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SERT Wins the 2016 FIM Endurance World Championship

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Any in racing series, defending the #1 plate is no easy feat, and when it comes to motorcycle racing, this statement is the most true in the FIM Endurance World Championship.

Composed of only four races for the 2016 season, the endurance championship still requires 52 hours of racing, and many more hours of practice and qualifying leading up to that figure.

To put that in perspective, it is roughly three-times more racing that MotoGP does in a season, and twice as much racing than what occurs in the World Superbike Championship.

All that extra racing time means there are more opportunity for where things can go wrong, and with only four opportunities to score points, it makes reliability, teamwork, and racecraft all the more important.

It is also worth mentioning the FIM Endurance World Championship is the only racing series where a tire war still exists, and it is also a battlefield where four factory-backed manufacturers can win at any particular event.

With all that considered then, we must give a well-earned congratulations to the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT), along with its riders Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle, and Etienne Masson, for winning the 2016 FIM Endurance World Championship.

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Rumors

BRP Looking to Get Into the Motorcycle Business?

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Interesting news from our friends to the North, as BRP is rumored to be looking at entering the motorcycle industry with a two-wheeler.

The news comes from the Montreal Gazette, which says that the Canadian company is evaluating a move into the motorcycle business, and is looking for “possibilities and trends” in the two-wheeled realm.

This business venture would seem to be outside of BRP’s Can-Am brand, which already offers a motorcycle, albeit one that has three wheels and more closely resembles an on-road snowmobile.

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Bikes

XXX: MV Agusta “AgoTT” by Deus Ex Machina

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With the debut of the MV Agusta F4Z – a custom superbike designed in partnership with Italian design house Zagato – I thought we would add some contrast to that machine with another special motorcycle that started life in Varese: Deus Ex Machina’s “AgoTT” street bike.

I recently got to see the AgoTT doing laps at Laguna Seca (note the balled racing slicks), and was immediately impressed with the build – the guys at Deus in Los Angeles really did a superb job with this machine, which has a nice balance of old and new in its design.

I also love the fact that we are seeing some great pieces of work get built from the MV Agusta platform, especially the Brutale line. Adrian Morton and his team at CRC have made a lineup of truly beautiful machines, taking on the difficult task of improving upon the work of Massimo Tamburini.

But the even more difficult task is then to take those finish production bikes and rework them into something that is not only new, but also equally as beautiful.

What we have seen from Walt Siegl, and now from Deus Ex Machina hit the nail on the head, and give us a much-needed break from the Honda CB builds of the last few year. I think you’ll agree, and also enjoy the pictures, after the jump.

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MotoGP

Paddock Pass Podcast #36 – Brno

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Episode 36 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and covers the fantastic racing at the Czech GP in Brno. Helping us dissect through all the racing news, we have Neil Morrison, Scott Jones, and David Emmett on the mics, giving their great insights from their trackside perspective.

The guys obviously talk about Cal Crutchlow’s historic win, and how important the right tire choice was in the MotoGP race results. The guys also obviously discuss the performance of the Michelin tires, and what caused so many of the issues we saw in the Czech Republic.

Just as important as choosing the correct tire for the race, conserving the tires over the race distance was also crucial. The guys compare the efforts of Rossi, Marquez, and Barbera in that regard, and show how their efforts ultimately paid off.

We finish the MotoGP discussion with a look at Jorge Lorenzo’s performance in the wet, and dismiss a couple notions about the Spanish rider. The show then ends with some time given to John McPhee’s excellent win in Moto3, as well as the results in Moto2 – and how they affect the Championship standings.

As always, be sure to follow the Paddock Pass Podcast on Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to the show on iTunes and SoundCloud – we even have an RSS feed for you. If you like the show, we would really appreciate you giving it a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

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Bikes

Behold, The MV Agusta F4Z

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The much hyped MV Agusta F4Z broke cover today – much to our surprise, ahead of its scheduled September 4th debut. The bike is a collaboration between MV Agusta and Milan-based design house Zagato, using the four-cylinder MV Agusta F4 superbike as its platform.

Thanks to the not one, but two teaser videos from MV Agusta, we had a good idea what the F4Z would look like, but now there is little room for speculation with what appears to be CG renders images of the machine..

We expect that this design will certainly be polarizing, especially considering the iconic form that the F4 embodied. As such, leave your thoughts in the comments section.

