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.

Mega Recall: Ducati 1199 Panigale (3x)

08/20/2012 @ 10:47 am, by Jensen Beeler10 COMMENTS

Mega Recall: Ducati 1199 Panigale (3x) Ducati 1199 Panigale aerial 635x406

UPDATE: Ducati has issued two more recalls with the NHTSA for the 2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale

Once, twice, thrice times unlucky, Ducati 1199 Panigale owners have three recalls that have been placed with the NHTSA that they should pay attention to this week. Affecting 2,411 units, Ducati North America is recalling presumably its first batch of Panigales for excessive heat at the exhaust butterfly valve, as well two issues that relate to the Panigale’s steering column and Öhlins steering damper.

As is normally the case, Ducati will contact affected owners, and authorized Ducati dealers will remedy the problems free of charge. There is no time line for the recalls at this point in time, though concerned Panigale owners can contact Ducati at 1-800-231-6696 (reference Ducati recall #RCL-12-006).

As always the NHTSA is available at 1-888-327-4236 and safercar.gov. The three recalls are listed after the jump, along with the appropriate NHTSA-issued recall number for your referencing.

Recall #1 : Exhaust butterfly valve bowden cable cover (12V392000):

“Ducati is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 1199 Panigale motorcycles manufactured from March 16, 2012, through July 12, 2012. The exhaust butterfly valve bowden cable cover could melt or burn due to excess heat of the catalytic converter.”

Recall #2 : Steering head threads (12V400000):

“Ducati is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 1199 Panigale motorcycles manufactured from March 16, 2012, through July 12, 2012. Screws that secure the steering damper to the steering head could fall out due to an insufficient amount of Loctite applied to the threads.”

Recall #3 : Öhlins steering damper (12V399000):

“Ducati is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 1199 Panigale motorcycles manufactured from March 16, 2012, through July 12, 2012 . Due to an incorrect assembly tolerance, the Uniball bearing on the damper rod eyelet could slip out of its seat on the Ohlins steering damper.”

Source: NHTSA (#1, #2, & #3)

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Comment:

  1. Mark Benson says:
    August 20, 2012 at 5:52 PM

    Mega Recall: Ducati 1199 Panigale (3x) – http://t.co/0Yq7Yr7y #motorcycle

  2. Spektre76 says:
    August 20, 2012 at 9:09 PM

    Someone at Ducati is going to have a bad day and pink slip in their locker.

  3. Damo says:
    August 21, 2012 at 6:29 AM

    The only consistent complaint I have read about these bikes has been the excessive exhaust heat. Several British reviewers said they had to stop in traffic because the read header section was so hot they thought their rear end was on fire.

    To be fair that is really the only complaint I have read about the bike.

  4. Gary says:
    August 21, 2012 at 8:39 AM

    Can a bike be recalled for being ugly too???

  5. Damo says:
    August 21, 2012 at 8:50 AM

    @Gary

    I don’t think so, I mean they are still selling the BMW S1000RR after all.

  6. Xlomotion says:
    August 21, 2012 at 9:09 AM

    @Damo
    Good one!
    They should do something about the heat. My had the pipe ceramic coated and then thermo wrapped just to make it rideable on the streets

  7. Damo says:
    August 21, 2012 at 10:06 AM

    @Xlomotion

    Yeah too bad about the heat. That can really ruin a riding day. The only bike I had with under seat exhaust was my first bike (Honda Hornet 919) and the seat heat was bearable.

    I know from experience the 1098/1198 never had that problem, I wonder why it gets so damn toasty?

  8. paulus says:
    August 21, 2012 at 10:22 AM

    Sounds like a new guy started March 16th

  9. Chumba says:
    August 21, 2012 at 10:37 AM

    “As is normally the case, Ducati will contact affected owners. . .”

    Uh. Ahem. Horsecrap. Ducati did no such thing in regards to the expanding fuel tanks on earlier Monsters, Streetfighters, 848s and Sport Classics. No recall notice from Big D graced my mailbox. Then they attempted to duck responsibility for it by taking that issue to court.

    At the very least it’s good to see there may have been a lesson learnt and than Ducati comes clean with issues on their production bikes. Hopefully all owners will have minimal down time.

  10. Gary says:
    August 22, 2012 at 9:10 AM

    Regarding thermal output on earlier models: my 996 had noticeable, but not serious, heat radiating from the up-pipes leading to the silencers. On my 1198 it’s a lot more intense, but not a real problem if you’re moving along at a reasonable pace (above 45 mph). The devil’s in the physics, as engine output increases, so too does the heat generated. Harley knows this all too well (jokes aside). Designers are then stuck with the task of how to despense with that energy in a sensible way and the options start to get thin on a platform the size of a motorcycle.