Rea: “If you’d told ten-year-old me, he would have laughed at you”
Record-tying win leaves Rea ecstatic, while Sykes picks up another hard-fought podium finish
Motorcycle News - Ducati Island Experience During Laguna Seca WSBK Championship Weekend
https://ift.tt/2IJ0ed9 To all Ducati owners and race fans, check this out! It’s an all-access pass to one hell of an experience at Laguna Seca. Ducati: Scrambler 1100, New Rider Initiatives and Special Ticket Package Elevate the Welcoming Atmosphere of Ducati Island MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – May 14 2018 – From June 22-24, Ducati North America will bring the Ducati Island experience, one of Ducati’s largest fan events of the year, to Laguna Seca for the World Superbike Championship race weekend. Ducati Island is a place for Ducati owners, motorcycle enthusiasts and fans from all over the world to experience the Ducati brand firsthand. Ducati is back to host Ducati Island at Laguna Seca, a three-day Ducati special package will be offered for $179 per person, available for purchase here – DUCATI TICKET PACKAGE (promo code DUCATI) The package includes: Three-day event admission and paddock access, VIP parking, grandstand seating at turn four, a commemorative Ducati gift and souvenir program, participation in the Ducati track walk, and the incomparable opportunity to ride your motorcycle on the track during the Ducati parade lap on Friday, June 22. All race fans are encouraged to join Ducati to experience the Italian brand’s recent offerings, as the Ducati Island event will be open to all attendees of the World Superbike Championships, where they will be able to witness the new lineup, including the new Scrambler 1100, which will be on display. Scrambler demos will also be available to licensed guests, while Scrambler Sixty2 will be on a dyno offered to those new to motorcycling who are interested in a first-hand experience. Ducati Island will also include live entertainment on the Ducati stage and Ducati SBK rider team visits, as well as partner displays and more. This welcoming atmosphere of Ducati Island at Laguna Seca mirrors the brand’s dedication to new riders, reflected in the recently introduced New Rider Program, which will reimburse $250 toward a state-authorized rider education course with the purchase of an eligible Ducati. Ducati Island Experience During Laguna Seca WSBK Championship Weekend appeared first on Motorcycle.com News. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.comMotorcycle.com https://ift.tt/Xzx9iy May 15, 2018 at 07:07PM
Motorcycle News - Dunlop Sportmax Q4 Review
https://ift.tt/2rJZcEg By definition, designing a motorcycle tire is an exercise in compromise. The perfect tire would have ultimate grip in every scenario and would never wear. Whoever can invent this unicorn tire capable of setting lap records and transcontinental travel simultaneously will cash in handsomely. Until then, however, we all have to live with compromise. Here in the real world, tire companies constantly battle with the challenge of balancing grip for longevity, and when it comes to track-worthy – and street legal – tires, the challenge becomes even greater; the tire should definitely provide enough grip to confidently hustle a motorcycle around a track but should also be robust enough to survive the everyday grind. If you’re Dunlop, you’ve done a fairly impressive job of it lately with the Q line of street/track tires. When the Q3 came out in 2013 (holy crap, has it really been that long?), I raved about its performance and how the marketing buzz words were more than mere hype. Four years on and Dunlop improved upon the Q3 with the Q3+, which John Burns sampled at the Circuit of the Americas. Promising slightly better grip with much greater longevity, the Q3+ was a clear step ahead of the Q3, and like I had done with the Q3, JB also left the test impressed with Dunlop’s latest Q tire. So impressive was the Q3 line of tires, that when word got out about a Q4, naturally people thought it would be a successor to the line, just as the Q3 replaced the Q2. Not so! In Dunlop’s world, the Q3+ took the grip vs. wear balance and erred towards the latter. Nobody complained about grip, but in Dunlop’s eyes the glaring hole in its product line was a road-legal street/track tire veering in the other direction with just one mission: providing ultimate stick. Say hello to the Sportmax Q4. The Next StepWhen you look at the Q4, the most obvious thing you see is its aggressive tread profile. A minimal amount of grooves down the middle of the tire – and none whatsoever along the sides – means the edge of the tire is basically like a slick when leaned over. This is exactly the design goal Dunlop was after, says John Robinson, one of the engineers of the Q4 and a frequent track rider himself. Land/sea ratio relates to the amount of rubber on the ground (land) versus the amount of tread to allow water to escape (sea), and the in the case of the Q4, Dunlop wanted a maximum amount of land and minimum amount of sea. Interestingly, when fully upright the Q3+ has more rubber on the road, but once leaned over the Q4 puts down a 34mm contact patch of rubber, which Robinson says is the maximum legal amount allowed from a street tire. From a construction standpoint, the Q4 is made the same way Dunlop makes its racing slicks. The rear utilizes what Dunlop calls Jointless Tread (JLT) technology. Essentially JLT allows for the tread to be extruded directly onto the tire’s carcass in one continuous strip. Seeing as he sits a few yards from the manufacturing facility, Robinson can even dictate the precise amount of tread, down to tenths of millimeters, across the face of the tire, to achieve specific performance characteristics. This was crucial during the prototyping phase of the Q4 because JLT is “essentially a 3D printer for tires,” says Robinson. In the case of the Q4, JLT construction increases tire stability and reduces flex, helping to create a larger and more consistent footprint during braking, cornering, and acceleration. As a bonus, the rear Q4 is up to one pound lighter than its equivalent Q3+ counterpart – a clear benefit when every bit of performance counts. A technique perfected with the Q3, Carbon Fiber Technology (CFT) is again incorporated into the sidewall of the