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Bikes

The New Harley-Davidson Milwaukee-Eight Engine Debuts

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What you are looking at above is Harley-Davidson’s ninth iteration of its “Big Twin” engines. It’s called the Milwaukee-Eight, named after Harley-Davidson’s home town and the fact that the engine head design employs a very modern eight valves in total (four per cylinder head).

Time will tell if the Milwaukee-Eight becomes as iconic as Harley-Davidson’s other designs, like the Flathead, Knucklehead, Panhead, etc. But, we do know that the Milwaukee-Eight marks a more modern approach to engine design from the Bar & Shield brand.

To this end, Harley-Davidson says that the new power plant offers a quicker throttle response, more passing power, purer sound (whatever that means), and a smoother ride (read: less vibrations).

The Milwaukee-Eight will first be used on Harley-Davidson’s touring and trike lines, though we can expect the engine design to permeate through Harley-Davidson’s lineup.

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Bikes

Honda CB1100R Concept by Oberdan Bezzi

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We’ve got air-cooled bikes on the brain today, so it seemed appropriate to share one of Oberdan Bezzi’s latest work. The Honda CB1100R concept imagines an air-cooled inline-four engin, wrapped in the bodywork of a sport bike that harkens back to the Honda RC30.

Two classic bikes from Honda’s lineup that make for odd bedfellows, Bezzi’s concept strikes a chord though – especially with more veteran riders who remember when 100hp was more than any street rider could hope for.

Despite the advent of Euro4 emission regulations and crack-downs by the EPA, air-cooled motorcycles are finding their second wind. Free from having to achieve outright performance figures,  less powerful air-cooled motorcycles are filling a niche where more simple and affordable bikes are the most alluring.

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Rumors

Ducati Monster 939 Almost Certainly Coming for 2017

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With the spotting of a new air-cooled Ducati Monster motorcycle for the 2017 model year, we can make some logical assumptions about what the Italian marque is up to for next year. One of those assumptions is the new Ducati Monster 939.

A 2017 Ducati Monster 939 was almost a certainty the second we saw the Ducati Hypermotard 821 getting bored out with a 937cc upgrade. Since the Monster 821 and the Hypermotard 821 share the same engine, it only makes sense for the two models to eventually share the 937cc power plant.

What adds fodder to this notion though is Ducati’s move to add a cheap and basic Monster model to its roster, in the form of the air-cooled two-valve model that we spotted earlier today.

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Bikes

Air-Cooled Engines Returning to the Ducati Monster Line

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Ducati’s 2017 line seems to be getting the full monty this week, with yet again more spy photos emerging of the Italian company’s upcoming motorcycles. Today’s installment sees us looking at the Ducati Monster line, which appears to be getting a third variant for 2017.

As you can see from the photo above, the Ducati Monster lineup will see the addition of an air-cooled model, likely one that shares the same 803cc lump that is found in the Ducati Scrambler.

This so-called Ducati Monster 803 will slot in below the other Monster models, which will likely include a Ducati Monster 939 and an updated Ducati Monster 1200.

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News

Honda’s Kumamoto Factory Back to Normal Production for Large-Displacement Motorcycles

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Honda’s flagship factory, in the Kumamoto Prefecture, is now back to normal production levels, after its slow recovery from earthquake damage sustained earlier this year.

For those who don’t remember, Honda took the Kumamoto factory offline on April 14th, resumed minor operations on May 6th, and resumed production of key models on June 6th.

Honda says that its large motorcycle production lines are now ready to go back to work, meaning the production at the Kumamoto factory is now back to its normal levels, though mini-vehicle parts production has been transferred to Honda’s Suzuka factory.

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Bikes

Two Enthusiasts Podcast #29 – Motocyclisme

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Your weekly two-wheeled podcast addiction continues with Episode 29 of the Two Enthusiasts Podcast. This installment sees Quentin and I discussing about the recent lawsuit against Skully, which alleges a number of pricey corporate perks, on the helmet startup’s company dime.

We also discuss some racing news: the sacking of Romano Fenati and the prospect of team communications with riders in MotoGP. We also discuss the settlement reached by the EPA and Harley-Davidson, over the use of engine tuning devices, and what that can mean for the industry as a whole.

Lastly, Quentin tells us a tale about getting back on an air-cooled Ducati, and camping in Eastern Oregon, while I give a glimpse into my review of the 2017 Yamaha SCR950, as I was in Julian, California riding the scrambler at the US press launch. It’s another great show for our Two Enthusiasts fans.

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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