Just like the 2010 BMW R1200GS series, the 2010 BMW R1200RT features BMW’s new 1,170cc flat-boxer motor with a DOHC head arrangement. This also means that the RT will make more power across the power band, with peak power making 5hp 3lb•ft more over last year’s model. Unlike the GS though, the RT comes along with more than just a new motor. More on that with photos after the jump.

For 2010, BMW has not only taken their new DOHC boxer motor and put it into the RT, but they’ve also refined the sport-tourer to compete more aptly in the every growing touring segment, as such they’ve made the following additional changes to the 2010 BMW R 1200 RT:

• Cylinder head covers now with two, instead of four, fastening bolts and a new dynamic design
• Electronically controlled exhaust flap for superior and powerful sound
• ESA II Electronic Suspension Adjustment with damping, spring base and now also spring rate adjustable at the touch of a button
• BMW Motorrad Integral ABS featured as standard in the partly integrated version
• New design fairing with improved protection from wind and weather
• Re-designed cockpit with visor
• New control units and hydraulic reservoir
• Electronically controlled windshield with optimized aero-acoustics and improved transparency

Our personal favorite feature though is the new stereo, which will will play MP3 via either iPod or USB stick, in addition to the regular radio unit.

2010 BMW R1200RT:

 

BMW released this week its next evolution of the R1200GS & R1200GS Adventure motorcycles. Both bikes, along with the entire R-Series range, will feature BMW’s revised 1,170cc flat-boxer motor, which has increased horsepower and torque and a DOHC head design. Beyond this the bike is pretty much unchanged, sans some other minor updates. Details and photos after the jump.

BMW is really playing up the bikes newly revised powerplant with its DOHC design, which we go into great details in this post. What you need to know about the new motor is that the 2010 BMW R1200GS will rev 500 rpm’s higher than the previous GS, and also make 5hp and 3lb•ft more torque than the old motor. Power will also be more widely distributed across the rev range, making the bike less peaky in its performance. The other main features to the R1200Gs include the following:

• “Significantly” better acceleration and torque
• Electronically controlled exhaust flap for an aggressive muscular sound
• Color choices of: Alpine White non-metallic, Magma Red non-metallic, Ostra Greymatt metallic, Sapphire Black metallic
• New LED headlight accessory

The DOHC design is the same as found in BMW’s HP2 Sport model, and in the GS application the motor has been tailored for touring and enduro duties. Pretty much everything else remains the same, which means BMW joisn the ranks of other motorcycle manufacturers who have held back on updating their 2010 line because of the economy.

2010 BMW R1200GS:

 

2010 BMW R1200 GS Adventure:

 

Source: BMW

The last qualifying session of the year is in the bag, as the gorgeous sunshine of Valencia, Spain bore down on the MotoGP paddock. With the Championship sealed up, all eyes were not on this season, but the next. With more than a few MotoGP riders finding their way into new venues for 2010, we bid them goodbye, yet also welcome the new talent that’s pouring into the premiere class next year. Qualifying results after the jump.

Casey Stoner continues to silence his critics, taking his second pole position since his return to MotoGP racing. The Australian lead the qualifying session pretty much all the way through, except for a brief moment when Jorge Lorenzo challenged him. Lapping a quarter of a second ahead of the field, Stoner will be the man to beat Sunday.

Despite his efforts, Lorenzo could not answer back to Stoner, and even slipped in the standings. He will start from the third position, with Dani Pedrosa in front of him. Rossi will start from the second row, in the 4th position. The Doctor has always struggled at Valencia, despite holding the best lap-record at the Spanish track.

Joining Rossi on the second row are Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden, respectively. The third musketeer American on the grid is wildcard Ben Spies, who will start from the 9th position, ahead of James Toseland (14th).

Results from Qualifying at the Malaysian GP at Sepang, Malaysia:

EICMA must be leaking like a sieve, as this is the third leak we’ve gotten ahead of next week’s show (check for a view of the 2010 Aprilia Shiver 750 & 2010 Aprilia Dorsoduro Factory). This time, we’ve gotten pictures of highly anticipated (or is it hyped?) 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200.

