Ducati New Monster 1200 S

I think the only miss step with this bike is the name. using “Monster” was bound to elicit strong reactions. however (comma) if they used the name “Dragster” or “Monster Drag” it would be perceived differently. swap in the old swinger and seat section and the uninitiated wouldn’t know a ’14 from a ’13.For all you guys saying this bike is anything but gorgeous… get your eyes checked! What a stunner… my question is how this bike can live next to a the Streetfighter – or did Ducati discontinue it and I’m not paying attention? If they have both bikes in the lineup they seem to be very similar.And the only thing that makes it look like a Diavel is the frame (somewhat) and the rear fender thing. Otherwise, not even close.I like it. Gimmee! Beautiful. The dash sounds very interesting . Looking forward to seeing close up pis of it or in person.
Again, just ignore all the negative, critical, angry sounding commenters who just seem to relish criticism of almost anything shown here.
Wow. Just enjoy all the new and different things coming from the manufacturers.
Hopefully, the industry is recovering quickly and we will all benefit from the new products and technology. We are blessed to be here today with so many high quality motorcycles. Had to go look up the actual wb and it is 59.5 which is about IDEAL for a monster with this engine. L twins need a little more wb the more power they have.
Monsters are great blur-bikes and as long as it is red I do not can’t see too much when riding them- scarcely notice the telephone poles .
OK, I am not going to call it “ugly” like so many do about some recent motorcycle styling. But, this thing is kinda weird, with too many different styling cues on too compact a package. The Ducati Monster concept started with attractive simplicity, but has gradually become more, ah, comprehensive.
This latest version has crossed SOME kind of line. Well, well, there’s been a paradigm change at Ducati. Higher/closer bars and a comfortable flat seat on a Monster? What took them so long? That’s exactly what I’ve done with my 1976 Monster750 in order to make it fit an average rider! Hopefully the new version has better more-compliant suspension than mine and can be ridden for rather longer.
Why doesn’t this new Monster have that ubiquitous license plate/taillights extender thingie seen on so many other naked sportbikes such as the FZ-09 and Street Triple? If Ducati doesn’t have to have that, why do the others?
Otherwise, as gorgeous as this thing is, I think I’d still have to go with the Tuono V4R or, especially, that crazy new KTM Super Dukaholic. With the naked BMW R1000RR also coming along shortly, wooo, these look to be wild times for the naked sportbike enthusiast.

MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800

VLJ, I’ve ridden the Daytona 675 a number of times and now this F3. Both nice machines, but the MV has a lot more tuned intake/exhaust sound (that I love to hear), it spins up much faster (appropriate for a sport bike, I think) and it has styling that looks good from every angle (character is appearance also). The bike comes off a lot edgier than the Triumph, which some will praise and others will fault, but I love it. It reminds me of the Ducati 748R I owned for several years – a racebike for the street. MV keeps adding new and improved bikes. Great job! The new dash looks fine! Try to ignore all these super critical commenters. They must be miserable to be so angry and critical of almost anything posted here. This is such a great time of the year. Lots of new and exciting new bikes! Enjoy the show. We live in such a great time.The “only 36 MV dealers in the US” comment is valid, but as the owner of a first-year F3 I can say the bike has been reliable so far and has so much more character (in a good way) than any Japanese bike or even the Triumph triples. I’m not so enthralled, however, with the styling – too “adventure bike” for my tastes and inseam (34″ seat height!).What is thing but a Weestrom in fancy duds? Set them side by side, they have the same lines and the same function.It’s funny how when the Italians copy the Japanese, they make the bike look alot better and jump the price. When the Japanese mimic the Europeans, they make the bike look a whole heck of alot uglier, but lower the price.And this rule almost never varies. It’s like a law of nature. Must be cultural differences between the two societies on how they view and value copying and mimicking.This is a “Watershed” moment, for me at least. This is exactly what I’ve been asking for low these many years. Upright Ergos, Very Capable SportBike handling & weight, all in a package with decent touring accuterments; wind protection & hard bags.The closest thing was the BMW F800 GT, but I wouldn’t spend that kind of $$$ on a buzzy twin. The next was the KTM SM-T but it had the tallish suspension, which I don’t need/want.I think its a beautiful sexy Italian designed bike but its also got all the limitations that being an Aprilia has, namely; snatchy EFI, questionable long-term reliability and limited dealer network.So I’m still waiting for Yamaha FJR 09 or the Triumph 800 cc motor to get the Daytona Treatment and then be assembled into this format, or a Speed Triple with the wind protection and bags and better seat . Yes, I love triples. Have you ridden one?There would simply be no comparing this to the 600-700 lb tourers, even those with 150+ HP because you’ve got 200+ lbs of bike to drag around.I hope its a sales success and that the other manufacturers follow suit. I hope this is the dawn of a brand new sector of bikes; The lightweight, midsized, upright ergo’d tourer with long distance serious sport riding as the target.OK, looks totally righteous, but… It’s 43 degrees out and raining. It will be raining all day. I need to ride 600 miles that day, then ride another 500 the next, and another 700 the day after that, then back home on the last day, a 300 mile jaunt. I do not like wearing sox or underwear on successive days. I will need to see someone at a nice restaurant on day 2 and will need to have a decent shirt, slacks and shoes ready to wear, possibly a sport coat. I’ll be spending at least half my time on big slabs, on cruise control, and where I can I’ll be riding rather less sedately on secondary roads, but I have a schedule to keep. Now, will the MV be able to cover this? I’m not so sure. Until it can, it’s better designated a SST rather than GT. My 2008 K1200gt (sofa strapped to surplus shuttle booster) does GT quite well. Not so sure I’d dump it for the MV.

