THE PRESS ROOM

from SportBikes Inc Magazine January 2022

THE NEW ISH

THE PRESS ROOM INDUSTRY NEWS

HONDA NAVI MINIMOTO – FIRST LOOK

HONDA PACKS A WHOLE LOT OF EXCITEMENT INTO ITS MICROSIZED 2022 NAVI MINIMOTO AND IT'S FINALLY COMING TO NORTH AMERICA.

I can't recall the last time I saw an MSRP under $2,000 for a new model of motorcycle. Enter the small on size and equally small on price Honda Navi miniMOTO, a new motorcycle for the North American market that is part of the 2022 Honda model lineup.

From the press images, the Navi miniMOTO just looks like a fun ripper of a mini machine. Powered by a 110 cc, four stroke, single cylinder engine with an automatic V-Matic CVT transmission, the bike is the definition of grip and rip.

The suspension assembly consists of a pair of 26.8 mm telescopic inverted front forks with 3.9 inches of travel and a single left side mounted shock with 2.8 inches of travel on the side.

Brake duties are issued to a set of single 130mm drum brakes in both the front and the rear. There is also a parking brake.

With a seat height of just 30.1 inches and a wet weight of 236 pounds, the Navi miniMOTO offers ease and accessibility to an array of riders. Overall dimensions include a length of 71.1 inches with a wheelbase of 50.6 inches and a width of 29.1 inches. The total height of the Navi miniMOTO measures 41.1 inches, leaving a ground clearance of 6.1 inches.

The fuel capacity is only .9 gallons so you're not going that far but between here and there, you're going to have fun. And that is what Honda is aiming for with the Navi miniMOTO... fun.

“From the original Cub to the Grom, Honda has a proud legacy of producing miniMOTO models that open doors to new riders, and the Navi is set to extend that trend even further. This miniMOTO checks all the boxes for new riders, like simple operation, a fun design, low operating costs and Honda reliability – all for well under $2,000. We’re pleased to make motorcycling possible for more riders by offering the Navi in the U.S.” - Brandon Wilson, American Honda Sports and Experiential Manager.

The 2022 Honda Navi miniMOTO has an MSRP of $1,807.00 and will be available at dealerships in early 2022 in Red, Grasshopper Green, Nut Brown, and Ranger Green.

DUCATI STREETFIGHTER V2 – FIRST LOOK

NAKED BIKE FANS AROUND THE WORLD CAN REJOICE, FOR DUCATI HAS FINALLY RELEASED A STREETFIGHTER VERSION OF THE PANIGALE V2 SUPERSPORT MACHINE.

The new Streetfighter V2 fills a hole in the company’s line-up that dates back to the Streetfighter 848 that ran from 2009 to 2015, the new bike completing the naked sport bike line-up that includes the Streetfighter V4, V4 S, and the recently-announced V4 SP.

It’s not a straight take-the-clothes off job from Ducati in creating the Streetfighter V2, with subtle changes to engine output and chassis specs coming to bare.

The motor is indeed the 955 cc Superquadro V-twin with 150 hp and 75 lb-ft of torque, compared to the Panigale V2’s 155 hp and 76.7 lb-ft. It runs essentially the same chassis in the aluminum monocoque but Ducati has fitted a 0.6-inch longer swingarm for better stability under acceleration.

Ohlins has not been employed for the suspension duties, those going the way of Showa in the Big Piston Fork up front and the Sachs monoshock out the back, both ends fully-adjustable. There’s also a Sachs steering damper for when things get a little flighty.

The brakes are same as the Panigale’s in the Brembo M4.32 four-piston monobloc calipers clamping down on twin 320 mm discs with the Cornering ABS EVO electronics playing a vital back-up role, and this is the first Ducati streetbike to come fitted with the new Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV rubber for the five spoke wheels.

