Cutaway Photos of the Ducati Superquadro Engine

I was flipping through some photos from the 2011 EICMA show, and found these shots of the Ducati 1199 Panigale’s Superquadro engine. Unfortunately at the show, Ducati had its 1199cc v-twin motor behind a Lexan case, which created a bit of a glare, reflections, and of course had smudges from the touchy-feely Italian crowd. But still, the photos give a good idea of what’s going on in Ducati’s most-advanced production engine to date, and are better than just looking at the CAD renders. If you look at the shots very closely, you can almost see where the 195hp and 98 lbs•ft of torque is lurking inside.

AGV, Please Make This Helmet!

In addition to testing the factory Ducati Desmosedici GP12 “Phoenix” this week at Sepang, Valentino Rossi is also trying out a new lid from AGV. Aside from the carbon fiber goodness, and of course the Rossi stickers (which add 5hp & $200), AGV’s prototype helmet sports a noticably pronounced rear spoiler. Tucked in behind the windscreen, it is obvious why the Italian helmet manufacturer designed such a large protrusion off the back of the prototype helmet, as it looks to be clearly helping the flow off the back of the helmet, across the rider’s hump, and down his backside.

2012 Honda RC213V Debuts in Malaysia

While Ducati Corse is busy playing hide-the-Desmosedici at Sepang, HRC is all business in Malaysia this week, and has debuted its 2012 Honda RC213V MotoGP-contender. Honda isn’t saying too much about the RC213V, simply stating that the race bike is all new, but is also a continuation of the company’s design with the 800cc Honda RC212V. Testing the Honda RC213V over the course of last season, reigning-World Champion Casey rode the new 1,000cc machine three times in 2011, while teammate Dani Pedrosa swung a leg over the RC213V twice (missing one test because of injury).

No, This is the “90%” New Ducati Desmosedici GP12

You may have been misled by some eager journalists today and yesterday, if you saw a Ducati Corse livery-clad Ducati Desmosedici GP12 that some sites were passing off as the first shots of the “90% new” GP12. With the alleged new GP12 looking surprisingly similar to the aluminum-framed “GP0″ that was tested at Valencia, Valentino Rossi’s mechanic has now Alex Briggs confirmed that the photos taken were not of the all new “GP12 Phoenix” that the factory team will race this season. While the Ducati lords can taketh away, they can also giveth, and Valentino Rossi himself has posted the first photo of the factory Desmosedici GP12, and the bike is clearly different.

Zero Motorcycles Commences 2012 Model Line Production

Zero Motorcycles has announced the full-commencement of production for its 2012 model line, which is expected to hit dealers in February & March of this year. First off the line was the 2012 Zero DS back in December, though the electric motorcycle company has recently started building the Zero S, Zero XU, Zero X, and Zero MX at its Scotts Valley facility as well. A story we broke back in November, Zero Motorcycles debuted its important 2012 electric motorcycle line up at the 2011 EICMA show in Milan, with the 2012 range being a substantial improvement upon the company’s previous offerings.

The Dainese D-Air Racing Airbag Suit Comes to America

Getting a look at Dainese & AGV’s 2012 collection, Asphalt & Rubber was down in Orange County earlier this week to see the highly anticipated Dainese D-Air Racing leather suit, which has a four liter airbag system that helps reduce the risk of injury during a motorcycle crash. Dainese has been working on the D-Air Racing system for 10 years now, and after soft-launching the airbag suit in Europe, the Italian company is ready to bring the game-changing technology to American soil.

I Love the Nightlife. I’ve Come to Boogie.

Us Danes, we’re a strange breed. From the culture that taught you how to rape and pillage, Scandinavia is making yet another contribution to the motorcycling world with this latest video. Featuring Danish Supermoto Champion Andreas Mikkelsen, we get a RoToR camera-esque perspective (this rig is actually home made) on the Dane’s practice session at the Als Supermotard Club in Denmark. It’s videos like this that are slowly eroding my will-power to resist getting into supermotard riding. Also, I don’t know who was in charge of the music selection on this thing, but my hat is off to him/her. I love the nightlife. I’ve come to boogie.

Confirmed: KTM 350 Duke in 2013 – Moto3 Inspired 350cc Sport Bike in 2014

Our friends over at IndianCarsBikes.in were in attendance at the KTM 200 Duke launch in India this week, as the Austrian brand launched its somewhat bigger-displacement version of the popular KTM Duke 125. During the press event, KTM talked about the future of the mini-Duke line and its product roadmap for the emerging country, as well as abroad. With the Austrian brand confirming/clarifying that KTM would release a KTM 350 Duke for India in 2013, zie Austrians also confirmed that the KTM 350 Duke would be built locally in India by Bajaj, but would be exported worldwide — allaying fears that the KTM 350 Duke would be an India-only model.

