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January 2014

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BMW S1000R Priced at $13,150 Base for the USA

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While we remain firm in our opinion that the BMW R nineT is the most important model to come from BMW Motorrad in a long while (which is saying something, since the liquid-cooled BMW R1200GS was a major step for the iconic and well-selling motorcycle), perhaps the most exciting model to come from Bavaria for the 2014 model year is the BMW S1000R.

Long-expected, the S1000R is the scandalously clad sibling to the venerable S1000RR superbike. Building the streetfighter model, the Germans went an interesting route with the BMW S1000R, instead of dropping mega horsepower, to compete with the Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC ABS and KTM 1290 SuperDuke R, the Motorraders built a bike with a serious midrange.

True to form though, BMW is aggressively pricing the S1000R for the US market, with the base price set at $13,150. Of course will all things BMW, you have to pay to play with all the goodies.

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News

Did Nissan Just Make the Ultimate Motorcycle Engine?

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Nissan Motor Company is better known for its four-wheeled vehicle pursuits, so it might surprise you to see its name mentioned here on Asphalt & Rubber. To front load the answer to your most pressing question, no the Japanese marque is not getting into the two-wheeled universe.

However, Nissan has been doing some interesting work, ever since it took over the DeltaWing project. In a nutshell, the Nissan DeltaWing was a failed IndyCar replacement race car project that aimed to push the boundaries of light, aerodynamical, and efficient vehicle design.

It found new legs in the endurance racing arena though, and participated in the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans — however it didn’t finish the iconic race, when a competitor crashed into it 75 laps into the race.

Nissan and the DeltaWing team have since parted ways collaboratively, but the Japanese car maker has clearly learned something from the process. Returning to Le Mans for the 2014 season, Nissan will field a very similar design, which it has dubbed the Nissan ZEOD RC.

A hybrid race car (Nissan hopes to complete its first lap at Le Mans solely on electric battery power), what tickles our fancy most is the 1.5 liter three-cylinder turbocharged engine, which weighs a featherlight 88 pounds. Twenty inches tall, eight inches wide, the Nissan DIG-T R engine is small, though mighty. How does 400hp grab you?

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News

AMD World Championship Moves to the INTERMOT Expo

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Celebrating its ten year anniversary, American Motorcycle Dealer organizers were invited to host the 2014 World Championship of Custom Bike Building at this year’s world renowned INTERMOT expo.

As part of a multiyear, alternating agreement, the world championship will be held at INTERMOT in Cologne, Germany this year, followed by the Big Bike Europe show in Essen, Germany the following year.

Part of the motivation for the agreement is to expose larger crowds to the world championship because, despite last year’s success in terms of design and organization, the turnout left much to be desired.

As one the largest international motorcycle trade shows in the world, INTERMOT attracts nearly a quarter of a million people each year, which AMD hopes to take advantage of in this new agreement.

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Lifestyle

Dirt Quake USA is a Go!!!

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Why should the boys and girls across the pond have all the fun? Dirt Quake, the most fun you can have on a motorcycle while partially clothed, is headed to America. A dirt track event that is the product of good folks at Sideburn Magazine, Dirt Quake is…well…how do you describe it…it is just different.

The event will be held at the GNC track in Castle Rock, WA on May 31st thru June 1st. See See Motorcycles is co-hosting the event, which is either a good thing, or bad thing, depending on your opinion about motorcycle Cuisinarts. It should be good fun, either way. We hope to see you there.

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MotoGP

First Look at the “Husqvarna” Moto3 Race Bike

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In case you didn’t hear the news, Husqvarna will enter the Moto3 Championship this year; and like the 2014 Husqvarna dirt bike line, the Swedish brand’s name will basically be painted onto the Austrian company’s machinery.

The move is an interesting one for the Husqvarna brand, as the company is about to start a new chapter in its already interesting story. The acquisition of Husky by KTM’s Stefan Pierer essentially consolidated the premium dirt bike segment into one company, and his efforts also brought about the reunification of Husaberg and Husqvarna.

