Motorcycles
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 Read More
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. Read More
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. Read More
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. Read More
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. Read More
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. Read More
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. Read More
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. Read More
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 Read More
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. Read More
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 Read More
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. Read More
Yamaha introduces ride-by-wire motorcycle
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October 31, 2005 Yamaha recently released the details on its 2006 R6 Supersport motorcycle. It has a fuel-injected 599cc four cylinder engine with four titanium valves per cylinder and revs cleanly to its 17,500 rpm redline, making maximum power of 133bhp at 14,500 rpm – that’s 221 bhp per litre – roughly the equivalent of a front-running MotoGP bike. It’s engine also has a slipper clutch as standard and it is the first production motorcycle with a ride-by-wire throttle. That’s right – there are still throttle cables but they run to a computer, not the carburettor slides. Read More
Chopper One - a ride fit for a President
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Inventor and tireless innovator Eddie Paul was recently featured in Gizmag for his CircleScan camera, CEM engine and bionic shark, but deep down Eddie still loves his original work as a customiser and creator of motorcycles and cars. His latest project has just been completed and when we got our hands on images we thought you might be interested just because of the sheer audacity of the creation. It's a motorcycle powered by a 650 bhp 502 cubic inch Chevy V8 engine with twin superchargers and nitrous oxide injection. Eddie says, "It should top out at about 300 mph and get about 6 mpg on the highway. It weighs about 1000 pounds, has straight pipes (no mufflers) and most importantly, it will get you home from the store before the ice cream melts."
The Bike is called Chopper One as it's, "a ride fit for a president." It was built in three weeks for the upcoming SEMA show in Las Vegas Nevada. Check out the images.
The ultimate long-distance motorcycle for serious globetrotters
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October 27, 2005 The 2005 International NEC Motorcycle and Scooter Show will open at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre tomorrow with the world premier of the ultimate travel and enduro machine - the 2006 BMW R1200 GS Adventure. As a replacement for the hugely popular and successful R1150 GS Adventure, the new 1200cc model will feature more power, less weight, and improved off-road capability. BMW expect that, ultimately, it will penetrate its market segment as the definitive bike for serious long-distance on and off-road riding. Visitors to the BMW stand will be able to enjoy an exclusive look at the latest machine to embody BMW's new design philosophy. The exciting all-terrain machine will assume centre stage on the BMW stand throughout this year's International Motorcycle and Scooter Show. Read More
Cervical spine protection system for motorcyclists
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October 27, 2005 As science advances at a rapid rate, most areas of road safety have improved markedly, with the motorcycle seemingly decades behind the automobile in terms of applied technology to reduce road trauma. For example, the motorcycle airbag recently developed by Honda is a full 25 years behind the first automotive airbag from Mercedes Benz. With motorcycle helmets now compulsory in most markets, the most vulnerable part of a motorcyclist is now the neck and spinal area. A new initiative announced this week betweeon KTM and BMW Motorrad plans to push ahead with the development of an adequate system of protection for this extremely sensitive area. The objective is to reduce the risk of injury to the neck, the cervical spine, the spinal cord and the collar bone in the event of a serious fall. The work builds on and supports the work of South African Dr. Chris Leatt from Leatt-Brace. Leatt-Brace manufactures Kevlar and carbon-fibre neck brace systems for both motorsport and motorcycle sports. Read More
Yamaha V-Max 2005 and MT-OS concept bikes
