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IOMTT: RST Superbike TT Race Results

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Racing for the 2017 Isle of Man TT finally got underway on Sunday, with the RST Superbike TT (often called the “Junior TT” by regulars, in contrast to the final Senior TT of the fortnight) getting underway.

The race framed an important narrative for this year’s TT, pitting Ian Hutchinson and Michael Dunlop against each other.

With Hutchinson on the race-proven BMW S1000RR, the question marks go to Dunlop, as he campaigns this year’s big-bike races on the new Suzuki GSX-R1000R superbike. So far in the practice sessions, both riders have shown considerable pace.

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News

MotoAmerica: Feud Brewing Between Elias and Beaubier

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Last weekend, the MotoAmerica season was onto its second round of the year, with racing action happening at Road Atlanta. The racing has been good so far in MotoAmerica this year, so if you haven’t been watching it, you have been missing out.

If you haven’t been watching, then you have also been missing-out on the feud that is brewing between Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias and Monster Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier. Exchanging some hand signals on the track, the pair exchange some words as well in Sunday’s post-race press conference.

In short, it looks like the gloves will be coming-off in the future MotoAmerica rounds, as these two riders fight not only for the MotoAmerica Championship title, but also against each other.

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Reviews

A Short Review of the 2017 Aprilia RSV4 RR/RF

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It is a tough gig when you have to ride back-to-back track days at America’s premier MotoGP circuit, but such is the life of a moto-journalist. Our next trip to the Circuit of the Americas sees us on Aprilia’s 2017 lineup for its V4 models, which consists of four machines in total.

This review will focus on the 2017 Aprilia RSV4 RR and 2017 Aprilia RSV4 RF, even though the RSV4 provides the basis for Aprilia’s other V4-powered sport bike, the Tuono V4, which we will cover in a separate piece.

In the United States of America, the Aprilia RSV4 is easily one of the most underrated motorcycles on the market, due largely to the brand’s tumultuous past, thin dealer network, and weak brand recognition. That fact borders on criminal, in our opinion.

From our perspective, the RSV4 has long been on our short-list of motorcycles you should have in your garage – and now after riding the 2017 version, we again have the feeling that Italy’s other superbike brand has set a new standard. Hide your wallet from this ride review.

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Reviews

A Short Review of the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000

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Finally returning to the sportbike segment, Suzuki enters the 2017 model year with a brand new GSX-R1000 superbike – and when we say “all new” we truly mean it. This is because the only thing that the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 carries over from its predecessor is the logo on the fuel tank.

With much to like about the previous generation machine, new doesn’t necessarily mean better. So, to see how the new Suzuki GSX-R1000 goes around a race track, we headed to America’s premier racing facility, the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. 

For our purposes, COTA is the perfect pressure test for a motorcycle like the Suzuki GSX-R1000. If you didn’t keep up with our live blogging from the event, we had a perfect day in Texas to see what the new GSX-R1000 has to offer.

Host to America’s sole MotoGP round, COTA has been built with long stretches that test straight-line speed; it has quick-transitioning esses that test handling, fast sweepers that test the motorcycle’s feedback to the rider; hard-braking zones that test the stability of the entire rolling chassis; and there is plenty of elevation and camber for the electronics to handle.

Put through the demanding gauntlet that COTA offers a motorcycle, the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 proved that the Japanese brand hasn’t forgotten how to make a potent superbike. But what about regaining its crown, as the King of Sportbikes? Continue reading to find out.

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Racing

How MotoAmerica Is Trying to Nurture Talent

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With increased factory involvement and a competitive field the first shoots of a resurgence for motorcycle racing in United States are starting to grow.

The United States has been a consistent breeding ground for world-class racers over the last four decades, but the decline of domestic racing has hit that talent pipeline hard in recent years.

Honda’s WorldSBK star Nicky Hayden is the country’s sole representative on the Superbike grid, and with no American riders racing in MotoGP, it’s clear just how far the country has fallen from the map.

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Reviews

Gone Riding: Aprilia RSV4 & Tuono V4

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Hello again from Austin, Texas and the Circuit of the Americas. Fresh off yesterday’s sessions on the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000, we have another day of track riding ahead of us (it’s a tough life, I know).

Switching things up a bit, we will be on the Aprilia RSV4 RR, Aprilia RSV4 RF, Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 RR, and Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory. That’s a lot of bikes to ride in a single-day format, but we should be able to get some good seat time on each of the new Aprilia models for you.

Our focus for the day will be on the bevy of changes that Aprilia has brought to its V4 platform for the 2017 model year, as the Italian brand looks to continue the evolution of both its RSV4 and Tuono V4 lineups.

The big changes at hand are more power, an updated electronics package, new suspension pieces for the RSV4 RF and Tuono V4 1100 Factory, and upgraded brakes (cornering ABS from Bosch and larger brake discs) on all the models.

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Reviews

Gone Riding: 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000

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Good morning from Austin, Texas. After a long weekend watching some of the fastest racers tackling the 20 turns of the Circuit of the Americas, we are going to try a hand at it today, riding the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000.

