Ducati Q1 2013 Sales Drop 5% – Audi Dishes the Details

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 Motorcycles: The Mission R Lives??!

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.

Goodbye Husqvarna Nuda, We Hardly Knew Thee

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.

Q&A: Yukio Kagayama Talks About the Upcoming Suzuka 8-Hour with Kevin Schwantz & Noriyuki Haga

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.

KTM RC4 Concept by Luca Bar Design

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.

Q&A: Claudio Domenicali Talks Frameless Chassis, Sacred Cows, & The Future for Ducati

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.

Is Yamaha Using A Seamless Gearbox? The Data Says No

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.

OCC Coming Back to TV? — Universe Collapses in on Self

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.

Alstare Superbike Concept by Team Alstare

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.

Transcript: The Gay Question at Jerez

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.

Vyrus 986 M2 Gets Three-Tiered Pricing & DIY Kit – Race: €55,000 – Street: €25,000 – Kit: €16,900

01/25/2011 @ 6:55 am, by Jensen Beeler8 COMMENTS

Vyrus 986 M2 Gets Three Tiered Pricing & DIY Kit Race: €55,000 Street: €25,000 Kit: €16,900 vyrus 986 m2 verona unveiling 6 635x423

Our friends at MotoBlog.it continue to have the inside track on the recently debuted Vyrus 986 M2 that was unveiled at the Verona Bike Show this past weekend. The Italian boutique manufacturer confirmed that it wanted to offer the Vyrus 986 M2 to teams competing in the Moto2 World Championship, and hinted that a production version could come father down the line, later revealing that we could expect to see a street bike as early as Sepetember of this year.

Now getting a chance to talk to Ascanio Rodorigo, MotoBlog.it has revealed that Vyrus 986 M2 will come in different variations, a Moto2-ready race bike (Factory), a street bike (SL Replica), and a do-it-yourself self kit (Replica Kit), which sees a rider buying just the rolling chassis and having to source their own motor. There’s a price point for everyone in this launch, as the Factory will cost €55,000, the SL Replica €25,000, and the Replica Kit rounding out things at €16,900.

While €55,000 is a lot of money, the Vyrus 986 M2 is easily the cheapest Moto2 package being offered for 2011. The wildly popular and affordable Suter machines hit the pocketbook for €70,000, making Vyrus over 33% cheaper cost-wise. Of course for Moto2 teams the concern for any bike centers around competitiveness, as the 2010 season has already shown that choosing the wrong racing platform, can relegate talented riders to the middle of the pack.

Teams will also be judging their purchases on factory technical support and development for the 2011 season. Vyrus has been pretty mum on these items, and without a strong racing background it’s going to be a tough sale to any race team. Horsepower is expected to be 136hp, with the bike tipping the scales at 135kg (that’s 297 lbs!).

At €25,000 though, the Vryus 986 M2 SL Replica becomes a very attractive street bike, and this is where we suspect the Italian firm is really expecting to make its money. We’ll sidestep the obvious issues of selling a production replica of a prototype bike, what that does for Moto2 entry, and whether or not this is all seems like an elaborate plan to get some buzz for a new product…at €25,000 Vyrus is making a serious bid for the Ducati-buyer who is looking for something unique in his or her garage.

We’ve been drooling over this bike since Saturday, you’ve been drooling over this bike since Saturday, and at just shy of $40,000 that’s probably just as close as we all will get to owning a Vyrus 986 M2 SL Replica.

That’s ok though, because Vryus has a 986 M2 on a budget, or “the blogger version” as we like to think of it. Costing €16,900 without VAT, the Vyrus 986 M2 Replica Kit is basically a bike without a motor. Buyers would recieve the rolling chassis, and then have to source their own power plant, making the tuning possibilities endless, and likely saving you a more than a few thousand dollars in the process. You won’t have to limit yourself to just a Honda CBR600RR motor either, as Vryus has plans to make a version that will accept a Yamaha R6 lump in the future.

