This, race fans, is Danilo Petrucci, one of the brave souls trying his luck on the future of MotoGP hardware, in his case the doggedly underpowered Came IodaRacing Project machine. Not on a (relatively) zippy Aprilia ART, or a Honda-powered FTR, Petrucci qualifies on the same grid as Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo, and brings to this gunfight a knife that packs a whopping 185 bhp, compared to the factory prototype engines that are rumored to be around 260 bhp. As I photograph a race, I see a much different version of the event than TV viewers. I watch the recorded TV broadcast later, and can tell you that there is a lot going on with the Claiming Rule Team bikes that doesn’t make in onto TV.
We are now purely a “suck, squeeze, bang, blow” society, and while that suits many motorists just fine, there are some who enjoy the smell of pre-mix in the morning — you know who you are. You enjoy the sound of angry bees following you from apex to off-camber. You think a displacement for “serious riders” starts at around 250cc. You like your engine compression low, and your powerbands narrow. You sir (or madam), are a two-stroke junky, and we have just the fix you need. Having a bevy of intriguing two-wheeled projects within its walls, the Swiss bike that catches our eye today is the Suter 500 Factory V4: a two-stroke, 500cc, V4, track weapon that puts out over 200 hp and weighs 284 lbs ready to race — no, that is not a typo.
Blurred to protect against spoilers, we’ll just leave things simply by saying that World Superbike’s Race 2 at Donington Park is well worth a watching if you haven’t already seen it. Decided right down to the last few turns, race pundits surely will be discussing the race and its outcome over the next week. Unsurprisingly, geography is playing a major a role in how things are being viewed. Though in a race where a number of questionable passes occurred, it is hard to single out this one event from the plethora of others that occurred during the race, but of course this one had the biggest effect on the race outcome. Click past the jump for the he said, she said, and of course for some slightly sharper photos.
More news from Norton, as the British firm has begun track-testing its V4 road race bike, in preparation of the 2012 Isle of Man TT. Focusing on the bike’s handling, Norton has been working hand-in-hand with Öhlins and Dunlop developing the bike’s chassis. The trio has devised the highly sophisticated “165 mph no hands” test, which supposedly checks the stability of the bike, though we imagine Health & Safety would frown upon it. With the bike’s Aprilia RSV4 motor putting out 195hp at the crank, and with the total race package weighing 419 lbs (195 kg) when it is sopping wet, the Spondon-framed Norton may not be exactly what fans of the famous marques were hoping for after seeing the very appealing Norton NRV 588, though it does seem to be a potent package.
Launching in downtown Los Angeles, the 2012 Brammo Empulse R & 2013 Brammo Empulse broke their cover and officially debuted. Right off the bat from the designations, you can see that Brammo intends for the Empulse R to be a 2012 model, with the base model Emuplse coming out next year (more on that further down). As we expected, the Brammo Empulse R got quite the price bump after its 22-month marination, and will be $18,995 MSRP. Meanwhile when the Brammo Empulse becomes available next year, it will have a slightly more palatable $16,995 price tag.
While the EBR 1190RS race bikes were on the track, their $40,000+ street-legal counterparts were on display outside of the Erik Buell Racing garage. Rocking an American flag livery, I naturally took pictures of this show bike. Eye catching to say the least, nothing says “Made in ‘merica” better than a red, white, and blue color scheme, especially when it is laid over carbon fiber. And while I want to love this bike because of its nuances and outside-of-the-box technical design, I don’t.
If there’s one lesson we can take from Sunday’s race at Estoril, it’s this: “I’ve always said we know Casey’s the guy that’s the fastest guy in the world. Maybe over the seasons he hasn’t put the championships together, but by far he’s the best guy in the world.” Cal Crutchlow is not known for mincing his words, and his description of Casey Stoner pulls no punches. But given the fact that Stoner only managed to win the Portuguese round of MotoGP by a second and a bit, is that not a little exaggerated?
