KTM just doubled-down on its electric motorcycle offering, debuting today the 2018 KTM Freeride EXC – an electric enduro model that builds out further the current Freeride E platform. This isn’t just the old KTM Freeride E with a few extra enduro parts added to it though, instead the KTM Freeride E-XC launches the next iteration of the Austrian brand’s electric motorcycle lineup, coming with significant changes. For starters, KTM has beefed up its electric package, with a more powerful motor and a larger capacity battery pack, not to mention more of the off-road prowess that you would expect from the “Ready to Race” brand. As such, the 218 KTM Freeride E-XC boasts roughly 50% more energy on-board, with its lithium-ion battery pack rated at 3.9 kWh and expected to retain 70% of its capacity after 700 cycles.
Cummins is better known for its diesel truck engines, but the Fortune 500 company makes its money from also selling generators and alternative energy power sources. So maybe, it shouldn’t come as a surprise then to learn today that Cummins has acquired Brammo, Inc. and its electric drivetrain business. Before we should go further, we should point out that Polaris still owns Brammo’s motorcycle business, which it bought separately back in 2015, and that this purchase by Cummins applies only to the parts of Brammo that Polaris didn’t buy, including Brammo’s race bike, the Empulse RR. Cummins acquisition of Brammo will help the American brand build out its electric power portfolio, adding to its key holdings in the diesel and natural gas space.
The WorldSBK grid at Jerez will be full of replacement riders, as injury takes its toll, not just on the…
Broc Parkes is to step in to replace the still ill Jonas Folger in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team at…
Ducati is set to release five new models at this year’s EICMA show, and it is giving us a sneak peak at one of the first of those machines: the 2018 Ducati Monster 821. The basic mechanics of the previous Monster 821 remain the same, but for the new year, the Italian brand has revised the Ducati Monster 821 to look more like its bigger sibling, the Ducati Monster 1200. As such, the fuel tank and tail of the Monster 821 have been changed, along with the bike’s exhaust and headlight. Ducati has also added a full color TFT display to the Monster 821, which shows selected gears and fuel status. For accessories, Ducati has also included an optional up/down quickshifter, along with the Ducati Multimedia System.
The FIM is getting into the helmet certification game, creating a new protocol – as part of the FIM Racing Homologation Programme (FRHP) – to test helmets that are worn in FIM-sanctioned motorcycle races. Previously, the FIM had relied upon domestic testing criteria, such as DOT standards in the United States, ECE standards in Europe, and SG/JIS standards in Japan. With those standards varying in how they test motorcycle helmets though, the FIM Technical and Circuit Racing Commissions saw a need to create a single unifying helmet crash test protocol that will be used at any event the FIM sanctions, starting in the year 2019. The FIM isn’t rocking the boat too much though, and will still us an oblique crash test for its testing methodology.
After releasing a bevy of photos from its tests of the 2011 WSBK-spec Kawasaki ZX-10R at the Autopolis & Suzuka…
