For the next two days, we will be working from Salt Lake City, Utah where we will be getting our first chance to swing a leg over the new third-generation Suzuki Hayabusa.
Built off the second-generation model, Suzuki insists that this bike is “all new” in design, and that is because this bird has been gone over with a fine-toothed comb to make it the ultimate Hayabusa ever from the Japanese brand.
With only 500 being made worldwide (and maybe 100 or so of them coming to the USA), the chances of getting to swing a leg over the Ducati Superleggera V4 are pretty slim. Riding one around Laguna Seca in anger? Even slimmer.
So naturally when Ducati North America called and asked if we wanted to do exactly that, the answer was an obvious yes.
That brings us to this moment, where on Thursday Asphalt & Rubber will get a chance to ride a $100,000 carbon-fiber-everything superbike around one of the most iconic race tracks in America. Sometimes, this job is really, really tough.
Funny enough, this is a rare case of the coronavirus actually causing some positive changes in the motorcycle industry, as normally the US would only get to send one publication to the press launch for a bike like this.
But instead, Ducati North America has the ability to host its own event, while the European magazines were forced to slum it at Mugello for a day. Hence, here we are.
Nirjar Mardal’s concept of the rumored BMW M1000RR superbike is blowing up the internet right now, and we can tell why. It looks really good.
Taking the pleasing, but safe, lines of the BMW S1000RR and then cranking them up to 11, these renders from Mardal make for a lurid idea.
The bike is much more angular than the S1000RR model, and numerous upgrades can be spotted in the render’s design.
The most notable one though is what appears to be an electric supercharger, which is appropos since the Bavarian brand was spotted last year patenting ideas around this concept.
After months of shutdown, Italy is finally letting its citizens out of their houses, to start their march back to the new normal of daily life. We can only imagine the great relief this means to millions of Italians, after they endured some of the worst effects of COVID-19 in the world.
For our own selfish two-wheeled pursuits, this news also means the return of operations for Italian motorcycle manufacturers, which have seen their factories motionless while larger issues were addressed. Of course, this too leads us to the news that life is returning to the Ducati factory in Borgo Panigale.
Accordingly, we get word (from a tweet from Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, no less) that the Ducati Superleggera V4 is nearing the start of its production, but not before the carbon fiber superbike heads to the Nardò for some high-speed testing.
It is here. It is finally here. The Ducati Superleggera V4 is finally official and well-worth the hype.
It turns out too that the leaked information we had on this “Super light” motorcycle was true, with the Ducati Superleggera V4 tipping the scales at 159kg when dry…and 152kg when the Akrapovic exhaust is installed.
Ducati isn’t disclosing what that means for curb weights, but if the Panigale V4 R is any comparison, it should be close to 380 lbs when topped off with gas and ready to rip on the race track.
Considering that the accompanying exhaust bumps power to over 230hp (172 kW), this gives the Superleggera V4 the best power-to-weight ratio from any production street bike ever created.
It only took a few hours since our last post on the Ducati Superleggera V4 for more photos and a video of the machine to leak online, which is just fine by us since we’re eager to see this incredible machine from Borgo Panigale.
The new photos and video (and the screen grabs from other videos) surely are products of Ducati’s microsite for the “Project 1708” machine, and they give us a larger glimpse on what to expect Thursday morning.
UPDATE: The Ducati Superleggera V4 has officially debuted.
While there are still roughly 18hrs left (at the time of this writing) until the Ducati Superleggera V4 officially debuts, photos of this $100,000 superbike are already leaking onto social media.
The treasure trove of images are likely coming from would-be buyers who have already seen the bike in person and have had access to its special website, where videos and information have been trickling out.
The fact that this is occurring should surprise no one, but of course these early images already have our mouths watering for the real thing.
An email just popped into our inbox giving us a hint at when we will see the Ducati Superleggera V4 superbike. The “Project 1708” machine has been teased a little bit by the Borgo Panigale, but the real news has been the slow leak of information about this exciting new motorcycle.
Built around the 998cc Desemosedici Stradale R engine found in the Panigale V4 R, the Superleggera V4 has carbon fiber frame, swingarm, bodywork, and wheels. This has allowed the Italians to cut 40 lbs from the the already very light Ducati Panigale V4 R, with the Ducati Superleggera V4 tipping the scales at a claimed 152 kg / 335 lbs (dry).
All of this is just “leaked” information about the extra-exclusive superbike from Ducati, but the Italians will officially be showing us the “Project 1708” bike on Thursday, February 6th – at 8am PST (5pm CET).
Thanks to some intrepid and lucky individuals, more information about the upcoming Ducati Superleggera V4 is trickling out of Ducati’s special website, which shows the 234hp / 335 lbs (dry) motorcycle in all of its elemental detail.
Today’s data stream comes from a leaked video off of the Superleggera microsite, which shows in detail the different mechanical bits and bobs that will feature on this exclusive superbike.
That Ducati would make a “Superleggera” version of its popular Panigale V4 superbike is a clear given, as the Italian brand has made a run of these “super light” machines for each of its previous two superbikes.
While there was chatter that we would see the Ducati Superleggera V4 at EICMA this year, that rumor was clearly misguided, as the folks at Borgo Panigale prefer to use its Superleggera models as a sort of farewell, before its makes a model update.
This leaves next year though as a likely candidate as to when we will see the Ducati Superleggera V4, and documents found in the United Kingdom by the esteemed BikeSocial are giving us our first glimpse into what we can expect.
The current generation Suzuki GSX-R1000 gets unfortunately neutered for the American market, but it is a stout superbike on the other side of the pond, where its 200hp is unleashed. Now our European friends get to see what the Suzuki GSX-R1000 can do when the Japanese brand cranks it up to 11.
Behold the Suzuki GSX-R1000 Ryuyo, a 209hp superbike that weighs 370 lbs (dry), and is our answer to the teaser photos that Suzuki has been sharing on social media. The work of Suzuki Moto Italia, only 20 Ryuyo-spec machines will be made for consumption, and they will cost €29,990 if you want one.
An homage to the Ryuyo R&D center that tests all of Suzuki’s new models, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 Ryuyo is an example of the technical prowess found at this Japanese motor house.