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.

MotoGP: Lap Record Falls During Qualifying for Indy GP

08/27/2011 @ 12:20 pm, by Jensen Beeler10 COMMENTS

MotoGP: Lap Record Falls During Qualifying for Indy GP Ben Spis Qualifying Indianapolis GP

Lapping under perhaps the best conditions Indianapolis has to offer in late-August, MotoGP took to The Brickyard for the 2011 Red Bull Indianapolis GP. Though Indy’s newly paved track failed to impress riders with its first impression, as more rubber was put down on the racing line during the weekend’s sessions, the pavement increased its grip, making for some impressive lap times in the later practice sessions.

With Casey Stoner breaking Indy’s outright best lap time during FP3 with a 1’39.552 lap time (the previous “Best Lap Time” was set in 2009 by Dani Pedrosa with a 1’39.790), all eyes were on the Australian during qualifying to see if he could further push Indy’s outright top lap on two-wheels even further down on the stopwatch. Eyes were also on American Ben Spies, who has been consistently at the top of the timesheet all weekened.

Riding at a track he calls home, Spies said after the Free Practice that if he could get close to Stoner’s pace, he had a serious shot at a victory in front of his American fans. Was Spies within striking at the end of Qualifying, find out after the jump.

With Casey Stoner decimating Indy’s track record again, the Repsol Honda rider posted a 1’38.850 for the pole position, over half a second quicker than Ben Spies, who said his setup wouldn’t let him push the front tire any further than he was. Following Spies onto the front row was teammate Jorge Lorenzo, who overcame dismal practice sessions to round out the Top 3. With the two factory Yamahas up front, Stoner should have plenty to contend with if he doesn’t make a breakaway start.

Making bids from the second row are Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso, and Colin Edwards, as the Texas Tornado showed promise all weekend, and clearly knows his way around the Indy infield. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow’s race to see how it all sorts out, but it looks like it could be the fastest GP race at Indy ever held.

Qualifying Results from the Indianapolis GP at Indy:

Pos.No.RiderNationTeamTimeDiff.
127Casey STONERAUSRepsol Honda Team1’38.850-
211Ben SPIESUSAYamaha Factory Racing1’39.3730.523
31Jorge LORENZOSPAYamaha Factory Racing1’39.6290.779
426Dani PEDROSASPARepsol Honda Team1’39.9471.097
54Andrea DOVIZIOSOITARepsol Honda Team1’40.0241.174
65Colin EDWARDSUSAMonster Yamaha Tech 31’40.0981.248
758Marco SIMONCELLIITASan Carlo Honda Gresini1’40.2041.354
869Nicky HAYDENUSADucati Team1’40.2441.394
919Alvaro BAUTISTASPARizla Suzuki MotoGP1’40.3331.483
108Hector BARBERASPAMapfre Aspar Team MotoGP1’40.3601.510
1135Cal CRUTCHLOWGBRMonster Yamaha Tech 31’40.6201.770
1214Randy DE PUNIETFRAPramac Racing Team1’40.8151.965
137Hiroshi AOYAMAJPNSan Carlo Honda Gresini1’40.9252.075
1446Valentino ROSSIITADucati Team1’40.9752.125
1524Toni ELIASSPALCR Honda MotoGP1’41.0302.180
1617Karel ABRAHAMCZECardion AB Motoracing1’41.0852.235
1765Loris CAPIROSSIITAPramac Racing Team1’41.0922.242

Source: MotoGP; Photo: © 2011 Scott Jones Photography – All Rights Reserved

Top 5 Related Posts:

  1. MotoGP: Lap Record Falls in the Land of the Rising Sun During Qualifying
  2. MotoGP: Lap Record Falls During Qualifying at Laguna Seca
  3. MotoGP: Lap Record Smashed in Qualifying at Silverstone
  4. MotoGP: Yamahas vs. Hondas During Qualifying at MotoGP
  5. MotoGP: Qualifying at the Aragon GP

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Comment:

  1. Rexr says:
    August 27, 2011 at 1:32 PM

    Shouldn’t it be Stoner in the photo considering he’s the fastest……..dohhh…..

  2. Jensen Beeler says:
    August 27, 2011 at 1:41 PM

    and if we stuck to that rule, we’d have people complaining about spoilers. Lose/lose either way. I just tell Scott to give me a cool photo.

  3. Sean in Oz says:
    August 27, 2011 at 7:33 PM

    Just a coincidence that its a photo of an American then?

  4. Rexr says:
    August 28, 2011 at 3:24 AM

    So Scot hasn’t got a cool photo of Stoner then has he….???? I’ve got nothing again Spies as I follow his racing…..and it is a cool photo but it’s of the wrong person…….which happens alot on here…;0)

  5. Jensen Beeler says:
    August 28, 2011 at 4:27 AM

    As I said before, if we always posted a photo of the qualifying/race winner, you’d be on here complaining about spoilers.

  6. Rexr says:
    August 28, 2011 at 4:53 AM

    U’d have no complaints from me m8………I’d say ur getting more complaints now to honest….lol

  7. Jensen Beeler says:
    August 28, 2011 at 5:23 AM

    Dunno about that. Like I said, it’s a lose/lose.

  8. Rexr says:
    August 28, 2011 at 7:28 AM

    Typical answer….

  9. hoyt says:
    August 28, 2011 at 10:00 AM

    How ’bout a complaint to the complainers above? For fucks sake, it is a race photo with an article about an upcoming race.

  10. Rexr says:
    August 29, 2011 at 3:19 AM

    Hey beeler if u going to take my answer out for the second time for swearing make sure u take hoyts out as well……….