The competitors for the 91st Pikes Peak International Hill Climb have just concluded a two-day tire test at the Colorado road course, and it should perhaps come as no surprise that our boy Carlin Dunne has posted the outright fastest lap for a motorcycle during the tire test (the Santa Barbara native set the outright two-wheeled course record last year on his Ducati Multistrada 1200 S). What is surprising about Carlin’s result at the tire test is that he was on the Lightning Motorcycles electric superbike. That’s right, the fastest bike so far for 2013′s Race to the Clouds is a 200+ hp electric superbike that is refueled with solar energy. Petrol heads, eat your heart out.
Talking to the Indy Star, Mark Miles (CEO of Hulman & Co, the parent company to Indianapolis Motor Speedway) has put some doubt into the historic venue’s commitment to host the MotoGP Championship. Having a contract to run the race through the 2014 season, Miles said that IMS might opt-out of the final year in its agreement with Dorna (IMS apparently has this option for a brief window after the 2013 Indianapolis GP). However while the news has focused so far on IMS’s ability to opt-out, both Dorna and Indianapolis Motor Speedway have options in their contract to go through with the 2014 round, and with a bevy of variables in the air, we may or may not see three American GP rounds next year.
Surprise! America will be getting a 847cc three-cylinder naked bike for the 2014 model year, the 2014 Yamaha FZ-09. Replacing the Yamaha FZ8 in the Japanese company’s line-up, the FZ-09 is the first motorcycle from the tuning fork brand to sport the Yamaha’s new line of three-cylinder engines. The Yamaha FZ-09 comes about as the MIC is reporting its second-consecutive year of growth in the 751+cc sport bike segment, as well as increase in commuter riding over short-distance sport riding. With those trends in mind, Yamaha has punched out the displacement on its middleweight naked bike, and focused on giving riders a comfortable, yet stout, motorcycle. Priced at $7,990 MSRP, we think Yamaha hit the nail pretty much on the head with this one.
In the past few years I’ve come to believe that, while superior physical differences (their reflexes and fine motor skills) are significant, it’s the mental differences that are the most interesting. I suppose anyone who has ridden a motorcycle even a bit beyond one’s comfort zone can appreciate some part of the physical aspect of riding a racing bike. For most of us, even the speed of racers in local events is impressive compared to our street riding. While the skills with throttle, brakes, and balance are on a level similar to the best athletes in other sports, I think that what really sets motorcycle racers apart is their ability to overcome fear.
The progress in the last five years on electric motorcycles has been astounding. Taking their first laps around the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course, a 87.434 mph pace was the best an electric motorcycle could do at the prestigious road race in 2009 — a pace that was on par with the 50cc record set in 1971. In just five years after the first laps were taken by electric motorcycles at Snaefell, these machines have grown their average lap speeds by over 20 mph at the TT Zero race, setting a new record of 109.675 mph in 2013, and boasting a rate of improvement of roughly 5 mph each year since 2009. If hitting 142.2 mph down the Sulby Straight speed trap wasn’t further proof of the speeds these bikes are achieving, maybe some visual evidence will help support the notion.
Darius Glover is a dirt bike racer. Like you and me, he lives to ride, and when he is on two-wheels he feels the freedom that only other motorcyclists can truly understand. The thing is though, Darius is paralyzed from the waist down. Where others would give up their dreams and this sport, Darius at the age of 15 instead pushed onward. No pity parties, no excuses, just simply a daily example of where there is a will, there is a way, and a reminder that you can achieve anything that you put your mind to. It’s hard not to get a bit choked up listening to Darius tell his story, but you walk away feeling uplifted after feeling his attitude come across the screen.
Any race where 1,500 riders start, 500 qualify, and only 14 finish, has got to be an epic competition, and considering the fact that the Erzberg Rodeo starts in the excavation pit of an Austrian mine…well, it takes a special rider to be enticed by such an event. One such special rider is Graham Jarvis, who was the first of the fourteen men to reach the 20th and final checkpoint. Taking 2 hours and 52 seconds to complete the course, Jarvis made the 2013 Erzberg Rodeo look downright easy. However, with one look at the race-day conditions from this past weekend, we know it was anything but.
While normally, MotoGP fans never get enough of seeing Valentino Rossi on TV, there is one shot they would (for the most part) gladly be spared. As he leaves the pits, Rossi stands on the footpegs, and pulls his leathers from between his buttocks, before sitting back down again and leaving. These rituals – part useful limbering up, part invocation of Lady Luck – are something many riders perform, in their attempt to exert control over themselves, and over their environment. In a fascinating press release – by far the most interesting we have received in many months – the Aspar team today provided a discussion and explanation of what riders are trying to achieve through the use of these rituals.
Hoping to make it four wins in a row, it goes without saying that the MotoCzysz crew is working hard to close the gap to the John McGuinness and the Mugen team. However, having Team Principal Michael Czysz stuck back in the US, undergoing cancer treatments, must certainly add another level of motivation for the on-island MotoCzysz crew. Making time in their busy schedule, Asphalt & Rubber got to take some up-close photos of the 2013 MotoCzysz E1pc. The most obvious changes made to the MotoCzysz E1pc for the 2013 TT Zero race are the use conventional suspension pieces. Of course, it’s not a completely standard suspension setup, as MotoCzysz has developed its own adjustable triple clamp that incorporates tunable lateral flex parameters.
Max Biaggi is to make a surprise return to riding a MotoGP machine. The former 250 and World Superbike champion will take a seat on Ben Spies’ Ignite Pramac Ducati as part of a one-day test at Mugello, as part of Ducati’s testing program, according to Italian site GPOne. Spies was scheduled to stay on at Mugello to take part in a two-day test, but after the first day of practice at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, it was clear to both Spies and Ducati that his shoulder was still too weak to ride a MotoGP machine. With work continuing on the Desmosedici, it was important for Ducati to get as much data as possible on their bike, and so Biaggi was offered the chance to ride the machine.
