2011 KTM 125 Duke Officially Named

After holding an online contest to name its 125cc four-stroke based learner street bike, KTM has shockingly come to the conclusion that it should stick to its Duke nomenclature. Schedule to be the 2011 KTM 125 Duke, KTM debuted the concepts at the 2009 EICMA show in Milan. KTM’s plan is to engage young riders with the “Ready to Race” mantra, making them lifetime Team Orange riders with this stepping-stone model

Video: Josh Brookes Shows Us the Fastest Line over “The Mountain” at Cadwell Park

The Mountain at Cadwell Park, as it is known, is like the British version of the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca: another one of those special points on a race track, that would not exist on the computer-generated courses we see today. Famous for lofting bikes into the air, The Mountain makes for spectacular photographs, and should be on every rider’s track day bucket list. Finding the fastest racing line over The Mountain can be difficult though, as riders have to contend with keeping the front of their motorcycles down, but such is not the case for HM Plant Honda’s Josh Brookes…

Lost Knee Puck Hinders Hayden at Indy

Track conditions were the talk of the paddock this weekend at the Indianapolis GP, as riders battled the changing tarmac surfaces, and undulating bumps of the Indy infield. Perhaps most vocal of his displeasure with the course was Ducati rider Casey Stoner, who called the Indianapolis Motor Speedway not a world class track, and specifically complained about plastic drains that would catch riders as the ventured in towards the edge of the track (Rossi also complained of these drains). Teammate Nicky Hayden was less critical before Sunday’s race though, saying that Stoner’s comments could be applied to many of the courses on the MotoGP calendar. However after losing a knee puck to one of the drainage grates that Stoner criticized earlier, Hayden may be re-thinking his tune.

Rossi Waiting to Hear if Burgess Will Retire

Talking after the Indianapolis GP, Valentino Rossi explained that he is waiting to hear from Jeremy Burgess as to whether the Australian Crew Chief will retire next season. Assured of the fact that Burgess would not stay behind at Yamaha, and would not work with another rider, Rossi stated the buzz around whether Burgess would move with the Italian to Ducati, hinges as to when Burgess plans on retiring from motorcycle racing.

Nicky Hayden Renews Contract with Ducati

Under the lights of the Indy Mile, where motorcycle racing began for the Kentucky-born MotoGP racer, Nicky Hayden has signed a two-year contract with Ducati Corse for the 2011 & 2012 seasons. Not the biggest surprise in the paddock, Hayden’s contract renewal has never really been questioned this season as the American started the season off with series of strong finishes and continues to be a strong brand ambassador for Ducati in the United States. Hayden will be joined the next two years by former teammate Valentino Rossi, the pair rode for Repsol Honda in 2003, with Hayden finishing the season 5th in his rookie GP season.

World Superbike Responds to Ducati Exodus

Infront Motor Sports, rights holder to the World Superbike Championship series, has responded to the news that Ducati Corse will be leaving the series in 2011. Responding with an official press release, IMS’s message essentially boils down to poking holes in Ducati’s statement about technical regulations. Stating that the 2009 season was dominated by the Ducati 1198 Superbike, sans one Ben Spies, the Italian firm has clearly been able to be competitive with the current formula. IMS goes on to basically say that WSBK is about more than one manufacturer, and can’t cater to Ducati’s whims even if they do have a lengthy history together.

Ben Spies to Factory Yamaha Team

As expected, Ben Spies and Yamaha have announced that the current World Superbike Champion and MotoGP rookie will move up to the factory Yamaha team (noticeably not called Fiat-Yamaha in the press release) for the 2011 season. Spies’ move to the factory squad has lovingly been referred to as the “second worst-kept secret in MotoGP,” right after Rossi’s departure from the Fiat-Yamaha team to Ducati Corse.

Colin Edwards – “I’m going fishing. Screw this sh*t.”

No one makes the MotoGP media center come alive with emotion more so than Colin Edwards. A veteran of the sport, and born with no filter between his brain and mouth, the Texan Tornado captured the spotlight during the pre-race press conference at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. A stark contrast to the polished veneers of other riders, Edwards isn’t afraid to tell things the way he sees it, even if it involves some colorful language. To get an idea of what we mean, check out a portion of the press conference transcript after the jump.