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October 25, 2005 One of the trends of the most recent motorcycle shows in Paris and Tokyo has been showing new concept motorcycles and being very vague with the information accompanying them. Yamaha has shown a raft of new and fascinating such motocycles at the Tokyo Show but we’re still very much in the dark on two of its concepts. The MT-OS was first shown at the 2005 Paris Motor Show and is a radically styled version of the 89 bhp 1670cc Yamaha MT-O1 – as if the MT-01 wasn’t radical enough. The other is also a reprise of the nearly 20 year old V-Max – Yamaha’s original muscle bike has been brought right up to date though we suspect that the new motor is going to have a much larger capacity. Like 1.8 litres, and 200BHP? Now that’d be worth the two decade wait. Extensive photo galleries inside. Read More
Suzuki’s Stratosphere unveiled: 180bhp, 1100cc six-cylinder machine
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October 20, 2005 Six cylinder motorcycles have been few and far between in the history of powered two-wheelers – Benelli’s Sei, Honda’s CBX and Goldwing, Kawasaki’s Z1300 and now Suzuki’s Stratosphere. The Suzuki Stratosphere is only a concept bike at this stage but vapourware is not in Suzuki’s vocabulary and the company has a strong track record for turning its concepts into reality. The raw figures are 1100cc, 24 valves, 180 horses and a motor reportedly turbine-like smooth. The motor is an engineering masterpiece akin to the miniaturized sophistication of a Swiss watch and the aluminium fairing, electrically-adjustable windscreen, LED headlights, adjustable handlebars, built-in GPS navigation just add to the high-tech cred. We’re not so sure about the orange seat, but love the Katanesque profile. See the photo gallery for details – a stunner and one that we sincerely hope will make it to the showroom floor Read More
Honda shows automatic 700 Sports motorcycle
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October 24, 2005 One of the surprises of the 39th Tokyo Motor Show 2005 which opened on saturday was Honda's showing of a large-size sports motorcycle concept model dubbed the DN-01. The motorcycle is equipped with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and a water-cooled, 4-stroke, OHC, V-twin, 2-cylinder, 680cc engine. Most significantly, Honda stated that it "will continue the development of DN-01 with the goal of introducing it to the market in the near future." CVT has already been introduced into the market in a range of scooters with Suzuki's futuristic Burgman scooter the most obvious shining example. Honda's version of the CVt is being touted as different to other CVTs and is described as an hydraulic mechanical continuously variable HFT (Human Fitting Transmission) system featuring two automatic modes and a 6-speed manual mode which the rider operates through buttons on the handlebars. Read More
Honda to unveil key motorcycle safety initiatives: rider trainer and airbags
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October 15, 2005 One of the sad facts about riding a motorcyle is that although it can accelerate quicker and stop faster than an automobile, the lack of a steel cage surrounding the occupants makes a motorcycle much more dangerous – you’re around seven times more likely to die on a motorcycle than a car for an equivalent distance traveled on public roads. So it’s not surprising that the World’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, Honda, is devoting a considerable share of its massive R&D budget to making motorcycles safer. Next week the company will make two significant technology announcements that will save countless lives in coming years – the world’s first motorcycle airbag, and (much) more importantly, the availability of affordable advanced rider simulation machines for every Honda dealership. Rider training is the key to survivability on a motorcycle and Honda’s groundbreaking development of an affordable rider training simulator is to be loudly applauded. In many countries the simulators will become available in every Honda dealership within 12 months, giving it a massive advantage over its competitors in attracting a greater share of new motorcycle riders. Read More
Suzuki gets serious with a 107 cubic inch motorcycle
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October 11, 2005 The Suzuki M109 is intended for the power cruiser marketplace – the market begun and dominated by Harley Davidson that has attracted competitors from Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and latterly, the only truly original contender in the field since the Harley itself, Triumph. In this market, brutal torque is the currency, so bigger is better when it comes to engine size and the original Harley V-twins which seemed ginormous at 1280cc have been trumped and countertrumped all the way to 1700cc by Yamaha, 1800cc by Honda and 2000cc by Kawasaki – the largest V-twin motorcycle engine in the world. Then there’s Triumph’s 2300cc Rocket III, but that’s another story entirely. Currently, the Suzuki is the runt of the pack with a capacity of 1.6 litres, but quite soon we’ll see a newer, meaner and much higher revving Suzuki contender – the M109 gets its name from the cubic inches it packs – 109 of them. Read More
