Ducatisti: do you want the good news or the bad news first? The bad news is that the market for motorcycles 500cc and up is down 17% worldwide for the first quarter of this year, which means the “good” news is that Ducati is only down 5% for Q1 2013. Not exactly the start out of the gate that Audi was hoping for its newly acquired two-wheeled brand, but what are you going to do? Western Europe is a mess, with Spain and Italy continuing to go down like a…well, you know. While we don’t enjoy the misery of motorcycle brands, the fact that Ducati Motor Holding is now under the Audi AG umbrella means that we get far more detailed quarterly and yearly reports from the two-wheeled marque, and we’ve got the digits after the jump.
Mission Motors tweeted out something interesting just a moment ago, a link to a new website for Mission Motorcycles. Teasing there a photo of the Mission R, it would seem that the electric superbike that does competitive AMA Supersport lap times at Laguna Seca, is finally set to come to production. It seems we won’t know everything about the new Mission Motorcycles project until June 3rd, though we can speculate pretty accurately on what the A&R Bothan spy network has been telling us. Expect to see the Mission R electric superbike in street legal trim, honed even further than when we rode the machine back in August last year.
Stefan Pierer’s acquisition of Husqvarna continues to baffle me. You will note I say Pierer, and not KTM, bought Husqvarna, since the Austrian CEO used Pierer Industrie AG in the transaction as a means to help side-step European antitrust issues. After all, we can’t have Europe’s largest dirt bike manufacturer, nay largest total motorcycle manufacturer, gobbling up even more brands in the two-wheeled world. But, I digress. Developing three road bikes (Husqvarna Nuda 900, Husqvarna Strada 650, & Husqvarna Terra 650), with three more concepts waiting in the wings (Husqvarna Moab, Husqvarna Baja, & Husqvarna E-G0), it is with even more confusion that we learn that Pierer & Co. intend to kill the Husqvarna Nuda project and its other street siblings.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Do anyone else think it look outdated ?
i like the idea of evolution, beefed midrange and fuel economy.
Exhuast is nothing cause it gets chucked to the shit……..but
would it have killed them to have changed the design for fuck sake, outdated big ass looking worse than the R1 for me.
Fail on the style cue suzuki, i had my money ready, old, ugly, no TC, NO CIGAR……
Hate to say it but the Japanese sportbikes are behind the 8 ball huh?? Updated beemer, new 1199, and the RSV4 how does Suzuki justify the 13k price tag?? Not for me guys i’ll skip this one…
after all the hype i expected more from suzuki with the new gixxer 1000…not impressive at all next to the S1000R, R1, ZX10, RSV4 or the 1199 panigale…graphics and paint scheme are seriously outdated…looks no different from an 2001 gsxr 1000…2012 suzuki gsxr1000 grade: C unless the hp and torque numbers say otherwise
I have a 2009 GSX-R1000. I was hoping that the 2012s would have TC, wheelie control, quickshift etc. If the electronics were improved and everything else stayed the same, it would almost be worth it to upgrade. Sadly, it didn’t happen. I hope 2013 sees a huge change.
Editor’s missed the Maintaining misspell…IJS.
Really sick bike, if we were in 2007!! What gives, no t/c, quickshifter, and 40lbs. to HEAVY!! :/
RT @asphalt_rubber: 2012 Suzuki GSXR-1000 – Drops 4lbs, Gains More Mid-Range – http://t.co/a8lJsb8A #motorcycle
I would imagine the triple disaster tsunami, earthquake, nuclear meltdown has had a big impact on the manufacturing industry in Japan. Perhaps this is why we aren’t seeing any big revisions this year. Hopefully, next year will bring us a whole slew of completely redesigned bikes.
BYE BYE Suzuki , Im chose Honda
Pretty much what you would expect from Suzuki in the current environment. The GSXR1000 has always looked a bit dated and fat (Ive owned a K3, K6 … and a K7 750) and no japanase manufacturer is going to bring out a revolutionary bike in the current economic climate.
Its very odd… they just wont give up on the arrow shaped headlight (12 years now) and the overly complex bodywork lines (looks like a chav put a body kit on their mums commuter)…
I would have rathered all the specs stayed the same, but they produced a jaw dropping style revision that made you think you were riding an italian bike…
(eg: sure everyone hated the 999 as an italian bike, but if the GSXR had a similar design, as a jap bike it would have been a show stopper)
What are you people talking about? This is still one of the best bikes in his class!