Q4; the light, strong, and durable material really coming into play at high lean angles to provide stability. One huge benefit of the Q4 is its independence from tire warmers – a very specific goal Dunlop had for these tires with the trackday enthusiast clearly in mind. Traditionally, fast warm-up times were achieved by using silica in the compound, but with the Q4 the rear is a single compound (unlike many competitors which use multiple compounds across the tire’s face) which doesn’t use any silica – it’s all carbon black like Dunlop’s racing tires, though the proprietary polymers and resins mixed with the carbon black is a chemistry Dunlop staff hold close to their chest. The last acronym to consider when talking about the Q4 is IRP, or Intuitive Response Profile. In essence, IRP is the nomenclature for Dunlop’s profile design, in which the rear tire has a tall center that tapers sharply towards the edges for quick and aggressive turn-in and transitions, with the added benefit of putting more rubber on the ground at high lean. And, apart from standard sizes for most supersports and liter-class machines (180/55-17 and 190/50-17), the Q4 rear is also available in 180/60-17, 190/55-17, and 200/55-17 to fit a wide range of Japanese and European motorcycles. In these additional sizes, the IRP further enhances the bike’s handling characteristics, as the profiles are even sharper than standard. Putting Them To The TestAfter all the technical jargon, if we were to distill the Q4 to its main points, the important takeaways to remember with the Q4 is the extremely quick warm up times, huge land-to-sea ratio, and the fact Taylor Knapp – the former superbike racer turned Dunlop test rider – was able to achieve 62 degrees of lean (the most ever by a street-legal Dunlop tire) during the preseason MotoAmerica test at Barber Motorsports Park. Knapp was also able to set the tenth fastest time of the test aboard a relatively stock Suzuki GSX-R1000, running a stock engine, a pipe, and of course, the Q4’s. Let that sink in for a second – a relatively stock bike with street tires set the tenth fastest time against a field of superbikes. I’ve long been a fan of the Q3, and though I haven’t sampled the Q3+, I was eager to try the Q4, especially considering its track-focused nature. The scene of our test was Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, and Dunlop brought a few 600s and literbikes from Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki for us to try. At first, the bikes were fitted with OE sizes, but later were swapped for the other, taller sizes available in the range. Even though it was a warm day at Chuckwalla, the first thing you notice about the Q4 is how incredibly fast it gets to temperature. Even with brand new rubber, half a lap was all I needed to feel comfortable and start pushing a little more. Dunlop says cold pressures are very similar to street tires: 32 psi front, 30 psi rear, with a good baseline of 36 psi at both ends once the tires are hot. While the focus of the Q4 is around the rear tire, the front provides decent feel under trail braking, though it lacks those last few percentages of feel and stability at full lean compared to a dedicated DOT race tire, but this is to be expected. Overall turn-in and transitions were easy enough, but the clear difference came once we compared the standard fitment to the wider and/or taller options. Whether it was on a supersport or a literbike, the slightly taller profile transformed the bike, providing lightning quick agility from vertical. Then, once knees were planted into the ground, it was easy to see how Knapp was able to achieve the 62 degrees of lean – the taller profile is tapered so aggressively and puts so much rubber down on its side, one can’t help but try their own Marc Marquez elbow-down impression. Super fast warm-up times, cat-like agility, and massive contact patches are definite highlights of the Q4. However, a few factors kept me from being blown away by the tire like I was when I first rode the Q3. For starters, by the end of our day at Chuckwalla, the tires looked to be showing some fairly considerable wear. Granted, the assembled group of journos present did flog the bikes for a number of laps, but I imagine the hardcore track junky who can confidently run in the fast group would start to consider new hoops by about the third trackday. More to the point, though, the Q4’s didn’t provide the outright grip I expected at full lean. I admit, having just recently sampled the Bridgestone Battlax R11 DOT race rubber, the bar was set quite high, but even with my lowered expectations, the Q4 left me puzzled. While I know the Q4 is basically a slick once on its side, from where I was sitting, the tire didn’t communicate to me a huge contact patch was available for the taking. And once the tire started to wear, the power from a literbike was enough to overwhelm the rear (relatively) easily. On more than one occasion, on both a Kawasaki ZX-10R and Yamaha YZF-R1, what I thought was a gentle application of power on corner exit spun the rear quickly (traction control was turned down to its lowest setting), making it difficult to control. This forced me to wait just a little longer to get the bike more upright before turning on the jets. Other testers on hand shared similar thoughts to mine, confirming my feelings. This wasn’t such a problem with the supersport machines though; the reduced power meshing well with the Q4’s available grip. With this in mind, Knapp’s ability to lap within a few seconds of superbike times with these tires firmly reminded me how much I suck… The TakeawayWith that said, it’s important to define what the Q4 is, and just as importantly, what it isn’t. While the Q4 sits above the Q3+ in terms of track worthiness, it’s below the GP-A – Dunlop’s DOT racing tire. Unlike the GP-A, however, which is only available through select trackside tire vendors, the Q4 is available through any Dunlop retailer, including trackside vendors. Price-wise, Dunlop says to expect Q4 to be about 10%-15% more than the Q3+, as retailers often have vastly different pricing to what Dunlop lists as MSRP. Visit the Dunlop website for more information. At the end of the day, I’m left feeling torn about the Q4. I’m very impressed with the ability to toss your tire warmers. From there, the tire’s agility (if you opt for the non-standard sizes) can completely transform a bike’s handling, with minimal need to adjust other settings. If you’re not riding a fire-breathing motorcycle with the numbers 1, 10, or even 1200 in its name, then the Q4 could be a great track tire. But I expected a little more edge grip and communication, which held me back from pushing like I wanted. And if you’re fast enough to race competitively, or ride a literbike quickly in the A group, these traits might bother you, too. The post Dunlop Sportmax Q4 Review appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.comMotorcycle.com https://ift.tt/Xzx9iy May 15, 2018 at 06:44PM
