Page 524 – Asphalt & Rubber

Racing

Victory Entering an Electric Race Bike at Isle of Man TT

By Jensen Beeler 05/12/2015 11 Comments

It looks like we were only partially correct in our news that Brammo would be returning to the Isle of Man TT, as the brand’s sister company, Victory Motorcycles, will in fact be racing an electric entry — one that looks like a rebadged Brammo Empulse RR — in the TT Zero event at the historic road race.

According to its press release, Victory Motorcycles will field a two-rider team, comprised of William Dunlop and Lee Johnston (a photo of “General Lee” testing a Brammo superbike is what initially sparked this news).

While Victory is calling its racing platform a “Victory electric race prototype motorcycle” the chassis and fairings give way to a shape we recognize as the Brammo Empulse RR electric superbike.

Keep Reading

Columns

Trackside Tuesday – Caption This

By Tony Goldsmith 05/12/2015 14 Comments

While having a quick look through some pictures from Jerez, I stumbled across this one from the pre-event press conference that…

Bikes

Honda Africa Twin Confirmed – CRF1000L Coming for 2016

By Jensen Beeler 05/12/2015 35 Comments

American Honda dropped a bombshell today, confirming that the teased “True Adventure” ADV model will enter production, and be named the “Africa Twin”, as expected. Officially designated at the Honda CRF1000L, the Africa Twin will be a 2016 model (in dealerships early next year), and best of all, it will be coming to the USA. The 2016 Honda Africa Twin draws upon a legacy of rugged off-road race-proven machines that also wore its name, a sign that Honda intends the CRF1000L to be very capable off-road, and thus not follow the road-going adventure-sport trend.

MotoGP

MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa To Return to Racing at Le Mans

By David Emmett 05/12/2015 3 Comments

Dani Pedrosa is to return to racing at the Le Mans round of MotoGP. His return brings to an end…

Bikes

As Expected, The Scrambler is Killing It for Ducati

By Jensen Beeler 05/11/2015 46 Comments

April 2015 was the best sales month ever for Ducati Motor Holding, with the Italian firm delivering 7,309 units to customers. This figure is up 29% compared to last year, and tops Ducati’s previous best month ever by 800 units (April 2014 with 6,500 motorcycles). Why the sudden spurt in sales for the Bologna Brand? We have two words for you: Ducati Scrambler. Unsurprisingly, the budget-priced Scrambler range is seeing a strong market response, and of course its getting some help from the all-new Ducati Multistrada 1200 and the Ducati 1299 Panigale line. For the first four months of the year, Ducati is reporting that sales in 2015 are up 10% over last year’s models, with 17,881 motorcycles sold between the start of January and the end of April.

Recall

Recall: Triumph Daytona 675 R & Speed Triple R

By Jensen Beeler 05/11/2015 No Comments

The Öhlins suspension recall continues to affect motorcycle manufacturers, as Triumph is now recalling two of its models, the Daytona 675…

MotoGP

MotoGP in 2017 & Beyond – Towards a Brighter Future?

By David Emmett 05/11/2015 5 Comments

The MotoGP grid is looking in surprisingly good health in 2015. The series has come a long way in the five years since 2010, when there were just 17 full-time entries on the grid, and Suzuki was teetering on the brink of withdrawal. Dorna’s CRT gambit has paid off: the much-maligned production-based bikes may not have been competitive, but they did spur the manufacturers into action to actually supply more competitive machinery to the private teams. The CRT bikes became Open class bikes, and Dorna’s pet project of standardized electronics has been adopted into the MotoGP rules. From 2016, there will be one class again, with everyone on the same electronics, the same fuel allowance, and the same tires. A bigger change is coming for 2017.

News

Miller Motorsports Park To Cease Operations

By Jensen Beeler 05/08/2015 24 Comments

It is a sad day for motorsports fans near Salt Lake City, as Miller Motorsports Park will cease operations at the end of October this year, the track has announced. The news comes from the Larry H. Miller Group (LHM), the track operator, which has decided not to renew its lease with Toole County on the property, thus effectively closing the track and ceasing its operations. This news will not affect the schedule of racing events (including the MotoAmerica round in June), driving schools, public karting access, and other group activities that are currently planned at the facility, but it does raise some question marks regarding what will happen to the space once the LHM is no longer running it.

Bikes

BMW S1000XR Mega Gallery

By Jensen Beeler 05/07/2015 23 Comments

One of the highlights of the 2014 EICMA show, the BMW S1000XR is Germany’s direct assault on the Ducati Multistrada 1200 et al. That move is an interesting one, considering bikes like the Multistrada 1200 were in response to the popularity of the BMW R1200GS — thus making the adventure-touring-sport segment one big dog chasing its tail, but we digress. The S1000XR is also on A&R’s short list of new bikes to try this year, and it looks like BMW is finally close to granting us that wish. After rumors of production delays, the 2015 BMW S1000XR finally seems ready for showtime. As such, we have a mega gallery of 302 hi-res photos for you, after the jump.