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.

Öhlins Releases a Semi-Active Suspension Upgrade for the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S – But, What’s Next?

An interesting development on the aftermarket side of things has graced our desks, as Öhlins has released a “suspension control unit” (SCU) that upgrades the electronically adjustable suspension on the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S so that it becomes a semi-active suspension system. Whhhaaaat??! So, if you’re the proud owner of a pre-2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S, and you think that your electronically controlled Öhlins suspension is no longer boss, now that Ducati has released its Sachs-powered “Skyhook” semi-active suspension pieces on its new batch of Multistrada sport-tourers, there is a remedy for your motolust.

2011 KTM 125 Duke – The Bike Bajaj Built

10/09/2010 @ 1:10 am, by Jensen Beeler3 COMMENTS

2011 KTM 125 Duke The Bike Bajaj Built 2011 KTM 125 Duke 5 635x345

Finally officially debuted at Intermot, KTM took the wraps off its 2011 KTM 125 Duke, a single-cylinder street bike geared towards young riders. While KTM has always included off-road machines in its line-up that are aimed at getting younger riders to ride orange, the company until now has left a gapping hole in its on-road offering for the same demographic. With Bajaj taking a 35% stake in KTM, the Indian company has not only given the Austrian company the capital it needed to expand its line, but is also rumored to be the major driving force behind the 2011 KTM 125 Duke.

The 124.7cc single-cylinder is an all-new power plant for KTM. Four-strokes and four-valves, the 2011 KTM 125 Duke also has a dual-overhead cam, balancer shaft, liquid cooling, and fuel injection. Built with the tiered-European licensing structure in-mind, the 125 Duke makes only 15hp, and can be ridden by youths in the EU.

With production taking place in Bajaj’s Chakan plant, the Indian company is being credited behind the scenes for developing the 2011 KTM 125 Duke. Beyond being sold to European youngsters, the KTM 125 Duke will be sold through Bajaj’s presense in developing markets like Latin America, Africa, аnԁ Southeast Asia. There’s rumors of a 250cc version in the works, which we think would be ideal for the American market.

True to its two concept form which we saw at EICMA last year, the 2011 KTM 125 Duke comes in the orange “race” version, or the 1980′s Huffy Bike inspired balck “stunt” version trimmed in aquamarine and purple graphics. You know how riders love the 1980′s, a decade they weren’t around for.

ENGINE
Engine type1-cylinder, 4-stroke
Displacement124.7 cc
Bore x stroke58/47.2
Performance (homologated )11.3kW @10,500 rpm
Max. torque12 Nm @ 8,000 rpm
Compression ratioDOHC
Starter /BatteryElectric starter
Transmission6 gears
Fuel Mixture GenerationElectronic fuel injection
Control4 V / DOHC
LubricationPreassure lubrication
Final drive14:45
CoolingLiquid cooled
ClutchMulti-disc wet clutch, hydraulically operated
Engine ManagementBosch
CHASSIS
FrameChromium-Molybdenum trellis frame
SubframeSteel
HandlebarSteel tapered DM 26/22 mm
Front suspensionWP USD Ø 43 mm
Rear suspensionWP monoshock
Suspension travel front/rear160/160 mm
Front brakeDisc brake Ø 280 mm
Rear brakeDisc brake Ø 230 mmr
Rims front/rear3,00 / 17″ x 4,00 / 17″
Tyres front/rear110/70 x 17“ x 150/60 x 17“
SilencerSteel (KAT)
Stering head angle65°
Trail100 mm
Wheel base1,350 +/-15 mm
Ground clearance185 mm
Seat height810 mm
Tank capacityca. 11 l (ROZ 91)
Weight (ready to race)ca. 128 kg

Top 5 Related Posts:

  1. 2013 KTM 390 Duke – AYBABTU
  2. 2012 KTM 690 Duke – Cheaper, More Powerful, & ABS
  3. Hell Freezes Over as the KTM 690 Duke Comes to the USA
  4. KTM 1290 Super Duke R Prototype Concept Bike

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Comment:

  1. Spiff says:
    October 9, 2010 at 1:36 AM

    That 80′s retro paint job is absolutely awesome. I wish they’d make the big boy KTMs in that scheme.

  2. Steve Ducharme says:
    October 9, 2010 at 8:46 AM

    I’d love to stuff and RZ350 mill in there and watch her go! ;-)

  3. MikeD says:
    October 9, 2010 at 6:31 PM

    Looks like a HOOT. I bet it rides like a Bicycle…thing is tiny.