Motorcycle News - Yamaha Yard Built XSR700 by Workhorse Speed Shop
https://ift.tt/2L4jkZS Brice Hennebert of Workhorse Speed Shop is the latest builder commissioned by Yamaha to create a Yard Built custom. Working with a Yamaha XSR700 as the base, Hennebert transformed it drag racing machine styled as a tribute to the FZR 750 OW74 raced by Christian Sarron in the 1985 Bol D’or.e Some of the changes include a longer swingarm, , modified injection body, a carbon battery and a NOS system. The frame was lowered and, to free up room, the radiator was moved to the front face where the headlights would normally go, mimicking the OW74’s flat face. The Workhorse Yard Built XSR700 won’t just be for show; Yamaha will enter it in the factory class in the 2018 Sultans of Sprint, a four-round custom drag racing series, with four guest racers, starting with Niccolo Canepa for the May 19-20 round in Italy. Begin Press Release: Yamaha and Workhorse Speed Shop Set Their Sights on Sultans of Sprint Custom bike builder extraordinaire Brice Hennebert puts the Workhorse Speed Shop on the task of taking top honours at Sultans of Sprint Factory class with their custom-built Yamaha XSR700 Yard Built custom bikes are usually made to inspire our customers; to make their XSR900, XSR700, XV950R or SCR950 unique. For this project, Yamaha is breaking the rules. This XSR isn’t a bike built for standing still, this is a bike Brice built to be a sprint dominator. Low, long and fast as hell, the Workhorse Speed Shop have taken their Yamaha and pulled out all the stops. The engine to the chassis and every point in between has been tweaked, tuned, pulled to pieces and put back together to squeeze every bit of performance from one of custom buildings most versatile models. As a competition bike, there are obvious restrictions laid down about what can be changed and what lines a builder needs to work within. Brice still had room to manoeuvre. The fully handcrafted aluminium body cuts a mean silhouette in classic Yamaha blue and yellow, a tribute to the 1985 FZR 750 Bol d’Or Sonauto ridden by Christian Sarron. The frame dropped a full 150mm and the footpegs were shifted back. The custom-built Workhorse swingarm extends an extra 100mm and turns this beast into a low-down dragster dream. The XSR700 will have the smallest engine of all the bikes in the Factory Class. But, we start the competition with a strong advantage, a very low weight and an impressive torque. The crankshaft has been balanced, the oil circuit modified and the counterweights supressed. With a Suter antihopping clutch and a modified injection body; this is a whole new powerhouse. Amongst the high-end parts putting this build into the stratosphere are a carbon battery, a full racing brake system, clutch control, a front and rear master cylinder as well as a NOS system with Max Extreme Nitrous Controller. The paintjob was supplied by Matthias Van Brussel and the seat and jacket mods are straight from the mind of Jeroen Bauwmeister from Silver Machine. “What can I say about this bike?” commented Antoine Clémot, Yamaha Motor Europe Motorcycle Product Manager. “It’s fast, it’s low, it’s mean, it’s a lot of fun and we think it’s a winner. Events like the Sultans of Sprint really bring new vibes to the Sport Heritage segment with a subtle mix of fun and performance. We love to see these amazing bikes getting outside of static shows to race full throttle. They’re all about individual expression and making crazy designs and then getting together and sharing them. The Workhorse bike, it’s got that old-school Yamaha feel with the FZR750 Suzuka style body, it has bespoke everything and it just looks really unique. I’m excited to see what it does, but I’m already proud to be a part of the build.” All that deliciousness is aimed directly at the Sultans of Sprint events running this year. Anyone with petrol in their veins should be aware of Sultans of Sprint but in case you need to get caught up, here it is. Each year hundreds of like-minded madmen and madwomen get together to race real fast in a straight line. They are events revolving around fine design, speed and above all else, fun! The Sultans of Sprint will be held at The Reunion in Italy from May 19th to the 20th, then Biker’s Classics in Belgium from June 29th to July 1st, Glemseck, Germany from August 29th to September 2nd and finally the Dandy Riders Festival in France from the 23rd to the 24th of September. If you’re lucky enough to attend an event you’ll see some outrageous designs put forward by passionate people. The Workhorse XSR700 custom dragster will be piloted by a different guest rider for each event, with the first round featuring the legendary Niccolò Canepa, the first Italian rider to win an FIM Endurance World Championship title after lifting the 2016/2017 title in just his second season with the GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team. If you want to join the adventure and find out the riders for each of the other rounds, make sure you’re following the team on https://www.facebook.com/YamahaMotorEU/. Yamaha Yard Built XSR700 by Workhorse Speed Shop appeared first on Motorcycle.com News. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.comMotorcycle.com https://ift.tt/Xzx9iy May 15, 2018 at 02:12PM
Motorcycle News - Upcoming Motorcycle Events: May 15 June 12
https://ift.tt/2IFn6dB Upcoming Motorcycle Events: May 15 – June 12 Here’s our weekly guide to the upcoming motorcycle events and rides that are happening within the next month. Don’t see an event that’s happening in your neck of the woods? Leave a comment to let us know.
