Things To Come, Bikes To Watch In 2011 – Part 2

In Part 1 of our look at 2011′s new bikes we covered Honda and KTM.  This time we’ll be looking at what Ducati, MV Agusta, Aprilla, and Moto Guzzi have in store for us this year.

Ducati, Ducati, Ducati, man they’re on a roll and can seemly do no wrong. With big things happening for them in the MotoGP world now that they’ve tempted Valentino Rossi to their camp, bigger things happened to them as a manufacturer in 2010, and 2011 looks to be a strong year for them as well.

Their big splash for 2010 was the successful Multistrada 1200 sports/adventure bike, and while it could fall into the category of a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ every trade it has a go at is so damn awesome you just don’t care.

For 2011 they have evolutions of popular models such as the Monster EVO 1100 (above) but the big news and most anticipated machine was something Ducati had never attempted before, and their first attempt is intended to destroy every competitor in the power cruiser market. With a stunning spec list and every technological gizmo a bike can have monitoring every nuance of performance the Diavel is the machine that will keep Ducati in the headlines for 2011. While bike prices are getting far too expensive across the board, in the Diavel’s case, £12,995 for the basic model and £15,495 for carbon clad premium machine, it’s understandable for what you’re getting.

MV Augusta escaped from the potentially sinking ship of Harley Davidson last year and has wasted no time in getting itself back on track under the guidance of former owner Claudio Castiglioni. The F3 Supersport, an in-line triple, and frankly stunning looking bike, was spinning its wheels under HD’s management.

Originally planned for 2012 MV have brought it forward to reignite the brand in the bike world’s collective consciousness, and boy does it do just that.

Moto Guzzi, are one of the world’s oldest brands and as such are always there in the background to a certain extent. A few concept mock ups they showcased last year awoke people once again to their excellent selection of models. For 2011 Guzzi are bringing a number of models to market with the best of the bunch the V7 Racer, a cafe racer with gorgeous classic styling (see above).

They also have updated versions of the Norge and Stelvio (above), and also the refreshed Nevada Anniversario (below), to celebrate the popular bike’s 20th anniversary.

Rounding things up we have Aprilla’s latest offerings. The super-powered, super-sized, supermoto, the Dorsoduro 1200 (below) will keep streetbike fans happy with huge amounts of power on tap.

A little further down the power scale are the Tuono V4R, replacing the V-twin version with a bike modeled on the successful RSV4.

Finally from Aprilla is the RS4 125. The Italian company has always been successful with its entry level bikes and this one features a liquid-cooled 125cc four-stroke single-cylinder engine with six-speed manual transmission.

Phew! Told you 2011 would be a packed year for great motorcycles. We’ll be back with Part 3 of our Bikes To Watch in 2011, stay tuned.