Not wanting to be left out on the forced-induction warpath, Kawasaki has its own blower for the two-wheeled world to debut at the Tokyo Motor SHow. Showcasing a supercharged four-cylinder engine at its booth, Kawasaki says it developed the turbine and motor in-house, and hints that we will see this in a motorcycle model in the near future. Details beyond that are scarce, with Kawasaki’s official party line being the following: “Know-how from years of designing turbine engine blades was instilled in the first supercharger developed by a motorcycle manufacturer.” It should be interesting to see what Kawasaki cooks up, as forced-induction bikes could pack some good horsepower into some small packages. Lighter, faster, stronger, harder…gentlemen, we have the technology.
Feeling the pressure to develop a 250cc sport bike for developing markets, Yamaha has finally released some details on the upcoming Yamaha R25, and we like what we see so far. A two-cylinder machine with racing in its blood, Yamaha’s concept is like a mini Yamaha YZR-M1 — devoid of lights and mirrors — and features racing livery with an Akrapovic exhaust to match. The Yamaha R25 concept is an encouraging sign from Yamaha, even if what we are looking is a concept bike rather than a production-ready model. But still, Yamaha’s approach in styling the Yamaha R25 to visually look like a miniature M1 is going to payoff huge dividends in Southeast Asia, where the bulk of the models are going to be sold, and where Rossi and Lorenzo have massive droves of fans.
As our Bothan spies had predicted, Honda has unveiled a new power cruiser for the upcoming model year, the 2014…
After failing to secure a deal that he was satisfied with, Michael Dunlop has announced that he will not be racing during the 2014 season. The news comes just weeks after the Honda TT Legends squad released Dunlop, after the two parties failed to agree on a contract after several offers from Honda Europe had been made. Michael Dunlop had a breakout performance this season, which also saw him competing in the FIM Endurance World Championship for the Honda TT Legends crew. Replacing John McGuinness at the Le Mans 24-Hour endurance race, and besting Mr. McPint in the solo classes at the TT, it seemed like Dunlop’s coming of age had arrived. Unfortunately with no ride in sight for the 2014 season, it would seem Dunlop’s momentum is about to grind to a halt.
With the MotoGP season now officially ended, riders are taking the opportunity to have various medical niggles sorted out ready…
What? You mean the 2013 Macau GP wasn’t on your television, despite the fact you get like a billion channels…