The post Upcoming Motorcycle Events: May 15 – June 12 appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.comMotorcycle.com https://ift.tt/Xzx9iy May 15, 2018 at 12:37PM
F1 News - Felipe Massa: Ex-Formula 1 driver signs three-year deal with Formula E team
https://ift.tt/2KsFUu3 Former Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa has signed a three-year deal to race in Formula E from next season. He will join Monaco-based Venturi, which is co-owned by actor Leonardo DiCaprio, from the 2018-19 season of the electric motor racing series. Massa, who won 11 grands prix, quit F1 last season after 15 years in the sport with Sauber, Ferrari and Williams. "I'll do everything I can to contribute to the project and hopefully I'll be among the front runners," said Massa. The electric street-racing series is nearing the end of its fourth season, with season five set to begin later this year. The 37-year-old Brazilian will take part in testing at the end of May before the new season starts. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 May 15, 2018 at 12:06PM
Motorcycle News - 2018 Triumph Tiger 1200 XCa Review
https://ift.tt/2Gh0Xx4 2018 Triumph Tiger 1200 XCaEditor Score: 89.0%
Speaking of adventuring, on my way home from flogging this new Tiger all over the mountainside, I was inspired enough to explore a new route: Instead of taking the 210 to the 57 like I usually do, I hopped on 5 South, to the 10 West, to the 710 South! (I had to go to Long Beach to do a bike swap with Ryan.) Was it scary? A little. There are some parts of LA where you really don’t want to have to stop, but the Triumph Tiger 1200 XCa had me feeling all omnipotent. Bring it on! EICMA: 2018 Triumph Tiger 1200 XC and Some of that pavement is not the best, but the bike’s WP semi-active suspenders barely noticed, and 1215cc of torquelicious Triple is just the thing for hacking one’s way through the urban jungle, both when the traffic is dense and when it opens up. The big Tiger was a very solid beast before, now it’s a highly refined, more civilized solid beast. Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Matter of fact, Triumph says all the new Tigers are better for their chosen missions, the XCs are all better off-road, and the XRs are better for all roads – lighter, with improved ergonomics, higher technology and better power if not more of it… There are six distinct Tiger 1200s: four XR models with 17-inch street rubber at both ends, and two XC models with 19-inch front and 17-in rear tires on (tubeless) wire-spoke wheels for better performance on non-paved surfaces. Our test unit, fittingly, is the top-of-the-line XCa. Triumph says this one’s lost 22 pounds, and it actually feels like it’s lost more: Now I can pick it up off the sidestand easily even when it’s parked on a left-leaning slope, without assist. It feels like the seat’s a skosh lower, or maybe the bicycling has made my left leg stronger? Triumph says it took 1.1 lbs out of the crankshaft, 5.5-lbs from the flywheel, saved 5 lbs more by using a new titanium Arrow exhaust, and a new battery shaves 6 more lbs. A magnesium cam cover lops off a pound; the crash guards on our bike are a few lbs lighter… She’s still hefty, probably around 600 lbs fuelled up (the last Tiger 1200 we rode, a 2016 model, tipped our scales at 625 with 5.3 gallons – 32 or so lbs – of fuel.) Like we said then, though, she’s well-balanced and agile for her size. For 2017, Triumph doesn’t claim any more power, but it does claim better power, and with that we cannot disagree. In 2016, the claim of 141 PS translated to 116 rear-wheel Dynojet hp at 8500 rpm, and a torque peak of 75 pound feet at 7700 rpm, which still feels about right. (Sorry, we haven’t been able to get the new bike to the dyno and scales quite yet. We’ll update ASAP.) We loved the big Tiger’s spot-on smooth delivery the last time, and it’s even better now with the lightened reciprocating parts and more refined fuel maps. Nobody really does fuelling better than Triumph, and on the street it’s hard to argue against a 1215cc Triple. The Tiger might not make the most power in the class, but it makes plenty enough to propel you way faster than you’ll ever need to go, with almost zero vibration until up around 90 mph, where you will feel a little tingle in the grips. It starts cranking out a big, fat plateau of torque not far past idle, and from there, big power just builds in a linear way all the way to redline. Off road, it’ll pull cleanly from right down at walking speed without complaining. And whatever you’re doing, it always sounds fantastic in finest vintage-Jaguar fashion. It’s just a great, solid powerplant that always returns at least 40 mpg, too. Don’t forget the new slip/assist clutch – not that you need it much once you’re rolling, thanks to the XCa’s upstairs and downstairs quickshifter, which like many of them works better up than down, but is better than most either way. Shifts at larger throttle openings are smoothest, but the Tiger’s system works pretty well at small ones around town, too – another one of those things you never knew you needed. Along with more refined fueling comes another ride mode on the XCa: Off Road Pro. Toggle it into the computer and you get: ABS and TC OFF, and suspension set to Off Road, Sport! As for me, I’ll stick to Off Road, which only