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.

2014 Suzuki GSV-R Spotted Again

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.

2011 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP Race Bike Unveiled

03/10/2011 @ 2:00 am, by Jensen Beeler9 COMMENTS

2011 Rizla Suzuki GSV R MotoGP Race Bike Unveiled 2011 Rizla Suzuki GSV R 635x403

Finally we have all the factory MotoGP bikes officially unveiled in their race liveries (click for the Ducati, Honda, and Yamaha unveilings). Surprising everyone this year with a teal color scheme, Rizla Suzuki is still present in MotoGP, albeit only running one rider for the 2011 season. Taking to the helm of the 2011 Suzuki GSV-R is Alvaro Bautista, who has shown great promise on the otherwise lackluster race bike.

Despite its troubled past, Suzuki has been working hard on turning its toad into a prince, and could be the surprise entry in this year’s MotoGP Championship. We don’t expect the bike to win any races, but a couple surprise podiums do seem attainable for the squad. Photos and technical specifications after the jump.

Technical Specifications of the 2011 Suzuki GSV-R Race Bike:

Engine Type: Four-stroke water cooled V4

Displacement: 800cc

Engine Control System: Mitsubishi ECM

Max Power: 225+ ps / 18,000rpm

Valve Control and Type: Pneumatic (air control), DOHC four-valve

Carburation Type: Fuel injection

Lubrication System: Wet sump (Motul Lubricants)

Clutch: Dry multi plates (back torque reduction type)

Transmission: Six speed low friction constant mesh

Final Drive: Chain (RK)

Frame Type: Twin spar aluminium alloy frame

Suspension: Front: Inverted type telescopic (Ohlins); Rear: Link type (Ohlins)

Tyres: Bridgestone

Wheels: Front and rear: 429mm (16.5 inches) (Marchesini)

Brake System: Front: Double carbon disc (Brembo); Rear: Single steel disc (Brembo)

Overall Length: 2080mm

Overall Width: 660mm

Overall Height: 1150mm

Weight: 150+kg

Fuel Tank: 21L

Estimated top speed: 330+km/h

Top 5 Related Posts:

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Comment:

  1. Bjorn says:
    March 10, 2011 at 2:35 AM

    Please let it be a contender with Bautista in the saddle.

  2. Ed Gray says:
    March 10, 2011 at 6:49 AM

    What’s with the strange photo angles. Is Suzuki really afraid that one of there competitiors is going to try to copy their geometry? Have they made some radical inovation that they are hiding from photometry?

  3. Youngblood says:
    March 10, 2011 at 8:12 AM

    Ha! Actually I think it is pretty cool they are using clever angles to show what the bike will look like at full lean.

  4. Other Sean says:
    March 10, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    She’s not the prettiest girl at the dance, is she? Hopefully that strange low slung exhaust and it’s accompanying cover will give performance results.

  5. Asphalt & Rubber says:
    March 10, 2011 at 10:00 AM

    2011 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP Race Bike Unveiled – http://aspha.lt/co #motorcycle

  6. 76 says:
    March 10, 2011 at 10:44 AM

    You never noticed, suzuki does not even release side view photos of thier production sportbikes. Sideview is the best way to measure off a picture in this case and guess what missing from this photoshoot as well?

    Take a look, no sideviews, ever. If theres one its from a mag or a customer, they are crazy about it actually

  7. F1 says:
    March 10, 2011 at 1:49 PM

    Definitely the best version yet. ,, and they didn’t have to pay “the once” visionary Troy Lee Designs stupid amounts of money for it. Last years Abortion Lee design was so hideous that it actually made the bike slower.

    and in spite of the Suzuki’s current appearance being a bit less than inspiring, its (objectively) better looking than that disproportionate mess, that is Rossi’s Ducati. ,, there isn’t a flowing line ion the bike,, that is, if you’re being honest

  8. Bjorn says:
    March 10, 2011 at 5:36 PM

    @F1: With a TLD logo under the tailpiece it might just be another Troy Lee Design paint job. Definitely better than last years effort.

  9. Joey Wilson says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:24 AM

    I’ve never understood how Suzi could keep putting on this dreadful dog+pony show year after year. Of course, I didn’t understand how you drop the SV650 and/or morph it into a Gladius either, but that’s just me . . . . why don’t they farm MGP out to Yoshimura like they have their AMA teams, they surely could do better than thye’ve done on their own.