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.

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.

MotoGP: Yamahas vs. Hondas During Qualifying at MotoGP

07/23/2011 @ 3:32 pm, by Jensen Beeler1 COMMENT

MotoGP: Yamahas vs. Hondas During Qualifying at MotoGP Jorge Lorenzo MotoGP Qualifying Laguna Seca

MotoGP comes to America this weekend, as Laguna Seca played a sunny host to the premier class of motorcycle racing today. Showing cold mornings, and hot afternoons, riders and teams have had to contend with a variety of conditions while preparing for the US GP. With Ducati continuing to struggle with front-end woes, eyes turned towards Yamaha to see if Iwata’s riders could find luck with their 50th Anniversary livery and put some pressure on the Factory Honda riders.

Answering the call was a very fast Jorge Lorenzo on Friday, and the Spaniard continued his front-running pace through-out all of the sessions, never letting Stoner, Dovi, and Pedrosa out of his sights. Lorenzo’s teammate Ben Spies struggled however, consistently half a second behind the leading group of riders. Knowing that his bike had another five tenths in it, Spies was confident going into qualifying that he could put the M1 on the front-row, and put on a show for the American crowd.

Spies was set on just that very path, that is until he crashed late into the QP session, meaning his previous time of 1’21.578 would have to suffice, though it slowly fell from second-fastest to fourth-fastest by the end of qualifying. Lorenzo however would not look back on his pace, becoming Saturday’s top rider in both sessions, and sitting on the Laguna Seca pole position. Joining Lorenzo on the front-row will be Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, respectively.

Stoner found his pace late in the session, after first battling to find the right setup that would get him closer to Lorenzo’s speed on the M1. Lurking in the shadows all week, though always present, Dani Pedrosa quietly overcame pain in his back, shoulder, and hand during the sessions, qualifying third for Sunday’s race. Noticably in the gravel were Spies, Hayden, Bautista, de Puniet, and Abraham, with the first two on that list likely doing so in order to setup a positive result for their home GP.

Will Nicky be able to overcome the Ducati Desmosedici GP11? Can Spies find more to fight Lorenzo for the victory? Those questions to be answered tomorrow during the Red Bull US GP.

Qualifying Results from the US GP at Laguna Seca:

Pos.No.RiderNationTeamTimeDiff.
11Jorge LORENZOSPAYamaha Factory Racing1’21.202-
227Casey STONERAUSRepsol Honda Team1’21.2740.072
326Dani PEDROSASPARepsol Honda Team1’21.3850.183
411Ben SPIESUSAYamaha Factory Racing1’21.5780.376
558Marco SIMONCELLIITASan Carlo Honda Gresini1’21.6960.494
64Andrea DOVIZIOSOITARepsol Honda Team1’21.7310.529
746Valentino ROSSIITADucati Team1’22.2351.033
88Hector BARBERASPAMapfre Aspar Team MotoGP1’22.2381.036
969Nicky HAYDENUSADucati Team1’22.2711.069
1035Cal CRUTCHLOWGBRMonster Yamaha Tech 31’22.3851.183
115Colin EDWARDSUSAMonster Yamaha Tech 31’22.5201.318
1219Alvaro BAUTISTASPARizla Suzuki MotoGP1’22.6691.467
1317Karel ABRAHAMCZECardion AB Motoracing1’22.8931.691
147Hiroshi AOYAMAJPNSan Carlo Honda Gresini1’22.9371.735
1514Randy DE PUNIETFRAPramac Racing Team1’22.9611.759
1665Loris CAPIROSSIITAPramac Racing Team1’23.8762.674
1724Toni ELIASSPALCR Honda MotoGP1’24.1562.954
1823Ben BOSTROMUSALCR Honda MotoGP1’25.2914.089

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

Top 5 Related Posts:

  1. MotoGP: Yamahas vs. Hondas at the Catalan GP
  2. MotoGP: Yamahas Flex Some Qualifying Muscle in Catalunya
  3. MotoGP: Yamahas Dominate Qualifying at Brno
  4. MotoGP: Qualifying Trouble for Ducati at the San Marino GP

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Comment:

  1. actionsportsconnectn says:
    July 23, 2011 at 10:42 PM

    MotoGP: Yamahas vs. Hondas During Qualifying at MotoGP – http://aspha.lt/pu #motorcycle