Motorcycles
Ducati shows its 2007 Desmosedici
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May 10, 2006 One of the biggest problems facing motorsport is the engenuity of the engineers and the march of technology forever increasing speed and power, improving handling and aerodynamics and reducing laptimes. Formula One car racing reduced the capacity from 3.0 litres to 2.4 litres this year and already the lap times are trending back to last year’s. Next year the premier motorcycle racing MotoGP class will have the current 1000cc capacity limit reduced to 800cc and no doubt we’ll see a similar situation. Last week Ducati became the first of the teams to show its new 800cc powered prototype Desmosedici GP7 machine and already the signs are there that the lap time gap won’t be very large for very long. With a capacity of 800cc (81mm bore x 38.8mm stroke), Australian Motorcycle News is reporting that the new bike is already producing 169kW (226 bhp) compared to the current machine’s 190kW (255 bhp), a power drop of just 11 percent compared to a capacity drop of 20 percent. This has been achieved because the motor now spins to 18,200 rpm compared to the old 86mm x 42.6mm layout which redlined at 16,550 rpm. Whatsmore, the smaller motor will enable a much smaller bike with room to move the engine within the chassis to get the best balance for each circuit/rider – a smaller, more nimble and adaptable bike is expected to further reduce lap times so it’s not out of the question that by the time the 2007 season starts, times won’t have increased much.
Night MotoGP racing on the agenda
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April 25, 2006 As television plays an ever greater role in the globalization and monetization of sport, sport is evolving. Once upon a time a time difference meant just delaying the telecast on the TV, but as the internet has hastened deadlines and live sport means “when it’s actually” happening, time-shifting events is now being considered. One such innovation on the horizon is night racing, a regular and ever more frequent autoracing fixture in recent years but until now not tried in the pinnacle sports of either car or motorcycle racing. Earlier this month the three permanent riders on the MotoGP Security Commission (Valentino Rossi, Kenny Roberts Junior and Loris Capirossi) tried out the Losail circuit in Qatar during full darkness to evaluate the feasibility of holding races at night. MotoGP points leader tried the circuit on a Ducati 999R, the headlamps of which proved to be indispensable for those parts of the track without the benefit of artificial lighting. Similarly, Rossi rode a Yamaha sports bike and Roberts rode a Honda CBR1000RR sports bike in their respective determinations.
The Limited Edition MV Agusta Nero F4 1000
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April 18, 2006 Limited edition everything is coming into vogue. As manufacturing becomes more intelligent and able to respond to an ever more discerning and directly available public, eventually we’ll see products made for very small markets that in many cases are a market of one. The MV Agusta F4 1000 Nero is just such a product – a limited edition of 21 all black F4 1000 motorcycles. The MV Agusta name is one of motorcycle legend. Started in 1945 in the village of Verghera by Count Domenico Agusta – a member of a powerful industrial family whose name is still worn today on some of the world’s most advanced helicopters. The Italian Meccanica Verghera (MV) Agusta company released its first 98cc model in 1945 and took to the race track to promote it. Within a decade the company developed multi-cylinder roadsters and fire engine red racers that came to own the world 500 and 350 titles for a decade before two-stroke machinery rendered four-stroke racers obsolete. Today, the marque no longer races in the MotoGP class but does produce a range of exquisite 1000cc sports motorcycles. The Nero Limited Edition is the brainchild of Australian MV Agusta distributor and former motorcycle champion Paul Feeney and will sell as a ready-made investment at AUD$32,990 (approx US$24,500)
Rd 2 MotoGP: Rossi fights back
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April 9, 2006 Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi returned to the top step of the podium after a stunning ride in yesterday’s Grand Prix of Qatar. Rossi’s 54th career MotoGP victory was sealed with a perfectly timed run in the second half of the race, passing early leader Casey Stoner (Honda) on lap 10 of 22 and holding off a late attack from Nicky Hayden (Honda) and Loris Capirossi (Ducati), who completed the podium. The win brings Rossi’s premier-class tally level with that of Mick Doohan, with only the legendary Giacomo Agostini now ahead of him on 68 victories. Casey Stoner's pole position in only his second Grand Prix, followed by leading for the first ten laps indicates MotoGP has unearthed yet another potential star - though Stoner was eventually fifth, he already looks capable of winning a race when he gets some riding condition capable of sustaining his speed for an entire race.
