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.
Badassery! RT @Asphalt_Rubber #Brakko Combined Wheel Brake System – http://bit.ly/513rcr #motorcycle #design
Imitation is the sincerest form of…? Think Buell ZTL brakes RT @Asphalt_Rubber Brakko Combined Wheel Brake System – http://bit.ly/513rcr
That is a ripoff of Buell brakes. I’m disappointed in this publication for making a big deal out of a product already done in EARLY 2002
Rip-off? I dunno about that. These, like the one’s on the Buell, are a single-disc perimeter style brake. However, Buell’s design is mounted on the side, like a conventional braking system, whereas these are directly centerline with the tire. Also the caliper mounting is completely different not to mention the disc is an actual stressed member of the wheel.
It would be a bitch to clean, I’m betting.
Brakko Combined Wheel Brake System – http://bit.ly/513rcr #motorcycle
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/news/brakko-combined-wheel-brake-system/ もしビューエルが復活したらこれにしようぜ
Buell’s design put the disk on the side of the rim for reasons of cooling… I would like to see the heat coming of those after a few hot laps. A step back from the Buell design I think.
Huh. Looks like they took the Buell ZTL system and then made it unecessarily complicated. I’d like to see a weight-saving comparison between the two.
Dave makes a great point about the heat as well… those pads are virtually shielded. Certainly a step up from conventional brakes, but seems to me like Buell still had the better design. Sometimes a thing can be ~too~ high tech for its own good.
Nice, looks great, but I see the same basic idea on my Buell XB9R every time I ride her.
And no, Erik Buell did not do this to take care of any heat issues. Weight is the enemy, and that is why it was done.
Neat looking computer generated vaporware variation on the Buell ZTL system. Simple questions screaming for answers:
1. How much does it weigh compared to the Buell ZTL wheel/brake/fork lower?
2. How does it perform under severe stress, meaning high heat, aggressive braking.
The Buell Forum at http://www.BadWeatherBikers.com has taken notice. See comments there at…
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/4062/518759.html
What happens when heat causes the rotor to expand? I don’t see much room for the disc to expand, and I sure wouldn’t want to try and bleed them if the brake lines route through the hub.
Looks like it’s just an end-around to keep from violating Buell’s patents?
Seems sad to me that Erik Buell, probably the smartest man in the motorcycling industry today didn’t get this kind of attention when he brought this type (and better) of braking to production motorcycles several years ago.
yeah, but have you guys seen what honda is doing with their underslung exhaust?
man, those guys …..oh, wait. ummm…. never mind.
This system looks great. Our company holds the patents for U.S distribution of Internal brake wheels. We came up with this system 6 years ago. As for the buell bikes they never had true internal brakes.( calipers behind both wheel faces) The Buell calipers were externally mounted conventionally on the lower fork leg. We initially designed a setup similar to this one. However our current system is much cheaper to manufacture and allows the wheels to be tailored to any bike with ease. and cost is similar to a complete set of billet Pm’s or extreme machine etc. $5,500 to 6,500 dealer cost complete. Brakes, wheels any finish, rotors etc. we make them in 18″ to 26″ sizes unlimited width. Check out glenndynedesign.com The gunmetal and black set on the website was a prototype set. The production sets use all DOT brake lines and fittings. We are just now finished with our rotary forging dies for all Wheel faces ranging in sizes 18″ to 26″ we are now in full production designing different styles and setting up dealers.
No 17″ wheels Aaron? It’s gonna be hard to win over the sportbike crowd without a 17″/16.5″ option
Jenny,
We have just been producing 18″ and up because of demand in the custom industry. With harleys etc. We would consider building the rotary forging dies for the 17″ wheel faces if costomers want them. We are just now launching the wheels for production bikes at the CINCI dealer expo. Feb 2010. thanks for your question.
I guess that this “centered” system, besides heating problems, still transfers torsional load to the hub, where calipers seems to be attached, requiring wheels to have more mass. Am I wrong, or this would “throw away” the real advantage of ZTL system, e.g, reducing unsprung wieght?
I think beating up on the design is pointless, the system depicted here could offer substantial weight saving in that the wheel spokes can be a lot lighter due to the fact the braking forces are applied to the rim not the hub.
The calipers can’t be attached to the hub as they would be turning with the wheel, if they were you would have no braking.
Its not entirely clear in the video but the calipers must be anchored to the spindle in some way, which would then have to transfer its loading through to the fork legs.
I think the design is unique and interesting, i’ll be looking out for this to see how it develops.