These photos appear to be the first official shots of the new Multistrada 1200, and they show off not only the “S” version with its Öhlins suspension, but also give a good look at the bike with its OEM saddle bags (could this be the “T” touring model that was rumored?). Click after the jump to see what the fuss is all about.

Many Bothans died to give us this information.

 

Source: BMWMotos.com via Ducati News Today

MotoMatters is now confirming that as early as 2012 we will see MotoGP racing back in the liter-bike category. Never popular with the manufacturers, the 800cc rule change not only cost teams in added development costs, but also never brought the promised the safety and closer racing that is was supposed to offer. For the moment it appears MotoGP will remain a prototype class, with there being no discussion of a production motor being used (like in Moto2), at least at this time.

Up until now, the return to the 1000cc format had been blocked by the MSMA (the manufacturers association), but with the increased cost of racing, and likelihood that Suzuki or even Honda might drop the series, the tune of the MSMA has changed considerably during these tough economic times. As such, any way for the teams to reduce costs seems to get ample traction, and a series that mimics liter-bike production technology certainly has that going for it.

2012 is the earliest it would be possible to make the change to the 1000cc format, as there is currently a 5-year contract in place between Dorna, the FIM, and the MSMA. This contract expires at the end of 2011. The contract states that no changes may be made to the engine capacity without a unanimous decision by all of the manufacturers in the MSMA.

With their being no talk of a production powerplant serving the field, MotoMatters.com asked Herve Poncharal for an explanation of this development.

“Nobody’s talking about production engines. The Grand Prix Commission is thinking about going back to 1000cc engines. This is more than supported by Dorna, but the first reaction to this by MSMA is very very positive. I’m really happy, I’m very happy about that. It looks like there is a consensus, but we have to take it day-by-day.”

Stay tuned race fans, more news as we get it.

Source: MotoMatters

After a reasonably successful World Superbike debut, BMW is ready to take their S1000RR racing in the World Superstock class for 2010. The team will officially wear the BMW Motorrad Italia banner, but will have full factory support from Bavaria. Heading up the new team will be Serafino Foti, of Ducati WSS Championship fame…three years running.

With the arrival of BMW, there could potentially be 9 manufacturers on the WSS grid in 2010 (Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, MV Agusta, Suzuki, and Yamaha), which should make for some great head-to-head action. Outside of WSBK, BMW is currently only running in the German IDM Superbike series, but has been rumoured to have been approached by the British Superbike series, as well as private teams in the WSBK series to run the S1000RR.

We doubt we’ll see a factory backed team in BSB, but don’t rule out seeing BMW taking advantage of the extra income floating around in the private team paddocks.

Source: Crash.net

Making it a 2 for 2 Saturday, we have also gotten some leaked photos of the 2010 Aprilia Shiver, and it looks like the new Shiver carries with it the same disappointment we had with the 2010 Aprilia Dorsoduro Factory. Obvious changes are the sportier look that includes a fairing around the dash mounting, as well as wave disc-brakes fore and aft. Despite the tastefully done facelift, the feature we wanted the most was a diet for this 417lb (dry), but otherwise perfect daily rider.

Allegedly, Aprilia marketing went back to the conference to figure out why the Shiver wasn’t selling as well as had been hoped. The conclusion they reached was the bike’s looks, and not its anemic powerplant and over-weight chassis. Hence, the result we see above, and below in the photo gallery.

Although the 2010 Shiver sits about an inch and a half lower than the 2009 model, there seems to be little indication that the bike has gone on any sort of any weight reduction. Although certain parts of the bike look to be re-tooled for weight, the passenger pegs for example, we can’t see a significant weight savings coming from this process. Maybe at best a couple pounds.

Aside from these cosemetic changes, the 2010 Shiver will feature the same motor and electronics package. It will also feature the same limited suspension adjustments found on the forks and rear-shock. Perhaps Aprilia is waiting to wow us with a Shiver Factory that employs fully adjustable suspension (like on the 2010 Dorsoduro Factory), even still were not sure Aprilia hit this one on the head if they want to compete with the other medium displacement naked streetbike segment. Expect a detailed report and photos in the next few days as we report live from Milan at the EICMA motorcycle show.