Brammo is back for electric motorcycle racing in the North American TTXGP series, as the Ashland-based company is set to defend it’s #1 plate this year with Steve Atlas on board ( Shelina Moreda is slated to join the team later in the season). Gaining a title sponsorship from Icon, Brammo arrived at Sears Point with some edgy graphics on the 2012 Brammo Empulse RR. Dropping roughly 35 lbs in weight, and gaining roughly 50hp over the bike they ran at last year’s season opener, Brammo is making most of those gains in its revised motor and power inverter for the newest Empulse RR.
As you can imagine, the bulk of the commentary, both from readers and from professional journalists, has centered around the absurdity of the claim, with even jokes being offered about how an aged BMW rider should be thanking the German motorcycle brand for saving him money on Viagra, etc. The situation reminds me of the McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit. You know the story, right?. A woman buys a cup of coffee at McDonald’s, spills it on herself while in the car, and sues the bastards for her incompetence. True to litigious American form, the unthinkable happened, and a jury awarded this gold-digging woman millions of dollars. It is repudiating, and it stands for everything that is wrong with the legal system, or so we would be lead to believe — especially by the media.
Never say never, but few are expecting Valentino Rossi to hang up his spurs at the end of the 2012 MotoGP Championship. Going out on a career low-point is certainly not the Italian’s style, especially as it casts a particularly dark shadow on a career that has enjoyed the bright-light superlative of “Greatest of All Time” from some of motorcycling’s most knowledgeable sources. Hoping to cast that phrase with an underlined typeface, and not with an interrogatory question mark, there is sufficient evidence to believe that Rossi will want to end his career in a way that will leave no doubt about the nine-time World Champion’s abilities. The question of course is how those final seasons will play out, and who they will be with.
FYI the first night race was in Singapore, not Abu Dhabi.
Absolute soul consuming eye candy
It’s the most achingly beautiful motorcycle I’ve ever seen. I wish I could have it in a 400. I just see no point for 195HP on the street. For me, people. For me. You guys can buy whatever you like. :)
Sounds like a chainsaw.
It very pretty and I’m sure it’s a fantastic bike to ride. Way too much power for the street and why for the love of is it only available in red. If I’m spending that much on a bike have some color choices. Nice to see some new tech make it to the street though.
Sounds like a mix of CrossPlane, RSV4 and “some Duc” still left in it. I like it.
@Trane:
It won’t be a 400 but they will make a MiniMe version of it, it’s almost a given. Time frame ? Go figure…
@Scott:
Good point, so much money and yet only ROSSO ? Screw them…what ever happened to that screaming YELLOW that the 1098 once sported in the USA Market ? Or WHITE ? ALL Black is A MUST(rims,swinger,all).
SWEET RIDE, that’s for sure…wish i had the $$$ to back up my day dreaming. LOL. SIGH.
Observing Ducati’s historical sales strategy, don’t buy one now. As there will be a better one next year with better parts and cheaper than the previous model.
Sweet bike needs a set of Termi’s and she’ll beready to rock out at the track!! Can’t wait for mine to get in tracking it next to the RSV4!!
MikeD, the problem ends up being that anything beyond about 80 HP on the street (or, more correctly, 6 lbs/hp) is way overkill for me. I doubt there’d be anything as small as a 696 and even if there were, it’d be breathed on a lot to differentiate it from the M696′s performance.
Shawn, the “better later” thing is true of pretty much everything everywhere. True, there’s often good reason to avoid 1.0 tech and wait for a revision or two to smooth out the bumps, but I suspect the Panigale will be magical to ride.
@Trane:
I feel u, i miss riding some aircooled OBESE(550LBS) clunker i had up to the other day…GS1100G, the thing had just enough power (80-90HP in a good day) to scare the “living shit” out of me and no herky-jerky throttle response TO BOOT! I miss CV Carbs and AirCooled flat crank I4s. (-_- )’
@Scott
It’s just the first year. It’ll come in different colors next year or even mid-year.
For collectors, it’s going to be the bike to have in any collection. For riders, I would wait next year too. I personally am looking for the 799cc or less version…
But lets be real, this bike is not meant to be a daily commuter. That’s what the Monsters are for…
195 horsepower would be ridiculously fun on the street. c’mon, guys, people have been making these arguments for decades, now, but we’ve ALWAYS loved more horsepower. i mean, let’s be real. a 1986 gixxer 750 is WAY TOO FAST FOR THE ROAD. but if we compare it to the sportbikes we have now, it would feel like a pig. i have a 1098. it’s meant for the track, but it’s a blast down the 9. this 1199 will be even MORE fun through the twisties. power in every combination possible. i can’t wait for this thing.
