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.

Up-Close with the 2013 Yamaha YZR-M1

In case you missed our exhaustive coverage of the Grand Prix of the Americas, those fools at Dorna gave me pit lane access this MotoGP season. So while the whole paddock waits for the Spaniards to come to their senses, I don’t plan on wasting the opportunity to share with our readers our extreme access to motorcycling’s premier racing class. Accordingly, here comes another installment into our ever-continuing “Up-Close” series, featuring the very finest Iwata has to offer: the Yamaha YZR-M1. Thirty 2000px-wide photos are waiting for you after the jump.

Deus Ex Machina SR542 – The Mono

05/31/2009 @ 12:00 pm, by Jensen Beeler2 COMMENTS

Deus Ex Machina SR542 The Mono deus ex machina the mono sr542 2 560x370

Deus Ex Machina is coming stateside, and for its American debut, the Yamaha SR500 based SR542 will be their inaugural motorcycle. Based on a model motorcycle, the Deus has some coin in it with Öhlins suspension, and a littany of hand done custom fabricated parts. Pictures and press release after the jump. Read below for the press release from Deus Ex Machina on the SR542:

Carcus from a 1978 Yamaha SR500
Old girl originally purchased from a bloke down on his luck and in the middle off cancer treatment (no lie).
Fashioned in spirit of our original SR Chainsaw Longtracker, mid LWB swingarm to enhance ridability.
Staunched up chassis,enabling all running gear to keep beach sized footprints off the rear 180/80-14″ Dunlop K180′s on the tarmac.
One off Factory Ohlins Supermotard forks originally destined for the Kawasaki S/Motard Rider Liam McGee, nephew off ex GP rider, Kevin McGee, luckily found there way into our hands.
Heavy internal mods to sure up geometry and rake to help her tip in nice and quick, whilst providing good high speed straight line stability.
Ohlins back leg consists off a one off custom made Ohlins Shock to suit, including shaft length, valving specs, all internal work, bottom out rubbers, rebound isolator valve, 3-stage compression valve stack vs 2 stage rebound, external mounted reservoir, external adjsuters for reb and comp, and a fat spring to take the load and handle the leverage ratio forces imposed on the unit by the mid-hillclimber swingarm.
542cc high compression engine modified with head flow work, hot cam, lightened and balanced crank, piston and rod.
Keihin Flat slide FCR37mm Carb and custom inlet manifold to meter the fuel and provide good intake velocity than some of the larger units, thus greatly improving bottom end and mid-range punch for around town balls out fun.
Exhaust handled by our 2 piece reverse cone silencer with the core puched out and force fed a 50mm perforated core, provides great back pressure on the engine, and enough bark to satisfy the next door neighbours solicitors.
A heavily modified chassis with the help of ex qantas engineer Jimmy Healy off Sublime Fabrications – hard mounts the powerplant, carries all electrics and battery under the seat section, swinging off the front is a custom made billett set of triple-trees, fashioned by Sydney 3D CNC magician, Mario Ricciardo, including a 3 degree re-set offset to accomadate leading front axle mount and help twitch her up, all lightened with engineered webbiing, and anodised black.
Bar clamps were incorporated into this setup, along with all instrument, switch gear and headlight mounting.
Triple trees were spread to allow for more of a wideglide set-up, clamping custom spacers and axle kit below to carry speedo unit, black ring 130/80-18″ alloy front rim and hub with stainless spokes. Spun wheel carries a 320mm BRAKING Wave disc and Supermotard 2 psiton caliper – the 4 piston units were too powerful for this light machine, aqnd the 2 piston unit provided better feel and good flex for all testriders.
Mario also came to the rescue with constructing the complex rear sets required, which incorporate adjustable leverage ratio on the rear brake actuator rod, fold up footpeg and modified kickstart boss to step out and away from brake levers and pegs for a good solid swing.
Starting this high-comp puppy is quite easy, along as you get a nice swing at her, very similar to all modern MX machines, couple of pumps of the throttle accelerator fuel pump into her throat and she’s good to go!
Fuel tank is a custom alloy TT style unit in a 2mm thicker wall thickness to standup to some abuse, mated with a Nitro-heads modified seat from a W650, high density foam – beaded.
Posh billet indicator units, Tag pro-taper styled bars with tanned gum grips keep the controls tight and accessable, Hoffman designed pillion peg mounts, actuator rod pivots and headlight mesh.