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The Zero SR/F Finally Breaks Cover

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It has been just about two months since we first got wind that Zero Motorcycles was bringing a new model to market.

Dubbed the Zero SR/F, we could make a joke about how adding an “F” to the name stands for “Finally” as Zero made a protracted teaser campaign for the new motorcycle, but you could make a similar remark on the progress the bike makes for Zero’s fleet.

As our Bothan spies predicted, cornering ABS is standard on the bike at its two trim levels, and power comes in at a reasonable 110hp and a bone-crushing 140 lbs•ft of torque, thanks to the new Z-Force 75-10 motor. With a 12.6 kWh (nominal) battery pack, the Zero SR/F is rated for 109 miles of mixed riding use (161 miles city, 82 miles highway at 70 mph).

The real beauty of the Zero SR/F though, and we are not talking the new body styling, is the bike’s fast recharge time. With modular charging units that come in 3kW, 6kW, 9kW, and 12kW capabilities, the onboard Level 2 charger can top off the bike in 90 minutes (95% in an hour) in the 12kW configuration.

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WSBK

WorldSBK Photos from Phillip Island – Sunday Edition

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That’s it! That is a wrap from Phillip Island and the opening round of the WorldSBK Championship season. It was a good showing for superbike racing, with a shakeup in the order of things.

The narrative for 2019 very much looks to continue the Ducati vs. Kawasaki trend from the last few seasons, but the list of riders who could be in the hunt has certainly widened.

The new Superpole Race format seems to be a hit as well, with the sprint race showing itself to be a gloves-off affair amongst the riders, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering that there are points and grid position on the line.

Phillip Island is always a wild card when it comes to predicting the season, and the next round in Thailand should give us more bearing on the state of the series, but we like what we see so far.

Speaking of which, we like what we see from Stephen McClements’ select photos from Australia on Sunday. Give them a look and enjoy!

Photos: © 2019 Stephen McClements – All Rights Reserved

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WSBK

WorldSBK Photos from Phillip Island – Saturday Edition

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Shooting Saturday’s practice sessions and the first race of the 2019 season, Stephen brings us our first glimpse of superbike racing action this year.

We won’t hit you with any spoilers, but if the rest of the season pans out like Race 1 did on Saturday, WorldSBK fans are in for quite a treat this year.

Photos: © 2019 Stephen McClements – All Rights Reserved

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Dirt

Is a New “Big” Suzuki DR Coming to the Market?

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One last internet rumor for the week, before we let you go on your way into the weekend, as there is much talk about Suzuki’s plans to bring a “Big” DR model to market.

We use the word “Big” in quotes, as it gives a nod to a previous model from Suzuki’s past, and gives us a hint that the Japanese manufacturer could be working on a large adventure bike, worthy of giving the Honda Africa Twin a run for its money – a bike we should add that is getting its own fair share of rumors this week as well.

The news first came from Spain, and spread through the internet like wildfire. Maybe it is because we are hungry for truly new models from Suzuki. Maybe it is because we are intrigued by a name from motorcycle lore. Or, maybe it is because the idea of a cost-effective but capable ADV from Suzuki is exactly what we have been wanting from the Japanese brand.

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Products

Icon Motorsports Is Now in the Leather Racing Suit Game

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It is a move that has been rumored for almost a decade, and now Icon Motorsports is finally ready to get into the race track scene, debuting this week its first purpose-built leather racing suit.

Keeping with Icon’s position of creating affordable motorcycle gear, the Icon Hypersport suit is your basic leather suit, with pricing to match.

For $895, you get a 1.1mm to 1.3mm thick cow leather suit with integrated D3O impact protectors at the shoulders, elbows, back, hip, and knee.

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Recall

Harley-Davidson Street Models Recalled for Brake Failure

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Harley-Davidson announced today that it is recalling a swath of its Street 500 and Street 750 models because of issues related to their brake calipers.

The issue is caused by corrosion from salt (either in the air near coastal areas, or from road de-icing in colder climates) on the front and brake calipers, and the recall affects 2016-2019 Street 500 (XG500), Street 750 (XG750), and 2017-2019 Street 750A (XG750A) motorcycles.

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WSBK

WorldSBK Photos from Phillip Island – Friday Edition

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We have two Steves in Phillip Island this weekend for the WorldSBK, and for this gallery we are featuring the work of Mr. Stephen McClement. Shooting Friday’s practice sessions, Stephen brings us our first on-track glimpses of the 2019 season in proper.

The day’s activities saw Alvaro Bautista keeping his top spot from the testing days, but he only leads Jonathan Rea by a narrow margin of 0.014 seconds. Leon Haslam is in the charge as well, just 0.155 seconds back himself, while Lowes and Camier were closer to half a second back.

Chaz Davies finds himself surprisingly over a second behind his teammate, which doesn’t bode well for his championship. Though, we have many, many laps still to come from the season-opener.

And also, we have many more photos from Stephen still to come. Until then, enjoy this modest selection.

Photos: © 2019 Stephen McClements – All Rights Reserved

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News

BRP Buys Parts of Alta Motors, Has No Plans to Restart Production

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In a terse press release this morning, Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) announced that it has acquired select assets of Alta Motors’ parent company Faster-Faster, Inc.

Those assets include “certain intellectual property, patents and some limited physical assets from the former all-electric motorcycle design and manufacturing company,” to put it in BRP’s words.

BRP plans to use these assets as part of its ongoing research into electric and hybrid drives for recreational vehicles, and hopes that the technology will help jumpstart its own efforts for electric transportation products.

The Canadian company is very quick to point out, however, that BRP has no interest in restarting operations of Alta Motors and assumes no liabilities.

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WSBK

Superbike Steve’s Photos from the WorldSBK Test at Phillip Island

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Steve sent us these photos from the WorldSBK test at Phillip Island, and it seemed like a good excuse to try the new “gallery post” function we’ve been working on for the site. Let us know what you think of the snaps, as well as this new feature.

Also, get excited for looks to be a cracking year in the WorldSBK Championship. The Australian round should be a real scrap, and it will be interesting to see the new Superpole Race format in the flesh. All that being said, who is your favorite to win?

Photos: © 2019 Steve English – All Rights Reserved

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Podcast

Brap Talk Podcast #9 – Winging It

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Episode 9 of the Brap Talk podcast is out for your two-wheeled audio pleasure, and again this is an extra long show, as we catch back up with the motorcycle happenings.

Recorded just moments after Episode 8, this edition is a bit more newsy and covers the recent Honda Super Cub press launch, as well as some current events.

Also of note, we have a Honda Gold Wing Tour to play with over the next few months, and this show includes our first thoughts on this behemoth of a machine (be sure to read Jensen’s ride review from last year’s press launch).

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