Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Photo of the Week: Home Grown

Several sources have now confirmed that Erik Buell Racing is considering making a 250cc learner-style motorcycle to compliment its EBR 1190RS race/sport bike. Presumably filling the niche left behind by the crushed Buell Blast, the 250cc bike would be geared towards new and first-time riders, and would likely be MSF RiderCourse friendly. With bikes like the Kawaaski Ninja 250R / EX250 topping the sales charts as the best selling sport bike in the US, the folks at Erik Buell Racing are surely eyeing the market potential of a smaller, lightweight sport bike for the company?s growing product line.

I stumbled upon these drawings last week, and have been meaning to post them up ever since. These drawings from San Francisco illustrator/graphic designer Rich Lee, of appropriately named Rich Lee Draws!!!, made us smile when we saw them, as they?re the sort of thing you wish you?d see in a comic book, or pinned to a little kid?s bedroom wall. Check out some samples of Rich?s motorcycle work after the jump, and be sure to check out his portfolios for his non-moto stuff (Warning: you?ll lose a couple hours in your day if you do).

Now that the European press launch of the 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848 is over (we?ll have to wait a bit longer for the US press launch?le sigh), some more professional photos and a video of the new middleweight Streetfighter have hit the interwebs. Of course Ducati is really pushing the revitalization of the Italian yellow paint scheme, but we think the matte black ?Dark Stealth? version will turn a few heads, and admittedly, this author wishes his Streetfigher 1098 had the red frame on the Rosso Corsa version of the Streetfighter 848. 19 photos and a video after the jump.

Asphalt & Rubber has learned that Ducati will debut a Corse version of the Ducati Superbike 848 EVO for the 2012 model year. Similar to the Ducati Superbike 1198 S Corse SE & Ducati Superbike 1198 R Corse SE, the Superbike 848 EVO Corse will feature Ducati?s tricolor corse paint scheme, and a bevy of go-fast performance parts. Expected to have at least a slipper clutch and Termignoni racing exhaust, it is also presumable that Ducati will add-on its Ducati Traction Control (DTC) and Ducati Data Acquisition (DDA), and round out the package with carbon fiber bits and premium suspension pieces.

Ducati has released pricing and power specs for the 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848 here in the US, and the fighter?d version of the Superbike 848 is interestingly priced at $12,995 MSRP, the same price as the Superbike 848 EVO ?Dark? or $1,000 less than the colored Superbike 848 EVOs, which retail for $13,995. Making 8hp less than the current Superbike 848 EVO, the Ducati Streetfighter 848?s motor makes 132hp and 69 lbs?ft of torque on Ducati?s dynos, just 23hp shy of the current Streetfighter 1098. Additionally, the Ducati Streetfighter 848 will tip the scales at 373 lbs dry (439 lbs wet), the same weight figure quoted for the current Ducati Streetfighter 1098.

We?re not sure if Ben Spies drives a shaggin? wagon when he goes to track days, or if he spaces out during the rider briefing with a lollipop firmly planted in his mouth, but trouncing the other riders with his ?advanced? status sounds about par for the course for the GP racer. Riding his 50th WGP Anniversary R1 out to some unidentified track for a bit two-wheeled schooling for some other Yamaha riders, we?re not really so sure about the story involved with this video, but as far as motorcycle industry videos go, it is not the worst we?ve seen. The photography, on the other hand, is stunning. Photos and video after the jump.

No sooner did Ducati officially announce the existence of the the 2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale, than the Italian company?s new flagship uber-Superbike was caught blasting down an Italian highway. The purpose of the highway test should be apparent to even the most casual of motorcycle enthusiasts, as Ducati is clearly load testing the 1199 Panigale, marking sure the new motorcycle is ready to meet the strict requirements necessary for the American market. Honestly, we didn?t think Ducati Performance had a ?ponch? option for its Ducati-branded race leathers, though we hope the company has some variations in a more slimming black.

Breaking cover over a month ago, the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR is now officially official according to the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer. Confirming the fears of some Fireblade enthusiasts, the new Honda CBR1000RR gets only some basic tweaks for 2012, namely revised suspension (including Big Piston Forks), new 12-spoke wheel design, and smoother fuel-injection mapping. This news puts to rest claims that the 2012 Honda Fireblade would be receiving ride-by-wire throttle control for the next model year, despite the fact that World Superbike has changed its rules to allow the Castrol Honda team to use the technology starting at Imola (which is already showing some positive results for the struggling squad).

Confirming what we reported back in November of last year regarding the performance figures for Ducati?s new Superbike, Ducati dealership Pro-Italia posted on its Facebook wall (now redacted) a less-than-cryptic ?395/195? message while in attendance at the Ducati Dealership meeting in Miami, Floria. Noting the wet weight and brake horsepower, the new 2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale makes good on its promise to trump its predecessor by over 20hp and 20 lbs. To thank for the these benchmark miracles is the 1199 Panigale?s very over-square Superquadrata motor (also known as the SuperQuadro in some rumor reports), which will rev higher than any other previous Ducati Superbike motor to-date.

According to both GPone and MCN, Valentino Rossi and Ducati Corse will test a new aluminum frame at Jerez this week. Though the two MotoGP authorities differ on what sot of frame exactly will be used during the test (MCN says twin-spar, while GPone maintains an ?open cradle? frame that leaves the motor still as a stressed object). Regardless of the style, the new chassis is reportedly made by FTR, and is another attempt by the Italian racing team to figure out how to solve the vague front-end feeling coming from the Ducati Desmosedici GP11/GP11.1/GP12. Possibly similar to the chassis style used by Honda and Yamaha, this new frame design marks the fourth major chassis change this year for Ducati

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AsphaltandRubber/~3/Vf2G1_yd0dc/

Karel Abraham Kousuke Akiyoshi Alex de Angelis Nobuatsu Aoki

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