After a spanning career that has seen him racing in the United States, the grand prix paddock, and on the top steps of WorldSBK podiums, Chaz Davies is finally ready to retire.
The name “DesertX” should be a familiar moniker for Ducatisti, as the Desert X concept was the belle of the ball at the 2019 EIMCA show.
Back then though, the Desert X was a concept bike built under the Scrambler Ducati name, and it featured a 1,079cc air-cooled v-twin engine.
Oh, how things have changed! Now being teased for a December 9th debut, it would seem that the Italians have done more than reformat the name, and that makes us very happy.
The folks at Suzuki have a surprise for us today, showing off one of their 2022 models a bit earlier than expected. The bike is the Suzuki GSX-S1000GT – a long-distance sport-tourer built off the GSX-S1000 platform.
That pedigree means that the Suzuki GSX-S1000GT is built off the “K6” GSX-R1000 engine, and should make about 150hp in US trim, with 78 lbs•ft of torque on tap from its inline-four engine. Wet weight is set at 498 lbs (226 kg).
It was only a few hours ago that we were talking to you about the upcoming plans for the new World Supersport regulations, and now MV Agusta gives us a glimpse of the machine that they will be offering this reimagined middleweight category.
Built for the purpose of winning races, say hello to the 2022 MV Agusta F3 RR.
The World Supersport field is ripe for change, and that shouldn’t be new or surprising information for anyone following the space.
This is because the 600cc inline-four market has disappeared, especially in Europe, leaving the middleweight class with an uncertain future in racing.
Where there is an absence, there is a vacuum, and the space being left behind by the Japanese supersports is being filled rapidly by European twin and three-cylinder offerings.
Another American will be in the grand prix paddock next season, as American Racing has signed Sean Dylan Kelly for a two-years deal inside the Moto2 team.
Tom Sykes will remain in the Hospital General de Catalunya in Barcelona, for further examination, after his Race 2 crash at the WorldSBK round this past weekend.
The BMW Motorrad rider was involved in a Turn 1 crash on the second lap of Race 2 at Catalunya, where he lost consciousness and suffered a severe concussion.
Accordingly, the doctors at the Hospital General de Catalunya are keeping Sykes for observation, and he is expected to be discharged from the hospital on Wednesday. Sykes is unlikely to race this coming weekend at Jerez.
Last year, Yamaha announced that it was ceasing production of its popular YZF-R6 sport bike for the street, effectively killing the most popular 600cc supersport on the market.
The move was a sign of the times, and a glimpse into the Japanese brand’ unwillingness to update the platform for the stringent Euro5 emission standards in Europe.
With no European market to help bolster sales, the news also meant that the Yamaha YZF-R6 would cease for production as a street bike in the United States as well. But, there was a silver lining.
Talk of a v-twin middleweight Ducati Streetfighter V2 have been percolating ever since the Italian brand debuted its V4 motorcycle with a similar name.
With the Ducati Streetfighter V4 a hit. with the Ducati-loyal and sport bike enthusiasts alike, clearly the folks in Bologna can sense the moment approaching for an encore at a lower price point.
This is where the rumors of a Ducati Streetfighter V2 come into play, and the basics are fairly easy to guess: take the Ducati Panigale V2 sport bike, and strip away the fairings for the classic streetfighter look.
After a fair bit of teasing, the wait is finally over, and we can see the Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR for what it is – and what it is, is not that surprising.
Early on, we pegged the new “RR” model as a half-fairing, café racer inspired, variant of the Speed Triple RS – and that is exactly how one suscinctly describes the 2022 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR.
Built off Triumph’s new Speed Triple platform, the RR shares the same engine, chassis, and components as its RS sibling, but with a more retro-modern aesthetic.
Do you mount your phone to your motorcycle? You might want to rethink that practice, especially if you have a newer Apple iPhone.
This is because of a new Apple support post that warns that the vibrations from a motorcycle could damage the image stabilization gyros on the iPhone’s camera system.