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Pirelli Will Continue as Single-Tire Supplier to WorldSBK

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Pirelli will continue to supply tires to all classes in the World Superbike Championship for the foreseeable future. The Italian tire manufacturer has extended its current contract with Dorna, through the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Pirelli first took on the role of single tire supplier in 2004, and sparked a revolution in motorcycle racing.

With the favoritism of competing tire factories for sponsored teams removed, and a much more level playing field for privateer teams, the World Superbike model would come to be replicated in many different road racing championships, with MotoGP eventually following suit in 2009.

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Bikes

Turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa Coming Mid-2018

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If you haven’t listened to the latest Two Enthusiasts Podcast episode, you should.

In it, myself and co-host Quentin Wilson break some industry news, with our sources in Suzuki confirming that the Japanese manufacturer will bring a turbocharged Hayabusa model as an early 2019 model year bike.

This news is well-timed, as the Suzuki Hayabusa will turn 20-years-old in 2019, and it has changed very little during that two-decade time period.

Additionally, the introduction of modern forced induction to Suzuki’s motorcycle lineup is sea change moment for Suzuki, with the Hayabusa being a perfect fit for such an endeavor.

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MotoGP

Triumph’s Three-Cylinder Engine Will Power the Moto2 Championship, For 2019 Onwards

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As had been trailed since the start of this year, Triumph have finally been announced as the official engine supplier to the Moto2 class from 2019 onwards.

The deal with Dorna will see Triumph supply a specially modified version of the 765cc triple, which powers their new Street Triple range of production bikes.

The engine has been modified to produce more power and torque, and to be a little narrower. A modified cylinder head and inlet and exhaust ports provide better breathing, titanium valves and stiffer springs allow the engine to rev more freely, and make it more reliable under braking.

A higher first gear replaces the normal street ratio, and the use of a race alternator and racing clutch make the covers narrower. The engine will produce 133hp and 59 lbs•ft of torque in the first instance.

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Bikes

CARB Filings Point to No New Suzuki GSX-Rs for 2018

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After the debut of the GSX-R1000, there has been a bit of talk about Suzuki’s plans for the rest of its sportbike lineup, namely the GSX-R600 and GSX-R750. A story from AMCN pointed to a new GSX-R750 for the 2019 model year, but said that the GSX-R600 would be no more.

Our own sources disagree with that AMCN report though, saying that we would see both: an all new 2019 Suzuki GSX-R600 and an all-new Suzuki GSX-R750 for the 2019 model year.

We would be on the wrong side of confirmation bias if we said that today’s news supports our claim, but what we can tell you is that it doesn’t look like new GSX-R600 or GSX-R750 models will be coming for the 2018 model year, as Suzuki Motor of America just filed some interesting paperwork with the California Air Resources Board.

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Bikes

CCM Planning New 600cc Dual-Sport ADV Bike

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The good folk over at ADV Pulse have some interesting news for the dual-sport crowd, as British marque Clews Competition Machines is getting ready to discontinue its CCM GP450 dual-sport/adventure-tourer.

Replacing it will be a 600cc model, which will share the same engine as CCM’s recent Spitfire roadster model, which is really a big-displacement single-cylinder lump from SYM, which is really just a liquid-cooled four-stroke motor from the BMW era of Husqvarna. Still with us on that?

Confusing lineage aside, the new CCM GP600 Adventure sounds like it will be the perfect choice for those in the ADV category who want a dirt bike that can go on the highway, rather than a highway bike that can go off-road.

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Rumors

Report: New Suzuki GSX-R750 Coming, But No GSX-R600

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For Suzuki, the debut of its first all-new superbike design went swimmingly well, with the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000R impressing journalists at its launch in Phillip Island earlier this year.

We would hope so, as the Japanese manufacturer once laid claim to being the King of Superbikes, but then cowardly abdicated its throne for an eight-year period, where only modest updates came to the line.

Like most of Suzuki’s motorcycle lineup, the GSX-R models have suffered from abandonment by their caretakers in Hamamatsu, and while there is a new GSX-R1000 for us to drool over (though its true mettle yet untested against its rivals), what is to come of its 750cc and 600cc counterparts?

Our friends from Down Under seem to have the answer, as Australia’s Motorcycle News reports that a new Suzuki GSX-R750 is in the works, likely to debut as a 2019 model year machine.

As for the GSX-R600, well…that appears to be going the way of the dodo, as Suzuki seems set to follow Honda’s on its exit out of the supersport market.

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News

One New MV Agusta Debuting in 2017, Two in 2018

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It has been a long road for MV Agusta, over the past few years. However, the Italian brand seems ready to finally move on from its financial troubles, once we see its debt restructured in the Italian courts, and the investment secured from Black Ocean.

MV Agusta latest issues, which concern cash flow difficulties, seem to be balancing out as well, though the effect on the company’s new model lineup has been noticeable, with a disappointing lack of new machines to show at the 2016 EICMA show.

As such for the 2017 edition of the trade show, we should have measured expectations, with Giovanni Castiglioni saying in an interview with MCN that only one new model will debut later this year, and only two new bikes will be shown in 2018.

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Rumors

A Honda RVF1000 V4 Superbike for 2019?

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Since before I started Asphalt & Rubber, the scribe’s at MCN have been predicting a MotoGP-derived V4 superbike from Honda – I think the original rumor started with a V5 power plant, if that gives you an idea of how long this story has been making the circuit.

The hands on the clock are finally starting to meet with reality though, and the British magazine now says that a more affordable version of the Honda RC213V-S could hit dealerships in time for the 2019 model year.

This information echoes similar news that we saw before the launch of the updated Honda CBR1000RR – that Honda was working in parallel on a new Fireblade as well as a V4 superbike project.

Though now, MCN now points to recent patents filed by Honda, as well as sourced information that the bike is a couple model years away.

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WSBK

Misano Extends World Superbike Contract thru 2019

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After hosting the World Superbike Championship this weekend, the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” is happy to report that it will continue hosting WSBK for the next four years.

Dorna and Misano’s agreement means that the historic Italian track will continue to host the pinnacle of production motorcycle racing, adding to its already 23-year history, which makes Misano the venue with the third most WSBK rounds ever held there (behind Phillip Island and Assen).

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