Blurred to protect against spoilers, we’ll just leave things simply by saying that World Superbike’s Race 2 at Donington Park is well worth a watching if you haven’t already seen it. Decided right down to the last few turns, race pundits surely will be discussing the race and its outcome over the next week. Unsurprisingly, geography is playing a major a role in how things are being viewed. Though in a race where a number of questionable passes occurred, it is hard to single out this one event from the plethora of others that occurred during the race, but of course this one had the biggest effect on the race outcome. Click past the jump for the he said, she said, and of course for some slightly sharper photos.
More news from Norton, as the British firm has begun track-testing its V4 road race bike, in preparation of the 2012 Isle of Man TT. Focusing on the bike’s handling, Norton has been working hand-in-hand with Öhlins and Dunlop developing the bike’s chassis. The trio has devised the highly sophisticated “165 mph no hands” test, which supposedly checks the stability of the bike, though we imagine Health & Safety would frown upon it. With the bike’s Aprilia RSV4 motor putting out 195hp at the crank, and with the total race package weighing 419 lbs (195 kg) when it is sopping wet, the Spondon-framed Norton may not be exactly what fans of the famous marques were hoping for after seeing the very appealing Norton NRV 588, though it does seem to be a potent package.
Launching in downtown Los Angeles, the 2012 Brammo Empulse R & 2013 Brammo Empulse broke their cover and officially debuted. Right off the bat from the designations, you can see that Brammo intends for the Empulse R to be a 2012 model, with the base model Emuplse coming out next year (more on that further down). As we expected, the Brammo Empulse R got quite the price bump after its 22-month marination, and will be $18,995 MSRP. Meanwhile when the Brammo Empulse becomes available next year, it will have a slightly more palatable $16,995 price tag.
While the EBR 1190RS race bikes were on the track, their $40,000+ street-legal counterparts were on display outside of the Erik Buell Racing garage. Rocking an American flag livery, I naturally took pictures of this show bike. Eye catching to say the least, nothing says “Made in ‘merica” better than a red, white, and blue color scheme, especially when it is laid over carbon fiber. And while I want to love this bike because of its nuances and outside-of-the-box technical design, I don’t.
If there’s one lesson we can take from Sunday’s race at Estoril, it’s this: “I’ve always said we know Casey’s the guy that’s the fastest guy in the world. Maybe over the seasons he hasn’t put the championships together, but by far he’s the best guy in the world.” Cal Crutchlow is not known for mincing his words, and his description of Casey Stoner pulls no punches. But given the fact that Stoner only managed to win the Portuguese round of MotoGP by a second and a bit, is that not a little exaggerated?
Brammo is back for electric motorcycle racing in the North American TTXGP series, as the Ashland-based company is set to defend it’s #1 plate this year with Steve Atlas on board ( Shelina Moreda is slated to join the team later in the season). Gaining a title sponsorship from Icon, Brammo arrived at Sears Point with some edgy graphics on the 2012 Brammo Empulse RR. Dropping roughly 35 lbs in weight, and gaining roughly 50hp over the bike they ran at last year’s season opener, Brammo is making most of those gains in its revised motor and power inverter for the newest Empulse RR.
As you can imagine, the bulk of the commentary, both from readers and from professional journalists, has centered around the absurdity of the claim, with even jokes being offered about how an aged BMW rider should be thanking the German motorcycle brand for saving him money on Viagra, etc. The situation reminds me of the McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit. You know the story, right?. A woman buys a cup of coffee at McDonald’s, spills it on herself while in the car, and sues the bastards for her incompetence. True to litigious American form, the unthinkable happened, and a jury awarded this gold-digging woman millions of dollars. It is repudiating, and it stands for everything that is wrong with the legal system, or so we would be lead to believe — especially by the media.
Never say never, but few are expecting Valentino Rossi to hang up his spurs at the end of the 2012 MotoGP Championship. Going out on a career low-point is certainly not the Italian’s style, especially as it casts a particularly dark shadow on a career that has enjoyed the bright-light superlative of “Greatest of All Time” from some of motorcycling’s most knowledgeable sources. Hoping to cast that phrase with an underlined typeface, and not with an interrogatory question mark, there is sufficient evidence to believe that Rossi will want to end his career in a way that will leave no doubt about the nine-time World Champion’s abilities. The question of course is how those final seasons will play out, and who they will be with.
Just a little over a year later, debris from the Sendai earthquake and its subsequent tsunami is starting to make its way across the Pacific Ocean, with the first bit major piece of fallout to hit Canadian soil just now being reported. Though the effects to the motorcycle industry were only a small portion of the overall devastation, for our purposes it seems fitting that the first sizable item to wash ashore is a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Landing in the Haida Gwaii islands of British Columbia, the Harley-Davidson Softail was discovered by Peter Mark, who was riding his ATV along the coast of the isolated beach.
After a four-hour ride on his motorcycle, one BMW owner realized that he had a problem. Namely, a problem with his erect penis, which after some waiting would not subside. Now while most of us would cheekily reply that such a state is the sign of a good motorcycle ride, this San Francisco Bay Area native is not laughing, and has filed suit in the Superior Court of San Francisco County (CGC-12-520316) against BMW Motorrad North American and Corbin-Pacific. Saying that the motorcycle and its dealer-installed custom motorcycle seat have caused priapism, the man is suing for lost wages, personal injury, medical expenses, product liability, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
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 .