Photo of the Week: Here’s to the Unsung Heroes of MotoGP

This, race fans, is Danilo Petrucci, one of the brave souls trying his luck on the future of MotoGP hardware, in his case the doggedly underpowered Came IodaRacing Project machine. Not on a (relatively) zippy Aprilia ART, or a Honda-powered FTR, Petrucci qualifies on the same grid as Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo, and brings to this gunfight a knife that packs a whopping 185 bhp, compared to the factory prototype engines that are rumored to be around 260 bhp. As I photograph a race, I see a much different version of the event than TV viewers. I watch the recorded TV broadcast later, and can tell you that there is a lot going on with the Claiming Rule Team bikes that doesn’t make in onto TV.

Suter 500 Factory V4 – Thank You for Smoking

We are now purely a “suck, squeeze, bang, blow” society, and while that suits many motorists just fine, there are some who enjoy the smell of pre-mix in the morning — you know who you are. You enjoy the sound of angry bees following you from apex to off-camber. You think a displacement for “serious riders” starts at around 250cc. You like your engine compression low, and your powerbands narrow. You sir (or madam), are a two-stroke junky, and we have just the fix you need. Having a bevy of intriguing two-wheeled projects within its walls, the Swiss bike that catches our eye today is the Suter 500 Factory V4: a two-stroke, 500cc, V4, track weapon that puts out over 200 hp and weighs 284 lbs ready to race — no, that is not a typo.

Photo: Five – Two = Podium

Blurred to protect against spoilers, we’ll just leave things simply by saying that World Superbike’s Race 2 at Donington Park is well worth a watching if you haven’t already seen it. Decided right down to the last few turns, race pundits surely will be discussing the race and its outcome over the next week. Unsurprisingly, geography is playing a major a role in how things are being viewed. Though in a race where a number of questionable passes occurred, it is hard to single out this one event from the plethora of others that occurred during the race, but of course this one had the biggest effect on the race outcome. Click past the jump for the he said, she said, and of course for some slightly sharper photos.

Norton V4 Gets Shakedown Test Ahead of Isle of Man TT

More news from Norton, as the British firm has begun track-testing its V4 road race bike, in preparation of the 2012 Isle of Man TT. Focusing on the bike’s handling, Norton has been working hand-in-hand with Öhlins and Dunlop developing the bike’s chassis. The trio has devised the highly sophisticated “165 mph no hands” test, which supposedly checks the stability of the bike, though we imagine Health & Safety would frown upon it. With the bike’s Aprilia RSV4 motor putting out 195hp at the crank, and with the total race package weighing 419 lbs (195 kg) when it is sopping wet, the Spondon-framed Norton may not be exactly what fans of the famous marques were hoping for after seeing the very appealing Norton NRV 588, though it does seem to be a potent package.

2012 Brammo Empulse R – Was It Worth the Wait?

Launching in downtown Los Angeles, the 2012 Brammo Empulse R & 2013 Brammo Empulse broke their cover and officially debuted. Right off the bat from the designations, you can see that Brammo intends for the Empulse R to be a 2012 model, with the base model Emuplse coming out next year (more on that further down). As we expected, the Brammo Empulse R got quite the price bump after its 22-month marination, and will be $18,995 MSRP. Meanwhile when the Brammo Empulse becomes available next year, it will have a slightly more palatable $16,995 price tag.

Up-Close with the Erik Buell Racing 1190RS ‘merica Edition

While the EBR 1190RS race bikes were on the track, their $40,000+ street-legal counterparts were on display outside of the Erik Buell Racing garage. Rocking an American flag livery, I naturally took pictures of this show bike. Eye catching to say the least, nothing says “Made in ‘merica” better than a red, white, and blue color scheme, especially when it is laid over carbon fiber. And while I want to love this bike because of its nuances and outside-of-the-box technical design, I don’t.

Sunday Summary at Estoril: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

If there’s one lesson we can take from Sunday’s race at Estoril, it’s this: “I’ve always said we know Casey’s the guy that’s the fastest guy in the world. Maybe over the seasons he hasn’t put the championships together, but by far he’s the best guy in the world.” Cal Crutchlow is not known for mincing his words, and his description of Casey Stoner pulls no punches. But given the fact that Stoner only managed to win the Portuguese round of MotoGP by a second and a bit, is that not a little exaggerated?

Up-Close with the 2012 Brammo Empulse RR

Brammo is back for electric motorcycle racing in the North American TTXGP series, as the Ashland-based company is set to defend it’s #1 plate this year with Steve Atlas on board ( Shelina Moreda is slated to join the team later in the season). Gaining a title sponsorship from Icon, Brammo arrived at Sears Point with some edgy graphics on the 2012 Brammo Empulse RR. Dropping roughly 35 lbs in weight, and gaining roughly 50hp over the bike they ran at last year’s season opener, Brammo is making most of those gains in its revised motor and power inverter for the newest Empulse RR.

Mea Culpa: The Media’s Hard-on for a Good Penis Story

As you can imagine, the bulk of the commentary, both from readers and from professional journalists, has centered around the absurdity of the claim, with even jokes being offered about how an aged BMW rider should be thanking the German motorcycle brand for saving him money on Viagra, etc. The situation reminds me of the McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit. You know the story, right?. A woman buys a cup of coffee at McDonald’s, spills it on herself while in the car, and sues the bastards for her incompetence. True to litigious American form, the unthinkable happened, and a jury awarded this gold-digging woman millions of dollars. It is repudiating, and it stands for everything that is wrong with the legal system, or so we would be lead to believe — especially by the media.

