the huge annual motorbike commerce present, EICMA, has been taking place all week. We’ve lined extra EICMA information this yr than we normally do—however because the present attracts to an in depth, we’ve noticed a number of extra titbits that we didn’t get round to.
Under, you’ll discover information on the brand new Ducati Panigale V4 SP2 30° Anniversario 916, MV Agusta LXP Orioli, the Honda NX500, and Royal Enfield’s electrical Himalayan prototype. And in the event you’re lacking your weekly dose of customs, relaxation assured—Velocity Learn will return subsequent week.
Ducati Panigale V4 SP2 30° Anniversario 916 Restricted editions are all the fashion proper now, and Ducati desperately desires in on the motion. So that they’ve unwrapped the Panigale V4 SP2 30° Anniversario 916—a 500-unit limited-edition Panigale V4 that pays homage to the enduring Ducati 916.
Designed by Massimo Tamburini, the Ducati 916 was a giant deal when it hit the scene in 1994, and later etched its title in historical past as one of many Italian firm’s most vital bikes. And though Ducati has made vital progress within the final 30 years, bits of the 916’s DNA are nonetheless seen of their trendy bikes.
The Panigale V4 SP2 30° Anniversario 916 celebrates the Ducati 916’s upcoming birthday with a particular livery and a sprinkling of wallet-emptying elements. The paint job will get its inspiration from the 916 that Carl Fogarty gained the Superbike World Championship on in 1999. The largely purple scheme is punctuated by splashes of white on the entrance fender, nostril, and tail part, with some delicate tri-color striping within the combine.
‘916’ and ‘Ducati Corse’ logos adorn the edges of the fairing, as an alternative of the sponsor logos that Foggy’s bike wore. A ‘1’ on the nostril pays tribute to Foggy’s title, although we’re unsure we’d be courageous sufficient to cruise the streets (or take to the monitor) with a superbike that makes such a daring declare. A gold 916 emblem with laurels sits atop the gasoline tank, whereas a laser-engraved billet aluminum prime yoke bears every bike’s quantity.
The thirtieth anniversary Panigale additionally wears a brushed aluminum gasoline tank, which, though in a roundabout way influenced by the 916, does look rad.
This limited-edition superbike is kitted with greater than only a fancy livery although—it additionally swaps its wings, entrance fender, and wheels for lighter, sexier carbon fiber elements. It has carbon fiber cooling ducts on the entrance brakes, an STM EVO dry clutch with a carbon fiber cowl, and adjustable billet aluminum foot pegs.
The Panigale V4’s quick-shifter will be configured to function like a standard street bike or like a race bike, and there’s a built-in knowledge acquisition system too.
It comes with its certificates, cowl, and a monitor package with a bunch of blank-off elements that allow you to take away all the things you wouldn’t need on the monitor. In line with that theme, the Panigale V4 SP2 30° Anniversario 916 solely has one seat.
Specs-wise, the Panigale V4 SP2 30° Anniversario 916 matches the Panigale V4S. So which means it makes 215.5 hp, with Brembo Stylema entrance brakes, and adjustable Öhlins suspension. If that seems like your cup of tea, get your orders in fast; Ducati is barely making 500 of those. [Ducati]
MV Agusta LXP Orioli MV Agusta teased us a few years in the past with the Fortunate Explorer 9.5 idea—an journey bike that mimicked the legendary Dakar-winning Fortunate Strike-sponsored Cagiva Elefant. Now they’ve revealed the model of it that’ll go to market, with a number of reasonably massive caveats.
Renamed the MV Agusta LXP Orioli, the bike has emerged as a high-end limited-edition mannequin. Or, as MV Agusta places it, “the world’s first luxurious all-terrain motorbike.” LXP presumably stands for Fortunate eXPlorer, whereas the Orioli bit refers to Edi Orioli, the Italian motorbike racer who gained the Dakar Rally 4 instances (twice aboard the Cagiva Elefant).
Restricted to 500 items, the MV Agusta LXP Orioli makes use of the corporate’s new 931 cc triple-cylinder liquid-cooled mill. Weighing in at 57 kilos [126 lbs], the engine delivers 124 hp at 10,000 rpm and 102 Nm of torque at 7,000 rpm, with 85% of the torque obtainable from 3,000 rpm. It makes use of a double overhead camshaft design with DLC-coated cams, a counter-rotating crankshaft, and a hydraulic clutch.
The chassis makes use of an alloy perimeter body design, with a detachable subframe and an aluminum swingarm. Adjustable Sachs suspension presents 210 mm of journey at every finish, and the bike rolls on burly 21F/18R Excel rims with aggressive Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross AX41 tires. Brembo brakes deal with stopping duties, with two of the model’s tasty Stylema calipers up entrance.
The seat peak is adjustable between 850 mm and 870 mm, floor clearance sits at 230 mm, and the LXP Orioli has a wheelbase of 1,610 mm. In line with MV Agusta, the rider triangle has been designed to supply a stability between long-distance consolation and off-road management, and the bodywork and windscreen have been designed to create a ‘calm zone’ across the rider and pillion.
