Cutaway Photos of the Ducati Superquadro Engine

I was flipping through some photos from the 2011 EICMA show, and found these shots of the Ducati 1199 Panigale’s Superquadro engine. Unfortunately at the show, Ducati had its 1199cc v-twin motor behind a Lexan case, which created a bit of a glare, reflections, and of course had smudges from the touchy-feely Italian crowd. But still, the photos give a good idea of what’s going on in Ducati’s most-advanced production engine to date, and are better than just looking at the CAD renders. If you look at the shots very closely, you can almost see where the 195hp and 98 lbs•ft of torque is lurking inside.

AGV, Please Make This Helmet!

In addition to testing the factory Ducati Desmosedici GP12 “Phoenix” this week at Sepang, Valentino Rossi is also trying out a new lid from AGV. Aside from the carbon fiber goodness, and of course the Rossi stickers (which add 5hp & $200), AGV’s prototype helmet sports a noticably pronounced rear spoiler. Tucked in behind the windscreen, it is obvious why the Italian helmet manufacturer designed such a large protrusion off the back of the prototype helmet, as it looks to be clearly helping the flow off the back of the helmet, across the rider’s hump, and down his backside.

2012 Honda RC213V Debuts in Malaysia

While Ducati Corse is busy playing hide-the-Desmosedici at Sepang, HRC is all business in Malaysia this week, and has debuted its 2012 Honda RC213V MotoGP-contender. Honda isn’t saying too much about the RC213V, simply stating that the race bike is all new, but is also a continuation of the company’s design with the 800cc Honda RC212V. Testing the Honda RC213V over the course of last season, reigning-World Champion Casey rode the new 1,000cc machine three times in 2011, while teammate Dani Pedrosa swung a leg over the RC213V twice (missing one test because of injury).

No, This is the “90%” New Ducati Desmosedici GP12

You may have been misled by some eager journalists today and yesterday, if you saw a Ducati Corse livery-clad Ducati Desmosedici GP12 that some sites were passing off as the first shots of the “90% new” GP12. With the alleged new GP12 looking surprisingly similar to the aluminum-framed “GP0″ that was tested at Valencia, Valentino Rossi’s mechanic has now Alex Briggs confirmed that the photos taken were not of the all new “GP12 Phoenix” that the factory team will race this season. While the Ducati lords can taketh away, they can also giveth, and Valentino Rossi himself has posted the first photo of the factory Desmosedici GP12, and the bike is clearly different.

Zero Motorcycles Commences 2012 Model Line Production

Zero Motorcycles has announced the full-commencement of production for its 2012 model line, which is expected to hit dealers in February & March of this year. First off the line was the 2012 Zero DS back in December, though the electric motorcycle company has recently started building the Zero S, Zero XU, Zero X, and Zero MX at its Scotts Valley facility as well. A story we broke back in November, Zero Motorcycles debuted its important 2012 electric motorcycle line up at the 2011 EICMA show in Milan, with the 2012 range being a substantial improvement upon the company’s previous offerings.

The Dainese D-Air Racing Airbag Suit Comes to America

Getting a look at Dainese & AGV’s 2012 collection, Asphalt & Rubber was down in Orange County earlier this week to see the highly anticipated Dainese D-Air Racing leather suit, which has a four liter airbag system that helps reduce the risk of injury during a motorcycle crash. Dainese has been working on the D-Air Racing system for 10 years now, and after soft-launching the airbag suit in Europe, the Italian company is ready to bring the game-changing technology to American soil.

I Love the Nightlife. I’ve Come to Boogie.

Us Danes, we’re a strange breed. From the culture that taught you how to rape and pillage, Scandinavia is making yet another contribution to the motorcycling world with this latest video. Featuring Danish Supermoto Champion Andreas Mikkelsen, we get a RoToR camera-esque perspective (this rig is actually home made) on the Dane’s practice session at the Als Supermotard Club in Denmark. It’s videos like this that are slowly eroding my will-power to resist getting into supermotard riding. Also, I don’t know who was in charge of the music selection on this thing, but my hat is off to him/her. I love the nightlife. I’ve come to boogie.

Confirmed: KTM 350 Duke in 2013 – Moto3 Inspired 350cc Sport Bike in 2014

Our friends over at IndianCarsBikes.in were in attendance at the KTM 200 Duke launch in India this week, as the Austrian brand launched its somewhat bigger-displacement version of the popular KTM Duke 125. During the press event, KTM talked about the future of the mini-Duke line and its product roadmap for the emerging country, as well as abroad. With the Austrian brand confirming/clarifying that KTM would release a KTM 350 Duke for India in 2013, zie Austrians also confirmed that the KTM 350 Duke would be built locally in India by Bajaj, but would be exported worldwide — allaying fears that the KTM 350 Duke would be an India-only model.

Why Today is the Most Important Day for Ducati…Ever

Now that the first Ducati 1199 Panigale has rolled out of the door in Bologna, the die is cast, the chips are in play, and our course is set to see if Ducati has created a “massive breach of brand trust and honesty.” The realization of course should be that Ducati’s brand was never in danger with bikes like the Hypermotard, Multistrada 1200, or Diavel. Instead, the danger of serious brand dilution has always rested on how Ducati handled its Superbike line. A failure to produce a two-wheeled machine that is both as striking visually as it is kinetically, could permanently alienate a loyal fan base that has endured a great deal in the past half-decade.

