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.
Former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz has certainly been in the news a bit these past few months, mostly for his involvement and falling out with the Circuit of the Americas and the Americas GP, but also more recently for his comments regarding Dani Pedrosa — we also sat down with Mr. Schwantz in Austin, and the Texan gave us some sobering insight into the future of American road racing. As if all that wasn’t enough, Schwantz is making a return to two-wheeled racing, and has entered the prestigious Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race with Team Kagayama racing alongside Noriyuki Haga and team owner Yukio Kagayama.
An interesting development on the aftermarket side of things has graced our desks, as Öhlins has released a “suspension control unit” (SCU) that upgrades the electronically adjustable suspension on the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S so that it becomes a semi-active suspension system. Whhhaaaat??! So, if you’re the proud owner of a pre-2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S, and you think that your electronically controlled Öhlins suspension is no longer boss, now that Ducati has released its Sachs-powered “Skyhook” semi-active suspension pieces on its new batch of Multistrada sport-tourers, there is a remedy for your motolust.
In case you missed our exhaustive coverage of the Grand Prix of the Americas, those fools at Dorna gave me pit lane access this MotoGP season. So while the whole paddock waits for the Spaniards to come to their senses, I don’t plan on wasting the opportunity to share with our readers our extreme access to motorcycling’s premier racing class. Accordingly, here comes another installment into our ever-continuing “Up-Close” series, featuring the very finest Iwata has to offer: the Yamaha YZR-M1. Thirty 2000px-wide photos are waiting for you after the jump.
This sketch really explains itself. Porportedly coming from an unnamed Ducati dealer, we see that the yet-to-be unveild Mega Monster will feature the 1198cc Testastretta 11° v-twin motor. Also mentioned in the sketch is a ride-by-wire throttle and traction control system. If this is truly Ducati Project 0803, can we please move on to Project 0804…this one makes baby Jesus cry.
Source: Ducati.ms via Ducati News Today
What do you mean move on to the next project?, its like totally badass down at Starbucks man :)
I’m blogging on this on Monday. Not happy.
I keep hoping that when I’m at EICMA, they pull the cover off the Mega Monster, and it’s a totally different motorcycle with “Gotcha!” written across the side of it.
I just threw up in my mouth…and sharted a little.
I don’t see why everyone is crying about Ducati building this bike. Is Ducati only supposed to build bikes that will either get you killed or cause you to lose your license. I had a 1098 and Hypermotard (now I have a Streetfighter) and these bikes are worthless for street riding because Johnny Law says you can push 180mph and do wheelies down city streets.
If this opens up another segment of potential business and revenue then go for it. Maybe then they will have enough money to build a better GP bike for next year and start winning some races again (hopefully with Rossi!).
I have urged the US Marketing Director to push for an American/Italian curser for five years. If this is the “Muscle Cruiser” response from the Italians I might just purchase my first Ducati (yipee)!
I love watching the Italians shake up the US/Japanese designer/manufacturers and offer more truly unique works of art!!!
Fingers crossed for a 2011 intro into the US market!!!
Suggestion – Contact Pierre Terblanche and ask about some time spent with the Oakley boys at U.S. bike drag races. You might find that there is more to the birth of the concept inside Ducati than you know…..
*shuffles next to baby Jesus and shares a tissue*
@ Silver
I think that Ducati can absolutely build a performance cruiser, and have it work with their brand and culture…but this is not that bike. Ducati Italy needs to listen to Ducati N.A. about what customers want, and I don’t see that going on here at all. The Mega Monster looks like the result of Gabriele del Torchio losing a bet with Keith Wandell.
This move for Ducati would be analagous to Porche’s Cayenne, and currently the Panamera. Purists turn up their nose, and economists revel.
Personally, I don’t understand what an 11degree engine has to do with the Ducati line-up, but Harley owners didn’t understand the euro-designed V-rod engine. It’s an attempt to enter new segments, so good-on-ya Ducati.
As with Porche and Harley, the existing customers will likely ostracize the newcomers. And I’ll be one of them. Haha.
Re: Silver
“If this opens up another segment of potential business and revenue then go for it. Maybe then they will have enough money to build a better GP bike for next year and start winning some races again (hopefully with Rossi!).”
