liter bike Archives - Page 3 of 3

Bikes

2016 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Debuts with Serious Updates

By Jensen Beeler 10/08/2015 17 Comments

It may be evolution, instead of revolution, for the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R in the 2016 model year, but Team Green has made sure to make sure that this model refresh is more than just “bold new graphics” and minor tweaks. The updated 10R is a serious beast, with a fresh WSBK scalp on its belt.

Trying to draw a parallel between Jonathan Rea’s World Superbike Championship victory, and Kawasaki’s latest superbike offering, the new Ninja ZX-10R is replete with features that come from Kawasaki’s production-racing efforts. This is no ordinary model refresh.

The changes to the 2016 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R include a revised and more powerful motor – 207hp with ram air and 83 lbs•ft of torque on the European-spec model, though we expect those figures in the USA to be less. Curb weight is set at a competitive 454 lbs.

Other goodies include lightweight titanium exhaust, a revised chassis, more aerodynamic fairings, upgraded Showa Balance Free suspension, Brembo M50 monobloc calipers, a five-axis Bosch IMU, and a revised electronics package.

Keep Reading

Bikes

Suzuki GSX-R1000 Red & Black Commemorative Edition

By Jensen Beeler 08/09/2015 13 Comments

Suzuki already has a classic blue and white commemorative livery for its GSX-R line of motorcycles, but today at the Indianapolis GP, the Japanese brand debuted another commemorative edition of the Suzuki GSX-R1000, this time in red & black.

While the blue and white livery has become the more traditional colors for Suzuki and its GSX-R sport bikes, it was the red and black GSX-R750 machines of Yoshimura Suzuki that dominated the Suzuka 8-Hour in 1986, the first year of the bike’s debut.

Keep Reading

Bikes

These Are Not the Eagerly Awaited Suzuki GSX-R250 & All-New GSX-R1000…But They Should Be

By Jensen Beeler 07/28/2015 28 Comments

These images are very likely not of the hopefully-soon-to-be-released Suzuki GSX-R250 & GSX-R1000 sport bikes, as their purveyor, Japanese magazine Young Machine, has a fairly horrible track record with these sort of things…but that doesn’t mean that we should ignore them.

After all, here we see two very attractive offerings, which we hope the folks at Hamamatsu will take a long look at, as the Suzuki GSX-R1000 rendered here would be an attractive update to a name that was once the superbike to beat.

The rendering exercise from Young Machine also shows that a quarter-liter sport bike from Suzuki should be directly related to its liter-bike brethren, not only to strike the aspirational nerve of riders, but also to justify the added expense and limited return on the company’s superbike offering.

Keep Reading

Bikes

New Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Coming for 2016

By Jensen Beeler 07/22/2015 18 Comments

Superbike fans should rejoice to the news that Kawasaki has an all-new ZX-10R in the works for the upcoming model year. The news comes from Germany’s reliable Speedweek publication, which interviewed Guim Roda, the Team Manager of Kawasaki’s World Superbike racing effort.

Talking to Speedwekk, Roda said “we will have a new Kawasaki ZX-10R in 2016. The concept will be the same but, with some details and changes, it will be even more competitive.”

“Given that the current rules are very restricted, the motorbikes have to be developed with an eye on the sport. We are heading on a path that Aprilia, Ducati and BMW have already taken for this year by bringing out new bikes,” he added.

Keep Reading

News

Video: 2012 BMW S1000RR

By Jensen Beeler 10/21/2011 9 Comments

BMW is taking a cue from Honda and Yamaha this next model year, as the German company is making only revisions from the original design for the 2012 BMW S1000RR. Modifying the frame, suspension, electronics, and cosmetics of the company’s class-leading superbike, BMW should be in good stead for 2012 considering what the Japanese manufacturers are bringing to the table. We expect the 2012 BMW S1000RR will continue to be a top-seller in 2012, despite the upcoming MV Agusta F4R and Ducati 1199 Panigale.

Though we’ve already seen many people draw similarities between the three bikes, it should be reminded the S1000RR is priced to compete with the Japanese models in the liter bike class, not the Italian ones. If sales data from the last two years is to be believed, the expected buyer for the F4R and Panigale should be an entirely different group of riders than those who have been buying S1000RRs in the past. Not needing to make a strong showing this upcoming model year, it will be interesting to see what the Bavarians bring for 2013. Is another Liter Bike King on its way? 2012 BMW S1000RR promo video after the jump.

Keep Reading

Bikes

2012 BMW S1000RR – Tweaks Come to the Liter Bike King

By Jensen Beeler 10/21/2011 11 Comments

BMW did an amazing thing two years ago. Not really known for its performance street motorcycles, BMW took the competitive superbike market head-on, bringing out a motorcycle that not only had class-leading performance figures, but was also priced extremely competitively against its Japanese competitors. That lethal combination of price, quality, and performance made the BMW S1000RR the sport bike to have over the past two years, and it shows in the S1000RR’s sales figures, which eclipsed every other liter bike.

Not wanting to rest too heavily on its laurels, BMW has updated the S1000RR for the 2012 model year, and while the bike may look the same, the German company hopes it has done plenty to its halo bike to make would-be buyers give the S1000RR a good looking over next season, despite going into its third year of production. While the same 193hp engine resides at the heart of the S1000RR, and the curb weight remains a paltry 449 lbs (90% fuel), the 2012 BMW S1000RR gets a bevy of suspension, chassis, and electronics for the new model year.

Keep Reading

Bikes

Rendered: 2012 Suzuki GSX-R1000

By Jensen Beeler 07/05/2011 6 Comments

While the Suzuki GSX-R600 & GSX-R750 were updated for the 2011 model year, it seems like Suzuki’s crowned king of the liter-bike class hasn’t see a touch-up since the Reagan administration. This is due in part because of Suzuki’s staggered development life-cycle, but primarily rests on the motorcycle industry apocalypse that many just refer to as the past recession. Because of the economic downturn, Suzuki had an overabundance of motorcycles sitting in its domestic warehouses, causing the Japanese company not to bring over any more fresh units for the North American market.

Keep Reading