Asphalt & Rubber

Brit Brothers Chicane Saddle: A Roller Seat Design That Dampens a High-Side

When was the last time you saw someone seriously rethink how a motorcycle seat functions and operates? To our knowledge this design from Brit Brothers is the first real attempt to rethink what our butts have known all along. With its eye catching design, and roller-style seat, Brit Bros says their seat has numerous benefits over your standard foam wrapped in vinyl garden variety seat, including the ability to help tame a high-side crash.

Ducati Desmosedici RR Trike Concept

Nicolas Petit, a 25 year old Frenchman who lives just outside of Paris, is a motorcycle mechanic by day, and motorcycle sketcher by night. With already an impressive resume of motorcycle design sketches and renders to his name, we think Nicolas can add one more stunning example to the list: the Ducati Desmosedici RR Trike concept. We’re not huge fans of trikes here at A&R, but when you base your concept off one of the most powerful streetbikes ever created, it certainly catches our attention.

Hands on with the MotoCzysz Battery Packs

By now you’ve surely read about MotoCzysz’s new eDD and it’s “suitcase” chassis design. Recently Asphalt & Rubber got a chance to take a peak into the Portland, Oregon based company’s service bay and take a closer look at the 2009 E1pc D1g1tal Superbike, with a specific interest in its quick-release swappable batteries and unique chassis design. We’ll be covering these innovations in a two-part series, starting today with a never before seen look at the MotoCzysz battery packs. More and photos from Peter Lombardi Kustom Photography after the jump.

Video: When Multistradas Meet Piano Bars

Ever wonder what great action footage of the 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 would be like if you set it to the music commonly found in a piano bar? Well never fear, Ducati has the answer for you. Watch the Multistrada 1200 take on four different riding situations without missing a beat. Beat! Get it! Uggh…we don’t get paid enough for this. Video after the jump.

MotoCzysz Electric D1g1tal Dr1ve: More Than Just a Glimpse into the 2010 E1pc Superbike

Today MotoCzysz is announcing its Electric D1g1tal Dr1ve (eDD), better known to us as “the suitcase”, which is essentially the housing for the E1pc’s proprietary controller, motor, and batteries. MotoCzysz will be using the eDD on their 2010 E1pc D1g1tal Superbike, and intends on letting other teams use the suitcase as well, helping fill the grid at electric motorcycle races.

This announcement is important on a variety of levels, and most electric motorcycling enthusiasts will be interested to get their first glimpse at technology beind Michael Czysz’s 2010 E1pc D1g1tal Superbike, which will for sure be at the TT Zero race at the Isle of Man this year. The suitcase contains MotoCzysz proprietary battery, motor, and controller designs, which are setting the bar higher in electric motorcycle racing.

Erik Buell Racing 1190RR: 185hp AMA/WSBK Spec’d

Erik Buell Racing has just updated its website, and releasd the first real clear shot of what the EBR 1190RR will look like it in its racing form. With 185hp being made at the rear-wheel (according to the optimistic DynoJet dynamometer), the EBR 1190RR sits at the top of the Buell totem poll.

Based off the 1125R chassis, the 1190RR is virtually anorexic, dropping 30lbs off the AMA Daytona Superbike racing machine, while still bumping up displacement by 65cc’s. With 93lb•ft of torque on hand at 9,500 RPM, the EBR 1190RR is sure to sling your eye balls into the back of your head…if you can find a racing series to race it in.

MotoCzysz C1 Makes More Than A Cameo in “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”

“Greed, for lack of a better word…is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms: greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save motorcycling, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA.”

Nelis 1000R: A Re-imagining of the TL1000R

The Suzuki TL1000R is a special bike. It garnered little love from the media during its release; but despite being discontinued seven years ago, the TLR continues to foster a cult following, especially in Europe. So it doesn’t surprise us a great deal that when 25 year old fabrication apprentice, Mathijn Nelis, set out to create is first custom work under the careful gaze of master builder Nico Bakker, that the young Dutchman chose to work with the stout TL v-twin powerplant that dwarfed its Italain competitors during its initial release.

2010 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré [Updated]

With its latest bike the Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré, Yamaha is stepping up its game and getting serious about the adventure-tourer motorcycling segment. The Dakar inspired Super Ténéré is a ground-up production for Yamaha, making it the first Japanese manufacturer to get serious about this emerging (and very profitable) market segment.

With 1,199cc under the hoood, the XT1200Z Super Ténéré is aiming its sights on the class-leading BMW R1200GS and new-comer Ducati Multistrada 1200. The powerplant features a parallel twin motor with four valves per cylinder, and makes 108hp @ 7,250 RPM and 84lbs•ft @ 6,000 RPM.

Moment of Zen: Up Close with the Moto2 Race Bikes

Moto2 testing was underway in Catalunya this week, but rain sidelined a substantial portion of that testing event. For the Moto2 teams, this meant a rare opporunity to get familiar with thier machinery was lost, but for the roving eye of Italian site GPone.com, it was an opportunity to take a gander at some very beautiful race motorcycles.