Being a Ducati sports machine, you can expect the kitchen sink in terms of electronics. A six-axis Bosch IMU mitigates the following: ABS Cornering EVO with Slide Control; Ducati Traction Control (DTC) EVO 2; Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) EVO; Ducati Quick Shift up/down (DQS) EVO 2; Engine Brake Control (EBC) EVO. Unfortunately, cruise control is not a standard feature.

The 4.3-inch TFT allows for phone mirroring via the Ducati Multistrada system for navigation and phone control, and you get three riding modes in Sport, Road and Wet with dedicated electronic settings.

The bodywork is a close replica of what you get on the bigger V4 S, with a Daytime Running Light and LED headlights as standard, but there’s no wings like the big bro (you can get them via the accessory catalog in either plastic or carbon if you’ve just got to have them).

The Streetfighter V2 will be available at Ducati dealerships in North America starting in February 2022 in the Ducati Red color with black rims for $16,995 MSRP.

We’ll be testing the new Ducati Streetfighter V2 in Spain next week and will report back real soon with the findings in SBI.

MV AGUSTA LUCKY EXPLORER PROJECT

MV AGUSTA GIVES A NOD TO ITS DAKAR HERITAGE WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF ITS LUCKY EXPLORER PROJECT.

There’s a new adventure player in town, and an unlikely one at that. MV Agusta has today announced the new Lucky Explorer Project, a new endeavor that will mark the company’s entry into the modern ADV segment while giving a nod to its past.

But, wait, I hear you say, MV Agusta never raced the Dakar, right? That’s correct, but they own the Cagiva brand, and Cagiva most certainly did with the legendary Elefant (sic), which won the event twice in the 1980s while draped in the iconic Lucky Strike livery.

The Lucky Explorer project will see the debut of two models—the 5.5, developed by Chinese partner QJ, and the 9.5, which uses a bored and stroked MV Agusta three-cylinder machine for 930 cc.

The 5.5 uses a 550 cc twin-cylinder motor that gives MV Agusta a foot in the small capacity ADV door. Specs are scarce on the 5.5 but suffice it to say there’s probably no other small capacity ADV on the market that looks as gnarly as this with inverted forks, Brembo

monobloc brakes, engine guards and the iconic Lucky Strike styling (minus the words because, you know, tobacco).

The 9.5 gets that 930 cc triple and is a ground-up MV Agusta, producing 123 hp and 75 lb-ft of torque. The chassis is a steel double cradle design and the motor will also come with the option of having a Rekluse variant clutch or a standard clutch, and an optional electro-actuated (paddle shift) gearbox.

Bodywork seems abundant in the huge front engine protection, side and disc guards, plus the sump guard gives the bike a proper off road look. The show rolls on a 21 inch front and 18 inch rear, so going off road will be a case of rider ambition and talent, not the machine. initiative aiming at gathering the passionate lovers of rally raid and off-road racing around Schiranna’s unforgettable legacy of epic participation and victories in the great African rallies of the golden age.”

And there’ll be plenty of cool stuff in the works, according to MV Agusta. “The project will be developed on the website www.luckyexplorerproject.com and through the Instagram channel @luckyexplorer.official already online. Riders, personalities, clips and anecdotes, historical factory tours, vintage advertising, videos, memorabilia, new content and events will bring together a real community of enthusiasts. And Lucky Explorer ambassadors will turn up, with access to special content and exclusive previews.”

No word as yet on price and availability for either the 5.5 or the 9.5 but it looks like exciting times are ahead for MV Agusta.

DUCATI PANIGALE2022

V4 SPANIGALE

WORDS: ADAM "CHAD" CHILD IMAGES: ALEX PHOTO, DUCATI

THE BOLOGNA BOYS and girls at Ducati have just announced a heavily-revised Panigale V4 S superbike for the 2022 model year. It’s a bit of a surprise to see this machine because only last year Ducati presented another evolution of the V4 S that debuted in 2018, and proves Ducati has been far from sitting on its laurels during the Covid pandemic.

The 2022 V4 S isn’t an entirely new motorcycle but there are significant improvements to the aerodynamics, suspension, gearbox and electronics, so let’s get into it.

