The deal is done at last. Today, the Petronas Yamaha SRT team has announced that Valentino Rossi will partner Franco Morbidelli in 2021.
Rossi has signed a one-year extension of his contract with Yamaha, to race in the Petronas Yamaha SRT team.
When you talk about the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, the conversation starts with several predictable openers.
First, there is the name, which is like some sort of crazy Gilbert & Sullivan routine about majors who are generals or some other thing. The term “Triple R” was floated at our launch, and I hope it catches on – I’m starting to get a TMJ disorder from saying the full name from Honda.
Then, there is the incredible duration of time that has passed since Honda last debuted a truly new sport bike model (the year was 2008, for those keeping count). For comparison, it took J. K. Rowling less time to make the entire Harry Potter movie franchise than Honda could come out with a proper new Fireblade.
Throw in a quick repartee about the addition of winglets on modern superbikes, and you have your basic bike night bro-dude conversation about the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP all figured out.
The conversation should turn around a different narrative though – one that focuses on how Honda has come back to the superbike market with an absolute beast of an offering.
If you don’t mind, I would like to have that conversation about the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP with you now, as this machine is not only a landmark for the Japanese brand, but also now the new reference point in the superbike segment.
You may have already seen the news from yesterday, where California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that will require all new cars and passenger trucks sold in the Golden State to be zero-emission vehicles by the year 2035.
The order also goes on to say that the state will phase out all new medium and heavy-duty trucks that are not zero-emissions by the year 2045, thus setting up the state to push electric vehicles onto its roadways in a big way.
There is a third provision in this executive order though, and it is getting far less attention than the other two, but it will greatly impact the motorcycle industry.
This is because Gov. Newsom’s executive order also says that by 2035 California will ban the sale of all new off-road vehicles that are not zero-emissions, where feasible.
Effectively, California has just set an expiration date on the sale of new dirt bikes, side-by-sides, and ATVs within its borders.
Matching the announcement by its sister company KTM, today we see the debut of the 2021 Husqvarna FS 450 supermoto.
Like the years before it, the 2021 model doesn’t see any major changes, though Husqvarna has tweaked the FS 450 enough (primarily in the suspension setup) to at least make you consider the spec sheet.
As we thought, today sees us getting our first glimpse of a new motorcycle from BMW Motorrad, but even so, give a proper hello to the BMW M1000RR superbike.
Of course with the “M” name now on a motorcycle, we see that the S1000RR package has been cranked to 11 in order to make the M1000RR a reality.
First off, you will see the prominent carbon fiber winglets attached to the front of the fairing, which is very en vogue right now, and thus obligatory. They provide 36 lbs (16.2 kg) of downforce at 187 km/h.
Underneath the hood, things are more rowdy with the BMW M1000RR, with peak power coming in at 209hp (156 kW) and peak torque at 83 lbs•ft (113 Nm).
With only 500 units coming worldwide, BMW Motorrad has already made its indication of homologating the BMW M1000RR for WorldSBK use, and to make the bike potent and ready for Superstock racing. Accordingly, pricing is set at €30,000 in Europe.
As if waiting for the debut of a new superbike from Honda wasn’t a marathon event in itself, the arrival of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP onto US soil took its time in its own right, thanks in part to the coronavirus outbreak.
But, the new Fireblade is finally here in the United States, and Asphalt & Rubber is among the first to ride this new superbike.
Our ride test takes us to smokey California, at the Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, CA. With fires smoldering not too far away, we consider ourselves lucky to ride this popular Californian track, and the new Fireblade should feel right at home on this undulating circuit.
The Husqvarna Norden 901 was one of the highlights of the 2019 EICMA show, with the Swedish brand showing its 890cc interpretation of the KTM 790 Adventure.
The bike displayed at the trade show was only a concept though, which left at least some doubt as to what the final production-ready machine would look like – not that Husqvarna strays too far from concept to conception, mind you.
Now spotted in a Pierer Mobility investor presentation (where all the best KTM/Husqvarna stories come from), we have caught a pixelated glimpse of the 2021 Husqvarna Norden 901.
The rumors of the Bonnier Motorcycle Group (BMG) being for sale have been ongoing for a while now, but now they have finally come good, as Octane has been named as the buyer of BMG.
For those not familiar with Octane, it is a part of Fintech, and it operates as a portal for financing loans to powersports buyers. Why does a lending house want to buy Cycle World, Motorcyclist, Dirt Rider, Motorcycle Cruiser, UTV Driver, ATV Rider, and Cycle Volta?
Octane CEO Jason Guss perhaps says it best in the company’s joint press release with Bonnier Corp.:
“We are acquiring these titles because we want to support brands that get people excited about powersports. Our goal for this acquisition is to ensure that unbiased product reviews, rigorous and objective testing, and informed storytelling will continue to be available to powersports enthusiasts.”
“When combined with Octane’s financing platform and dealership partners, consumers will soon be able to go directly from researching their dream vehicle to owning it, in a fast, seamless process.”
This year might be a throw away for many people (for the record, it lost me at murder hornets); but for Suzuki Motor, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of its incorporation – having been formed as the Suzuki Loom Manufacturing Co. in 1920 by Michio Suzuki.
To celebrate this century-long milestone and achievement, Suzuki Motor is doing what it does best: bold new graphics. As such, the three GSX-R models are getting a special 100th Anniversary livery, which draws heavily from the brand’s MotoGP program.
These special colors for the GSX-R600 ($11,599), GSX-R750 ($12,699), and GSX-R1000R ($17,999) will be available in only limited numbers and will be sold as 2021 model year machines.
The arrival date of the Bimota Tesi H2 is getting closer, so it doesn’t surprise us that today a Bothan spy dropped off these photos in our inbox, showing the supercharged sport bike in its final production form.
Not too much has changed since we first saw the Bimota Tesi H2 at the EICMA show in 2019, as the basic lines from the Italian boutique have remained throughout the machine.
The bike is still built around the Kawasaki Ninja H2 power plant, with the addition of an iconic and unique hub-center steering design chassis, which itself is clad with carbon fiber bodywork.
Good news supermoto fans! After a seven-year hiatus, the KTM 450 SMR is coming back to the United States as a 2021 model.
Based off the KTM 450 SX-F motocross bike, the KTM 450 SMR features the same 450cc engine and five-speed gearbox. As you would expect, the frame is chromium molybdenum steel, with a cast aluminum swingarm.