Despite all the teams having the same Honda-sourced, 600cc, four-cylinder, four-stroke motor, there is a large variety in body styling and chassis approach. Check the RSV, Moriwaki, BQR, Kalex, Tech3 Mistal, and Suter MMX bikes out after the jump.

2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS   Also Officially Official & With Anti Lock Brakes 2010 yamaha fazer8 abs official 18 560x420

Along with the 2010 Yamaha FZ8, Yamaha Europe has finally officially released the 2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS. The 800cc cousin to the FZ8, the Fazer8 gets the obvious anti-lock brake treatment as the name implies. Drawing on styling cues from the larger FZ1, the FazerOcho distinguishes itself by what lies beneath its exposed motor. As was rumored, the Fazer8 borrows from the FZ1’s 998cc motor’s stroke length, making up the smaller displacement with a smaller bore diameter (68mm down from 77mm). Check out the full technical specifications and photos after the jump.

Double Take: 2010 Honda CBR600RR Leyla Scheme

Tue 09/08/2009 @ 9:00 pm, by Jenny Gun1 COMMENT

Double Take: 2010 Honda CBR600RR Leyla Scheme 2010 honda cbr600rr leyla woman face orgasm 560x376

When Honda showed off its new “Leyla” paint scheme for the new middle weight CBR600RR, the name had us a little confused, but the sometimes clever folks at MCN have spotted what many in the industry (including us) missed. That black & white camo-eque paint job is in fact a woman…moaning in delight…we think her name is Leyla. Take a second look, and you’ll see it.

Just New Clothes for the 2010 Honda CBR600RR 2010 Honda CBR600RR 6 560x400

In addition to the 2010 CBR1000RR, Honda has also announced the 2010 CBR600RR. Like the fireblade, the 600cc middleweight gets a revamping to its color choices.

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Limited Edition Nicky Hayden Ducati 848

Sat 07/04/2009 @ 10:00 am, by Jenny Gun4 COMMENTS

Limited Edition Nicky Hayden Ducati 848  ducati 848 nicky hayden edition 1 560x386

Ducati has released a limited edition Nicky Hayden 848 superbike this weekend at the US GP at Laguna Seca. Hayden follows in the footsteps of Fogarty, Bostrom, and Bayliss with honory limited edition bikes, and was on hand to sign the tank of the first production bike.

The limited edition bike has 134hp, 71 lb•ft of torque, and tips the scales at 370lbs. You can pick one up at your local Ducati dealership for only $14,495, and like the other 2010 848 superbikes, the bike will have the new LED lighting for the instrumentation, lighter aluminum tensioner pulley, and lighter crankshaft.

Unfortunately for our abroad readers, the Hayden edition will only be available in the United States. No word yet on the Stoner 1198 replica.

Megelli: 125cc Hotness You Wont See Stateside Megelli Motorcycles 125r 560x310

In Europe, 125cc bikes and scooters are possibly more prevalent than the 600cc+ bikes we’ve grown accustomed to seeing in the United States.

Due in part to the cost of insurance and fuel, as well as cultural difference, we’ll have to look over the latest creations from British firm Megelli, and know this is a line of motorcycles we’ll unfortunately never get to feast our eyes upon in person.

Shop ToBeFast.com

Honda EVO 6 Supernaked Concept is a Go

Sat 06/13/2009 @ 11:19 pm, by Jenny Gun1 COMMENT

Honda EVO 6 Supernaked Concept is a Go big honda evo6 concept 2010 01 560x420

According to the Spanish news site Solomoto, Honda is about to launch a bike based off their EVO 6 concept. The EVO 6 debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2007 as Hondas stab at making a hypermotard built off the Goldwing 1800cc motor.

Benelli to Go Under?

Thu 06/04/2009 @ 12:33 am, by Jenny Gun4 COMMENTS

Benelli to Go Under? 2008 benelli tornadotre1130e 560x373

While Ducati is recording all-time high sales figures, times are significantly tighter at Benelli, that other Italian motorcycle manufacturer. With many of its workers on part-time status (and with the Government paying part of their paycheck), production at the Benelli factory has been scaled back to around 1,000 motorcycles for 2009, down from the 20,000 the company had anticipated to make when it set it goals back in 2007.

This year, Chinese owner, Qiang Jiang, is taking a closer look at the Italian acquistion, with the possibility of folding the company not ruled out. This just a few months after Qiang Jiang pumped $26 million into the Italian brand.

 

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BMW has sold over 500,000 GS motorcycles since the models introduction in 1980. In order to celebrate this milestone, the Bavarian motorcycle company is releasing a limited run of 500 special edition R1200GS models. The anniversary bike will feature a front fender extension, black oil-cooler spoiler, tinted windshield, two-tone seat that’s 20mm higher than standard, black rims, and aluminum cylinder head protectors. The Special Edition bike will also feature the first ever white paint scheme on a GS. In Europe the bike will cost  €350 more than the standard GS.

No word on US pricing yet, but we do know it will come without the tinted windshield.

Source: BMW

 
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