Photo: Five – Two = Podium

Blurred to protect against spoilers, we’ll just leave things simply by saying that World Superbike’s Race 2 at Donington Park is well worth a watching if you haven’t already seen it. Decided right down to the last few turns, race pundits surely will be discussing the race and its outcome over the next week. Unsurprisingly, geography is playing a major a role in how things are being viewed. Though in a race where a number of questionable passes occurred, it is hard to single out this one event from the plethora of others that occurred during the race, but of course this one had the biggest effect on the race outcome. Click past the jump for the he said, she said, and of course for some slightly sharper photos.

Norton V4 Gets Shakedown Test Ahead of Isle of Man TT

More news from Norton, as the British firm has begun track-testing its V4 road race bike, in preparation of the 2012 Isle of Man TT. Focusing on the bike’s handling, Norton has been working hand-in-hand with Öhlins and Dunlop developing the bike’s chassis. The trio has devised the highly sophisticated “165 mph no hands” test, which supposedly checks the stability of the bike, though we imagine Health & Safety would frown upon it. With the bike’s Aprilia RSV4 motor putting out 195hp at the crank, and with the total race package weighing 419 lbs (195 kg) when it is sopping wet, the Spondon-framed Norton may not be exactly what fans of the famous marques were hoping for after seeing the very appealing Norton NRV 588, though it does seem to be a potent package.

2012 Brammo Empulse R – Was It Worth the Wait?

Launching in downtown Los Angeles, the 2012 Brammo Empulse R & 2013 Brammo Empulse broke their cover and officially debuted. Right off the bat from the designations, you can see that Brammo intends for the Empulse R to be a 2012 model, with the base model Emuplse coming out next year (more on that further down). As we expected, the Brammo Empulse R got quite the price bump after its 22-month marination, and will be $18,995 MSRP. Meanwhile when the Brammo Empulse becomes available next year, it will have a slightly more palatable $16,995 price tag.

Up-Close with the Erik Buell Racing 1190RS ‘merica Edition

While the EBR 1190RS race bikes were on the track, their $40,000+ street-legal counterparts were on display outside of the Erik Buell Racing garage. Rocking an American flag livery, I naturally took pictures of this show bike. Eye catching to say the least, nothing says “Made in ‘merica” better than a red, white, and blue color scheme, especially when it is laid over carbon fiber. And while I want to love this bike because of its nuances and outside-of-the-box technical design, I don’t.

Sunday Summary at Estoril: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

If there’s one lesson we can take from Sunday’s race at Estoril, it’s this: “I’ve always said we know Casey’s the guy that’s the fastest guy in the world. Maybe over the seasons he hasn’t put the championships together, but by far he’s the best guy in the world.” Cal Crutchlow is not known for mincing his words, and his description of Casey Stoner pulls no punches. But given the fact that Stoner only managed to win the Portuguese round of MotoGP by a second and a bit, is that not a little exaggerated?

Up-Close with the 2012 Brammo Empulse RR

Brammo is back for electric motorcycle racing in the North American TTXGP series, as the Ashland-based company is set to defend it’s #1 plate this year with Steve Atlas on board ( Shelina Moreda is slated to join the team later in the season). Gaining a title sponsorship from Icon, Brammo arrived at Sears Point with some edgy graphics on the 2012 Brammo Empulse RR. Dropping roughly 35 lbs in weight, and gaining roughly 50hp over the bike they ran at last year’s season opener, Brammo is making most of those gains in its revised motor and power inverter for the newest Empulse RR.

Mea Culpa: The Media’s Hard-on for a Good Penis Story

As you can imagine, the bulk of the commentary, both from readers and from professional journalists, has centered around the absurdity of the claim, with even jokes being offered about how an aged BMW rider should be thanking the German motorcycle brand for saving him money on Viagra, etc. The situation reminds me of the McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit. You know the story, right?. A woman buys a cup of coffee at McDonald’s, spills it on herself while in the car, and sues the bastards for her incompetence. True to litigious American form, the unthinkable happened, and a jury awarded this gold-digging woman millions of dollars. It is repudiating, and it stands for everything that is wrong with the legal system, or so we would be lead to believe — especially by the media.

An Addendum to Valentino Rossi’s Options for the Future

Never say never, but few are expecting Valentino Rossi to hang up his spurs at the end of the 2012 MotoGP Championship. Going out on a career low-point is certainly not the Italian’s style, especially as it casts a particularly dark shadow on a career that has enjoyed the bright-light superlative of “Greatest of All Time” from some of motorcycling’s most knowledgeable sources. Hoping to cast that phrase with an underlined typeface, and not with an interrogatory question mark, there is sufficient evidence to believe that Rossi will want to end his career in a way that will leave no doubt about the nine-time World Champion’s abilities. The question of course is how those final seasons will play out, and who they will be with.

