PPIHC: Carlin Dunne Sets Outright Best Motorcycle Time at Pikes Peak Tire Test on a Lightning Motorcycle

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.

Report: Indianapolis “Opting-Out” of 2014 MotoGP Race?

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.

2014 Yamaha FZ-09 – Three Cylinders of Naked

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.

Trackside Tuesday: The Mind-Killer

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.

Video: Still Think Electric Motorcycles Are Slow?

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.

Here’s Your Feel Good Moment of the Week — Now, What’s Your Excuse for Not Riding Today?

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.

Erzberg Rodeo – Red Bull’s S&M Playhouse for Motorcycles

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.

Controlling the Uncontrollable – The Role of Ritual in Racing

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.

Up-Close with the 2013 MotoCzysz E1pc

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.

MotoGP: Max Biaggi To Test Ben Spies’s Ducati at Mugello, Michele Pirro To Replace Spies at Barcelona

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.

MV Agusta F3 675 Details MVICS Electronics Package

11/02/2011 @ 2:54 pm, by Jensen Beeler12 COMMENTS

MV Agusta F3 675 Details MVICS Electronics Package mv agusta f3 675 635x423

MV Agusta must be feeling antsy about the upcoming EICMA show in Milan, as the Italian company first teased its MV Agusta Brutale 675 in a video last week, and today it has released the final specifications of its upcoming 2012 MV Agusta F3 motorcycle. While we’re sure the 126hp 675cc three-cylinder motor, with its 52lbs•ft of torque, will please the discerning supersport purchaser, MV Agusta is betting that its MVICS (Motor & Vehicle Integrated Control System) electronics package is what is really going to get you excited about the Italian machine (did we mention it looks gorgeous too?). Clearly reading our thoughts that electronics are the new horsepower, the MV Agusta F3 675 is now the only supersport to boast ride-by-wire & traction control, and also comes along with optional wheelie and launch control vehicle dynamics.

At the core for the 2012 MV Agusta F3 675 is of course its 675cc three-cylinder engine. With a 79mm bore and 45.9mm stroke, the sporty triple is sure to have a narrow powerband with its very over-square design, and 14,500 peak power output figure (15,000 rpm red line, with peak torque at a very high 10,600 rpm). Other engine features include titanium valves, 50mm throttle bodies, and dual fuel injectors for each cylinder. Throw in a 1.38 meter (54.3 inch) wheelbase, and a 173kg (381 lbs) weight, and all of this adds up to a formidable middleweight machine, but the real kicker from MV Agusta is the F3′s electronics package.

The full MVICS system includes four pre-set engine maps, with one user-customizable map, which work along the MV Agusta F3′s eight different levels of traction control. To unlock the full-potential of the MVICS package, F3 owners will have to buy some special optional parts, including a vehicle lean sensor that interfaces with the traction & engine control systems, a launch control module that also has anti-wheelie control, and lastly an Electronically Assisted Shift (EAS) quick-shift system. No word yet on pricing for these systems, but don’t expect them to be cheap.

Other components include fully-adjustable Marzocchi 43mm front forks, along with a Sachs piggy-back rear shock. Brakes are Brembo radial calipers and 320mm front discs mated to a Nissin radial master cylinder, while the wheels are said to be “ultra-light” for whatever that is worth.

The new MV Agusta F3 675 Serie Oro will be available in December, while the Italian company now says that the base version will be available in January. European pricing is set at €11,990, making the MV Agusta F3 a potent competitor for the Triumph Daytona 675. The F3 will come in the following three color choices: red/silver, pastel white, and pastel black/metallic anthracite.

Source: MV Agusta

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Comment:

  1. Ken C. says:
    November 2, 2011 at 3:36 PM

    Do you think the F3′s price in Euros will translate 1:1 in US Dollars?

    €11,990 at today’s exchange rates is about $16,485 in USD. I don’t see that as a competitor to the Triumph Daytona 675 (at about $12,000 USD). :P

  2. Wil says:
    November 2, 2011 at 4:23 PM

    I dunno Ken, the Oro has been priced a little better than 1:1, so I’d imagine the regular would be as well. And according to one dealer’s website at least, it’s listed at $13,999. There will probably be some fluctuation in that with PDI and other charges.

    Fair enough; I’d pay 2K more for for the MV.

  3. Ricardo says:
    November 2, 2011 at 4:51 PM

    This is the only supersport with ride by wire?

    I thought the R6 had it since 2006.

    http://www.gizmag.com/go/4798/

  4. Shereef says:
    November 2, 2011 at 5:10 PM

    @Ricardo

    I think the article is saying with BOTH ride-by-wire and traction control as one package (R6 doesn’t have traction control -yet). Good looking bike though.

  5. JP says:
    November 2, 2011 at 5:22 PM

    If the bike really works as well in person as it does on paper, and MSRp winds up at $13,995 or less they will sell boatloads of them…

  6. JP says:
    November 2, 2011 at 5:24 PM

    Edit- boatloads by MV standards- not Honda ones!

  7. Bill Nation Pro Italia says:
    November 2, 2011 at 7:33 PM

    Quoted msrp to be $13,495 with first US deliveries in March but call that April. Oro will ship a few weeks earlier. Less than 30 coming over of 200 world wide

  8. ML says:
    November 2, 2011 at 8:09 PM

    depending on my april bonus, I’ll probably get this as my second bike. so far everything new I hear about this bike seems more and more promising…

  9. Corey S says:
    November 2, 2011 at 8:30 PM

    I would be tempted to buy one. My big concern would be if MV Agusta is going to be around long enough if something goes wrong or i need a part two years from now. I am curious about the stability of the company.

  10. Tom Doerr - Hawktane says:
    November 2, 2011 at 9:56 PM

    MV Agusta F3 675 Details MVICS Electronics Package – http://t.co/LQEVFsIq #motorcycle

  11. MikeD says:
    November 3, 2011 at 9:24 AM

    @ Corey S:

    U pose a really good question … I do hope they stay around for a while.

  12. razer10r says:
    November 4, 2011 at 7:42 PM

    will it have a steering damper?