Dellorto is known in the automotive B2B world for its products in cars and trucks. Well now they are starting to offer their products for motorcycles, and Aprilia will be one of the first companies to integrate their technology in a product. What does this mean for the consumer? Well for starters, the RSV4 will be the first bike from Italy to have variable length throttle bodies. Read more after the jump.
Buell has completed their 125,000th motorcycle, a 2009 white 1125R bound for Australia. Not bad for some good old boys.
Source: That really is a big air intake.
Electric motorcycle manufacturers, Quantya, in partnership with Shredelectric, have set up their first dealership in the US. The Swiss company has been selling its electric dirt bikes in Europe with what they describe as some fair success. Pictures and more after the jump.
Like the title says, BMW has released a teaser video showcasing the S1000RR race and street bikes. The video is reminescent of the old BMW Films that were commissioned to highlight the four-wheeled Bavarian variety. No Hollywood stars here, but similar production quality. The video is being released on BMW’s new web-tv site. A&R looks forward to future versions…hopefully staring Clive Owen…and Madonna…maybe not in the order.
Source: BMW
Achtung!
KTM has latched onto the idea that if you make a bike, a great way to make the same bike…but more money on it, is to make an R version with some extra trick parts. It’s called market segmentation, and this author likes it. Likes it a lot. That being said, here is the 2009 KTM 990 Adventure R. It has more power, less weight, and is focused on being the bike for off-road adventure. More on those changes after the jump.
MotoStudent competition is a competition created by the Moto Engineering Foundation in Spain. While the scope is Spanish and European for now, it has promise to expand to encompass schools from across the globe. The goal of the competition is to have student design and build motorcycles in a fashion similar the Formula SAR competitions in American colleges, which are sponsored by marque companies who use the events to recruit top talent engineers and future employees.
Source: Motostudent via The Kneeslider
Have AutoCAD, will design motorcycles for food.
28-year-old Sandor Ferenci, like many motorcyclists, posted clips of himself riding his bike around on Oxfordshire roads. The problem is, the clips showed him, in various angles, traveling at excess speeds, smoking the tires, popping wheelies and otherwise being “a proper hooligan”.
The real downside for Sandor is the fact The Bobbies didn’t appreciate those acts too much, and showed up on Mr. Ferenci’s doorstep to inquire further about those acts. After it was all said and done, Sandor will be doing 12 weeks behind British bars for his crime.
In addition to the jail sentence, Mr. Ferenci, who pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving, was also barred from driving for two years and told he would have to take an extended driving test before he is allowed on the road again.
Video after the jump.
Not that insurance companies give motorcyclists a lot of love when it comes to coverage claims, but things are about to get a bit tougher when looking for a little compensation for that weekend wreak. The New York Times is reporting how insurance companies are redefining what a track event is, and lumping any sort of incident on race courses as being an automatic claim denial.
While the changes are really affecting track day goers who prefer four wheels, it gives a glimpse into where the industry is headed as far as risk management. There is a silver lining though. The crackdown has opened up a market for track oriented underwriters. These policies are still costing a premium for car owners, but should they become available for motorcyclists, it should cost a reasonable enough price to gain traction in the marketplace.
Maybe those AIG guys aren’t so bad afterall.
Source: New York Times via Autoblog
The Ducati Desmosedici RR is closest that us mere mortals will get to riding a GP bike on the street, that is of course if we have the $70,000+ sized wallet to afford the two-wheeled italian rocket ship to hell and back. The classic red and white livery, accented with carbon panels and aftermarket hotness could easily be displayed in a gallery, or say one’s garage. However, a few owners have seen it fit to ride their prized possession on the street and track, this is after-all where the Desmosedici was born to live.
However, for some Desmosedici’s…this also where some go to die, as was the case for this unlucky bike (and probably unlucky owner when he gets home and tells his wife what he did).
Yeah, that’ll buff out.
From Ducati Monster Forum via Ninja6Zone
