Ducatisti: do you want the good news or the bad news first? The bad news is that the market for motorcycles 500cc and up is down 17% worldwide for the first quarter of this year, which means the “good” news is that Ducati is only down 5% for Q1 2013. Not exactly the start out of the gate that Audi was hoping for its newly acquired two-wheeled brand, but what are you going to do? Western Europe is a mess, with Spain and Italy continuing to go down like a…well, you know. While we don’t enjoy the misery of motorcycle brands, the fact that Ducati Motor Holding is now under the Audi AG umbrella means that we get far more detailed quarterly and yearly reports from the two-wheeled marque, and we’ve got the digits after the jump.
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.
Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy — The US is getting this overweight, underpowered tarted -up scooter in adventure drag and not the lovely v-4 powered Crossrunner.
Ok…where’s the gas tank….?
Neil — The filler is under the flip-up rear seat.
It is kinda ugly. I think a bit more motard styling would help it out.
Bitchin, you can take it miniature golfing. Yaaawwwn
Good God thats ugly!
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Wake me up when it’s over!
So the 800 pound guerrilla decides to throw another banana peel in it’s path then whine about it’s cooperate sales loss when they fall down and these things end up in the warehouse. “HEY HONDA”…Pull your head out of the opium den.
Thanks for your replies guys. I thought I was alone in thinking this is a lemon as this contraption is being hyped as the solution for global warming and world peace…
Oh c’mon…u guys are skinning the thing alive for no real reason… and this is coming from a Honda Hater.
Get yourself out of the mind frame that every bike must be a fire breathing ANORECXIC beast and u’ll see the positives to this Cow.
The only complaints i share with others is the location of the fuel tank cap…what if u have stuff strapped to your rear seat ? Take it off for filling ? Seems like a bother.
ABS only on the DCT version ? Why ? Whats wrong with manual transmission and ABS Combo ?
Yes, the thing screams BUDGET and BUILT TO A PRICE POINT besides DCT & ABS ( just look at that backyard made swing arm, 1960′s fork and single disc (i belief any bike over 350lbs should have dual disc set up front)… but it’s suposed to be like that. This is suposed to be CHEAP TO BUILD, a daily beater, comfy, good fuel economy, some cargo capacity, maybe easy to maintain ?
Make life easier for those who always wanted a bike but were intimidated by manual transmissions and YET didn’t want to be part of the SCOOTER Crowd ?
Maybe for the daily rider warrior that commutes on bumper to bumper hell ? (U know that clutch hand starts to hurt and get cramps).
Im all for HP,lite weight, “Cat in a Rug ” Handling…don’t get me wrong…but this bike is not suposed to be “that”. That’s why they sell CBR’s.
P.S: At least they didn’t kid anyone with a 19″ front wheel.
IM LOOKING AT U TRIUMPH and that HIDEOUS 19″ Front Wheel on the road-biased Tiger 800 non EXC.
…and all those other long legged overweight dirt-unworthy Winnebagos (S. Tenere, BMW GS, Honda CrossTourer, etc).
Ok, i think im done for good now. LOL.
I don’t know, with a different pipe and some accessories, it might not look so bad. Heck, people thought, and some still think, the original Multistrada was ugly, but I think it looks much better in person then in pictures. Like a previous poster opined, this is not for the serious adv rider, it’s for the person who doesn’t have 13K to spend on a Triumph or BMW and still wants the upright seating and the longer suspension. And I’ve had several street bikes, a ’93 Ducati 750ss for example, that came with only one front disk and stopped just fine. Any bike that attracts new riders gets more people into the sport can’t be all bad, can it?
Kinda like it. Like Frank said, with some new pipes and accessories, it would work.
43 rompin stompin ponies, be still my heart! I was getting 59 out of a somewhat tweaked ’88 NT650 Hawk that I raced, 66 from my STOCK SV650! I mean, how much gas mileage do I need??? Gotta keep from falling asleep on the damn thing dontcha? Numerous scooters have better storage and ergos AND power. This thing will disappear quicker than your girlfriends cherry.. just sayin
I think this will certainly sell. Lots of scooter people and guys tired of stop and go traffic in the big cities will like the DCT. I like the trunk and the adventure ‘look’ inasmuch as I have a long inseam and would be glad for stretch-out room. IF it will really do 60 or 70mpg, I’d REALLY like it. 50hp is enough to keep me in traffic and out of the nosebleed-section as far as insurance, and for 7 or 8 grand, I really want to try one when they get to the dealers. Windshield, panniers, I’m very interested . . . . I would like to have ABS with the manual, I really would not want the DCT for me.
