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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It’s the shade of pink that bothers me: Pepto Bismol. Of course, if you’ve been dry heaving, it’s just the ticket for you.
I can’t believe that anyone who cares about roadracing or is remotely associated with the industry would say ANYTHING negative about this project.
It can do nothing but good for all of us.
Besides I never heard any bitchin’ about the Britten which had pretty much the same colours.
Bravo on the lede paragraph. Bravo.
that’s hawt
I agree with majordomo. This ain’t so bad.
It’s good to see different backers in a struggling GP program. Love her or hate her, Paris can bring mainstream media to the sport, more viewers for TV, better ratings, more races available to us as spectators and better racing with increased exposure.
I’m slightly bummed that this didn’t happen in the premier class but I suspect they already have Playboy and the frills that circle it.
Once they get those graphics settled (obviously this is only a workup), it will be a welcome addition to the boring as hell paddock. I only wish they would have fielded Mellisa Paris and Elena Myers who could both kick ass on half that field of rich kids.
What about Mattia Pasini’s pink liveries for ladies night in Italy, I think he won that race too…
Hey if it draws more non-traditional fans to the sport i’m all for it, their money is just as good here…
I can appreciate those of you seeing the silver lining in this. But it is laughable too.
Paris’ PR value is passed it’s prime. Not saying it’s worthless…but passed it’s prime.
I had the regrettable experience of turning on “Married to Rock” or some such reality show about bimbos married to rockers (also passed their prime). Two of them were taking the basic MSF course, and they were acting like high school girls and pissing off the real people who were there to learn/teach.
I wonder if Paris’ rider is gonna be the butt of every joke in the paddock…
I see nothing wrong with Team Cum-Guzzling-Whore.
Exit Antonio Banderas, enter Paris Hilton!
OH GAWD
If they let that thing make 1 pass on a circut without runnin it into a barrier I am gonna watch figure skating from now on CRAP!!!!!!!!!
I am also with Majordomo, this is good exposure either way, even though I wish that broad would choke on a handful of rusty coffin nails.
To me “Ken & Barbie” spring to mind………nnnnnnnnooooooooooooo
Like others I agree with Majordomo, and if nothing else, the team’s bikes will be easily recognized on the race tracks.
It’s just a paintjob, and it’s not like race bikes have the nicest paint jobs as it is. They’re pretty much all tacky eye sores, and this is no worse than Kawasaki’s hideous green.
@pjgallagher This could be the colour scheme for the bike if you have a chat with Paris. http://bit.ly/hmynXD via @Asphalt_Rubber
I would rather see the sport suffer financially than gain sponsers and viewers from the likes of somebody that represents all that is wrong with this country. Having the capitalist sellout mentality does nothing but damage to the integrity of the sport.
If I would be a racer, I’d switch classes or even profession before being seen on that ugly stick, plus having to explain that the race team’s bos is more about marketing than about racing. Racing is expensive, I know, but there is a fine line between accepting sponsors and getting abused.
Oh well, publicity it is then. I’d go race somewhere else. Good luck with this.
http://www.dlisted.com/node/40081/images/spl235050_022.jpg
Hi guys,
In France we are jealous, we haven’t got a lot of sponsors for racing motorbike, this girls is like “Gold”.
Thanks to his name a lot of website (talking about motorcycle or not) has showed the pictures of a blondie on a bike !!!
it’s so great because maybe some people could be interested to do it too and bring cash in motogp which need it so much …
thanks you Paris and sure if you come in France for “Le Mans”, you will be well recieved at home ;)
ciao
watchin a bike crash will never be so fun… ill be on the edge of my seat waiting for ken and barbies scooter to highside LOL
PS: I love two strokes, but why!!! why invest in a championship that wont exist in 12 months…
absolutely silly
Paris is Thee No.1 Party-Sex Princess, that surely goes together with rush, speed, power and class!(read Cocaine) which she also does ever so well. It’ll be great to see her lick that tank! More Paris, inside or outside!