Speculation for the 2014 trade shows is starting to trickle in, and the fine journalists at the German magazine Motorrad have for us the latest gossip regarding a new model for 2015. Confirming a great deal of speculation, Motorrad tips that we will see a Suzuki GSR1000 at October’s INTERMOT show. Call it a standard, a streetfighter, or a street naked, the GSR1000 is said to be without fairings and based off the Suzuki GSX-R1000, using the same 999cc four-cylinder engine as the superbike, albeit in an unfortunately detuned state — not to dissimilar from the Suzuki GSR750. Figures of 150hp are being banded about for power, and that might not be enough as the GSR1000, which will debut in a very crowded space, as seemingly every Japanese and European motorcycle manufacturer has a horse in this race.
Officially the fastest man around the Isle of Man’s Snaefell Mountain Course at 132.298 mph, Bruce Anstey is showing no signs of slowing down at the age of 44. Coming off his historic Isle of Man TT fortnight, the Kiwi will take part in the upcoming Isle of Man’s Classic TT as well. Starting August 23rd, Anstey will be hunting for another record-breaking lap on the course, this time aboard a very special machine: an ex-factory Yamaha YZR500 500GP bike. Smoke’m if you’ve got them, this 150hp two-stroke beast is sure to delight premix fans at the Isle’s other TT. Identical to the machine that Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson, and Randy Mamola rode to victory, the YZR500 is owned by Valvoline by Padgetts Motorcycle squad.
Once again the folks at Wunderlich are readying themselves for another BMW model, and the German company has enlisted the services of French designer Nicolas Petit to render the upcoming BMW S1000F sport-tourer, which we are all eagerly awaiting. Based off the BMW S1000RR sport bike, the S1000F features an upright handlebar design with a more touring-oriented sitting position, to make for better long-road travel. It’s not clear if BMW will follow the lead of Erik Buell Racing, and choose not to detune its superbike engine, but it does seem that BMW wants a bigger piece for the sporty end of the touring market. We’ve caught the BMW S1000F out testing already, and expect the machine to debut at the INTERMOT show this October.
We’re not too far away from seeing the Ducati Scrambler officially, but the good folk over at Motociclismo have managed to get their hands on a photo of Bologna’s newest model, looking almost ready for production we might add. Perhaps the clearest photos we’ve seen of the Scrambler yet (though, we did enjoy the emissions testing photos of the Scambler a few weeks ago), we can see how Ducati plans on reviving this motorcycle from the 1960’s. Designed to be a modern take on a classic machine, Ducati has been marketing the Scrambler with a sort of “Hipsters spending a day on the California boardwalk” motif.
After advising owners of the 2014 BMW R1200RT to stop riding their motorcycles if they were equipped with the company’s…
The news had been coming for a month or so, but at last it has been announced officially. Valentino Rossi has signed a two-year extension of his contract with the Movistar Yamaha team, and will race with them in MotoGP for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. For the past few races, Rossi had said he had been close to signing a new deal, but had a few details still to clear up. Those details had been resolved at some point between the Barcelona and Assen rounds, with Rossi’s new contract signed at Assen. The new contract is a result of Rossi’s very strong showing this season, a major improvement over 2013. Rossi has already matched the number of podium finishes he had last season, with four 2nd places and one 3rd, though he has not yet managed to win a race, as he did in 2013.