Asphalt & Rubber » Asphalt & Rubber

2014 Suzuki GSV-R Spotted – The Inline-Four Cometh?

Jensen Beeler — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:39:28 +0000

The eagle-eyed camera’s over at Cycle World have caught Suzuki conducting tests for its MotoGP project, and the early indications are that the Japanese brand has dropped its V4 motor configuration in favor of a more traditional transverse inline-four cylinder arrangement — at least for this present stage of testing. Cycle World‘s sources say that while the cylinder configuration may be fairly standard, the 2014 Suzuki GSV-R is anything but your typical four-pot. Showing the ...

IOMTT: Kawasaki-Zytek ZX10ev Breaks Cover with 134hp, Six-Speed Gearbox, & Kawasaki Motors UK

Jensen Beeler — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:29:49 +0000

With Honda’s electric motorcycle racing effort thinly disguised as the Mugen Shinden and getting a tremendous amount of attention, the motorcycle racing press missed the very subtle joint-entry by Zytek Automotive and Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing into the 2012 TT Zero. Already incorporating one of the most advanced technology groups in electric and hybrid automotive technology, as well as one of the top Isle of Man TT racing teams, the Kawasaki-Zytek ZX10ev race bike also benefits from another ...

Trackside: How Soon We Forget

Scott Jones — Tue, 22 May 2012 22:37:48 +0000

All last season, and for the first three races of 2012, when I’ve walked past the Ducati garage and looked in at Rossi’s side, watching for an interesting moment to photograph, I’ve seen pretty much the same thing: Immensely talented people looking immensely frustrated. I stand there for a moment and think, I’ve already taken this photo, many times. When are things going to change in there? Things changed this weekend at Le Mans. But ...

Who is the World’s Third Largest Motorcycle Manufacturer?

Jensen Beeler — Tue, 22 May 2012 00:57:05 +0000

Let’s play a game for a minute. Who is the third largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world? One of the Big Four maybe (Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, & Yamaha), that is after all what their name implies, right? Maybe you think it is a European manufacturer, like BMW or Triumph? If these were any of your answers, thank you for playing, but please try again. With Japanese manufacturers closing their books on the 2011 fiscal year, ...

2012 Triumph Daytona 675 Sulphur Yellow

Jensen Beeler — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:36:20 +0000

The current generation Triumph Daytona 675 is at the end of its lifecycle, as a new three-cylinder supersport is expected to debut from the British brand later this fall. Accordingly, Triumph is keen on clearing out its inventory of Daytona’s, and has put together the 2012 Triumph Daytona 675 Sulphur Yellow (note the very British -ph spelling). As the name denotes, the bike is a bright yellow (just like the element sulfur, note: the freedom ...

Sunday Summary at Le Mans: Head & Heart

David Emmett — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:01:09 +0000

Funny how things turn out. On a weekend that looked like being overshadowed by one subject – Casey Stoner’s shock retirement announcement and its repercussions – along came the rain and provided spectacle to cheer the hearts of racing fans of every persuasion. Rain offers new opportunities, and such opportunities light a fire in the breasts of racers being kept from running at the front under ordinary circumstances. At the same time, should that fire ...

Are You the 2013 Ducati Hypermotard 848?

Jensen Beeler — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:21:15 +0000

The Hypermotard series is growing long in the tooth, and while everyone expects the Ducati’s smaller Superbike to get revamped in 2013, here is some evidence to suggest that the big news at EICMA this year will be an all-new Hypermotard model. Expected to have a water-cooled motor, best guesses would have the new Hypermotard using the 849cc Testastretta power plant, which would dovetail nicely with the supersport-sized Superbike getting an ~800cc variant of the ...

Thursday Summary at Le Mans: On Stoner’s Retirement

David Emmett — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:54:12 +0000

It is hard to upstage Valentino Rossi. It takes something large, significant, to take the limelight away from the nine-time World Champion, and the man who has been the charismatic heart of MotoGP for the best part of 15 years. To do that, you have to “Go big or go home,” as British road racer Guy Martin likes to put it. At Le Mans, Casey Stoner upstaged Rossi. The press conference – usually a rather ...

MotoGP: Casey Stoner Explains His Decision To Retire

David Emmett — Fri, 18 May 2012 02:09:54 +0000

At the press conference at Le Mans, where Casey Stoner made the shock announcement of his retirement, Stoner answered questions from journalists present about his decision to retire at the end of the 2012 season. You can find his original statement in this story, but below is a transcript of what Stoner told journalists when they were given a chance to question the Australian about his retirement. Q: You said you are disappointed in things, would you ...

Audi e-bike Wörthersee – More than an Electric Bicycle

Jensen Beeler — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:57:39 +0000

We have already shown you Julien Dupont playing around on the Audi e-bike Wörthersee, but now we have got some more details about the German brand’s electric bicycle. Designed to be a fun and sporty urban two-wheeler, the Audi e-bike Wörthersee resides somewhere between the growing electric motorcycle trend and a moped, but boasts some impressive technology no matter what segment you think it hails from. At the heart of the electric drivetrain is a ...