disables rear-wheel ABS and sets suspension and Traction Control to Off Road medium settings. TSAS, Triumph Semi-Active Suspension, courtesy of WP is every bit as worthy as it was when fitted to the 2016 Tiger. WP as we know, is owned by the same people who own KTM, and if this isn’t the same stuff they put on the Super Duke GT and 1290 Adventure S, it’s damn close. Working with an IMU, the suspension adjusts itself in real time to whatever you’re up to at the controls, and launched the old Tiger from also-ran to legitimate contender. There are two suspension modes, Auto and Off road. On pavement, in conjunction with excellent new seat foam and 7.5 inches of travel front and rear, the Tiger serves up a magic carpet ride 99% of the time in Auto. Off road, I did not go there – but Ryan Adams did and says, “Any suspension setting in the normal to sport range kept the bike from rocking back and forth at all.” The bike worked great on bumpy fire roads, too. The Triumph’s a bit unique in that once you’ve chosen your mode, the joystick allows you to select how stiff you want your damping along an entire continuum from Comfort to Sport. TSAS is standard equipment on all but the base XR, and it even automatically sets rear preload for your weight and who or whatever you’ve got strapped on behind you. For people who are used to buying motorcycles and never getting around to playing with their suspension adjusters, TSAS will be a revelation. The seat is still the first line of suspension, and the Tigers all get new “3D net technology,” with more foam, an air channel in the middle, and a different shape that’s said to deform better to the rider’s rear end. Mine felt fine after a couple of long days on the XCa, helped in part by the handlebar having been moved 20mm rearward – a happy change for my 5’8” bod. Now, you can sit back there and position the electric-adjust windshield wherever it’s quietest; for me, that meant looking through it, which is not optimal but is fine during daylight hours at least. If the Tiger’s still-air pocket isn’t perfect, it’s way better than all of the “baggers” currently in vogue when it comes to traveling (though Ryan was concerned it might bisect his Adam’s apple when standing up through big bumps off road). Between the big windshield, the handguards and the heated grips and seat, the Tiger really is an all-weather fighter. Whilst luxuriating in the comfy cockpit, you won’t be able to not notice the new 5-inch TFT instrument panel, which can be manipulated into various displays or left to automatically adjust itself to night or day. While on that subject, there are quite a few buttons on both grips, but they’re backlit and therefore still useable after dark. You wanted advanced electronics? The Tiger delivers. The IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), in addition to adjusting the TSAS suspension, also talks to the lean-sensitive anti-lock brakes, traction control and engine mapping. Road mode is soft and docile when you toggle towards comfort: Things become decidedly sportier, and engine response snarlier, when you select the curvy road icon and toggle towards Sport. I usually run screaming when I hear the word “intuitive” describing a computerized thing, but this system actually is. Indeed, those 305mm discs up front are bitten by Brembo M4.32 calipers, now fitted with new pads to give more bite, power and feel. When you grab a big handful, of course, the IMU also informs the front fork what you’re up to, and you can pretty much stop on the proverbial dime with very little drama. Electronics good, Mongo. And that theme is pretty much carried out throughout this highly sophisticated Tiger, which is in fact a big, sweet pussycat. The basic building blocks were already there; the Tiger’s new electronics just make everything work that much better and more comfortably. Chilly? Your three-position heated grip button is right there at your left thumb, and the heated seat control is here somewhere… The passenger’s control is right under her left thigh – and that back seat’s almost as comfy as the front, which is really comfy, especially when the heater heats the foam up a smidge. Ahhhh… You no longer need an ignition key, but don’t lose that fob – and you can lock the fork by turning the bar to the left and hitting a button. All the XCa’s bulbs are bright and maintenance-free LEDs, including its daytime running lights – and after dark there are now adaptive cornering lights. Also fog lights… You can adjust the angle of that 5-inch TFT display to suit you, then select the one of six displays which agrees with you. There’s a USB port under the seat for your phone, along with a 12v outlet one each for rider and passenger… as for Infotainment, you’ll have to provide your own by wandering off yon dirt road – also, I was not able to locate the setting to heat the water for 4 o’clock tea. All the rest of it’s here, and it all works together very well if you’re looking for a supremely comfortable, highly capable ADV bike. More off road notes from Ryan A:
Motorcycles via Motorcycle.comMotorcycle.com https://ift.tt/Xzx9iy May 14, 2018 at 10:49PM
Motorcycle News - Two Wins at Imola Makes Jonathan Rea Almost the WSBK GOAT
https://ift.tt/2Ih3OMs Way to go, JR! News from Worldsbk.com: Jonathan Rea equals all time record of WorldSBK wins
