Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 2011 – The Ducati Story

Grab some popcorn, because this video from Ducati North America is over 14 minutes long. Telling the story of Ducati at the 2011 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), DNA has put together a great video that really captures how special the racing is at Pikes Peak, and how gorgeous the scenery is of the Colorado Mountains. With Santa Barbara Ducati’s Carlin Dunne winning the overall motorcycle category on his dealership’s Multistrada 1200 demo model, Alexander Smith from the Spider Grips Ducati Team made it a double podium for Ducati in the 1205cc class. If you’re new to racing at Pikes Peak, or wanted a quick re-cap of last year’s race, Ducati’s video pretty accurately sums up racing on the mountain and the anxiety around last year’s race.

Ducati Announces Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Team with Carlin Dunne & Greg Tracy

Ducati has announced its factory team for the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), and the Italian company has secured the services of last-year’s winner and Rookie of the Year Carlin Dunne as well as six-time PPIHC winner Greg Tracy. Ducati has also partnered with the Spider Grips team, who will help prepare the teams Ducati Multistrada 1200 for the “Race to the Clouds” on July 8th. For 2012, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will be fully-paved to the top of the mountain, which will surely see the speeds of competitors increase, and lap times drop on the 12.42 mile long course that ends at 14,110 feet.

Cutaway Photos of the Ducati Superquadro Engine

I was flipping through some photos from the 2011 EICMA show, and found these shots of the Ducati 1199 Panigale’s Superquadro engine. Unfortunately at the show, Ducati had its 1199cc v-twin motor behind a Lexan case, which created a bit of a glare, reflections, and of course had smudges from the touchy-feely Italian crowd. But still, the photos give a good idea of what’s going on in Ducati’s most-advanced production engine to date, and are better than just looking at the CAD renders. If you look at the shots very closely, you can almost see where the 195hp and 98 lbs•ft of torque is lurking inside.

AGV, Please Make This Helmet!

In addition to testing the factory Ducati Desmosedici GP12 “Phoenix” this week at Sepang, Valentino Rossi is also trying out a new lid from AGV. Aside from the carbon fiber goodness, and of course the Rossi stickers (which add 5hp & $200), AGV’s prototype helmet sports a noticably pronounced rear spoiler. Tucked in behind the windscreen, it is obvious why the Italian helmet manufacturer designed such a large protrusion off the back of the prototype helmet, as it looks to be clearly helping the flow off the back of the helmet, across the rider’s hump, and down his backside.

2012 Honda RC213V Debuts in Malaysia

While Ducati Corse is busy playing hide-the-Desmosedici at Sepang, HRC is all business in Malaysia this week, and has debuted its 2012 Honda RC213V MotoGP-contender. Honda isn’t saying too much about the RC213V, simply stating that the race bike is all new, but is also a continuation of the company’s design with the 800cc Honda RC212V. Testing the Honda RC213V over the course of last season, reigning-World Champion Casey rode the new 1,000cc machine three times in 2011, while teammate Dani Pedrosa swung a leg over the RC213V twice (missing one test because of injury).

No, This is the “90%” New Ducati Desmosedici GP12

You may have been misled by some eager journalists today and yesterday, if you saw a Ducati Corse livery-clad Ducati Desmosedici GP12 that some sites were passing off as the first shots of the “90% new” GP12. With the alleged new GP12 looking surprisingly similar to the aluminum-framed “GP0″ that was tested at Valencia, Valentino Rossi’s mechanic has now Alex Briggs confirmed that the photos taken were not of the all new “GP12 Phoenix” that the factory team will race this season. While the Ducati lords can taketh away, they can also giveth, and Valentino Rossi himself has posted the first photo of the factory Desmosedici GP12, and the bike is clearly different.

Zero Motorcycles Commences 2012 Model Line Production

Zero Motorcycles has announced the full-commencement of production for its 2012 model line, which is expected to hit dealers in February & March of this year. First off the line was the 2012 Zero DS back in December, though the electric motorcycle company has recently started building the Zero S, Zero XU, Zero X, and Zero MX at its Scotts Valley facility as well. A story we broke back in November, Zero Motorcycles debuted its important 2012 electric motorcycle line up at the 2011 EICMA show in Milan, with the 2012 range being a substantial improvement upon the company’s previous offerings.

The Dainese D-Air Racing Airbag Suit Comes to America

Getting a look at Dainese & AGV’s 2012 collection, Asphalt & Rubber was down in Orange County earlier this week to see the highly anticipated Dainese D-Air Racing leather suit, which has a four liter airbag system that helps reduce the risk of injury during a motorcycle crash. Dainese has been working on the D-Air Racing system for 10 years now, and after soft-launching the airbag suit in Europe, the Italian company is ready to bring the game-changing technology to American soil.

I Love the Nightlife. I’ve Come to Boogie.

Us Danes, we’re a strange breed. From the culture that taught you how to rape and pillage, Scandinavia is making yet another contribution to the motorcycling world with this latest video. Featuring Danish Supermoto Champion Andreas Mikkelsen, we get a RoToR camera-esque perspective (this rig is actually home made) on the Dane’s practice session at the Als Supermotard Club in Denmark. It’s videos like this that are slowly eroding my will-power to resist getting into supermotard riding. Also, I don’t know who was in charge of the music selection on this thing, but my hat is off to him/her. I love the nightlife. I’ve come to boogie.

