Why can’t they put that 850cc engine into the V7 line? I like the V7’s styling a lot better.

Ergos aside. That engine is gorgeous. It looks like a two cylinder radial engine. Honda did it with the cx500 but that motor never looked as good as a Guzzi motor.

Aprilia has a few bad points, but it is a great bike to ride. My ETV came with a broken water pump that is located inside of the engine case. I would need to crack the case to fix it. So, I just added a small exturnal electrical water pump to the system right before the radiator. I just love my ETV, it has saved me…

I’ve always wondered why they do the triple lights. It makes it a bit...weird looking. Maybe that’s just a personal preference thing.

From afar, those wheels kind of cast a wire wheel silhouette...except easier to clean and can run tubeless tires (without having to be expensive tubeless compatible spokies).

Every time I see one of these, it reminds me of my old Honda CX500

You’re never supposed to see a Ducati Superbike like this, either:

Same thing can be said of any $25k KTM or BMW ADV bike. But if it makes any difference, my Panigale has gone down in the dirt and on the asphalt. My repairs involved one screw and one lever. If an 1199 can be laid on its side with almost no damage, I’m guessing the Multi should fare much better than most would…

Came here to say this. Ducati was a brilliant acquisition by VAG and fits right in with the character of many of their other brands. I know I’m in the minority, but I’m rooting for VAG. I can’t help it. To me, they’re the most interesting car manufacturer by far. And considering the news starting to creep out…

Ducati’s on the verge of being the lowkey savior for VAG. I’m ready to just throw money at them; longtime motorcycle-haters are ready to throw money at them.

I’ll buy it. Love BMW motorbikes, but I’m just learning now, don’t want something as bland as the Honda and don’t fancy the unreliability of the Duke.

Ditto. BMW would be smart to never introduce this here in the U.S. As much as I love small bikes, and enjoy the recent bounty of 250-400cc options in a marketplace long starved of those choices, the fact is a “baby BMW” makes no sense here.

And that’s a rather difficult needle to thread for BMW, since everything else they’re doing is all based on the premise that we should pay premium prices for their products due to superior German engineering. Like most rules of thumb, equating country or origin to quality is a shortcut that leaves you open to error -…

I can’t see this being good enough in the engine department. Surely they could have found, sourced or cheaply made a small parallel or V-twin to get the bike out of the basement because they wandered into the proverbial knife fight in a phone booth market. There are cheaper bikes that are pretty and faster as well as…

This is an interesting development, but I agree with the author that the advantage held by the KTM 390 will be difficult to overcome. Likely, the people buying these will be aspirational riders, people that want to say they ride a BMW, much like the current 3 series BMW’s.

all of the pros you listed? The speed triple does them better. more midrange grunt, more top end, and as a bonus a useable bottom end. Big engines have always been better for the street, with the downside that they require more experience to operate safely.

I have a current gen speedy with the triumph bar end mirrors, and they definitely have great visibility. A refreshing change coming from the usual view on sport bike mirrors.