Harley-Davidson to work their magic on Cagiva

Will the Cagiva Elefant and Raptor models return in full force now that Harley-Davidson has turned their eyes on them? Most likely, yes. With financial support from the American icon combined with Italian heritage, these models are rumored not only to be revived, but to be powered by engines developed by Harley-Davidson in collaboration with BRP Rotax.

After acquiring MV Agusta and Cagiva, HD tries to make its debut in the world of all-around motorcycles, but there are also plans for scooters

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Ducati Monster developing into Desmosedici RR

Realizing that the $72,500 asking price for the Ducati Desmosedici RR excludes him from the start, a French Ducati fan took matters into his own hands and turned his Monster SR4 into what appears to be a bulkier Desmosedici RR, but without the astonishingly high retail price. The passionate builder also took its time and photographed the bike during the different stages of development and this is how we got the pleasure to share these with you.

Although technically it remains as the Monster’s L-Twin was preferred over a 200 bhp V4 Desmosedici RR engine, the fiberglass fairing and gas tank, the windscreen and headlights as well as the fake underseat exhaust are all testimony of passionate work and detailed craftsmanship.

I reckon that copying isn’t the solution and that he could have gone for something original, but otherwise the guy wouldn’t have ridden a DesmoMonster and, apparently, that’s what he wished the most.

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Gurney Aligator Instigator: not the usual thing

Following the OCC model (only that without the fights), Dan Gurney and his son Justin have created an all-new Aligator Instigator model. This baby is an aggressive piece of machinery built around a 2032cc S&S V-Twin engine, the biggest and most powerful one used at Aligator Motorcycles, but by the way they’re evolving, we reckon that not the last one.

Properly exploiting the engine’s capabilities is the six-speed gearbox and a custom-built exhaust system, but the piece that definitely required a great amount of work is the chrome-moly 4030 tubing. The latest Aligator rides on Dymag forged alloy wheels which are linked to the frame by an USD fork and an aluminum swingarm together with Penske monoshock. The brakes were provided by Beringer and the instrumentation by Motec.

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No more AMA Road Racing for Honda

This weekend, Honda announced to drop all factory support of AMA road racing as a result of a culmination of facts: "current global economic situation and its impact on Honda" (the official variant), the Suzuki supremacy in the AMA Road Racing with Mat Mladin and Ben Spies as pilots and the ongoing conflict with Daytona Motorsports Group, the new management for AMA Pro Racing.

Until the radical solution was made, the only Honda factory rider contracted for next year’s season was Neil Hodgson.

Press release after the jump

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Motorvue’s interpretation of the 2010 Ducati Hyperstrada

Motorvue has proposed their interpretation of Ducati’s future enduro motorcycle, the Hyperstrada which is expected to hit production as a 2010 model year.

The model has already been announced by the Italian house at various dealers and it is expected to be a fierce competitor for the BMW R 1200 GS. The present year’s Ducati Multistrada will most likely evolve into a radical new motorcycle with a futuristic look inspired on the recently launched 1198, but we’re sure there’s more of it yet to come.

Chances are that we’ll be seeing an official pre-production version of this bike by the end of 2009.

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Three Beijing policeman made happy by Harley-Davidson

Apparently, Harley-Davidson goes for the Chinese market. No, not the public one as I’m sure they’ve conquered it for a long time now, but the police departments market (if we can even call it that way).

AP News

Two Beijing traffic police officers ride motorcycles donated by Harley-Davidson Motor Company near the Tiananmen Tower in Beijing, China, Monday, Dec. 8, 2008. Chinese media reported Tuesday that Harley-Davidson Motor Company donated three Harley police bikes to Beijing’s Dongcheng District traffic police branch for traffic police patrols near the Tiananmen Square. (AP Photo/Color China Photo)

We know that at a certain time in the American Motor Company’s history, heavy motorcycle production destined for police departments meant the difference between bankruptcy and success.

The way I see it, their strategy is to open an appetite for Harleys in an area where they haven’t had much success and so go through the financial crisis by making use of the same old artifice.

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1995 Ferrari motorcycle searching for owner

Arlen Ness, before ending up designing Victory motorcycles for Polaris Industries, designed a Ferrari motorcycle inspiring on their famous Maranello model. It seems that the bike is the only one to have received an official Ferarri chassis number (SF-01M) as it apparently met the Italian car builder’s demands. The two-wheeled Ferarri is, of-course, a sportbike with great references not only thanks to its name, but also due to the 900cc DOHC motor developing 105 horsepower at 8,800 rpm.

Although the headlight is almost identical to what you would find on a 1995 Suzuki GSX-R750, the bike features Testarossa styling cues on the sides, the four-cylinder engine looks like handmade and the Ferrari Red makes it definitely stand out. But how radical, sophisticated or unique can a motorcycle be or look like so that someone would pay as muck as $300K for it these days. It seems that we will have to wait until the 20th to find out as that is when the auction for this bike ends.

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Honda Fury finally gets tested…and spied

Honda has been preparing a whole new custom motorcycle for quite some time now and it seems that they have reached the testing faze. The best proof is this spy shot – originally presented by Solo Moto – presenting the Honda Fury undergoing final testing in Arizona, USA.

As seen in the picture, Honda tries a totally new approach towards the cruiser market, setting the new motorcycle apart from what we originally gotten used to. The first thing that strikes you is the design. With custom wheels, a very low seat and smooth fuel tank and rear fender, the new Honda model makes us very curious about its every single unique feature.

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Suzuki GSX-R Barbie Edition

We’ve recently “admired” every girl’s idea of a BMW R 1200 GS and it included a lot of pink. Well guess what? Things don’t change a bit in the case of this Suzuki GSX-R K4. Even more, we know that this is no photoshop modified picture as it shows the bike in action on the track as ridden probably by a Barbie girl.

No reasons to get upset guys! Everybody does whatever they want with their bikes.

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Aprlia Mana X concept

Having recently gone a little over its hand with the all-new Mana 850 – a typical European naked bike that features CVT shiftless transmission, an electronic ride-by-wire system with multiple throttle maps as well as a helmet storage place instead of what appears to be the gas tank – Aprilia finds new ways of recovering Piaggio’s investment.

The first result takes the form of the Mana X concept which was recently presented at the EICMA show in Milan. So while the original Mana 850 is a dedicated commuter, its X derivation can be easily confused with a supermoto bike or even a dual-sport one as it is radically changed, mostly in what concerns the apparel because the same basic chassis underpins the X.

Get a look at that extremely low and spacious seat, at those thick tires covering the spoked wheels as well as at the waved rotors. Should I even mention the headlights or you’re already hooked? I thought so.

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