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.
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.
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.
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.
I know you were only making a point. But Fox News has no idea who Rossi or Simoncelli are.
Oh jeez, another Fox news dig. I thought A&R was above that.
It’s a news channel, it’s got huge ratings. Sorry it’s not NPR, CNN, or CBS, but it’s not TMZ either.
Sorry to get off topic, but that puts me off. Unnecessary.
I like how that’s the thing people are commenting on here…
Well, come on, nobody with a brain in their head thought Rossi would retire over this. Would Simoncelli have wanted that? Heck no.
what’s fox news? I’m just glad Rossi isn’t retiring…until he’s darn good and ready to. Then I hope switches over to WRC! ;^) ttfn stbu
I’m really still waiting to hear what Rossi says about the crash and it’s effects on him in an honest interview. He must be just devastated. Probably we will never hear that though, top tier motogp seems to be one of those sports where (unless your c. edwards) your interviews are just full of corporate censored cliches and carefully worded sound bites.
I could say lots about the format in MotoGP & how journalists interact with riders, but I’ll try to keep it short. I can think of only one situation where a PR person stepped-in on a question asked to a GP rider, there’s a lot less interference than you’d think.
The bigger issue is time and language. With someone like Rossi, he’ll get peppered with questions in Italian for 20 minutes, and then non-Italian journalists will get 3 minutes with him as he’s getting on his scooter. Then of course he knows only so much English, so he’s answers sound canned, when really he just know X number of phrases in English. Very tough to find the thought behind the word when it’s like that.
Something I’ve been doing, along with other English-speakers, is recording both sets of media scrums, and getting the non-English portions translated.
I think it’s all up in the air and anything is possible, despite what Uccio and Davide are saying. We’re talking about Valentino Rossi, who does what he wants to do. I think retirement isn’t out of the question because he wants to be healthy to do what he wants to do next–WRC, F1? The 2012 Duc is a big unknown. I hope it blows everybody off the track but I’m guessing the GP12 bike is still problematic, and does he want to have another year of mid-pack finishes? Valentino loves to have a good time and he sure isn’t right now. For that matter I think everybody but HRC would like to just skip Valencia and end the season yesterday.
I’m glad to know Rossi is still in it for the long haul. As for the fox news reference, its just a joke. I guess those who get offended either love fox news (:shudder:) or they are not familiar with their journalistic honesty, integrity, and credibility (or the lack there of).
as a clinca mobile physician (the only american in its history) I’d like to comment that I have treated all of the motogp riders and marco was one of the most gentle and sweet men I have ever met….R.I.P. Marco…..
Sad, leave the guy alone… RT @Asphalt_Rubber Rumors of Valentino Rossi's Retirement Have Been Greatly Exaggerated – http://t.co/0boZmC7k
Hey Beeler stick to reporting the news leave your political views at the door – there’s enough of this already going on all around us. Motorcycling news that is….
Jensen, quit trying to be political man, that’s how you’re going to lose readers. People come on this website to read about motorcycles and racing, not your bullsh*t political views. Get it together man.
Oh and by the way, I think it’s bullsh*t that Autoblog managed to report about the new S1000RR before you guys did. Again, you guys need to get it together
Okay Boys & Girls, What have we learned?
If you don’t hear it with your own ears or see it with your own eyes then don’t invent it with your small mind and share it with your big mouth.
CIAO!!!
@Carlos. Right on man! Total Bullsh!t! I say you cancel your subscription to A&R today and demand a refund!
oh wait………
back on point: Riding in Sic’s memory is the only choice. Expect a dramatic lid and plenty of 58′s on 46′s leathers and bike in Valencia.
Boo hoo! It seems that there are some fans of Murdoch’s on here. More fool them I suppose…
Speaking of poorly-informed ‘journalism’ – and I use that term loosely – has anyone had the misfortune to read this article – which in my eyes is the journalistic equivalent of something found on the sole of your loafers… The final sentence is enough to make my blood boil.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/race-fans-deny-their-inner-ghoul/story-fn56az2q-1226176644011?sv=54caaf8f0d575b901d9892ad67fa3908
MotoMatters has a great piece on why ALL these guys will carry on doing their jobs: http://www.motomatters.com/
It’s what they do; anything less would be both unthinkable and an insult.