Sunday, 13 May 2018 15:12 GMT
59th win makes Rea the most successful rider ever in WorldSBK
Continuing to cement his name in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship history books, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) has equaled Carl Fogarty’s record of victories here at Imola. Rea’s second win of the weekend marks his 59th overall, breaking a record which has stood for nearly 20 years. 31 year old Rea first broke onto the WorldSBK scene in 2008 with a one event appearance for Honda, which saw him take a top four position in his debut around Portimao. Putting in 228 race starts since then, we take a look back over the pivotal victories of his career. He first tasted victory in the WorldSBK in Misano’s race two back in 2009, crossing the line 0.063s ahead of Michel Fabrizio after a sensational on track battle. After getting the monkey off his back for his first win, he stood on the top step every season with the Honda machine, racking up ten victories in 2012. Spraying the Prosecco in front of his home fans at Donington Park for the tenth time, it was clear Rea was a strong talent in the series and a strong contender. His final win for Honda came at the track in which he made his debut – Portimao in 2014’s race two. Making the switch over to Kawasaki for 2015, the Northern Irish rider has never looked back and this is when his victories began to come thick and fast. Winning his debut race on the green machine at Phillip Island – taking him to 16 overall – his 25th victory came once again in Portugal and this time Rea dominated to cross the line five seconds ahead of his closest rival Davide Giugliano. Taking 14 victories in 2015, he didn’t secure the title with a victory but with a fourth position finish at Jerez. Entering 2016 as defending champion, it welcomed another strong year for Rea as he secured his 30th WorldSBK victory around Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in race one. Taking a total of nine P1 trophies home that season, Rea was once again crowned champion without taking the win at Qatar with a second position finish. Hitting another milestone Down Under at Phillip Island, Rea took his 40th victory in the opening round of the 2017 season – one which proved to be a record breaking one for the 31 year old. With a phenomenal 16 victories secured in his third season with Kawasaki, Rea was an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. Securing the title around Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France, Rea won his 50th race of his career and was crowned champion with two rounds remaining. Putting himself just nine shy of the record, he dominated the end of the 2017 season to take double victories in Spain and Qatar. As 2018 has become a more challenging season for our reigning world champion, Rea has continued to win and as he sensationally took the double victory around Imola, he took his 59th victory with it. It now remains to be seen how many more races Rea can win as he career continues to go from strength to strength in WorldSBK. As the most successful WorldSBK rider of all time, he certainly won’t be forgotten in a hurry. Re-live some of Rea’s highlights all on the WorldSBK VideoPass, and watch as he continues to break records in WorldSBK. News RelatedRea: “If you’d told ten-year-old me, he would have laughed at you”Record-tying win leaves Rea ecstatic, while Sykes picks up another hard-fought podium finish Two Wins at Imola Makes Jonathan Rea Almost the WSBK GOAT appeared first on Motorcycle.com News. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.comMotorcycle.com https://ift.tt/Xzx9iy May 14, 2018 at 07:01PM
Motorcycle News - 2018 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports First Ride Review
https://ift.tt/2L1WEte 2018 Honda Africa Twin Adventure SportsEditor Score: 90.0%
When I first laid eyes on the 2018 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports at the Long Beach International Motorcycle Show, I thought to myself, “Dang that’s a nice paint job and I love the white frame, but man, what a long name.” After talking to some Honda reps about the bike’s intended place in the market and in its own line-up, I left the conversation a bit more confused than when I had started. You see, the Africa Twin Adventure Sports is aimed to more directly compete with the bigger adventure motorcycles that publications and consumers alike, were already comparing it to. The new AT AS would offer longer distance touring capability as well as what would be perceived as more off-road-worthy accoutrements. We have seen other manufacturers take adventure bike platforms and aim one model solely at street performance and the other at more off-road focused duty, so where does the Africa Twin Adventure Sports land? Honda says to think of it more as an “SP” model off sorts, referring to the upgraded CBR1000RR SP. But wait! It gets more confusing before the fog clears when it comes to the 2018 Africa Twin model line-up. The standard Africa Twin receives a fair amount of updates – all of which, and more, are found on the AT Adventure Sports. As a whole, the Africa Twin line-up receives:
That’s a pretty substantial list of upgrades on its own, but how is the Africa Twin Adventure Sports differ from the standard AT? Let’s take a look at another easy-to-read bullet-point list!
