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.
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.
I am massively well endowed so take that excess 450cc donate it to some peewee bike and shave another 25lb, swap up to a 22l fuel tank and ffs put some close fitting fenders that WORK on it.
Why? Real motorcyclists ride in the rain.
Digging it. Wich Buell engine does it have ?…the 900 engine could have done just fine.
With the 1200 this thing has to be a wheele monster and leaps forward like like a frog on crack.
Where do I send my deposit? Now…. that’s a Harley I would ride.
Serious? Buttpower? I guess thats where the lovely exhaust note comes from…
I have never liked Harley’s for their lack of innovation or change but this machine is cool. I would be tempted by this franistien creation.
@MikeD Its the XB12 motor… you can tell by the primary cover.
“Burlesque-like progress”? What’s that even mean?
Hmmm, a Sporty Bike from HD. Really? Are you serious? A friend had the XR1200. Had. It was a slug. The suspension was crap and the power was more in line with a 650/4 from the seventies. The Sportster is already top heavy and the frame on this one looks as though it only adds more weight higher up and then a fuel tank is added. The word on the street is “The Sportster is a Girl’s Bike” and is prolly one reason why the big twin is the top seller. You just cannot look cool on the GurlyBike. Even when dressed as a pirate in drag. Power Rangers are way more cool.
I don’t like Harley so take it for what it’s worth, but they make bikes for a certain type of rider and they don’t understand any other type of rider. Just like Harley riders don’t understand any other type of bike. It’s a match made in heaven. As consumers, we shouldn’t expect either side to step out of their comfort zone, and I have no problem with that. If you don’t expect it, then you’re not let down when HD doesn’t come out with anything interesting or different. Harleys are made for a certain type of person and if you’re not that person, just ignore them and buy what you like.
What irks me more is all the copycat companies that could do some cool stuff but refuse to because they’re trying to clone HD (like Victory). Victory has the resources and engineers to make some really interesting American bikes, but instead just keeps coming out with clone after clone (albeit better performing clones).
Anyway, why should HD cater to “the emo-teenager, full of high school angst, has matured into the “college is for pussies” hipster scene”. I’m guessing this group has no funds and can’t afford new Harleys anyway.
Guys! Stop dreaming, Stortz Performance has been building these for years! Check’em out!
http://www.storzperf.com/jpgs/page20.html
What i don’t get is that this seemingly has identical performance to a Buell XB12S, but must cost 3-4 times as much (or more), just for a style exercise?
And to call this a “custom version of the Harley-Davidson XR1200X” is just dumb, since it looks to not share a single part with that bike, rather it takes a rolling chassis and engine from a Buell (which IS based on the sportser motor), swaps the frame for a custom unit (which looks to be quite a bit flexier than the stocker) and makes it look like a XR.
While I like the end result, I wouldn’t buy one, especially when I can pick up an XB12 for $3k.
@Jimmy Midnight
The Bott XR-1 is a lot different than anything Storz has to offer. All new chassis, and it uses the XB12 motor, instead of a Sportster motor.
As to Harley, and it’s pervasive lameness, I just think it’d be nice if they had something that could compete on its own merits against bikes like the Griso, R1200R, Monster 1100 etc. Seems like the “Sport”ster should be doing that, but it doesn’t, not even in XR1200 form.
And those 20 something hipster types are more likely to go for an old UJM and café it out.
Oh there’s no doubt the BOTT is different but the Storz actually exsists not just a test mule and some CAD drawings. You can even build your own piece by piece depending on your budget. Besides, the exhaust on the Storz is way cooler than anything Buell has to offer. Not to mention chain drive vs. belt? Nuff said!
20 years ago there were just a few of us who rode Flatheads, FXRs, SS400s, T100s, GPzs, 4 pipe Magnas, or whatever was at hand, in the inner cities. We rode in every kind of weather, worked at dive bars, clubs and bike shops, worked after-hours every night and still made it to after-after hours. The chicks were tough and when they were in the mood, they took us to bed, in the bad part of town. In the morning, after they threw us out, we hauled our asses to the bike shop, in time for the first customers to drop off their bikes for service….it was fun and later we grew up…Hipsters are just poseurs, looking through a narrow focus lens, trying to recreate an arty, microbrew, version of that life without really taking any true risks….without the risk it’s just a late night B movie….they never would have survived.
I hate Hipsters.
I dont get HD: just take the vrod engine and put it in a xr frame with some better brakes and suspension – ready is the first Harley u can actually ride fast in a more human like position.
and dont change design, cos retro is in…
I don’t understand what’s so special about this bike. Yes it looks pretty cool, but will be a far inferior bike than the Buell XB donor bike was.
Why would anyone want to throw away the stiff Aluminum, fuel in frame, Buell frame and replace it with a 1960′s spec steel backbone, that raises the center of mass, flexes more, and cuts fuel capacity in half, at least.
All for looks I guess, in typical HD tradition.
– “far enough removed from out-(r) parents’ generation to be considered cool again.”
___edit out the above___
I like where this project is heading….
Mark says:
February 8, 2012 at 10:24 AMI don’t understand what’s so special about this bike. Yes it looks pretty cool, but will be a far inferior bike than the Buell XB donor bike was.
Why would anyone want to throw away the stiff Aluminum, fuel in frame, Buell frame and replace it with a 1960′s spec steel backbone, that raises the center of mass, flexes more, and cuts fuel capacity in half, at least.
All for looks I guess, in typical HD tradition.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Because:
Some of us would like just THAT. Different horses for different courses. Yes, the Buell is a superior species(in your and my head so far)…but sometimes people just don’t care about that…case in point: Pirates riding H-Ds.
If it makes u happy…ENJOY IT.
