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This year on the 11th Annual Honda Tour in the USA, Linkin Park was chosen to design a Honda CBR250R motorcycle.

The band decided to use the artwork from their new album, ‘Living Things’ as the inspiration for the motorcycles design. This customized new Linkin Park edition Honda CBR250R, worth almost $11,000(Rs. 6.3 lakh), is the 1st place prize for winning a sweepstakes competition held by Honda.

Representatives from Honda said, “Linkin Park’s signature style is all over this motorcycle. The professionals at Santini Paint & Body showed off their mad airbrushing skills and made this bike look like nothing else anyone’s ever seen on the road.” Airbrush masters Santini Paint & Body depicted the idea of shedding skin and revealing the innate glow inside. Besides the new paint job, there are no mechanical changes to the motorcycle. Unfortunately this contest is valid only for US residents, but hopefully Honda can have a similar type of contest and get an iconic Indian band to customise the bike – the Indian way.

Italian motorcycle marquee Bimota who have some of the most exquisite motorcycles in the world today, have unveiled their latest works of art at the ongoing EICMA show.

The Italian master craftsmen have revealed their 2013 lineup in the form of 7 new offerings. Yes, that is correct, seven new offerings. Leading the lineup is the BB2 sports bike which has an retro looks infused with modern technology – like a BMW S1000R has mated with a Ducati from the early 1990s. Next in line is the DBx motocross bike which is specially catered for those who want to have fun in the dirt, mud & muck, a complete enduro racer. The Tesi 3D Naked offering from Bimota is simply something out of this world, sporting a single front swing arm & a hub center steering, in a nut shell, pure Alien!

Also adding to the already jaw dropping lineup are the DB8 & DB9 motorcycles which are draped in Italian colours, something for the patriots we guess. The DB10R is the hooligan of the group, this Ducati Hypermotard based racer is all about pure adrenaline & madness and sports a 1078cc beast of an engine. The last piece of the puzzle is the DB11 sporting a Ducati 1198cc mill and is super sports personified. Sleek, sharp & sexy, Bimota have struck the motorcycle world by storm big time, with such an arsenal of amazing bikes I think I am in love again with Italy.

Amid bated breath from show-goers, KTM have unveiled the new 390 Duke at the ongoing EICMA show, and details from the press briefing provide more information on what to expect ffrom this pocket rocket from Austria.

The bike will have a 373.2cc single-cylinder engine with the same chassis as the 125 Duke and the 200 Duke. The short-stroke cylinder (89mm x 60mm) has a max power output of 43.5PS at 9,500RPM and max torque of 35Nm at 7,250RPM. The bike also features a six-speed manual transmission, WP suspension, Brembo brakes, and optional Bosch ABS.

The bike falls into the A2 licensing system of Europe and will compete with the Honda CBR500R and the Kawasaki Ninja 300. It will be built in India by KTM’s minority shareholder Bajaj Auto and is expected to be launched in India in early 2013, with parts and technology likely to be seen in future Pulsars from Bajaj.

Just like Korean rapper PSY’s viral hit on YouTube, ‘Gangnam Style’, the CBR500R is currently the most talked about set of wheels in biking circles currently.

Honda have officially unveiled the specs & price of this 500cc liquid cooled baby CBR which is stated to hit the US market pretty soon. The baby CBR is all set to roar with an all new fuel injected parallel twin 500cc liquid cooled engine, capable of producing 54.7PS of power. Adding to the CBR’s arsenal of drool are an all-new set of petal disc brakes on both wheels, a monoshock rear shock absorber, new alloy wheels, new twin slat headlamp design, a new exhaust muffler and fatter tyres at the front and rear.

Sources at Honda have hinted that the CBR500R might follow its siblings, the 1000RR and the 250R in coming to the Indian market. Well we are keeping our fingers crossed as of now. Given that the CBR250R is already being manufactured in India – plus with the increase in competition with the likes of the 390 Duke – it is possible that the 500R’s next possible destination might strongly be India. The 2013 Honda CBR500R will sell for about $5,999 approx or $1,800 more than the smaller engined CBR250R in the US Market. To put it in an Indian perspective, about a lakh rupees higher than the CBR250R. Honda have also finally revealed the much-needed upgrade to the CBR600RR for 2013. No info has been provided regarding technical changes as such, but the motorcycle gets a comprehensive makeover as part of Honda’s 5^th anniversary celebrations of the CBR600RR.

Looks like all the manufacturers are playing peek-a-boo with the enthusiast before EICMA show which is scheduled next week.

Aprilia have released the first official pictures of their new 2012 Aprilia Caponord sports tourer. The Caponord shares its chassis with the Dorsoduro 1200, while it also incorporates the semi-faired front end of the RSV4. This new sports tourer will be the Noale-based brand’s big offering for the adventure-touring market of Europe. Well, the Coponord is introduced to compete with the likes of the Ducati Multistrada and the KTM 1190 Adventure.

The bike is loaded with techno-bits like selectable fuel mapping, traction control, and ABS brakes and also features 17″ wheels at both ends. The Caponord 1200 has all the basic amenities you would expect in an increasingly competitive adventure bike market, and if rumors are to be believed, the Italian marquee will offer the Caponord with semi-active suspension as well.

Although majority of the features related to the bike’s engine and other important elements have been kept under wraps till EICMA, it will be quite interesting to see how the 2012 Aprilia Caponord 1200 will fare in the Adventure-touring market of Europe.