Red Bull X-Fighters in Mexico City
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April 8, 2006 We wrote recently about a new form of motorsport known as drifting, the first four-wheeled motorsport in which speed is not the key factor. Instead of being the fastest, it’s about performing the best tricks and extreme manoeuvres. Motorcycling has two equivalents – one on tarmac, where stoppies, wheelies and all manner of trickery are performed on road bikes and Freestyle Motocross (FMX) which is performed over jumps using motocross bikes. Though all of these sports are in their infancy, FMX is already shaping up as a mainstream spectator sport thanks to being extremely spectacular. Red Bull is a name synonymous with Xtreme sports of all descriptions, having organized many competitions for fledgling Xtreme sports and supported many others. Red Bull is now developing the sport into a major arena sport as was evidenced last weekend when it filled the world's largest bull fighting arena, the Monumental Plaza de Toros in Mexico City for the Red Bull X-Fighters FMX. Still images don’t do Xtreme sports justice but we defy you not to be oggle the array of awesome pics in the image gallery of this story, or wonder at just what type of sports we may evolve in the future. The event was won by 23-year-old Swiss rider, Mat Rebeaud, who put on such a spectacular display that he forced odds-on favourite American "Wunderkind"Travis Pastrana to try a little too hard, crashing out of the final in spectacular fashion.
New 2-cylinder BMW F 800 S wins stunt wars
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April 4, 2006 BMW’s new twin cylinder 800 is getting rave reviews from around the motorcycle press for its responsiveness and lean and athletic nature but one of the most surprising tributes to the machine has been paid by former World motorcycle stunt champion Christian Pfeiffer. BMW Motorrad was happy to oblige when Pfeiffer requested an F 800 as his new "working tool" at the very start of the freestyle season. Pfeiffer debuted the new motorcycle with flying colours in February at the "Stunt Wars" in sunny Florida. "Stunt Wars" is the biggest freestyle motorcycle competition in the US and is regarded by pros as the unofficial world championship. Pfeiffer won hands down against the best stunt professionals in the world, with free-hand wheelie circles followed by a 230 degree turn - a feat never seen before. Pfeiffer was particularly enthusiastic about the F 800's engine characteristics: "The engine is really well connected to the throttle and the power is transmitted spontaneously and sensitively - much better than in my last motorcycle with chain drive. That is exactly what I have always wanted for my stunts - absolutely perfect. From the very beginning I felt good on this bike, the balance is great - I hardly had to do anything to it, almost everything stayed as standard."
MotoGP Round 1: Ducati leads the world
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March 26, 2006 Ducati’s Loris Capirossi won today's season-opening Spanish GP to put the Ducati Marlboro Team at the top of the MotoGP points table for the first time in history. The race could prove to be a pivotal moment in MotoGP history, as it saw reigning champ Valentino Rossi knocked off on the second corner, and the coming of age of two of Rossi’s much younger rivals in Danni Pedrosa and Casey Stoner. Pedrosa incredibly challenged for the lead in his first MotoGP race and headed a Honda RC211V freight train that stretched from second (Pedrosa) through sixth place (Hayden, Elias, Melandri, Stoner). Stoner was almost as impressive, as his sixth came after missing the pre-season meaning he started his first race on a bike that was well behind in development. With Kawasaki now competitive with race leading machinery and more promise from Suzuki, it’s clear that 2006 will be a far more evenly balanced year of competition. In true never-say-die fashion, Rossi remounted after his first lap crash and finished the race to grab 14th place and two championship points – perhaps a pointer to just how valuable points will be over coming months.
