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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Minus the silly checkered flag and yellow racing number, absolutely! I’d buy one in a heartbeat.
Ur missing the point forget the paint and look at the bike …….
Yes,yes………….fooking yes….!!
ID BUY IT WITH OR WITHOUT!!! That is one sexy bike!!! Where can I put my down payment down?
yes please!
-peter
For $9000 this is the perfect track bike for me. I want one! And if it comes track-ready, all the better! People will think you spent $50k on this Desmo-like beauty. Don’t hurt their feelings and tell them the truth….
one in silver please,but first are those harley a**holes trulygone ,if so I am in . T.L.
I’m ready to put my deposit down now if it looks similar to this rendering.
it would be awesome to get an italian motorcycle for under 10 grand (sportbike)
I’m always hesitant to jump on a bandwagon when a bike is in its first year of release. If the bike proves reliable and the price point is indeed $9k, I’m sure that MV Agusta will have trouble keeping these in stock. Here’s hoping that the ‘little’ MV enjoys the same kind of success and praise as the BMW S1000RR has in its debut. If I didn’t already have a GSXR 750 in my garage, I would probably be in the market for one.
jesus you guys are getting to be a joke with stuff like this. I mean its bad enough you make another “news” story based on a photoshop, but this $9k number is pulled completely out of your ass. its just laughable. you can’t buy a Japanese 600 for $9K and you think for one second MV Agusta is going to come in that cheap?
lol, the brake calipers alone in this chop are worth about $2K.
The $9,000 figure is based off the €9,000 price point, which came from Castiglioni’s own mouth. Whether they stick to that plan is a different matter, but A&R has never been wrong on making pricing predictions from European pricing.
Looking forward to what the F3 looks like. They just might have something here with a bike that people actually can track & race, we will just have to wait and see.
Not my kind of bike, but… for that kind of money (if they can keep such figure), sure….big 4′s 600′s are more than $9k , Right ?
Just for the Heck of “Something Different” it would be enough xcuse to give it a hard look.
Besides, an I3 675 Triple makes for a better overall engine than a BuzzBomb I4 600…or so goes the stereotype…lol.
Like “someone” sugested, i would like them to break the chain, mold and ties with the F4 Lines…Yes, a good clean looking Machine but looking kind of “been around too long” already…REFRESHED OR NOT.
I would buy it for $9,000. It’s cheaper the any other japanese or european supersport bike.
The problem is… why mags and blogs like A&R are naive enough to believe that MV Agusta will produce a bike for this price?
Is it necessary for it to look almost identical to it’s big brother, which has barely changed since what, 1998?
Yes the F4 was/is beautiful, but frankly I’m a bit bored of it now. Along with the “all new MV” announcements over the years which invariably involves just a new set of stickers.
If you want the MV looks then no need to wait- there are a stack of barely used 750s on sale for around £6k.
Ahhh…hate to bring up a sticking point, but 9000 euros is nowhere near 9,000 dollars. In fact, at the current exchange rate, it’s more like $11,952. Now, ask the correct question. Would you buy this for $11,952? My answer…NO!
The estimated price was 9000 euro’s, which converts to approx $11,500 USD today. Still not too bad for an MV, however I don’t know how many people would pay that kind of money for a 600cc class bike. If the 1000cc F4 was that price, I think there would be no doubt that they would have a winner.
Craig,
Rarely does international pricing directly follow currency exchange rates. In the case of MV Agusta, there has traditionally been 1:1 price comparison between euros and US dollars. For instance, the 2010 MV Agusta F4 retails for around €18,500 in Europe (taxes vary in some of the countries), and goes for $18,500 here in the US.
In a heartbeat. I ride a Brutale around town, I’ve had it for five years and it’s remained perfect. As someone who has had a number of italian bikes, the MV has the soul of something built in Italy and the reliability of something built in Japan.
This thing should prove to be a trackday killer.
another triple would be great, but this bike needs its own image. A qtr. fairing would be preferred to showcase the 3 cyl motor
If this can be had for 9 to 10K, I am in. No bs, I’m in.
To me the biggest thing isn’t the price but the dealer network. For the most part each state has at most two dealers with may having just one. IMO getting more dealers is key to survival of the brand.
Meh, I’ll stick with my Daytona 675. Triumph’s been there, done that already.
If it looked like that minus the stupid checkered flag and F3 stickers I would ABSOLUTELY buy it!
I know I’ll catch flack for this, but I find this design to be dated. They need to move away from the F4 look and start something fresh.
If you went back to the 80′s and had someone design what they thought a super bike would look like in the future, this would be the design. It’s apperance seems old to me. Oh well…
Three months ago my local Kawi dealers had crates full of 2009 ZX-6Rs they were selling for $6,500 each.
1,500 less than at Triumph Daytona? And it looks like an MV? I’ll take one, but it sounds a bit too good to be true…
http://www.motociclismo.it/foto-moto/index.php?album=moto-scooter/mv-agusta-f3–ecco-la-versione-definitiva
late again A&S