Video: 2011 AFM Banquet Film – Death to Second Place

The oldest racing organization in the country dedicated soley to motorcycle road racing, the AFM is a Northern Californian non-profit racing organization that has helped hone the skills of riders like Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, and Steve Rapp — not mention a weekend warrior or two. Each year the racing league comes together for a banquet, and lately the tradition has been to include a highlight film of the year’s racing. I’m not sure what films in the past have been like, but if the latest AFM banquet video doesn’t give you goosebumps, you might want to check your pulse. Bonus points for the including the Versus “Second Place” monologue — it’s very apropos.

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 2011 – The Ducati Story

Grab some popcorn, because this video from Ducati North America is over 14 minutes long. Telling the story of Ducati at the 2011 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), DNA has put together a great video that really captures how special the racing is at Pikes Peak, and how gorgeous the scenery is of the Colorado Mountains. With Santa Barbara Ducati’s Carlin Dunne winning the overall motorcycle category on his dealership’s Multistrada 1200 demo model, Alexander Smith from the Spider Grips Ducati Team made it a double podium for Ducati in the 1205cc class. If you’re new to racing at Pikes Peak, or wanted a quick re-cap of last year’s race, Ducati’s video pretty accurately sums up racing on the mountain and the anxiety around last year’s race.

Ducati Announces Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Team with Carlin Dunne & Greg Tracy

Ducati has announced its factory team for the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), and the Italian company has secured the services of last-year’s winner and Rookie of the Year Carlin Dunne as well as six-time PPIHC winner Greg Tracy. Ducati has also partnered with the Spider Grips team, who will help prepare the teams Ducati Multistrada 1200 for the “Race to the Clouds” on July 8th. For 2012, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will be fully-paved to the top of the mountain, which will surely see the speeds of competitors increase, and lap times drop on the 12.42 mile long course that ends at 14,110 feet.

Cutaway Photos of the Ducati Superquadro Engine

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.

AGV, Please Make This Helmet!

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.

2012 Honda RC213V Debuts in Malaysia

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).

No, This is the “90%” New Ducati Desmosedici GP12

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 Commences 2012 Model Line Production

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.

The Dainese D-Air Racing Airbag Suit Comes to America

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.

I Love the Nightlife. I’ve Come to Boogie.

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.

Italian Sales Figures Show Insight into FZ8

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Wed, February 3rd, 2010 @ 11:36 am, by Jenny Gun8 COMMENTS
Home » News » Italian Sales Figures Show Insight into FZ8

Italian Sales Figures Show Insight into FZ8 2010 Yamaha FZ8 1 560x420

The announcement of the 2010 Yamaha FZ8 left many Americans confused as to why the Japanese company would release a 800cc version of it FZ1 naked streetbike. While Yamaha hasn’t confirmed the FZ8 will be coming to the US in 2010 (all the information to-date has come from Yamaha EU), abroad the battle in the 800cc middleweight slot has become increasingly contentious, and more importantly Yamaha’s presence there surprisingly non-existent.

The Associazione Nazionale Ciclo Motociclo Accessori (ANCMA), which is the Italian equivalent to our Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), has posted some interesting numbers on Italian bike sales. Taking a quick look at the Top 10 (in the Big 1o use of the number), we see three 800cc class motorcycles, and a handful of other bikes that you could consider alternatives to a middleweight naked bike. These bikes account for the fat-end of the tail in sales distribution, i.e. where manufacturers make the most money, but until recently this has been a market segment devoid of the tuning fork brand.

Unlike here in the USA, our European brothers have an inclination for the 750/800cc displacement size, and they are apparently selling very well abroad. There is little dispute that the BMW R1200GS has been the best selling motorcycle in the EU and in the world for some time now. The success of the GS in its various forms even prompted Ducati to chase the older and better monied adventure bike market with its 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200. But the GS’s dominance seems to be coming to a close, at least in Italy (although other countries in the EU are likely to show similar numbers), and we can already see the rise of the 750/800cc naked class.