Yamaha's Fazer becomes even more brutal
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March 23, 2006 Way back in the Northern hemisphere autumn of 2000, Yamaha released the Fazer 1000 – a more upright, naked version of its R1 1000cc supersport machine for riders who wanted maximum power but didn’t want the "praying mantis" riding position because they spent a goodly proportion of their time on city streets. Over the last few years, as competition has increased in the 1000 supersport category, the R1 has evolved considerably while the Fazer has had only minor revisions. At the Salon Moto de Paris last year, Yamaha showed two versions of an all-new Fazer - a naked streetfighter N model sporting a cutting edge headlight design and the faired S model with half-cowl and R1 style lights. Both models reach the showroom floor this week, with an all-new aluminium frame and swingarm with optimal balance between torsional, lateral and vertical stiffness for a great-handling, responsive ride … oh, and 150 bhp in your right hand and a mid-range that’s 7% stronger than the already brutal R1! The new Fazer might now be the fastest point-to-point motorcycle on the roads if there's a city between those points.
Super-Fast Ducati MotoGP Team tops leaderboard in final pre-season MotoGP tests
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March 14, 2006 A few months is a long time in motor racing and Ducati enters the 2006 season with realistic optimisim considering the poor shape its race effort was in just over six months ago. At that time the company’s perpetual superbike crown was all but lost and the MotoGP race machine had not yet blossomed in the way it did in the final races of 2005 before a Capirossi injury ended a string of poles, fastest laps and race winning efforts. Now the company’s fortunes are following on from that showing with continued speed and now two riders capable of challenging Valentino Rossi for a win. Troy Bayliss has put the factory superbike back on top after four races in the 2006 championship and the two MotoGP riders have finished first and second in the final official tests prior to the commencement of hostilities. Both riders are fit and fast and the bike is “smoking.”
Even better news is that Kawasaki’s big spending is paying off (Nakano was third fastest), Suzuki is running at the front with two good riders and a slew of promising new Honda riders have all showed race leading pace. Everyone is in great shape to attempt the impossible, or at very least highly improbable – beating Valentino Rossi and his Yamaha in what everyone accepts will be his last year of MotoGP. Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards experienced tyre difficulties in the final test, but Rossi clearly has what he needs to continue his winning ways. But the big news on the final day of testing was the pace of the Ducati Desmosedici which put Capirossi and Gibernau ahead of everyone, both on race and qualifying tyres, on the final of the three MotoGP test days.
BMW redesigns the K1200 GT - 17% more power, 11% more torque, 6% less weight
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March 11, 2006 Somewhere between BMW’s superbly comfortable K1200LT we dubbed “the mothership” and the sporting K1200RS is the K1200GT, a much lighter, more nimble but superbly equipped motorcycle designed to gobble miles at a brisk rate in true “Gran Turismo” fashion. Introduced in 2003, the 130 hp K1200GT sold very well in a competitive sports touring segment numbering Yamaha’s FJR 1300, Ducati’s ST4, Triumph’s Sprint ST, Honda’s ST1300 and Kawasaki’s ZZ-R 1200. But with BMW Motorrad shooting for a sportier sexier image and the dynamic 167 hp K1200 S dna available, it was inevitable that a replacement model would eventuate. The new massively revised GT hits European dealerships later this month with an impressive set of figures – 17% more power, 11% more torque, 6% less weight, 19% more payload and a 17% longer cruising range, BMW’s Duolever front wheel suspension and Paralever shaft drive to the rear wheel. The sophisticated BMW Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA) is available as an optional extra. Standard features include adjustable seat, handlebars, Integral ABS, panniers and windshield. The latter can be electronically adjusted to suit individual preferences. The new model for 2006 combines maximum agility and significantly increased performance with ideal riding ergonomics designed for the longest journeys.
Ducati narrowly leads Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha in World Superbike title chase
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March 6, 2005 World-class racing on machinery closely related to that on the showroom floor is what continues to drive the success of the World Superbike and Supersport Championships. With four races now complete in the World Superbike Championship, it now seems certain that Honda, Ducati, Yamaha and Suzuki all have realistic chances of taking the title, with as many as ten potential race-winning riders on the grid. Realistically though, championship leader TroyBayliss (Ducati 999, 75 pts), James Toseland (Honda CBR1000RR, 74 pts), Troy Corser (Suzuki GSXR1000, 63 pts), MotoGP veteran Alex Barros (Honda CBR1000RR, 55 pts) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha YZF R1, 42 pts) will be the key players with both Barros and Haga set for significant machinery improvements in the coming weeks. In the Supersport championship, the title already looks to be a race between the Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR of reigning champ Sebastien Charpentier and the Yamaha Germany YZF-R6 of Kevin Curtain.
