In case you missed it, the massive annual motorcycle trade show, EICMA, has been happening all week. We’ve covered more EICMA news this year than we usually do—but as the show draws to a close, we’ve spotted a few additional titbits that we didn’t get around to.
Below, you’ll find news on the new Ducati Panigale V4 SP2 30° Anniversario 916, MV Agusta LXP Orioli, the Honda NX500, and Royal Enfield’s electric Himalayan prototype. And if you’re missing your weekly dose of customs, rest assured—Speed Read will return next week.
Ducati Panigale V4 SP2 30° Anniversario 916 Limited editions are all the rage right now, and Ducati desperately wants in on the action. So they’ve unwrapped the Panigale V4 SP2 30° Anniversario 916—a 500-unit limited-edition Panigale V4 that pays homage to the iconic Ducati 916.
Designed by Massimo Tamburini, the Ducati 916 was a big deal when it hit the scene in 1994, and later etched its name in history as one of the Italian company’s most significant motorcycles. And even though Ducati has made significant progress in the last 30 years, bits of the 916’s DNA are still visible in their modern motorcycles.
The Panigale V4 SP2 30° Anniversario 916 celebrates the Ducati 916’s upcoming birthday with a special livery and a sprinkling of wallet-emptying parts. The paint job gets its inspiration from the 916 that Carl Fogarty won the Superbike World Championship on in 1999. The mostly red scheme is punctuated by splashes of white on the front fender, nose, and tail section, with some subtle tri-color striping in the mix.
‘916’ and ‘Ducati Corse’ logos adorn the sides of the fairing, instead of the sponsor logos that Foggy’s bike wore. A ‘1’ on the nose pays tribute to Foggy’s title, though we’re not sure we’d be brave enough to cruise the streets (or take to the track) with a superbike that makes such a bold claim. A gold 916 logo with laurels sits atop the fuel tank, while a laser-engraved billet aluminum top yoke bears each bike’s number.
The 30th anniversary Panigale also wears a brushed aluminum fuel tank, which, although not directly influenced by the 916, does look rad.
This limited-edition superbike is kitted with more than just a fancy livery though—it also swaps its wings, front fender, and wheels for lighter, sexier carbon fiber parts. It has carbon fiber cooling ducts on the front brakes, an STM EVO dry clutch with a carbon fiber cover, and adjustable billet aluminum foot pegs.
The Panigale V4’s quick-shifter can be configured to operate like a traditional road bike or like a race bike, and there’s a built-in data acquisition system too.
It comes with its certificate, cover, and a track kit with a bunch of blank-off parts that let you remove everything you wouldn’t want on the track. In keeping with that theme, the Panigale V4 SP2 30° Anniversario 916 only has one seat.
Specs-wise, the Panigale V4 SP2 30° Anniversario 916 matches the Panigale V4S. So that means it makes 215.5 hp, with Brembo Stylema front brakes, and adjustable Öhlins suspension. If that sounds like your cup of tea, get your orders in quick; Ducati is only making 500 of these. [Ducati]
MV Agusta LXP Orioli MV Agusta teased us a couple of years ago with the Lucky Explorer 9.5 concept—an adventure bike that mimicked the legendary Dakar-winning Lucky Strike-sponsored Cagiva Elefant. Now they’ve revealed the version of it that’ll go to market, with several rather large caveats.
Renamed the MV Agusta LXP Orioli, the bike has emerged as a high-end limited-edition model. Or, as MV Agusta puts it, “the world’s first luxury all-terrain motorcycle.” LXP presumably stands for Lucky eXPlorer, while the Orioli bit refers to Edi Orioli, the Italian motorcycle racer who won the Dakar Rally four times (twice aboard the Cagiva Elefant).
Limited to 500 units, the MV Agusta LXP Orioli uses the company’s new 931 cc triple-cylinder liquid-cooled mill. Weighing in at 57 kilos [126 lbs], the engine delivers 124 hp at 10,000 rpm and 102 Nm of torque at 7,000 rpm, with 85% of the torque available from 3,000 rpm. It uses a double overhead camshaft design with DLC-coated cams, a counter-rotating crankshaft, and a hydraulic clutch.
The chassis uses an alloy perimeter frame design, with a removable subframe and an aluminum swingarm. Adjustable Sachs suspension offers 210 mm of travel at each end, and the bike rolls on burly 21F/18R Excel rims with aggressive Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross AX41 tires. Brembo brakes handle stopping duties, with two of the brand’s tasty Stylema calipers up front.
The seat height is adjustable between 850 mm and 870 mm, ground clearance sits at 230 mm, and the LXP Orioli has a wheelbase of 1,610 mm. According to MV Agusta, the rider triangle has been designed to offer a balance between long-distance comfort and off-road control, and the bodywork and windscreen have been designed to create a ‘calm zone’ around the rider and pillion.