Yamaha introduces computer-operated clutch and electronic shift actuators on FJR1300
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October 28, 2005 UPDATED IMAGES Yamaha is introducing an interesting innovation to motorcycling with a 2006 version of the Yamaha FJR1300 – a computer operated, electric gearshift which eliminates the need to operate the clutch. The Yamaha Chip Controlled Shift (YCC-S) system is very similar to the electronic shifting systems used on F1 race cars and as with the cars, you can choose to shift up and down with your left thumb or the old fashioned way with your left foot – neither requires the clutch. Its apparently smoother and faster but we’re not sure if the motorcycle community will be queuing up for this one and the blogs are already full of “scooter” jokes though it must be said this is not an automatic motorcycle. There’s something immensely satisfying about snicking up a gear and feeding in 145 horsepower but we’ll treat it with an open mind until we can throw a leg over it. Read More
World Superbike Championships - Corser and Suzuki take the title
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October 2, 2005 Troy Corser is the 2005 Superbike World Champion following the penultimate round of the series held at Imola, Italy here today. Corser finished a very close second to his nearest rival Chris Vermeulen (Honda) in the first race of the day, which took part on a drying track after earlier rain. But, just before the start of the second race, the heavens opened and deluged the 4.933 kilometre circuit. The riders and officials waited and inspected the aging circuit which still has the original racing surface in some places and decided it was too dangerous to hold the event under the conditions and decreed the race cancelled. The cancellation meant Corser’s points lead was unbeatable in the remaining races, giving him and Suzuki’s GSX1000R this year’s championship!
MotoGP Qatar: Rossi’s tenth victory secures team title for Gauloises Yamaha
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October 2, 2005 Just six days after lifting the MotoGP title with Valentino Rossi in Malaysia, the Gauloises Yamaha Team were celebrating again today as Valentino Rossi’s record-breaking tenth victory of the season secured the Teams’ World Championship at the Qatar Grand Prix. Yamaha is likely to secure the trifecta by winning the constructor’s title at the Australian GP in a fortnight’s time. Once again, Spaniard Sete Gibernau was the front-runner for most of the race, relenting once more when the chequered flag grew near to finally finish fifth. Gibernau has led 111 (32%) of the 347 laps in this year’s 14 races compared to Rossi’s 87 laps (25%) yet Rossi has won ten Gps and a championship compared to Gibernau’s zip and eighth place in the standings. The Spaniard remains the most obviously capable rider other than Rossi and is reportedly negotiating a move from Honda to Ducati for next year. Read More
BMW to introduce F800S parallel twin sports motorcycle
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September 30, 2005 For several decades in the post war era, big British parallel twins ruled the motorcycle sports kingdom with names like Norton, Triumph, BSA and Royal Enfield. The late sixties though brought a wave of Japanese, German and Italian innovation which saw the demise of the English motorcycle industry and the banishing of the parallel twin from all but commuter machinery. Now, BMW Motorrad is to introduce a new generation of twin-cylinder middleweight parallel twin cylinder machines. The F800 S is the first of a series of agile, high torque, street machines from the BMW marque, starting in 2006. Read More
Suzuki 2006 GSX-R1000 lands
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September 26, 2005 The latest incarnation of Suzuki’s world-beating GSX-R1000 performance sportsbike has landed on Australian shores and is expected to become available in most major markets in the next few weeks. Distributors have reported that demand for the current 2005 model has been very strong, and with the new colour options, particularly a matt black version, Suzuki expects the new 2006-model to be even more popula. The model is identical to the 2005 model apart from paintwork, which can be expected given that the Suzuki GSX-R1000 has a stranglehold on the World Superbike Championship, has already won the American AMA Superbike Championship and three-time Australian Superbike Champion, Shawn Giles is on the verge of claiming a record fourth title in the premier road-racing class as he heads into the final round with a 10-point advantage. Read More
