After the Red Bull series of 1,000 frames per second starring Casey Stoner, Andrea Dovizioso and Hiroshi Aoyama, the energy drink company has turned its slo-motion cameras towards two time motocross champion James ‘Bubba’ Stewart while he’s training at his home practice track in Haines City, Florida. Stewart also offers up his own little ’secrets’ on dirt riding in the video.

In the opening round of the 2012 AMA Supercross championship that took place at Angel Stadium on Saturday night, JS7 finished sixth after crashing as he was headed towards the podium, while Ryan Villipoto took the victory on his Kawasaki.

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French urban trial and freestyle legend Julien Dupont has been showing us many jaw-dropping stunts throughout the years, and he is quite a popular character among extreme motorsports enthusiast around the world. This time time around he decided to give the brand new all-electric KTM Freeride E a go, and here is a bunch of pictures showing us what he has been capable of doing on this ambitious motocross bike in Barcelona’s surroundings.

KTM Freeride E is powered by a brushless synchronous motor with 300V of batteries, produceing 30bhp (22kW) at 6,000 rpm and 42 hp (31 ft-lb) of torque at just 500rpm. We just hope that some video evidence of the Dupont/Freeride E odd couple will surface soon as well.

View the full Julien Dupont and KTM Freeride E photo gallery

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Fantic Motor is back. Following the success in the 2 stroke Italian Enduro Championships, the revamped Italian manufacturer now produces 1200 motorcycles per year, 80% of which are sold in the home market and the remainder abroad, especially France, Spain and Japan.

Fantic Motor presents 2 new models at the 2011 EICMA: a 4 stroke model which is light, reliable, performing and with a racing flavour. The name of this bike is the same of the most popular Fantic product of the 80s: it’s Caballero, more precisely Caballero TF 250 ES. Then there’s also a cross bike, the Caballero TZ 125 CS, boasting a 48 mm Marzocchi forkand an interesting linking system on the rear. Check them both out in our photo gallery.

View the full Fantic Motor Caballero 250 4T e 125 Cross 2012 photo gallery

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KTM unveiled the Freeride E, their first production version of an electric zero emission off-road motorcycle this week at EICMA.

While we know many riders still turn up their noses at something that doesn’t make noise and burns fossil fuel, but the Austrian manufacturer’s newest edition to their line-up still looks like a blast to ride while protecting the enviroment.

Power come from a brushless, synchronous motor and 300V battery which produces 30bhp (22kW) at 6000rpm and 31ftlb of torque at just 500rpm. It supposedly gives you 45 minutes of trail riding autonomy before being recharged, which takes 90 minutes.

KTM has yet to finalize the price of the Freeride E, but aims to keep it under € 10.000.

Specs after the jump:

Continue reading: KTM Freeride E - Rockin' in Barcelona (w/video)

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Husqvarna took a brand new model at the EICMA: it is a concept called Moab that combines vintage looks with modern technology. Husqvarna color scheme choice and many other details reinforce the idea that the manufacturer sees the Moab as present day version of the mighty H400 model ridden by Steve McQueen on a famous cover of Sports Ilustrated in 1966, a move that made that bike an instant reference point for all off-road bikes for years to come. The name comes from a desert area in Utah which is very popular amongst off-road enthusiasts.

Husqvarna Concept Moab is equipped with a 650 cc engine fitted in a perimeter frame, progressive linkage on the swingarm, 17″ rims and semi-knobbly tyres which make it perfect for off-road use. ncastonato in un telaio perimetrale, con monotrave anteriore e forcellone dotato di sospensione a progressività variabile. See the pictures of the model taken at the 2011 EICMA by clicking on the link below.

View the full Husqvarna Concept Moab at the 2011 Eicma photo gallery

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Electric motorcycles manufacturer Brammo Inc. has announced the acquisition of the off-road riding center network Quantyaparx from KOM Enterprises. General interest in electric vehicles has grown so much in recent years that now there are dirt tracks networks that are exclusively dedicated to them. The most important one in Europe is Switzerland’s Quantyaparx, where customers can rent electric dirt bikes that - thanks to the total lack of both air and noise pollution - can be ridden near urban and rural areas.