The $1,500 difference in price between the standard Africa Twin and the Adventure Sports seems paltry when considering the bolt-on accessories included on the AS on their own add up to more than the difference in price between the two models, and that isn’t even considering the larger fuel tank or 30th anniversary color scheme. Making the AT AS even more enticing is the fact that the accessories included are incredibly useful and likely to be some of the first parts an Africa Twin owner might purchase on their own anyway. So, why wouldn’t you want to purchase the Adventure Sports model if you found yourself considering the Honda Africa Twin? While it’s hard to think of many reasons, a couple do come to mind. Adding 1.2-inches to the seat earns the Africa Twin Adventure Sports the award for tallest seat height on a large-displacement adventure bike at 36.2-inches in the standard position and 35.4 in its lowered position. Once you’re rolling, it really doesn’t matter, but with my 5-foot 8-inch height and 30-inch inseam, it made mounting and dismounting the motorcycle the most nerve-wracking part of my time with the new AT AS. There is a lower accessory seat available to help in that regard. Also, if you’re happy with the set-up on the standard model, maybe you don’t want to spend the extra cash or add the extra 25lbs of weight. I would personally opt for the Adventure Sports over the standard AT, buy that lower accessory seat, slap on more aggressive tires and some larger footpegs for more comfort over long periods of standing, and would probably be fairly content with the bike in stock form. Honda opted to bring all Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) models for our test of the Adventure Sports which would mark my first time riding the Africa Twin with the DCT transmission. This would also be the first time I had used the DCT transmission off-road – my previous experience with the tech being a day ride on the similarly equipped DCT 2018 Honda Gold Wing Tour. Thankfully, with the DCT on the Africa Twin being highly adjustable, with enough time, I believe you could very easily fine tune the system to work as you might want. Once the motorcycle is flipped on, you start in neutral then use the right switchgear to set into Drive mode. Leaving the bike in Drive will keep the bike in a fairly subdued almost economy-type setting, so we opted to switch the motorcycle into Sport mode which also has three settings within it. Sport 1 being more sporty than drive while still shifting quite low in the rpm, Sport 2, which was preferred for most of our group of riders, still keeps shifts smooth while allowing the bike to rev fairly high into the rpm range, and Sport 3 which will let the bike rev nearly all the way to redline when on the throttle hard. Sport three was just a bit aggressive for most of our riding even during canyon stints. The reality is, that the shift points also have a lot to do with how you get on the throttle as to how aggressively the transmission will interpret your input and shift accordingly. Grab a handful on the highway to pass a car and the bike will likely downshift twice to put the motorcycle into the powerband to give you the necessary oomph to pass. With the DCT transmission working well for our time on the highway, through town, and through less demanding sections, I was fine leaving it in Sport 2 and letting the motorcycle shift as it may, knowing that I could up or downshift the motorcycle at any time manually with the paddle shifters on the left handlebar switch gear. Honda Africa Twin Shootout: DCT Vs. Manual Transmission I gave the DCT system a try both off-road and through tight canyon roads, but found myself constantly shifting the motorcycle back down a gear or two at times to keep it in the powerband through corners or when I needed a quick hit of power to spin up the rear on the dirt. The other issue I had was as I would downshift to enter a corner, the motorcycle would upshift before the corner was finished if I wasn’t hard enough on the gas. These situations left me preferring to set the motorcycle into full manual mode, using the paddle shifters to do all of my shifting, precisely when I wanted to. I can appreciate the fact that Honda chose to only bring DCT models, forcing everyone to try the system rather than letting them choose, but for the 22-pound weight savings as well as saving $699, I would probably opt for the manual and spend that money on the aforementioned seat, tires, and larger footpegs. The transmission is so smooth at low rpm that in manual mode it never lugged so low in rpm that it became jerky and was just fine tip-toeing around off-road. To be clear, our off-road sections consisted mostly of long blasts down fire roads with only a few shorter more technical bits. That did give us the chance to test the bike at near triple-digit speeds off-road which saw the Africa Twin Adventure Sports keeping cool as a cucumber, composed and predictable at all times. Even the few times where I lost the front due to a somewhat vague feel in the siltier stuff, the motorcycle was very forgiving and kept me upright, despite my own slip-ups. The 1.3-inch taller handlebar and wider footpegs made the AT AS feel great while standing, although I would still opt for wider, longer footpegs. I felt in command of the bike at all times whether I was taking advantage of the wide open 43-degree steering lock while moving around slowly, or testing the limits of HSTC setting 1 with perfectly controlled power drifts. The Adventure Sports Showa suspension isn’t just roughly an inch longer front and rear; it also has a higher spring rate, which likely helped with the extra weight and felt great during the light off-roading we encountered, plus it prevented the suspension from feeling overly soft as we blasted through tight canyon roads. Honda did a great job finding a happy medium. Hopefully we can get our hands on the AT AS soon on our home trails to test how well the suspension can soak up larger bumps on more technical trails. The 998cc Parallel-Twin engine doesn’t feel as spunky as other adventure bikes on the market, but it’s no slouch, either. Off-road, it has more than enough power to send its claimed 555-pound curb weight barreling down the trail at speeds that could get you into trouble fairly quickly. The engine has remained relatively unchanged from its original debut in 2016. Nissin braking components offer plenty of bite on-road while not being overly sensitive off-road, and ABS is able to be turned off to the rear wheel for off-road stints via a dedicated button on the dash. The front ABS cannot be shut off. Next to the ABS button is the “G” button, allowing for quicker clutch actuation putting power to the ground more quickly which helps with split-second decisions on slippery surfaces such as gravel. I was somewhat surprised with just how much I enjoyed riding the Africa Twin Adventure Sports. With the motorcycle feeling almost infallible off-road, allowing for small mistakes without becoming uncomposed, and predictable easy handling on-road with all day comfort, the AT AS was an absolute blast riding around Prescott, AZ. It was really no surprise when Honda showed us statistics that placed the Africa Twin as the number two selling bike in the Open Adventure bike category with 21% market share. With over 8,000 sold in the last two years in the U.S, and 51,000 sold worldwide, it seems the motorcycle-verse was poised and ready for the return of the Africa Twin, and the Adventure Sports just takes the adventure further.
