Round-Up - EICMA Releases

Hi,

So as I'm sure you've all seen, lots of dealers have been releasing their bikes new for 2016 and they were all on show for the first time at EICMA in Milan. Here is a round-up, with some pictures, of some of the new releases from BMW, Ducati, KTM and more.
Unfortunately, I haven't got pictures of everything but I'm sure if you search for some, there will be plenty around by the end of the week!

KTM: 
KTM have released a new 1290 Super Duke GT and have also updated their Duke 690 and 690R

1290 Super Duke GT

Ducati:
959 Panigale, XDiavel, Hyperstrada 939, Multistrada 1200 Enduro, Scrambler sixty2, Scrambler Flat Track Pro

Scrambler Flat Track Pro

Multistrada 1200 Enduro

959 Panigale

Scrambler sixty2

BMW:
R nine T Scrambler, R nine R, G310 R

R nineT Scrambler

G310 R in white

and the G310 R in blue

Suzuki:
SV650, GSX-1000R, GSX-RR

The SV is heading back towards it's old shape

Yamaha:
MT-10, MT-03, XSR700, XSR900

XSR700, based on the MT-07

XSR900, based on the MT-09 in Yamaha's 60th anniversary colours

R1-M

Kawasaki:
Ninja 300, ZX6-R, ZX10-R Winter, ER-6n, ER-6f, J125, Sugomi Edition Z1000/Z800

Triumph:
Thruxton, Thruxton R, Street Twin, T120, T120 Black, Tiger Explorer XC/XR, Speed Triple R/S

Thruxton R with a custom kit fitted

The new Speed Triple

Honda:
Africa Twin, CB650, CB500F, CB4, CBSix50

The long awaited Africa Twin

Concept adventure-styled scooter

Other notable ones that look to be nice looking bikes include the Aprillia RSV4 RFW Misano, the MV Augusta Brutale 800, the MV Dragster 800 RR LH and the Moto Guzzi V7 Scrambler.

Will post up again as soon as I can but until then, ride safe
TFB

MotoGP - The Final Round, Valencia 2015

Hi guys,

Hope you are all well! As I'm sure many of you know, it is the final round of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship this Sunday at Valencia and there are only 7 points between the top 2 in the championship standings so I thought I'd make a bit of a post about that.

Following the explosive race from Sepang, tensions are almost definitely at an all time high in the MotoGP paddocks this week and with Valentino Rossi only 7 points ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and starting from the back of the grid due to the penalty points he received as a result of the Sepang Clash, it's sure to be a battle right down to the last corner!

The usual Thursday press conference has been cancelled following all riders and teams being called into a meeting by the Permanent Bureau. Part of me believes it was a tactful arranging of the meeting so that no repeats of last week's press conference with accusations being thrown about can occur.

I don't think any of the boys can be discounted from this with the tight nature of the track meaning that the raw power of the bike is not going to be a dominating factor, giving the Open Class riders such as Jack Miller and Nicky Hayden a chance to get involved in some battles as well as racing for competitive finishes.

So, I think we all know this is going to be a highly competitive race with lots of action and for an idea of who is going to win the championship, these are the permutations of where Rossi would need to finish in relation to Lorenzo for him to take that elusive 10th World Title:

Lorenzo 1st -> Rossi 2nd
Lorenzo 2nd -> Rossi 3rd
Lorenzo 3rd -> Rossi 6th
Lorenzo 4th -> Rossi 9th
Lorenzo 5th -> Rossi 11th
Lorenzo 6th -> Rossi 12th
Lorenzo 7th -> Rossi 13th
Lorenzo 8th -> Rossi 14th
Lorenzo 9th -> Rossi 15th

With the free practice sessions starting tomorrow, I think all eyes are going to be on the differing pace of the various riders but Valentino Rossi does have a tough weekend ahead of him as he has got to battle his way through all of the other riders before he reaches the front riders who will undoubtedly be Lorenzo, Marquez and Pedrosa in one combination or another.

Moving away from the Rossi vs Lorenzo showdown now, I feel that it is important to mention the fact that Danny Kent, a Brit, only needs to score 1 singular point in Sunday's race for him to win the Moto3 Title. He has raced fantastically all season and definitely deserves the title so let's keep our fingers crossed for him on Sunday that he can fight a good fight and gain that championship.
In Moto2, Zarco has already wrapped up the championship so now there are only battles for the other positions in the standing - congrats to Johann!
Also, Maverick Vinales has taken the title of Rookie of the Year in MotoGP after a fantastic season where he has been battling almost solidly within the top 15 if not the top 10.

Sunday not only marks the end of another season but also the end of an era as Nicky Hayden leaves the MotoGP paddock for the last time after announcing his move to World Superbikes. Hayden, coincidentally, was the last rider to beat a points deficit entering the final round to go on to win the Championship and it was also a battle against Valentino Rossi. Foreshadowing perhaps...?

Who are you rooting for? Are you #ForzaVale or #VamosJorge - let me know in the comments or on Twitter! Whatever happens though, it's sure to be an exciting end to a brilliant season.

Ride safe,
TFB