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.

Brammo Anti-Scooter in 60 Days

Mon, September 21st, 2009 @ 10:00 am, by Jenny Gun9 COMMENTS
Home » Rumors » Brammo Anti-Scooter in 60 Days

Just a few weeks ago, Brammo began rolling-out their program to sell Enertia electric motorcycles at Best Buy’s along the west coast. Most companies would be content to rest on this accomplishment and catch their breath, but not the folks in Ashland, Oregon. Maybe it’s all that clean-air they’re breathing, or there’s something in the water; either way, we’re happy to report that in the nexy 60 days or so, you’ll see a new product announcement from Brammo, secretly dubbed “The Anti-Scooter”.

Called the Anti-Scooter internally, the next electric-powered two-wheeled creation from Brammo will aim to be a scooter replacement, which will not require a motorcycle license (or in some states, an easier to get M2 license) in order to be ridden. Continuing on Brammo’s goal of bringing new consumers into the world of motorcycling, this Anti-Scooter (official name yet to be determined) hopes to get new people on tw0-wheels, who have yet to get their motorcycle license.

In order to get non-licensed riders on the new motorcycle, Brammo will impose a speed restrictor on the new motorcycle that will mimic the displacement restrictions that various states have set in-place for mopeds and motorized bicycles. Normally this would be a difficult task for a manufacturer, since laws vary from state-to-state, but since electric motorcycles can impose this restriction via software, the variance is easy to make.

We got a chance to glimpse the Anti-Scooter on our way through Oregon this week. The Honda Ruckus inspired bike sits low to the ground and hopes to be an electric alternative to the Vespa scooter, which have become increasingly popular here in the US. Brammo hopes to show the public the Anti-scooter in the nexy 60 days, and based on customer feedback, proceede with the final design process. We were told few technical details, but it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that with a top-speed of 30 mph, the Anti-Scooter could match the Enertia for range, even with smaller battery packs. Stay tuned for more information as we get it.

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Tagged under: Brammo, Brammo Anti-Scooter, Brammo Enertia, electric, Honda, Honda Ruckus, scooter, Vespa

Comment:

John Adamo says:
September 21, 2009 at 7:16 AM
Ruckus inspired Brammo scooter soon. RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Brammo Anti-Scooter in 60 Days – http://bit.ly/LTCz7 #motorcycle
Brammofan says:
September 21, 2009 at 8:28 AM
RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Brammo Anti-Scooter in 60 Days – http://bit.ly/LTCz7 #motorcycle
Brammofan says:
September 21, 2009 at 12:54 PM
Three things:
1. Great scoop on this, Jenny!
2. Never realized that Honda would design something so fugly.
3. At least Brammo has 60 days to pretty it up.
Wow. I can’t stop looking at the Enertia logo on the picture. It burns my eyes.
Peter Lombardi says:
September 21, 2009 at 1:37 PM
i want a ruckus sooooooo damn bad!!! hahaha it’s a sickness….
anyhow, i see an opportunity for an electric aftermarket devise in there somewhere ;)
-peter
Stacy says:
September 21, 2009 at 2:06 PM
If the speed restrictor is software based, it’ll be just as easy to remove it. Get ready to flash some firmware, kids.
Asphalt_Rubber says:
September 21, 2009 at 2:00 PM
Brammo Anti-Scooter in 60 Days – http://bit.ly/LTCz7 #motorcycle
Cheap Cycle Parts says:
September 22, 2009 at 7:12 AM
Brammo follows up on Enertia success with Anti-Scooter http://tinyurl.com/mjbsc3
Asphalt_Rubber says:
November 23, 2009 at 5:06 PM
@BrammoCraig According to my calendar it's been 60 days. When are we going to hear more about the Brammo anti-scooter? http://bit.ly/LTCz7
Gloria Gannon says:
June 7, 2010 at 8:49 AM
I am looking for a scooter that I will drive on a daily basis about 100 miles round trip. I did some research and figured I would need a 150 cc at least. I went to the places here that sell them and some online scooterdepot, safewholesale and atvdeals those companies are at least 1/2 of what the local companies sell. The dealers up here said that they don’t sell quality scooters. So I need to know if anybody can give me any advice?