superbike Archives - Page 9 of 26

Bikes

Ducati Panigale V4 R Debuts with 217hp, Wings, & More

By Jensen Beeler 11/04/2018 No Comments

The big reveal at Ducati’s live stream event for EICMA 2018 is surely the Italian brand’s new homologation racing machine, the Ducati Panigale V4 R. A 998cc version of its potent street bike, the 2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R takes full advantage of the homologation rules for the WorldSBK Championship.

As such, the Ducati Panigale V4 R will surely hit the top limit of the World Superbike pricing cap, which is €40,000. For that price though, you get the pinnacle of Ducati’s superbike technology, including the company’s first use of winglets on a street-legal machine, which come straight from Ducati Corse’s MotoGP program.

Of course, the real show-stopper for the 2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R are the tech specs: 217hp (162 kW), with 83 lbs•ft (112 Nm) of peak torque, wrapped up in a 425 lbs (193kg) package, when fully fueled at the curb.

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News

Ducati Teases a Winglet On Its EICMA Live Stream Graphic

By Jensen Beeler 11/03/2018 No Comments

The EICMA festivities kick off tomorrow, with Ducati preempting the Milan trade show with its own media unveil event. The new model debuts will be live-streamed, of course, and we expect to see a bevy of new models from the Bologna brand.

Before we uncover even one bike though, Ducati is sending a clear message of what we can expect to see, teasing a winglet on its live stream promo photo. This aerodynamic aid surely belongs to the Ducati Panigale V4 R, which is expected to be the Italian brand’s big reveal for EICMA.

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Bikes

Spicy Meatballs! 2019 Aprilia RSV4 Factory Makes 214hp with 1,078cc

By Jensen Beeler 11/02/2018 No Comments

The 2019 EICMA show in Milan is next week, and there we expect to see a bevy of new models, including a few from Aprilia, but those crafty Italian have gotten a jump on things, releasing today the 2019 Aprilia RSV4 Factory.

As we predicted, the new top-spec superbike is getting a displacement increase to 1,078cc on its 65° V4 engine (we wonder why), which gives the new Aprilia RSV4 Factory a class-leading peak power figure of 214hp (159.6 kW), and 90 lbs•ft (122 Nm) of torque.

Matching that substantial gain in power, the 2019 Aprilia RSV4 Factory gets a solid weight reduction, tipping the scales at 439 lbs when fully fueled. Helping cut the weight down is a lithium-ion battery from Bosch and a street legal titanium exhaust from Akrapovic.

For those doing the math, we will save you the trouble: the 2019 Aprilia RSV4 Factory weighs 11 lbs lighter than its predecessor, and makes 16hp more power, and 5 lbs•ft more torque as well. Win, win, win.

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Rumors

This Week’s Honda CBR1000RR Rumor, The 2020 Edition

By Jensen Beeler 11/01/2018 No Comments

Another week, another rumor about a new Honda CBR1000RR. You can almost set your clock to the rumors that surround Big Red’s future superbike offering, and there are several factors for this.

First, the Honda CBR1000RR is a woefully old machine, even in its “all-new” guise, the current model can trace its lineage back to the 2008 model year. Second, the Honda CBR1000RR is obviously underpowered when you make spec sheet comparisons, by a palpable 20hp/10% margin.

The Honda makes up for this by being one of the lightest superbikes on the market, and it is easily the best handling of the bunch. But even still, in our tests, we found it to be a second a lap slower than the rest of the superbike class…and the stopwatch decides all in this segment.

Despite all this, the real reason that we keep seeing rumors about a new CBR1000RR likely stems from one simple reason: Honda is working on a new machine. Will that new bike debut for 2019? 2020? 2021? Well, that’s the debate, and even a broken clock is correct twice a day, so…

Here we are, another week, and another rumor about a new Honda CBR1000RR.

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Rumors

Specs of the 2019 BMW S1000RR Leak: 204hp, 434 lbs Wet, ShiftCam Variable Valves

By Jensen Beeler 10/30/2018 No Comments

Some of the technical details of the 2019 BMW S1000RR have been leaked to Facebook, which show the upcoming superbike to make some considerable gains over its predecessor. We first saw the leak from US tuner Alpha SBK, which posted a photo of the basic specs on its Facebook page.

