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.
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.
I have a nice story about Mr. Lock. I had a problem with my Duc down here in Brazil. So, I contacted the Ducati Brazil and tried a solution for almost two months with no success. I sent an email to Mr. Lock on Sunday and less than a half hour after I pressed the send key I received an answer from him, directly from his iPhone. He solved my request. Amazing.
I hope all the best to him, a realy nice and competent professional.
That is an amazing story Mr. Barreto!
I wonder if Ducati could use a smart law, econ and business guy. Its worked for them before ;)
I bet its Rossi
UNlike a certain AMerican company, Ducati has the goods to backup its marketing.
Rumor: Shake-Up at Ducati North America – http://aspha.lt/15k #motorcycle
Hi Jenson,
As the PR Manager and Spokesman for Ducati North America, I was a bit surprised to see this thread. Give me a call next time!
Just to straighten the story for you guys, when I left work this tonight Mr. Lock was still in charge and business proceeding as usual. If anything to the contrary occurs, I’ll let you know.
Cheers,
-John Paolo Canton
Ducati Press Department
Good to hear Mr. Lock is still there, he seems to be doing an excellent job with an amazing company!
Based off this bit, “All day we’ve been unable to reach anyone at Ducati’s Cupertino office, so we cannot confirm the report at this time…hey guys, pick up your phones!”, maybe y’all should answer the phones next time :)
Hey Piaggio! Are you hearing this?
Who do I have to kill to get a 917 built? The 848 is as useless as a Porsche Boxter. If the 848 were stroked back to it’s proper displacement, and then clothed in some very sexy retro fairings, I could get into it. Ducati have already revisited many successful themes, how much longer until they stop ignoring the obvious?
The 916 deserves a new life with a reliable engine. The Ducatisti deserve it as well.
Which theme would you rather base the baby SBK off of: The 1198 (great bike) or the 916 (ubiquitous motorcycle icon)? Why am I even asking this question? The children you’re hoping to attract with fresh looks can’t even afford your bikes anyway.
Shake it up, Michael. I mean that as encouragement. Bologna is missing something.
yeah, build more baby boomer bikes, that a novel idea…
You can get the displacement you want with an even bigger bore I do believe. I suspect the 848cc displacement is what it is in order to make it legal in supersport racing. A 917cc bike would race with the 1200cc twins would it not?
As a street bike, I can see some attraction to a punched up, modernized 916, but in all honesty, I’d buy a 1189 even if that were available. The most modern of the 916 era bike, the 998, is the same as far as aesthetics and has a very respectable and reasonably reliable motor. Plenty are available used for far less than a new one could be built. The 916 era machine was truly exceptional, but a company has to move forward and can’t just do one good thing then rest on it for two decades.
So now, was JP bluffing us or really less aware of Ducati’s impending management changes than A&R? Either way A&R’s on its game!
Naw. JPC is legit.
Thanks Jenson! Unfortunately I only found out last night. There is a famous phrase in corporate communications, which is “the PR guy is usually the last to know!”
John – Does this mean you can tell us when the Ducati 796 (with ABS) will hit the USA?
The dealers all seem to have a different answer, anywhere from next week to next year, but they are taking orders for them. The 796 is available today, thus I would think the ABS version would not be too far behind…
Any info is appreciated!
Hi there- the 796 ABS will hit our docks in New Jersey next month.
Cheers,
-JPC
Shake-Up at Ducati North America – http://bit.ly/bApFds #motorcycle