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Jensen Beeler

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KTM 200 Duke-T Concepts by Kunka

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The KTM 390 Duke is proving itself to be a great base model to build upon, as we saw at the 2014 EICMA show with Husqvarna’s two street concepts. A stout, but affordable, street bike that interests new and experienced riders alike, the KTM 390 Duke will be a welcomed addition to the US market in a few months.

KTM has already built a sport bike off the 390 Duke platform, and depending on which mood the Austrian company is in each week, KTM may or may not be working on an adventure/supermoto model as well.

That indecision hasn’t stopped Kunka & KTM Thailand from teaming up to play around with the baby Duke, as the subsidiary showed two custom “KTM 200 Duke-T” models at the country’s Motor Show this week.

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News

Continental Announces Cornering ABS for Motorcycles

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The Bosch MSC system isn’t the only game in town when it comes to cornering ABS systems and anti-lowside technology, as another German company has entered the fray, Continental.

The Continental Optimized Curve Braking system factors into account roll, pitch, lateral acceleration, and lean angle and then modulates the brakes accordingly to slow the motorcycle down when the brakes are applied, while keeping the motorcycle upright.

The BMW S1000XR is the first production motorcycle to use the Continental Optimized Curve Braking, and we can expect other BMW models to follow.

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Recall

Recall: 2014 Yamaha YZF-R6 for Wheel Hardness

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Yamaha Motor Co. USA is recalling certain 2014 Yamaha YZF-R6 motorcycles because the front and rear wheels may have been manufactured with insufficient hardness.

The recall only affects YZF-R6 motorcycles that were manufactured between August 1, 2014, to September 1, 2014 – which makes for roughly 28 units being affected.

Because of the insufficient hardness, the wheel bearings may loosen and shift, or the wheel may lose its shape and air may leak from around the bead on the tire, thus resulting in a crash.

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News

Is A Sea Change Coming to New-Rider Motorcycle Training?

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Movements in how California teaches would-be motorcyclists how to ride their bikes could signal a greater change nationwide, after Total Control Training ousted the long-time running MSF Basic RiderCourse for California’s Motorcyclist Safety Program (CSMP).

Total Control Training will take over the CSMP from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) starting January 1, 2015. The class is administered by the California Highway Patrol, and is a major gateway for new riders in the Golden State — roughly 65,000 new motorcyclists take the CSMP each year, at 120 sites.

Total Control Training is so far the only riding program that meets the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Model National Standards for Entry-Level Motorcycle Rider Training, and the group has won contracts to train new riders in the military.

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News

Horex Closes Down Operations, Lays Off Staff

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It’s been a rough year for German manufacturer Horex, especially after the company declared bankruptcy this September. With no new investors in sight, Horex has had no choice but to close it doors, and layoff its staff, including management.

The Horex project had a rough start, and was fraught with production delays and key design changes. Posting to the company’s Facebook page today (translated into English after the jump), it would seem barring a miracle, this is the end of the Horex brand’s rebirth.

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WSBK

WSBK: Big Changes for Team Hero EBR in 2015

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Despite an abysmal year in the World Superbike Championship last season, Team Hero EBR will return to the WSBK paddock for 2015. The team’s return is perhaps in name only, as major changes have been made to EBR’s WSBK presence, which will continue to be based out of Italy.

Most notable is Team Hero EBR’s new riders — Larry Pegram and Niccolo Canepa — with Pegram having double-duties, as he will act as the Team Manager in charge of the Pegram Racing crew, which will take over running the Team Hero EBR program.

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News

KTM Plans New Smaller V-Twin Engines, Husqvarna Too

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A quick look at KTM’s recent additions to its model lineup sees significant attention being given to the company’s large and small-displacement machines, yet the middleweight bikes have remained seemingly untouched.

That seems set to change, according to an interview MCN had with KTM CEO Stefan Pierer.

Saying that KTM would develop new v-twin engines in the 600cc to 800cc range over the next three years, the Austrian company seems set to its entire lineup revamped within the next few years.

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Racing

FIM Women’s European Cup Added to the EJC

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Good news for females riders in the European Union, as we hear that the FIM Women’s European Cup has been folded into the European Junior Cup, which runs alongside the World Superbike Championship.

Running alongside the EJC as its own class, young female riders won’t have to decide between the two series, as they will score points in both. This relieves young ladies from having to choose between racing with just the girls, or the boys on an equal playing field…as now they will be doing both.

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Racing

Daytona 200 Lives on with ASRA Sanctioning

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Now that the Daytona Motorsports Group is no longer in control of AMA Pro Road Racing, intrigue has surrounded DMG’s home race, the Daytona 200. An event that usually kicks off the motorcycle racing season in March, the Daytona 200 has been an outlier with its early schedule, endurance format, and technical challenges.

The race always seemed forced upon the AMA schedule, and it required teams who wanted to be competitive to run different equipment and tires than what they were using for the rest of the season.

The limitations on tires ultimately meant that the Superbikes, the premier road racing class, could not compete in 200 mile race, leaving the event for the aptly named Daytona SportBike category, which was a mix of middleweight machines.

With The KRAVE Group now in charge of professional motorcycle road racing in the United States, with its MotoAmerica series, there is little desire to continue the oddity that is Daytona. That hasn’t stopped DMG though from putting on the historic event, which will have its 74th running of the Daytona 200 on March 14, 2015.

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News

Ducati Scrambler Begins Production in Italy

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Production of the Ducati Scrambler began today in Borgo Panigale, marking the rebirth of the model in Ducati’s lineup and the start of Bologna’s new “Scrambler Ducati” brand and line.

As we reported earlier this year, the Scramblers produced at Borgo Panigale will not be arriving in the North American markets, which will instead receive models made by Ducati’s Thailand factory (no word on when that production will begin, if it hasn’t already).

Production strategies aside, the Ducati Scrambler marks many changes for the Italian company, which has been abashed in its pursuit of younger, let’s say more hip, motorcyclists with the Ducati Scrambler line.

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