Jensen Beeler, Author at Asphalt & Rubber

Bikes

Spy Shots: BMW NineT Spotted in the Wild

By Jensen Beeler 09/25/2013 27 Comments

At the EICMA show last year, BMW Motorrad announced that it would make another air-cooled model, in order to commemorate the 90 years that the German OEM has been producing two-wheelers.

Expected to be the production version of the company’s LoRider concept, we got our first taste of what BMW had in store for us with the BMW Concept Ninety — which had its retro goodness co-developed with America’s own Roland Sands.

Now seemingly ready for a true production model, BMW Motorrad has been caught testing the BMW NineT street bike inside the Lake Garda region in Italy.

Obviously fitted with the venerable 1,200cc air-cooled boxer twin that has made the GS and RT such steady steeds, the NineT uses classic motorcycle aesthetics, mated to classic BMW design pieces.

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News

Bosch MSC – Anti-Lowside Technology

By Jensen Beeler 09/24/2013 49 Comments

Rider aids like traction control and ABS continue to prove the notion that electronics are the new horsepower, and with the US debut of the KTM 1190 Adventure R just a couple months away, we learn that the hot new adventure-touring machine will debut the new Bosch Motorcycle Stability Control (MSC) system.

An extension of the venerable Bosch 9+ME ABS package, whose dual-channel setup has become the benchmark for OEM-equipped ABS units, the Bosch MSC is the next iteration of that standard. Integrating the ability for riders to brake into corners with a reduced risk of low-sliding, the Bosch MSC system is the next evolution in braking with its anti-lowside technology.

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Photos

58 Hi-Res Photos of the 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000

By Jensen Beeler 09/23/2013 20 Comments

In case you missed it this morning, Suzuki dropped more details on its upcoming 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 adventure-touring bike. Building off its predecessor’s v-twin engine, Suzuki have coaxed nearly 100hp from the 90° twin, while adding the company’s first traction control system ever on a production-model motorcycle.

We expect the new Suzuki V-Strom 1000 to hit US soil with a price tag in the $12,500 range, making this ADV bike a very lucrative two-wheeler for any price-conscious motorcyclist who wants to get his (or her) feet dirty, while still having a great on-road experience.

To help whet your appetite on the new V-Strom’s impending official release, there are 58 high-resolution photos waiting for you in the gallery after the jump. Enjoy.

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Racing

Race Results from the 24 Hours of Le Mans

By Jensen Beeler 09/23/2013 No Comments

After 24 hours of racing around a tiny historic track in France, the 24 Hours of Le Mans motorcycle endurance race, and final round of the 2013 FIM Endurance World Championship has finally come to an end. A race of attrition, SRC Kawasaki claimed the top podium step, followed by Suzuki France’s Team R2CL (which was blessed with the addition of Guy Martin for the event), with Yamaha France – GMT 94 – Michelin Yamalube rounding out the final position.

The conclusion of the 24 Hours of Le Mans also means that the 2013 FIM Endurance World Championship rankings have been settled, with the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) clinching the Championship, yet again, despite the team’s disappointing 26th place finish overall in Le Mans. Second in the Championship is the Yamaha France – GMT 94 – Michelin Yamalube squad, with SRC Kawasaki closing out the top three spot, for the four-round championship.

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Bikes

2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 Details Emerge

By Jensen Beeler 09/23/2013 10 Comments

Since its concept debut at the 2012 INTERMOT show, details of the 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 adventure-touring bike have slowly dribbled from the Japanese manufacturer’s lips. Giving us today a healthy dose of technical specifications and photos, Suzuki seems all but ready to debut its new V-Strom 1000.

Featuring a 1,037cc v-twin engine, which makes a peak 99hp at 8,000 rpm and 76 lbs•ft at 4,000 rpm, Suzuki has added a traction control system (a first for Suzuki) and ABS into the mix as well.

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Racing

Watch Graves Yamaha Build a Superbike from the Frame Up

By Jensen Beeler 09/20/2013 15 Comments

Time-lapse build videos are always fascinating, and since it’s well into Friday afternoon now, we are of course padding the post count here at A&R with this installment from the Monster Energy Graves Yamaha AMA Pro Superbike team.

