Shipped up and on its way to the Isle of Man, we can finally now see more than test shots of the Mugen Shinden Ni and get its basic racing specifications. The electric superbike that John McGuinness will ride in the 2013 TT Zero race at the Isle of Man TT, the Mugen Shinden Ni represents that evolution of the Japanese firm’s design, having now a TT race under its belt. Like its main competitor MotoCzysz, Team Mugen is eyeing a 110 mph lap around the Mountain Course, which would be a pretty remarkable one-year advancement for either team. With Mr. McPint at the helm, and seemingly brimming with on-board energy, Mugen is a serious contender.
Ducatisti: do you want the good news or the bad news first? The bad news is that the market for motorcycles 500cc and up is down 17% worldwide for the first quarter of this year, which means the “good” news is that Ducati is only down 5% for Q1 2013. Not exactly the start out of the gate that Audi was hoping for its newly acquired two-wheeled brand, but what are you going to do? Western Europe is a mess, with Spain and Italy continuing to go down like a…well, you know. While we don’t enjoy the misery of motorcycle brands, the fact that Ducati Motor Holding is now under the Audi AG umbrella means that we get far more detailed quarterly and yearly reports from the two-wheeled marque, and we’ve got the digits after the jump.
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.
Thank goodness it’s nothing too serious ;)
@Jake: “That’ll buff right out.”
Yeah Jake, like chipped paint ..the catastrophy !
At least it wasn’t something like “Might burst into flames at the stoplights for no reason” like with Ferraris from the 80′s.
Legendary Ducati Quality at it’s finest!
Imagine suspension collapse on the freeway infront of a big Truck!!Now thats a catastrophy!!
@Gutterslob:
Apparently u never heard of the fairly new 458 Italia catching fire for “no aparent reason”.
Of course there was a reason but i find it hard to understand how it never showed itself during ” road testing” on “Prototypes”……. YES, legendary Italian Q.C. indeed. LOL.
Is cool tho, they know there’s a problem and are working to fix…it happens even to the best of us.
Stay away from these POS Italian motorcycles!!!!
Dec 7, 2011 126,000 Honda Goldwing motorcycles recalled for brake problems. The company has identified an issue with the motorbikes’ secondary brake master cylinders that may cause the rear brakes to drag, increasing the risk of a collision. Riding a motorcycle with a stuck rear brake may also generate enough heat to cause a fire.
MAY 21, 2009 HONDA IS RECALLING 12,894 MY 2008 CBR1000RR MOTORCYCLES. A COOLANT HOSE CLAMP LOCATED ON THE WATER PUMP COVER MAY BREAK DUE TO FATIGUE CAUSED BY VIBRATION GENERATED AT CONTINUOUS HIGH ENGINE SPEEDS. IF THE CLAMP BREAKS, HOT COOLANT CAN SPRAY ONTO THE RIDERS LEFT LOWER LEG CAUSING SCALDING TO THE RIDER.
FEB 23, 2011 Suzuki says 73,4276 motorcycles are being recalled.
Vehicle Make / Model: Model Year(s):
• SUZUKI / AN400 2008-2009
• SUZUKI / DL1000 2008-2009
• SUZUKI / GSF1250 2008-2009
• SUZUKI / GSX-R600 2008-2009
• SUZUKI / GSX-R750 2008-2009
• SUZUKI / GSX1300B 2008
• SUZUKI / GSX1300R 2008-2010
• SUZUKI / GSX650F 2008-2009
• SUZUKI / SFV650 2009-2010
• SUZUKI / VL800 2008-2010
• SUZUKI / VLR1800 2008-2009
• SUZUKI / VZ1500 2009-2010
Suzuki says some regulator / rectifier assemblies were produced with insufficient adhesion between the power module (circuit board) and the rectifier case that contains a heat sink to dissipate heat. Due to the insufficient adhesion, heat generated on the power module circuit board can cause the circuit board to deform, and lift off the case. This condition causes excessive heat on the circuit board and uncontrolled electric current output which can result in insufficient charging current being provided to the motorcycle battery.
This can cause the discharge of the Suzuki motorcycle’s battery, which can lead to stalling or a non-start condition; if the motorcycle’s engine stalls, it could increase the risk of a crash.
APR 19, 2012 BMW is recalling 1,414 model year 2012 s1000rr motorcycles, manufactured from September 1, 2011, through April 10, 2012. Due to a manufacturing process error, the connecting rod bolts may become loose during high engine temperatures and/or high engine operating speeds which could result in catastrophic engine damage. In the event of engine damage, escaping oil could cause handling issues, increasing the risk of a crash.
FEB 17, 2012 Kawasaki is recalling 20,544 model year 2008-2011 ninja zx-10r, and 2009-2012 ninja zx-6r motorcycles manufactured from December 14, 2007 through July 26, 2011. Due to a manufacturing error, the regulator/rectifier may insufficiently charge the battery.
If the battery discharges, the motorcycle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
No good throwing stones at Ducati, my 4th generation BMW S1000RR is also subject to a recall, all conrod bolts must be replaced…
The good thing is that manufacturers are admitting to it, recalling bikes and making good…
The phone number for DNA is wrong. That is the number for Ducati’s dealer locator. Does anyone have a better phone number for Ducati. I realy would perfer not to wait until I get the letter – or until the swingarm falls off my 1199.
Call your dealer Don, we’ll take care of you.
I’m not a big Ducati fan but motorcycles are like everything; Every once & a while you get a bunk part on them. This applies, too, to humans. If, after tens of thousands of years, humans are still born with defects, how do you expect them to make a prefect machine? People who are sitting here slagging Ducati should also include their favorite manufacturer in the deal because I’m sure your BMWSUZUKIHONDAKTMYAMAHAHARLEYBUELLVICTORYKAWASKIHODAKATRIUMPHAPRILIAF’NWHATEVER has had a recall. I’ve been around motorcycles for a long time and it’s tough to get it right the first time. Ride more, whine less, get on with your lives. I’m pretty sure the sky isn’t falling.
the old ducati didn’t do recalls, they just sold them the way they are.
this is a new kind of ducati
Well, at least they will replace the incorrect screw free of charge. Might as well inspect all the bikes before someone gets hurt.