Headlining the changes is the new aero package. The 2021 Panigale V4 S swiped the V4 R’s bodywork in what now appears as a stop-gap model, but the 2022 V4 S gets more compact and thinner double-profile design wings that Ducati claim produce the same 81 lb of downforce on the chassis at 186 mph as in 2021.

The fairing also sports new extractors at the base

to help the V4 motor shed some of the notorious heat it's famous for.

Perhaps more interesting than that is the new ergonomics package, with Ducati fitting a flatter seat and a redesigned rear section of the gas tank that allows the rider to better grip it with their knees under braking. Hmm… wasn’t one Jorge Lorenzo trying to get this from Ducati for a season and a half in MotoGP? The sides of the tank at the top edge has also come in for a workover to allow for a more comfortable placement of the rider’s arms when at full lean.

Into the motor now, and while the base remains the same in the 1103 cc Desmosedici Stradale V4 for 210 hp at 12,500 rpm and 90.6 lb-ft of torque at 11,000 rpm, but the gearbox now features a taller first, second and sixth gears with the quick shifter reconfigured to boot.

Ducati reasoned these changes with the fact the rider can now use first gear more in tighter corners

and thus gain the benefit of first gear’s quicker acceleration on the proceeding straight. The taller sixth gear is claimed to give a 1.8 percent increase in top speed.

There are four riding modes in Race A, Race B, Sport, Street, each with four engine configurations of Full, High, Medium, and Low. Full obviously gives you everything the motor can give. A new Ride by Wire map management system has been developed for the High and Medium power modes, now dedicated to each of the six gears, while the Low power mode gives 150 horsepower at the twistgrip for low grip situations.

Inside the electronics sit a new Track Evo mode that changes the dash to what Pecco Bagnaia has on his MotoGP machine with the gear position highlighted in the center and wheelie, traction, engine brake and slide control highlighted down the right side (this was a feature on the Superleggera last year).

THE 2022 EDITION IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT OVERHAUL FOR THE PANIGALE V4 S...

THE 2022 EDITION IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT OVERHAUL FOR THE PANIGALE V4 S...

If the V4 S is a bit much, you can still get the base model V4...

Ducati’s partner Akrapovic has interestingly created a new full titanium exhaust primarily for track days that limit the noise to 105 dB, which is usually the limit for most racetracks around the world. This can also be lowered to 102 dB with the decibel killer.

That exhaust also brings with it a healthy dose of grunt, with power increasing 18 hp to 228 hp and torque going to 96.6 lb-ft. Weight is also reduced by 11 lb. Nice.

Switching to the chassis, the aluminum Front Frame remains unchanged, but the swingarm is mounted four millimeters higher to give more anti-squat and help maintain stability on hard acceleration. The fork is now the Öhlins NPX 25/30 electronically controlled pressurized unit with 5 mm more travel and running softer springs (down from 10 N / mm to 9.5 N / mm). The rear suspension is an unchanged Ohlins TTX36 and both ends are controlled by the Ohlins Smart EC 2.0 event-based electronic suspension software.

Three-spoke forged aluminum wheels are coated in Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP rubber and braked by four-piston Brembo Stylema monobloc calipers, as they were in 2021.

If the V4 S is a bit much, you can still get the base model V4, which comes with 43 mm fullyadjustable Showa Big Piston Forks (BPF), Sachs steering damper, Sachs monoshock (also fully adjustable) and five-spoke cast aluminum rims.

The Panigale V4 and Panigale V4 S will be available in North America starting in February 2022 in the Ducati Red color starting at $23,295 for the Panigale V4, with the Panigale V4 S starting at $29,995. Canadian pricing will start at CAD $26,495 for the Panigale V4, and the Panigale V4 S pricing will start at CAD $33,895.

The 2022 edition is a pretty significant overhaul for the Panigale V4 S and we’re excited to try it, especially the new riding position. Perhaps Lorenzo was right all along…