Part of the factor is certainly taste, but also consider that insurance abroad isn’t the same as it is here in the US. We Americans pay a pittance compared to our friends across the pond, and the deviation among motorcycle models and premium payment isn’t great. However find yourself in Europe, and you’ll pay handsomely for that litre bike, and you’ll pay out the nose if it is classified as a “sport bike”.

Considering the cheap cost up-front, and much more down to Earth pricing on naked bikes of a smaller displacement, the 800cc market provides a good mixture of performance and affordability to European riders. For these reasons, it makes the introduction of Yamaha to this market segment a logical choice, and the FZ8 a sure fire hit in the EU, but also these same reasons make the introduction of the FZ8 into the American market unlikely.

Considering the comparatively lower sales of the Ducati Hypermotard 796 and BMW F800R in the US expected for 2010, and the relative affordability of bigger displacement motorcycles, the FZ8 just doesn’t make the same economic sense here in the States. Yamaha is clearly entering into a hot market for the EU, but it remains to be seen if we’ll see the FZ8 domestically. Time will tell on this one.

Pos.ManufacturerModelSegmentTotal
001BMWR 1200 GSEnduro202
002KAWASAKIZ 750Naked196
003KAWASAKIZ1000Naked167
004DUCATIHYPERMOTARD 796Supermotard127
005BMWR 1200 GS ADVENTUREEnduro123
006HONDAXL 700 V TRANSALPEnduro118
007KAWASAKIVERSYSEnduro117
008DUCATIM 696Naked112
009KAWASAKIER-6NNaked104
010YAMAHAXJ6-NNaked97
011BMWF 800 RNaked93
012HONDACBR 1000 RRSportive88
013YAMAHAYZF-R125Sportive88
014KTM250 EXC RACINGEnduro85
015HONDA ITALIACB 1000 RNaked82
016HONDA ITALIACB 600 F HORNETNaked81
017DUCATISTREETFIGHTERNaked80
018YAMAHAYZF-R1Sportive79
019KTM125 EXCEnduro75
020BMWS 1000 RRSportive74
021BMWR 1200 RNaked72
022HUSQVARNASM 125Supermotard71
023SUZUKIDL 650 V-STROMEnduro70
024KTM300 EXCEnduro69
025KTMEXC 450Enduro67
026BMWF 800 GSEnduro66
027BETAEVO 2T 290Trial63
028SUZUKIGSR 600Naked58
029KAWASAKININJA ZX-6RSportive57
030YAMAHAYZF-R6Sportive54
031TRIUMPHBONNEVILLENaked53
032YAMAHAFZ6-SNaked51
033APRILIADORSODURO 750Supermotard47
034SUZUKIGSX-R 750Sportive46
035HONDACRE F 250R HMEnduro44
036KTM500 EXCEnduro44
037HARLEY-DAVIDSONFLSTFB FAT BOY SPECIALCustom43
038HONDAVFR 1200 FSportive41
039TRIUMPHTIGER 1050Turismo40
040YAMAHAXT 660 Z TENEREEnduro40
041APRILIARSV 4 1000 RSportive39
042BMWR 1200 RTTurismo38
043SUZUKIGSX-R 1000Sportive38
044DUCATIMULTISTRADA 1200 S TOURINGTurismo37
045HONDACBR 600 RRSportive37
046KAWASAKININJA 250RSportive37
047KAWASAKIVN 900 CLASSICCustom37
048MV AGUSTABRUTALE 1090 RRNaked37
049APRILIARS 125Sportive36
050SUZUKIGLADIUS 650Naked36
051TRIUMPHSTREET TRIPLENaked36
052YAMAHAFAZER 1000Naked36
053DUCATI1198/1198SSportive35
054KTMEXC 400Enduro35
055DUCATI848Sportive34
056HARLEY-DAVIDSONXL883N IRON 883Custom34
057KTM1000 SUPERMOTOSupermotard34
058YAMAHAWR 125 XSupermotard33
059KAWASAKININJA ZX-10RSportive32
060BMWF 650 GS NEWEnduro29
061HUSQVARNASM 510Supermotard29
062HUSQVARNATE 450Enduro28
063SYMXS125-K M.Y.08Naked28
064TRIUMPHSPEED TRIPLE 1050Naked28
065KAWASAKIER-6FNaked27
066MV AGUSTABRUTALE 990 RNaked27
067DUCATIHYPERMOTARD 1100 EVOSupermotard26
068HARLEY-DAVIDSONFXDWG DYNA WIDE GLIDECustom26
069HUSQVARNATE 250Enduro25
070KTM990 ADVENTUREEnduro25
071MOTO GUZZIV7 CLASSICNaked25
072YAMAHAWR 450Enduro25
073HUSQVARNATE 510Enduro24
074APRILIARSV 4 1000 FACTORYSportive23
075DUCATIMONSTER 1100Naked23
076HARLEY-DAVIDSONXL883L SPORTSTER 883 LOWCustom23
077KAWASAKIKLX 250 SEnduro23
078YAMAHAFZ1Naked22
079YAMAHAFZ6-NNaked22
080BETAALP 4.0Enduro21
081BUELL1125CRSportive21
082HARLEY-DAVIDSONFXDB DYNA STREET BOBCustom21
083KAWASAKI1400 GTRTurismo21
084YAMAHAWR 250 FEnduro21
085BMWK 1300 RNaked20
086HARLEY-DAVIDSONFXDC DYNA SUPER GLIDE CUSTOMCustom20
087HUSABERGFE 450Enduro20
088KTM690 LC4Supermotard20
089YAMAHAXJ6-SNaked20
090GAS GASENDUCROSS 300Enduro19
091HARLEY-DAVIDSONFXDF DYNA FAT BOBCustom19
092HARLEY-DAVIDSONXL1200N SPORTSTER 1200 NIGHTSTERCustom19
093HUSQVARNASM 610Supermotard19
094HUSQVARNAWRE 125Enduro19
095YAMAHAXVS 950 ACustom19
096BUELLXB12SX LIGHTNINGNaked18
097DERBIGPR 125 RACING 4TSportive18
098HARLEY-DAVIDSONFLHX STREET GLIDECustom18
099HONDACRE F 450R HMEnduro18
100HONDA ITALIACBF 1000Naked18