KTM RC390

What’s the performance difference between this machine and the already existent duke?
How’s that the duke did not already finish the Ninja 300 reign if no more performance (which was already good to the duke if I’m not wrong) and probably the price of the racier version it’s higher.. And yes, this one has beak… and asymmetrical lights… (they are not the same, seems like one is for closer and one for farther lightning..) On other news, you keep pushing refresh on this page all day right? (just like me) Looks like the Kawasaki Ninja 300 is going to have a very short reign!

Ducati 899 Panigale

Despite not appearing that much smaller on paper, the 899 Panigale is considerably smaller when seated in the saddle compared to the outgoing 848. The reach to the handlebars isn’t nearly a stretch and the rider triangle is more neutral akin to that of a modern Japanese sportbike. It’s still plenty narrow due to its L-Twin engine configuration and doesn’t feel any heavier than the superbike version in spite of its modest weight increase.Having never ridden on rain tires or at Imola for that matter, we set off on the 899 in Wet mode. This electronically limits engine power and also modifies throttle response making it less sensitive when twisted. By default it also selects a wheel spin restrictive traction control setting, and more invasive anti-lock braking program. However each setting can be tuned via a switch on the left handlebar, but the motorcycle must be stopped to do so. Curiously, the menu system isn’t nearly as slick as the 1199’s and require some time and button fumbling to understand its controls. We’ve never been big fans of Ducati’s traction control, on dry tracks anyways, but in the rain its functionality was impeccable. It allowed for immediate bike control in foreign conditions without having to worry if the rear end was going to come around during acceleration. Of course, a very large sum of credit goes to Pirelli’s fantastic wet weather tires with their deep and abundant tread grooves, but the traction control setting in wet mode (DTC 7) gave us just the confidence to fully lean on it, pinning the throttle off corners.The 899 shares the forward portion of the Panigale’s monocoque-style aluminum frame in which the front and rear suspension are linked via the engine cases, though the 899’s steering head angle is 0.5-degree sharper (24 degrees) with 4mm less trail. At the rear it employs a conventional-looking double-sided swingarm fabricated from aluminum opposed to a single-sided piece. This was done to save cost and to distinguish it from the premium Ducati superbike. Wheelbase is listed at 56.14 in. (0.16 in. shorter than the 848 EVO). Other differences include the use of a steel subframe and the presence of Showa’s latest big piston fork design, contrary to the Marzocchi or Ohlins units used on the 1199 standard and S model. The wheels and tires are also different with 899 using less costly aluminum wheels shod with Pirelli’s Diablo Rosso Corsa sport rubber in sizes 120/70-17 front and 180/60-17 at the rear.
Like the standard 1199 the 899’s gas-charged shock is sourced from Sachs, but operates within a non-adjustable and street-riding friendly progressive-rate link. The fuel tank still gives 4.5-gallons of capacity but is made from steel instead of the 1199’s plastic fuel cell and the front braking calipers are Brembo’s lower-spec M4 calipers. It is important to note however that the M4’s are still machined from a solid piece of aluminum making them of higher quality than the two-piece calipers that the original generation 848 used. Lastly the 899 gets a slightly thicker rider seat and a more basic-looking, one-color instrument display. Although the 899 is approximately 10 pounds less than the machine it replaces it’s also around 11 pounds more than the standard 1199 at a claimed 426 pounds with fuel, ready to ride.