Confirmed: KTM 350 Duke in 2013 – Moto3 Inspired 350cc Sport Bike in 2014

Our friends over at IndianCarsBikes.in were in attendance at the KTM 200 Duke launch in India this week, as the Austrian brand launched its somewhat bigger-displacement version of the popular KTM Duke 125. During the press event, KTM talked about the future of the mini-Duke line and its product roadmap for the emerging country, as well as abroad. With the Austrian brand confirming/clarifying that KTM would release a KTM 350 Duke for India in 2013, zie Austrians also confirmed that the KTM 350 Duke would be built locally in India by Bajaj, but would be exported worldwide — allaying fears that the KTM 350 Duke would be an India-only model.

2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS – Also Officially Official & With Anti-Lock Brakes

Fri, March 12th, 2010 @ 2:47 am, by Jenny Gun1 COMMENT
Home » Bikes » 2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS – Also Officially Official & With Anti-Lock Brakes

2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS   Also Officially Official & With Anti Lock Brakes Yamaha Fazer8 ABS 635x476

Along with the 2010 Yamaha FZ8, Yamaha Europe has finally officially released the 2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS. The 800cc cousin to the FZ8, the Fazer8 gets the obvious anti-lock brake treatment as the name implies. Drawing on styling cues from the larger FZ1, the FazerOcho distinguishes itself by what lies beneath its exposed motor. As was rumored, the Fazer8 borrows from the FZ1′s 998cc motor’s stroke length, making up the smaller displacement with a smaller bore diameter (68mm down from 77mm). Check out the full technical specifications and photos after the jump.

Previous Fazer owners will probably find the Fazer8′s near 485lbs of wet weight as an unwelcomed change from their more slender 600cc counter-parts (450lbs wet), which this bike now replaces. However the Fazer8′s 50% more torque (Fazer8: 62lbs•ft, FZ6: 46lbs•ft) on tap should help quiet the restless souls who have just seen their favorite motorcycle discontinued.

Like the FZ8, the Fazer8 carries many elements over from both the FZ1 and FZ6. However while the FZ8 gets a nose job, the Fazer8 retains the bird/moth/grasshopper head of a front fairing. New for 2010 is the obvious addition of 310mm front disc brakes, which are grappled to a rolling stop by the new ABS system on board. This is done to not only help the bike stop better on uncertain road conditions, but it also seems that Yamaha is trying to segment the market between the two models.

While the FZ8 is geared more towards the performance enthusiast meets street hooligan, the Fazer8′s marketing material is clearly aimed at the sport-tourer inside all of us, making the Fazer8 the proverbial Swiss Army knife of the motorcycling world. The ABS brakes seem to play up this role, and position the bike as an “any situation” rider. Time will tell how that works out for the tuning fork brand. European pricing starts at €8,690, and the Fazer8 comes in white, blue, and black.

Technical Specifications of the 2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS:

Features
  • A design study in understatement
  • New 779cc engine
  • Instant torque meets slingshot horsepower
  • Aluminium frame
  • Semi-faired for comfort and sleek aerodynamics
  • Slim fuel tank and compact, roomy ergonomics
Engine
Engine type:Liquid cooled 4-stroke, DOHC Forward-inclined parallel 4-cylinder
Displacement:779 cc
Bore x stroke:68.0 × 53.6mm
Compression ratio:12.0: 1
Maximum power:78.1KW (106.2PS) / 10000 rpm
Maximum torque:82.0Nm (8.4kgf・m) / 8000 rpm
Lubrication system:Wet sump
Carburettor:Electronic Fuel Injection
Clutch type:Wet, multiple-disc coil spring
Ignition system:Transistorized coil ignition
Starter system:Electric
Transmission system:Constant mesh, 6-speed
Final transmission:Chain
Fuel tank capacity:17 L
Oil tank capacity:3.8 L
Chassis
Chassis:Diamond
Front suspension system:Telescopic fork, 43mm inner tube
Front travel:130 mm
Rear suspension system:Swingarm, link suspension
Rear travel:130 mm
Caster angle25º
Trail109 mm
Front brake:Hydraulic dual disc brake, Ø 310 mm ABS brake system
Rear brake:Hydraulic single disc brake, Ø 267 mm
Front tyre:120/70 ZR17 M/C(58W)
Rear tyre:180/55 ZR17 M/C(73W)
Dimensions
Length (mm):2,140 mm
Width (mm):770 mm
Height (mm):1,225 mm
Seat height (mm):815 mm
Wheel base (mm):1,460 mm
Minimum ground clearance (mm):140 mm
Service weight (kg)220 kg

Top 5 Related Posts:

  1. 2010 Yamaha Fazer8 Revealed
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  3. Yamaha Gets Particular About ‘Fazer8′ Nomenclature
  4. 2011 Yamaha FZ8 Coming to the USA

Comment:

  1. Bill Smith says:

    Why do I get the impression Yamaha is attempting to better leverage the parts from the FZ1? This is quite exciting if you enjoy a five-year-old bike design with a modified fairing and new engine at an over-inflated price in a horrific economy. I own an FZ1 (2006) and have owned an FZ6 (2007) – I was assuming we’d see something new from Yamaha in the upright category.