Ducati is getting ready for the international press launch of the 2013 Ducati Hypermotard in Ronda, Spain this week, which means we have a bevy of photos to share with you. Dropping its air-cooled dual-spark v-twin motor for an 821cc water-cooled lump, the 2013 Ducati Hypermotard is a truly a brand new model, from the ground up.
Getting cross-polinated with some of the design features found in the Ducati Multistrada 1200, the new Hypermotard really is a middleweight option to its bigger-displacement counterpart, though it still retains a presence of its own. Powerful and light, the Ducati Hypermotard continues to be a two-wheeled hooligan machine with enough suspension to soak up the bumps along the way.
We think Ducati did a nice job of retaining the Hyper’s unique character, while fitting the model into the company’s current motorcycle range and long-term goals. Of course, we haven’t gotten to ride one, and since we’re not in Spain this week, it looks like we’ll have to wait for the bike’s arrival at dealerships in March. Until then, there are 165 high-resolution photos waiting for you after the jump, enjoy.
It is good to see the AMA Pro Road Racing paddock getting some love this month, the series desperately needs it. With more than a few video projects going on in the AMA, fans should have a bevy of good media to consume this year, even with all the shenanigans going on with TV rights this year.
Our latest attention turns to a new web series, Following Fillmore, which as the name implies, follows KTM factory rider Chris Fillmore as he trains with the Bostrom Brothers, gets some chalk-talk from Jason Pridmore, and hits on Cal Crutchlow, among other things.
Coming to a YouTube channel near you starting March 7th, if the show is anything like the trailer, we should be in for a real treat…especially the ladies, who tell me “Chris is so dreamy” all…the…time. The trailer is after the jump, enjoy.
It is always interesting to see what motorcycle engineers work on in their spare time. Sometimes its motorcycle related, and sometimes their inspiration goes down a completely different path. Luckily for us, in the case of Bottpower’s David Sánchez, the Spanish engineer’s very limited free time stayed within the two-wheeled realm.
A project spanning 11 years, Sánchez started his design with a Honda CBR954RR engine as the centerpiece, and built from there. Employing a Hossack-style trellis for the front-end, and a matching steal trellis chassis (in orange, naturally), Sánchez has picked up the nearly complete project once again, after recently finishing the BOTT XR1 project, and has some renders to show for the final design.
Going from fully faired sport bike to naked street bike, the BOTT 1000 Morlaco has that same outside-of-the-box feel that you get when looking at the work of Italian house Vyrus. Using Bottpower’s CR2 electronics package that Gabor Talmacsi will race with in World Superbike this season, the Morlaco isn’t just a pretty face, there’s a brain up there too…and Sánchez highlights it with a prominent mounting point at the airbox cover.
Sans fairings, covers, or really any bodywork to speak of, you could say that the BOTT 1000 Morlaco is process in function over form, but then agin, the pictures tell a different story. Check them out after the jump, and follow the build on Bottpower’s website.
Just a couple ticks off the KTM RC250GP raced in the FIM Moto3 Championship that we saw built in time-lapse last week, the KTM RC250R is perhaps one of the most potent 250cc four-stroke production racers money can buy…and it takes a lot of money to buy one.
“The differences [between the RC250GP & RC250R] come through some little details,” says Head of KTM Customer Racing Wolfgang Felber. “The GP bike for example runs with the regulation enforced Dell’Orto electronics unit, has a different Akrapovic exhaust system, magnesium wheels, and modified brakes as well as WP factory suspension parts, which help to save some more weight.”
Only 67 of these machines will be made for the 2013 season (40 for sale, 27 for the Red Bull Rookies Cup), which posed a problem for the KTM. Too big of a production run to be hand-made by racing engineers, and yet too small (and perhaps too important) of a run to be built on one of the four general assembly lines, zie Austrians instead opted for something in between, and built the bikes on the company’s #5 “training” line.
A behind the scenes look at this limited production run, if you weren’t in love with the KTM Moto3 race bike, you might be after this. Want one? You better come up with €45,000 to afford this price tag…that’s $60,000, or a moderately equipped Mercedes-Benz E-Class, with today’s exchange rate.
Adopting a liquid-cooled 1170cc boxer engine for its next generation adventure-touring bike, BMW Motorrad is hoping to continue the magic with the 2013 BMW R1200GS, and has finally release North American pricing on the newest GS: $15,800 base.
Of course, BMW Motorrad’s package pricing game is well at hand here, and several trim levels and feature packages are available on the new R1200GS. We break them down for you after the jump, but as you can expect, you have to pay a princely sum to get a machine from zie Germans with all the bells and whistles.
So here’s the good news, after all the uncertainty regarding its media contracts, the 2013 World Superbike Championship will be broadcasted in the United States afterall. The bad news however is that WSBK racing will be on the beIN Sport network. Yeah, we haven’t heard of them either.
Zero Motorcycles has announced the release of the company’s iPhone and Android mobile applications for the Zero’s range of electric motorcycles. A handy interface to change the basic performance settings on the motorcycle’s EV components, Zero’s mobile app connects via Bluetooth and allows a rider to adjust the bike’s top speed, torque, and regenerative braking.
The app also allows the rider to get more detailed information about the state of the motorcycle’s charge, operating temperatures, battery volts/amps, and ride statistics. Additionally, a rider can configure the application to show the money saved using electricity instead of gasoline, C02 spared from entering the atmosphere, etc.
With the mobile interface is available on all of Zero’s 2013 models, one of the more interesting features of the mobile application is that it also allows a Zero owner to send diagnostic information back to Zero HQ for analysis and troubleshooting, saving a trip (and presumably a fee) at the dealership. Chewy.
Yamaha is recalling 8,700 units of its 2009 Yamaha YW125 scooters, better known as the Yamaha Zuma 125 to two-wheeled urbanites. Affecting machines made between July 2008 and April 2009, the recall concerns a possible improper clearance in the internal fuel pump components, which may cause an inadequate supply of fuel to the engine.