Motorcycle from Japanese Tsunami Washes Up in Canada

Just a little over a year later, debris from the Sendai earthquake and its subsequent tsunami is starting to make its way across the Pacific Ocean, with the first bit major piece of fallout to hit Canadian soil just now being reported. Though the effects to the motorcycle industry were only a small portion of the overall devastation, for our purposes it seems fitting that the first sizable item to wash ashore is a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Landing in the Haida Gwaii islands of British Columbia, the Harley-Davidson Softail was discovered by Peter Mark, who was riding his ATV along the coast of the isolated beach.

Man Sues BMW for Causing Erection – No, Seriously

After a four-hour ride on his motorcycle, one BMW owner realized that he had a problem. Namely, a problem with his erect penis, which after some waiting would not subside. Now while most of us would cheekily reply that such a state is the sign of a good motorcycle ride, this San Francisco Bay Area native is not laughing, and has filed suit in the Superior Court of San Francisco County (CGC-12-520316) against BMW Motorrad North American and Corbin-Pacific. Saying that the motorcycle and its dealer-installed custom motorcycle seat have caused priapism, the man is suing for lost wages, personal injury, medical expenses, product liability, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

2010 MV Agusta F4 Breaks Cover at EICMA

11/09/2009 @ 6:14 pm, by Jenny Gun8 COMMENTS

The 2010 MV Agusta F4 has been hyped extensively by MV, but after seeing the Brutale release, we were skeptical about what the new F4 would bring. Expectedly, the 2010 MV Agusta F4 is based of Massimo Tamburini’s iconic design, and is updated to fit more with modern tastes. But MV has also changed the bike underneath the hood. More on that, photos, and technical specifications after the jump.

With a 998cc motor, the new F4 makes 3hp more than the comparably displaced 2009 MV Agusta R 312. The 2010 F4 also weights less, dropping 22lbs for a dry weight of 424lbs.

Like the Brutale, a new engine, chassis, and swingarm have been designed for the 2010 model. These changes make the 2010 MV Agusta F4 4cm narrower, while making the chassis more rigid.

Riders should find the new chassis more comfortable, and will be able to make use of the F4′s new 8-way adjustable traction control unit and twin-map ECU. Helping get the power to the ground is bike’s

Other changes include:

Power supply with TSS variable length intake system
TC MK II traction control system, adjustable on 8 levels
Two injectors per cylinder
New electronic injection system with 49-mm throttle bodies
New Magneti Marelli 7 SM ECU
New 4-1 exhaust system with valve

2010 MV AGUSTA F4 1000 R Technical Specs:

ENGINE

Type Four cylinder, 4 stroke, 16 valve
Timing system “D.O.H.C”, radial valve
Total displacement 998 cm3 (60.9 cu. in.)
Compression ratio 13.1:1
Starting Electric
Bore x stroke 76 mm x 55 mm (3.0 in. x 2.2 in.)
Max. horse power – r.p.m. (at the crankshaft) Full power version: 137 kW (186 HP) at 12900 – Lim. 13500 r.p.m. / Restricted power version: 73 kW (100 HP) at 9200 – Lim. 10800 r.p.m.
Max. torque – r.p.m. Full power version: 114 Nm (11.4 kgm) at 9500 r.p.m. / Restricted power version: 90 Nm (9.0 kgm) at 5500 r.p.m.
Cooling system Cooling with separated liquid and oil radiators
Engine management system Magneti Marelli IAW 7BM ignition – injection integrated system with Mikuni throttle body; induction discharge electronic ignition;
Sequential timed “Multipoint” electronic injection ; Variable height intake ducts with Torque Shift System (TSS)
Clutch Wet, multi – disc
Gear Box Cassette gearbox; six speed, constant mesh
Primary drive 50/79
Gear ratio
First gear: Speed* 13/38 128,2 km/h (79.6 mph) a t 1 3 5 0 0 r. p . m .
Second gear: Speed* 16/34 176,4 km/h (109.5 mph) a t 1 3 5 0 0 r. p . m .
Third gear: Speed* 18/32 210,8 km/h (130.9 mph) at 1 3 5 0 0 r. p . m .
Fourth gear: Speed* 20/30 249,8 km/h (155.1 mph) at 1 3 5 0 0 r. p . m .
Fifth gear: Speed* 22/29 284,3 km/h (176.5 mph) a t 1 3 5 0 0 r. p . m .
Sixth gear: Speed* 19/23 305,0 km/h (189.4 mph) at 1 3 5 0 0 r. p . m .
Final velocity ratio 15×41

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
Voltage 12 V
Alternator 350 W at 5000 r. p . m .
Battery 12 V – 8,6 Ah
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Wheelbase 1430 mm (56.27 in.)
Overall lenght 2100 mm (82.63 in.)
Overall width 750 mm (29.51 in.)
Saddle height 860 mm (33.84 in.)
Min. ground clearance 115 mm (4.52 in.)
Trail 100,4 mm (3.93 in.)
Dry weight 192 Kg (423 lbs.)
Fuel tank capacity 17 l (4.49 U.S. gal.)

