Bajaj must be celebrating a late Thanksgiving (we might be talking about the wrong Indians here) as the Pune-based automotive group has gobbled up some more shares of Austrian company’s stock. Strengthening the two companies’ strategic partnership, Bajaj has modestly increased its 35.67% interest in KTM, becoming a 38.08% shareholder. Also coming out of the orange brand is news that Stefan Pierer will continue on as CEO of the company through 2015, and Friedrich Roithner, formerly of DGF Cross Industries, will take on the role of Financial Director in the new year.
After releasing a provisional calendar that left some venues to be determined, World Superbike has finally released its official schedule for the 2011 season. Leaving the European and Italian rounds empty back in October, we see Donington Park and Imola now official added to the roster. While the addition of the two historic circuits is certainly not the most surprising news, it atleast completes the WSBK calendar.
Japanese custom shop Whitehouse has taken a stock Honda Valkyrie and turned it into the Ryuuzin, or Dragon King. Bordering on what looks like a classier take on the Judge Dredd Lawmaster motorcycle (crossed with a locomotive?), Whitehouse has taken careful attention to detail on this 700 lbs (curb weight) behemoth. Large and sinister, Ryuuzin is probably not suitable for the crowded urban streets of Japan, but the Valkyrie platform should provide a comfy touring platform for the Dragon King (and its passenger) on the open road.
There is no room for a pillion though, which makes you wonder if a Dragon Queen will be in the works as well (please dear God kill me). Consisting of a very Japanese style that’s not likely to catch on here in the United States (we will just have to suffice with our Honda Runes), you still have to appreciate the workmanship that went into this bike, and give points for not following the masses. Photos after the jump.
The guys up in Ashland have been busy testing their Brammo Empulse RR electric race bike. Taking some laps around Thunderhill Raceway, and hitting the curves around the Ashland area, Brammo’s Director of Product Development Brian Wismann was at the helm of the Empulse RR in these videos. Surely gearing up for the 2011 racing season, Brammo was testing the Empulse RR’s systems, and from the looks of it, the Empulse RR has some moves. Videos after the jump.
Motor Trend has weighed in on the great debate: which is faster, a car or a bike? Wanting to explore the issue with some style, the car mag proved prints isn’t dead, and took a Ferrari 458 and Ducati 1198S Superbike to the track to see which Rosso Corsa was fastest. With a quarter-mile drag and a lap around the Streets of Willow, MT has its definitive answer on which is the fastest Italian, but we imagine the answer to what form of transportation is ultimately faster will remain an open debate for a while longer. The video is after the jump, stop watching at the 8:22 mark if you don’t want to hear a bunch of excuses being made.
The folks at Motus have been hard at work since we last brought you news of their progress in July, and have posted some photos of their progress on the MST-01 sport-tourer to the company’s Facebook page. Showing off its trellis frame and V4 pushrod motor, the Motus MST-01 is filling out nicely, and is sporting Öhlins suspension and what looks like a Two Brothers co-branded exhaust system.
At the heart of the MST-01 is the KMV4 engine, a 1645cc gasoline direct-injection V4 that will make at least 140hp according to Motus. As we told you back in September of last year, Motus will also be making a more powerful version of the MST-01, dubbed the Motus MST-R, which reportedly could make substantially more “umpf” over its base counterpart. Photos after the jump.
In an interview with Alan Cathcart, Erik Buell talks to the famed motorcycle journalist about his departure from Harley-Davidson, and what the future holds for Erik Buell and Erik Buell Racing. Perhaps one of the most interesting things to come out of the pair’s conversation (read a translated version at Motonline) is the fact that in late-2006/early-2007 Harley-Davidson killed off a project to build a 450cc Buell off-road machine. Still believing that there is a market for a Buell-branded dirt bike, Buell confessed to Cathcart that EBR is taking up the 450cc project again, which uses a special single-cylinder Rotax motor as its power plant.
Here’s to starting Monday morning off right as we bring you the Spanish-made Sbay Flying 1800 custom café racer from Sbay Motor Company. If cruisers from a certain American manufacturer could look like this, we imagine that talks of an aging demographic would cease to exist as the Flying 1800 has ample doses of eye-candy, sportiness, and innovation.
Between the 3.7 gallon carbon fiber tank that is hangs below the oil-holding frame and above the motor, the rear taillight that integrates into the tail section like a Ducati GP9/GP10, and the tasteful use of copper pipes that we liked so much on the Confederate Fighter, there’s plenty to get you drooling on this bike as it borrows from some of the best ideas in motorcycle design.
Chris Pfeiffer was in the former-Yugoslavia recently, and our friends at Motori.com.mk were on hand to see the Red Bull rider do his thing on his BMW stunt bike. Along with the usual fun stunting footage that goes with Chris Pfeiffer’s work, the guys at Motori took some HDR photos of Pfeiffer performing for his fans and around the capital city of Skopje, Macedonia. Head over to their site to read the interview (Google translated from Macedonian to English). Thanks for the tip Baze!
Confederate is readying its next iteration of its Hellcat series, posting these CAD renderings of the Confederate C3 X132 Hellcat on its website. Originally set to debut on Halloween of this year, Confederate has pushed back the launch date to the second quarter of 2011. For a bike that seemingly only exists on a computer screen, Confederate is being rather cheeky with its tech specs, simply stating that the new Hellcat will have 145 lbs•ft of torque, while listing the horsepower as “sufficient”.