World Supersport Championship underway with another Ten Kate Honda win
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February 26, 2006 Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR rider Sebastien Charpentier started his championship defence in the best fashion possible by winning the first race of the World Supersport Championship at the Losail circuit in Qatar yesterday, scoring pole position, leading every one of the race's 18-laps and setting a new lap record on the way. The Frenchman ran out a five second winner over Kevin Curtain who debuted Yamaha’s ride-by-wire 2006 Yamaha YZF-R6. Perhaps the most promising aspect of the race was that despite the speed of the well-sorted Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, the new Yamaha was very fast and competitive though it is sill very early in its development. The third generation YZF-R6 looks like it has the goodies to take the race to the dominant Ten Kate team and the talents of Charpentier.
Round 1 of World Superbikes promises spectacular year
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February 26, 2006 The World Superbike and Supersport Championships got underway on Saturday at the Losail circuit in Qatar, and already the indications are that both championships will see a much closer result than last season. Troy Bayliss returned to the Ducati Xerox superbike team after three years in MotoGP, and after the first two races of the year he leads the title with 40 points (two second places) from 2005 Champ Troy Corser’s Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra and James Toseland’s Winston Ten Kate Honda which both scored a win and a fourth place for 38 points. Had it not been for a first race crash by Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga, who took out Corser’s Suzuki teammateYukio Kagayama with both riders battling for the win, the vastly improved Yamaha might have taken the win. With at least four makes capable of winning, the 13-round, 26-race series looks set for yet another year of spectacular racing. In the Supersports class Yamaha’s ride-by-wire 2006 Yamaha YZF-R6 debuted with a second place and promises a realistic threat to dominant Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR rider Sebastien Charpentier as the season unfolds.
Ducati's Monster 695 entry level bike capable of thrilling experts
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February 23, 2006 Ducati’s ability to make performance motorcycles that are easy to ride is uncanny. It’s original mid-range L-twin, the Pantah 500, was both an ideal learners machine yet the basis for many a sweet-handling racebike. Now the newly announced Ducati 695 represents a unique offering in the world of motorcycles and in the Ducati Monster family in much the same way; it is a motorcycle that is welcoming to novice riders but, at the same time, is capable of delivering a level of performance that can thrill far more advanced riders. While becoming the new entry point to the Monster family, Ducati claims the Monster 695 will transform a motorcyclist into a Ducatista, a member of the Ducatisti tribe of fans whose motorcycle looks, feels and sounds like no other. The Monster 695, a preview of the Model Year 2007, replaces the 620, and is a quantum leap forward in terms of handling, riding pleasure and performance. The potent new 695 cc L-Twin delivers much greater horsepower and torque – the highest output per cc of any Ducati air-cooled engine – while producing smoother and more fluid power, making every twist of the throttle exciting and satisfying.
Motorcycle land speed record attempt aims for 530 km/h plus
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February 22, 2006 A Suzuki Hayabusa-engined motorcycle – the “Ack Attack” – will attempt to break the 16-year-old FIM land speed record at South Australia’s Lake Gairdner in early March. With conditions at the spiritual home of land speed racing (Bonneville USA) not up to scratch in 2005, Californian-based Mike Akatiff has decided to shoot for the record in Australia, with the initial run planned at first light on March 6. The record attempt will be the highlight of the 2006 Lake Gairdner Speed Trials, which runs from March 6-10. The streamliner, designed by Akatiff and constructed at the Akatiff-owned ACK Technologies (an avionics emporium) in San Jose, is powered by two turbo-charged 1300cc Hayabusa engines producing around 900 horsepower, which are ensconced in chrome moly tubing and a predominantly carbon-fibre skin.