As to the Fox News reference, I can remember when the shark frenzy was called the CNNing of the news. The 24-hr news cycle of today is voracious and, since Fox has decided to try to place themselves at the top of that cycle, they have to be prepared to become the adjective du jour. I DO find it interesting that its viewers seem to become so defensive at even the smallest PERCEIVED slight, which the reference in this article was most certainly not.
Jensen,
C`mon man – Fox News? Let`s talk motorcycles – stay away from politics & religion. Uncalled for…
Regarding richard mushnets post, remember folks dont feed the trolls.
Shebel2stroke – if you can’t even type my name out properly, then don’t bother accusing me of trolling. I see a lot of needless comments on this thread regarding anything but Marco/Rossi/the media’s perception of this freak accident. The ridiculous Aussie article I posted was to see if anyone else felt as incensed as I did when I read it.
As for the Fox reference, over here (the U.K.) Murdoch’s association is one of the main forces against unbiased and impartial reporting. Seems that some of you chaps Stateside seem oblivious to the horses**t that they spoonfeed you with?
Richard,
Thank you for enlighting us here in US. Now ,sir, please stick to motorcycles.
@Richard
I read that article and felt compelled to comment as I felt like you obviously did.
However, I also feel that political ref’s among these articles dont have a place. Whether I agree with them or not. Just my opinion.
Very sorry to see Sic go. I really do feel a genuine sense of loss, and I never met the man. I cant imagine how his family and friends feel right now.
Just so we’re all clear, where in the following sentence is there a political reference?
“It is of course only natural in this FOX News world that we live in that every possible angle and outcome be explored before any sort of precedent for those mental exercises presents themselves.”
I guess we know who the FOX news fans are
@Jensen: There is nothing wrong with the sentence; it’s a legitimate reference to the voracious 24-hr news cycle. There IS something wrong with those who perceive it as a slight. Touchy touchy, eh girls?
Here, Jensen ;”As for the Fox reference, over here (the U.K.) Murdoch’s association is one of the main forces against unbiased and impartial reporting. Seems that some of you chaps Stateside seem oblivious to the horses**t that they spoonfeed you with?”
That how your comment is perceived.
Are we done? Otherwise, change your name to Politico / Huffington Post – at least we would now what to expect.
Comments before mine mentioned a political undertone. I was commenting that I agree politics don’t have a place in these articles. Never mentioned your FOX news remark. I do believe tho, that your political views have made their way into your work before. But I could be wrong about that. I’m not bored enough to prove it either way. But any time politcal BS comes through you get what you have above. Pointless. I dont care about anyones political stance. Like mine or not. Really, who cares.
Well said, Patron.
Fox does News ?
I have to agree with Steve Jobs on this one, Fox is a destructive medium.
Show me a person that defends Fox’s integrity, and I’ll show you someone that is either ignorant, or part of the deception that they are fair or balanced…
Back to the subject at hand. I for one thought it possible, that this could bring Rossi to early retirement, but am glad to hear that it has not…
Andiamo Rossi…
in all honesty I thought The Doctor was making this his last year the moment he signed on with Ducati
@Richard Mushet
I took the time to comment on that article you linked to. My response is as follows:
Jill,
You probably consider yourself a journalist or aspire to be one considering you write for a newspaper. I suppose it didn’t occur to you how hypocritical it be for a journalist to write this little bit of tripe so let me explain. As you may be aware, journalists often put themselves in harm’s way to bring us (the viewers, the readers, the listeners) the news. This happens in war zone reporting, natural disaster reporting, anywhere there is danger you’ll often find a member of the press around. Every now and then, a journalist gets killed doing their job. We could debate the value of that journalism just as easily as we could debate the value of motorsports. When a reporter dies, you can just as easily blame the viewer, the reader, the listener, or the news organization that sponsored their activity, as you so easily do with spectators of motorsport.
Do try to look in the mirror next time before pointing the finger at others.
@Jake Fox
Boom goes the dynamite.
Good luck getting that comment posted. You revealed a truth to her that she simply doesn’t have the capacity to understand. I wrote a comment for that article myself. So far she has decided not to allow through comments that point out her inadequacies as a (gulp) journalist.