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Some of That 30th Anniversary Suzuki GSX-RR Goodness

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I’m not gonna lie, we sorta dropped the ball when it came to sharing with you the 30th anniversary livery that Team Suzuki Ecstar is rocking in MotoGP. If anyone asks, it’s all Tony’s fault. Totally on him. Like, for reals…all Tony. Bad Tony! Bad!

While Tony works on a personal apology note, hand-written naturally, for each and every one of you, we’ve got a small collection of his photos from Sachsenring and Indianapolis of Suzuki’s tribute to the GSX-R line.

We think it’s pretty fetching, which only adds to the fact that the Suzuki GSX-RR MotoGP race bike is one of the best looking machines on the grid. I actually had a dream about it last night…I’m not ready to talk about it.

Photos after the jump, ok? Enjoy! And Tony, I want those notes on my desk by Monday. Chop! Chop!

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Bikes

Is The Honda RC213V-S Really Your Dream Bike?

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Roughly four years ago, I wrote a story called “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword” that implored the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers to build elements into their brand that went beyond the tangible and into the intangible — I was basically asking these brands to create what motorcyclists call soul.

From that story, I got a number of insightful emails from employees at these Japanese brands, who shared my frustration with the soulless machines their employers were creating. Despite those emails, when the Honda RC213V-S debuted, I was struck by how extensively that message had fallen on deaf ears.

The day of the RC213V-S’s launch, I asked my Facebook followers if the Japanese brand had “just pulled a Honda” on its release Honda RC213V-S – debuting a machine that ticked all the right objective boxes, but failed the most subjective of all tests: my lustful desire to own it.

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Bikes

E-Raw Electric Motorcycle Concept by Expemotion

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Over the past few years, the electric motorcycle segment has been a playground for industrial designers to think outside of the box, especially when it comes to challenging traditional motorcycle design.

The Mission One, MotoCzysz E1pc, and Xenophya Design EV-0RR come to mind when thinking about the more interesting design experiments we’ve seen from the E2V crowd, though there are certainly others we are missing.

The Expemotion E-Raw concept reminds us of those earlier bikes, where the design conventions of the internal combustion crowd are deemed irrelevant for an electric two-wheeler. Maybe that’s why the E-Raw has a laminated wood seat.

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Bikes

There’s So Much “Zef” in this Triumph Tiger Explorer

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Eleven years ago I saw this short CGI’d film about robotic police officers that patrolled in South Africa, in lieu of humans. It was really well-done and impressive short, more so because over 10 years ago it was really incredibly hard to make passable CGI.

This video, “Tetra Vaal” by Neill Blomkamp (of District 9 & Elysium fame, and embedded after the jump), just recently became the launching point for the box-office buster Chappie.

The feature film is a bit painful, especially if you’re not into the whole “zef rap” scene (I honestly wouldn’t click that link, NSFW). But, the movie touches on some interesting nerdy points, such as artificial intelligence and generally how messed up South Africa is, as a country.

This discussion of special effects, musical tastes, and semi-opinionated geo-politics is all necessary and relevant because of a Triumph Tiger Explorer concept inked by Jakusa Design, which riffs heavily on the Chappie‘s namesake character.

Such is the soft spot in my heart for the lovable robot Chappie, that I’m forcing this concept upon you. Sorry for partying…but more sorry for adding zef to your lexicon.

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News

Benelli Makes a Return to the US Market

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Absent now for more years than we can remember, the historic Italian brand of Benelli is returning to the United States. While it Is always the more brands the better, when it comes to consumer choices, this news is perhaps a mixed bag for motorcycle enthusiasts.

SSR Motorsports will be the official importer and distributer for the Qinjiang Group, bringing Benelli motorcycles and Keeway scooters to the USA. This part we like.

The caveat though is that our favorite machines from Benelli are not going to be making it stateside for now, as SSR will initially only bring the Benelli BN302 and Benelli BN600i, with MSRPs of $3,999, and $6,999 respectively.

