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.
Hopefully the next announcement willbe that Buell motorcycle company is being sold to Erik Buell and will continue on seperate from Harley Davidson.
Hope he moves beyond just racing again. RT @Asphalt_Rubber Breaking: Erik Buell Leaves Harley-Davidson for New Venture http://bit.ly/8EpMmh
Erik #Buell leaving H-D http://bit.ly/6UNXfn
Like many American motorcycle enthusiasts, I’m glad to hear that we haven’t heard the end of Erik Buell, and that the author’s assertion in “Buell Builds Last Motorcycle Before Closing” that his name would never appear on another motorcycle was completely wrong. My next hope is that the future company will end the charade of racing 1125ccs against 600ccs and recover some of the respect they lost while doing so. I hope for great things in an American sportbike in my lifetime.
i wonder if they’ll get the same treatment from AMA ;)
-peter
Way to go Erik, I knew he wouldn’t give up!
Will 1125 CR’s be supported as well in CCS Suntrust Moto, or other sanctioned events that currently includes XBRR’s and XB12R’s?
How about the “Barracuda” concept bikes I have seen pictures of lately? I have put money down on a remaining BUELL….until now…..
Lastly, Will racing only parts/ bike be purchased through current Buell dealers or will a new network or system be developed?
As a CCS licensed racer, the only folks capable of getting parts for racing would be………… LICENSED racers.
There is an object here that is a machine, built and INSURED as a RACE ONLY unit.
Maybe later on, certain parts may be offered for general public. For now though, the liability issues of this being a street bike/parts would monetarily crush the fledgeling race company.
Crawl, walk, run. I am turning blue, holding my breath that Buell Racing succeeds at this entry point.
YAY. Eric Buell ROCKS ON!: http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/news/erik-buell-leaves-harley-davidson-for-erik-buell-racing/
Good luck to you, Erik and your great new initiative! That the 2010 results for Buell racers may be spectacular!
I was wondering to myself if Erik and the racing department might be a basis for a tilt at a Moto2 ride in the future? I dunno, it seems like it could be a good fit, and with two rounds of the MotoGP series in the US presently there is good exposure there…. pure speculation of course.
I’m glad Harleyis droping Buell. I hope Harley dose the right thing and sells eric his company back. If they do id gladly buy one, right now I would never buy one. In my mind Harley gives buell a bad name.
Been riding Harleys since 1968, they are without doubt the best motorcycles on this planet.
The very best Harleys have had Buell written on them; it is very depressing (to me at least) that Buell has been ditched, because the future needs this marriage between Harley and Buell.
I don’t care much for racing, but the way that Erik grabs new technology and makes it his own is an exceptional gift, one that can only enrich the parent-company.
I am a 500%-loyal Harley man after 5 decades of riding only Harleys…except for the ’98 S1 and ’02 X1 that I believe to be absolutely amazing bikes in the ‘real world’…safe, reliable, sexy, non-clone styling…I hope that Buell may get another life building H-D powered bikes. But then, that is only me…
I have owned Buells since 1999, and have championed the brand thru my tenure working for a Harley Davidson dealer before starting my own venture. I have an 1125R in front of me and love it! One of the most playful bikes you will ever ride. Congratulations to Erik and we look forward to what is coming!
Jason Cooley
Gongshow Riderz
As a Harley owner I have come to the conclusion that the future of the Company must be based on more innovation. Eric Buell was the key factor. Harley sales will continue to slide unless they (Harley-Davidson) comes to the realization that selling expensive images with outdated engineering to a bunch of sheep (HOG) is not a long term strategy. Eric Buell was the future of Harley-Davidson. Wake up Harley, the world has changed big time!!!! I am disappointed with the leadership of Harley-Davidson. I know that I am not alone.
Was greatly saddened to learn that HD was dropping Buell. Have been racing my 1997 S-3 Thunderbolt for the last 9 years (AHDRA & local vinues) looks like I’ll be retiring it after the 2010 season since it is a collectors item now. It has won me a few purses so it’s earned the right to be put on the back burner. Don’t know what I’ll be racing next year money’s tight and no one seems to want to step up … but things may change for the better. Good luck to Eric and thanks for helping me go fast by designing great bikes.
Gotta say im glad to see it going in a racing direction and not closing the doors for good, that would be a sad day. im betting once this takes off we will see and brand new model of buell hit the streets again brought on by popular demand
Buell was Harley’s ticket to selling a motorcycle to someone less than 50 years old. They thoroughly bungled the whole thing by offering too many models and options for a fledgling motorcycle. They way over invested and expected far too much way too soon. Now they have nothing to offer other than 800 pound Hogs and a Sportster just for laughs. Look for Harley to be asking the Govt. for a handout to keep afloat in the future because their customer base has shrunk to nothing.
I like Harley and i like Buell . What is Harley Davidson doing ?…. They say there broke !…., so they cancel Buell . Then they come out with Five new bikes ….. What is wrong with this picture ?….. I met a Buell owner thats more confused then Hank Hill at an Elton John concert and i do not blame him. Talk about stabbing a customer in the back . He said the Harley dealer said they have the XR1200 now : / . He said what dose that have to do with my Buell xb12ss , i feel for the guy . I hear a lot of rich guys are jumping ship and buying other brands. I hope the stock holders storm the board room with pitch forks and torches . Whats next ?….. when i walk in a (HD) dealer ship will they try to sell me the Harley Davidson BBQ grill ; / . Who would buy a motorcycle with no rear seat ?… Who are some of these bikes being made for ?….. Confused ,dazed , but i still can see straight .