Q&A: Yukio Kagayama Talks About the Upcoming Suzuka 8-Hour with Kevin Schwantz & Noriyuki Haga

In case you missed the story last week, Kevin Schwantz is preparing to race in this year’s Suzuka 8-Hour endurance race. For the race, Schwantz will be riding on a team formed by Yukio Kagayama, who in addition to having raced in the MotoGP, World Superbike, and British Superbike Championships, is also a previous Suzuka 8-Hour winner with the Suzuki Endurance Race Team (also joining the three-rider team Noriyuki “Nitro” Haga). Releasing a Q&A about his team’s Suzuka 8-Hour entry, Kagayama-san walks us through how the team came together, what equipment the riders will use, and his outlook on the team’s competitiveness.

KTM RC4 Concept by Luca Bar Design

A single-cylinder hooligan-maker, the KTM 690 Duke is 330 lbs (curbside without fuel) and 67hp of two-wheeled fun, and we hope that the Austrians bring the KTM 690 Duke R our way as well. While we are on the topic of things missing from KTM’s American line-up, a decent supersport is painfully obvious, yet we can’t see the folks at KTM following the paths of other brands. That’s where our friend Luca Bar comes to mind with his latest concept: the KTM RC4. Using the KTM 690 Duke platform and its LC4 engine, Bar has designed a super-single full-fairing sport bike that takes the Austrian company’s “Ready to Race” DNA and applies it to an idea that is not all that disimilar to the Ducati Supermono.

Q&A: Claudio Domenicali Talks Frameless Chassis, Sacred Cows, & The Future for Ducati

When I sat down with Claudio Domenicali at the Ducati 1199 Panigale R launch, the now-CEO of Ducati Motor Holding was still just the General Manager of the Italian motorcycle company. Four weeks after our interview though, Gabriele del Torchio would leave Ducati for Alitalia; and Domenicali, a 21-year veteran of both the racing and production departments of Ducati, would take his place at the top of Italy’s most prestigious motorcycle brand. After reading our interview from Austin, Texas after the jump, I think you will agree too.

Is Yamaha Using A Seamless Gearbox? The Data Says No

That Yamaha is working on a seamless gearbox is no secret, with Yamaha’s test riders currently racking up the kilometers around tracks in Japan. Recently, however, Spanish magazine SoloMoto published an article suggesting that Yamaha has already been using its new seamless gearbox since the beginning of the season. My own enquiries to check whether Yamaha was using a seamless gearbox or not always received the same answer: no, Yamaha is not using the seamless gearbox. To test this denial, I went out to the side of the track on Friday morning at Jerez to record the bikes as they went by.

OCC Coming Back to TV? — Universe Collapses in on Self

After a very public father/son break-up between Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr., a steroid-ring scandal involving Paul Sr., and finally a bankruptcy proceeding, it appears that Orange County Choppers is the impossible to kill multi-headed hydra of doom that we all knew it was, as the custom chopper shop is once again headed to the small screen and recruiting some talent, on and off the show. Looking for “someone who will work alongside Paul Senior, running the shop and helping build some of the best custom motorcycles in the world,” OCC says it will be back on television with a new show later this month. Please for the love of god, will someone give this man the attention he craves so dearly??! Or, just shoot us in the face.

Alstare Superbike Concept by Team Alstare

We love us some concept bikes here at Asphalt & Rubber, and we have featured more than a few pieces of stunning design and imagination on our pages. Though, we can’t remember the last time one of these works of art were brought to us by a legitimate racing team, but that is what we have here with the Team Alstare Superbike Concept. A nod to the former Suzuki team’s return to the World Superbike Championship as the Ducati factory squad with Carlos Checa and Ayrton Badovini, Alstare has enlisted the help of designer Serge Rusak of Rusak Kreaktive Designworks to ink the shape of its futuristic Superbike concept, while Tryptik Studios handled the 3D modeling prowess.

Transcript: The Gay Question at Jerez

If you didn’t watch Thursday’s pre-event press conference for MotoGP at Jerez, it is worth a viewing right to the end (assuming you have a MotoGP.com account). Building off the news about the NBA’s Jason Collins coming out as gay in a self-written feature in Sport Illustrated, my good colleague David Emmett had the courage to inquire about the culture and acceptance of the MotoGP paddock for homosexual riders. For the sake of accuracy, after the jump is a full transcript of David’s question, as put to riders Cal Crutchlow, Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, Andrea Dovizioso, Stefan Bradl, and Scott Redding, as well as those riders’ responses to David’s inquiry.

2014 Suzuki GSV-R Spotted Again

News that Suzuki plans on returning to the MotoGP Championship in 2014 should be old information for dedicated Asphalt & Rubber readers, and the Japanese company’s inline-four race bike was already spotted doing test laps last year by the eager eyes at Cycle World. Well the American print-mag has another set of eyebrow-raising high-quality photos of the 2014 Suzuki GSV-R to mull over from the Motegi race track, along with some technical insights provided by the venerable Kevin Cameron.

BMW F800GS Adventure – Germany’s Middleweight ADV

A surprise addition to BMW Motorrad’s 2013 model line-up, zie Germans have announced a new middleweight adventure-tourer, the 2013 BMW F800GS Adventure. Like its larger predecessor, the BMW F800GS Adventure is a more travel-ready and off-road capable build of the recently updated BMW F800GS motorcycle. Featuring a larger windscreen, panniers, and a bigger fuel tank capacity (2.1 gallons larger, for a total of 6.3 gallons of fuel), the BMW F800GS Adventure keeps the same 85 hp, liquid-cooled, 798cc, parallel-twin engine found on the F800GS, as well as the same chassis configuration. Pricing in the US will be $13,550 for the base model BWM F800GS Adventure.