 

Well it didn’t take long for the rumors about the 2010 Aprilia Dorsoduro Factory edition to come true, as we now have photos of the new bike leaked ahead of next week’s EICMA motorcycle show in Milan. It’s a little disappointing what Aprilia has done to the bike to make it stand-out from its base model, with the obvious differences between the two being just the Factory’s carbon body panels and red trellis frame. Continue on for more details and photos.

Looking closer we see a more upscale seat, with suede and red stitching highlights. Also apparent is an improved Sachs suspension units, with adjustable pre-load, rebound, and compression, which should provide some more range for ride adjustment over the standard Dorsoduro.

Underneath the hood, things remain the same for the Dorsoduro Factory. The bike will share the same 90° 750cc v-twin motor as the base model, thus making 92 hp and 60 lb•ft of torque. The Factory will also have the base model’s throttle-by-wire system, as well as the 3-way adjustable mapping control. However, it would seem that the Dorsoduro Factory will not come with the available ABS found on the base model.

This leaves us perplexed on how the Dorsoduro Factory will be priced, let alone how Aprilia plans on fitting it into their segmentation scheme. Perhaps not what we’re accustomed to with the “Factory” badge, the new Dorsoduro Factory seems to be more about refinement than track readiness. Nevertheless, expect up-close photos of the new Dorsoduro in a few days as we head to EICMA in Milan.

 

The rumors appear to be true, and the BMW R series is getting an update to its motor for 2010. Maintaining its existing 1,170cc displacement, the most notable change to BMW’s flat boxer motor is a dual-overhead camshaft (DOHC) cylinder head setup, which was previously only seen on the HP2 Sport.

With the bore and stroke staying the same for 2010, the R lineup will continue to use the same 101 x 73mm cylinders, making a total of 1,170cc’s. The real changes and improvements come from the new cylinder head design. The DOHC design features two chain-driven camshafts, with each camshaft controlling both an intake and exhaust valve in the radial four-valve head.

While the cylinder hasn’t changed, the valves have, and will come with an increased diameter size (intake: 1.42-1.54 inches;  exhaust: 1.22-1.30 inches). The valves will also have an increased lift, while maintaining the same 12:1 compression ratio. Lastly, the combustion chamber shape has been modified, and now employees the use of red-designed cast-aluminum pistons, which will also make better use of the redesigned air intake manifolds.

All of this means a more powerful and higher-revving motor. Expect to see 110hp @ 7750 rpm (+5hp increase) at the crank, and peak torque at 88lb•ft  @ 6000 rpm (+3lb•ft). The motor’s redline has also been increased by 500rpm, which raises it to 8,500 rpm’s.

The new Boxer motor is the core upgrade to the three 2010 R-series machines announced by BMW: the 2010 BMW R1200GS, 2010 BMW R1200GS Adventure, and 2010 BMW R1200RT.

 

When MotoGP switched from the 990cc displacement format to the 800cc formula, it was done so on the idea that it would make the premiere racing class safer for the riders. This proved to not be the case, as the 800cc bikes clearly carried more corner speed through turns, and were still able to approach 990cc top speeds on the straight-aways.

The result, a racing class that was more dangerous and more expensive for manufacturers.With this in mind, Dorna Boss, Carmeloa Ezpeleta, wants to return the series back its previous 990cc format, by as early as 2011.

Making the switch won’t be easy for Ezpeleta, as the manufacturers’ cost of tooling down their race bikes from 990cc to 800cc cost them millions of dollars, a cost that  likely hasn’t been fully absorbed back yet. As such, many teams would be reluctant to make another switch so soon, even if it is to a displacement that they already have experience with racing.

As Ezpeleta explained, the MSMA (Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers Association) has some reprieve from a quick change.

“Right now, it is not going to be possible to switch in 2011, because the agreement with the manufacturers means that we could only make that change before the end of the 2011 season if there was unanimous agreement among the manufacturers. But we are thinking about a return to a 1000cc capacity from the start of the 2012 season, and we will start discussing it this weekend.”

Ezpeleta isn’t the only one wishing for a change in the MotoGP format. FIM President, Vito Ippolito, has been lobbying the fact that MotoGP needs to cut costs, and that he would like to see MotoGP return to a production racing motorcycle format. Also, the IRTA (the association representing the teams), has made it clear it would like a swtich to a larger capacity, preferably modified production motor, racing format.

Source: MotoMatters