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.
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.
Oh my gosh that sound, ah sh*t that exhaust note in the last video…i’d go to hell and back twice for that!!!!!!!
ロッシの新しい彼女、GP11との初対面映像。 RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Videos From Behind the Scenes as Rossi Meets the GP11 – http://bit.ly/ahJ6jk #motogp #motogp_jp
RT @Asphalt_Rubber Videos From Behind the Scenes as Rossi Meets the #Ducati GP11 – http://bit.ly/ahJ6jk #motorcycle #MotoGP
Note the care taken about positioning and fit.
That was very cool too see. The more I watch V.R. the more I like him. Epic talent / really cool guy. I hope he can figure out how to ride that thing and beat the Honda Hord that is building over hill!
So far there has been no presence of V.R. and Nicky together; sadly, I don’t think V.R. thinks there is anything to learn from “The Kid”. I bet its gonna be Ben fighting out with the Aliens and V.R. fighting for 5th and Nicky doing about the same. Nicky is lucky to have this ride. Should be fun to watch!
I wouldn’t underestimate Rossi’s ability and motivation. He’s been racing with a torn up shoulder for the whole season, which was much worse than they thought once the doctors got in there.
Despite the Ducati’s front end issues, Stoner proved that the Ducati was still capable of winning with a talented rider aboard. With Rossi and Burgess now developing the bike, it will improve. With Rossi going into next season fully healed and motivated, I think they will be battling for wins straight away.
RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Videos From Behind the Scenes as Rossi Meets the GP11 – http://bit.ly/ahJ6jk #motorcycle
Check this link, all about #valentinorossi RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Videos From Behind the Scenes as Rossi Meets the GP11 – http://bit.ly/ahJ6jk
RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Videos From Behind the Scenes as Rossi Meets the GP11 – http://bit.ly/ahJ6jk #motorcycle
RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Videos From Behind the Scenes as Rossi Meets the GP11 – http://bit.ly/ahJ6jk #motorcycle http://ow.ly/1a4SNO
RT @mphosa_r: This is for every die hard #VR46 fan, behind the scenes 1st #Ducati ride #motogpjunkies #yellowarmy http://bit.ly/aLe9JO
the sound from exhaust very loud and noisy…i think VR will make changes for it because the sound can disturbing him during race…just like what he’s done to M1..still loud but less than other bike
@ting tong: You serious mate? The wind noise would probably nearly drown out the exhaust…
The M1′s exhaust may be like that for some kind of tuning, not just for noise…anyway, the M1 has always had a muffler, even before Rossi joined Yamaha.
dude, i;m serious…i’ve read before in some magazines, years ago about VR complaining about noisy, loud sound from the exhaust…and he feel very uncomfortable during race especially when in cornering area…
Rossi complained back in his “Honda Days” about the exhaust being to loud when Honda tried to move to a straight through exhaust system.
Somebody must’ve got a ‘cease & desist’ order … :( bye bye videos
VR has announced no barrier in the Ducati pit. He and Hayden have always gotten on pretty well over the years. In some sense they have similar personalities. They work hard for the manufacturer, and have a huge and loyal fan following.
It’s clear to everyone who the #1 guy is and that keeps Rossi happy. Burgess
And Rossi have such monumental reputations as geniuses at bike set up, and hayden is similar in size and weight. Ducati technical cannot ignore burgess and Rossi. Burgess
Has a motogp record like no one ever. First with
Mick Doohan, then Rossi. Ducati won’t ignore him.
Had stoner (and hayden) not kept getting thrown down by the unpredictable front end, the Ducati would have been a genuine threat. The engine has all the horsepower, but the R1 had corner speed all season.
Ducati will be in positions 1-4, it’s just too hard to tell which two spots.