Italian electric motorcycle company CRP unveiled the new Energica in a live streaming presentation last week, but the electric sportbike has now made its “real life” public debut, appearing at the 2012 EICMA Show in Milan.

The CRP Energica is the first production motorcycle to be produced in Italy, and it carries some impressive specs. CRP claims an output of 134 hp out of the Energica’s permanent magnet AC motor. That’s not close to being as powerful as the Lightning Motorcycle’s upcoming which claims 167 hp, but significantly higher than the Brammo Empulse R‘s claim of 54 hp.

CRP also claims a range of 93.2 miles from its 11.7 kWh battery. Other features include LED lightning, Brembo monobloc calipers, Marchesini wheels, a fully-adjustable Marzocchi fork and a fully-adjustable Sachs monoshock. Continue Reading »

Ducati is streamlining its Hypermotard lineup for 2013, replacing its air-cooled  796 and 1100 models with a new 821cc liquid-cooled Hypermotard. Announced at the 2012 EICMA Show in Milan, Italy, the line now includes the Hypermotard, the Hypermotard SP and the more touring-oriented Hyperstrada which you can read about in a separate post.

Bowing to ever tightening environmentally-friendly restrictions, the new generation of Hypermotards come equipped with a new 821cc version of Ducati’s Testastretta V-Twin engine. The Hypermotard has three ride modes: Sport, Touring and Urban. According to Ducati, the the Sport mode offers an output of 108hp at 9250rpm. The Touring mode also claims 110hp though its power curve is better attuned for longer distance travel. The Urban mode restricts power to 74 hp, also at 9250rpm. The Hypermotard also comes standard with the Ducati Safety Pack which includes ABS and traction control.

The rider triangle has been revised on the new Hypermotard, with the handlebars placed higher and further forward than on the previous generation models. The footpegs are also moved further ahead. Ducati claims the new riding posture offers a commanding riding position. Continue Reading »

Italian electric motorcycle manufacturer CRP unveiled a near-production prototype of its new Energica sportbike. Due to appear at next week’s EICMA show in Milan, the Energica will enter production in 2014 for the U.S. and European markets.

The first electric motorcycle to be entirely developed and produced in Italy, the Energica is the product of CRP’s experience in TTXGP racing. Racer Alessandro Branetti won the 2010 TTXGP European Championship on the Energica’s predecessor, the eCRP 1.2 and finished second in the World Championship that same year.

According to CRP, the Energica is equipped with an 11.7 kWh battery, a significant jump from the 7.4 kWh battery equipped on the eCRP 1.4, the latest iteration of the eCRP. By comparison, the battery on the Brammo Empulse has a capacity of 10.2 kWh while the Zero S has a maximum capacity of 9.0 kWh. Continue Reading »

UPDATE: Two new images have emerged.

A photograph of a production-read 2013 Triumph Daytona 675 has emerged, weeks before the revised three-cylinder sportbike’s expected introduction at the 2012 EICMA show in Milan, Italy.

The photograph popped up on the Triumph675.net forum, a member of the Motorcycle.com forum network. The picture shows a new subframe, revised bodywork and the absence of an undertail exhaust.

We’ve previously seen video of the updated D675 undergoing testing in 2011, revealing the new underslung exhaust. The Daytona also likely receives the same new frame and subframe as on the updated 2013 Triumph Street Triple recently revealed at Intermot. Triumph claims the new frame and subframe have fewer welds and weigh less than the previous components. Continue Reading »

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We expected more from Ducati at the 2012 Intermot show as the Italian manufacturer makes its first appearance at the Cologne show under its new German owners at Audi and the Volkswagen Group. Instead, Ducati chose to keep its juiciest reveals for its home market at EICMA in November while revealing a number of color updates to returning models at Intermot.

Ordinarily, we’d call this disappointing but one look at the 2013 Ducati 848 EVO Corse changed our minds. Yes, it’s just a color update to the red and white version unveiled last year, but the matte black and matte gray color of what Ducati calls its Test Team livery and red trellis frame really stands out. Look for more pictures of the Corse Edition and the base model after the jump. Continue Reading »

Honda Chief Executive Officer Takanobu Ito announced plans to produce a new super sports bike derived from its RC213V MotoGP race bike.

A V4 Honda sportsbike has long been rumored to be in development but it finally appears the project is getting the green light. Speaking about Honda’s plans for the next five years, Ito confirmed the sportbike is on its way, using technology from the company’s successful MotoGP program.

“Since its market introduction in 1987, the RC30 (VFR750R) super sports bike has been loved by a large number of fans,” says Ito. “With a goal to create a new history, passionate Honda engineers have gotten together and have begun development of a new super sports bike to which new technologies from MotoGP machines will be applied.” Continue Reading »

Those of you hoping for an updated Yamaha YZF-R6 will have to wait for at least another year, as Yamaha announced the 599cc sportbike is returning for 2013 unchanged except for new colors and graphics.

Yamaha last updated the R6 in 2008, equipping it with the company’s Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake (YCC-T) variable-length intake system. The lack of any significant updates to the 2013 R6 must be disappointing to Yamaha fans, especially as the color updates were announced the same day Kawasaki is expected to reveal a new 636cc ZX-6R.

The 2013 color options are Matte Gray and Rapid Red with Pearl White, both for $10,990, as well as a Team Yamaha Blue and White version for $11,190. Expect the 2013 Yamaha R6 to arrive in dealerships in October. Check after the jump for a full gallery of images. Continue Reading »

Yamaha announced new 2013 colors and graphics for its flagship sportbike, the YZF-R1. Beside the three color options, the 2013 Yamaha R1 returns unchanged, after getting a new seven-level traction control system in 2012.

The three color options for 2013 are Matte Gray, Rapid Red and Raven, and the Team Yamaha Blue and White.

Powering the R1 is the 998cc liquid-cooled engine with a crossplane crankshaft derived from Yamaha’s MotoGP program. Continue Reading »

BMW unveiled a new, more track-oriented sportbike based on its highly-successful S1000RR. The new BMW HP4 is an evolution of BMW’s HP2 series with the S1000RR’s inline-four engine.

Like the S1000RR, the HP4 claims 190 hp at 13,000 rpm and 83 ft-lb. at 9750 rpm. The HP4 however has been tuned to offer more torque from 6000 to 9750 rpm. Also like its predecessor, the HP4 will have four ride modes, Rain, Sport, Race and Slick. On the HP4 however, horsepower will have access to its full power in all four modes including Rain mode. The Rain mode has also been tuned for a smoother torque curve from 2500 to 8000 rpm.

The HP4 will be the first production model to come with dynamic damping control (DDC), BMW technology that adapts the suspension’s damping characteristics to road conditions. DDC uses information from sensors to electrically control the suspension’s regulation valves to optimize damping. Continue Reading »