Mission Motorcycles: The Mission R Lives??!

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.

Goodbye Husqvarna Nuda, We Hardly Knew Thee

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.

Q&A: Yukio Kagayama Talks About the Upcoming Suzuka 8-Hour with Kevin Schwantz & Noriyuki Haga

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.

KTM RC4 Concept by Luca Bar Design

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.

Q&A: Claudio Domenicali Talks Frameless Chassis, Sacred Cows, & The Future for Ducati

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.

Is Yamaha Using A Seamless Gearbox? The Data Says No

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.

OCC Coming Back to TV? — Universe Collapses in on Self

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.

Alstare Superbike Concept by Team Alstare

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.

Transcript: The Gay Question at Jerez

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.

2014 Suzuki GSV-R Spotted Again

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.

2013 Suzuki GSX-R1000 “One Millionth” Special Edition

10/04/2012 @ 11:49 am, by Jensen Beeler40 COMMENTS

2013 Suzuki GSX R1000 One Millionth Special Edition 2013 Suzuki GSX R1000 one million special edition 06 635x431

In its 27 years of GSX-R branded motorcycles, Suzuki has sold over one million of the peppy sport bikes around the world. Helping commemorate that feat, Suzuki debuted at Intermot this week the 2013 Suzuki GSX-R1000 “One Millionth” Special Edition model, which will be sold in limited quantities (1985 units, to be precise).

Made distinct with its red nose cone and special paint scheme, the 2013 “Millionth Edition” Commemorative GSX-R1000 also comes with black Brembo Monoblock callipers with gold lettering, wheel stripes, gold forks, a celebratory tank graphic, a numbered top yoke, red fork tops, and a special key ring.

No word on what pricing will be, or whether the special edition Suzuki GSX-R1000 will make it to North America. But considering that many of those million GSX-R motorcycles produces landed on American soil, you would think the “Millionth Edition” Commemorative Suzuki GSX-R1000 would as well.

69 Photos of the 2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200

10/03/2012 @ 5:08 pm, by Jensen Beeler6 COMMENTS

69 Photos of the 2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200 2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Peak 635x445

The new Ducati Multistrada 1200 is a lot like the old Ducati Multistrada 1200, but we figured there are enough Ducatisti trolling the pages of A&R that a little moto porn wouldn’t hurt things too much. Gone is the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Sport, which has essentially be replaced by the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Peak bike (which looks a-mazing).

The whole line benefits from the Testastretta 11° DS engine, which features a dual-spark ignition system that gives the MTS1200 a slight mid-range power boost, as well as the LED low-beam headlights. However, the real changes occur at the “S” trim level, which are the first bikes from Bologna to get the Ducati Skyhook Suspension (DSS) semi-active suspension package.

The last big change to the Multistrada line is the addition of the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Grantourismo, which has some more kit for you if the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring isn’t touring enough for you. One-hundred-twenty-one liters of panniers and top case, the Grantourismo also has crash bars, LED fog lights, and a larger windscreen for its extra $2,000 over the Touring model.

We were thoroughly impressed with the original Multistrada 1200 when it came out in 2010, and the updates to the 2013 line seem compelling enough to keep Ducati in the mix for adventure riders who are looking for something a little bit more sporty than the 2013 BMW R1200GS and 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure.

While both the BMW and KTM are attractive machines in their own right, it is hard to beat that Italian sense of style. As such, sixty-nine high-res photos of the 2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200 model line are waiting for you after the jump.

KTM 1190 Adventure Pricing Starts at €13,990

10/03/2012 @ 11:56 am, by Jensen Beeler3 COMMENTS

KTM 1190 Adventure Pricing Starts at €13,990 KTM 1190 Adventure R 635x422

Feeling the age of the KTM 990 Adventure & KTM 990 Adventure R, the Austrians debuted at Intermot this week their new adventure-touring machines, the 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure & 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure R. Using a revised version of the KTM 1190 RC8 R’s v-twin motor, both bikes feature 148 hp, and clocks in around 230 kg (507 lbs) fully tanked and ready to go ride.

