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To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ducati first world title in the 2001 Superbike championship, the Borgo Panigale firm has set up a temporary exhibition, “Troy Story: The Legend of a Champion” at the Ducati Museum.

The exhibition display new and exclusive content for the fans to get up close to the success of Troy Bayliss at the Superbike championship.

According to Ducati, the date of 21 May, chosen for the reopening of the Ducati Museum, is not accidental.

On this day, 20 years ago, the virtually unknown Troy Bayliss accomplished a feat that turned him overnight into a motorcycling legend in the hearts and memories of all Ducati and Superbike fans; the extraordinary quadruple overtaking move at the Monza circuit.

Interestingly, Bayliss was coming in for the injured Carl Fogarty before Ducati decided to allow him to finish the championship onboard the factory 996R.

In the 2000 season, Bayliss finished sixth in the championship, accumulating 243 points, two wins and seven podiums.

Ducati then awarded a seat in the Ducati Infostrada team, where Bayliss won his first WSBK title in 2001.

Those who visited the Ducati Museum will get to admire all of the Australian rider machines which include:

  • 996 Factory 2000 – his Ducati World SBK debut and used at Monza in the famous quadruple overtake.
  • 996 Factory 2001 Testastretta – his first world title with the livery used at Imola in 2001.
  • 998 Factory Testastretta 2002 – the protagonist of the breathtaking duel with Edwards at Imola.
  • 999 Factory 2006 “Superman” – Ducati’s 250th victory in SBK, and Troy’s second title.
  • 999 Factory 2007 – used in the photo-finish against James Toseland at Assen.
  • 1098 R Factory 2008 – his last title won at Magny-Cours

For those living outside of Europe, you can get a chance to view the exhibition via Ducati Museum Online Journey.

The temporary exhibition “Troy Story: The Legend of a Champion” will remain at the Ducati Museum until 19 September 2021, with the sole exception of the days between 1-4 July, when the bikes will be exhibited in Modena at the 2021 edition of Motor Valley Fest.

Brad Binder will remain with the KTM Factory Racing Team for the next three years after agreeing on a new contract.

The South African was a product of KTM GP Academy, competing in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup before earning himself a spot in the Moto3 and Moto2 championship with Red Bull KTM Ajo.

The 25-year-old rider also recorded his maiden victory in the premier class in his debut season onboard the RC16 last year.

“I am super happy to have signed again for three more seasons with KTM, and it will take us up to ten years.

“It’s incredible to have been with this manufacturer for such a long time now, and we’ve always had a good relationship.

“I’m extremely happy in KTM colours, so it’s extra happy to sign a long-term contract. It’s an honour,” said Binder.

Chinese motorcycle manufacturer, Zontes has been known to produce 310cc single-cylinder machine over the last few years.

However, the Chinese firm has officially announced that a new triple cylinder powerplant is in the works.

According to reports, Zontes has released a video on Chinese social media showing the new engine, including a snapshot of components including camshafts, crankshafts and cylinders.

Accompanying the video was a clip explaining the reason behind the new engine was to hit back against criticism that Zontes is yet to produce a twin-engine, unlike the rest of its competitors.

While other Chinese brands push for a twin, Zontes decided a triple engine is a way to move forward.

The new engine is rumoured to be 800cc and has a higher compression ratio of 13.4:1, indicating a high-performance powerplant.

In comparison, MV Agusta’s 800cc triple has a 13.3:1 compression ratio while Yamaha’s MT-09 has 11.5:1.

We can expect Zontes to introduce a new range of motorcycle powered by the 800cc triple but with the same design scheme as the smaller 310cc models, including single-sided swingarm, ABS, and TFT display.

Chinese motorcycle manufacturer QJ Motor officially revealed the Chase 700 at the 2021 Beijing Motor Show.

Unlike the Chase 600 and Chase 350, the new naked motorcycle does not borrow its engine from a Benelli.

The Chase 700 is powered by a parallel-twin 693cc liquid-cooled engine capable of producing 75hp @ 8,750rpm and 68.2Nm @ 6,250rpm.

Despite the numbers similar to the Benelli 752S, another Chinese company, Chunfeng, provided the engine.

Nonetheless, the QJMotor Chase 700 comes with a host of impressive features:

  • twin 320mm disc at the front
  • single 260mm disc at the rear
  • Brembo 4-pot callipers
  • full LED lights setup
  • fully digital LCD

The QJMotor Chase 700 will compete with the likes of Yamaha MT-07, Kawasaki Z 650, Benelli 752S and CFMoto CL-X.

Kymco has pulled the wraps off its RKS 150 maxi-style scooter at the 2021 Beijing Internationa Motor Show.

The RKS 150 was propelled by the popularity of the recently launched S350 earlier this year.

Despite being a 150cc scooter, the overall look of the RSK 150 is comparable to that of a maxi-scooter, with a wide front fascia, tall windshield and plush seat.

It also comes with a complete LED light setup, including a DRL (daytime running light), fully digital LCD cluster, keyless ignition and a USB port.

The Kymco RKS 150 is powered by a Euro 5 certified 149cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine capable of producing 15hp @ 8,000rpm and 13.2Nm @ 6,500rpm.

The braking is done via dual-channel ABS paired to disc brakes at the front and rear.

According to reports, the RKS 150 will soon be available for the global market, including South East Asia.

The Aprilia Tuono 660 finally lands in Malaysia, months after its official global introduction earlier this year.

This half-naked version of the RS 660 was initially planned to go into production last year, but COVID-19 really threw a wrench in Aprilia’s plans thus delaying the official released including Malaysia.

Better late than never, we guess.

The 2021 Aprilia Tuono 660 essentially carries all the same specs as its full-fairing siblings, minus a few things here and there. The most noticeable is of course the full front fairing, but the Tuono 660 still has that side aero-winglets but with a more compact design.

 

In terms of firepower, the Tuono 660 is said to produce around 95hp, which is 5hp less than the RS 660.

To make up for that, Aprilia offered a shorter gear ratio for its gearbox plus all the electronic riding aids and APRC suite just like the RS 660 (traction control, wheelie control, cornering ABS, selectable riding modes, quickshifter, auto-blipper, etc.).

The rest is pretty much the same as the RS 660, which should’ve made more sense if they were launched together, but that’s Aprilia for you.

The Tuono 660 are only available in Concept Black for the Malaysia market with a price of RM77,900.

 

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