BMW Motorrad's enhanced Rallye 2 Pro suit
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February 21, 2006 Any motorcyclist embarking on worldwide travel or riding in difficult conditions has a tough decision to make when it comes to their choice of protective rider clothing. It's easy for a clothing manufacturer to claim that their products are good enough to wear for riding around the world or even competing in events such as the infamous Dakar rally. However it is far better to let those who actually wear them in these situations to comment on their effectiveness. Perhaps it is no coincidence that last year saw many adventure and competition motorcyclists choose to wear BMW Motorrad's Rallye 2 suit. It is an uncompromising item of equipment for serious riding and is designed to resist and beat climatic adversity, physical abuse and extreme terrain. Now, BMW Motorrad has launched the brand new 2006 Rallye 2 Pro suit – a direct replacement for the popular Rallye 2, and the first BMW textile suit to offer enhanced body armour across the shoulder, elbow, back, knee and hip areas.
Ducati Hypermotard voted the Best Design trophy winner of 2005 by the Motorcycle Design Association
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February 18, 2006 The Motorcycle Design Association, a group of designers and professionals from within the two-wheel industry worldwide, has voted the Ducati Hypermotard, designed by Pierre Terblanche, as the best overall motorcycle design trophy winner for 2005. In winning the best overall design award, the Hypermotard scored 50% more votes than the runner-up, the Yamaha MT-0S concept bike. The MT-OS won the concept bike category with Honda’s DN-01 and the Victory Vision tieing for second place. The Hypermotard’s award follows on from the ‘Best of Show’ award it won at the EICMA Show in Milan last November, one of the most important shows worldwide for the motorcycle industry. The Hypermotard also won the Open bike category, from Bimota's Delirio and BMW's HP2. Yamaha's R6 won the supersport category from the Motocycsz C1.
Honda rumoured to have turbo 1800 VTX ready
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February 15, 2006 Reports emanating from informed sources suggest Honda is about to release its first turbocharged motorcycle in a quarter of a century with a turbocharged version of the VTX Concept 2 (pictured) which debuted at the Chicago Show in 2004. Designed by HRA (Honda R&D Americas) in Torrance, California, the bike is reported to have use a turbocharged version of the existing Honda VTX motor, which would give it a power output of 110 to 120 kW and brutal acceleration. We loved the existing VTX 1800 when we rode it, describing it as “capable of thunderous acceleration”, and that was with the standard 75 kW motor – imagine how the bike will accelerate with 110+ kW! No doubt the new bike is a reaction to the extraordinary success of the Triumph Rocket III, and quite clearly, the new VTX would offer similar mid-range grunt to the big British triple, with an all-important bigger top end.
BMW working on electronic traction-control for motorcycles
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February 11, 2006 BMW Motorrad released a very interesting statement this week. The statement came with an accompanying image of a high powered motorcycle which BMW has developed to test a number of areas at the outer limits of motorcycle performance, encompassing research into lightweight construction, high performance aerodynamics and the “highly dynamic processes in engine and driving dynamics management under extreme conditions.” Examples of the latter include traction control systems which “will be introduced for powerful motorcycles in serial production in the years to come” according to BMW. BMW says the traction control and BMW’s Anti Lock Braking (ABS) system “will form part of an integrated concept to increase active safety.” BMW says that, “by conducting in-house development such as this, engineers benefit from the expertise derived from Formula 1 and BMW’s technology leadership in the field of electronics.”
Kawasaki unveils 2006 Ninja ZX-RR
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January 31, 2006 The official colours of the various MotoGP teams are beginning to emerge with Kawasaki unveiling its new 2006 Ninja ZX-RR machinery in official colours at Phillip Island today during the opening day of the three-day official MotoGP test at the Australian circuit. Almost a year in development, the new Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machine has been designed from the ground up by Kawasaki's engineers, based on the lessons learnt since the Japanese factory returned to top flight competition at the end of 2002. The new bike features a 990cc, inline four-cylinder engine that is significantly more compact than previous versions, housed in a chassis that Shinya Nakano declared a major step forward in terms of handling when he tested it at Sepang.
KTM rolls out the go-anywhere motorcycle – the 990 Adventure
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January 30, 2006 In the recent Dakar Rally, which is surely the toughest and most dangerous motorsport event regularly held in the world, KTM motorcycles won for the sixth consecutive time, filling the first eight placings. Less than a month later, KTM has unveiled its new 990 Adventure – a motorcycle derived directly from the Africa-conquering experiences of the marque over the last six years, but with all the roadgoing niceties you’d like to have if you were travelling say, from Paris to Peking overland. Indeed, if wherever you’re going is a long way and very rough, the KTM Adventure and its Dakar-dimensioned Adventure S (35mm more ground clearance and 35mm taller seat) are now the most likely candidates for the job. The Adventure was unveiled to the world press yesterday. Our favourite quote from the release goes to the winner of the 2006 Dakar event, Cyril Despres: "At 190 km/h through knee-deep sand you have to feel confident on your bike. After more than 10,000 kilometers the 990 Adventure is practically a part of you."