An Addendum to Valentino Rossi’s Options for the Future

Never say never, but few are expecting Valentino Rossi to hang up his spurs at the end of the 2012 MotoGP Championship. Going out on a career low-point is certainly not the Italian’s style, especially as it casts a particularly dark shadow on a career that has enjoyed the bright-light superlative of “Greatest of All Time” from some of motorcycling’s most knowledgeable sources. Hoping to cast that phrase with an underlined typeface, and not with an interrogatory question mark, there is sufficient evidence to believe that Rossi will want to end his career in a way that will leave no doubt about the nine-time World Champion’s abilities. The question of course is how those final seasons will play out, and who they will be with.

Troy Lee Designs Fails to Impress with New Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Livery

Share
03/12/2010 @ 9:03 am, by Jenny Gun10 COMMENTS

Troy Lee Designs Fails to Impress with New Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Livery 2010 Rizla Suzuki GSV R MotoGP 2 560x373

It’s not that new Suzuki MotoGP livery is bad, it’s just well…sort of what you’d expect from Suzuki’s factory racing team. When we first heard that Troy Lee Designs was going to give the old Rizla Blue the once over, we were excited to see what the talented company could come up with in the go fast/look good department.

Yet as we look at these pictures, we wonder what happened in the process. Powder blue? Check. Big Rizla Letters? Check. Nothing else that’s remote eye-catching? Check. We sure hope the Suzuki GSV-R performs better than it looks, but we’re not holding our breath. Check out the rest of the photos after the jump.

Supposedly, the 2010 Suzuki GSV-R has improved aerodynamics, chassis performance, and electronics, which Suzuki calls the “most advanced machine yet.” That sounds like a load of bull; but seeing as how this writer is so disappointed in this release, she doesn’t have the power to muster on writing about the biggest let-down of 2010. Good night sweet prince.

2010 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R Technical Specifications:

Engine Type: 4 stroke water cooled V4

Displacement: 800cc

Max Power: 222+ HP / 18,000rpm

Valve Control and Type: Pneumatic (air control), DOHC four-valve

Carburation Type: Fuel injection

Lubrication System: Wet sump (Motul Lubricants)

Clutch: Dry multi plates (back torque reduction type)

Transmission: Six speed low friction constant mesh

Final Drive: Chain

Frame Type: Twin spar aluminum alloy frame

Suspension: Front: Inverted type telescopic (Ohlins) / Rear: Link type (Ohlins)

Tyres: Bridgestone

Wheels: Front and rear: 429mm (16.5 inches)

Brake System: Front: Double carbon disc (Brembo) / Rear: Single steel disc (Brembo)

Overall Length: 2080mm

Overall Width: 660mm

Overall Height: 1150mm

Weight: 150+kg

Fuel Tank: 21L

Estimated top speed: 330+km/h

Top 5 Related Posts:

  1. 2011 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP Race Bike Unveiled
  2. Photos: Rizla Suzuki ‘Micron’ Livery from Misano
  3. MotoGP: Hopper Also to Wild Card at Brno for Rizla Suzuki
  4. Hopkins to Wild Card with Rizla Suzuki at Malaysia

Tagged under: , , , , , , , , , ,

Comment:

  1. Matt Artelt says:
    March 12, 2010 at 9:28 AM

    Um…yikes! This is not likely to join the YZF-M1 and GP10 on my office wall…Not at all.

  2. Hayabrusa says:
    March 12, 2010 at 9:33 AM

    Yep, I’m as un-impressed as everyone else so far! Maybe they just paid Troy to use his name, and he really didn’t have anything to do with the bike. I hope that IS the case, otherwise what he ‘did’ is a big let-down.

  3. Dave says:
    March 12, 2010 at 9:39 AM

    So they painted it blue and went down to the local sign shop to have some decals cut out. Wonder how much they charged Suzuki for that.

  4. Peter Lombardi says:
    March 12, 2010 at 10:39 AM

    wow…. sorry troy lee designs, but this is a fail.
    -peter

  5. Jenny Gun says:
    March 12, 2010 at 10:44 AM

    TLD is also designing some apparel for the Suzuki team, and presumably for fans as well. Maybe those will see an improvement?

  6. Faster1 says:
    March 12, 2010 at 12:34 PM

    It’s Rizla’s fault,,, crap powder blue with pale yellow. That combination is ugly on anything,, including stoner papers. Troy’s hands were tied,, don’t know why he signed up for this. Maybe if the wheels had a red or yellow stripe or anything else to tie it all together,, anything. For now, ugliest bike on the grid 4 years running. It seems too easy to check out any of 10 bikes in WSBK to get inspiration from. Poor umbrella girls, , they have to endure that uniform for another season…

  7. patron says:
    March 12, 2010 at 1:28 PM

    You would think a company like RIZLA would be “cool with whatever you come up with, man”, to be said in a seated possition eyes half closed. And Suzuki should be clamoring for attention other than the normal, look how slow Suzuki is. That being said, I must admit i kinda like, the Rizla Suzuki look. I would have liked to see something more creative from TLD though.

  8. wayne says:
    March 12, 2010 at 2:30 PM

    I’m with Mr. Lombardi: EPIC fail. If I hadn’t read the article in the first place, I would have thought Suzuki/Rizla just tweaked their existing ‘design’ for this year’s season. A person would never guess TLD had anything to do with this project. So much potential, so much fail.

  9. Bjorn says:
    March 12, 2010 at 10:36 PM

    Credit to TLD, it does look less busy than last years livery.
    That’s as far as I’m willing to be nice. I think there must have been a mix up and they sent the pleasant, conservative design penned by the work experience kid, rather than the eye popping genius of Troy himself.

  10. Rumple Stiltskin says:
    March 26, 2010 at 9:04 PM

    the bike is ugly full stop.