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Bikes

First Sketches of Norton’s 200hp 1,200cc V4 Superbike

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Norton Motorcycles recently got £4 million in grant funding from the UK government, funds that will go towards creating a new manufacturing facility, more jobs, and new models. All-in-all, it’s good news for the British marque and its suppliers, who will also benefit from the grant.

The good news for us though is that Norton plans to bring to market a 200hp V4-powered sport bike, not too dissimilar to the “SG” models that have been raced at the Isle of Man TT.

Adding to the good news is that British site Bike Social has gotten their hands on the sketches, and had a chance to talk to Norton’s Head of Design, Simon Skinner, about the new model and Norton’s future.

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Bikes

Suzuki GSX-R1000 Red & Black Commemorative Edition

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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.

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News

Erik Buell Staying On as President of Erik Buell Racing

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The big news this week is the Erik Buell Racing’s assets were bought, as a going concern, by Atlantic Metals Group LLC. Heading that purchase effort is Bruce Belfer, who will takeover as CEO of Erik Buell Racing, while the big news is that Erik Buell will remain as the company’s president.

Talking in an interview with the Milwaukee Business Journal, Belfer explained that he intends to restart EBR’s core business of making motorcycles, saying that “In [his] opinion, what was a viable manufacturing operation had become distracted by a single-customer consulting operation.”

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MotoGP

SCRAMP Begins “Keep Laguna Seca Local” Campaign

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Jonathan Rea Kawasaki corckscrew WSBK Laguna Seca

Fans of Laguna Raceway are certainly aware that the coastal Californian track could be set for a swap in operators, as International Speedway Corporation (ISC) is currently in a 90-day due diligence process with Monterey County about taking over operations the historic track.

The name ISC may not be familiar to two-wheeled racing fans, but in the four-wheeled world it’s known as another part of NASCAR’s business operations, as the company was founded by the France family (the same founder as NASCAR), and it owns and operates many of the tracks on NASCAR’s calendar.

Motorcycling racing fans are of course more familiar with the Daytona Motorsports Group, another France family creation, which ran AMA Pro Road Racing into the ground, and is currently managing AMA Pro Flat Track.

With Monterey County likely wooing ISC’s deep pocketbook to make needed repairs and modifications to Laguna Seca, the track’s current operator SCRAMP is crying foul on the looming change in control.

As such, SCRAMP has begun a “Keep Laguna Seca Local” campaign, and is asking Monterey County to allow the non-profit organization, which has operated Laguna Seeca for nearly 60 years, the opportunity to have an equal and open proceeding for the right to operate Laguna Seca.

An open letter from Gregg Curry, SCRAMP’s Board President, is attached after the jump.

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News

Remains of Erik Buell Racing Sold for $2.25 Million

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It’s official, Erik Buell Racing has been sold. The East Troy company went up for auction yesterday, and the Walworth County Circuit Court today put its rubber stamp on the winning bid of $2.25 million, made by Atlantic Metals LLC.

In its bid, Atlantic Metals acquired all of EBR’s manufacturing assets (machines, parts, tools, etc), as well as the company’s intangible assets (trademarks, patents,  databases, etc). Atlantic is acquiring these items with no contingencies, per the terms of the auction.

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Bikes

Could Ducati’s New Model Be an Updated 899 Panigale?

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When it comes to Ducati’s new model rumors, the only thing we know for certain is that in roughly two months’ time, the Bologna Brand will to debut, at a track in Spain, a new motorcycle.

Early speculation pegged that new model as a 1299-based Streetfighter – a model that we concluded we were unlikely to see in Spain, if for no other reason than it us a very “un-Ducati” way of launching an entirely new model motorcycle.

Taking a longer look at Ducati’s lineup, and having a few other rumors float our way, a more likely supposition would be an update/addition to the Ducati 899 Panigale, likely something along the lines of an “S” model.

The logic here is simple: 1) it isn’t crazy to see the two-year-old 899 Panigale get a refresh, 2) the model certainly fits the bill for an on-track debut, and the real kicker, 3) there is a $4,300 gap to bridge between the 899 ($14,995) and base model 1299 ($19,295).

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