Jeremy Burgess, the man beind behind great riders like Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan, and Valentino Rossi has voiced his opinion about the one tire manufacturer rule for next year’s MotoGP season…just a little bit more loudly than before. Read more after the jump.
It seems almost fitting that this is the last week of testing for MotoGP before the winter ban sets in, and also that we discover that three Aprilia RSW 500’s (500cc 2-stroke GP bikes) are up for sale. These bikes were ridden by Tetsuya Harada in 1999, and in 2000 with Harada again, along with Jeremy McWilliams. More and pictures after the jump.
James Toseland will be making a quick flight up from the Jerez testing to make a cameo appearance at the NEC Motorcycle Show, Britain’s premiere motorcycle exhibition.
When asked about his band, Crash, playing at the Yamaha booth Toseland replied:
“I’m really looking forward to playing at this year’s NEC Motorcycle Show; it combines my two main passions of motorcycling and music. It’s fantastic to have a sponsor who provides me with a keyboard and asks me to perform with the band as a work commitment!…motorcycling enthusiasts are always our most supportive and vocal crowds, so we should hopefully generate a fantastic atmosphere on the Yamaha stand.”
Fans will be able to buy CD’s, get their bras signed, and generally lose their minds to the acoustic wonderment. Unfortunately, the jokes about Yamaha motorcycles and pianos just got that much worse.
Source: MotoGP
The Circuit de Catalunya, located in Montmelo outside Barcelona, Spain, is allowing the remains of loved ones (presumably former racing enthusiasts) to be scattered across the course.
The Circuit de Catalunya hosts both MotoGP and Formula 1 races, and is one of the largest racing stops for both tours.
Honda Motorcycle’s COO, Tatsuhiro Oyama is forecasting that there will be worldwide industry drop in bike sales as the credit fiasco finally rears its ugly head in motorcycling. Like the car industry, the motorcycle industry helps move product by offering financing options and extending credit to the purchasers of their bikes. Typically these credit liabilities are flipped to third-party creditors, who handle the debt from there (all unbeknownst to us the consumer), but with the state of economy and the meltdown of the credit industry, many of these creditors are either no long amongst the living, or not taking on any more debt.
Oyama was credited as saying, “There’s been a bit of a lag, but credit is being squeezed. I think if we have flat sales next (business) year we’d be lucky,” adding that forecasts for this year might need adjusting too.
This news leaves companies like GMAC, and in this case Honda, in a lurch. Unable to swiftly exchange the credit liability, they have to be more cautious on who they extend money too. This means more credit refusals, and higher interest rates, which in turn means more people who can’t afford a motorcycle purchase.
At the end of the day, it is Honda and the other manufacturers (except perhaps Ducati) who are left holding the bag with excess product sitting on the showroom floor come December.
There is some good news. Oyama went on to say that the motorcycle business as a whole was holding up better than the car side. So no government bail outs…yet.
Source: visordown
It was rumored before, but Asphalt and Rubber has just received confirmation from Harley-Davidson, that a limited production run of 750 XR1200’s (to pay homage to the XR750 which started it all) in the United States for the 2009 model year. Like we reported earlier, pre-orders will be allowed between December 1st until the 15th, good luck finding one on the 16th. You can find your closest dealer by going to h-d.com/XR1200.
Ben Spies upgraded his racing career by moving out of the AMA and into World Superbike. Accordingly, has choosen the number 19 to be his new racing number. Read more for a somewhat crazy explaination why.
According to a dealer announcement, the Harley Davidson XR1200 will be released in the U.S. at the IMS show in Long Beach, California this December 5th. If you’re not quite up to speed on Harley’s performance oriented bikes, the XR1200 is based off of the 1200cc air-cooled Sportster engine, and has styling and design that harken back to Harley-Davidson’s dirt-tracking days with the XR750. Read more after the jump.
Mazda took top honors at the LA Design Challenge this week with its KAAN car/bike/trike concept. According to the press release:
The MAZDA KAAN is an electric race car designed to compete in the E1 races, the pinnacle of international motorsports in terms of technology and popularity. In 2025, California freeways have been resurfaced with a sub-level electro-conductive polymer that powers the electric cars of the modern world. MAZDA’s patented electronic tire system uses this technology to power the KAAN to reach 250 mph with no harmful emissions!
The vehicles are piloted by individual drivers but teams are made up of thirty cars, all on the track together. Using strategies similar to those in cycling peletons, the tighter the group sticks together, the more aerodynamic and powerful it becomes.
Inspiration for the KAAN comes from electric fields and textures seen in nature, particularly those in a lightning bolt. The car is uniquely designed around its powerful electric wheels while the cockpit acts as a capsule to safely house the driver, allowing for tighter peloton formations and a team victory.
The theme of the competition was to depict what motorsports would be like in 2025. Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles, said that the choice was made because Mazda’s entry was “the most innovative and artistic design,” and that the KAAN “ultimately brought unique styling back to motorsports.” I don’t know if I would classify this as a car really, technically in California vehicles with 3 wheels fall into the motorcycle designation.
Technology aside, the design is striking and who wouldn’t want to go 250mph in a peleton of 30 car/bike/whatevers?
Source: Autoblog
Four days ago we broke for you the price on the Aprilia RSV4, and today we bring you price leaks on not only one bike, but three of them: the 2009 KTM Super Duke 990 R, the 2009 KTM Adventure 990 R, and the 2009 KTM RC8 1190 R. Click after the jump to see the release dates and prices for these three bikes.
Riding at the Pinnacle of the Naked bike craze is the MV Augusta Brutale. In typical MV fashion, very modest changes have occured for the 2009 line-up. Most obviously is the extra 169cc’s, which bump the Brutale’s displacement equal to that of the F4 (no surprise since they share so many common parts). Read more after the jump.