Suzuki Hayabusa

The FZ09 is ugly, the Busa I'd call borderline queer, style-wise...but it's something of the Ferrari of motorcycles in the sense that you see one and you know it's fast. It undoubtedly gets respect among the sportbike crowd, at least and it's not a bad touring bike either. Hard to put an exact simile here, most Ferraris are not as bad-looking for a car as the Busa is for a bike but in no way would I call it a Lotus or Jaguar of motorcyling. But I can think of no car equivalent of borderline-ugly styling, slow handling and outright speed...the ZX-14 is similar, but with better handling and not quite so outrageous styling. And a scraped-up sportbike is kind of par for the course, but a scraped-up Busa is just sad. Sign of a rider clearly in over their head, on a bike that doesn't deserve to be abused & neglected like that." just install different handle bars, footrest and a seat to make the bike more comfortable and controllable, then see how much enjoyment you can get from riding rather than complaining" absolutely it would be a better all-around bike (that can still do 175+ and 10sec quarters) but it's never going to handle like a literbike or even a 14R. That's the yin and yang of it. It's like comparing a Barracuda with modern disc brakes to your average Japanese coupe with a 200hp turbo 4-cylinder engine. The Busa can accelerate and stop with the best of them, you can manhandle it through the turns like a big cat but it just will not, cannot turn with the lighter, smaller bikes. Of course often you don't need it to, but still you'd better keep that in mind before you need it to do that just to stay on the road. Cause it ain't gonna happen.178 hp is pretty passe these days" yeah I've heard this complaint now and then. The kind of logic that has a team kicking a field goal from the 2 yard line when down by 5 with 2 minutes left in the game. Yep, 170hp from the stock engine with 80ft-lb of torque available over 90% of the RPM band, that's "passe" all right. It'll "passe" right by you on your CBR as it struggles to get up to 12k. Oh wait: your bike weighs 100lbs less. So what? It's still slower. Yet you are right in one sense that a bike that can do 10sec quarters is not a whole lot faster than an 11 or 12sec bike w hen it comes down to it, same with 150mph or even 130mph at the top end. And you're right there are a LOT of bikes like that. Heck you might as well just buy a Ninja 300. PS you can change the bars & pegs along with the gearing, the ECU, the exhaust, etc. Its seem like every sport bike has the same complaint (people feel too bunched up on them) now, you are offer a sport touring bike that provides the the ability to stretch out and people complains about it? Why not, instead of installing power adder, just install different handle bars, footrest and a seat to make the bike more comfortable and controllable, then see how much enjoyment you can get from riding rather than complaining. AT 6' 2" 230 it fits me great and I use it for sport touring.The new brakes and ABS are nice but the bike just needs higher bars to really find its own niche going forward. It's just too slow-handling to really be considered a "sportbike", and the bars are way too far forward and low for it to really be a "sport-tourer". Suzuki just needs to bite the bullet, copy the pullback bars on the 14R and market the Busa as a Super-VFR750. What the FJ1200 should be. The current bars just don't make sense unless you seriously intend to buy that bike and ride it 100mph+ on the street. But I like the mirrors. Like 'em more if they weren't so wide end to end. The stability is nice on most roads and the engine delivers nice, smooth linear power in abundance without the big midrange kick of the 14R which is a bit too much. Overall a nice bike with a bit too much emphasis on going 185mph on straight roads. I can't imagine riding that bike over 80mph on the average two-lane as the handling is just so slow, and the bars sheesh I might be able to ride it for an hour once or twice a day even then I'd have to lay on the tank half the time.