The crankshafts will be manufactured in the US.
My spidey sense indicates this will be nothing like “twice larger” Blast of old Buell days. Hero certainly would not need EBR if their goal was so diminutive. Could it be possible for a 250 V-Twin to rival CBR250? Would EBR put its efforts toward an inline 250cc? Either question seems unlikely, but hey EBR is involved so we probably won’t know till press time.
I’ve liked Buell products for the passion, theory, design and engineering. Not because they were ‘Amurikan’ (i.e. the 1125 with a Rotax engine is still my favorite bike of all time, and I love mine). That said, a 250 thumper sport bike of any sort is not going to rub my Buddha. I’m not adverse to the small displacement market, but I want something different. More like the early KTM 390 Duke rumors of a V-twin (of which I’m still dissapointed that it isn’t going to be…). That would pique my interest!
I always wonder when Eastern companies mention looking for technical know how from companies in the west. How it will end well. Once those companies in the East have the knowledge then what happens then.
Big fan of Buell though. Hog were so stupid to kill his company and then let him go.
I think the 250cc market may become crowded.. how different can a 250 be from the others… when creating a budget bike to fit at that price.
Now if they can create a 250 with some uniqueness to it.. and maybe decent suspension/brakes out of the box.. okay track toy here I come..
I really wish Buell jumped back into the “middle” CC category, above 250cc, as Honda/Kawasaki/KTM are going in the USA. How about a 500-650 v-twin to unseat the long gone SV650?…
@Dan-O
OOohh! What if they did the exact oposite of a Blast? Insteaed of cutting one large engine in half, they took two small engines and made one 500cc V-Twin!
I can feel my spidey sense tingling too. Oh, wait. Sorry that was my phone on vibrate…
Coolness!
Spot on smiler.
People keep thinking that the US is the only market in the world. 250cc caters mostly to every market save for the US. The truth of the matter is, motorcycles are a recreation or past time for Americans, whereas in other parts of the world it’s the major mode of transportation. Litre bikes are too expensive and too cumbersome for daily practical use. Even a 600cc bike can be a burden in most parts of the world.
However, a 400cc or lower bike has more merit for a solution that would set nicely on the global market. Which is why I suspect Kawasaki released their 300cc model and KTM teased everyone with a 390cc bike too. Looking forward to the rest of the industry to get a clue…
I believe that if the sub 400cc bikes were more prevalent, then you would see a rise in racing talent in the US, Australia and even Canada and the UK. Affordability is obviously key, the bikes need to cost around $3000 pounds, or less than $4000 eur…
“Spot on smiler.”
Such is the way with technical partnerships and why leagues of lawyers are the ones drawing up the agreements in the first place. Nobody is ignorant of the issues among those involved.
My guess is that Hero will glean chassis expertise from Buell in terms of building a sport bike proper. Buell has well and truly proven his prowess at building a great chassis around a given engine, so I suspect that’s what a technical pairing will produce here.
As for what will happen when Hero gets the deets … well, if Buell has good lawyers, that’s already in ink.
Trane, I suspect the issue is moot. The Freedom of Information Act is a beautiful thing…
I hope it wont be ” overenginered,heavy and expensive” …must be light, cheap…and competitive
lol. I’m just remembering what a turd that Blast was.
I hope that the flurry of 250cc sports road bikes can translate to development of Moto3 bikes by many different manufacturers.
Westward,
To reply, I was just talking about the US, because that is where I live.. but yes you are very right about the worldwide market. Which is a much larger business playground for companies to play in… and earn…
But at the end of the day, the US is spread out much unlike many countries, with towns and cities very far from one another in most states.. long stretches of roads without gas stations, etc.. this is one reason thumpers don’t and won’t do so well here all over the U.S in the small CC segment.
Now city environments, that is another thing.
Tyler
I don’t see where the CC’s have anything to do with distance, unless you are somehow implying that they are unreliable. Which is an argument I don’t subscribe to. As for gas stations, the Kawasaki Ninja 250R touts a 4.8 gal fuel capacity @ 60-70 mpg. I doubt there are higher CC motorcycles that make similar claims.
But again, your response highlights my original point. As a daily runner lower CC machines are ideal. However, they will also suffice for your long back road jaunts as well. You might have to settle for a spirited less than 200 kph (120 mph), but as long as the roads are winding it should be fun nonetheless…
I agree with that, Westward. I’ve always been a fan of smaller-displacement bikes.
The biggest myth of them all … US or Canada needs large displacement multicylinder bikes to deal with the distance … and thank to thinking of this kind North America gets shite selection of bikes. Drives me crazy more than anything else.
If you had said that Florida is flat without flowing corners and that’s why stretched out Huyabusa is king seller, I’d understand … LOL
The reason I mention displacement factoring in to longer rides, or “touring” type riding is two-part.
(A) In some parts of the USA, long stretches of straight roads is what you get, no fun really, just a jaunt to get you to the next locale.
(B) The vibrational nature of singles when used at higher RPMs, at higher speeds. They just don’t have enough extra juice to ride at higher speeds comfortably, for long distances.
It isn’t so much about MPG, because for me, I cannot ride for 3 hours going the speed limit, I may just lose my mind…
Especially here in Florida, with such long straight roads outside of town, you are left wanting with any bike that doesn’t have good wind protection and a comfortable high cruising speed.. the sooner you can get to that next fun stretch of road, the better.