Latest Posts:
Asphalt & Rubber
Tag

Japan

Browsing
Bikes

The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R Looks Really Good in Carbon Fiber

By 10 Comments

Today is a twofer for the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R, as we get word from Southeast Asia that the bike’s debut this week has been postponed because of worries about spreading the coronavirus, which means we have to wait just a little longer to find out everything about this 250cc four-cylinder wonder.

On the bright side though, Team Green has posted up this unique carbon fiber creation, which it calls the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R Racer Custom model. As the name implies, it is a carbon-fiber-everything version of the ZX-25R, that is track-only.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

A Few More Photos and Details of the Honda Trial 125

By 12 Comments

Honda’s miniMOTO lineup has been a big hit for the Japanese brand, and now the lineup of pint-sized 125cc motorcycles is about to see the inclusion of its next machine, the Honda Trail 125 (the Honda Hunter Cub 125 in non-US markets).

Though still not a confirmed model for the USA and Europe, all signs point to the “Hunter Cub” (in at least one of its various names) coming to both markets.

We don’t have to wait for the bike’s arrival though to know what we’re getting though, as the new model is already on Honda Japan’s website, under the Honda CT125 name.

Keep Reading
By
MotoGP

Paddock Pass Podcast #122 – MotoGP Flyaways

By 1 Comment

Episode 122 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is a MotoGP show, as we catch back up with the premier class on its flyaway rounds at Japan, Malaysia, and Australia.

As such, this means that we see Neil Morrison and David Emmett on the mics, as they are our MotoGP Championship reporting duo for the 2019 season.

As you can imagine, there is no shortage of things for them to talk about, especially as we head into the final round of the season, at Valencia.

Keep Reading
By
MotoGP

Saturday MotoGP Summary at the Japanese GP: Records Broken, Yamaha’s Challenge, & Engine Allocation Issues

By No Comments

On the one hand, you could say that MotoGP got lucky. The heavy rain that was expected to cause flooding and potentially force Dorna to delay or even cancel practice at Motegi was not as bad as had been feared. The sessions started on time, and ran without incident, other than the normal perils of motorcycle racing.

On the other hand, the sessions were pretty much useless in terms of race setup. The weather forecast for Sunday is the best it has been all weekend, with some sun and high temperatures.

FP3 on Saturday morning was drenched, a fully wet session making race setup and tire testing impossible. FP4 saw a line dry enough for slicks to be used, though times were 4 seconds off the best time from Friday.

And qualifying took place on a mostly dry track, but again, times were more than a second off what the pole time should have been.

MotoGP pole was slower than Maverick Viñales’ fastest lap in FP1. Even if the track had been fully dry, qualifying is just too hectic to be working on race setup and assessing tire life.

Keep Reading
By
MotoGP

Sylvain Guintoli Punished for Using 2020 Engine Spec at Motegi

By No Comments

Sylvain Guintoli has been disqualified for the FP1 and FP2 sessions of the Motegi MotoGP round, after having been found to have used an illegal spec of engine.

As a result, all of his times set in FP1 and FP2 have been scrapped, and Guintoli listed as having set no time. Guintoli does still qualify for Q1, having set a time within 107% of the fastest rider in FP3.

The punishment came after Sylvain Guintoli used a prototype of the 2020 Suzuki GSX-RR during his third wildcard appearance.

Keep Reading
By
MotoGP

Friday MotoGP Summary at the Japanese GP: Heavy Weather, A Cold Track, & Improvement For Lorenzo

By No Comments

Two decisions plague the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.

One, a historical choice made back in 2010, when the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted, throwing so much ash and dust into the air that it severely disrupted air travel around Europe, forcing Dorna to postpone the race from the original date in April to October.

The other, a more recent change made before the 2018 season, where tire allocation for all of the races throughout the year is already fixed before the season even begins.

The change of dates forced on the Japanese Grand Prix as a result of Eyjafjallajökull has stuck, meaning the race is now always in October, as part of the three flyaway races in Japan, Australia, and Malaysia.

Keep Reading
By
MotoGP

MotoGP Preview of the Japanese GP

By No Comments

The first race of the flyaway triple header is arguably the most important. It is, after all, the home Grand Prix for half of the manufacturers on the grid. It is the one race where the top echelons of Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha management gather, the people behind the companies which put 10 of the 22 MotoGP bikes on the grid.

If, for some sick and twisted reason, you wanted to destroy the Japanese motorcycle industry by removing its senior management, then the Motegi MotoGP race would be your second-best chance of success. Only the Suzuka 8-Hour race is a bigger deal for the Japanese manufacturers, and a more important race in Japan.

Motegi matters most to Honda. The Japanese motorcycling giant owns the circuit (as it does Suzuka) and it houses the Honda Collection Hall, a magnificent display of motorcycling history. As it is Honda’s 60th anniversary in Grand Prix racing, this year’s race is even more important.

Keep Reading
By
A&R Pro

The Math Behind Winning the Suzuka 8-Hours

By No Comments

Eight hours, three teams, one (eventual) winner. This year’s Suzuka 8-Hours had it all, but it also showed again that the differences between Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Honda are such that each has to approach the race in different ways.

Yamaha opted for balance, Honda for an advantage in the pits, and Kawasaki on the pace of Jonathan Rea and consistency of Leon Haslam.

To continue reading this story, you need to have an A&R Pro subscriber account. If you have an A&R Pro account, you can login here.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Up-Close with the Yamaha YZF-R1 Suzuka 8-Hours Race Bike

By No Comments

For a brief moment, the Yamaha Factory Racing Team was a five-time winner (in a row, I might add) at the Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race.

That reality was eventually snatched away by the FIM Endurance World Championship race direction officials, who this weekend learned something new about their rulebook, but the race run by the factory-backed Yamaha team was no less impressive.

For nearly eight hours, the team’s three riders (Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark, and Katsuyuki Nakasuga) kept in check the best efforts by the Kawasaki Racing Team and Red Bull Honda squads, and it wasn’t until the final stint that Alex Lowes lost track of a raging Jonathan Rea.

Keep Reading
By
Podcast

Paddock Pass Podcast #111 – Suzuka 8-Hours

By No Comments

Episode 111 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is another special edition from the Suzuka 8-Hours. This means that we see Steve English joined by Jensen Beeler on the mics, as they are our Suzuka specialists.

Of course, the show has to start with a discussion about who actually won this year’s edition of the Suzuka 8-Hours, as the race’s conclusion, and the few hours after the checkered flag, were anything but straight-forward.

Keep Reading
By