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed* Full power version: 305,0 km/h (189.4 mph) / Restricted power version: 249,0 km/h (154.6 mph)

FRAME
Type CrMo Steel tubular trellis (TIG welded)
Rear swing arm pivot plates: material Aluminium alloy

FRONT SUSPENSION
Type “UPSIDE – DOWN” telescopic hydraulic fork with rebound-compression damping and spring preload external and separate adjustment
Rod dia. 50 mm (1.97 in.)
Travel on leg axis 120 mm (4.72 in.)

REAR SUSPENSION
Type Progressive, single shock absorber with rebound and compression (High speed / Low speed) damping and spring preload adjustment
Single sided swing arm: material Aluminium alloy
Wheel travel 120 mm (4.72 in.)

BRAKE
Front brake Double floating disc with Ø 320 mm (Ø 12.6 in.) diameter, with steel braking band and aluminium flange
Front brake caliper Radial-type, single-piece with 4 pistons – Ø 34 mm (Ø 1.34 in.)
Rear brake Single steel disc with Ø 210 mm (Ø 8.27 in.) diameter
Rear brake caliper With 4 pistons – Ø 25,4 mm (Ø 1.00 in.)
RIM
Front: Material / size Aluminium alloy 3,50 ” x 17 ”
Rear: Material / size Aluminium alloy 6,00 ” x 17 ”
TYRES
Front 120/70 – ZR 17 M/C (58 W)
Rear 190/55 – ZR 17 M/C (75 W)
FAIRING
Material Thermoplastic

* = Top speed attained on closed course. Rev. 1 – 27/10/09
MV Agusta is committed to the constant improvement of our products. Therefore the information and technical characteristics of the vehicles are subject to change without notice.

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Tagged under: 2010, 2010 MV Agusta F4, EICMA, F4, Massimo Tamburini, MV Agusta, MV Agusta F4

Comment:

Billy B says:
November 9, 2009 at 7:12 PM
in terms of mechanics, suppose it sounds good….but a big backwards step with the design. Luck that, now i don’t have to feel so bad i can’t afford it…
Asphalt_Rubber says:
November 9, 2009 at 10:14 PM
2010 MV Agusta F4 – http://bit.ly/InxrY #motorcycle
snacktastic says:
November 10, 2009 at 3:10 AM
I don’t think they took a step in any direction at all, it looks the same as the old bike.
Jake says:
November 10, 2009 at 8:12 AM
I’m not really crazy about the changes to front and the square pipe, but I like the rest of the updates and love the return to the 5 star wheel design. Most importantly as I’ve said before they’ve at least tried to do something about the weight. Secondly all those cutouts should help the bike run cooler because they’ve always run hot. Glad they finally got off the more CCs is better thing and went back to 998cc and just looked to make a better over all motor, but have to wait to see the verdict on the fueling.
If there is a single seater model and the ability to completely turn off or disable the traction control I’d really consider going back to the MV camp instead of getting a 1198
Patron says:
November 10, 2009 at 9:24 AM
Pretty bike. Not sure why some bikes even bother having a pillion seat. Chances are if you have the cash for an F4, you could have another bike for two up. A revised tail section would be nice but still a nice bike. Looks best in graphite w the red trellis frame.
draysse says:
November 11, 2009 at 12:39 AM
Massimo Tamburini has been the north star of motorcycle design for decades, his designs from the iconic Ducati 916 to the original F4 have pointed the way forward for all of motorcycle design. The new F4 is nice but that’s it, nothing new or innovative to talk about. I can only hope & dream that Massimo brings his immense talents to bare on something new, because frankly everyone in the industry is regurgitating design cues he pioneered years ago. I had high hopes for his new ideas with Harley money behind them, guess I’ll have to continue waiting…..
max says:
April 12, 2010 at 12:02 PM
Still looks just as pretty as before. And as before the matt black variant will be the most desirable!
Nathanel says:
September 11, 2010 at 11:52 PM
It looks like it`s doin’ 200 just sitin’ there.

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