COTA is a perfect test track for a bike like the GSX-R1000, with a mix of long straights, elevation changes, quick transitions, and fast sweepers. Run, turn, stop – that is the mantra behind the Suzuki GSX-R1000, and we will be testing those three attributes.

For the 2017 model year, the GSX-R1000 is an all-new machine – though we are told that fans of the “King of Superbikes” should find this machine to be a familiar soul.

Not everything is familiar though, as the outgoing model was noticably behind the times. As such, the 2017 version features near-200hp performance figures and a state-of-the-art electronics suite, which includes ABS, IMU-powered traction control, and ride-by-wire.

Per our new review format, we will be giving you a live assessment of the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 right here in this article (down in the comments section), and there we will try to answer any questions you might have.

So, here is your chance to learn what it’s like to ride the new Suzuki GSX-R1000, before even my own proper reviews are posted.

As always, if I don’t know an answer, I will try to get a response from the Suzuki personnel (we have members from both the Japanese and American teams here on-site) that are here with me here at COTA. So, pepper away.

You can follow our thoughts on the bike live via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also try searching for the hashtags: #Suzuki & #GSXR1000 for the thoughts of my colleagues as well.

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Bikes

Watch the BMW HP4 Race Do Its Thing

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BMW Motorrad is one of the few brands still growing in this motorcycle economy, even in the United States, which is facing another year of doubtful sales increases. That’s no easy task.

Not so easy is also improving upon the BMW S1000RR superbike – a machine that tops the lists of many motorcycle publications, near and far. When you ride the BMW S1000RR, it is easy to see why the Bavarian Bullet is so popular.

The BMW S1000RR is beating the Japanese brands at their own game, offering a 1,000cc inline-four superbike with near-200hp peak horsepower figures, anemic measurements on the scale, and a full-suite of electronics…all with aggressive pricing.

How do you improve on this design? Well, a carbon fiber chassis is certainly one way to start; a WorldSBK-spec 212hp engine certainly helps; and factory-set electronics don’t hurt nothin’ either. In other words, you make the BMW HP4 Race.

There are so many reasons why we should heap praise on BMW Motorrad for building the 2017 BMW HP4 Race, but instead we are just going to let this video from the German brand do the talking.

Does anyone know what the 3asy pricing on the HP4 Race is looking like? What if I use my kidney as a down payment? No, seriously…asking for friend.

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Bikes

Mega Gallery: BMW HP4 Race

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The BMW HP4 Race has finally dropped, the Bavarian brand’s extreme superbike offering that drips in carbon fiber pieces. A track-only liter-bike for true enthusiasts, the BMW HP4 Race sees a potent 212hp engine packed into featherweight 377 lbs wet body.

Of course to hit those weight goals, BMW Motorrad employed extensive use of composite materials to shed weight from the already robust BMW S1000RR superbike. As such, the frame, bodywork, and wheels are made from carbon fiber, including the self-supporting tail section.

BMW doesn’t reveal too much on how it has boosted the power from the 199hp found on the S1000RR’s inline-four power plant, though the result is an increased redline to 14,500 rpm (up from 14,200 rpm).

Keeping inline with its ~$85,000 price tag though (BMW Motorrad hasn’t released pricing figures yet, unfortunately), the BMW HP4 Race comes with top-of-the-line brakes and suspension pieces. It also has a robust electronics package that features the usual suspects of three-letter acronyms.

There is plenty to drool over on the BMW HP4 Race, so we have 64 high-resolution photos of the machine, waiting for you after the jump. Enjoy!

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Bikes

Carbon Fiber BMW HP4 Race Debuts in China

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As we predicted, the BMW HP4 Race carbon fiber superbike debuted today in China, at the Auto Shanghai 2017 expo. This is the production version of the prototype that BMW Motorrad teased at last year’s EIMCA show in Milan.

Details were scarce in Italy, but now BMW is ready to tell us all about its halo bike. The numbers? Only 750 units of the BMW HP4 Race will be produced. Each one will make 212hp, and weigh 377 lbs when fully fueled and ready to ride – which is lighter than BMW’s WorldSBK-spec S1000RR racing machine.

Of course the main feature of the BMW HP4 Race is that it drips in carbon fiber. The bodywork, main frame, and wheels are made of this composite material, with the tail section being a self-supporting carbon fiber unit.

BMW Motorrad has interestingly chosen an aluminum swingarm for the HP4 Race though, a departure from the show bike, likely for rigidity/handling reasons.

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Bikes

Is The 2018 BMW HP4 Race About to Debut in China?

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After this year’s April Fools hijinks, we have a whole new respect for the cunning that resides at BMW Motorrad, and the Germans seem to be honing that trait even further today.

Announcing its plans for the upcoming Auto Shanghai 2017 later this month, BMW lists a number of four-wheeled news items for the Chinese auto show, and then casually slips-in at the end of the press release that we should expect a big unveil from BMW Motorrad.

The statement reads that “the highlight of the BMW Motorrad stand is the world premiere of one of the most exclusive models ever offered by BMW Motorrad,” which is terse, though given what we know about the Bavarian brand, it should be easy to guess what they are hinting at.

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