Quote:
Originally Posted by GasUp
That 750 motor is a peach , and no mistake. I love the Doursoduro, it rides like it's made from fire and brimstone, so if the Tuareg is anything like the rumours then it'll be a peach too.
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Do you own a Dorsoduro? I've only seen them in the dealers. They look great but I don't know anyone who actually owns one and I've not ridden one.
What's it like? How many miles have you done so far?
Quote:
Originally Posted by GasUp
The other one to consider is Honda, the Varadero is getting long in the tooth and is probably more comparable with the Multistrada, but are Honda going to bring out a version of a 1200 AT, or another Varadero with the v4 VFR motor in it ? It's well overdue an update and Honda would be crazy to miss out on some of this market, or will they just retire from it?
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The world has been waiting for Honda to get off the dime for about 10 years (at least) now. My idea was for them to use the RC51 sport bike motor in an all new Africa Twin. Use CRF450 based chassis, make it tour-able, add a few amenities and its there. Honda have been winding down production of the Varadero for years now. They were giving them away in the UK a couple years ago and I'm not sure they are even imported to the UK now. The Varadero is done. Never any good. I don't see an upgrade coming at this point.
I agree regards Multistrada and Tuareg being Chalk & Cheese. The Multi will be for rich sports bike guys who want to tour with their BMW GS buddies. The Multi will be a great bike as the ultimate sports tourer.
Would I go RTW on one? Never. (can't afford it anyway!)
Aprilia has a great opportunity with the Tuareg. A 750 could be the new perfect middle weight Adventure bike. Could knock out the DL650 Wee Strom and If done well, could undercut KTM's 990 as well.
But lots of question marks here. Since Piaggio are now doing the motors In-House and no longer using Rotax, there are unknowns here. Do they know what they are doing? Making the jump from 10 HP scooter motors to 100 + HP motors is a big deal. They claim to have the engineering depth to do this. Time will tell.
The Shiver and Dorsoduro are too new to really know how good they are or if they are truly reliable for the basis for a RTW platform. Piaggio have also been building the little v-twin dirt/supermoto bikes as well. Mixed reviews on those as early ones had LOTS OF PROBLEMS. (450 and 550 V-twins)
But now they are winning enduros! Can Piaggio do it?
The key for the Tuareg will be weight. If Aprilia can make it light enough, yet strong, it could kick butt.
In this mix of middle weight adventure bikes you also have to look at Triumph. Triumph are coming along with a new dual sport based on the 675cc Daytona motor. This new "Tiger Cub" could be very interesting. The 675 motor is super light yet makes over 100 HP. Its also very small, so a smaller adventure bike could possibly be built around it. We'll see. Should be out later this year. (Milan Show)
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