Aprilia Mojito Motorcycles in Porsgrunn, page #12

Moto blog

Piaggio Secures €60 Million Loan to Fund Research and Development

The Piaggio Group announced it has secured a €60 million (US$77.6 million) financing deal with the European Investment Bank to fund the development of new products. The seven-year loan will fund research and development projects at Piaggio’s Italian facilities. The loan is in addition to investments Piaggio already budgeted for the period from 2013 to 2015 to develop new products.

EICMA 2012: Aprilia RSV4 R Updated with ABS and Power Increase

At October’s Intermot show in Cologne, Germany, Aprilia announced a number of upgrades to its RSV4 Factory, giving the sportbike more power, anti-lock brakes and a number of other updates. This week at the 2012 EICMA Show, Aprilia extended those updates to it’s slightly less upscale but still pretty damn good base model, the RSV4 R. The production versions of Max Biaggi‘s World Superbike Championship-winning racebike, the Aprilia RSV4 R (all-black in these pictures) and the RSV4 Factory (pictured with red trim)  receive an engine upgrade to reduce internal friction and casing ventilation.

EICMA 2012: 2013 Aprilia Caponord 1200 Officially Introduced in Milan

The first images of the Aprilia Caponord 1200 broke last week but Piaggio has released new details and photographs of the adventure-tourer at the 2012 EICMA Show in Milan, Italy. Sharing its engine and frame with the Dorsoduro 1200, the Aprilia Caponord 1200 is the latest competitor in the adventure-touring segment, albeit with limited off-road aspirations. The closest competitor to the Caponord 1200 is probably the Ducati Multistrada 1200.

EICMA 2012: Vespa 946 Unveiled at Milan Show

We got a peak at the new Vespa 946 late last week but Piaggio has now released more pictures and information on the bold new scooter. Presented at the 2012 EICMA Show a year after its original concept was unveiled. The new Vespa 946 is a mix of both the past and the future.

2013 Aprilia Caponord 1200 Revealed

Aprilia has a new entrant in the highly-competitive adventure-bike market with the new Caponord 1200. Revealed ahead of its official presentation at the 2012 EICMA show, the Caponord will go up against competitors such as the Ducati Multistrada, Triumph Tiger Explorer, KTM 1190 Adventure and the segment’s benchmark, the BMW R1200GS. The 2013 Aprilia Caponord 1200 shares its engine and frame with the Dorsoduro 1200.

2013 Vespa 946 Revealed Ahead of 2012 EICMA Show

Piaggio surprised many at last year’s EICMA show with its Vespa Quarantasei concept, blending the company’s iconic styling with a futuristic new look. Judging by the feedback we’ve seen in our coverage of the Quarantasei – since renamed the Vespa 946 – scooter fans have been eagerly awaiting news of the final production version of the new Vespa. Nearly a year later, the final production version of the Vespa 946 has been revealed, just days ahead of the 2012 EICMA show.

Max Biaggi Announces Retirement

Max Biaggi will retire as a champion, announcing his decision to step away from the sport after winning his second World Superbike Championship by just half a point. The man known as the Corsair and the Roman Emperor announced his retirement this morning at a press conference at the Vallelunga circuit near Rome, Italy. Biaggi ends his 21-year international racing career with six world championships, with four consecutive 250cc Grand Prix titles from 1994 to 1997 to go along with his 2010 and 2012 WSBK titles.

Piaggio Reports Q3 2012 Results

The Piaggio Group reported a 9.1% decrease in net sales over the first nine months of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, thanks in large part to a strong decline in the European market for two-wheelers. According to Piaggio‘s third quarter 2012 report, the Italian manufacturer recorded 706.3 million euros (US$913.8 million) in motorcycle and scooter sales, compared to 777.2 million in sales over the same period of 2011. The Piaggio Group, which also includes the brands Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Vespa and other brands, sold 321,300 motorcycles and scooters in the first nine months of 2012, a year-on-year decrease of 3.5% from 2011.

Death of a sailsman

Former Apple head honcho Steve Jobs liked his bikes, so when he fancied a great big yacht, it's probably not too surprising he asked French design guru Philippe Starck to pen it. You may recall that Starck, who has designed everything from juicers to hotels, also drew up the Aprilia 6.5 Moto (pictured, right) back in the 90s - a motorcycle whose main achievement has been polarising opinion ever since. (You say minimalist icon, I say F650 wearing a blanket. An orange blanket.) Anyway, when Jobs met Starck, minimal, yacht-shaped sparks evidently flew and the result - after six years of hard work at Dutch builders Feadship and Mr Jobs' passing into the Great Docking Port in the Sky - is this sleek, 80-metre superyacht named Venus. The interiors that are all flat teak decks and walls of glass, with a bridge sporting an array of iMacs.

Will the road-going RCV look like this?

Honda announced in a dry-as-you-like press release that a new bike was coming.  Not another motorcycle-cum-medical aid like the DN-01 or Integra, this is going to be a proper bike. A bike in a similar vein to previous bikes in the RC series, the RC30, RC45 and RC51, aimed squarely at winning races. So what's it going to look like?