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.
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.
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.
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.
Still Uglyyyy !!!!
Epic Fail (noun; interjection)
Definition: Complete and total failure when success should have been reasonably easy to attain.
Example:
Tom: “Have you seen the new ZX14-R?!? It’s seriously aesthetically challenged, almost 20lbs heavier, and makes less power than most new 1000cc sport bikes out of a 1400cc motor. What were they thinking?!?”
John: “Yeah dude, EPIC FAIL”
Epic Fail (noun; interjection)
Definition: Complete and total failure when success should have been reasonably easy to attain.
Example:
ray: “Have you read that post by RJ, sounds like the typical squidd where all that matters are the HP numbers?
pete: “Yeah dude, EPIC FAIL”
seriously though, i was with you with the ugly looks (subjective), and the added weight, but really, HP numbers? yeah, you let me know when you’re using all that HP to its full potential… ;)
1199 Panigale : 195hp/395 lb wet
ZX14RR Flamer Edition : 197hp/895 lb wet
Have you read that post by keet? He’s the guy who apparently can’t use more than 200hp…
If you could please re-read my post you could see that no where do I mention HP numbers, but rather, I’m pointing to the fact that Kawasaki has been hyping up a bike that ended up being little more than a warmed up version of the old one (and it’s heavier and uglier). Also, they have another bike in the line-up with 40% less displacement that makes just as much power if not more with simple bolt-ons and is cheaper (ZX10-R). Having roughly 20 foot-lbs more of torque is a moot point when you weigh 150 lbs more…
If you could please let us know what type of horsepower can be used to it’s full potential, or what the “full potential” of horsepower in general even means. In fact, please let us know if there are any bikes out there that us mere mortal “squids” can handle…
The world of motorcycling rev’s their engines to RPM’s that will never be used to their full potential while awaiting your response….
i have NEVER bought a bike because of its HP numbers, nor ever will. personally, i perfer lightness and handling, but hey, if you need 200+ HP to get you to the coffee shop on bike night, all the power to you! ;)
the ZX10 and ZR14 are two different bikes, i can almost guarantee that a person looking at a ZR14 isn’t conflicted between that and a ZX10.
sorry if i offended, but usually the people who complain or compare HP numbers as a measure of a bike are squidds with the 2″ chicken strips who when not doing wheelies down the road, are taking their GSXR1k (their first bike) to bike night so they can bounce the RPMs off the rev limiter to impress their friends. now if you’re a racer or a track junkie (1/4 mile or road course), then i could see the full HP being used to its full potential…
Maybe, you just shouldn’t make generalized comments about people you don’t even know. That’s all I’m saying. What exactly is the point of a 1400cc, 600 pound hyperbike if not to make big power?!? That’s what these bikes are designed for.
It’s the people who compare chicken strip sizes as a measure of their riding skills that are usually the biggest posers of all sir.
“Look, my chicken strips are smaller than yours which obviously means I’m a superior rider than you…” Please.
Thank God there are people who buy 200+hp to just troll around. They might make up the vast majority of people that buy these bikes, but without them these bikes would prob not exist at all. Because of them, the people who have the skills to enjoy this kind of performance can.
Plus, the post was done in a humorous manner. The only one who seemed to have an issue was you….
Oh yeah, achieving a 1/4 mile of 9.71 seconds at 147.90 mph and 1/8 mile of 6.34 seconds at 118.87 mph is surely not enough and shows how underpowered the motor is.
Sometimes reading forum posts I have the impression nobody would ever buy any bike either because it is “too heavy” (even having 200 hp to carry it along) or because it is “not powerful enough” (and surely nimble). Maybe the guys who would buy bikes are already riding and not complaining about something that was obviously a result of some planned trade-off.
For me, I’d rather wait until the bike is put into a scale and a dyno, then compare it to real-world data from other bikes. After all weight and horsepower figures in older bikes have been “optimistic” to say the least, compared to present press material.
RJ, my original post was in jest, obviously lost on you. people can buy whatever bike they want, for whatever reason they want, good for them. i just gotta chuckle when someone cries that a bike makes 197hp instead of 201hp like bike X! sorry, if i offended, i’ll buy you a latte at bike night
I suspect the motor is a real treat to ride with a mile-wide power curve. The torque figure implies 170hp at 7,500 rpm. I’m not sure what red-line will be, but even if it is only 1ok rpm that’s probably better than 3k rpm >150hp.
this motor is going to be awesome for the 2 seat buggy crowd…
That’s it keet. I’ve tried to get through to you. It’s over between us…. sniff, sniff
(Dressed in flame proof suit, looks around and shouts)….. HATERS ! Fat chics need love too ! ….lol.
Let’s just give it the benefit of the doubt in the mean time like Random sugested until it’s weighted and dynoed.
Maybe the thing is corked to the moon INhaling and EXhaling thru a straw.
Maybe all it needs is Xhaust, reflash, K&N, PC and BOOOOYAAAAAAAAA ! INSTANT SUPER FAST KILLER WHALE !
Maybe is just a Heavy TURD and ur better off buying a leftover ? Let’s wait and then we rip it to little pieces (again, lol).
I would be curious to see on dyno also. I am thinking everyone is scared to say their bike is 200 HP or more because of politicians and insurance companies in Europe. Same way Americans undervalued horsepower numbers of their cars in the 60′s
Not that I would personally by a top speed cruiser like this but more weight and less power?? Atleast make the bike good looking and add a decent paint job….. Not impressed by this Kawi. at all… :/
If that 197 bhp is a dyno rear wheel figure, then you have to factor in the ram air effect. Which would make the bike a genuine 200 brake candidate, with a crank figure of around 210 bhp.
