Photo: Yamaha Racing
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Photo: Yamaha Racing
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.
BMW F800GS Adventure – Germany’s Middleweight ADV
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.
Kevin Schwantz Returns to Motorcycle Racing – Enters the Suzuka 8-Hours with Team Kagayama
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.
Öhlins Releases a Semi-Active Suspension Upgrade for the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S – But, What’s Next?
An interesting development on the aftermarket side of things has graced our desks, as Öhlins has released a “suspension control unit” (SCU) that upgrades the electronically adjustable suspension on the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S so that it becomes a semi-active suspension system. Whhhaaaat??! So, if you’re the proud owner of a pre-2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S, and you think that your electronically controlled Öhlins suspension is no longer boss, now that Ducati has released its Sachs-powered “Skyhook” semi-active suspension pieces on its new batch of Multistrada sport-tourers, there is a remedy for your motolust.
Up-Close with the 2013 Yamaha YZR-M1
In case you missed our exhaustive coverage of the Grand Prix of the Americas, those fools at Dorna gave me pit lane access this MotoGP season. So while the whole paddock waits for the Spaniards to come to their senses, I don’t plan on wasting the opportunity to share with our readers our extreme access to motorcycling’s premier racing class. Accordingly, here comes another installment into our ever-continuing “Up-Close” series, featuring the very finest Iwata has to offer: the Yamaha YZR-M1. Thirty 2000px-wide photos are waiting for you after the jump.
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Ffs……get a grip man….
Again with the negatives Rexr.
What a man! What a bike! Without him, Yamaha wouldn’t be where they are today.
I watched this race and was humbled by the post race celebrations.
Congratulations to all racers this year and I look forward to another of exciting and close racing.
Simoncelli and Lorenzo… Funnily enough Lorenzo was in the wrong both times, yet was shaking his head at Simoncelli.
spending 5 years developing winning & crashing on it and having to say goodbye would be a hell of a moment for someone. Bikes and dogs about the only 2 things I will cry over
Rather touching, in an anthropomorphic way. Reminds me of the day a hundred years ago when I sold my first street bike. A bittersweet moment; I’d built the hell out of that thing with my own blood and sweat but it was time to move on.
Lorenzo will be lost next year as development passes him by, although ’11 will be an odd year as the factories focus on the 1000cc bikes for ’12. The 800cc Yamaha was and always will be Rossi’s bike. Lorenzo reminds me of the kid always trying to emulate his big brother; the helmets, the post race lunacy. Spies is gonna smoke the little turd.
Gotta say watching the post race victory moon walk bs from Lorenzo and his blinged-out helmet was nauseating, but that one moment of Rossi with his M1 for the last time was touching – the ultimate expression of the relationship between man and machine…the love that he has for the bike and all the grand ups and occasional downs he has had with the M1. I really look forward to the future Ducati-Rossi partnership and the world of positive progress he will bring to Bologna.
As for Lorenzo, cherish the victory Rossi’s crash/absence brought you this year, because next year the kid from Texas is going to smoke your f****** hide, boy!!!!!
It was a sad moment watching this – the end of a wonderful era and a fairytale career rider… parting ways… :’(
Rossi – is just the man of this generation – he has more success than any modern day rider in all categories, and I am seriously hoping he can take out one more championship on a Ducati – to just cap it off nicely – the great italian rider on one of the great italian bikes!
Godspeed Rossi – and good luck
JD ;)
very touching when seeing this photo….this pic show how deep Rossi’s love to the M1…happi and sad time together for 7 years..very2 long time…
gud luck King Rossi with new bike…
next year and beyond i believe it will be the begining of going down phase of Yamaha excellent era…and Yamaha become loser team just like before Rossi came into their team.. Yamaha present in Motogp race only to make the game more people on the circuit..time will tell…sayonara Yamaha…
watched rossi’s short film describing his affection for the m-1 from 2004 onwards. he really does appear to have a fine-tuned mechanical insight into what makes these bikes work and how to improve them. ducati and hayden may both be surprised by 2011. sure hope nicky listens.
Class.
cbr600rr………it’s a blog I’ll say what I like so tough sh1t……I’m not a #46 fan
Yeah and it does come across like that, also comes across that you are a bit of a douchbag. Like you said it’s a blog and I can say what I want, rofl. Owned!
@Rexr: Lorenzo’s the one who should get a grip. Like CBR600RR 09 said, he was in the wrong both times vs Simoncelli. That, coupled with his stupid bling ass helmet and his repetitive celebrations really cement his image as an arrogant cockhead.
Sure the boy can ride quick, as he proved yesterday, but his celebrations are certainly lacking something. Always a flag planting, always a leap into his team at parc ferme and always a jump off the podium. ..
They dont have the subtlety or humor of Rossi’s. His jump into the lake at Jerez was kind of cool at first, but then he admits that his leathers got waterlogged and his visor jammed, nearly pulling him under…
I think Rossi is quite entitled to have a moment with his bike, after what the man has done with the Yamaha. Top marks Vale.
I think u’ll find that rossi has done a fair bit of barging in his illustrious career…….oh yeah thats right he’s allowed to……time to move over rossi ur time is up….;0)
Even if you don’t like the rider, the stats don’t lie. Way to keep it classy, Rexr.
Bel, to call Rexr a douch(e)bag is to unforgivably and egregiously insult all true douchebags in the known universe.
@Rexr: Its not the barging thats the issue…
Every rider Im sure has done that at some point. Its just the head shaking and anger that Lorenzo was showing, like he expected Simoncelli to move out of his way cos hes the world champ.
People said exactly the same things last year about Rossi, that he was too old and that his time was up. What did he do? He won the championship. Even if he doesn’t win again, he will still be up at the front, Im sure of it.