Source: MotoBlog.it

Top 5 Related Posts:

  1. Vyrus 986 M2 Gets Street Legal

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Comment:

  1. Doctor Jelly says:
    January 25, 2011 at 7:56 AM

    If they can pull through and offer a road legal chassis that can accept the Honda or Yama motor at that price, this will go straight to the top of my ‘somewhat within the realm of reason’ wish list!

  2. Ducman1198 says:
    January 25, 2011 at 9:19 AM

    Nice bike but it really amazes me how they think that the road riding public can afford € 25 000.00 = $33,990.00 U.S. dollars for a 600cc sportbike! With a global recession still going strong, unemployment at an all time high and major factories like Yamaha and Kawasaki loosing money and scaling back what makes this bike recession proof or so good that Joe public will spend that kind of money for it?

    Its like € 25 000.00 is a and great deal and is comparable to a $8500.00 R6 or $13,700.00 for a 2011 ZX10R.

    Even Ducati and MV Agusta have adapted to the lack of expendable funds from the public. The relatively inexpensive monster is Ducati’s answer at $11,900.00 or less and MV’s new inexpensive F3, not to mention Kawasaki’s top selling bike is the Ninja 250 at $3900.00.

    Personally i thinks is going to be a flop unless the racing community embraces it and they sell a lot of units and parts (seriously doubt it!). But if i had $33,990.00 to spend on a bike or bikes, i wouldn’t drop that kind of cash on a 600 no matter how innovative or cool it looks unless i was wealthy!

    I could buy a 2011 Ducati 1198S and a 2011 Yamaha R6 and still have a bit of cash left over for upgrades!

    € 25 000.00 for a 600cc sportbike is absolutely ridiculous!!!!

  3. froryde says:
    January 25, 2011 at 9:47 AM

    @ Ducman1198 – I don’t think they are aiming for Joe public nor someone who doesn’t have $33,990 to spend on bikes…

  4. damo says:
    January 25, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    PASS!

    I mean you can go out right now and own an RSV4 Factory for $20k USD and still have a unique and fast bike.

    Not to mention due to the recession, the used market is very attractive right now. I just scored a 2003 Aprilia RSV Mille for $3,500.

    Right now you can get a unique AND fast bike for pennies if you know where to look.

    @froryde – I think ducman was saying that he doubts even the most foolhardy spenders would waste cash on this machine. I would agree, this is very, very niche.

  5. IllN says:
    January 25, 2011 at 12:16 PM

    I agree with @froyde. This is a very limited production niche bike. There is no economic justification for it, nor should there be. Bench racing against the 1198R, RSV4, S1000RR, et al is pointless. As a street bike, it’s an interesting and unique toy for the few people who will be able to afford it. And I think most buyers will already have one or more of its “competitors” in their heated, multi-car garages.

    Personally, I think it’s the sexiest thing on two wheels, ultimate performance be damned.

  6. 76 says:
    January 25, 2011 at 1:26 PM

    How much was the first flatscreen TV? I think they were coming in around $12,000
    (The one you didnt buy)

    How much are they now? Umm the same one but better around $1000
    (The one I can almost guarantee you have in your house now)

    Thats in what 7 or 8 years (no I dont want to hear it about how its different)

    This is the first of a big change, yes it will be expensive, if its successful and competitive you bet your ass others will follow. Now 6 to 8 years from now and Honda, Yam, Kawa all making 600′s based off this how much will they be?

  7. ML says:
    January 25, 2011 at 4:29 PM

    I’m depressed because I checked my wallet and didn’t have that kind of money for a bike. =(

  8. Sean in Oz says:
    January 25, 2011 at 5:55 PM

    76: These are never going to get cheaper, they are specifically aimed at those with overflowing wallets and a need for attention.

    BTW Nobody believes this bike will ever race in Moto2 so clearly it is NOT the cheapest Moto2 option, there are plenty of much cheaper chassis that also are never going race Moto2.