Aprilia has chosen the Imola round of the World Superbike Series to unveil their more modest version of the RSV4, the RSV4 R. Retaining most of the basic characteristics of the RSV4 Factory, the RSV4 R will have the same chassis, ride-by-wire throttle control, and 180hp V4 motor. It also apparently comes in a very classy white color scheme.
UPDATE: Added hi-res photos
Those Italians over at MotoBlog have found the new 2010 Honda VFR1200 out in the wild doing some road testing. The sport-tourer, which will feature variable cylinder management, and a dual-clutch gear box, is found this time with matching red saddle bags, completing the overall tourer look of the motorcycle. If you parlo italiano, head over to MotoBlog, and check out the rest of their shots.
French site Moto-Station is reporting, and multiple other sites are confirming, that Ducati is about to debut a Hypermotard 796. Just as the current Hypermotard 1100 borrows on the basic design of the Monster 1100, the 796 will center around the same 696cc, air-cooled, two-valve, motor found in the Monster 696.
When Mission Motors first came out of stealth mode, they used the slogan “The World’s Fastest Electric Production Sportbike”, and quoted a top speed of a 150 mph. It seems only logical then, that the company would have to back that claim up at some point, and apparently that time is now.
Last week we showed you a simple YouTube video entitled: “Electric Motorcycle 160 MPH”, and now we know the story behind that 160 mph run, and can report that the Mission One electric motorcycle is the fastest production electric motorcycle in the world, with an official land speed record of 150.059 mph. Video and more after the jump.
As Honda continues to dribble out all the details on the VFR1200, more information about the V4 motor is starting to surface, and it is shaping up to be one of the most technologically advanced power plants in the motorcycle world.
You’ve probably already read about how the VFR1200 will incorporate a dual-clutch gearbox, and now Honda has released more information on the V4 configuration itself, which will include space/weight-saving design elements, cylinder deactivation, and a unique firing order. Video, patent diagrams, and more after the jump.
Looks like our tip about Suzuki is coming to fruition sooner than we expected (although, we’re still holding our breath on the GSX1000R part of that tip). Suzuki has launched a new European Bandit at the Bol D’or 24 hour endurance race, in Magny-Cours, France, and it looks like they have given the Bandit a bit of a make-over. Pictures and more after the jump.
UPDATE #1: Well, Dorna got their mitts on YouTube and the video is gone. Sorry Folks.
UPDATE #2: Ok, found a new video from a different angle that shows more of the aftermath.
The life expectancy of this video, isnt’ foreseen to be very long, but we thought we’d bring it to you because it sets up some of the best quotes you’ll find in MotoGP racing. Both by the Uber-Italian commentators, and from the rider involved.
Americans Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards may not be podium regulars, but they certainly bring the down-to-Earth, good old boy, tell it how you see it mentality to an otherwise very rigid sport, and the events of the San Marino GP are certainly a shining example of those character traits.
Former World Superbike Team, FB Corse, looks to be poised to enter the MotoGP Championship series for 2010 with race bike that uses a proprietary chassis and a 3-cylinder motor that was originally designed for BMW’s MotoGP effort.
MV Agusta is rumored to have a 3-cylinder motorcycle in the works that’s smaller than the current F4, and Motociclismo was lucky enough to find it wandering about in the wild. Already dubbed the F3 (by the media, not MV), we know very few concrete facts about the F3, other than the visibly higher clutch case, and smaller front forks. The rest of the information is based on speculation and a little triangulation. Continue past the jump to read it.
Now that Ben Spies has taken the points lead in the World Superbike Championship, Yamaha feels comfortable releasing the secrets behind “Elbowz’s” success on tracks he’s never seen before.
Walking us through his process, this is a rare insight into the mind of a motorcycle legend in the making. Check the video after the jump for the interview with Spies, and comments from his fellow Yamaha riders from the MotoGP series.
Take a good look at the Honda CB1000R, because you won’t see it here stateside. That’s right, its de-tuned CBR1000RR motor, single-side swingarm, and streetfighter looks will be staying on the other side of the pond, and we think we’re the lesser for it.
Honda might be the lesser for it as well. With no fairing-less sportbike in its arsenal, we have to wonder what the folks in Japan were thinking on not making the CB available in the US. The only conclusion we can come to is that they just don’t like being competitve in the largest motorcycle market in the world worried that the CB would cannibalize on VFR sales.
But, seeing as how we all know the Interceptor as we know it won’t exist in 2010 (and is slated to fill a different hole in Honda’s line-up), we still have a hard time wrapping our heads around this strategy. Apparently at Honda, sportbikes must still have fairings in order to his US soil. We guess us American riders will have to somehow manage with the Tuono, Streetfighter, Z1000, FZ1, & B-King’s available to us…or move to Europe.