I’m getting sick of riders talking about traction control, wheelie control, abs, quickshifter…
MOST OF YOU DON’T EVEN GET CLOSE TO THE POTENTIAL OF THE BIKE!
So don’t talk bad about this motorcycle, if you don’t even control your own.. And if you do, you’ll spend some extra money and buy those useless electronics that gives you confidence “to open the throttle like a dummy”..
And besides, you can’t expect new designs at the current economic situation.. They got full halls of motorcycles from year 2008 when the recesion starter.. not just Suzuki, but every other manufacture, Honda, Yamaha, Ducati, KTM, Aprillia.. you name it!
So think about it when you make a comment, it’s not too hard.
I’m not a Suzuki apologist by any means, even though I do own one, but I think it’s nice looking. It looks “hawkish” in a good way, especially from the side. I grant you it does look fat from the front but I’m going to be sitting on it, not watching it my rear view; who cares!
If I were in the market I’d at least consider it, go sit on it, etc. Why not? If nothing else it’ll be a hell of lot cheaper to fix than the BMW and the Aprilla. The new Kawasaki on the other hand….
The new gixxer is shit they need to build a bike to compete with my s1000 I use to be a gixxer man but I have to go with the big dogs my 198hp BMW S1000 MAKES ME A LOT OF MONEY ON THE TRACK SO STEP UP UR GAME ” SUZUKI”
OH I FORGOT TO ADD. ALL I DID TO MY S1000 IS ADD CARBON BCS WHEEL AND FULL SYSTEM EXHAUST AND MAP AND I GOT 198HP IN MY BMW S1000
@aaron anderson The S1000RR comes with 193HP stock. What kind of crappy full exhaust and map did you use that you only netted 5HP?
> “MOST OF YOU DON’T EVEN GET CLOSE TO THE POTENTIAL OF THE BIKE!”
That’s exactly the reason why i won’t buy a new bike without ABS.
I commute to work with my bike, and that means i often ride in the rain. Until now I’ve never had any trouble, but I’m not 100% sure i could make the most out of an emergency brake in the rain, without the danger of locking the front or not making the most out of potential stopping power.
That’s why i want ABS, as a safety net. I don’t know why I should get the L2 over a K5 in good condition now.
This leaves me either with a Ninja or Fireblade, don’t want the BMW.
What I absolutely don’t like on the Blade is the combined ABS. I don’t want to engage the other brake if i use one, i can do this myself, thank you.
Maybe I want to use the back brake to assist dropping into a corner on a twisty mountain road? Maybe I just want to use the front brake to do a burnout or whatever?
I just don’t like the idea that I can’t use one brake independently of the other, and I don’t like the fact that the ABS can’t be turned off.
This leaves only the Kawasaki, the rest (Aprilia, Ducati) is even more out of my price range.
Too bad, had a lot of hopes Suzuki would just buy an ABS from Bosch or some other renown company. I don’t care about TC, but they could have just bought the technology from Bazzaz or another third party.
stop bietching people. Most of us will NEVER use any liter bike to its full potential. If you need ABS to feel confident riding in any type of weather, get a moped or step down to a 250. Better yet, just don’t ride. I’ve ridden in the rain a ton of times on my R1 and never had a problem..
Just glad they got rid of the dual exhaust I would think the weight loss would be a little more. Anyways wonder if Suzuki will enter WSBK or stay in Motogp hope they do though….
am i the only one who thought that some of these pics looked fake??
@KYLE, if not completely fake, one or two do look heavily photoshopped.
@KYLE, this one immediately jumps out at me:
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2012-Suzuki-GSXR-1000-111.jpg
the GSXr is just no longer a bike i want to own. its stale. old. too animated and way too marginal at this point. whats the reason to buy this over what i already own? nothing! thats it. nothing! and this update is the same; Nothing!
Sorry Suzuki. But you can’t keep us wanting your product when its the same ‘ole thing.
I still think is a good looking bike(wide as a Barn ? is ok, my doctor said a little bit of FAT on my diet won’t kill me, LOL).