Rossi takes fifth MotoGP title but Ducati wins
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September 26, 2005 Complete report and image library: Valentino Rossi won his fifth consecutive World MotoGP title yesterday afternoon, though the race was won by Ducati-mounted Loris Capirossi who won his second Grand Prix in a week, giving Ducati its best ever MotoGP result when his team-mate Carlos Checa finished third. Having won a 125 and 250 title prior to his string of five consecutive MotoGP titles, Rossi’s championship t-shirt featured a Barry Sheene-style 7, for seven world titles, and a white commemorative helmet was created by AGV for the moment, also with the number 7 on it. Read More
Crossing the Australian Continent by Raptor
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September 25, 2005 As we reported last week, a pair of Yamaha’s potent fuel injected YFM700R Raptor All Terrain Vehicles has just completed a trans-Australian crossing. Matt Brown and Ross Ledger left Byron Bay Lighthouse, the eastern-most point of Australia and spent two weeks in the harshest environment this side of the moon before arriving in Steep Point, WA and earning a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest trip ever completed on an ATV. The pair kept a daily diary and took pics along the way. This is the diary kept by a team of Matt, Ross and the support crew, in their own words, and these are the images taken by the support crew. If you’ve ever wondered just how big Australia is, check out the image library.
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14: the most powerful and the fastest production motorcycle in history
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September 23, 2005 For several years now, the 178bhp Kawasaki ZX12 has had the most horsepower of any production motorcycle, though it has played second fiddle to the 175 bhp Suzuki GSX1300 Hayabusa (named after the Japanese Peregrine falcon, one of the few animals on the planet which can travel at 300km per hour which it does during a dive) because the Hayabusa has a higher top speed – the Suzuki’s aerodynamics enable it to more than make up for the slight horsepower deficit and it has now held the title of the world’s fastest production motorcycle for six years since it launched. The Hayabusa’s top speed as measured by the Guiness Book of Records is 317 km/h. But Kawasaki’s just announced ZX14 company flagship boasts 1400cc, much slipperier aerodynamics and the most horsepower and highest top speed of any production motorcycle EVER! The publicity conscious Kawasaki is keeping mum on the exact figures but the rumours emanating from Japan indicate we are just about to see the world’s first 200bhp production motorcycle and one with a top speed of waaay over 200mph. Full details inside. Read More
New Suzuki road models for 2006 – details
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September 22, 2005 It’s new model time in the motorcycle industry and Suzuki has three new road machines for next year that are sure to set hearts racing, particularly the GSX-R 600 that has been significantly reworked with a view to challenging the domination of the Honda in the all-important SuperSport 600 racing category and the enormous effect this has on road bike sales in the class. The 600 and its almost identical 750cc sibling have both taken on the styling of the highly successful K5 model GSX-R1000 and it’s interesting to consider Suzuki’s sales strategy – make a competitive 600 machine for the racetrack and then it just that bit sweeter and more comfortable for the road with an extra 150cc of grunt. The Bandit 1200S has also come in for serious revision, shedding 6 kilos of weight and getting an adjustable seat height suitable for those humans with a low undercarriage. Read More
Yamaha 700 Raptor snags world record crossing
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September 19, 2005 Yamaha launched its 700cc fuel injected Yamaha YFM700R Raptor two months ago and as part of the promotional activities for the potent new All Terrain Vehicle, it backed two Australian adventurers in a trans-Australian crossing on a pair of new machines. Matt Brown and Ross Ledger left Byron Bay Lighthouse, the eastern-most point of Australia and spent two weeks crossing Australia before arriving in Steep Point, WA earlier this month. The achievement will gain them entry to the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest trip ever completed on an ATV.