Buell introduces XBRR Production Racing Motorcycle
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January 27, 2006 Erik Buell and company have come full circle with the introduction of the 2007 Buell XBRR, a limited-edition production racing motorcycle designed exclusively for closed course competition. A spiritual successor to Buell’s first motorcycle, the 1983 RW750, the new XBRR is poised to change the face of privateer racing with a professional-level, race-ready, production-based platform featuring top-shelf racing technology and typical Buell innovation. The full-fairing Buell XBRR features a modified XB Thunderstorm 1340cc (103.6mm bore x 79mm stroke) air/oil-cooled V-Twin motor rated at 150-hp (measured at the crankshaft). The engine is fed by a dual-downdraft 62mm throttle-body electronic fuel injection system and a ram-air intake system integrated with a new wind-tunnel developed carbon fibre fairing.
Victory Vision 800 Concept promises a new era for American motorcycles
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January 24, 2006 Victory Motorcycles have traditionally crafted motorcycles of the big V-twin cruiser, Harleyesque genre, but the signs are beginning to point to a more diverse product range in the not-too-distant future. The boutique American motorcycle manufacturer is beginning to flex some of its parent company’s muscle and has released a concept motorcycle that is VERY different – a long-wheelbase, 800cc, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, parallel twin with a cast aluminium alloy frame, constantly variable transmission and radical yet arguably very practical styling. Given that parent company Polaris recently purchased a 24% share in Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM, don’t be surprised to see a serious new player in international motorcycle markets before the turn of the decade.
Ducati 2006 MotoGP bike unveiled - 235bhp, 148 kg
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January 20, 2006 – At the beginning of each racing season, just before the engines fire in anger for the first time after the Christmas lull, Ducati’s MotoGP team and Ferrari’s Formula One team share an annual appointment on the mountains of Madonna di Campiglio in Trento with a media and ski get-together - the formula of the event revolves around skiing in the mountains together with a round of press meetings and conferences. This year Ducati took the opportunity to pull the wraps off the Desmosedici GP06, the new MotoGP machine that Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau will be campaigning this season. A rare insight into a new MotoGP machine - 235 bhp at 16,500 rpm and a dry weight of just 148 kilograms
Paul Smart Replica - the investment you can enjoy while it appreciates
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January 18, 2006 Ducati’s announcement a few weeks ago that the 2006 Paul Smart 1000LE’s entire production run of 2000 units had been made and there would be no more produced, made it clear that the value of each and every one of those machines would continue to appreciate forever more. The Ducati V-twin race heritage is without peer, with 241 World Superbike Championship wins - more than all the other manufacturers combined. But two wins stand above them all – Mike Hailwood’s comeback win at the Isle of Man on June 2, 1978 and the very first V-twin race start, on April 23, 1972 when Paul Smart led a Ducati 1-2 in the Imola 200. The race bike spawned the Ducati 750SS and now three decades later, the VERY limited edition Paul Smart Replica. At US$18,000, it offers a gilt-edged investment that’s faster than the original race bike.
Ready to race HUSQVARNA SM 450RR Limited Edition
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January 11, 2006 Supermotard is a form of motorcycle racing and a genre of motorcycle which has only evolved in recent years, finding popularity in France in the mid-eighties and spawning factory-produced models from serious off-road motorcycle manufacturers in the nineties. Essentially off-road motorcycles with modified suspension and slick tyres, Supermotards are perhaps the most controllable of all motorcycles at medium and low speeds on tarmac and hence they have grown in popularity with roadgoing motorcyclists the world over, simply because they are very relevant to real world speeds and conditions. Recognising this, the FIM has now sanctioned a world championship and, predictably, the first “works replicas” are now emerging – bikes that are identical to those ridden in world championship events. The winningest marque on the World Supermotard scene is the Italian Husqvarna, and the company has produced 50 limited edition replicas of the motorcycle Eddy Seel used in the World Supermoto Championship in 2005. The SM450RR will be competitive at any supermotard race meeting, straight out of the crate.