Video: Community + Motorcycles = Motomethod

There is a lot that can be said about why dealerships fail or succeed (we’ve already seen an interesting insight on the subject of shops being open on Sundays), and one aspect on how to be a successful dealership that will surely rise to the top is one of community. Here, Vancouver-based Motomethod is all about the community, as the do-it-yourself community garden style repair shop has become a place for British Columbian riders not to work on their motorcycles, but also to congregate together with a shared love of riding on two wheels. Not exactly a new concept business-wise, but still a fresh perspective in an otherwise unwilling to change industry. More on this thought process to be published in the coming weeks. Enjoy.

WSBK: Superpole Qualifying at Portimao Builds Confidence for Hopeful Rider

Sat, October 24th, 2009 @ 7:31 pm, by Jenny GunComments Off
Home » Racing » WSBK: Superpole Qualifying at Portimao Builds Confidence for Hopeful Rider

It’s the qualifying session we’ve all been waiting for: the last Superpole of the 2009 season at Portimao, Portugal. A vetting process for tomorrow’s races, today’s Superpole gives us a glimpse into how this amazing season might end. How close would Ben Spies and Noriyuki Haga be on the starting line come Sunday? Who would be faster? By what margin? And lastly, would Ben Spies be able to take the outright pole record for World Superbike racing? Those answers after the jump.

Starting with our last question first, we’ll save you the trouble of scrolling down, and just come right out with the fact that Ben Spies will be sitting at the #1 position of tomorrow’s grid. Winning the Superpole by over half a second, Spies has once again taken the pole position in a World Supebike, making that 11 pole starts this season, which sets a new record. Speaking of records, Spies’ qualifying time is also now the fastest that anyone has lapped at the Portimao track. Two birds in one stroke, maybe there is something to the Spies method.

While that would be big news on its own merit, the bigger story from Portimao has been the noticeable struggling of Noriyuki Haga. Almost a second off the pace, Haga was unable to even make it into the final Superpole round, and will thus start from the 10th position on the grid. The Japanese rider will have to fight from the third row if he wants to catch the ever elusive World Superbike Championship title, that has twice evaded his capture.

Haga will also have to contend with a very fast field of rivals if he wants to gain on Spies during the races. Johnny Rea and Max Biaggi have been very quick all week, and Haga’s own teammate, Michel Fabrizio found a way to get his Ducati 1098R to fast around the Portuguese track. Perhaps this might bode well for Haga, who can build off his teammate’s settings, but judging from the way Fabrizio has ridden all year, the Italian is more than likely to make Haga earn every corner, and every pass. Still Fabrizio has said he will do whatever he can to help Haga win the Championship, which we hope doesn’t mean crashing into Spies again.

It doesn’t matter who you’re rooting for, we guarantee you’ll be on your chair tomorrow yelling at the television while the 2009 WSBK season concludes itself. Here in the States, The SPEED Channel is listing its WSBK races as being televised from 3-5pm EST, with 250GP and MotoGP following right afterward.

Superpole Results from World Superbike at Portimao, Portugal:

Pos	No.	Rider	Bike	Time	Diff
1	19	B. Spies	Yamaha YZF R1	1’42.412	-
2	67	S. Byrne	Ducati 1098R	1’42.996	0.584
3	84	M. Fabrizio	Ducati 1098R	1’43.015	0.603
4	65	J. Rea	Honda CBR1000RR	1’43.126	0.714
5	91	L. Haslam	Honda CBR1000RR	1’43.523	1.111
6	3	M. Biaggi	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	1’43.526	1.114
7	10	F. Nieto	Ducati 1098R	1’43.553	1.141
8	11	T. Corser	BMW S1000 RR	1’44.719	2.307
Out after Superpole 2
9	96	J. Smrz	Ducati 1098R	1’43.240	0.672
10	41	N. Haga	Ducati 1098R	1’43.377	0.809
11	50	S. Guintoli	Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9	1’43.406	0.838
12	7	C. Checa	Honda CBR1000RR	1’43.461	0.893
13	22	L. Camier	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	1’43.671	1.103
14	71	Y. Kagayama	Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9	1’43.717	1.149
15	100	M. Tamada	Kawasaki ZX 10R	1’44.050	1.482
16	15	M. Baiocco	Ducati 1098R	1’45.439	2.871
Out after Superpole 1
17	14	M. Lagrive	Honda CBR1000RR	1’44.453	1.397
18	23	B. Parkes	Kawasaki ZX 10R	1’44.458	1.402
19	111	R. Xaus	BMW S1000 RR	1’44.483	1.427
20	99	L. Scassa	Kawasaki ZX 10R	1’44.851	1.795

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Tagged under: Ben Spies, Johnny Rea, Noriyuki Haga, Portimao, Portugal, Shane Byrne, Superpole, world superbike, WSBK

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