In the final part of our look back at 2013, we review the performance of the factories. How did Honda, Yamaha and Ducati stack up last season? What were their strong points, and how did they go about tackling their weaknesses? Above all, what does this mean for 2014? Here’s our rating of MotoGP’s manufacturers. It seemed as if every technical rule change and tire decision swung against Honda in 2012. First, they found themselves outfoxed over the minimum weight by Ducati, after the MSMA first told the Grand Prix Commission that they had unanimously rejected a proposal to raise it from 153kg to 160kg. It turned out that only Honda and Yamaha had rejected it, with Ducati voting in favor, which meant the rule should have been adopted and not rejected.
Since the inception of the European Union in 1993, politicians in the EU have been spouting off about the advantages…
There is an easy and quick way to lighten your bike, lower its center of gravity, and marginally improve its dynamic performance for $200 or less: the starter battery. Lead-acid, absorbed gas mat, and gel batteries have been around for years now, and while they provide cheap, reliable, and robust performance, they are obtrusively heavy and large. Luckily, the market for starter batteries has been moving in the direction of new battery technologies with the latest iterations utilizing lithium iron phosphate chemistries. We had two companies send us their most popular models for testing and we came away impressed with the weight savings, performance, and overall value that they had to offer.
Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa might be living gods when it comes to riding a MotoGP bike, but when it…
Though widely expected, it appears that the Brazil round of MotoGP is on the verge of being canceled. Reports in…
I know that I have seen more than a few loyal Asphalt & Rubber readers lament the lack of an online video feed for World Superbike races, and that they hoped that the takeover of the premier production motorcycle racing class by Dorna would add this feature, which is already available with the MotoGP Championship. Well today, my good friends, that day has come. Dorna has revamped WorldSBK.com, and with those changes comes the WSBK VideoPass feature. From the limited description given by World Superbike, the WSBK VideoPass sounds pretty much exactly like its MotoGP counterpart, with video streams from the practice, qualifying, and race sessions being made available, along with exclusive behind the scenes footage and interviews.