Ducati kicked off the Milan show by finally unveiling its new Diavel, a bike that promises to kick Harley’s V-Rod where it hurts. A performance cruiser with the emphasis firmly on performance the Daivel (devil in the Italian dialect used in Bologna) makes a claimed 162 hp thanks to the same 1198cc engine as used in the Multistrada and comes loaded with traction control, three power altering fuel maps and a gigantic 240-section rear tyre that has been specially developed for the bike by Pirelli. Weighing just 455 pounds it should also handle and stop (unlike a Harley) thanks to fully adjustable suspension and Brembo radial brakes. Also new from the guys in red is souped-up Monster. Called the EVO, it’s basically a Monster 1100 with new pipes, traction control and a more powerful 100 hp engine.
Staying in Italy there was good and bad news from Aprilia. We will start with the bad. The RS125 is dead. Two-stroke nuts and young racers will raise a glass of pre-mix to the passing of a legend, a bike that kick started the careers of many greats including former MotoGP champ Casey Stoner. Replacing it is the new liquid cooled four-stroke, 4 valve single, RS4. As well as looking almost identical to the RSV4 superbike, the new 125 isn’t called a 125, it’s called an RS4, with the 4 relating to the number of valves rather than the engine’s configuration. That’s marketing for you! Apart from the funky look it’s a pretty much bog standard 125 learner legal bike. Onto cheerier things and we have the debut of the new Tuono V4 R, a completely mental naked bike. Using the RSV4’s V4 engine and chassis the Tuono kicks out a shocking 162 hp, which is obviously exactly what you want on a naked bike! Other than closer spacing in the first three gears (is the front ever going to be on the ground?) the Tuono follows the path set by its predecessor and is essentially a stripped down superbike. Interestingly the naked bike comes with optional traction control, launch control and anti-wheelie (are they having a laugh?) in the shape of Aprilia’s APRC performance package while the costs have been kept down by using Sachs suspension rather than Ohlins. With a claimed weight of 393 pounds, the Tuono could be taking the whole performance naked bike thing a bit too far, but what else would you expect from Aprilia…
Fresh from the clutches of Harley, and after stinging them for a load of money, MV now has a new model. Almost. The F3 triple is still shrouded in mystery but MV did confirm it is a 675cc triple with ride-by-wire and a chassis that incorporates the same steel tubular and aluminium plate technology as the F4 with Marzocchi forks and a Sachs shock. No word on power but a release date of 2012 was confirmed. But at the end of the day the most of the viewers didn’t really care, the bike looks stunning and the girl who was sat on it all day was knockout gorgeous!
KTM has tried to inject some life into its RC8R by unveiling an updated version for 2011. You have to feel a bit sorry for KTM, they spent ages developing the RC8 then Ducati and Aprilia moved the goal posts and now it’s all about electronics. If it’s good old fashioned electronic free performance you are after the RC8R comes with a new crank shaft, revised flywheel and modified ignition that has upped the power to 175 hp with 127Nm of torque. Too little, too late.
More of an update than a new model, Triumph has dipped into its own accessories catalogue to create the Daytona 675R. The R is basically a stock Daytona with Ohlins NIX30 forks and a TTX36 shock uprating the suspension and Brembo monoblock calipers giving the brakes more bite. Other than a quickshifter and a few bits of carbon bodywork the bike is identical to the stocker.