Posts
Archive for the ‘Motorcycles’ Category
I‘ve never been a big fan of Ducati. I don’t dislike them, and they make some very fine-looking–and performing–motorcycles. They just don’t personally appeal to me all that much. Not that I’d turn one down, you understand…or even a chance to test-ride one.
But they do have a loyal following, and one of their much-beloved models, the Multistrada, got a complete overhaul for this model year. The new Multistrada 1200 has has generated a lot of excitement during the wait for its release. Now, the wait is over, as Motorcycle Daily’s Basem Wasef and Motorcycle USA’s Adam Waheed have both gotten a chance to ride the new Multistrada, and jot down their experiences for us.
Wasef concludes:
Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman still wouldn’t pick the plucky new Duc for a hypothetical third ’round-the-world journey. But for the rest of us whose primary milieu is pavement with a touch of dirt, the Ducati Multistrada 1200 is an impressively well-rounded sport adventure tourer whose available electronic aids make it ready to tackle more rugged trails than you might expect. Considering the Italian manufacturer’s image is so laden with historical baggage-both good and bad-the Multistrada 1200 challenges the past, and redefines the essence of the Ducati brand.
Waheed concurs in his judgement:
Coming into this test, I had lofty expectations of Ducati’s new do-it-all two-wheeler. And after spending only a few hours aboard the bike, I quickly realized it was everything I thought it would be and then some. With the tap of a button it’s as sporty or as docile as you desire; it’s in its element blasting around a corner with the engine roaring at lean, or just quietly soaking up the countryside on a backwoods highway. The Multi somehow manages to be both comfortable and sporty, plus has realistic cargo capacity when you feel the need for an adventure coming on. It actually works for mild off-roading and its pavement-based rider aids (ABS and DTC) only increase its off-road potential.
The new Multistrada 1200 is a big – no, scratch that – humongous step forward for Ducati. It’s mainstream enough for any rider to appreciate, yet still retains that wild, rip-roaring Superbike pedigree that we know and love.
So far, the response to the Multistrada 1200 has been unanimously positive.
Buell 1190RR
Erik Buell Racing has unveiled it’s first brand new racing bike, the 1190RR. the 1190cc 72° V-Twin shaves 30 pounds off of the 1125RR, giving it a dry weight of 360lbs, with engine output sporting a boost to 185HP, and 93lb-ft of torque.
That puts the 1190RR’s specs into WSBK territory. And in that vein, the bike is kitted out to full superbike race spec.
The multiplate-slipper clutched transmission can put that power to the rear wheel in six different gears, via a chain final drive.
It’s also a pretty sharp-looking bike, with a full fairing, instead of the controversial air scoops on the side.
So, I guess the only question remaining about this race bike is…where can you race it. It isn’t homologated for either AMA or WSBK, so that’s right out. And, of course, it’s not street-legal in any way, shape or form.
So, at the moment, even if you do get one, you still have to figure out what you can do with it.
Motorcycle Daily has their first-ride impressions of the Star Stratoliner Deluxe, Yamaha’s anwer to the Harley-Davidson Street Glide. They seem to like it, concluding:
Star has introduced a worthy contender in the bagger category. Stylish, but practical, the 2010 Star Stratoliner Deluxe can look cool and edgey while delivering you and your 13.7 gallons of stuff comfortably and swiftly.
Yamaha now joins Victory in providing a Street Glide alternative.
After months of speculation and teasers, Yamaha has finally revealed the new XT1200Z Super Ténéré. It seems like quite a bike. The 1200cc parallel-twin powerplant puts out…well…we don’t know. Yamaha hasn’t released HP or torque figures. But with a compression ratio of 11:1, I’m thinking we’re probably somewhere in the vicinity of 110HP and 80-ish lb-ft of torque.
Like the R1200GS, it sports a full set of aluminum panniers, and other goodies for going on the road–or perhaps off it.
The full specs for the shaft-driven, 574lb, adventure bike are below the fold.