Dakar Rally Day 5: KTM versus KTM
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January 5, 2006 KTM’s dominance in the motorcycle section of the Dakar Rally continued yesterday with the fierce competition in the class now focussed between the Gauloises (second, third, fifth) and Repsol (first, fourth, sixth) sponsored KTM teams and a monumental battle between the teams’ lead riders, Cyril Despres (Gauloises KTM) and Marc Coma (Repsol KTM). Yesterday Despres carved 3 minutes and 41 seconds from Coma’s lead during an 800 km stage down the Adraa Valley in Southern Morocco, but Coma still leads the rally by one minute 25 seconds. KTMs fill 13 of the first 14 places on the leaderboard with one third of the rally distance covered, with only the two-wheel-drive Yamaha of David Fretigne (seventh) preventing a complete whitewash of the results.
Suzuki B-King 600 Streetfighter unveiled
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December 13, 2005 It may not be the 250 bhp turbocharged 1500cc B-King we’d been hoping for, but it’s at least using the B-King styling. It’s the latest “street fighter” and Suzuki took the global wraps off it this week - the much-anticipated all-new GSR600. Like all the new aggressively-styled naked bikes, the GSX-R600 hopes it can bring its unique qualities to the new breed of motorcycle. The culmination of an exciting engine and chassis design program that aimed to create a sporty motorcycle in which ‘modern art meets race technology’… the result is edgy styling and comfort seamlessly blended with performance, technology and handling that is first-class.” Based on the race-proven powerplant of the GSX-R600, the high-performance, liquid-cooled GSR600 engine is tuned for a broader powerband and more low-and mid-range torque.
MV Agusta new Brutale 910R wins best of show award in Milan
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November 29, 2005 The recent 63rd International Motorcycle Show in Milan coincided with the sixtieth anniversary of MV Agusta, one of the most successful and exclusive motorcycles in history. Though MV Agusta ceased competing in MotoGP 30 years ago, its total of 37 world titles is still second only to Honda and far greater than that of familiar winning marques such as Yamaha (32), Suzuki (15) and Aprilia (7). To celebrate the anniversary of the launch of the first MV Agusta, the company showed two new models at Milan: The F41000 SENNA and the BRUTALE 910R. The former was created as part of the current agreement between MV Agusta and the Senna Foundation and only 300 limited edition models will be manufactured with a proportion of the proceeds from sales going to the Foundation for underprivileged young Brazilians. The naked Brutale 910 R has its roots in racing machines and with a liberal sprinkling of carbon fiber and elite equipment such a the new Marzocchi 50mm forks, it just reeks of exclusivity. The bike was voted the “Most Beautiful Motorcycle” of the show, garnering 19.6% of show attendee vote ahead of the new ride-by-wire Yamaha YZF-R6 (13.4%), Ducati’s Monster S4RS (5.5%), Bimota’s Delirio (4.7%) and BMW’s HP2 enduro bike (4.4%). It’s not surprising – the BRUTALE 910R has improved performance, better braking and the dynamic handling characteristics of a full race machine – in a roadbike package.
New BMW 1200 has 25% more power, 10% less weight
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November 16, 2005 BMW has rolled out an all-new replacement for the R1100 S at the Milan EICMA Show – the new R1200 S is the most powerful production Boxer (horizontally-opposed twin) the world has ever seen, with 25% more power than its predecessor and 10% less weight. With this new sports bike, BMW fully expects to tempt riders away from Japanese and Italian ‘supersport’ machines that it believes are too closely modelled on factory race bikes, to actually work in everyday riding conditions. Despite the R1200 S’s undoubted track capabilities an overwhelming number of owners will only ever ride the S on the road. With its sporty but relaxed riding position, the new bike’s strength is its practicality and versatility over other machines of the sports genre. All the usual fea-tures so typical of the brand complete the wish list of many BMW fans, such as a fully controlled catalytic converter, the single-wire system for the on-board network, an electronic immobiliser, maintenance-free shaft drive with a single-sided swinging arm, and Telelever front wheel suspension.