In five hours the Graves crew built this Yamaha YZF-R1 race bike from the ground up, but you can see them put it together in just over a minute’s time. If you look close enough, you can even spot the reasons why Josh Herrin & Josh Hayes are running away with the 2013 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship.

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News

Erik Buell Racing 1190RX to Debut at AIMExpo

By Jensen Beeler 09/20/2013 13 Comments

Heavily teased, we now know that Erik Buell Racing will debut its EBR 1190RX sport bike in mid-October, at the AIMExpo in Orlando, Florida. Tipped to be a more affordable version of the Erik Buell Racing 1190RS, the 1190RX has been spotted with a seat for a pillion, has an uber-aggressive headlight, and will likely come without its premium suspension, wheels, and braking components.

“This is the culmination of decades of dedication, innovation and teamwork,” said EBR Founder Erik Buell. “We have been working to create a pure rider’s machine and a true world brand. From the heartland and the heart of America, these are extraordinary motorcycles that discerning riders everywhere will be passionate to own.”

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Bikes

KTM Super Duke 1290 R Debut Coming Very Soon

By Jensen Beeler 09/18/2013 12 Comments

In just eleven days, the KTM Super Duke 1290 R is going to make its official production debut. We have already seen the KTM 1290 Super Duke R prototype, which took the 2012 EICMA show by storm.

We have also already seen Jeremy McWilliams take the RC8-powered street-naked up “The World’s Most Famous Driveway” at the Goodwood Festival of speed, which of course only whet our appetite further for “The Beast” that KTM has created.

Just in case we forgot about all that though, KTM has created a teaser website for the Super Duke 1290 R, complete with countdown clock, along with another teaser video.

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Trips

Broventure Update Day Eight – All Good Things…

By Jensen Beeler 09/17/2013 4 Comments

All good things must come to an end, and so too must this Broventure. Our travels have forged our buttocks into iron, impervious now to the long days in the saddle; our minds have been steeled against the lonely nature of navigating the back roads of America; and our road beards prevent us from stopping within 500 feet of an elementary school — talking to members of the opposite sex has been proven to be difficult as well.

Our bodies show that we have gone to Moab and back, and along the way we took in many of the breath-taking sights that the Southwest has to offer. We traded in our track leathers for some ADV gear, and tipped our toe into the off-roading waters — there is a reason this site is called Asphalt & Rubber, but this whole dirt thing is starting to look appealing as well.

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Racing

Photos: Valentino Rossi’s Pink Floyd Helmet at Misano

By Jensen Beeler 09/16/2013 12 Comments

True to tradition, Valentino Rossi debuted another unique helmet design for his home crowd at the San Marino GP in Misano, Italy. Themed to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”, Rossi has added the last stanza of the song to his livery as well.

“How I wish, how I wish you were here. We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year, running over the same ground What have we found? The same old fears, wish you were here.”

While we’ll let you decipher the meaning to Rossi’s Pink Floyd reference and how it applies to his time in MotoGP, we have to say that this is one of our favorite designs from Aldo Drudi that Rossi has sported at an Italian round.

So, it should come as no surprise that a bevy of photos are after the jump, for your viewing pleasure — since we know that there are some diehard fans of The Doctor that read the pages of Asphalt & Rubber.

Be forewarned though collectors, we think AGV is going to have a tough time getting the rights to make replicas of this design.

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Trips

Broventure Update – Day Seven: Unusual Perspectives

By Jensen Beeler 09/16/2013 6 Comments

The days are winding down now, with today being our last real day of this Broventure (tomorrow we make the long arduous trek from Las Vegas back to Santa Barbara). Our agenda is simple: go see the Grand Canyon and stop at the Hoover Dam.

It’s raining this morning, naturally, and a weather front is coming in behind us. This wouldn’t be much of an issue, except we have to back-track our way from Flagstaff to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It would seem that we cannot escape the rain.

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