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.

IOMTT: Michael Rutter Makes “The Ton” Official – Wins TT Zero with a 104.056 mph Lap

06/06/2012 @ 8:33 am, by Jensen Beeler14 COMMENTS

With water reported at various points on the track before the start of the 2012 SES TT Zero, there was serious concern from the riders about the racing conditions, though they would prove to be over-stated as the bikes took to the Mountain Course. With Miller, McGuinness, and Rutter all hungry to get the £10,000 bounty on the 100 mph lap barrier, the riders and teams also had serious concerns over whether the weather could prevent making the feat official.

Getting it done with “dodgy” conditions, Michael Rutter rode out to a commanding lead on his Segway MotoCzysz E1pc, and never looked back. Posting 126 mph at the Sulby Straight speed trap, Rutter made good time over the mountain, and set an official 100+ mph lap for electrics at the Isle of Man TT, with an average speed of 104.056 mph.

John McGuinness on the Mugen Shinden split the two MotoCzysz riders, taking second from Miller before the start up the Mountain from Ramsey. McGuinness finished with a 102.215 mph lap, to Miller’s 101.065 mph. Rob Barber finished fourth for TGM IOM – Viena, which rounded out the disappointing four-rider finish.

For Miller the MotoCzysz E1pc proved to be a handful, with its chassis and suspension being set too soft for the Mountain Course, though the American rider rode a flawless race in terms of energy consumption. With MotoCzysz erring on the conservative side of its energy management strategy, Miller’s result was due in part to the team’s restrictive rider management. A bit heavier on the stick, Rutter’s ride was dominant over McGuinness and his teammate, putting down an astounding 25.25 seconds on the lap over the Mugen.

Noticeably absent from the start was Lightning Motorcycles, which despite heavy testing ahead of the Isle of Man TT, had another all-too-common rush to get the bike ready ahead of Monday’s qualifying. Retiring during that session, we haven’t heard why John Burrows failed to start the TT Zero on the Flying Banana Mk. II, other than the bike never made it down to the paddock on race day.

With eight bikes starting from Glencrutchery Road, it was Kingston, ManTTX Racing, Mirai Racing, and Brunel X Racing that had to retire mid-lap. For full results, click here.

Tagged under: 2012 IOMTT, 2012 Isle of Man TT, 2012 SES TT Zero, 2012 TT Zero, electric, electric racing, IOMTT, Isle of Man TT, John McGuinness, Lightning Motorcycles, Mark Miller, Michael Rutter, Motoczysz, Mugen, Mugen Shinden, Rob Barber, Segway MotoCzsyz, Segway MotoCzysz Racing

Comment:

Kyle G says:
June 6, 2012 at 8:36 AM
Congratulations! I was hoping to see a number closer to 104!
Interested to hear about the other teams who didnt finish
Dr. Gellar says:
June 6, 2012 at 9:28 AM
Awesome…heck yeah!! Congratulations MotoCzysz on the win and officially breaking the 100mph average lap mark. Well done… :-)
z says:
June 6, 2012 at 9:40 AM
nice! yeah, Michael Czysz predictions of multiple +100 times was right on. Good to see Rutter with the win!
dwolvin says:
June 6, 2012 at 9:44 AM
In motion the ‘Czysz looks good…
noch says:
June 6, 2012 at 9:44 AM
Several seconds difference between Miller and McGuiness. With drafting and efficiency so important, any word on how the actual race between the two panned out?
Greg says:
June 6, 2012 at 10:12 AM
Glad to see the MotoCzysz team on top of the podium again. I had high hopes for the C1-990 when they were going for a MotoGP entry, and I’d still love to see a limited-production run of that bike. Hope to see them putting some machines on the market for the public to enjoy in the near future.
Jensen Beeler says:
June 6, 2012 at 10:14 AM
Some updated info in the article, for those that came by the first time.
protomech says:
June 6, 2012 at 10:52 AM
@noch I believe they released the bikes 20-30s apart.. in Rutter’s case, he left first from the grid and never looked back.
Miller and McGuinness were several seconds apart throughout much of the race.
Bob says:
June 6, 2012 at 11:54 AM
This is good stuff! Big congrats to the teams that broke 100mph average speed!
Richard Gozinya says:
June 6, 2012 at 12:06 PM
I guess the next milestone will be electrics outrunning the sidecar class at IOM. So 116.667 mph is the electric’s next speed to beat.
BenFaster says:
June 6, 2012 at 12:50 PM
Huge achievement but hopefully just the tip of the iceberg on electric bikes. Speaking of side car class. Makes me wonder if you used a sidecar without the monkey and put batteries there?? Battery technology is the biggest limit with these and then motor weight is next. Would be fun to watch a revolution in technology to get both up to recip levels and past. give it 7 more years – maybe John M. will be choosing his eBike as weapon of choice for the final!
adrian cockcroft says:
June 6, 2012 at 3:21 PM
IOMTT: Michael Rutter Makes It Official Winning TT Zero with a 104.056 mph Lap – http://t.co/ajTLvydm #motorcycle
Westward says:
June 6, 2012 at 10:57 PM
Absolutely Fantastic, It was a brilliant achievement. Very glad they both went over 100 mph… Now I would like to see MotoCzysz field the C1 in MotoGP too… I think Ben Spies might be available to pilot it…
Trane Francks says:
June 8, 2012 at 7:20 AM
@Westward: That’s an interesting bit. I would be seriously interested to see how these bikes might measure against a MotoGP bike for a typical race distance. It might not be par for now, but it surely will come even in the future.

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