Why Today is the Most Important Day for Ducati…Ever

Now that the first Ducati 1199 Panigale has rolled out of the door in Bologna, the die is cast, the chips are in play, and our course is set to see if Ducati has created a “massive breach of brand trust and honesty.” The realization of course should be that Ducati’s brand was never in danger with bikes like the Hypermotard, Multistrada 1200, or Diavel. Instead, the danger of serious brand dilution has always rested on how Ducati handled its Superbike line. A failure to produce a two-wheeled machine that is both as striking visually as it is kinetically, could permanently alienate a loyal fan base that has endured a great deal in the past half-decade.

Video: Community + Motorcycles = Motomethod

There is a lot that can be said about why dealerships fail or succeed (we’ve already seen an interesting insight on the subject of shops being open on Sundays), and one aspect on how to be a successful dealership that will surely rise to the top is one of community. Here, Vancouver-based Motomethod is all about the community, as the do-it-yourself community garden style repair shop has become a place for British Columbian riders not to work on their motorcycles, but also to congregate together with a shared love of riding on two wheels. Not exactly a new concept business-wise, but still a fresh perspective in an otherwise unwilling to change industry. More on this thought process to be published in the coming weeks. Enjoy.

MotoGP: The Last Qualifying for the 2009 Season

Sun, November 8th, 2009 @ 1:48 am, by Jenny Gun2 COMMENTS
Home » Racing » MotoGP: The Last Qualifying for the 2009 Season

The last qualifying session of the year is in the bag, as the gorgeous sunshine of Valencia, Spain bore down on the MotoGP paddock. With the Championship sealed up, all eyes were not on this season, but the next. With more than a few MotoGP riders finding their way into new venues for 2010, we bid them goodbye, yet also welcome the new talent that’s pouring into the premiere class next year. Qualifying results after the jump.

Casey Stoner continues to silence his critics, taking his second pole position since his return to MotoGP racing. The Australian lead the qualifying session pretty much all the way through, except for a brief moment when Jorge Lorenzo challenged him. Lapping a quarter of a second ahead of the field, Stoner will be the man to beat Sunday.

Despite his efforts, Lorenzo could not answer back to Stoner, and even slipped in the standings. He will start from the third position, with Dani Pedrosa in front of him. Rossi will start from the second row, in the 4th position. The Doctor has always struggled at Valencia, despite holding the best lap-record at the Spanish track.

Joining Rossi on the second row are Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden, respectively. The third musketeer American on the grid is wildcard Ben Spies, who will start from the 9th position, ahead of James Toseland (14th).

Results from Qualifying at the Malaysian GP at Sepang, Malaysia:

Pos	No.	Rider	Bike	Time	Diff	Diff. to Prev.
1	27	Casey STONER	DUCATI	1’32.256	-	-
2	3	Dani PEDROSA	HONDA	1’32.519	0.263	0.263
3	99	Jorge LORENZO	YAMAHA	1’32.537	0.281	0.018
4	46	Valentino ROSSI	YAMAHA	1’32.922	0.666	0.385
5	5	Colin EDWARDS	YAMAHA	1’33.085	0.829	0.163
6	69	Nicky HAYDEN	DUCATI	1’33.154	0.898	0.069
7	14	Randy DE PUNIET	HONDA	1’33.391	1.135	0.237
8	24	Toni ELIAS	HONDA	1’33.475	1.219	0.084
9	11	Ben SPIES	YAMAHA	1’33.539	1.283	0.064
10	4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	HONDA	1’33.678	1.422	0.139
11	36	Mika KALLIO	DUCATI	1’33.809	1.553	0.131
12	15	Alex DE ANGELIS	HONDA	1’33.844	1.588	0.035
13	65	Loris CAPIROSSI	SUZUKI	1’34.097	1.841	0.253
14	52	James TOSELAND	YAMAHA	1’34.107	1.851	0.010
15	33	Marco MELANDRI	KAWASAKI	1’34.188	1.932	0.081
16	44	Aleix ESPARGARO	DUCATI	1’34.308	2.052	0.120
17	41	Gabor TALMACSI	HONDA	1’34.357	2.101	0.049
18	7	Chris VERMEULEN	SUZUKI	1’34.537	2.281	0.180

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Tagged under: 2009, Ben Spies, Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo, MotoGP, qualifying, Valencia, Valencian GP, Valentino Rossi

Comment:

Razvan Popescu says:
November 8, 2009 at 1:08 AM
MotoGP: The Last Qualifying for the 2009 Season http://bit.ly/2YdCct
Asphalt_Rubber says:
November 8, 2009 at 5:48 AM
MotoGP: The Last Qualifying for the 2009 Season – http://bit.ly/48jTZm #motorcycle