Kevin Schwantz Returns to Motorcycle Racing – Enters the Suzuka 8-Hours with Team Kagayama

Former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz has certainly been in the news a bit these past few months, mostly for his involvement and falling out with the Circuit of the Americas and the Americas GP, but also more recently for his comments regarding Dani Pedrosa — we also sat down with Mr. Schwantz in Austin, and the Texan gave us some sobering insight into the future of American road racing. As if all that wasn’t enough, Schwantz is making a return to two-wheeled racing, and has entered the prestigious Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race with Team Kagayama racing alongside Noriyuki Haga and team owner Yukio Kagayama.

2010 Yamaha R1 LE: $2,000 More For Some Paint And A Fake Signature

09/09/2009 @ 8:53 am, by Jensen Beeler5 COMMENTS

2010 Yamaha R1 LE: $2,000 More For Some Paint And A Fake Signature 2010 Yamaha YZF R1 LE Rossi replica 2 560x373

Available starting January 2010, Yamaha is releasing another Limited Edition R1, this time featuring the race livery of Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP race bike. Before you run out to your local Yamaha dealer though, you should know a couple things:

First, the Rossi Race Rep comes with a price tag that’s over $1,200 more than the rest of the 2010 Yamaha YZF-R1 model line (raven, blue/whie, and pearl white), and for that extra cash all you’re getting is the re-painted fairing, and a fuel tank with a replica of Valentino’s signature on it.

Secondly, you might be surprised to learn that on top of that price premium, the 2010 R1 costs $800 more than the 2009 R1, despite the fact the R1 goes virtually unchanged for the 2010 model year.

For those not good with numbers, those combined prices put the 2010 Yamaha R1 LE costing over $2,000 more than this year’s current YZF-R1, and all it has to show for it is a paint job that sells another company’s product.

Say what you will about Ducati’s Nicky Hayden LE 848 Superbike, at least they knew what paint costs, and had Nicky personally hand-sign each bike.

Technical Specifications of the 2010 Yamaha R1 LE Rossi Replica for Those that Care:

MSRP$14,500 (Fiat Yamaha Team Graphics) Available from January 2010
Engine
Type998cc, liquid-cooled 4-cylinder DOHC 16 valves (titanium intake valves)
Bore x Stroke78.0mm X 52.2mm
Compression Ratio12.7:1
Fuel DeliveryFuel Injection with YCC-T and YCC-I
IgnitionTCI: Transistor Controlled Ignition
Transmission6-speed w/multiplate slipper clutch
Final Drive#530 O-ring chain
Chassis
Suspension/Front43mm inverted fork; fully adjustable, 4.7-in travel
Suspension/RearSingle shock w/piggyback reservoir; 4-way adjustable, 4.7-in travel
Brakes/FrontDual 310mm disc; radial-mount forged 6-piston calipers
Brakes/Rear220mm disc; single-piston caliper
Tires/Front120/70-ZR17
Tires/Rear190/55ZR17
Dimensions
Length81.5 in
Width28.1 in
Height44.5 in
Seat Height32.8 in
Wheelbase55.7 in
Rake (Caster Angle)24.0°
Trail4.0 in
Fuel Capacity4.8 gal
Dry Weight454 lb
Other
Primary Reduction Ratio65/43 (1.512)
Secondary Reduction Ratio47/17 (2.765)
Gear Ratio – 1st Gear38/15 (2.533)
Gear Ratio – 2nd Gear33/16 (2.063)
Gear Ratio – 3rd Gear37/21 (1.762)
Gear Ratio – 4th Gear35/23 (1.522)
Gear Ratio – 5th Gear30/22 (1.364)
Warranty1 Year (Limited Factory Warranty)
Gear Ratio – 6th Gear33/26 (1.269)

Source: Yamaha

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Comment:

  1. Bob Bryant says:
    September 9, 2009 at 7:18 AM

    2010 Yamaha R1 LE: $2000 More For Some Paint And A Fake Signature … http://bit.ly/qMmP8

  2. Asphalt_Rubber says:
    September 9, 2009 at 12:53 PM

    2010 Yamaha R1 LE: $2,000 More For Some Paint And A Fake Signature – http://bit.ly/2dLLp #motorcycle

  3. Mongoose says:
    September 18, 2009 at 10:31 PM

    Well, not for nothing; at least the R1 is reasonably affordable to the average person. How much does a Ducati cost? Yet Rossi and company is kicking everybody’s tail. Last but not least the issue of Nicky Hayden, and his all too expensive Duc. He has’nt even gotten close enough to Rossi this year to smell his exhaust. The LE will sell because Rossi is a Speed God, and Yamaha rules.

  4. Rick says:
    December 2, 2009 at 4:41 PM

    LOL

    Did you really just compare a Nicky Hayden replica with a Valentino Rossi replica?

    This bike will sell irregardless of the price. It’s a collector item for those enthusiasts that aren’t worried and aside from them, there are a lot more #46 fans than #69 fans.

  5. Jenny Gun says:
    December 2, 2009 at 5:01 PM

    Did you really just compare an R1 to an 848? ;)