First, creating this kind of crap is using up good money and good engineering needed to make the MotoGp faster, Duck is still a relatively small company compared to HRC or Yam after all. Second, your comments should read “(hopefully with Burgess)” as J Burgess is responsible for making the bikes better, not Rossi. This small company is already spending outrageous cash to get Rossi (which will further deplete their limited budgets) and they are wasting cash on this crap bike (which is in a dying market segment anyway – just ask the Japs or HD) and if they don’t get Burgess then there will likely not even be any improvement in their MotoGp design anyway.
So, to answer your question ” Is Ducati only supposed to build bikes that will either get you killed or cause you to lose your license.”
Yes. Resoundingly. Going elsewhere just wastes their money and diminishes their image. If you want a cruiser go see Harley.
” Small Fry TestaStretta 11* ” Engine, pipes & mufflers have to go, looks too Cruiser-ish… already street running Mule looking BETTER.
Ducati………………Poll potential customers and ask questions….Please. LOL.
MTGR, no shit Ducati is a small company and they don’t have the money like HRC. Honda’s product line is diverse for the simple reason of trying to capture as many riders as they can. As for as Ducati wasting a ton of money on developing a “crap” bike, they aren’t spending as much as you would think considering they are using already developed parts off the shelf to build their bikes. It is more of a reconfiguration of an existing model then a new bike. I have a Streetfighter and it probably was the cheapest bike to develop for Ducati since it is a 95% 1098 with different bodywork.
As far as Burgess, he built a bike one person can ride, and that guy is leaving. So don’t say it isn’t about the rider. Look at Ben Spies and what he did with an all-new R1, on tracks he hasn’t seen, against veteran bikes and riders.
As far as them wasting money on this bike, I disagree. This bike’s intent is to appeal to a different crowd and won’t affect their superbike line. I personally think the Multistrada line is crap and has been crap for years (including the new Multi) with their ugly design but they appeal to a certain type of rider. A good company “should” be doing market research before creating a new bike and this bike isn’t a “cruiser” in the same sense of what a Harley is.
Ducati is a company that probably makes more money selling $50 t-shirts and $300 DP slaves then what they actually make on their bikes. If they want to make more money then maybe they should stop grossly overcharging for “Ducati Performance” parts and they may boost their overall revenue. Instead, I buy aftermarket parts because they are just as good (if not better) and less expense with equals lost revenue for Ducati.
Deez, the 11deg is just the cam overlap, its the same basic 1198 motor that’s in the superbike, mts and all that. The superbike runs a bit more overlap, while the MTS 1200 runs only 11 deg of overlap for a bit better economy and low rpm/part throttle manners.
The whole 11 degree buzz is just marketing hype, and poorly considerd at that as almost no one understands what it means and several I’m sure are guessing its the cylinder angle or has to do with firing order (it doesn’t of course).
LEAKED: Sketch Explains Ducati Mega Monster – http://aspha.lt/169 #motorcycle
What BikePilot says. This is the EXACT same engine from the MTS1200. So what’s this huge investment from Ducati that’s going to bankrupt their company making this? The motor is off the shelf. So are probably half the other parts. All this is is a stretched Monster with an MTS engine and a wide rear tire. I’m guessing they’ll sell it for about $16K, and I’m guessing there’ll be a waiting list as long as the seat is low enough, the pegs forward enough, the exhaust loud enough, and the accessories catalog thick enough. Some purists will say it tarnishes the brand, but this happened big time with the original Multistrada, and Ducati is still doing just fine selling superbikes. For every ten of these things they sell, they’ll lose one superbike customer (if that), which = cash positive. And don’t “cruiser” buyers load up with clothing and accessories more than any other bike buyer? I think Ducati will be fine.
My dad got back into riding shortly after I started. Since then he’s ridden a string of cruisers, the latest a Harley Dyna FLXGSERRSGCF or whatever. And it’s terrible. Even worse than the metric cruisers he rode before. From day one I have been trying to convince him that there are other options between crotch rocket and rolling sofa/vibrator. There’s a whole middle ground of standards and retros and sensible bikes that are every bit as comfortable (of not more so) than any cruiser he’s owned, yet weigh less than an average European car and actually do important things like go, stop, and turn. You know, for those rare occasions he might grow a pair and need to… He still doesn’t buy it. He thinks that if it isn’t covered in a hundred pounds of chrome, he’s going to have to dress like a Power Ranger to ride it and feel like a douche.
