Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz introduce the "Faux-cati" in Knight and Day *Update

Devon Brozek — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Motorcycle, Celebrities, Specialty

Let's just say even we don't know how to get our hands on one of these. Click above for high-res image gallery

When we first caught sight of Roy Miller on his shiny new Ducati, sporting that great hair, some solid leather heals and a denim shirt rolled up just enough to let the world now that he means business, we're not going to lie, a little bit of jealously came out of nowhere and smacked us in the face. Hey, he even has June Havens clinging tight for safety... its enough to make any man rush out and buy a new Hypermotard, right? Ducati certainly hopes so!

Much more than a brief glance at this Hyper will reveal that, unless your name is Tom Cruise, the chances of getting your hands on one like the bike from the movie may be only slightly better than Stanley McCrystal's hopes to spend fourth of July with the Obamas. What we have here folks is a genuine Faux-cati.

So just what the heck is this creation, and more importantly, why? A close look at the two-sided swing-arm, the single front brake rotor and silver forks would immediately tip us off to the bikes real identity... its an Aprilia SXV. Well fine, it was all of that stuff, and the fact that it says Aprilia on the side of the motor. Certainly, a heck of a lot of time and effort went into making this Aprilia look like a Ducati. Why though would such an elaborate transformation take place?

We can only assume that girth was the number one factor. The extra hundred-plus pounds of the real Ducati must have been too much - even for a super cool action star with great hair - to pull off. No doubt the longer travel suspension of the Aprilia made theatrical stunts much easier to perform as well. Who knows, maybe Tom just couldn't choose which one he liked more so he said "give me both." Whatever the reason, keep your eyes peeled during the movie, see if you can spot the elusive Faux-cati for yourself. Now where can we get some of those great boots?

*UPDATE: Apparently, this bike was created for an ESPN promotion of some sort. Ducati reports that all the bikes used in the actual movie were in fact full-fledged Hypermotards. Of course, that doesn't change that the bike pictured above indeed an Aprilia wearing Ducati bodywork.

Gallery: Faux-cati

[Source: Hell for Leather]

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz introduce the "Faux-cati" in Knight and Day *Update originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the Autoblog Garage: Aprilia SXV550

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:28:00 EST

Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Motorcycle

Click above for high-res gallery of the Aprilia SXV550

After having it in our garage for the last few weeks, the Aprilia SXV550 can best be described by the word 'extreme'. From its extremely compact yet very powerful V-Twin engine to its extremely uncomfortable saddle, this is a bike that demands attention from its rider. Also extreme is its ability to wheelie and perform stoppies, so much so that it must be ridden with great respect on the street. The Supermoto category is basically made up of off-road bikes equipped with just the bare essentials to be street-legal. Off go the knobbies and in their places are spooned grippy sportbike tires on 17-inch wheels. This bike fits neatly into that category and was created with maximum fun in mind; but does the SXV's extreme nature take the joy out of riding it on the street? That's what we set to find out when we borrowed one for our garage. Read on to see how it fared.

Gallery: In the Autoblog Garage: Aprilia SXV550

All photos copyright Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs Inc.

Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: Aprilia SXV550

In the Autoblog Garage: Aprilia SXV550 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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