Aleix Espargaro shared his thought on the new machine onboard the all-new Aprilia RS-GP after clocking the fastest time on the first day of pre-season testing in Losail, Qatar.

“Yes, the bike doesn’t look like a revolution but to ride it is quite different.

“Especially regarding the stability, we made a big step forward as the bike is a lot more stable and also the aerodynamic side they did a big, big job. The bike is completely different. In acceleration, I feel that we made one improvement, and the bike has a lot more downforce, so the bike is physical, more than last season’s bike.

“It is more stable, so that allows me to accelerate better, which is more than welcome. We are paying a little bit on the top speed, so we still have to find the balance, and we still have to understand the bike to see the strong points and the weak points,” he said.

However, Espargaro was 15km/h slower than Ducati’s Jack Miller through the speed trap.

Nonetheless, the Spanish rider explained that they had to sacrifice speed to achieve better aerodynamics.

“t’s very, very low. It’s lower than our top speed from last season, and we are losing 15km/h to the Ducati, so there is room to improve there. But as I say, the aerodynamics allow you to turn better or not, to accelerate more or less, and to make more or less top speed,” he explained.

Espargaro clocked 1 minute 54.687s to emerge the fastest during the first day, followed by Stephan Bradle and reigning world champion Joan Mir.

Ducati announced the all-new Monster production has begun and will be made available around the world soon.

To witness the official assembly of the first model is Ducati MotoGP riders Enea Bastianini and Luca Marini.

They observe the new Monster’s birth before leaving for the 2021 MotoGP first test in Qatar.

Compared to the previous 821, the new Monster is a whopping 18kg lighter thanks to this new setup (166kg dry, the same weight as a fully fuelled Yamaha YZF-R25). A part of that new weight loss regime consists of a new 937cc engine which is bigger and more powerful than the 821, but 2.4kg lighter.

The 937cc twin-cylinder Desmodromic Testastretta 11° engine is tuned to produce 111hp at 9,250rpm and 93Nm torque at 6,500rpm. That’s an extra 3hp and 7Nm more on a bike that’s considerably lighter. This also means that the new 2021 Monster has a much better power-to-weight ratio.

In terms of design, the new Monster is now more compact and narrower on the sides that make it easier to ride and place your foot on the ground for easier handling.

Other features include:

• 43mm USD front fork
• Preload adjustable monoshock + double-sided swingarm
• 17-inch alloy wheels + Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres
• Front twin 320mm disc brakes + Brembo M4.32 monobloc 4-piston calipers
• Rear single 245mm disc + Brembo 2-piston floating caliper
• 4.3-inch TFT display
• 820mm seat height (optional 800mm seat height available)
• Cornering ABS, riding modes, Ducati Traction Control, Ducati Wheelie Control
• Ducati Quick Shift, Ducati Power Launch, dynamic turn indicator + more

The Ducati Monster has always been the most popular motorcycle coming out of Borgo Panigale with over 350,000 units distributed worldwide.

For 2021, the Monster is available in Ducati Red and Dark Stealth with black wheels, Aviator Grey with Red GP wheels.

Honda joins KTM AG, Piaggio & C. Spa, and Yamaha Motor C. Ltd to establish a Consortium of Interchangeable Batteries for Motorcycles and Light Electric Vehicles.

The consortium constitutes the push for a standardized system of interchangeable batteries while promoting light electric vehicles’ for widespread use.

The agreement will also see the effort to increase the range, shorten the charging time, and lower the costs of vehicles and infrastructure.

According to Honda, the consortium’s primary focus is to standardized technical characteristics of the interchangeable battery system for vehicles belonging to category “L”; mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles, quadricycles.

“The global electrification effort to reduce CO 2 emissions on a planetary scale is accelerating, especially in Europe. For the widespread adoption of electric motorcycles, problems such as travel distance and charging times need to be addressed, and interchangeable batteries are a promising solution.

“Considering the customer benefits, the standardization of interchangeable batteries and the wide adoption of battery systems are vital, which is why the four-member manufacturers have agreed to create the Consortium,” said Noriaki Abe, Managing Officer, Motorcycle Operations of Honda Motor Co. Ltd.

The consortium will be operational in May 2021.