Debuting along side the new water-cooled 2013 BMW R1200GS, KTM has its work cutout for it in the adventure-touring segment, though with Suzuki debuting the concept for its 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000, now is certainly a good time to be in the market for an ADV bike. Feeling that notion, KTM has released the pricing on its Adventure bikes, and we like what we see from the Austrians.

2013 Suzuki Hayabusa Gets ABS & Brembo Brakes

10/02/2012 @ 8:08 pm, by Jensen Beeler18 COMMENTS

2013 Suzuki Hayabusa Gets ABS & Brembo Brakes 2013 Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300R 07 635x418

It’s hard to believe that for over a decade, the Suzuki Hayabusa has gone relatively unchanged from its original form. Sure, there have been some updates — a nose-job here, a face-lift there, but let’s be honest, the engineer responsible for the Suzuki GSX1300R has mostly just been pushing paper around his desk since the Clinton administration.

That tradition has not come to a close for the next model year, though the 2013 Suzuki Hayabusa does get some massaging from the Japanese brand. Updated with an anti-locking brakes system (ABS), the 2012 Suzuki GSX1300R, as it name implies, joins the rest of the GSX-R family in getting Brembo Monobloc calipers.

53 Photos of the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja Z800 & Z800e

10/02/2012 @ 6:27 pm, by Jensen Beeler16 COMMENTS

53 Photos of the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja Z800 & Z800e 2013 Kawasaki Ninja Z800 41 635x476

We already knew well ahead of the INTERMOT show that Team Green would debut the Kawasaki Ninja Z800, a bike that replaces the best-selling sport-naked in the Europe: the Kawasaki Ninja Z750. Featuring an 806cc inline-four motor, the new Z800 comes in two flavors: the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja Z800 & the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja Z800e. The Kawasaki Ninja Z800 makes 111hp and 61 lbs•ft of torque, while the Kawasaki Ninja Z800e gets a bit more watered down with 94hp and 56 lbs•ft of torque, though it saves 6 lbs over its more burly counterpart.

The two-pronged model approach by Kawasaki is surely being done to better capture a wider audience with the Ninja Z800 line, which also explains why the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja Z800e comes with a 47hp A2 license compliant option as well. Designed to be at home on the set of the next Transformers movie, you will either love or hate the lines of the Kawasaki Ninja Z800 — we happen to think it looks rather edgy and mean, which is how we like our street-nakeds to carry themselves.

For its added price and power, the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja Z800 comes 41mm KYB forks that feature preload and rebound damping only — the same goes for the Z800′s rear shock. The 2013 Kawasaki Ninja Z800e, however comes with forks and a rear shock that have only preload adjustment capability, and no damping controls. Both models come with an optional ABS package. We do not expect the Kawasaki Ninja Z800 to come to North America at this point in time. Waiting for you after the jump are 53 photos of the new Kawasaki Ninja Z800.

2013 Aprilia RSV4 Factory Gets ABS & Other Refinements

10/02/2012 @ 4:46 pm, by Jensen Beeler16 COMMENTS

2013 Aprilia RSV4 Factory Gets ABS & Other Refinements 2013 Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC 05 635x463

While the 2013 Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC may look like the same dominant superbike that has been blowing the doors off at bike shootouts, but the company from Noale has made some subtle changes to its V4 street weapon, the most noticeable of which is a three-level dual-channel ABS system from Bosch. The ABS unit can be completely disengaged, should a rider feel it necessary to retain the ability to lock-up the newly added Brembo M430/M50 calipers (the same brake calipers as the Ducati 1199 Panigale), and brings the Aprilia RSV4 in-line with its other liter-bike competitors.

