Motorcycle news, Motorcycle reviews from Malaysia, Asia and the world

Fantic New Adventure-Ready Caballero 500 Explorer Breaks Cover

Italian manufacturer, Fantic has officially unveiled the Caballero 500 at EICMA.

The new adventure-ready motorcycle will join the already available 125cc and 250cc variants.

According to the Italian firm, the Fantic Caballero Explorer makes 40hp and 42Nm from its 449cc single-cylinder engine and sends its power to the rear wheel via a 6-speed manual transmission.

Meanwhile, the Explorer also features an adjustable long-travel inverted front fork and a rear monoshock with an external reservoir.

The motorcycle also comes equipped with a high fender, high-mounted exhaust pipes, and circular headlights to complete the ‘adventure’ look.

Other exciting features include:

luggage carrier with side pannier rack
fly screen
upswept handlebars
two-up saddle

According to Fantic, the new motorcycle will hit European showrooms in Q1 2022.

Royal Enfield Newest Factory In Thailand Begins Operation

Royal Enfield is set to ram up its production in Asia as the company has begin its factory operation in Chachoengsao, a province located east of Bangkok,Thailand.

The new facility would not only serve the local market but also other major South East Asian region.

Interestingly, the Indian-owned company has already started things going by developing a small-displacement motorcycle in cooperation with Thailand motorcycle company GPX.

According to the Indian firm, Royal Enfield plans to ship its motorcycle as a CKD model for assembly which includes the Himalayans and the 650 Twins (Interceptor and Continental GT).

“We are very happy to announce the commencement of operations at the CKD assembly plant in Thailand.

“A testament to our commitment to the region and the market potential, and to our growing community of riding enthusiasts, this facility will enable us to efficiently cater to the growing demand in this region, and also become the hub for the rest of Southeast Asian markets,” said B. Govindarajan, Executive Director Royal Enfield.

2022 Ducati Panigale V4 Breaks Cover – New SBK Gearbox, 215.5HP

Ducati 2022 model release continue by unveiling the updated 2022 Ducati Panigale V4.

The Borgo Panigale factory has made numerous improvements for the Panigale V4, aimed at refining the riding ergonomics and power.

Visually, the 2022 Panigale V4 gets a redesigned winglet, and despite appearing smaller, it produces the same 30kg of downforce at 270km/h.

Ducati also improves the engine heat distribution by revamping the belly pan, which now features two air slots on either side and a series of air slits at the bottom.

Despite the minimal changes, the improved cooling efficiency pushes the Desmosedici Stradale peak power to 215.5hp @ 13,00rpm and 123.6Nm @ 9,500rpm.

Other major changes include getting the SBK gearbox from the Panigale V4 R, whereby its first, second and sixth gear is made taller to allow for better gear transition. The new transmission also helps the Panigale V4 to achieve an extra 5km/h top speed than the 2021 Panigale V4.

Nonetheless, replacing the stock exhaust with a full-system Akrapovic race exhaust will help bump the peak power to 225hp and reduce the weight by 5kg to 190.5kg from its 195.5kg curb weight.

The new Panigale V4 also gets a 5mm longer suspension travel front fork which is said to help improve the front-end feel.

Meanwhile, the Öhlins semi-active suspension available on the 2022 Ducati Panigale V4 S now adopts Öhlins NPX 25/30 pressurized fork, which is fitted into the Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 event-based electronic control system.

The pressurized system managed the compression in the left leg of the fork with a 25mm piston, while a 30mm piston managed the extension in the right leg.

The swingarm pivot was also raised by 4mm to increase the anti-squat effect during acceleration.

Interestingly, to help the rider’s ergonomic, Ducati has made big changes to the fuel tank shape and material to allow riders to have better grip during braking and turning.

Ducati has also restyled the 5″ TFT display that now features two LED shifter lights at the top.

Most importantly, the 2022 Panigale V4 continues to offer 6-axis IMU, which include:

cornering ABS
traction control
slide control
wheelie control
engine brake control
up/down quickshifter
brake-to-slide feature

FIRST LOOK: 2022 KTM 1290 Super Duke GT

KTM has just taken the wraps off the updated 2022 KTM 1290 Super Duke GT.

Although the 1290 Super Duke GT makes the same 175hp and 139.6Nm from its Euro5, 1,301cc L-Twin, the bike now offers better touring capabilities.

The wheels are 1kg lighter to help improve turning, braking and acceleration performance.

The 1290 Super Duke GT also features a 22L tank enough to get you going for hundreds of kilometres before stopping for gas.

Interestingly, the 2022 Super Duke also gets a new WP APEX semi-active suspension, allowing riders to adjust the front fork and rear suspension accordingly by accessing the new 7-inch TFT instrument cluster.

The GT also debuted a new turn-by-turn navigation system via the KTM Connect app, which allows navigation instructions to be projected directly onto the TFT display.

We can assume that the new function will soon be available on most of KTM’s wide range of models.

CONFIRMED: Kawasaki To Roll Out Three Electric Motorcycles In 2022

Kawasaki has announced that the company will unveil three electric motorcycles in 2022.

The announcement came from Kawasaki Motors President Hiroshi Ito during his keynote address at Kawasaki’s EICMA presentation.

The announcement also confirmed the Japanese marquee plans to develop ten electric and hybrid motorcycles by 2025.

Nevertheless, it is still too early to discuss the kind of models that could be electrified by 2022.

But knowing that the firm recently ran a test on a Ninja 400 based electric motorcycle could also mean a production version is already in the works.

During the speech, Ito-san addresses the company’s commitment to pushing for a new power source that includes hydrogen and hybrids.

Looking at the level of commitment shown by Team Green, Kawasaki may well be on its way to becoming the pioneer of a new future for motorcycles.

Moto Guzzi Unveils Limited Edition 2022 V85 TT Guardia d’Honore

In honour of a long-standing partnership with the Italian President’s security, Cuirassiers Regiment, Moto Guzzi has unveiled the limited edition V85 TT Guardia d’Honore.

Presented to the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, the special bike sports a gloss black livery with white accents painted at the front mudguard, fuel tank, side panels and windscreen.