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Michelin Schedules Extra MotoGP Tires Tests for December

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Michelin is stepping up preparations for 2016 by scheduling an extra tire test in December. The French tire maker has invited the MotoGP factories to spend two days at Jerez before Christmas, testing new front tires in cold conditions, according to GPOne.com.

Three manufacturers have accepted, Ducati, Honda, and Aprilia preparing to send their test riders to put in some laps on the latest iteration of tires at the Spanish circuit on 21st and 22nd of December.

As the test falls in the middle of the winter test ban period, contracted riders – that is, riders who will be permanent MotoGP entries for 2016 – are forbidden from riding, and only the official test riders can take part.

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Bikes

Yamaha YZF-R1 Gearbox Recall Affects All USA Units

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More trouble looms for Yamaha and its pending recall of the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1, as our sources have indicated that all of the superbikes sold in the USA will be affected by the new R1’s transmission issues.

You may recall that Asphalt & Rubber broke the story two weeks ago about the upcoming recall for the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1, and we explored the topic in-depth on Episode 11 of the Two Enthusiasts Podcast.

Still, we are surprised that a more formal announcement hasn’t emerged from Yamaha Motor USA regarding the matter.

In the meantime, Transport Canada – the importer for Yamaha motorcycles in Canada – issued a recall for 240 units, while some YZF-R1 owners in the USA have begun to receive letters from their local Yamaha dealers concerning the recall procedure.

For 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 owners who haven’t received a recall notice from the dealer, you should expect one, as it’s our understanding that ultimately all of the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 and 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1M motorcycles sold in the USA will need to have their transmission replaced.

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Dirt

Help Make Two-Stroke Scented Cologne A Thing

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Do you ever go for a ride in the woods, come home smelling like pre-mix, only to lose that sweet scent once you finally take a shower? Has the move to four-stroke machinery greatly reduced your ability to woo a worthy partner to make “brap brap” noises with throughout the night?

Never fear dear reader, we understand your plight. Behold, 2 Stroke – a manly cologne that has been scented from the smell of two-stroke machinery, with hints of pine and spruce. Your braplife needs this.

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News

US Congress Passes Favorable Laws for Motorcyclists

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Don’t say that the 114th US Congress hasn’t done anything for you, as the American Motorcyclists Association (AMA) is happy to report that our legislature has passed a $305 billion highway bill – The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act – which has a number of favorable provisions for motorcyclists.

The big wins come in the form of funding for recreational off-road trails, and the prohibition against motorcycle-only checkpoints, two growing concerns that the AMA has been involved in fighting.

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Podcast

Two Enthusiasts Podcast – Episode 12 – Possibly Political

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Episode 12 of the Two Enthusiasts Podcast finds us going down the dark road of talking about politics at the dinner table. Accordingly, Quentin and I have a wandering conversation in the show, which touches on lane-splitting, helmet laws, ABATE, the AMA, and even guns.

The conversation makes some interesting comparisons to other enthusiast niches and markets, and touches deeply on the political landscape within the motorcycle industry. We think the show is pretty interesting, and it is sure to fuel some conversations with you and your moto-buddies.

As always, you can listen to the show via the embedded SoundCloud player, after the jump, or you can find the show on iTunes (please leave a review) or this RSS feed. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well. Enjoy the show!

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MotoGP

Why Michelin Returned to MotoGP & The Challenges Ahead

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The switch from Bridgestone to Michelin as the official tire supplier for MotoGP promises to be perhaps the most important change to the class for 2016, though the change to spec-ECU software runs it a close second.

Up until the Valencia tests, held after the final race of the year, the performance of the Michelins was still shrouded in mystery, the official riders contractually obliged to keep quiet about the French tires while Bridgestone was still the official tire supplier.

That all changed on the Tuesday after Valencia. With the handover to Michelin, the riders were free to speak, as were the principal players inside the French tire manufacturer.

The teams had a lot of work to do, their job not made any easier by the fact that so many riders crashed at Valencia. Riding styles needed to change, as did the weight distribution of the bikes.

But question marks remained over the performance of the Michelin front tire, especially, with so many riders lowsiding over the two days of the test.

