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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
That is awesome! Why couldn’t the 1125 CR have been this? Stunning bike that promises to be equally fantastic to ride. Where do I get one?
If pressed, I’d argue the radiators are just a bit much and of course the race tail section needs some work to make a good street bike, but overall they are really onto something there.
Wow. I would be all over that bike. As a current XB owner, that looks like a great next gen of what I’m riding. Better HP, chain drive, cooler looking tail section, tho not practical for street really…. Much nicer controls, however for some reason I like analog gauges on my streetfighters….but overall I like. I would have to agree w bikepilot about the radiators. There has to be a better way to situate those things
Cool bike! Love the look.
Wish they kept the 1125CR headlight! I am a current XB owner myself, but i would love to own a 1190 with a 1125cr headlight and xb tail on it!
Germans know how to build. This is more BMW, whereas the Buell 1125CR was more Pontiac.
Winner!
clever & attractive radiator. Doubles as a fairing on a naked bike. It also looks like there is additional airbox volume integrated into the radiator structure. Clean.
http://ridethetorquecurve.blogspot.com/
Finally! A Buell that looks decent! I could have used some more pictures of that beautiful subframe and tail section, though.
It looks cool, but I wouldn’t put a kit on my 1125R. Now the yellow bike in the sixth picture with the shark gill pods, I’d rock those!
Sub frame and chain yes, radiators still to wide. I guess the wheelbase would be compromised with a stealthier radiator. Maybe put it in the sub frame? Definitely on the right track.
Once again, Americans create a brilliant design only to walk away from it seeing it refined and successful in another country. I guess we’ll never get tired of doing this. The American people want to win….why don’t “American corporations”?
Build it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’d love to have one. I still have a ’96 S1 Lightening.
Bike looks fantastic. I would dig the radiators if they were angled a little more and used simple aero fins to direct the air toward them to slim down the front of the bike. Or possibly a ducted flat radiator layout a-la britten v1000?
Not a big fan of that radiator either, otherwise it’s an awesome looking machine
Gimme that with a belt(maintenance), analog gauges, and that awesome black and translucent red paint(from the XB series), and I’ll take it right now! My god that thing is sick!!!
I like it… needs a seat though!
What a great design!
Following up the real XB spirit and impact at first sight.
Really happy to see Buell back in bussiness.
Erik is a legend. With true followers.
I will be following this up very close. I now have one of the last 2010-model XB´s. What more could I wish for to have the first 1190 streetfighter next to it?
And I would love to see it built near the old factory. So all of his loyal employees can rejoin in this project. And look forward to a bright future again.
I will definitely buy one!
I have a 07 XB12Ss and think this bike is totally awesome….please build it.
Beautiful bike I would love to see this bike produced.
only thing would change is the angle of the radiators and there aero pieces