The bike comes kitted with all of the tech stuff that’s turn into de facto on massive journey bikes. There’s LED lighting throughout, a giant TFT display screen within the cockpit, ABS and traction management with a six-axis IMU, a number of rider modes, adjustable engine braking, anti-rear wheel elevate, cruise management, a keyless ignition, smartphone connectivity, a GPS-enabled anti-theft system, and cruise management.
As a restricted version mannequin, the LXP Orioli additionally comes with a variety of further bits and items. You get crash bars, an aluminum bash plate, auxiliary LED lights, and MV Agusta-branded aluminum panniers. You additionally get a full titanium Termignoni exhaust system, but it surely doesn’t come pre-fitted. As an alternative, it’s shipped in a particular field that resembles the crates that gear is transported in in the course of the Dakar Rally.
The field additionally features a bike cowl and a certificates of authenticity. And as a bonus, Edi Orioli will even signal your LXP Orioli.
Visually, the LXP Orioli is fairly trustworthy to the Fortunate Explorer idea that we’ve already seen, save for some minor tweaks. It’s a beautiful sufficient machine, even when the graphics solely barely remind us of that iconic Fortunate Strike livery.
MV Agusta will begin transport the LXP Orioli from the top of the primary quarter of subsequent yr. There’s no phrase but on what it’ll price, however we’re guessing you’ll want deep pockets to ebook one. There’s additionally no phrase but on whether or not or not MV Agusta plans to launch a ‘common’ model of the LXP afterward, but it surely’s most likely secure to imagine that they are going to. [MV Agusta]
Honda NX500 Honda’s large announcement at EICMA this yr was their new E-clutch. It’s an digital clutch triggered by the shifter pedal that eliminates the necessity to use the clutch lever, and it’ll be obtainable from 2024 on a choose couple of fashions.
Additionally they confirmed off some delicate mannequin updates—most notably, the favored and reasonably priced Honda CB500X journey bike. No, the CB500X doesn’t get Honda’s new E-clutch, but it surely does get a brand new look, a brand new title, and some key modifications.
It’s now known as the Honda NX500—a throwback to the nomenclature of the legendary NX650 Dominator. We’re ambivalent in regards to the title, however we’re glad to see that Honda has up to date the bike’s styling.
The CB500X was visually bland, bearing an in depth resemblance to the corporate’s commuter-friendly NX750X. The brand new NX500 has the identical angular, utilitarian look—however the redesigned entrance fairing and tail part, and the up to date coloration choices, have made it much more palatable.
There are not any modifications to the NX500’s body or its agreeable 471 cc parallel-twin engine, but it surely does sport up to date tech. Honda has tweaked its fueling for higher low-rpm acceleration and extra even energy supply throughout the vary, they usually’ve added a rear wheel traction administration system. There’s additionally LED lighting and a brand new TFT show within the cockpit.
Honda has additionally swapped out the NX500’s wheels for brand new, lighter-weight gadgets, and tweaked its suspension to carry out higher. New accent packs can be found to package the bike out for long-distance, off-road-focused, or commuting wants.
It’s not a significant replace, but it surely’s a welcomed one. We beloved the CB500X for its user-friendly stability of worth and efficiency, but it surely simply didn’t fairly hit the mark for us general. We’d fortunately park an NX500 within the storage for day by day commutes and weekend shenanigans. [Source: Honda]
Royal Enfield electrical Himalayan prototype The up to date Royal Enfield Himalayan broke cowl this week, sporting the corporate’s first-ever liquid-cooled engine. However that’s not the one venture that the Indian marque’s been engaged on. That is Royal Enfield’s electrical Himalayan prototype—and if it seems to be a little bit cobbled collectively, that’s as a result of it’s very a lot a piece in progress.
Royal Enfield has lofty objectives for his or her first electrical journey bike. The place most electrical producers are targeted on city mobility, Royal Enfield has set their sights squarely on sustainable journey using. They purpose to construct an electrical motorbike that may discover the Himalayas—a area that the corporate calls their non secular residence—with out negatively impacting the atmosphere or using expertise.
In line with Royal Enfield’s press launch, the mission was much less about seeing “what number of batteries could possibly be squeezed into a motorbike,” and extra about bettering the journey using expertise “by permitting the rider to take heed to the soundtrack of the Himalayas.”
The bike follows the identical basic design because the petrol-powered Himalayan, however with myriad variations that gear it in direction of electrical energy. The proprietary battery field acts as a central structural factor, and the bodywork incorporates extra sustainable supplies like natural flax fiber-reinforced composites.
Royal Enfield’s growth workforce has been testing and refining the bike as they go—placing it by way of its paces within the Himalayas, and in a wind tunnel.
You’d assume that charging stations are a uncommon sight within the Himalayas… however you’d be improper. The native authorities is within the strategy of rolling out EV charging stations, with a view to electrifying journey journey within the area. So though an electrical Himalayan journey experience may not be viable proper now, it is going to be sooner or later. [Royal Enfield]
