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With the Aprilia riders having an extra day of tests at Phillip Island, it should be no surprise that they sit on the top of the leader board for testing lap times. This extra day has cause some ire from other team managers who state that Aprilia’s actions are pushing up the costs of testing for everyone else. We think that’s a cheap excuse for the fact that Shinya Nakano leads Regis Laconi, who is back with Ducati, and that Aprilia’s Max Biaggi is in a not-so-distant third. Biaggi finished the day on a bit of a low note, having a relatively low-speed fall towards the end of the day. We’ll have to wait for the other teams to start their testing on Saturday before we can see how the grid is stacking up.

 

roehr1250sc4

UPDATE: By now you have surely heard of the Roehr 1250sc. The American made superbike that has a supercharged Harley-Davidson VROD motor at its heart, which makes 180hp. This 432lbs (dry) MV Agusta look-a-like will be sure to turn heads down at the local bike night, especially when you’ve paid out the nearly $50,000 price tag (before taxes and licensing). The regulation friendly bike will meet all CARB and EPA  requirements, and will be DOT certified for sale in all 50 states. The 1250sc will be available for delivery starting March 2009.

Enough of that, here’s how the press release should read:

If you like bikes that take their styling queues from the early 2000’s, make the same amount of power as bikes in their class without forced induction, and still costs 67% more than a Ducati 1098R, then this is the bike for you. In which case, the option to purchase the bike through eBay will be especially appealing (I couldn’t make this up if I wanted to). The Roehr 1250sc is representative of everything that is truly American, at least all of the negative stereotypes that people often label upon the American auto industry.

While as much as we’d like to see a great American made motorcycle, it looks like Roehr hasn’t learned from the lessons of Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Bigger does not mean better, and there is a replacement for displacement: It’s called ingenuity.

7,130 Ducati Superbikes are being recalled because of voltage regulators that could be damaged from the mighty v-twins radiant heat. Ducati 1098 and 848 owners will have to take their bike into the dealer to have the regulator replaced, a heat shield installed between the voltage regulator and the exhaust pipping, and have a new battery support installed. 

This recall specifically affects:

2007-2008 Ducati 1098
2007-2008 Ducati 1098S
2007-2008 Ducati 1098 R
2007-2008 Ducati 1098 Tricolore
2008-2009 Ducati 848

Owners can contact Ducati North America at 1-800-231-6696, with recall reference number: RCL-08-005. As always, you can contact the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 or visit safecar.gov.

Portimao (Portugal), has been added to the World Superbike Championship testing schedule. The testing sessions will be held from January 23rd until January 25th. All Superbike and Supersport teams, factory and privateers alike, will travel to the new circuit for their first time out on the newly added circuit to WSBK racing. With the first race at Phillip Island only a month after the testing, teams will have only a short amount of time to dissect their information and come up with a winning bike setup.

Some lucky journalists were invited by Ducati to ride the new 2009 Ducati 1198S, the 1198cc monster recently endowed with its big brother’s traction control system. On the outside the new 1198S looks like its predacessor, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts: 100 more cubic centemeters, a new lighter crankshaft, and Ducati Traction Control (DTC). DTC is a true race traction control system that works first by retarding the ignition, and second by cutting the fuel injection during major wheel spin. Read more for the full report.

 

UPDATE: Info on the Troy Bayliss Limited Edition

But wait! There’s more! There’s a reason that the Streetfighter will get the Superbike’s 1098 mills…it is because the Superbike line no longer needs them! Ducati will be bumping the rest of the Superbike line (the 1098R has already made the engine displacement jump) to the newly decided upon 1198cc displacement for the World Superbike regulations. More after the jump.

 

Well it is in the wild now, Ducati has finally cast a light on the dark corner of their factory in Bologna where they have taken the prized Ducati 1098 Superbike, and made it anew in streetfighter form. The result? A 1099cc 155hp v-twin motorcycle capable of urban doom. There will be two models, a standard Streetfighter and the Streetfighter S. Sharing the same motor, the Streetfighter S will boast Marchesini 5-spoke rims, traction control (as seen on the 1098R Superbike), a data acquisition unit, and Öhlins rear shock and forks. More after the jump.

Next years World Superbike Series should become one of the best seasons yet. With BMW joining the party with their superbike debut, Aprilia returning to the mix with its new RSV4, and Yamaha’s launching their new “cross plane” close firing R1. WSBK has never been short of action packed racing (that is when factories other than Ducati show up), and 2009 is proving to be no different. The season is already shaping up to be a good one, and the races haven’t even started yet.

The 2009 provisional calendar of the FIM Superbike and Supersport World Championships and Superstock 1000cc FIM Cup is posted after the jump.