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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
fu*king amazing styling.
Nice suspension!
Love it. It’s far from cookie cutter both in design and engineering. They are reporting 17k pounds over on MCV, which is not out of the norm for a machine like this. Let’s hope it’s just not more vaporware.
Looks like a cross between a Diavel and Monster. I’m all for radical design, can’t wait to feel one in person…
elemental, progressive and a nice balance of detail, even more importantly, a bike that actually looks and hopefully feels like a motorcycle… cheers to the designer on this one for finding the right mix, looking forward to more cocktails from who ever did this one
Love it, first bike thats wowed me in a while!!
Carbon Monocoque frame had a bad reputation in “feeling the front” from GP11. Add to that duolever front end which eliminates all the feel if there left any. Apart from all that, 158 horses with that gigantic sprocket at the back?? That should be made for stunter fellas!
But anyways, none of which may hide how much effort and courage to put bringing up this sexy concept.
I think people need to stop comparing GP bike with road going bikes.
@AK
Agreed.
The way people talk I fell like I should walk outside and see people taking 120 mph 90 degree turns everywhere! Knee dragging on the way to Dunkin Donuts, yeah!
like … but would like more, if they had called it “Super Dave”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Dave_Osborne
+1 @ AK
I have never seen a MotoGP racer ever really drag his knee. Their knees are usually tucked in so tight, as to achieve a maximum lean, that it may scrape, as there is no more space between the bike and the ground. Every time I see an ad or a pic of a guy dragging his by throwing it out with the bike tilted, I can’t help but think to myself, what a display of ambition with no talent…
The only time I have ever seen a pro racer drag his knee, was in an attempt to save himself from a crash.
Want to really impress, don’t drag anything, scrape elbow like Stoner, Spies and Hopkins…
+1 AK says
why keep comparing a bike that one of the most definable features of it is its tires (bridgestones) that no body in the motorcycle public can buy period. Manufac cant even buy those tires, they have to be part of the series to receive their predetermined allocation.
On top of that, its a exclusive naked, much more of a street affair type concept, how many people are turning in on the street on the limit while trail breaking?… and if you are well good luck cause it wont be for long
It’s not that large of a sprocket considering it has a belt final drive. Look at the Buell, my 1125CR has a 76t rear sprocket. They just can’t handle the small radii that chains do.
That strip of leather or whatever it is running over the tank is fresh. Looks to be useful as a tank protector as well.
Is nice looking if anything BUT no grounf breaking at anything.
Initially i got a bit xcited thinking they went the different(most efficient way) with the turbo’s location AND HOW the xhaust was feeded to it, but after looking hard at other pictures online it seems the heads are conventional flowing pieces instead of the reverse flow kind that i had wished they used here ( a la latest BMW M5 S63TU 4.4L V8 )…no ugly xposed right side header pipes, just a down pipe and very little to no turbo LAG…(o_O)
Meh, what do i know…i don’t built custom motorcycles for a living anyways…lol.
I really like it! Gorgeous!
This front suspension not duolever, that Hossack suspension!
Duolever is the commercial name for the Hossack/Fior suspension design.
@Skeptical – test riders of the Vyrus state they have only experienced one other bike that stops as impressively as the Vyrus, the BMW K13ooR which has a doulever. Front-end “feel” is circumstantial & one front-end design works better in some circumstances than others. We have the benefit of watching teles and alternatives improve.
Will Ducati use an alternative front-end on future versions of the Panigale in their quest to reduce weight even further? remember the Aprilia FV2 concept.
Doug, thanks for the memory refresh on the FV2. That was a gorgeous bike I’d gladly choose over the new Tuono RSV4 any day. I believe the FV was simply a parallelogram linkage, not much different that some mountain bikes had 10 years ago. The Hossack style, while physically not as strong, is better at optimizing geometry during turning and braking.
Yeah, the I don’t think the FV2 has the Hossack steering mechanism, but it does have a similar “frameless
(phone was not cooperating)…
the FV2 has a frameless chassis where the two sub frames attach to the engine
hi !
my firsts words was “impossible is not french” when i saw this Bike in Paris Motor Show.
About the price i would like to say the same thing because it’s quite cheap if we look at the price of 19 900 euros announced by Thierry Henriette(Boxer Design Boss)
so … yes France love mootrbikes and now, we have a so good one to ride …
bye