I was flipping through some photos from the 2011 EICMA show, and found these shots of the Ducati 1199 Panigale’s Superquadro engine. Unfortunately at the show, Ducati had its 1199cc v-twin motor behind a Lexan case, which created a bit of a glare, reflections, and of course had smudges from the touchy-feely Italian crowd. But still, the photos give a good idea of what’s going on in Ducati’s most-advanced production engine to date, and are better than just looking at the CAD renders. If you look at the shots very closely, you can almost see where the 195hp and 98 lbs•ft of torque is lurking inside.
In addition to testing the factory Ducati Desmosedici GP12 “Phoenix” this week at Sepang, Valentino Rossi is also trying out a new lid from AGV. Aside from the carbon fiber goodness, and of course the Rossi stickers (which add 5hp & $200), AGV’s prototype helmet sports a noticably pronounced rear spoiler. Tucked in behind the windscreen, it is obvious why the Italian helmet manufacturer designed such a large protrusion off the back of the prototype helmet, as it looks to be clearly helping the flow off the back of the helmet, across the rider’s hump, and down his backside.
While Ducati Corse is busy playing hide-the-Desmosedici at Sepang, HRC is all business in Malaysia this week, and has debuted its 2012 Honda RC213V MotoGP-contender. Honda isn’t saying too much about the RC213V, simply stating that the race bike is all new, but is also a continuation of the company’s design with the 800cc Honda RC212V. Testing the Honda RC213V over the course of last season, reigning-World Champion Casey rode the new 1,000cc machine three times in 2011, while teammate Dani Pedrosa swung a leg over the RC213V twice (missing one test because of injury).
You may have been misled by some eager journalists today and yesterday, if you saw a Ducati Corse livery-clad Ducati Desmosedici GP12 that some sites were passing off as the first shots of the “90% new” GP12. With the alleged new GP12 looking surprisingly similar to the aluminum-framed “GP0″ that was tested at Valencia, Valentino Rossi’s mechanic has now Alex Briggs confirmed that the photos taken were not of the all new “GP12 Phoenix” that the factory team will race this season. While the Ducati lords can taketh away, they can also giveth, and Valentino Rossi himself has posted the first photo of the factory Desmosedici GP12, and the bike is clearly different.
Zero Motorcycles has announced the full-commencement of production for its 2012 model line, which is expected to hit dealers in February & March of this year. First off the line was the 2012 Zero DS back in December, though the electric motorcycle company has recently started building the Zero S, Zero XU, Zero X, and Zero MX at its Scotts Valley facility as well. A story we broke back in November, Zero Motorcycles debuted its important 2012 electric motorcycle line up at the 2011 EICMA show in Milan, with the 2012 range being a substantial improvement upon the company’s previous offerings.
Getting a look at Dainese & AGV’s 2012 collection, Asphalt & Rubber was down in Orange County earlier this week to see the highly anticipated Dainese D-Air Racing leather suit, which has a four liter airbag system that helps reduce the risk of injury during a motorcycle crash. Dainese has been working on the D-Air Racing system for 10 years now, and after soft-launching the airbag suit in Europe, the Italian company is ready to bring the game-changing technology to American soil.
Us Danes, we’re a strange breed. From the culture that taught you how to rape and pillage, Scandinavia is making yet another contribution to the motorcycling world with this latest video. Featuring Danish Supermoto Champion Andreas Mikkelsen, we get a RoToR camera-esque perspective (this rig is actually home made) on the Dane’s practice session at the Als Supermotard Club in Denmark. It’s videos like this that are slowly eroding my will-power to resist getting into supermotard riding. Also, I don’t know who was in charge of the music selection on this thing, but my hat is off to him/her. I love the nightlife. I’ve come to boogie.
Our friends over at IndianCarsBikes.in were in attendance at the KTM 200 Duke launch in India this week, as the Austrian brand launched its somewhat bigger-displacement version of the popular KTM Duke 125. During the press event, KTM talked about the future of the mini-Duke line and its product roadmap for the emerging country, as well as abroad. With the Austrian brand confirming/clarifying that KTM would release a KTM 350 Duke for India in 2013, zie Austrians also confirmed that the KTM 350 Duke would be built locally in India by Bajaj, but would be exported worldwide — allaying fears that the KTM 350 Duke would be an India-only model.
