Moto Guzzi and Aprilia will have a new focus moving in to 2012 and 2013 as the Piaggio Group gets precise about what it wants from its two brands. According to Roberto Colannino, Moto Guzzi will take on the grand touring market and BMW as a competitor, while Aprilia will continue its work in the sports bike field, focusing on playing in the same superbike and sports bike sectors as Honda, Yamaha and Ducati.

The industrial plan for the Piaggio Group hinges on these two brands and a more specific view as to their development and place within the overall group. How successful they will be is difficult to say at this stage, especially for Moto Guzzi. The stated objective of competing with BMW is no small feat but there are some specific developments in the pipeline which should see an evolution in the Moto Guzzi brand over the next few years.

Firstly, a new three-valve engine will be developed which will join the brand new V4 in the line-up, and Guzzi fans will also get an updated California with 1200cc engine. Rumours that Guzzi was working on a big bore 1400cc engine have been put to rest by management. The purpose behind most of the changes is to streamline the brands of the Piaggio Group. The company says:

Continue reading: Piaggio Group company plan: Aprilia goes sporty and Moto Guzzi takes on BMW touring models

....

1 comment

The Piaggio group will be presenting some new models at the 2010 EICMA in Milan in November where we might see the Aprilia Tuareg 1200 on show alongside the new Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200. The news comes from Roberto Colannino speaking at the opening of the new Piaggio showroom in Milan where the Dorsoduro 1200 and Moto Guzzi V7 Racer were presented. While the Moto Guzzi Norge GT 8V was also on show, the real news is coming from Aprilia.

For fans, the possibility of seeing the Aprilia Tuareg 1200 model at the 2010 EICMA is exciting news, as the historic bike gets some new, competitive updates for 2011. The Tuareg is the heir to the Capo Nord Aprilia bike and it will get a new V2 motor to replace the previous Rotax V2. The engine makes use of plenty of Dorsoduro 750 base but will also become the new Dorsoduro engine with an oil radiator and the six cylinders rearranged slightly.

This new 1200 motor will be installed on both the Dorsoduro and the new Tuareg and would seem to produce greater ease and performance at the top of its range. The motor has been designed with torque and low revs in mind although it still gets 130 hp. It should prove to be the closest competitor to the 1,200cc BMW GS and Yamaha Ténéré motors.

Continue reading: Aprilia Tuareg 1200 at 2010 EICMA

....

0 comments

The 2010 EICMA will host the new Aprilia Tuareg adventure tourer as more competition to the BMW R1200GS. It joins other new models in the segment, including the more extreme Yamaha Tenere for 2010, and the Ducati Multistrada, whose off-road capabilities seem to be acceptable so far in press tests.

The Aprilia Tuareg will be equipped with the same 750cc engine as the Shiver and Dorsoduro, and will have a steel tube chassis and 21-inch front wheel for off-road use, along with an overall weight likely to come in under 200 kg. An Aprilia Tuareg street version could appear later with a 1200cc engine and 19-inch wheel.

It looks like the Italian manufacturers are gearing up already for their homegrown motorcycle show, and hopefully EICMA 2010 will prove to be just as exciting as last year’s edition. We can’t wait to see some more pics of the Tuareg when released.

Source | Motociclismo via FasterandFaster

....

0 comments