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.
A surprise addition to BMW Motorrad’s 2013 model line-up, zie Germans have announced a new middleweight adventure-tourer, the 2013 BMW F800GS Adventure. Like its larger predecessor, the BMW F800GS Adventure is a more travel-ready and off-road capable build of the recently updated BMW F800GS motorcycle. Featuring a larger windscreen, panniers, and a bigger fuel tank capacity (2.1 gallons larger, for a total of 6.3 gallons of fuel), the BMW F800GS Adventure keeps the same 85 hp, liquid-cooled, 798cc, parallel-twin engine found on the F800GS, as well as the same chassis configuration. Pricing in the US will be $13,550 for the base model BWM F800GS Adventure.
Former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz has certainly been in the news a bit these past few months, mostly for his involvement and falling out with the Circuit of the Americas and the Americas GP, but also more recently for his comments regarding Dani Pedrosa — we also sat down with Mr. Schwantz in Austin, and the Texan gave us some sobering insight into the future of American road racing. As if all that wasn’t enough, Schwantz is making a return to two-wheeled racing, and has entered the prestigious Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race with Team Kagayama racing alongside Noriyuki Haga and team owner Yukio Kagayama.
Yes, yes I know its a power cruiser, but it looks a bit lumbering to me.
It’s hard to make a power cruiser look like it’s really exciting to ride. This video is no exception.
I don’t know about this thing… I’m trying to like any part of it but I cant.
The vid doesn’t help.
Not really my thing, but I like it! Way better styling than the V-Rod, and it’s got to be a much better handling/performing bike. Would still rather have a Monster or Hyper, though.
An uninspiring video for a bike that looks like a warthog dry-humping a wildebeest.
KenC.-> I beg to differ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvjOZV7i3lY
Oke, this one has done it for me!
First they abandon WSBK, then they give Rossi a way to big paycheck, and know there building a damn ugly powercruiser…WTF ?
It’s not that bad looking but it looks awfully heavy. By the way, don’t the marketing folks know we want to hear the “natural” soundtrack??
It’s pretty clear by how far the rider is hanging off that it’s a pig to turn. Watch@ 1.08 how wide it pushes under power and how far the rider has to lean off the bike to have it stay on the road.
It will appeal to the elder 40+ demographic I would think, and that rear tyre will possibly be the cause of a few insurance claims and trips to hospital.
In that sense, it’s a true cruiser.
I went hog wild seeing this video…but then of course this thing is a hog. Son of a bi…
This is the worst piece of crap Ducati has made since their last cruiser, the 650 Indiana. At least they made a video as worthless as the bike so their marketing is in sync. Now if I can just find out where to get my official Ducati Pirate clothes.
A modern V-Twin Cruiser that has serious power, runs smoothly and quietly, stops, turns, and handles poor road conditions safely? And looks sexy in the process. What’s not to like? This bike could kill Harley-Davidson (We hope) if Bologna could build enough of them, which they can’t. Better get your deposit in now. I own and love their new Multistrada 1200, Superbike 1198R, Hypermoto S.
First Video of the Ducati Diavel – http://bit.ly/9kv0rh #motorcycle
Wonder if you put a 190 rear ? get rid of the ridiculous rear Wheel & Tire it will work better in corners…
Brilliant!!!! A ducati made purely for Americans. No way that thing sells in most of Europe. Too big, too loud, and too powerful for their streets and laws. What I love most about this bike is that it looks like a completely different bike from all angles!! Rear, front, exhaust side profile, chain side profile, 3/4. Cruiser, sportbike, custom bike, touring etc… I will put a deposit on one as soon as I am able to. Aftermarket accessories are going to be off the chain (exhaust, chrome bits, part covers). 162 HP (prolly 170HP with good exhaust) and under 500 lbs with a 40% lean angle! Bye bye vmax, vrod, and rocket III!!!!
Naysayers should keep the geometry of a cruiser & its overall purpose in mind. Inherently, the bike will be slower to turn, regardless of a 240 or 190. However, relative to its competition, this bike seems to have the weight and chassis to leave the others behind, if the rider is inclined to have more fun on certain roads.
HD & all of its copycats & parallels (Victory) are missing the opportunity to create a new bike & pickup new buyers. The lack of any considerable passenger accommodations on a cruiser is very puzzling.
One Video is Worth 1000 Pictures… I hope it makes a sizeable dent on VROD Muscle and VMAX Sales so Yamaha and H-D take notice and keep improving the BREED.
Specially u Yamaha…lay off the bacon and eggs and start munching Special K.
They should have named it Pigly Wigly. What market share are they after? I would not be caught dead on that thing. Times are too tough to make such a mistake as this. I guess they didn’t learn from the 999. Too bad.
I like it just fine, and I’m in the demographic that can both appreciate it and afford it. For us manly-sized men (I’m 6’3″ 230 lbs), most Ducs are a bit cramped, this one looks to have a bit more room. As for it not being popular in Europe, I remember how the original VMax caught on there despite being “too big and too loud” and aimed at the US market. Plus, as mentioned, maybe it’ll prompt Yamaha to shave a bit of weight and some of the ugly off the 2nd Gen Vmax.
I don’t think I’d have one for my primary ride, but for a second bike…