@RGR “Anyway, why should HD cater to “the emo-teenager, full of high school angst, has matured into the “college is for pussies” hipster scene”. I’m guessing this group has no funds and can’t afford new Harleys anyway.”
Because their current customers will soon be too old to ride a motorcycle and Harley should look into maintaining market share in the future. The first wave of baby-boomers are in their late 60s and will soon start putting away their leather chaps for good.
@Mark, the fuel capacity remains very similar, the XR-1 has a secondary fueltank under the rear shock. The chassis weights the same than the aluminium one and stiffness is also very similar to the original Buell chassis. Steel is 3 times stiffer than aluminium.
I wouldn’t say that it will be inferior than a Buell XB. I think it is a different kind of bike. Appart of the aesthetics, the wide handlebar and the riding postion will make it a really funny bike to ride.
@David, yes, steel has 3 times the tensile strength of aluminum, but it’s also 3 times heavier. Given two properly designed frames of equal weight, the aluminum one will be stiffer, because the lighter material can be used to construct a larger beam. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be stronger, just stiffer.
IMO this bike is pretty much what HD’s XR1200 should have been: a slick combination of mostly Harley dirt-tracker looks and Buell technology which equates to an XR750 racer-rep that is truer to the philosophy of that bike than the current XR1200 is. I like it…lookin’ forward to the finished product.
I really do not understand why people go ape shit for the Harley Engine in a Better frame. Why not just do this with any other smaller, faster, more efficient engines available? Harley needs a more race ready Twin, Ducati is doing it why can’t HD do it?
That being said this is the closest offering from HD since the old KR750s that I would consider buying.
Ok. Correct me if im wrong…BUT…does it sound like “some” people around here think this project is backed, built, FUNDED, owned and what not by H-D ?!
I hope not. U heard that, EM ?
Oh, back to your question…”Why use H-D based engines ?” Easy, the H-D Engine is like the SBC of the motorcycle custom world. IT LENDS ITSELF TO ALMOST ANYTHING.
And shitty, underpowered, heavy and what not we think around here it may be, the danm thing is pretty stout and anvil reliable when looked after. Not to mention the aftermarket support is endless.
Tell me how many aftermarket billet crank builders for a Virago 1000 u know of ? Or RoadStar 1700 Cranks ? Or Suzuki M109 Cranks ? Heads ? Cams ? Complete aftermarket running engines ?
Just trying to make a point not pick a “fight”.
@Mark, you are right. But in this case it is relatively easy to design a steel chassis with the same structural efficiency (stiffness / weight) than the Buell one. The Buell frame is a casted part, which means that its thickness is bigger than necessary in a lot of areas. It could be much more efficient if it was built using sheetmetal (which allows to achieve much thinner walls) like racebikes.
Another point to consider is that the frame is attached to the engine through rubber and some tie rods. Which means that the real stiffness of the bike doesn’t rely only on the frame, it depends also a lot on the way the chassis is clamped to the engine.
Anyway we are talking about street bikes, and they are not designed to achieve the maximun structural efficience. On a street bike, cost, reliability, aesthetics, etc. are normally more important than pure structural efficiency. With a street bike, at the end the important thing is if you like the bike and if you have fun with it.
I am so glad to see progress being made on this project. I think that it’s going to turn out to be a really awesome bike in the end. I guess the styling is what brings up the Harley XR1000X but simple math will tell why that bike will pale in comparison. The XR1000 weighs 150 lbs more than the XB12S and makes 30Hp less. Which bike do you think will be faster and more nimble? Erik Buell really is one the most innovative motorcycle chassis engineers on the planet today. Why use such an “outdated lump of iron” for a motor? Torque. Gob-loads of it. Over a wide range of rpms. You don’t have to wind it up to full scream to get in to the power range. I think a lot of guys who gripe about the Buells have never spent much time riding one. Yeah, they don’t hit warp speed on the straight of your favorite racetrack but that’s not what they are made for. They are just flat out stupendous fun to rip around urban environments in. Don’t dis on them until you’ve actually spend some time doing this. You might be surprised.
So, why would anyone ruin a perfectly good Buell to make one of these Botts? I suppose some will, just for style exercise. But I don’t think a lot of the naysayers are considering the more likely source of donor bikes. “Not so perfectly good Buells”. The fuel-in-frame chassis is a marvel of modern motorcycle engineering but can be easily damaged in a crash. Even the slightest crack in the frame and it doesn’t matter how good your welding skills are. The insurance company is going to write it off as totaled. Now there are a couple of chopper frames out there but what a waste of an awesome sportbike to end up to that fate. If this Bott bike were to exist as a viable options, there are a lot of XBs that will have a second chance at life. Go look at eBay and see how many Buell motors are for sale. Usually more of them than complete bikes on any given day.
Yes, this bike fills a very tiny niche in the motorcycle world but it is one that is completely void of anything at this point. I really, truly hope nothing bad ever happens to my XB12sTT but if it does, I really, truly hope that this Bott bike will be alive and well in the market place so I can rebuild it into something that will still be just as fun for my urban moto entertainment.
It is still a stupid Harley motor. Stick a good powerplant in that and you would have something.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I enjoyed riding my Daytona Special around on the back tire. One day, my dad offered me to take his Wide Glide out for a spin. A little while later, I came back with a huge grin on my face. I understand “stupid Harley motor”, and it’s got some definite appeal.
Love and agree with what RGR say’s about Victory. They could do anything, ANYTHING! And what do they choose? To play second fiddle to a company that refuses to commit to the future(or even the present). It’s strange to look at Victory’s parent company Polaris. They make snowmobiles and ATV’s. They race snowmobiles and ATV’s , and win on them. I’ll bet they could do the same with 2 wheels. I wish there was an office in Medina MN with Eric Buell’s name on the door.