I, too, wish we were getting theCrossRunner: Would love to still have Interceptor bits running around and available.
I don’t understand 200+ hp Ninjas or 1000-pound BMW adv bikes . . . . but that’s just me.
@yooperbikemike
I think you are the only person I have seen describe the Crossrunner as “lovely”, eww.
Finally–a worthy successor to Honda’s PC-800 Pacific Coast!
I was surprised to see it in the NY show. Love it!! 65mpg. storage for a helmet. baby crossover look. ABS (rep told me it will come standard). Options of electric plug in and heated grip. At $7k price!! I will sell my F8GS for it when it comes here (and have money to spare).
It feels really light. One concern is, the seat is very slippery. You might fall off when trying to hang off or hang on. Other tings I would have liked done differently is tube wheels (it’s so much cheaper when you run over nails) and USD fork.
But, happy enough as is. Good job Honda. June can’t come fast enough!!
oh, and the gas cap under the seat is the only really stupid thing they did.
Weight?
Lets hope a pipe and a big hole in the airbox can add some serious hp, I thought the 4X number was a joke. If they could get this thing up to 70+ it would have been a home run for the price. With any luck they choked the motor in order to boast the MPG figure, and some tweaks can get it to a reasonable number
That is definitely a scooter replacement… seriously what the hell Honda is thinking???. I will give a chance to Crossrunner cause of engine and practicality, in the end Crossrunner is still Fugly.
I like this bike. It’s competitive with the 2012 Moto Guzzi V7. The MG is lighter and has shaft drive. This Honda will be cheaper and probably get better gas mileage.
Jay K says:
January 24, 2012 at 12:59 PM
I like this bike. It’s competitive with the 2012 Moto Guzzi V7. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SERIOUSLY ?! ROTFLMAO…ok, ok…we are all different, i understand…(O_O)
People, again, this is not suposed to be a CBR600RR…is “TRANSPORTATION” (LOW HP, DECENT MPG, 0-60 under 15 sec ?)…with a side of ease of use and safety (DCT & ABS) and some lockable storage (FAKE fuel tank).
But is ok…i too bitch “sometimes”(almost all the time) for no REAL reason(s). Is A BAD HABIT…LMFAO.
P.S: Put away the pitch forks, torches and hanging rope…i too recognize is a bit TOO lame.
Another model to be dropped after 2 years of flat sales. I thought “Scooter Frame!” when I saw the naked photo- you know how well those control flex. The front end looks as though it came from the same folks that did the GS/HyperMotard stuff.(Bandwagon Copyists) With all that raw power, you don’t have to worry about the 18 wheel juggernaught on your tag mount either. The gas cap idea actually came from the Honda Truck Division. Load that Sales Flop and then try to get to the spare tire and other items underneath the load. Another Guttless Wonder from the minds that gave us the DN-01. Our local dealer has lots of leftovers from years past except for ATV’s, Gold Wings and generators. Perhaps those are the items Honda needs to concentrate on and ditch the rest. How much time and money have been wasted over the years to “Be Everything to Everybody”?
‘
Mr. Jay K…. can you please elaborate how this bike is compared to Moto Guzzi V7 ?
Good long distance daily commuter, if that’s what a buyer is looking for. Great MPG and hard to get in trouble with a local law enforcement. i am sure they will sell quite a few of them.
I am just reading the other comments …. people really comment on this bike and use MG V7, Honda Crossrunner or DN-01 or all-in-one bike in the same sentence.
Sometimes I really feel sorry for the manufacturers. They are trying hard to create bikes for different groups of customers. Yet the customers don’t bother reading nor thinking what was the intended purpose of the bike thought out by a manufacturer.
If you think commuter, MPG, practicality and intended price point, don’t tell me you are surprised to see this bike. It makes perfect sense on paper and we will see whether they will sell them enough to make money.
What a bunch of wannabee racers. You guys have not a clue. This bike has more HP and torque than myKLR650 and will be smother to boot. (With great gas mileage!) It has the same redline as an old school muscle car. It’s a great bike!