Yes, she’s OUTDATED, but like a HOT FIT MILF on her 30′s she can still put up a hell of a ^&*%. LMAO.
For those who think ABS, TCS, wheely control, etc are all un-needed…well, i hope the day u need them to save your Bacon on the street never comes. Oh, i forgot u guys can ride like Gods, my most humble apologies…Masters of the Road & Track, please forgive me…a lowly motorcycle Smoch.
I for one would truly like to have all the “SAFETY NET” available out there…nope, im not Rossi or Stoner…i need and take all the help im given.
As GSXF said it, im considering strongly my next bike to come standard with ABS and on my particular case TC too if available.
Now just for nitpicking: Has anyone else noticed how they “Bottle Necked” the xhaust pipe rigth after it comes out of the Catalytic.
Im no Engineer but i just can’t see that help the quest for that elusive beast called “HorsePower”.
One last beetchin: SUZUKI, FOR ALL THAT IS RIGTH and SACRED, PLEASE…PUT SOME NEW WHEELS ON your cycles…the 3 spoked wheel THEME IS GETTING OLD, REALLY OLD. Honda seems to have finally got the MEMO.
If ur not gonna burn the house to the ground and do a complete rebuild then please REFRESH IT A BIT. Thanks.
P.S: Does anyone else sometimes skips the article a bit and just go str8 to the comment to have a good kick out of the comments ? LMAO. Im guilty as charged.
Not so much on this website. But other sites (mostly Gizmodo) I’ll sometimes only click the article knowing the comments will be hilarious.
Yes, it’s insanely fast and yes most of us will never push it anywhere near its limits but common Suzuki!!! It’s almost $15,000 hard earned cash in today’s hurtin’ economy and this thing looks just like the old model???!!! All Suzuki seems to be doing is flip-flopping from a single to dual exhaust with new paint. You guys got a bad pack of dogs on your tail (Aprilia, Ducati, KTM and BMW) and your flag ship feels big and looks obsolete.
~ got to say, objectively speaking , it looks fine. Don’t fix it if it ain’t broken. I agree with earlier comment about the exhaust. Nothing says “slow touring bike” like a set of cans stuck to the outsides of the swing arms. Personally, I don’t care for TC or ABS. I’m lucky to never see rain where I live and I can handle the throttle and brakes myself thank you. I’ve never been a GSXR person but I wouldn’t mind this one.. As long as it tuns proper, there is no gain by having an extra 20 horse-power in the canyons and that’s were I ride. The tach rarely sees the other side of 10K and they are all the same at that level.
I probably go with the beemer just to be different, and I would order it without all the BS electronic aids. Truth is,, there all about the same from the KwaK to the R1. The best rider will always win in the twisties, regardless of which hyper-bike he’s on. I’m on an old R1 now and when ready, I’ll buy which ever one looks the best, then adapt to it, as they all are more capable than I (or most of you) will ever be able to match.
I for one am glad Suzuki didnt bother with a waste of TC and ABS, go out and buy a Kaw or BMW and let the gixxers by, suzuki is focusing on REAL refinements and getting away from the hype of bells and whistles, got money that says this gixxer lays down the power better and handles better than any of the other 3 and I have a feeling Suzuki is going to take back the track in 12′ an arena Kawasaki and BMW know nothing about, we’ll give Honder a single nodd on the world level…
I would also like to compliment Suzuki on their integrity to sell it like it is and NOT over HYPE their machinery like Cow did with their zx14.5, horsepower isn’t everything and I am glad Suzuki engineers, designers and management realize that! kaw has long had the title of “plenty of” but unusable power and their superbike titles are a testament to that fact while Suzuki has focused on the usability of output and maneuverability.. PROPS to Suzuki for building what I believe will be a hit, with that I am sorry to see Suzuki call it quits in MGP, in any event they sure put on a show the final 1/3 of that series, WoW! go Bautista!!!
oh ps, heres the REAL kicker for 2012, the 1000 increased its swingarm length while reducing its wheelbase .5″? anyways us surgeons know what that equates to, (for all you beemer and kaw junkies thats a 1ooocc engine in a 750 chassis) see ya’ll in the funny papers! lol