The only question is, will this bike be released in the US, or will it only be available to our cousins in the Old Country?
UPDATE: The folks at Asphalt & Rubber come through in the clinch with the output of the ST’s engine:
With 1,199cc under the hoood, the XT1200Z Super Ténéré is aiming its sights on the class-leading BMW R1200GS and new-comer Ducati Multistrada 1200. The powerplant features a parallel twin motor with four valves per cylinder, and makes 108hp @ 7,250 RPM and 84lbs•ft @ 6,000 RPM.
Pretty much what I thought it’d be.
Yamaha dropped another teaser image of their new FZ8 today. They promise that more information about the 800cc I-4 will be released in March.
Yamaha FZ8 Official Image
As you see, it’s a fairing. On a motorcycle. Which isn’t very interesting, really.
But, the folks at motociclismo.it have captured images of what they say is the the actual production models of both the faired and naked versions of the FZ8.
Yamaha FZ8 with Fairing
A more extensive photo gallery can be found here.
Yamaha FZ8 Naked
Again, the photo gallery is here.
Victory Motorcycles has announced a new, high-powered version of the Vegas. The new bike has a set of Stage 2 cams to pump up the output of its 106ci V-Twin. The special edition Vegas will sport 97HP and 113 lb-ft of torque. Victory will only be producing 100 of them, however, and pricing them at $15,999. Oh, and you have to order it before the end of February, for March delivery.
Victory Vegas LE
If you haven’t seen this month’s Sport Rider magazine, their cover proclaims that The BMWS1000RR is the real deal, writing “No joke: This could be the new King”. It’s apparently wicked fast.
Fast enough, in fact, to kick the crap out of a 700HP Corvette Z1.
I hope all of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
BMW S1000RR Dyno Chart
Motorcycle Daily reports that the BMW S1000RR appears to be a real superbike.
Apparently, our Brit cousins at MCN strapped the S1000RR to a dyno, and got the HP/Torque results shown over at the right (click to enlarge). The results show 183HP at the rear wheel with stock exhaust, and 185.5 with an Akraprovic setup.
Oh, and about 81 lb-ft of torque, if anyone cares.
So, if they’re putting out 185 at the wheel, then they’ve got to be pushing 200+ HP at the crank, which is…a lot. A lot more, in fact, than BMW even admits to.
As Gabe Ets-Hokin notes:
Used to be 180 hp at the back wheel was the result of tens of thousands of dollars of soup-up work: a turbo or nitrous, or just getting your hands on a megabucks works racebike.
Back when I was a kid in the 70s, we thought a 70HP bike was wicked fast. 200HP would have been seen as…insane.
BTW, the nearest competitor–according to the dyno-tested models, at least–to the S1000RR was the Suzuki Hayabusa at 179.5 HP.
Yet, with all that horsepower on tap, Troy Corser is being beaten like an egg-sucking dog in WSBK by guys riding 170.6 HP Fireblades.
Loser.
I have an update to the post on Mesa, Arizona ’s police department switching to the new Connie for duty motorcycles, thanks to a reader. Apparently Kawasaki has nothing to do with kitting out a police version of the bike. Instead, Wattco/Whelan is offering a ZG1400 kit for police work. Click on the image below to enlarge it.
Kawasaki Police ZG1400
Wattco has lots more info here, including a video of drop-testing the crash bars.
Honda USA has announced the pricing for the manual-transmission version of the VFR1200F as $15,999. Still no pricing for the dual-clutch model, but we can expect it to be significantly higher, I suppose.
I guess I still don’t get it. Who is this bike for? Certainly not touring people, who will hate its “fuel-suckery +_small tank = limited range/no standard luggage” equation. Not sport-bikers, who’ll hate dragging around it’s lardy bulk. Honda had the chance to bring out a really game-changing sport-tourer or hyperbike. People who’ve rode it say it’s nice, but not spectacular.
Even the old VFR fans I’ve talked to seem disappointed by the specs for the 1200.
