PPIHC: Carlin Dunne Sets Outright Best Motorcycle Time at Pikes Peak Tire Test on a Lightning Motorcycle

The competitors for the 91st Pikes Peak International Hill Climb have just concluded a two-day tire test at the Colorado road course, and it should perhaps come as no surprise that our boy Carlin Dunne has posted the outright fastest lap for a motorcycle during the tire test (the Santa Barbara native set the outright two-wheeled course record last year on his Ducati Multistrada 1200 S). What is surprising about Carlin’s result at the tire test is that he was on the Lightning Motorcycles electric superbike. That’s right, the fastest bike so far for 2013′s Race to the Clouds is a 200+ hp electric superbike that is refueled with solar energy. Petrol heads, eat your heart out.

Report: Indianapolis “Opting-Out” of 2014 MotoGP Race?

Talking to the Indy Star, Mark Miles (CEO of Hulman & Co, the parent company to Indianapolis Motor Speedway) has put some doubt into the historic venue’s commitment to host the MotoGP Championship. Having a contract to run the race through the 2014 season, Miles said that IMS might opt-out of the final year in its agreement with Dorna (IMS apparently has this option for a brief window after the 2013 Indianapolis GP). However while the news has focused so far on IMS’s ability to opt-out, both Dorna and Indianapolis Motor Speedway have options in their contract to go through with the 2014 round, and with a bevy of variables in the air, we may or may not see three American GP rounds next year.

2014 Yamaha FZ-09 – Three Cylinders of Naked

Surprise! America will be getting a 847cc three-cylinder naked bike for the 2014 model year, the 2014 Yamaha FZ-09. Replacing the Yamaha FZ8 in the Japanese company’s line-up, the FZ-09 is the first motorcycle from the tuning fork brand to sport the Yamaha’s new line of three-cylinder engines. The Yamaha FZ-09 comes about as the MIC is reporting its second-consecutive year of growth in the 751+cc sport bike segment, as well as increase in commuter riding over short-distance sport riding. With those trends in mind, Yamaha has punched out the displacement on its middleweight naked bike, and focused on giving riders a comfortable, yet stout, motorcycle. Priced at $7,990 MSRP, we think Yamaha hit the nail pretty much on the head with this one.

Trackside Tuesday: The Mind-Killer

In the past few years I’ve come to believe that, while superior physical differences (their reflexes and fine motor skills) are significant, it’s the mental differences that are the most interesting. I suppose anyone who has ridden a motorcycle even a bit beyond one’s comfort zone can appreciate some part of the physical aspect of riding a racing bike. For most of us, even the speed of racers in local events is impressive compared to our street riding. While the skills with throttle, brakes, and balance are on a level similar to the best athletes in other sports, I think that what really sets motorcycle racers apart is their ability to overcome fear.

Video: Still Think Electric Motorcycles Are Slow?

The progress in the last five years on electric motorcycles has been astounding. Taking their first laps around the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course, a 87.434 mph pace was the best an electric motorcycle could do at the prestigious road race in 2009 — a pace that was on par with the 50cc record set in 1971. In just five years after the first laps were taken by electric motorcycles at Snaefell, these machines have grown their average lap speeds by over 20 mph at the TT Zero race, setting a new record of 109.675 mph in 2013, and boasting a rate of improvement of roughly 5 mph each year since 2009. If hitting 142.2 mph down the Sulby Straight speed trap wasn’t further proof of the speeds these bikes are achieving, maybe some visual evidence will help support the notion.

Here’s Your Feel Good Moment of the Week — Now, What’s Your Excuse for Not Riding Today?

Darius Glover is a dirt bike racer. Like you and me, he lives to ride, and when he is on two-wheels he feels the freedom that only other motorcyclists can truly understand. The thing is though, Darius is paralyzed from the waist down. Where others would give up their dreams and this sport, Darius at the age of 15 instead pushed onward. No pity parties, no excuses, just simply a daily example of where there is a will, there is a way, and a reminder that you can achieve anything that you put your mind to. It’s hard not to get a bit choked up listening to Darius tell his story, but you walk away feeling uplifted after feeling his attitude come across the screen.

Erzberg Rodeo – Red Bull’s S&M Playhouse for Motorcycles

Any race where 1,500 riders start, 500 qualify, and only 14 finish, has got to be an epic competition, and considering the fact that the Erzberg Rodeo starts in the excavation pit of an Austrian mine…well, it takes a special rider to be enticed by such an event. One such special rider is Graham Jarvis, who was the first of the fourteen men to reach the 20th and final checkpoint. Taking 2 hours and 52 seconds to complete the course, Jarvis made the 2013 Erzberg Rodeo look downright easy. However, with one look at the race-day conditions from this past weekend, we know it was anything but.

Controlling the Uncontrollable – The Role of Ritual in Racing

While normally, MotoGP fans never get enough of seeing Valentino Rossi on TV, there is one shot they would (for the most part) gladly be spared. As he leaves the pits, Rossi stands on the footpegs, and pulls his leathers from between his buttocks, before sitting back down again and leaving. These rituals – part useful limbering up, part invocation of Lady Luck – are something many riders perform, in their attempt to exert control over themselves, and over their environment. In a fascinating press release – by far the most interesting we have received in many months – the Aspar team today provided a discussion and explanation of what riders are trying to achieve through the use of these rituals.

