Here is the Ducati Monster 696 in white with carbon Termignoni exhaust cans. What do you think?

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Was wandering around the local dealership and wanted to see what other people were doing to their bikes, so I decided to head back to the service area. Hmmm, Ducati 999, Ducati 848… what the heck is that thing? Hmmm, it’s white…Triumph Street Triple? No… single headlight. Brutale? No…they don’t have under tail pipes. Buell? Nah..wrong dealership. *Gasp!* That’s the 696!

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ENGINE (Ah, the engine)
With a power output of 200 HP at 13,800 rpm and a torque of 11.8 kgm at 10,500 rpm, the new D16RR engine follows the guidelines laid down by the Ducati Corse GP engine, a masterpiece of engineering and precision.

Bore and stroke measurements are the same as those on the D16GP6 - 1000 cc (86×42.56), as are the characteristic positions of the Ducati desmodromic timing system parts (camshaft rotation axis, rocker arm center and valve center distance), valve angle, distance between cylinder centres and pulse timing, which uses the Twin-pulse solution applied on the racing engine.
As in MotoGP, traditional Ducati desmodromic timing ensures accurate valve control even at the highest revs and blends perfectly with the modern architecture of this superb 4-cylinder engine.

Here is a clip of the bike at idle and then revved:

As is the tradition at Ducati, the 90° angle between the cylinders is maintained.

This authentic copy of the GP engine is further endorsed by the use of a cassette type six-speed gearbox and hydraulically actuated dry multi-plate slipper clutch.
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Okay, so it’s not really a Ducati, in fact, it’s not even close. At 50cc, the Insanity 749 is actually the smallest street legal bike in the United Kingdom. I actually found this while browsing through Alibaba.com, the world’s online trade center.

It’s from a German based company called Boehm Innovation. As you can see, the Insanity 749 is modeled after the popular Ducati 749 series. But that’s where the similarities stop. So, if you are thinking that there is a cheaper way to repair those crashed 749 fairings, you are out of luck. Nothing, and I mean nothing is interchangeable between the Insanity 749 and the Ducati 749.

But it sure does look fun to ride!
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So Triumph sent over the spec sheet and some photos of the new 2008 Triumph Speed Triple the other day. The following is a general overview and my opinions on the bike at first glance.

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