The bike comes kitted with all the tech stuff that’s become de facto on large adventure bikes. There’s LED lighting all around, a big TFT screen in the cockpit, ABS and traction control with a six-axis IMU, multiple rider modes, adjustable engine braking, anti-rear wheel lift, cruise control, a keyless ignition, smartphone connectivity, a GPS-enabled anti-theft device, and cruise control.
As a limited edition model, the LXP Orioli also comes with a number of extra bits and pieces. You get crash bars, an aluminum bash plate, auxiliary LED lights, and MV Agusta-branded aluminum panniers. You also get a full titanium Termignoni exhaust system, but it doesn’t come pre-fitted. Instead, it’s shipped in a special box that resembles the crates that gear is transported in during the Dakar Rally.
The box also includes a bike cover and a certificate of authenticity. And as a bonus, Edi Orioli will even sign your LXP Orioli.
Visually, the LXP Orioli is pretty faithful to the Lucky Explorer concept that we’ve already seen, save for some minor tweaks. It’s an attractive enough machine, even if the graphics only slightly remind us of that iconic Lucky Strike livery.
MV Agusta will start shipping the LXP Orioli from the end of the first quarter of next year. There’s no word yet on what it’ll cost, but we’re guessing you’ll need deep pockets to book one. There’s also no word yet on whether or not MV Agusta plans to release a ‘regular’ version of the LXP later on, but it’s probably safe to assume that they will. [MV Agusta]
Honda NX500 Honda’s big announcement at EICMA this year was their new E-clutch. It’s an electronic clutch triggered by the shifter pedal that eliminates the need to use the clutch lever, and it’ll be available from 2024 on a select couple of models.
They also showed off some mild model updates—most notably, the popular and affordable Honda CB500X adventure bike. No, the CB500X doesn’t get Honda’s new E-clutch, but it does get a new look, a new name, and a few key changes.
It’s now called the Honda NX500—a throwback to the nomenclature of the legendary NX650 Dominator. We’re ambivalent about the name, but we are glad to see that Honda has updated the bike’s styling.
The CB500X was visually bland, bearing a close resemblance to the company’s commuter-friendly NX750X. The new NX500 has the same angular, utilitarian look—but the redesigned front fairing and tail section, and the updated color options, have made it a lot more palatable.
There are no changes to the NX500’s frame or its agreeable 471 cc parallel-twin engine, but it does sport updated tech. Honda has tweaked its fueling for better low-rpm acceleration and more even power delivery across the range, and they’ve added a rear wheel traction management system. There’s also LED lighting and a new TFT display in the cockpit.
Honda has also swapped out the NX500’s wheels for new, lighter-weight items, and tweaked its suspension to perform better. New accessory packs are available to kit the bike out for long-distance, off-road-focused, or commuting needs.
It’s not a major update, but it’s a welcomed one. We loved the CB500X for its user-friendly balance of price and performance, but it just didn’t quite hit the mark for us overall. We’d happily park an NX500 in the garage for daily commutes and weekend shenanigans. [Source: Honda]
Royal Enfield electric Himalayan prototype The updated Royal Enfield Himalayan broke cover this week, sporting the company’s first-ever liquid-cooled engine. But that’s not the only project that the Indian marque’s been working on. This is Royal Enfield’s electric Himalayan prototype—and if it looks a little cobbled together, that’s because it’s very much a work in progress.
Royal Enfield has lofty goals for their first electric adventure bike. Where most electric manufacturers are focused on urban mobility, Royal Enfield has set their sights squarely on sustainable adventure riding. They aim to build an electric motorcycle that can explore the Himalayas—a region that the company calls their spiritual home—without negatively impacting the environment or riding experience.
According to Royal Enfield’s press release, the mission was less about seeing “how many batteries could be squeezed into a motorcycle,” and more about improving the adventure riding experience “by allowing the rider to listen to the soundtrack of the Himalayas.”
The bike follows the same general design as the petrol-powered Himalayan, but with myriad differences that gear it towards electric power. The proprietary battery box acts as a central structural element, and the bodywork incorporates more sustainable materials like organic flax fiber-reinforced composites.
Royal Enfield’s development team has been testing and refining the bike as they go—putting it through its paces in the Himalayas, and in a wind tunnel.
You’d assume that charging stations are a rare sight in the Himalayas… but you’d be wrong. The local government is in the process of rolling out EV charging stations, with a view to electrifying adventure travel in the region. So although an electric Himalayan adventure ride might not be viable right now, it will be in the future. [Royal Enfield]
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