Shipped up and on its way to the Isle of Man, we can finally now see more than test shots of the Mugen Shinden Ni and get its basic racing specifications. The electric superbike that John McGuinness will ride in the 2013 TT Zero race at the Isle of Man TT, the Mugen Shinden Ni represents that evolution of the Japanese firm’s design, having now a TT race under its belt. Like its main competitor MotoCzysz, Team Mugen is eyeing a 110 mph lap around the Mountain Course, which would be a pretty remarkable one-year advancement for either team. With Mr. McPint at the helm, and seemingly brimming with on-board energy, Mugen is a serious contender.
Ducatisti: do you want the good news or the bad news first? The bad news is that the market for motorcycles 500cc and up is down 17% worldwide for the first quarter of this year, which means the “good” news is that Ducati is only down 5% for Q1 2013. Not exactly the start out of the gate that Audi was hoping for its newly acquired two-wheeled brand, but what are you going to do? Western Europe is a mess, with Spain and Italy continuing to go down like a…well, you know. While we don’t enjoy the misery of motorcycle brands, the fact that Ducati Motor Holding is now under the Audi AG umbrella means that we get far more detailed quarterly and yearly reports from the two-wheeled marque, and we’ve got the digits after the jump.
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.
That’s HOT…and im not talking about the Motorcycle…although i have come to apreciate, even like these “2 Wheeled Hummers”.
Wake me up when Triumph find the balls to slap that 1215cc Triple on something “Urban/Sport”(is it asking to much too for it to be less than $10K by then ?)…THEN i’ll look into trying to find a way to buy NEW (selling body/body parts most probably).
Triumph continues to dominate (or is that redundant?)
I used to think that the Japanese manufacturers corned the market on origami styling. Turns out I was wrong. Man, is that thing ugly.
Whatever happened to classic, simple styling? Why does everything nowadays have to look like a clashing jumble of lines and angles? What do I think would be a good looking adventure bike? A Triumph Bonneville Scrambler with 9 inches of quality suspension travel front and rear.
might be good looking…but try sitting on your Triump Bonneville Scrambler with 9 inches of quality suspension travel all day every day for two weeks, then you’ll trule feel why adventure touring bikes are designed this way.
If it’s lighter than the 1200 GS with same or better power, then this could definitely make a hole in BMW’s sales.
The 1215cc urban bike will likely happen.. .give it a year or two.
I like the Explorer. I saw it at the show in Long Beach. BUT, I’m not spending that kind of money on a bike.. so for me I’ll either go with the Tiger 800XC, or something cheaper still. Besides, my DR650 is still my choice for offroad use.
My off-road riding experience consists of the occasional gravel patch on a poorly maintained road but it seems to me that for off-roading you would want a light and nimble bike that wouldn’t kill you if you dumped it or give you a hernia trying to pick it back up. What then is the advantage of this bike over lighter bikes that cost less?
Don’t forget the Yamaha Tenere (spelling?), at 13,900.00.
It slots in really well with them all.
Jack Fox, I think the trade-off for the weight, is the distance these heavier bikes can carry you and your gear..and the key here is, in comfort.
While I’m not of the mindset (yet), the people (that I talk to) that ride these things, dream of Ironbutts, and trips across states, if not continents; rain, snow, mud, whatever. they also seem to know these aren’t dirtbikes per se, they are off-road bikes. For those who think dirt, mud and gravel are an invitation and not an obstruction. For those who want to get away from it all…far away. Or at least dream of doing it.
RobG, Check out North County Yamaha, online, down near San Diego. They have a KTM 990 Adventure with hardbags for about 13k +…not to mention Tiger 800XCs. I’m not affiliated with them at all, but if your looking, that a pretty good deal. I figured I’d point it out.
MikeD, It’s sad isn’t it? I think the day of the 10k bike is slowly slipping away. I’d love to have this Triumph, but after taxs+tags+hardbags+etc we’re closing in on 20k.
Shawn, I hear that. Watch the video Cycleworld did of the Jack Pine Triumph, I bet you’ll dig it.
Since when is the GS the “undisputed” king of adv riding? That may be a comfortable touring bike but i’d rather have a KTM 990 adventure off road any day… what a joke. Just because they sell a ton of them doesn’t make them a better adventure bike.