Source: MotoBlog.it

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Comment:

  1. mafiax says:
    February 3, 2010 at 11:39 AM

    RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Italian Sales Figures Show Insight into FZ8 – http://bit.ly/c4dxCr #motorcycle

  2. SUBANG PULSAR CLUB says:
    February 3, 2010 at 11:51 AM

    RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Italian Sales Figures Show Insight into FZ8 http://bit.ly/c4dxCr

  3. John says:
    February 3, 2010 at 4:22 PM

    You say “Considering the comparatively lower sales of the Ducati Hypermotard 796 and BMW F800R in the US expected for 2010″, yet the F800R isn’t even offered in the US (neither is the F800S anymore, only the ST), unless you know something we don’t???

  4. Asphalt_Rubber says:
    February 3, 2010 at 7:36 PM

    Italian Sales Figures Show Insight into FZ8 – http://bit.ly/c4dxCr #motorcycle

  5. Harold Simmons says:
    February 3, 2010 at 7:55 PM

    Italian Sales Figures Show Insight into FZ8: Considering the comparatively lower sales of the Ducati Hypermotard 7… http://bit.ly/c7aOin

  6. Reggie Gardner says:
    February 3, 2010 at 8:13 PM

    Italian Sales Figures Show Insight into FZ8 http://bit.ly/90rSaZ

  7. Pat says:
    February 4, 2010 at 5:55 AM

    Another non-offering from BMW is the K1300R:

    “BMW has no information on the future availability of the 2010 BMW K 1300 R in the United States. However, BMW is dreaming of exciting ways to tempt and please its special customers. We are designing and building models destined to propel BMW’s brand of power and style to a new level of riding pleasure. We suggest staying in touch with us through our website…”

    I was told by one sales rep at the NY International Motorcycle Show that this was due to the poor sales of the K1200R here in the states.

  8. Nick says:
    February 4, 2010 at 7:06 AM

    I think one of the more interesting items in the list is the number of S100RRs sold- almost as many as the RSV4 (both) + the 1198(both).