#naked

In its first year of existence, KTM’s 1290 Super Duke R doubled down by winning both our 2014 Bike of the Year award and Best Streetfighter/Hooligan trophy. Now, the Super Duke R has become the choice machine for Best Streetfighter/Hooligan bike among MO readers – a triumvirate of accolades!

After years of manufacturers serving the high end of the motorcycle market, we’re happy to acknowledge the OEMs for finally devoting engineering resources to the entry-level sporty-bike crowd. Honda’s CBR250R upped the class ante a few years ago, forcing Kawasaki to upgrade its Ninja 250 into a Ninja 300, which then begat the CBR300R and its CB300F naked/standard stablemate.

In his First Impression and First Ride reviews of the MV Agusta Brutale 800 Dragster RR, our European Correspondent, Tor Sagen, lays out the nuts and bolts of the Dragster RR. Similar to the Brutale 800 RR I rode as part of MV Agusta USA’s recent media meet-n-greet, the Dragster benefits from the same engine mods (larger throttle bodies, revised airbox, dual injectors per cylinder, EFI tweaks, etc.) and electronic upgrades. This includes the MVICS 2.0 engine management system with modified traction-control settings and a quickshifter good for both up- and down-shifts.

The first products of BMW‘s collaboration with India’s TVS Motors are well into development, with spy photographers capturing images of a new small-displacement motorcycle undergoing testing.

Whether we admit it or not, most of us crave the familiar. SYM? Never heard of it. How could it be any good? In fact, Sanyang Industries has been cranking out vehicles since the ’50s in Taiwan. After inking a deal with Honda in 1962 to begin assembling motorcycles, it started stamping out Civics in 1977. In 2002, it split from Honda and partnered up with Hyundai, who also makes pretty nice automobiles these days. Sanyang also has a deal with King Long, which builds Chinese buses (and whose name can’t be beat), as well as a deal with Mahindra in India.

We took delivery of our KTM Super Duke R on March 26, 2014, and fought like rabbits for quite some time over whose garage it would reside in until its scheduled return. EiC Duke won, but being the benevolent despot he is, the wealth trickled down and around until the beautiful beast fell into my possession a few months ago. I haven’t complained about having it underfoot. As a matter of fact, the Super Duke might be the finest do-it-all motorcycle it’s ever been my pleasure to possess, living up to its award as MO’s Motorcycle of the Year.

For this holiday edition of our weekly Church feature, we turn to 2006, and a motorcycle many surely wanted Santa to bring them: the Ducati Monster S4Rs. By this point, Ducati had figured out that plucking the engine from their full-fledged superbikes and stuffing them into the Monster chassis was a recipe for success, and the S4Rs was no different. Though the 999 may not have been the 916 successor Ducati were hoping for, its engine was nonetheless a wickedly exciting thing, and its use in Monster trim would be no less thrilling. How thrilling? Once again, here’s Yossef Schvetz to tell you. And once you’re done reading the story, be sure to check out the photo gallery for more images.  

For a motorcycle built to suit the needs of American riders, it’s a shame the Kawasaki Z 750S, the topic of this week’s Church of MO, failed to resonate with American consumers. By all objective measures it was competent machine for someone looking for the modern day Universal Japanese Motorcycle. Maybe it was lost in the shadows of its bigger sibling, the Z1000. Here, we travel back to 2005, and the Z 750S press introduction. Our very own Gabe Ets-Hokin got to burn some miles with the naked bike, where he had this to say. Also, don’t forget to check out the three-page Z 750S photo gallery for more pictures.

For this week’s Church feature, we check back in with our pal Yossef Schvetz. The year is 2005 and his travels find him somewhere in Italy, pondering the ideal motorcycle for this particular adventure. A 450 Supermoto would be an ideal mount for the twisty pass he’s occupying, but the drone to get to this magical area would be torture. The remedy, he reckons, is Ducati’s Monster S2R. An interesting choice considering there are faster, more brutish Monsters in Ducati’s lineup. Well, Yossef has a reason behind his particular mount. Let’s have him take it from here. For more pictures, be sure to check out the original story’s photo gallery.

If there’s one thing you can count on in the world of motorcycledom, it’s that MV Agustas will always be beautiful. Case in point: the Brutale. In this case, the 750cc inline-Four Brutale S, designed by none other than the great Massimo Tamburini. In this week’s Church of MO feature we go back to 2004, and Sean Alexander’s impressions of the stunningly beautiful 750 Brutale. Sean was still at his fighting weight back then, AMA racing and all, which makes his thoughts about the MV all the more interesting. Does beauty translate into a winning street and track naked? Read on to find out. Also, be sure to check out the five-page photo gallery for a lot more pictures.

Kawasaki revealed a new Z300, a naked version of the Ninja 300 sportbike. Based on the Z250 previously released in Asian markets but upgraded to the larger 296cc parallel-Twin engine, the Z300 will be offered in European countries.

For more information about Energica products visit www.energicasuperbike.com

One of our favorite naked sportbikes is getting a larger engine and more power as Piaggio pulled the wraps off the new 2015 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100. Piaggio will actually produce two versions, the standard Tuono V4 1100 RR and the upgraded Tuono V4 1100 Factory.

After a brief hiatus, for 2015 BMW is bringing back the sporty F800R. Unveiled today at EICMA 2014, BMW is hoping the F800R appeals to both new and experienced riders alike. 

Last week we posted a First Impressions ride review of MV’s hottest Dragster model, the new RR version. Today, our Euro correspondent, Tor Sagen, delivers a full review of the Dragster 800 RR.