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WSBK

WSBK Online Video Pass & beIN Sport TV for the USA

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World Superbikes will be easier to watch for fans around the world this year. The World Superbike series has announced that it is to make an online video pass available to fans this season, making it possible to watch WSBK races live on the WorldSBK.com website, or rewatch them at leisure.

The update comes as part of revamping of the series website, bringing it closer inline to the MotoGP.com website, now that the series is firmly in Dorna’s hands.

The influence of Dorna is clear in the WorldSBK.com redesign. The layout has been adapted to echo the structure of the MotoGP.com website, and the video player is now identical to the one used on the MotoGP.com website.

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Racing

TT Legends — Episode 2: The Bol d’Or 24 Hour Race

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We are a little late in bringing you this, the second installment, of the “TT Legends” documentary about the Honda TT Legends road racing and endurance team, so apologies for that.  But, we think you will enjoy this 22 minute reprieve from the non-two wheeled world, as like the first episode, this is a great look into one of the top teams in racing.

Focusing on the 2012 Bol d’Or 24 hour race at Magny-Cours, perhaps the most prestigious event on the FIM Endurance World Championship calendar, episode two should be a treat for any road racing fan. Le Mans starts, rain, French fans, and Mr. McPint — there is a little something for everyone in this episode.

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Racing

FIM Organizing More Road Racing Camps for Women

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Attention female readers, if you can spare €500 ($683 USD), and can manage to pay your way to Spain’s Almeria circuit, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), together with its Women’s Commission (CFM), wants to provide you training for road racing motorcycles.

In partnership with BMW Motorrad and Bike Promotion, there will be a series of training camps will run from February 17th through the 19th  — with 3 total days of instruction, training, track sessions and workshops. Hotel accommodations, meals, tires, fuel, etc included. Participants will ride BMW’s S 1000 RR during the event.

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Racing

BMW Backs Out of Endurance World Championship

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Just two months shy of the start of the 2014 FIM Endurance World Championship, and BMW Motorrad has announced that it will not be continuing support of Team Thevent, the Belgian racing outfit that has in the past run BMW’s EWC effort.

Despite finishing a disappointing 12th in the 2013 season, Team Prinicipal Michael Bartholemy said the decision from BMW came as a shock given they had been involved in ongoing negotiations with BMW Motorrad for the 2014 season.

“We were asked by BMW Motorrad at Le Mans if we would continue in 2014, to which our answer was a definite yes,” he said. “Since then we have been negotiating in good faith, with BMW, with riders and with Pirelli, while BMW clarified internally some technical issues with the bike we would race in 2014.”

“Finally the budget was agreed with BMW, but just 24 hours later we got a call from them saying that they were sorry, but there was no budget and they weren’t going racing.”

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MotoGP

Movistar To Sponsor Yamaha Racing in MotoGP for 2014?

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It looks like Movistar is on the verge of a return to MotoGP. Italian site GPOne.com is reporting that the Spanish telecoms giant is close to signing a deal with Yamaha to sponsor the Japanese factory’s MotoGP team of Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi.

According to the report, the sponsorship deal is set to be announced at the first Sepang test, at a press conference to be held there.

Just how accurate this report is remains to be seen, but there are many indications that the deal could happen. Movistar was a major supporter of motorcycle racing in the past, having backed teams at many levels of racing.

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Bikes

MV Agusta Dragster 800 Spotted in the Wild

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Although MV Agusta has already teased us with a video of the upcoming MV Agusta Dragster 800, the company’s Ducati Diavel rival has still been hard to glimpse.

We have seen a render of the completed bike, which was attached to the lurid rumor of a turbocharged engine (we are doubtful of that possibility), and a couple frames of video confirmed that design as being the final one.

Today though we get a proper look at the new Dragster, as it was caught at a gas station outside of Varese, Italy. Part Brutale, and part Rivale, it is hard to see how the Dragster will land in MV Agusta’s model lineup.

The seat height looks quite low, and there are interesting design cues, but does the Dragster distinguish itself enough from its brethren? Only time will tell.

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