Mission Motorcycles: The Mission R Lives??!

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.

Goodbye Husqvarna Nuda, We Hardly Knew Thee

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.

Q&A: Yukio Kagayama Talks About the Upcoming Suzuka 8-Hour with Kevin Schwantz & Noriyuki Haga

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.

KTM RC4 Concept by Luca Bar Design

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.

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.

Magpul Ronin: An Alternate Reality of Buell

01/22/2010 @ 1:59 pm, by Jensen Beeler10 COMMENTS

With the Magpul Ronin, we’re not sure what gun/rifle magazine innovator Magpul is doing making a motorcycle, but we like the outcome of that awkward yet happy merger. Buell owners don’t have much to look forward to right now, but imagine a world where Buell Motorcycles was still in business, and the American sportbike industry is overrun by gun manufacturers making motorcycles. Now add in some wayward samurai warriors, and the end result could be what you see above.

It’s life Jim, but not as we know it…photos and more after the jump.

Magpul describes the Ronin as “the first iteration of a design exercise inspired by interests, hobbies, and passions shared by many within Magpul,” or as we like to think of it, an alternate ending to the Buell story.

As for the Ronin end of things, Magpul cites Japanese literature where “the Japanese word for a samurai who lost his master, the name ‘Ronin’ was chosen after the Buell Motorcycle Company ceased production and closed its doors in 2009. The model 1125R was selected due its high level of performance and aesthetic potential that were never fully realized by Buell as a subsidiary of Harley Davidson.”

No word yet if the Magpul Ronin or its Magpul-designed components for the Buell 1125R will be made available to the public for purchase, as more information about Project Ronin will be released as the design progresses.

As loyal Buell readers will surely note, Buell is a favorite whipping boy on A&R, but with the Ronin, we gladly make room in our garage for the Ronin. We love the girder look on this bike and the unique headlight. The Magpul Ronin is sure to stand out at the local bike night.

Source: Magpul Ronin via The Kneeslidder

Top 5 Related Posts:

  1. Magpul Ronin 1125R – A Samurai Looking for a Master
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  4. Bottpower BOTT XR1 is Finally Ready for Street Track Duty

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Comment:

  1. SoCal Buell Riders says:
    January 22, 2010 at 2:01 PM

    I want it! RT @Asphalt_Rubber Magpul Ronin: An Alternate Reality of Buell – http://bit.ly/5odFYE #motorcycle

  2. SoCal Buell Riders says:
    January 22, 2010 at 2:07 PM

    A great example of how thinking without limits results in amazing results.

    Magpul makes aftermarket parts for rifles, not motorcycles, and that obviously allowed them to create something without the burden of tradition.

    I’d love to see more bikes like this, and if Magpul decides to manufacture the conversion kit, I’m ready, cash in hand!

    Exemplary writing, as usual, from A&R!

  3. Jenny Gun says:
    January 22, 2010 at 2:09 PM

    1/10 articles without typos this week. Booyah! BTW, we docked Jensen’s pay by 50% for his crappy editing and under-toned Star Trek references.

    But you’re right, interesting to see someone make a motorcycle that specializes in a completely different industry.

  4. Matthew Cokeley says:
    January 22, 2010 at 2:19 PM

    For when the Zombies come. RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Magpul Ronin: An Alternate Reality of Buell http://bit.ly/5odFYE #motorcycle #Zombies

  5. Peter Lombardi says:
    January 22, 2010 at 3:31 PM

    RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Magpul Ronin: An Alternate Reality of Buell – http://bit.ly/5odFYE #motorcycle

  6. Asphalt_Rubber says:
    January 22, 2010 at 9:59 PM

    Magpul Ronin: An Alternate Reality of Buell – http://bit.ly/5odFYE #motorcycle

  7. Jacob Fox says:
    January 23, 2010 at 6:10 AM

    Apprehensive at first, but that headlight/radiator concept won me over. Pretty baddass!

  8. SoCal Buell Riders says:
    January 23, 2010 at 3:31 PM

    What the heck? http://bit.ly/8HyQRg vs. http://bit.ly/7tsEzX – both articles are identical, word for word. Blatant plagiarism???

  9. David M says:
    January 23, 2010 at 4:40 PM

    I love the design, I second Jacob… very baddass!

    The only thing thats stopping me from loving it completely is the radiator mounted on the girder suspension.

    That would add a hell of a lot of sprung weight to the front, might dull down the handling a bit, which is a shame to do considering you’d probably get a lot less dive with this set up then conventional forks.

    Any opinions?

  10. Sebastien says:
    February 1, 2010 at 6:35 AM

    Buell meets Confederate. Nice.