On the Tuesday at Valencia, we got a chance to speak with Nicolas Goubert, the head of Michelin’s motorsports program, alongside Israeli TV5 commentator Tammy Gorali.

Goubert gave an update on the progress of their MotoGP program so far, and addressed several of the issues they had faced during testing. Of course, Michelin was delighted to be back in the premier class again.

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Bikes

A KTM 1290 Super Duke R Dirt Bike?

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When it comes to inappropriate dirt bikes, we’re your guys. So, it shouldn’t surprise you then to read that we’re all about this KTM 1290 Super Duke R that’s set to compete in the 2016 Erzbergrodeo. After all, what’s not to like in a 180hp off-roader?

I’m not going to lie, I have a school boy’s crush on the KTM 1290 Super Duke R, after finally getting a chance to swing a leg over one; and there’s something that tickles me about the idea of using a square peg to fill a round hole, when it comes to motorcycles.

That all being said, Ji?í Heiník’s latest creation, the “KTM 1290 Super Enduro” tickles us just in the right way…he’s clearly our sort of crazy.

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Bikes

A Panigale-Powerd Ducati Monster Looks Really Good

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I’m not a fan of the Monster line from Ducati. There, I said it. There is just something about the Monster models over the years that has failed to strike me as appealing, though I must say the latest crop of liquid-cooled Monsters has certainly been a step forward for me, visually.

I’m more of a fan of the Ducati Streetfigther lineup, and I still hope that Ducati has a new Streetfighter design somewhere on its design boards. Ideally, such a machine would have a Superquadro engine at its heart, and accordingly make big horsepower numbers that rip our eyeballs from our sockets.

The fate of the Streetfighter line remains to be seen though, and with each passing model year I expect to see the Streetfighter 848 finally leave the Italian company’s lineup. It would seem the Streetfighter is kaput as of the 2016 model year. -JB

As such, the Monster line could be Ducati’s only naked bike model, any year now. So, if time is really against us, and if the Monster really is to be the only naked bike from Ducati, I hope the future iterations take a lesson from this concept.

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MotoGP

So Far, Only Doing Private Tests for Casey Stoner & Ducati

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Casey Stoner will not be making any public appearances on the Ducati Desmosedici any time soon. Although the Australian has been formally announced as test rider for Ducati, he will not be riding at the official tests at Sepang at the beginning of February.

Speaking to Italian website GPOne.com, Ducati MotoGP boss Davide Tardozzi said “There are still some details to arrange, but for sure, Stoner will do his first test in Malaysia, before the first official test.”

Stoner will test alongside Ducati’s long-time official test rider Michele Pirro, where he will give the Desmosedici GP16 its first run out. The Australian did the same thing at the beginning of 2015 for Honda, testing the RC213V ahead of the official test in early February.

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Bikes

Praëm SP3 – A Modern Take on the Honda RC-51

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What you are looking at it is perhaps the most unique Honda RC-51 we have ever seen. For those who know their Hondas, and are paying close attention, this particular bike used to be a Honda VTR1000SP1 – though it has gotten more than a once-over by the crafty hands at French upstart Praëm.

If you are familiar with the work of Holographic Hammer, then the Praëm SP3 should look stylistically familiar, as its the product of Sylvain & Florent Berneron – Sylvain being a former BMW Motorrad designer, while Florent has a background in aeronautics and mechanics.

Tasty bits on the Praëm SP3 includes Öhlins suspension, Rotobox carbon fiber wheels, Brembo brakes and carbon discs, and other pieces from Rizoma.

We think the item that most people will be interested by though is the Praëm SP3’s fairings, which aren’t made of metal sheets, but instead a countless number of wires that have been pulled taught over a backing and frame. The effect is certainly an interesting one.

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MotoGP

Suter Racing Officially Withdraws from Moto2

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Suter will not be competing in the Moto2 championship in 2016. In an official statement on their Facebook page, the Swiss engineering firm announced that it would not be applying for a constructor’s license for Moto2 in 2016.

Instead, Suter will be concentrating its efforts on working with Mahindra on their Moto3 machine, and supplying a range of parts for various teams and factories in the series.

The withdrawal from Moto2 was an inevitable consequence of the steady decline in the number of bikes Suter was producing for the class.

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