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More Hints A New Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR Is Coming for 2020

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A month ago, we told you about Kawasaki thinking about its response to the Ducati Panigale V4 R, which is dominating in the World Superbike Championship right now.

In short, to counter the Italians’ creation, the Japanese brand was thinking of brining its own homologation special superbike to market, which like the Panigale V4 R, would be a race bike with lights, built only with the idea of winning the WorldSBK title.

Today, we seem to get further proof that Team Green will release a new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR for the 2020 model year, thanks to the company’s filings with the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

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Bikes

Randy Mamola Will Race This IndianxWorkhorse Scout Bobber

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Here is a recipe to make something we will instantly like, and it requires only three ingredients. Take a modern motorcycle, and put a dustbin fairing on it; take that machine out racing; and put grand prix legend Randy Mamola behind the handlebars.

The result is the IndianxWorkhorse Scout Bobber, and as the name implies, it is a collaboration between Indian Motorcycle and Workhorse Speedshop, as they aim to celebrate 100 years of Indian Scout motorcycles.

The bike – named “Appaloosa” – will race at the upcoming Sultans of Sprint Series, and while we don’t need to repeat saying who will be racing the machine, it is just cool to see Randy Mamola involved with this project.

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News

Brap Talk Podcast #14 – I’m a Racer

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Episode 14 of the Brap Talk podcast is now out for your two-wheeled audio pleasure, and while it took us a while to get this show out, it is packed with all sorts of fun motorcycle talk.

We start things off with some news, particularly a new legal ruling that makes chalking tires unconstitutional. We then talk about the upcoming Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and how Triumph just produced its most powerful motorcycle ever – the Triumph Rocket 3 TFC.

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Dirt

Ducati DRE Enduro Class Finally Comes to the USA

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When the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro debuted, the Italian brand took its popular on-track “Ducati Rider Experience” program, and made an off-road version for their new adventure bike.

Based out of Florence, Italy, the DRE Enduro course aimed to highlight the abilities of the Multistrada 1200 Enduro, as well as providing Ducatisti with a dual-sport experience on the level of the Ducati brand.

Asphalt & Rubber was lucky enough to attend the DRE Enduro back in 2016, and found the DRE Enduro to be one part test ride, one part school, and one part Tuscan vacation.

Now, Ducati is bringing that formula to the United States – the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah, to be precise.

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Podcast

MOTR Podcast #5 – Oscar Solis, Pirelli Tires

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In Episode 5 of the MOTR Podcast, I sit down with Oscar Solis, the Road Race Manager of Pirelli Tires North America, during a track test at the Circuit of the Americas, as such you will hear the occasional MotoGP bike fire by us on the track.

Our topic of conversation is  simple one: tires. Though, the conversation itself is anything but simple. Tires are perhaps the most important element on a motorcycle, but also one of the least understood, which is why I wanted to have this discussion with Oscar.

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News

Volkswagen Restructuring Plan Gets Union Support, But What Does It Mean for Ducati?

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On Tuesday, the Volkswagen Group struck a major deal with its union-back workforce, which will see the German automotive conglomerate begin a new restructuring plan.

The linchpin for the restructuring plan is a €1 billion commitment to make a new battery factory for future electric vehicle models, which will be located in Lower Saxony.

This is important because Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess has been on a mission to slim down the VW Group, but his workforce, more specifically its labor unions, have been resistant to this change, as it would inevitably mean fewer jobs for its labor force.

Now with a substantial commitment to create jobs in the battery cell production space, VW’s labor unions are more amenable to the idea of trimming VW’s non-core businesses, which has some big implications.

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News

Triumph Partners with Williams F1 & Others To Make Electric Motorcycles

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Call it the British Connection, because four firms from the United Kingdom have just agreed to partner on making electric two-wheelers and associated technologies. 

The collaboration is going to be a two-year deal between Triumph Motorcycles, Williams Advanced Engineering, Integral Powertrain Ltd.’s e-Drive Division, and WMG at the University of Warwick.

Additionally, the group will receive funding from the UK government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) via Innovate UK.

As you might expect, the goal of the partnership is to develop and bring to market technologies that will help power the next generation of motorcycles, namely electric motorcycles.

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MotoGP

Paddock Pass Podcast #101 – Spanish GP

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Episode 101 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and in it we see Neil Morrison and David Emmett on the microphones, as we discuss the happenings at the Spanish GP at Jerez.

As usual, the guys cover the on track action at the race, as well as the goings on behind the scenes in the paddock.

Special attention is given to Marc Marquez’s victory at Jerez, as well as the meltdown of Fabio Quartararo, who became the youngest MotoGP pole-sitter ever, and looked to have a promising race ahead of him.

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Products

Your Life Really Needs a Honda Grom Sidecar in It

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When the Honda Grom came on the market in 2013, we weren’t quite sure what to make of it. The name came from the surf/skater community, and the bike was two-thirds the size of a normal motorcycle.

Despite its small stature though, the fun factor was there for the Grom, and the pricing was right. This made the Honda Grom an instant hit.

Now with an update under its belt, we see the Grom platform in the Honda Monkey and Honda Super Cub as well, making for a three-bike lineup in Honda’s mini-moto offering.

But, there has been something missing all this time, which we didn’t know we needed until right now. Enter, the Honda Grom sidecar.

The work of the folks at Industrial Moto, the Grom Utility Sidecar is a bolt-on kit to add a third wheel of fun to your Honda Grom lifestyle. The perfect grocery-getter, the ultimate pit bike, the coolest way to take your kid to school…we need one.

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Recall

Yamaha YZF-R3 Recalled for Brake Lever Breaking

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Almost 200 units of the Yamaha YZF-R3 motorcycle from the 2019 model year are being recalled by Yamaha Motor Corp. USA because of issues manufacturing their front brake lever, which may break because of metal porosity.

In affected units, there is the potential for the front brake lever to have been manufactured with porosities in the material, which could allow the lever to break while applying a strong gripping force.

This means that a broken lever could cause sudden loss of front braking ability and a crash with injury or death.

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