@david:
Hey, nobody said it wouldn’t be fun. :) I’d just rather give hell to a small motor than run out of speed limit before I even hit redline in 1st on a big one. YMMV and all that.
Disclaimer: Most giggles per mile for me to date was on a ’79 RD400 Daytona Special.
Nice sound, but not for a twin. And as I look at the wheely photo I am still not
convinced of the looks. Seems like another bad 916 variation but without
the exhausts in the seat.
track must suck, rarely breaks 200kmh. Motor sounds like he’s lugging it all the way around the track…meh.
>>, but we’ve ALWAYS loved more horsepower
No, I don’t, I would pay for less weight.
A 125 kg weighting nice mono with 50 bhp would enough for me.
Its FAKE!!
See the video again, from 45 sec and you see troy braking towards chicane. but while braking and tip in the corner you hear the engine reving and up shifting!!!
SO….WHILE BRAKING YOU ALSO ACCELLERATE AND UP SHIFT????
Love all the comments on less horses. My 800 SS puts out around 80 horse power moded, and with the gearing change I made to it, I get that 80 to the rear almost too fast. She hates traffic and slow speeds. However, this bike will be great for the sport. I’m personally still hoping to get an RC8 for the track… Still prefer human go fast ability over computerized assisted ability, but some one like Mr. Bayless exploits both rather well…
@Dc4go
Are you insinuating that you have an RSV4 and you are also buying one of these? If so I would find that….odd to say the least.
I like the look of the bike, but still think the 1198 was better in the looks department. That being said it should be a great bike overall, especially with the improved ergos and 15k mile service intervals. I buy bikes for the road, not the track.
I am very interested in it, but I will wait until some jackass with too much money buys one, realizes it is too much for him and puts it on craigslist for $7k less than he paid for it lol.
Also the video ISN’T fake, the audio track is just completely not in sync.
Give Troy a break though, he wasn’t trying to set a lap record, he was just doing this for a press event.
@ david
It’s not the 195 horsepower that makes the bike any less of a pig. It’s the overall engineering of a GSXR 750 bike in 1986 that makes it seem like a pig…
It’s the technology advancements in chassis design, suspension, aerodynamics, light-weight materials, etc. etc…
A 750 gixxer of today should feel light-years better than one in 1986, if not, then Suzuki is not the manufacturer everyone makes them out to be…
Make mine Ducati…
BBQdog says:
February 14, 2012 at 6:01 AM
And as I look at the wheely photo I am still not
convinced of the looks. Seems like another bad 916 variation but without
the exhausts in the seat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes, i was wishing too for more “futuristic” DESMOSEDICI (central ram air) than “classic” 916 fugly front end…but hey, beggers can’t be choosers, right ? LOL.
I think their xcuse was that if they were to venture into a whole new look with out “injecting” any “past’s cues” into it it would scare away/alienate their “core costumer base”…(did i sound a bit H-D PR Puppet there ? , LMAO)
Not as beautiful as the 1198 but more angular and muscular looking, I love it. Cant wait to get mine…
According to Visordown.com the tank is now made of aluminium and carries a bit more fuel than before from 4.0 gal to 4.5 gal.
No more swelling…of the gas tank at least. LOL.
As a side note, looking at the power/torque graph the 1198 used to be “more of a V-TWIN” than this new version of the 90* V-2 Legend.
It’s power/torque albeit lower it came up sooner on the rev range=more urgency all over the place.
Even some testers seem to be saying how this new mill likes to have it neck twisted like an I-4 somehow confirming the curve’s shapes on the graph.
I hate to correct you, but BMW pioneered Electronically Adjustable Suspension on the K 1200 S back in 2005. Ducati’s a little late to the party there.
Got some comments on this Duc but that doesn’t mean I would be unhappy to own one :-)