This new triumph is the same touring bike crap with little off road prowess. Again these fools make an “off road” bike with tubless tires…. geez
Hey Jared, would u mind telling us whats so great about tubed tires on these bikes ? Cause i for one hate tubes with a passion.
Im missing something OBVIOUS here ?
How can you guys talk about adventure bikes in this size/category and not even mention the Yamaha Super Tenere at $14,500.00??
well George, it’s cause the Tenere has already been mentioned.
And yes, the GS1200 *is* the undisputed king of Adventure bikes. Just read any Adventure bike test, and it wins every one – at least every one I have ever read in magazines or online in recent years. It is an extremely well sorted adventure bike. That being said they weigh a ton… and when you get to *really* dodgy terrain they can be a liability cause of their sheer bulk. That’s why this triumph is quite appealing.
I was a road + trackday rider for many years till I lost interest in the doing the same old blacktop sections and the same old tracks. Adventure riding is really fun, you don’t need a dirt background, and getting away from the traffic/cars/mom+pop touring campers has been for me, a real breath of fresh air on two wheels. I don’t think I could go back to a dedicated road bike again, modern adventure bikes / hybrids give you a lot more options on where you can go and what you can see.
Seems to me though, that it’s for people ‘of a certain age’ – when simply going fast no longer does it for you, you look for more, and that’s where bikes like this very lovely looking Triumph comes in.
Beary says:
Seems to me though, that it’s for people ‘of a certain age’ – when simply going fast no longer does it for you
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I think more less the same way… I see myself riding one of these not too far from now… going fast (100mph +) was fun but watching the result of speed gone wrong have “changed” me “a bit” … now i care a bit more for myself. LOL.
P.S: Not to mention they look comfy like a reclining LazyBoy… if anything besides weight issues more utilitarian than ur garden variety sport/semi or naked street bike.
Beary
I have no problem if you talk about these adventure bikes and don’t mention Yamaha, I just have a problem and I think you doing a disservice to readers when you say:
“Getting a $15,699 MSRP price tag, that element of our question has been answered, and sets the Triumph Tiger Explorer as the cheaper alternative in the premium-adventure market”
Premium???? are you saying the Tenere is not in this class? if you say it’s not in this class, okay it’s your opinion but if you say it’s in the class and it’s been mentioned elsewhere (not in this article) then don’t say the Tiger Explorer is the cheaper……..
I own a Tenere and will probably like the Explorer too, I think they are all in the same class.
Go read the latest “Cycle World” and see what they say about the Tenere, KTM and GS
Mike D…. You can patch tubless tires out on the trails but I wouldn’t rely on that ability. I can carry tubes (many if needed) and keep replacing as needed. The bigger issue really is the size of the front tires and the ground clearance afforded by these so called adventure bikes. All of these adventure bikes except one has a less then 21″ front tire. Anyone with real off road riding experience will tell you the larger front makes for a more capable bike.
To be certain, i’m not like most adventure riders. I prefer to be off road 90%+ of the time and enjoy large obstacles. This is why I drive a KTM 990R.
As for those ride reports the BMW keep winning… Most of their riding is done on pavement and well graded dirt roads. If that is your idea of adventure, then a BMW or similar bike will be just perfect for you. My KTM is nowhere near as comfortable on the highway, but it manages fairly well. My adventures would rip the cylinder heads off the sides of a bmw… lol
How do you run tubeless tire and spoke wheel? You don’t, not without some time consuming fiddling around. You do want to be on a spoke wheel when going off-road, right? If you don’t feel free to bent your tubeless fancy rim on the first larger bump ….
@MXS:
YAMAHA, BMW and HONDA(BMW’s way knock off) seem to be doing it just fine…WITH SPOKES…tubeless…(^_^)
And as far as cast wheels…sorry, it’s not made out of wax…they can take a beating too.
If ur hell bent in off roadin to hell and back one of these Pigs(i like’em but it is what it is) i can see the whole point of 21″ tubed spoked fronts and maybe a 18″-19″ tubed spoked rear…otherwise…is just totally pointless and UN-practical on THE REAL WORLD(everyday riding and weekend getaway on some fire roads).
Jared seems to have his priorities very clear.
Saw it in person at the International Moto Show and MUCH preferred the look and size of the Tiger 800. BMW still gets better marks for styling of ADV bikes, but the Triumph’s and that kick ass engine call to me.