Ducati Trademarks “Diavel” Name in the UK

Ducati has recieved a trademark with the UK Intellectual Property Office for the Bolognese word for devil, or “Diavel”, which according to MCN is to be the name of the company’s new performance cruiser (shown here in a render done by Bar-Design exclusively for Asphalt & Rubber). Interestingly enough, Ducati has not trademarked the Diavel name with the United States Patent & Trademarks Office (USPTO). However with the British government, Ducati has reserved the Diavel mark for virtually every use possible, including lifestyle items like shirts, perfume, watches, and our personal favorite: skin cleansing lotions and creams.

Casey Stoner Ducati 1198S Phillip Island Replica

Missing three races because of a mystery illness, Casey Stoner put any critics he had from his sudden departure in 2009 to bed with his masterful race at Phillip Island. Racing in front of his home crowd, Stoner slid around the Australian course to a decisive victory, in what we called one of the top races of 2009. Making the moment even more special for Australian fans, and Ducatisti alike, was the special race livery that Stoner ran for his home race. Hoping to commemorate that race and Stoner’s contributions to the Marlboro Ducati team (Stoner is leaving Ducati for HRC next year), a French Ducati dealership in Moulins-lès-Metz has decided to sell a limited number of Casey Stoner Ducati 1198S Phillip Island replicas.

Mavizen TTX02 Becomes a Runner

Thu 12/17/2009 @ 6:08 pm, by Jenny Gun

Home » Bikes » Mavizen TTX02 Becomes a Runner

After taking the wraps off the Mavizen TTX02 at SEMA this year (we of course spoiled the fun a little bit earlier than that), there was a bit of chatter in the EV community as to why the TTX02 was consistently pictured without its Agni motors hooked up to the battery packs and controllers, and why in the bike’s various public showings it was never fired up for the audience (jump to 4:18).

To us and many others, this meant that the TTX02 had yet to be fully developed before it’s unveiling to the public at SEMA. With claims of a 130mph top speed, and specifications that matched or exceeded the TTXGP winning Team Agni motorcycle, we began to wonder how exactly those figures came to be on a motorcycle that wasn’t actually tested drawing table spec-sheets.

Clearly since that time, Mavizen has been busy in the lab making the TTX02 work. At their UK launch in the Bloomberg building this week, the TTX02 for the first time showed up with its motors connected to leads going underneath the bodywork, along with scrub marks on the tires. Now a couple days after that event the company brings us this video of the bike testing at low-speeds. Video and photos after the jump.

Designed to be a low-cost platform that allows teams to enter the TTXGP racing series (and from the look of the rulebook, the FIM’s e-Power Championship as well), the Mavizen TTX02 is a rolling RC8 chassis with sourced electrical components from various manufacturers.

The goal behind the Mavizen is to bring more teams on the TTXGP grid (conflicts of interest aside), and Zero Motorcycles has already committed to running two TTX02’s in the TTXGP series. According to Neal Saiki, Zero will use their own battery pack and motors, hoping to showcase the company’s IP in these technical areas.

There are rumors out already that two TTX02’s have been sold, we’re not sure if that is including the ones to Zero, or a new buyer. More on that as we get it, and as we learn more about the TTX02’s confirmed technical abilities. Thanks for the tips everyone!

Mavizen TTX02 Unwired:

Mavizen TTX02 Bloomberg UK Launch:

Photos: Nordgrens / CC BY-SA 2.0

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Tagged under: Agni Motors, Bloomberg, electric, electric motorcycle, Mavizen, Mavizen TTX02, photos, TTX02, TTXGP, UK Launch, video

Comment:

Brammofan says:

12/17/2009 at 6:29 PM

It’s . . . ALIVE! Hoping to see it at speed pretty soon.
road_rage says:

12/20/2009 at 9:07 AM

Actually sounded kind of awesome. High speed, multiple bikes. Not too shabby Mavizen, not too shabby at all. This might just be the show that AMA needs.

I’m headed for the ‘Frisco bay come May.

Hey maybe hang out with Bubba catch me some COI.

“Anyway, like I was sayin’, COI is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, COI-kababs, COI creole, COI gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple COI, lemon COI, coconut COI, pepper COI, COI soup, COI stew, COI salad, COI and potatoes, COI burger, COI sandwich and COI TTX. That- that’s about it.” (FTW; yeah updated under a satire license)

@Sai, there’s a line here just waiting for ya. @Brammofan, you complete us. Four Tops 2.0

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