And, for 16 grand–probably 17 grand for the duel clutch version…well, that’s almost in BMW territory.
Somehow, I don’t see K13GT riders making a switch to the VFR any time soon.
The Norton Commando is one of the iconic bikes of motorcycling. Back when I was a kid, and the average rider was tooling around on a 500cc BSA, the Norton Commando was the bike to have if you wanted a big, hellishly fast–in 1970 terms–motorcycle. Sadly, when Nortun went TU several years ago, the Commando disappeared…until now.
2010 Norton Commandos
Stuart Garner’s revived Norton Motocycles is now offering the 961cc Commando for the 2010 model year.
The 961 Commando will come in three models: the SE, Cafe racer, and Sport models shown here.
The differences are mainly stylistic, as all three models come with a 961cc parallel-twin, dry sump, pushrod engine, much like the venerable original, which is rated at 80HP at 6,500RPM, and 59 lb-ft of torque at 5,200 RPM.
They all sport Öhlins suspension with full adjustment. Stopping power is provided by twin Brembo 320mm semi-floating hi-carbon stainless steel discs & Brembo 4 piston radial calipers up front, and a single Brembo 220mm disc, with Brembo 2 piston “Gold Line” calipers out back. A 5-speed gearbox sends the power to the rear wheel via a 525 O-ring chain drive.
The three models have minor weight differences, but the ball park is 415lbs dry, although oil, hydraulic fluid, and enough gas to fill the 4.5 gallon tank will add another 50 pounds or so.
I hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday. And remember, motorcycle riding is definitely contra-indicated after eating large amounts of turkey. Triptophan comas are a killer, second only to excessive consumption of alcohol!
For the 2010 model year, KTM announced a while ago that they would undertake a “strategic price realignment” to make their bikes more competitive in the US marketplace. That’s probably a wise move, considering that KTMs, while nice bikes, have always been very pricey. But the announcement didn’t give us much of an idea of what “strategic price realignment” meant to the Austrians. Now we know.
2010 KTM RC8
First up is theKTM RC8, the base-model superbike with the 1190cc V-Twin engine. The price for this bike has been slashed by $3,000, with a new MSRP of $16,498.
The RC8’s 1148cc V-Twin mill pumps out 155HP at 10,000RPM and 88.5 lb-ft of torque at 8,000RPM. Without fuel, the ready-to-race weight is 405 lbs.
2010 KTM RC8 R
But, maybe you’re one of those lusty, gusty fellows who needs a bit more power. If so, the RC8 R, with it’s 170HP , 1195cc V-Twin, and upgraded components, has also been priced significantly lower, at 19,998. They’ve got red Bull and Akraprovic special edition models, at slightly north of $23k, but the R model is now superbike ready, at a bit less of a superbike price.
All of the other KTM models, including the popular–but agonizingly ugly–990 Adventure also see similar price cuts.
2010 KTM 990 Adventure
Aaaaaugh! My eyes! My eyes! The pain!
I’m sure uglier motorcycles have been seen out on the road. But not by reliable observers.
I hear it’s quite popular among the well-to-do adventure biker set, though.
Moto Guzzi has announced the newest generation of their Norge sport-tourer, the Norge 8V. New for 2010 is a new 1200cc L-twin with 4 valves per cylinder, as well as a redesigned fairing for better heat management and weather protection, and some more comfort features.
The Italian Eagle’s press release describes the new generation of the Norge in glowing terms, but that’s all PR stuff, so, if you want to read it, it’s below the fold.
There are few spoecs available yet, but MG claims 83lb-ft of torque at 5,800RPM, and “more than 100HPin power, all at a maximum rpm nearly that of an automobile”, whatever that means. The gearbox has six speeds, and seat height is 31.5 inches.
It’s certainly a pretty bike–all the MGs are–but at 100HP, it’s the least sporty of the sport-tourers. And, of course, here in the US, dealer network support is even sparser than BMW’s.