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.
Why couldn’t MV have though to do that with the pipe instead of that triple pea shooter monstrosity?!?! Good job that man!
Schwing!!! That is HOT! However, I kinda like the pea shooters too…
that ticks all my boxes
Oh…..that is nice.
The triple exhaust is killer and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. The belly exhaust looks cool too, but I want my 3 pipes. I’ve already got my down payment on one. :-)
That exhaust is beautiful! The triple pipes are terrible.
I’m still deciding what my next bike will be (most likely will end up purchasing the ZX-10R or the F3). With that said, I think my decision would be much easier if several items were changed on this bike.
Since you all care about my tastes related to the new F3, here are some of the things that annoy me:
1) I hate the color scheme (I hope they offer the F3 in a dark color scheme, like black and dark gray).
2) The fork bottom looks cheap (probably because they are).
3) Wish the production bike would come with true projector headlight(s).
4) Will probably cost $15,000.00+ when it finally ships.
5) Forks don’t look adjustable (related: see item 3).
6) Wheels look ugly. Wish they were regular 5/7 spoke design, not pseudo 10 spoke.
7) What ever else I forgot to mention.
This is the color scheme I have in mind when I think of a good looking F3/F4:
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/75870_455557988852_366985198852_5447535_7198359_n.jpg
@ML – I saw the bike at EICMA and the forks are adjustable for compression, rebound and of course preload. I highly doubt the bike will hit $15,000. In interviews they’ve already said it will be priced less than an 848 (and the official price has been announced for Europe, which is less than the 848).
I think the fork bottoms look cheap as well. I’d like to see a set of R/T forks on there myself.
Overall I’m really stoked on this bike. The cheaper items are easy to replace and I probably would have anyway to get the setup I like such as the rear sets, front fender, master cylinders, etc…
The core of the bike sounds like it is done right though – the engine and electronics. If they hit their goals it will be the highest output and have the most advanced electronics of any bike in the 600cc class. The weight will most likely be impressive as well.
I must say though – I like the silver/red paint scheme. I’ll probably do a carbon belly pan, rear fender and front fender, but leave the rest on mine.
RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Product Lust: Photoshopped MV Agusta F3 – http://aspha.lt/bx #motorcycle
Yeah, the rest of the bike is awesome.
Like you I’ll make many changes, too. Custom paint (unless stock paint comes in a color scheme I like), front forks, rear sets, upgrade to brembo clutch and brake master cylinders, BST carbon wheels, carbon rear hugger, and perhaps a carbon front depending on the bikes color scheme.
Oh, and a GP style exhaust. At this point I should just buy a better bike. Hah!
No doubt… but if you bought a better bike you’re probably do all the same to it too as even the best bikes don’t come setup exactly how you’d want! We sold a Biaggi Rep. RSV4 to a customer (the $70K track only version) and it still had quite a few things I’d upgrade on it. A very cool bike overall, but just not totally done up. It has the electronics done right though!
“While we deride MV Agusta for constantly recycling the Tamburini aesthetic”
Why deride MV for doing something that Ducati have been doing for far far longer?
And Porsche even longer? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I’d like to see any of you design better!
To expand on that, I would argue these makes, MV, Ducati, Porsche like I mentioned, have a rare aesthetic that is tied to their image. Kawasaki redesigns all the time, and we see how ugly those have been recently.
As for this photoship, it’s extremely well done. And while it looks good, I agree that the triple pipes give it part of it’s MV flair. This gp style doesn’t look bad but it doesn’t set it apart, looks like MANY other (japanese) bikes. Nothing wrong with Japanese bikes, but you buy Italian for a reason.
I’m surprised you think of Japanese bikes with an exhaust like that. To me the RC8 comes to mind first and then Buell – neither Japanese. You’d better get used to this style exhaust on an Italian bike though – the 2012 Ducati 1200cc Superbike has exactly this exhaust stock!
Are you still within reasonable noise level (not sure if you have a bylaw to obey)? What about cat? There’s no free lunch, right?
I think they are broke and that’s why it’s not available….yet?
Just seems logical to me, but I was wrong once before.
See http://www.daidegasforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=458024&page=8 for some nicely coloured Photoshop F3s if you don’t like the classic MV Paint Scheme.
Looks more like the NEW 2012 Ducati superbike. You will see in November.
@Anthony true, good post!
@Other Sean you are on some serious drugs or live on another planet if you think the underslung exhaust looks like a Jap bike and is what the Japs do LOL!! KTM and Ducati did this 1st and others will follow in the future.