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.

Rossi Decision Expected at Catalunya

06/30/2010 @ 6:25 am, by Jensen Beeler6 COMMENTS

News regarding Valentino Rossi is at a fever pitch, as it is expected the Italian rider will announce at the Catalan GP his intentions on where he will race in next season. For weeks, if not months now, Rossi has been linked to a very lucrative €15 million deal with Ducati Corse, while Fiat-Yamaha have reportedly scaled back their offer on the GP Champions from his current €14 million salary to €9 million.

Paddock gossip has said that Rossi has been considering both offers; however, at Barcelona we should finally know the answer to what team Rossi has picked, but some sources are already claiming they know the answer.

Perhaps the most emboldened is MCN, who says for certain that Rossi will ride for Ducati, after negotiations with Fiat-Yamaha broke down in the final hour. However Crash.net, who also cites a team insider, hedges their bet, saying that speculation is more rumor than fact. Whether one can believe the Rossi to Ducati news, virtually all sources across the board say we will know all at Catalunya in a couple day’s time.

If Rossi does go to Ducati, Ben Spies is expected to get the nod, and be moved up from the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha team to the factory supported Fiat-Yamaha garage. Spies would then play second fiddle to Jorge Lorenzo, who has reportedly secured a doubling of his salary to €8 million.

While he is no Rossi, Lorenzo has proven himself to be a GP Champion in the making. Last year he pushed teammate Rossi to the brink as they vied for the Championship title, and this year he is the clear favorite with Rossi out of the picture. With the two riders virtually on par with each other on the same machinery, it will be interesting to see if Rossi can keep pace on the allegedly inferior Ducati GP11 if he switches teams next season.

We still think it’s too close to call regarding where Rossi will land in 2011, but with GP racing only a few days away, we won’t have long to wait on this one. Stay tuned race fans.

Source: MCN & Crash.net

Tagged under: 2011, Ben Spies, contract, Ducati, Fiat Yamaha, gossip, Jorge Lorenzo, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, MotoGP, rumor, Valentino Rossi

Comment:

Jake says:
June 30, 2010 at 10:57 AM
If this is true then Rossi just continues to loose my respect. If he were leaving Yamaha for Ducati looking for a challenge or simply because an Italian on an Italian was dream that is one thing. But for the petty reasons that are being stated…..I’d expect more from a rider of his stature
First he complains because everyone assumes a big reason he is successful is because of his equipment. He gets the good stuff while others don’t. So now he is able to prove that wrong, but racing and beating a good rider who has the same equipment and he cries about it.
Never complained about tires when he had the best and no one else did, but once Bridgestones moved to the front………
Also for him to expect Yamaha not to pay Jorge more after winning a title is stupid. To think Yamaha shouldn’t plan for the future is also stupid. Before any Rossi fans start about Yamaha not being loyal to Rossi, that is just BS. They have done and given him everything he needed to be successful. And gone out of their way to show him that they value and respect him as a person, rider and part of Yamaha history. For Rossi to think the only way Yamaha can be loyal to him is to risk their future is well……stupid.
No he isn’t Rossi, but Jorge has proven to be the first rider to really push Rossi straight up with no excuses. People don’t give Stoner credit for his title and wins because “he had the best bike and Rossi didn’t”…well you can’t say that for Jorge. Rossi wanted a wall and got it. Wanted communication cut, got that too. Jorge just went along and did was he has done. Good on him.
I was never a big fan of Jorge, but he has won my respect for the way that he has carried himself, while Rossi continues to lose mine for the way that he’s been acting the last few years
Peter says:
June 30, 2010 at 11:34 AM
It’s not just for the money. As stated in this article:
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/rumors/ducati-offers-rossi-15-million/
Rossi makes the majority of his money from endorsements and such. Rossi is one of the highest paid athletes in the world. You think a couple million Euros is really going to sway him?
While Lorenzo is a good rider, the Rossi/Burgess team is so much better. They developed the M1 what it is today, the same bike that Lorenzo rides.
Personally, I think Rossi will move to Ducati because he wants a clean start with a bike that no one has been able to really master. As long as Ducati lets them, Rossi and Burgess will be able to develop another winning bike and another Championship. Probably not in 2011, hopefully in 2012.
eze1976 says:
June 30, 2010 at 12:20 PM
Rossi & his team developed the M1 to what it is today. He is one of the few riders at his level that can do this. If it was true about the salary sack from Yamaha then yeah he should bounce. Yes its a business call (future being lorenzo) but when the world wants rossi you listen.
Honestly speaking, I hope Rossi on a Ducati takes it all and leaves yamaha for dead. Can Spies go anywhere at the end of the season?
Asphalt_Rubber says:
June 30, 2010 at 1:26 PM
Rossi Decision Expected at Catalunya – http://aspha.lt/14t #motorcycle
ladyhawke82 says:
June 30, 2010 at 1:47 PM
RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Rossi Decision Expected at Catalunya – http://aspha.lt/14t #motorcycle #Ducati #MotoGP
joe says:
June 30, 2010 at 4:43 PM
Rossi on a Duc sounds great, hope it goes great. Ending his career with that marquee could certainly benefit both. If he races and doesn’t win on a Duc, it mars his legacy, if he wins he may be the only rider ever to win at the top level on so many different machines. I just hope he doesn’t leave to full time rally. I’ll never get that on speed tv.

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