Now that the first Ducati 1199 Panigale has rolled out of the door in Bologna, the die is cast, the chips are in play, and our course is set to see if Ducati has created a “massive breach of brand trust and honesty.” The realization of course should be that Ducati’s brand was never in danger with bikes like the Hypermotard, Multistrada 1200, or Diavel. Instead, the danger of serious brand dilution has always rested on how Ducati handled its Superbike line. A failure to produce a two-wheeled machine that is both as striking visually as it is kinetically, could permanently alienate a loyal fan base that has endured a great deal in the past half-decade.
There is a lot that can be said about why dealerships fail or succeed (we’ve already seen an interesting insight on the subject of shops being open on Sundays), and one aspect on how to be a successful dealership that will surely rise to the top is one of community. Here, Vancouver-based Motomethod is all about the community, as the do-it-yourself community garden style repair shop has become a place for British Columbian riders not to work on their motorcycles, but also to congregate together with a shared love of riding on two wheels. Not exactly a new concept business-wise, but still a fresh perspective in an otherwise unwilling to change industry. More on this thought process to be published in the coming weeks. Enjoy.
Sad… But at least the last one is a nice one.
RT @Asphalt_Rubber Buell Builds Last Motorcycle Before Closing http://bit.ly/28A7TH
I just read your comments on the Kneeslider. I think you’ve absolutely nailed it.
All very well to wring hands, and feel sorry for Erik Buell and the people involvec, but I think your analysis is spot on.
If i owned stock in HD (I dont) I would be sending bottles of wine to the CEO and board about now. $1B in borrowed money? How the hell does that happen!!
” it is a Buell Lightning XB12Scg that will be the last motorcycle to bear Erik Buell’s name.” Unless you have plans to murder the man yourself, this is a particularly venal piece of conjecture disguised as reporting. It is your opinion, and tacking it onto the factual half of the sentence: ” After creating 136,923 motorcycles over the last 26 years” does nothing to imbue it with truth.
Regardless of the merits or mistakes of the man’s past accomplishments or your tumescent ardor for HD’s stock value, wishing an inventor a future in which his name never appears on another motorcycle might well have been the cruellest dig you could scrape out. I myself have no need to wish failure on HD in order to wish future success to Erik Buell and the possibility of a motorcycle landscape with more than one American brand in it.
Buell builds last motorcycle before shutdown. http://bit.ly/14dFJG
I haven’t actually checked, but I suspect HD owns the Buell Trademark – the statement in the article that this is the last bike to bear Erik Buell’s name is likely true if HD does not bring back or sell the brand. This has very little to do with whether Mr. Buell will design or produce bikes again in the future. Careful our you’ll hurt yourself making such a large jump to a conclusion.
Ms Gun did not write ‘might be the last bike to bear his name’, she wrote ‘will’. Phrasing your conjecture as fact does not make it so. I think Erik’s name ‘might’ appear on some motorcycle sometime in the future. Anyone who conjectures otherwise is equally entitled to their opinion, but those who throw around words like ‘will’ and, as you do, ‘true’, is merely using rhetoric to try and add seriousness to their opinions. Phrase it however you and she may, neither of you is any more entitled to know the future than me, and her negativity is the real message, couched disengenously as reporting. Reporters report, predictors predict, but only the arrogant will TELL the future.
I am from the future. Luckily, all of this works out reasonably well.
That scg rolled off the line 29 oct. A picture of it and Henry Duga (seen in the background of this photo) was posted on BadWeatherBikers that evening.
I’ve known Erik Buell since the late 1970s when he got going in a one car garage
out in Mukwagano Wisconsin. Everybody back then thought he was a raving
mad lunatic for building Sportster powered bikes that handled and stopped like
real sport bikes. I kept saying “he’s on to something and I hope he succeeds”.
Well, he did succeed and a few years ago in Libertyville H-D at a BuellRide
I asked him if he ever had a chance to talk to John Britten and try to get
a joint project going with him.
How sadly prophetic in a way, H-D doing Buell in…
Keep going Erik they can’t keep a great man and a great bike down!!!!