The 2006 Kawasaki ZX-10R
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September 22, 2005 Kawasaki built the first 1000cc sports motorcycle of the modern era when it introduced the Z1 900cc revelation in 1972 and it has a proud heritage of building big road bikes – the Z1, Z1R, GPZ900 and a long lineage since. But along the way, Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki got very good at building them too, and nowadays with the World Superbike and European SuperStock Championships becoming so important, the competition between the manufacturers in the 1000cc supersport category has never been this strong – indeed, it’s downright carnivorous. Last year all the manufacturers completely redesigned their machines, and this year, all but one will be doing the same again. This is an insight into the Kawasaki ZX1000D6F- next year’s Kawasaki 1000. The Yamaha and Honda machines have been covered here, and Suzuki has elected to continue with the same machine which will win the 2006 world and US superbike championship, albeit with a new coat of paint. The Kawasaki will be a completely new machine, with a brand new engine, chassis and aerodynamic makeover, a repositioned CG, revised stiffness, balance, new motor mounts, more centralised mass, and relocated swingarm pivot. Read on for the full story Read More
MotoGP Japan: Rossi crashes, Ducati wins
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September 18, 2005 Loris Capirossi took the Ducati Desmosedici to its second Grand Prix win at Motegi here today, winning at Honda’s own circuit, and relegating the Honda RC211Vs of Max Biaggi (Repsol) and Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta) into second and third place in front of 68,000 fans. The race was one of massive attrition with nine of the 20 starters failing to finish, among them championship leader Valentino Rossi, and leading contenders Marco Melandri, Alex Barros, Sete Gibernau and Shinya Nakano. For Capirossi, it was a dream weekend – he qualified on pole, half a second faster than anyone else in the field, and a full 1.2 seconds faster than Rossi, prompting the champion elect to pay the ultimate compliment to his friend and countryman when he said after practice, “I think all the riders can only dream about the pace Capirossi had today.” In the race, Capirossi and the Ducati were the best combination on the day and unlike his prior win where he was clearly not as quick as Rossi, this time he would have won the race regardless of Rossi's crash. Congratulations to Loris and Ducati. Read More
The Supersport 1000cc class of 2006
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September 14, 2005 The supersport category is a key category in motorcycle sales in most countries, creating a chicken and egg relationship with Supersport, Superbike and more recently Superstock racing. Since 2003, the emphasis has increasingly been focused on 1,000cc models and in 2004, all four of the big Japanese manufacturers launched new 1000 supersport bikes for the 2005 model year. All have sold well, though the biggest sales went to Suzuki due to the company’s early season dominance of World Superbike Racing and its success in the American Superbike Championships. For 2006, all but Suzuki will again offer completely new machines and this article covers the specifications of the first two to be made public - the Yamaha and Honda. The evolution of the 2006 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade makes an interesting story – it is a lighter, faster and more visually refined machine than the current machine. The surprise though is the Yamaha 2006 R1 SP – this is a special very exclusive, limited edition bike with special Ohlins suspension, lightweight rims and a host of refinements designed to ensure the bike wins on the racetrack. Suzuki's contender will be unveiled in the next few weeks but is essentially a new coat of paint. And Kawasaki's new beastie can be seen in fine detail here. Read More
German WSBK: Vermeulen wins, Corser falters, Lanzi stars
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September 12, 2005 Winston Ten Kate Honda rider Chris Vermeulen won one race and finished second in another at Lausitz in Germany on the weekend, with Troy Corser’s championship point lead being cut to just 60 points with two rounds (four races) of the championship remaining. The race meeting will be remembered though for the birth of a new star in superbike ranks. Although he has featured in cameo appearances at the pointy end of major events a few times, Lorenzo Lanzi completed a sensational weekend for the Ducati Xerox Team as he stormed to the win in race two after being penalized with a ride-through in the first race. The 23-year-old Italian rider, made his debut for the factory team at the weekend in place of the injured Regis Laconi, took superpole in a blaze of glory and might even had a double win today, but for a mistake in the opening corner of the first race. Lanzi becomes the first Italian rider to win on a Ducati factory machine since Pierfrancesco Chili at Assen in 1998. Read More