Up-Close with the 2013 MotoCzysz E1pc

Hoping to make it four wins in a row, it goes without saying that the MotoCzysz crew is working hard to close the gap to the John McGuinness and the Mugen team. However, having Team Principal Michael Czysz stuck back in the US, undergoing cancer treatments, must certainly add another level of motivation for the on-island MotoCzysz crew. Making time in their busy schedule, Asphalt & Rubber got to take some up-close photos of the 2013 MotoCzysz E1pc. The most obvious changes made to the MotoCzysz E1pc for the 2013 TT Zero race are the use conventional suspension pieces. Of course, it’s not a completely standard suspension setup, as MotoCzysz has developed its own adjustable triple clamp that incorporates tunable lateral flex parameters.

MotoGP: Max Biaggi To Test Ben Spies’s Ducati at Mugello, Michele Pirro To Replace Spies at Barcelona

Max Biaggi is to make a surprise return to riding a MotoGP machine. The former 250 and World Superbike champion will take a seat on Ben Spies’ Ignite Pramac Ducati as part of a one-day test at Mugello, as part of Ducati’s testing program, according to Italian site GPOne. Spies was scheduled to stay on at Mugello to take part in a two-day test, but after the first day of practice at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, it was clear to both Spies and Ducati that his shoulder was still too weak to ride a MotoGP machine. With work continuing on the Desmosedici, it was important for Ducati to get as much data as possible on their bike, and so Biaggi was offered the chance to ride the machine.

Further Aprilia RSV4 Specifications Revealed

04/13/2009 @ 1:54 pm, by Jensen BeelerComments Off

Further Aprilia RSV4 Specifications Revealed aprilia rsv4 biaggi track 6 560x373

The Aprilia RSV4 is set to go on sale soon this summer in Europe, and later in the year here in the US. As such, details about the bike are starting to emerge, as well as a plethora of promotional materials. Continue reading for the official technical specifcations of the RSV4, and pictures from its press only track debut.

 

The bike’s motor is a 999.6 cc 65° V-four cylinder engine producing a claimed 180 hp. It uses a ride-by-wire multimap system, a sophisticated electronic injection system with two injectors, adjustable geometry chassis, which allows adjustable inclination of the headstock – even the height of the swingarm pin and engine can be changed.

Öhlins Racing forks, rear monoshock and steering damper, suspend the machine, while Brembo monobloc calipers and forged aluminium rims do their stuff at the business end.

Aprilia says the RSV4 Factory’s extreme compactness is its strength. The narrowness of the engine allows for a very oversquare bore/stroke ratio, and Aprilia claims the new engine design can rev beyond 14,000rpm. All valve covers and external housings are made from magnesium. The V4 is even more compact than the V60 Magnesium twin mounted on the RSV 1000 R. A countershaft dampens vibrations even more than in a 90° V engine. The crankcase is a monobloc configuration with integrated cylinder liners for maximum rigidity and consistent performance.

The fuel supply uses two injectors per cylinder: one injector is placed downstream of the throttle valve and a “shower” injector is placed in the airbox and starts working at high loads and revs. The technological excellence of the V4 engine is complemented by electronically controlled variable length intake ducts. At low revs and loads, the long duct favours torque and smooth power delivery. When top performance is required, the upper part of the intake duct raises, thus shortening the duct and leaving the engine free to express its full power potential. A butterfly valve in the exhaust further optimises power delivery.

A cassette style gearbox and multiplate wet clutch with a mechanical slipper system transmits drive to the rear wheel.

Aprilia RSV4 Specifications:

Engine capacity: 999.6 cc 
Architecture: 65° V4
Power: 180 HP (132.4 kW) at 12,500 rpm Crankcase: monobloc with integrated cylinder liners
Timing system: 4 valves per cylinder (Titanium and Nymonic) operated directly by a camshaft driven by a mixed chain/gear system (lateral timing chain, central gear train)
Fuel system: Magneti Marelli electronic injection with 2 injectors per cylinder and integrated independent Ride by Wire system for each bank. Three mappings selectable from handlebar. Electronically controlled variable length intake ducts
Antivibration countershaft
Maximum rpm: 14,100 rpm
Compression ratio: 13:1
Transmission: 6-speed direct-control cassette gearbox
Clutch: multiplate wet clutch with mechanical slipper system
Exhaust system: 4 into 2 into 1 headers with oxygen sensor and single silencer with integrated catalytic converter and butterfly valve. 
Dimensions (default settings) Max. length: 2040 mm 
Max. width: 735 mm (at the handlebar)
Max. height: 1120 mm
Min. height from the ground: 130 mm
Saddle height: 845 mm 
Centre to centre distance: 1420 mm
Trail: 105 mm 
Steering angle: 24.5°
Kerb weight 179 kg *
Tank 17 litres (4-litre reserve included)
*Dry weight, without battery and fluids.

Aprilia RSV4 Accessories:

  • Akrapovic racing exhaust system 
  • Öhlins TTX36 rear shock absorber
  • Adjustable footpegs
  • Racing half-handlebars
  • Fairing protection pads
  • High top fairing
  • Fairing caps for rear mirrors
  • Rear stand pins
  • Licence plate retainer cover
  • Motorcycle cover
  • Dedicated stand
  • Carbon heelrests
  • Tank cover with backpack
  • Tail fairing bag
  • Carbon exhaust system protection
  • Carbon fairing pullers.
  • Source: Visordown

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