Bimota’s DB6 Delirio – 170 kilogram work of art
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November 16, 2005 Italian motorcycle manufacturer Bimota unveiled a new model at Esposizione Internazionale del Motociclo (EICMA), which opened in Milan, yesterday. The 1000cc DB6 Delirio is based on the DB5 Ducati-engined superbike, with a similar trellis frame and trellis swinging arm. Although the bike is similar to its faired sibling, and indeed was designed by the same Sergio Robbian, there are many differences, the most notable being a dry weight of just 170 kilograms. With 90 horsepower at 8500 rpm, the DB6 is likely to offer solace for those who cannot wait for the Ducati Hypermotard, having some very similar characteristics.
Ducati Hypermotard Concept Bike and 130bhp Monster
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November 16, 2005 Ducati used the opening of the EICMA Motorcycle Show in Milan yesterday to show two new motorcycles – one you can buy and a concept that Ducati is considering for production. The bike you can buy (as a 2007 model in 2006) is the new king of the naked bike class, the MONSTER S4RS TESTASTRETTA, a minimalist machine powered by the legendary Testastretta engine which has won several World Superbike championships and puts 130 brake horsepower on the tarmac (150 bhp with an optional exhaust). Equally as delectable and appealing as the S4RS was the Hypermotard concept machine – an extension of the supermotard class of machines using an air-cooled 1000 Dual Spark engine and weighing in at just 175 kilograms. EXTENSIVE IMAGE LIBRARY OF THE NEW MACHINES
BMW K 1200 S sets 175.57 mph World Land Speed Record
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November 14, 2005 A 2006 production model BMW K 1200 S has set a world land speed record in the 1000 - 1350 cc stock, partially streamlined, naturally aspirated motorcycle class at Utah's famed Bonneville Salt Flats. The motorcycle, piloted by 56-year-old Andy Sills, of San Francisco, CA, reached an average speed of 173.57 mph and top speed of 176.789 mph after two runs on the vast, white plains, where hundreds of land speed records have been set and broken since the early 1900s in a variety of automobile and motorcycle classes. The BMW is not the fastest production motorcycle in the world though – the soon-to-be-released 1400cc Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 will be the most powerful and the fastest production motorcycle in history when it hits showrooms in the next few months. Just for the records, the most powerful roadgoing motorycle in the world is without a shadow of doubt this 700bhp Hayabusa, and the fast motorcycle speeding ticket ever registered is 205mph by a Honda RC51.
Young Guns Set To Load MotoGP Bullets
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November 10, 2005 Elite motorcycle racing has many similarities to Formula 1 but it also has many differences, and perhaps the starkest contrast became evident on the Valencia racetrack in Spain yesterday just three days after the last race of the 2005 season. Formula 1 driver changes are major announcements in exotic locations. In MotoGP, all of the rider changes that had been rumoured and spoken of in hushed terms for the previous three months were suddenly on display as the first official test session for 2006 got underway. Honda’s big hope for 2005, Spaniard Sete Gibernau, was riding a Ducati. More significant though was the absence of many of the senior names which have monopolised the key factory rides for the last five years and in their place a half dozen or more new riders who have surfaced though 125, 250 and superbike – Pedrosa, Vermeulen, Stoner, Divizioso, Luthi, De Punier, Kiyonari and Neukirchner were among those who got their first chance on the ultimate racing machines yesterday as the Japanese factories (primarily Honda) made it clear they were seeking the next Valentino Rossi. Extensive image library
Landing gear for the MotherShip
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November 4, 2005 Throw a leg over the BMW K1200LT and the magnitude of the motorcycle suddenly hits you. It’s the reason why the bike has a reverse gear and why our test crew dubbed it “the Mothership” when we tested the bike. Even the largest of males needs to find firm footing to wrestle the LT’s near 400 kilograms around at standstill. Misjudge yourself on gravel and the LT will topple over and you’ll need a bar full of able-bodied men to get it upright again – unless you have Doken’s Touch-Down system fitted. The 4500 Euro system was shown for the first time at the Tokyo Motor Show last month.