I work at a large place (probably about 500 employees), and a lot of them ride. I am one of THREE that aren’t on huge cruisers. And I’ve tried and tried and tried to suggest that, maybe, at least they just TRY something different to see if they might like it. None of them will have anything to do with it. They don’t care how it handles, how heavy it is. They just care that it fits a certain image. (And–this is just a theory–I’m also guessing that they’re simply afraid. I don’t think it’s any accident that the most over-masculine, totally compensatory bikes on the market are also the ones with the lowest seats and weakest motors and worst ground clearance. These guys don’t have to worry about actually controlling something at speed, because speed is not an option. They don’t have to worry about turning fast, because there’s not enough clearance to do so–they have a valid excuse for putting around turns. And having that seat barely more than a foot off the ground makes any fall that might happen that much less scary to the subconscious mind–the ground is RIGHT THERE… that can’t hurt. All the while they still get to feel like badasses! Win/win!)
Anyway, for those like my dad or the guys I work with that INSIST on riding a “cruiser” just because it’s a cruiser, I don’t see the problem with this bike. I don’t care that it’s batshit ugly because I think all cruisers are. But surely this will undercut your average H-D by over 100 lb. And Ohlins suspension and monoblock Brembos should help this thing a lot in the agility and safety department. And, I mean, show me a cruiser other than the Goldwing maybe that can lean to 40 degrees!
In other words, if it’s this or an FLGHXSDQB, I’d take this.
It is FUGLY as SHIT!!! NEXT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Guy’s we all agree two wheels is better than four right?! And 90% of you agree the Harley douche bag image is getting REALLY OLD. So if this bike takes even one of those guys away from the “Lets go to the bar, get drunk and ride home” crowd then it is a massive success in my eyes.
I have NO problem with Ducati building a ‘cruiser’.
But this one is a seriously ugly POS.
I really dislike this bike very much, but it makes sense. Marketing the bike will be everything b/c it’s not going to win any Harley people, imo. It they get some product placement in Hollywood like they did with the hypermotard, they could probably start a new gen of cruiser Ducatisti by attracting younger riders who have cash to burn (do any of those people exist anymore).
There are two untapped segments for Ducati that are both tailor-made–cruisers (twins) and dirtbikes (singles). Both of those segments are huge in the US and both of them are perfect for Ducati. MX/SX are more lucrative and more open to change. If I were Ducati I would have gone to the dirt first.
Ok, so Ducati is building a V-Rod??? Harley isn’t having that much success with it, why would Ducati?
Everytime one of these rolls off the assembly line God will kill a puppy.
To get this back on track… as HD rider I will completely turn over my keys for this bike! That is just a matter of fact. ANYONE with half a mind knows the value of a Duct its made to ride & ride hard. 240 tire of not I bet it runs circles around anything HD has or will make. (See the end of Buell)
That is why Ducati is making this bike to get people like me mid-late 30′s who ride a cruiser / muscle bike who isn’t die hard brand loyal.
Yes I own a HD no I didn’t drink the cool-aide I know a damn good bike(for how I ride) when I see it.
Its not going to be everyone cup of tea but the market Ducati is after is very very clear. HD better have something ready to do battle with this bike if the price point is close the V-rod muscle
To get this back on track… as HD rider I will completely turn over my keys for this bike! That is just a matter of fact. ANYONE with half a mind knows the value of a Duct its made to ride & ride hard. 240 tire or not, I bet it runs circles around anything HD has or will make. (See the end of Buell)
That is why Ducati is making this bike to get people like me mid-late 30′s who ride a cruiser / muscle bike who isn’t die hard brand loyal.
Yes I own a HD no I didn’t drink the cool-aide I know a damn good bike(for how I ride) when I see it.
Its not going to be everyone cup of tea but the market Ducati is after is very very clear. HD better have something ready to do battle with this bike if the price point is close the V-rod muscle
Just lost all respect for ducati.