The key issue is how that 197 was achieved, as discussed here http://www.bikerglory.com/?p=926 yesterday. Until that is cystal clear we are all pissing in the wind.
By definition, bhp is the horsepower measurement taken at the drive shaft, so measuring bhp at the wheel is a bit of an oxymoron. Virtually all motorcycle power figures from the factory are at the crank, not the wheel, there’s nothing to suggest something different is going on with the ZX-14R.
Jensen – agree that manufacturer’s figures should be read as crank, on the other hand measuring at the wheel is (as you know) the real world deal, because drive train losses are variable.
The unquantifiable bit here is the efficacy of the zzr ram air, since which ever method is employed (crank/rear wheel), you can’t ‘factor in’ ram air predictably.
If that 197 crank turns out to be spot on, then irrespective of ram air Kawasaki have missed a massive marketing opportunity for the want of 3 bhp.
On the subject of Ram Air:
I find it ODD just how Kawi didn’t channeled the intake THRU the steering head around the triple tree’s stem like the ZX10R or Honda’s RC51. Shorter path, less clutter, less weight, etc.
And just like Nick B, i can’t help but still feel like they lost a great oportunity to blow a lot of people out of the water and into the weeds and then drag hem back to the sea in true Fukushima Style and Proportions.
197HP after all that Hype…Snif, Snif…
No disrespect to any of the victims.
With A&R being one of my favorite sites on the web it’s always a little disconcerting that it seems to attract so many haters regardless of the content. That being said there’s two things I’ve learned having been an enthusiast for over half my life and having worked in manufacturing: “purist” enthusiasts are rarely happy and they know little to nothing about the production process and what it takes to bring a new motorcycle to market. Throw a lack of knowledge about US emissions standards and I guess it makes sense that so many seem so unhappy so much of the time. It’s sad really.
@Jason:
Is simple, really.
U(Kawasaki) go around running your mouth how my bike(2012ZX-14R, 2011ZX-10R) will this and that, then u(Kawasaki) come out short changed and well….
SHIT JUST HITS THE FAN and u(Kawasaki) are going to get A LOT OF IT on your FACE ( and there’s no one else to blame but yourself(Kawasaki).
REMEDY? : Under-promise/over-deliver…it always works. Ask BMW with their S1000RR.
It’s SAD, REALLY.
I completely stand for all of the above UNLESS, they are playing stupid and underrating the damn thing to not get any unwanted attention(bigbrother,lawyers,happy sue u.s.a,etc)…(^_^)
Re Jason. It’s entirely possible to be bewildered by Japanese marketing strategies without having an animus against A&R….
No one is shooting the messanger. The tedious websites are the ones which simply re-hash press releases, ie the blind leading the blind, but in this case Jensen was rightly dubious re huge power claims and the ensuing debate has mainly been confined to methodology employed. It may well be an awesome bike, but I still think an official 197 crank is a missed opportunity. Most people reckon current ZZR14 handling to be an advance on the Busa, what K had to do was put to bed the power doubters, especially after the misleading hype they originated with the ZX10. Whatever the outcome, I think increasing the stroke was a smart move since ZZRs have traditionally been a bit weak in the low/mid range section. No co-incidence the marketing has concentrated on the new 14s acceleration.
woops, website address corrected…
I personally don’t have a vested interest in how this bike ultimately performs because it’s not my style of bike. Which would be why I didn’t defend it either. My remark is really in reference to almost every bike released in the last few years, there just never seems to be anyone excited about them anymore. And the performance expectations have simply gotten out of hand, with DOT and EPA constantly constricting it’s simply unrealistic to expect 10hp gains every other model year.
I’m not attacking anyone personally, you’re all entitled to your opinions of course. I’ve just noticed this trend of news sites hyping up a new model on hearsay and when it doesn’t pan out the fans immediately break out the torches and pitch forks before they really know anything at all. As a fan of performance I’m anxious to see how this bike does in a real shoot out against the 2012 Busa once it’s released. Until then I’ll hold judgement and be thankful there’s anything new at all to look at considering the state of the economy.
@Jason:
Fair enough.
yup, we all agree that certain websites simply add to the hype, and very often this is because they re-hash press releases without objectivity.
I too have no personal interest in the zzr, but like I said elsewhere it is still exciting when a manufacturer really does raise the bar.
It is far too early to know whether or not that is the case re the bike in question. I do expect it to have much more stomp lower down the dial, but that has little to do with max bhp.
I own a 2007 ZX1400 that I bought November 2006 when they first release the Limited Editon White. All I really want to say, ride one and then make your commnets. I am very happy with my bike.
Well said Fred.
On a side note: Your bike’s paint scheme is cool UNLIKE the latest Green Flamer Job, JMHO.
i have a 2008 model and is perfect.
to the stupid people: stop comparing these bikes with the 1000′s at last.
buy your 1000 and shut up.
if i wanted a 1000 i was going to buy one.
the people want this kind of bike they want it for what it is.
well,
its the FASTEST BIKE ON PLANET.
NOUGH SAID….
i have had them all zzr1100,1200,1400,hayabusa RX model,k8,one important point,zzr14 has 197HP at crank,busa 194HP,but zzr loses 30HP,when this HP ends up at the rear wheel (167),busa only loses between 11hp to 14hp,