As the name suggests, the Quantyaparx network was in a partnership with Swiss manufacturer Quantya but, in the aftermath of the acquisition, it will now use Brammo motorcycles only, like the 6 speed electric model called Engage (pictured above). Quantyaparx boasts 14 franchises scattered across Germany, Austria, Spain, France and the UK. Craig Bramscher, Brammo’s CEO and founder, announced that more tracks will open soon in the United States.

“We are excited about this acquisition and we will be introducing our latest 6-speed off-road Brammo motorcycles – the Engage and the Encite – pretty soon. We know the demand for off-road parks is growing and KOM has both a unique business model and a highly successful track record in this market.” Quantyaparx will now be rebranded Brammoparx and will be officially launched during l’EICMA, in Milan, on November, the 8th.

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After rumours spread that Tony Cairoli and KTM were headed for a fall-out over his future racing prospects, the FIM has released a brief statement saying that Cairoli has signed with KTM for the 2012 Motocross World Championship. While the news is clearly good for KTM and the FIM’s international competition, it might leave Cairoli himself a little disappointed.

Word is that Cairoli wants the opportunity to race in the US, with KTM, in the AMA National Series. FIM says:

Rumours have been flying, saying that Antonio Cairoli will participate in the AMA National series next year with KTM, but after talking with the concerned parties, it’s necessary to inform that these are only allegations and don’t reflect the reality; Antonio Cairoli has signed a contract with KTM to race the FIM Motocross World Championship next year and for the future.

Continue reading: Tony Cairoli with KTM in 2012

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Touching up an icon like the BMW R1200GS is no easy task and so the German company has decided to go all out and just rebuild the whole thing, including fitting out its world-famous adventure tourer with a brand new water-cooled engine. These new R1200GS spy shots published both by MCN and MotorcycleUSA show that new water-cooled engine thanks to some mechanical upgrades that show themselves, like the exhaust port at the base of the engine and the hint of a radiator fan.

The most interesting point of the new water-cooling exercise for the R1200GS is not that BMW wants to improve on power. The model already has 110 hp, which is more than respectable. Rather, sources say that BMW is interested in other benefits that water cooling can provide like reduced noise and emissions, and more comfort for the rider.

The BMW R1200GS will also get significant chassis updates, a new drive train and updates to the final shaft drive and exhaust - the latter’s canister will swap sides on the bike with the shaft drive. If the radial-mount calipers in these spy shots remain, the GS will also get updated brakes, but these are minor details compared to the shift to water cooling.

In fact, seeing BMW move away from its long love affair with the air-cooled boxer twin confirms just how good the competition in adventure tourer models has become. While BMW claims no power increase is being pursued, we would see it only as a benefit anyway, as the R1200GS gets an overhaul against the Ducati Multistrada and Yamaha Super Tenere. As we hope to see the new BMW R1200GS at the 2011 EICMA show, let the games begin on the adventurer tourer front.

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19-year-old Jackson Strong is the first rider to complete a front flip in competition, according to reports. The first recorded front flip completed on a motorcycle was by Jim DeChamp in 2009, but this X Games front flip video captures the move in competition. We already reported that Jackson completed a front flip on the Crusty Demons tour in Australia recently, but we’re not sure if that qualifies as a ‘competition’ one or not. In any case, it looks like it’s becoming Strong’s specialty and what’s more, in this latest front flip, he sticks the landing and runs away with a gold medal in the best trick contest for doing so. Check it out in the video.

Source | HFL via Autoblog.com

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The 2012 Husaberg dirt bike range takes the Swedish company back to its 100 percent enduro offroad roots. In this video we see some of the new updates to the range, and we get a look at the brand new Husaberg TE 125. Last year Husaberg offered a couple of extra two-strokes to its dirt bike range, and the 125cc broadens the range further, appealing to a different and younger market.

In the video above you can see the kind of offroad alpine fun to be had on any Husaberg, but the new TE 125 shows off its agility and high-tech components. Husaberg has tried to get a mix of value-for-money on a technological bike that doesn’t require a heap of maintenance and racing this year will show whether they’ve achieved that.

Beyond the new model, the entire Husaberg range gets an updated look with new graphics where the blue and yellow Swedish combo really stands out. There is a clear fuel tank which gives a practical solution to checking fuel supply as well as clean and pure lines. Top-end components are used, including a completely adjustable rear suspension, closed cartridge forks and a specially patented electric starter. Check out the Husaberg range in action in the video.

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