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Jensen Beeler

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Suzuki Patents Hybrid 2WD Scooter with Goofy Front-End

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An interesting find from the folks at Motorcycle.com, it looks like Suzuki is getting crazy with its scooter designs, as a patent for a two-wheel drive scooter has popped-up at the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and that is not the only item of interest when looking at the front-end of the motorcycle.

The 2WD system features an electric hub motor on the front wheel, which assists the gas-powered rear wheel, making this a hybrid-powered motorcycle. The patent also shows a a non-conventional front-end suspension setup, on what looks like Burgman scooter design.

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Bikes

Mmm…Check This Suzuki GSX1100SD Katana Race Bike

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I am young enough that most of what I can remember of the 1980s is skewed by the forming mind of a child, thankfully. New Coke, ponytails to the side, Cabbage Patch Kids…Alf – it is all a bad dream as far as I am concerned.

The 1980s were a pretty good decade for motorcycles though. Two-strokes still reigned supreme in grand prix racing, and some of America’s best two-wheeled heroes were riding them.

The only rider-aids that were available were things like handlebars and footpegs. Even then, racing a motorcycle was a pursuit full of perils.

Mirroring this notion on the production side of things, the superbike was just starting to be born in earnest, with consumers able to buy fire-breathing monsters that tested the limits of chassis and tire design. A healthy dose of male bravado was involved in riding a motorcycle like a Katana.

If the current trend in the custom world is to re-invent these machines, then we are all for it.

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News

Woman Who Ran Over Navy Officer Gets Prison

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Almost two years ago, Chief Petty Officer Zacharias Buob on the United States Navy was run over by Darla Jackson,who struck Buob and Buob’s Ducati motorcycle, while in a fit of road rage.

The incident should sound familiar to A&R readers, as the story made waves two years ago when it was first reported.

Now, justice has been served to Jackson, as Superior Court Judge Francis Devaney handed the 27-year-old a six-year prison sentence, after she plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter earlier this year.

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Racing

Mega Gallery: 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans

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We have a soft spot for the FIM Endurance World Championship series, here at Asphalt & Rubber.

Not only does the FIM EWC showcase several manufacturers, with strong race-winning potential each of the championship’s multiple iconic events, but it the series is the last great venue for a proper battle between the different tire brands.

Add to that the fact that the Endurance World Championship is comprised not only of endurance specialists, but also with some of the top names from motorcycle racing, both in factory and satellite teams, and it’s easy to find a reason to cheer for a particular entry.

The best part though might be the photography that comes from motorcycle racing, which often spans from daylight and into the darkness of night. This year’s 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans event was no different, and we have a bevy of photos to share with you from France.

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Podcast

Two Enthusiasts Podcast #50 – Pity the Fool

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Episode 50 of the Two Enthusiasts Podcast celebrates our favorite day of the year, April Fools Day. As such, we start off the show with a re-cap on some of the best pranks that the industry had to offer this year.

We then turn our attention to two events we attended in the past few weeks, as we visited the World of Speed in Wilsonville, Oregon and Quentin was at the Desert 100 race in Eastern Washington. Both are items you should mark on your calendar, and it is great to see them showcasing motorsport in the Pacific Northwest.

We then turn our attention in the show to MotoAmerica’s call for volunteers, to help shoulder the workload at the track during this year’s racing events. We also discuss the very interesting Mugen E.Rex electric dirt bike, which has to be seen to be believed.

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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News

India’s Struggle to Sell Millions of Vehicles Before Tougher Emissions Law Comes into Effect

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If you think emission regulations in the United States or Europe are onerous, then you should see the hash of things that is being played out in India right now, as hundreds of thousands of vehicles have been sitting on showroom floors, flirting with disaster at the possibility of being declared unsellable in the country.

The exact figure varies from which source you believe (and their understanding that “lakh” means 100,000 in Indian parlance), so the affected number of vehicles ranges from 700,000 to 1.4 million units – most of which are trucks and two-wheelers.

As such, just days before the deadline 600,000 motorcycles soon-to-be non-compliant motorcycles were believed to be still unsold, the result of an interesting intersection of a rapidly changing environmental landscape, an unforgiving legal system, and a slowly reacting vehicle industry.

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Products

GoPro Begins “Trade-Up” Program for Older Models

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We know many of you ride with video cameras on your bikes or person, and that many of those cameras are made by GoPro. So, we thought this news from the action camera brand would interest you a bit, as GoPro is starting a “trade-up” program for GoPro owners.

Starting this week, and for a limited time, existing GoPro owners can receive $100 off a new HERO5 Black, or $50 off a HERO5 Session when they trade-in any previous-generation GoPro Hero camera. Boom goes the dynamite.

GoPro has some fine print about how the trade-in program works, but essentially you sign-up for the trade-in, ship them your camera, and then they send you your new Hero5 ($300) or Hero5 Session ($250).

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MotoGP

Investors Leveraging MotoGP for Sizable Payout

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According to several reports in the financial sector, the investors behind Dorna Sports S.L. are readying themselves for another sizable payout from the media rights holder for the MotoGP and WorldSBK Championships.

Using a bit of financial finesse, the move would see Bridgepoint Capital and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) – the two major investors in Dorna Sports – taking roughly €889 million off the books of the Spanish media company, according to Reuters.

As such, today’s news would make this the third time that Bridgepoint and the CPPIB have raided the piggy bank for motorcycling’s premier racing series, having done similar deals in 2011 (€420 million) and 2014 (€715 million).

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News

Norton Gets £3 Million to Increase V4 Production

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If you have had your eye on a Norton V4 superbike recently, you might not have to wait as long for it to arrive, as the British marque has secured £3 million from the Santander Corporate & Commercial bank.

The debt investment will allow Norton to triple its production rate on the V4 SS and V4 RR models, and also allow for the company to hire 40 new employees for the job. Additionally, according to Norton this will allow the company to increase its production volume to 1,500 motorcycles per year.

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News

WorldSBK: Reiterberger Out for the Rest of the Season

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It is tough luck for Markus Reiterberger, as the German rider will be sitting out the remainder of the 2017 World Superbike season, after not being able to recover fully from a crash he suffered last season at the Misano Circuit.

Reiterberger fractured two vertebrae (T10 & T12) in the crash, and has since struggled to get back to fitness and back to the pace for the 2017 season. Accordingly, the Althea BMW Racing rider has come to the decision to sit out the rest of the WorldSBK season.

This shuffle in the Althea team will take affect immediately, with a still unnamed rider set to replace Reiterberger at the upcoming round at the TT Circuit Assen.

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