The goods? 204hp (152 kW) at the crank, with 83 lbs•ft of torque, which is aided by the new ShiftCam valve train that debuted on the BMW R1250GS and other “R” models from BMW Motorrad.

Curb weight is 434 lbs, when 4.35 gallons of fuel is in the bike. That weight can be reduced to 427 lbs, when the option “M Package” is installed, which includes a bevy of carbon fiber pieces and forged wheels.

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Bikes

MV Agusta F4 Claudio, The Final Superbike

By Jensen Beeler 10/18/2018 No Comments

MV Agusta is set to retire the MV Agusta F4 superbike, but not before one last farewell. A final homage to the venerable machine, and a nod to the man who helped create it, the MV Agusta F4 Claudio is the supreme example of the Varesini company’s focus on performance and art. As such, only 100 examples will be produced.

The special edition model is based off the MV Agusta F4 RC platform, which means a 212hp inline-four engine when the dual-tipped race exhaust from SC-Project is installed. Peak torque hits 85 lbs•ft at 9,300 rpm, with a redline that reaches to 14,200 rpm. The bike still manages 205hp in street-legal trim.

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Bikes

Ducati Panigale V4 R Racer Debuts, Makes Dry Clutches Great Again

By Jensen Beeler 10/15/2018 No Comments

One of the bikes we are most looking forward to seeing debut this new bike season is the Ducati Panigale V4 R. This weekend, we got part of that hope fulfilled, as the race version of the Panigale V4 R debut at the British Superbike round at Brands Hatch.

On the machine was Ducati MotoGP test rider, Michele Pirro, who undoubtedly has been helping hone the superbike for its true racing debut next season, in the World Superbike Championship.

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Rumors

The New BMW S1000RR Has Been Caught Out in the Wild

By Jensen Beeler 10/09/2018 No Comments

What do you call a group of unrleased BMW S1000RR superbikes? A gaggle? A pride? A teutonic trio? The latter sounds more like a porn thing, but then again catching the 2019 BMW S1000RR out in the wild before its debut is very erotic to our two-wheeled minds.

That is exactly what we have for you today, as Germany’s new liter bike has been spotted by a BMW dealer in Spain. Actually, not just one bike can be seen, but several S1000RR superbikes can been seen in nondescript solid-color liveries, which gives us all the tingles.

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Rumors

BMW Begins Teasing Its New S1000RR Superbike

By Jensen Beeler 10/07/2018 No Comments

We have only a month longer to wait until BMW Motorrad debuts its all-new superbike, and the German brand has now begun teasing the new liter-bike on its social media channels.

Showing only a race track, with sounds of an accelerating motorcycle off-screen (and then a quick flash going by), zie Germans are not giving too much away yet, and we are left to our own sources to figure out what is in store for the 2019 BMW S1000RR.

The big news is the arrival of a counter-rotating crankshaft, which should help keep down the front wheel, and improve side-to-side transitions. This means that BMW Motorrad will join Ducati in producing a current superbike engine that uses this race-derived engine setup.

We also expect BMW to bring out several versions/trim levels to the new S1000RR, so as to better take advantage of the changing rules in the World Superbike Championship. This should mean a higher-spec race homologation bike, which could include aerodynamic aids.

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Products

Aftermarket Winglets for Superbikes Are Now a Thing

By Jensen Beeler 10/07/2018 No Comments

The dawn of aerodynamics is upon the motorcycle industry, because aftermarket winglets for superbikes are now a thing.

If we are surprised about anything, it is that it has taken this long for someone to come up with a winglet for modern superbikes.

Ever since the first MotoGP bike rolled out of the pit lane garage sporting aerodynamic aids, the clock has been ticking until someone made them for the general public. That time is today. That someone is the good folks at Puig.

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Bikes

Smart Updates Come the 2019 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike

By Jensen Beeler 10/02/2018 No Comments

It may only be the third model year for this generation of the GSX-R1000, but Suzuki is bringing some smart updates to its “King of Superbikes” for the 2019 season.

The changes a primarily a response to the rule changes in the WorldSBK Championship, with the 2019 Suzuki GSX-R1000 getting some subtle refinements.

The most notable change is that the new adjustable swingarm pivot, which will help setup changes for racers and track day enthusiasts alike.

Visually, riders will notice that the exhaust muffler on the 2019 bikes has been colored black, to help it blend into the rear tire and not stand out like a flying toaster oven..

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