While Aprilia could have stopped there and called things a day, the Italian brand has made further changes to the Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC’s stock engine placement in the chassis, as well as other refinements in the RSV4′s exhaust and ECU. The result is a lower center of gravity, and a mild boost in peak horsepower and mid-range torque, which brings the revised RSV4 Factory up to 181.4hp at the crank and 86.3 lbs•ft of peak torque @ 10,500 rpm.

Ducati 1199 Panigale RS13 – Sorry, For Racers Only

10/02/2012 @ 1:25 pm, by Jensen Beeler12 COMMENTS

Ducati 1199 Panigale RS13   Sorry, For Racers Only 2013 Ducati 1199 Panigale RS13 04 635x423

We have already shown you photos of the Ducati 1199 Panigale RS12, the 2012-spec version of the race bike that is only available to motorcycle race teams. For 2013, not too much about the race package has changed (note the Ducati Test Team livery that the 2013 Ducati Superbike 848 EVO Corse SE wears as well), but honestly…we will use any excuse possible to post up pictures of this tasty machine.

Not to be confused with the Ducati 1199 Panigale R, which will debut at EICMA and be available to mere mortals, the Ducati 1199 Panigale RS13 is not a street bike, and unless your name is Carlos Checa, you’re unlikely to get your hands on one. Continue drooling after the jump.

2013 BMW HP4 Priced at $19,990*

10/02/2012 @ 12:55 pm, by Jensen Beeler15 COMMENTS

2013 BMW HP4 Priced at $19,990* 2013 BMW S1000RR HP4 119 635x423

Possibly the most lust-worthy sport bike of the year, the BMW HP4 has finally been priced by the Bavarians for the North American market. Clocking a $19,990 price tag MSRP, as usual, there is more to BMW’s pricing scheme than meets the eye.

While BMW plays its usual tricks, what is interesting is that despite all the add-ons, the BMW HP4 remains a relatively affordable premium sport bike. Punching just above the Ducati 1199 Panigale’s price tag, the German steed could easily justify its added cost with the inclusion of BMW’s Dynamic Damping Control, a semi-active suspension system.

Available in Q4 2012, the BMW HP4 comes with a variety of packages that significantly boost the HP4′s price into the mid-$20,000 range. We break down the cost of the packages and what you get with them, after the jump (mega photo gallery here).

First Videos of the KTM 1190 Adventure R

10/02/2012 @ 6:13 am, by Jensen Beeler6 COMMENTS

First Videos of the KTM 1190 Adventure R KTM 1190 Adventure R video

In a bright and noisy booth, somewhere in Cologne at the INTERMOT show, we imagine these videos are playing over and over again on some huge flat screen TVs. With no real lead-in or storyline, watching the short clips is sort of like getting twice the sex, with half the foreplay, but they are the first videos of the new KTM 1190 Adventure R adventure-tourer. And if there is one thing we have learned from reading comments on YouTube, it’s that being first is really important.

Yamaha Moto Cage-Six Concept

10/02/2012 @ 5:51 am, by Jensen Beeler4 COMMENTS

Yamaha Moto Cage Six Concept Yamaha Moto Cage Six Concept Intermot 06 635x476

Built off the Yamaha XJ6, the Yamaha Moto Cage-Six is a bit different from its predecessor. Loud, audacious, loud, likely prone to wheelie, and loud…those are words we likely will never hear used when describing the XJ6, yet seemingly apply well here with the Cage-Six.

We are not sure how many XJ6 bikes will end up living their lives on StuntLife, but Yamaha’s Moto Cage-Six Concept certainly does illustrate how far a little imagination can go in taking something from “meh” to “totes m’goats” in this Gen-Y world. Hell, with a little less neon yellow, we might even consider rocking this around the block a few times.

Still, if we had to choose between the two, there would have to be an overwhelming preference to see Yamaha’s three-cylinder motor with a crossplane crankshaft get built over this marketing exercise. Different strokes for different folks though. More photos after the…oh dear god, that’s a car tire on the rear wheel, isn’t it?