Motorcycles via Motorcycle.comMotorcycle.com https://ift.tt/Xzx9iy May 14, 2018 at 04:21PM
F1 News - Romain Grosjean needs a reset - Jolyon Palmer column
https://ift.tt/2rI5xz4 F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, who left Renault at the end of 2017, joins the BBC team this season to offer insight and analysis from the point of view of the competitors. Romain Grosjean is going through tough times in Formula 1 and he hit a real low point with his crash on the first lap at the Spanish Grand Prix. The Haas driver lost his car mid-pack at Turn Three, spun back across the track in a cloud of tyre smoke and collected the cars of Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly. I don't remember an incident like it and I don't think the stewards did either - which is why they have given him a three-place penalty at the Monaco Grand Prix. It is the latest - and worst - in a series of difficult moments for Grosjean this year. Magnussen showing Grosjean upThe Frenchman has no points after five races and that is made worse by the fact Haas have been very competitive, and team-mate Kevin Magnussen has been getting the most out of the car more often than not. The Dane's sixth place in Barcelona puts him on 19 points for the year. It hasn't been a lack of pace that's hurt Grosjean - Barcelona was the third time in five races that he's qualified in the top 10. The Haas car has often been best of the rest behind the big three this year, and races without incident surely would have seen Grosjean bag some good points by now. The problems have not all been of his own doing, either. In Melbourne in the first race of the season, he was running in a fantastic fifth place when his wheel didn't go on at his pit stop, a problem that ended the race of both Haas cars. But where Magnussen has been able to get his head down and recover from that disappointment, scoring in every other race apart from the chaotic event in Azerbaijan, Grosjean has been on an unfortunate run of incidents which have put him heavily on the back foot. Bahrain and China were quietly disappointing for Grosjean, but in Baku he had a real chance to step up and score some points. He was forced to start at the back of the grid after an issue in qualifying, but a brilliant race saw him running up in sixth as a late safety car was called. He then lost control of his car, trying to keep temperature in his tyres under the safety car and hit the wall, ending his race. When tyre temperatures are low, silly mistakes are much easier than they look in F1, and Grosjean isn't the first driver in recent times to lose it under the safety car. Indeed, Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, winner last month in China, had a spin under the virtual safety car in Barcelona. But it will have been slightly humiliating for Grosjean nevertheless, especially because he was in such a great position beforehand and it ended his race with a big accident. That was two weeks ago. In Barcelona, he had another chance to set the record straight after qualifying in the top 10 again. 'Dangerous and foolhardy'Grosjean's lap-one incident really surprised me. Not so much the incident itself - everybody was struggling for grip. Even the frontrunners with clearer air ahead and more downforce were struggling to get the power down out of Turn Two. The spin Grosjean had was one thing. He was caught out by Magnussen's slide ahead, spun in sympathy as a result of cold tyres and plenty of dirty air. Not great, but that sort of thing happens from time to time. What I couldn't understand was why he kept his foot planted on the throttle for so long afterwards. The result was the car drifting right back into the middle of a field of oncoming cars, creating a huge smokescreen for them at the same time, and on one of the fastest, most difficult sections of track. It was inevitable he would be collected by someone. I can only imagine his actions came out of frustration at spinning away a good starting position. But it was pretty dangerous and very foolhardy, as proved by the fact Gasly and Hulkenberg drove into him, unsighted by tyre smoke and with nowhere else to go. If Grosjean had applied the brakes as he spun on the outside, as is usually the case and the natural instinct when a driver loses control, I'm sure he would have come to a stop harmlessly on the run-off and got going again afterwards. A personal experience with GrosjeanI had an incident with Grosjean in Sochi last year. He tipped me into a spin and then drove into the front of my spinning car. We ended up in the wall, putting us both out at the start of the race. The stewards deemed it a racing incident, which seemed fair enough, even though we both disagreed, as is natural for drivers to do. At the time Romain's biggest complaint was that I kept the throttle on as I was spinning and didn't just hit the brakes, which he saw as the reason he was collected and pitched into the wall. I distinctly remember him saying what I did that day was "dangerous". In fact, I didn't keep my foot down. But as he hit me while I was accelerating, I naturally had some throttle still on. As soon as I was spinning I lifted… But that's irrelevant now. What it shows is his mindset, and how in the crunch moment he wasn't able to think the same way he had managed in the stewards' room before. Talent behind the errorsI know it's easy for me to say this from the outside now. In the midst of any race incident things happen very quickly and a driver reacts in a split second to try to best deal with it. But I've seen first hand how good Grosjean can be. In his Lotus days alongside Kimi Raikkonen, he scored numerous podiums, nearly won at Suzuka in Japan and was often the closest man to challenge a dominant Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull in that era. I joined Grosjean at Lotus as third driver in 2015 and could witness his speed myself. He scored an incredible podium that year at the Belgian Grand Prix for a team so cash-strapped it had the bailiffs coming round immediately after the race. When he switched to Haas at the end of that year with the hope of a future move to Ferrari, it seemed ambitious but not unrealistic. Now it seems impossible. Can he get it back on track?Grosjean has the speed to get brilliant results on his day, and there's plenty of time for him to turn it around yet. But first I think he needs to clear his head and reset. He did that before after receiving a race ban in 2012 for a spate of first-lap incidents. It appeared to work then, and I think he needs to draw a line under this start to the year and treat it as a 16-race season starting at Monaco in two weeks' time. Of course it won't help having a three-place grid drop on a track almost impossible to overtake on to kick it off. But he has to put that out of his head and move on quickly. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 May 14, 2018 at 04:00PM
Motorcycle News - Things Could Be Worse: You Could Be in Australia
https://ift.tt/2GeXFu4 Jeff Corbett, writing in Australia’s Newcastle Herald, sounds like a reasonable if typically angry old white guy most of the time, but has he crossed the line in this piece Evans Brasscannons dredged up from the interwebs this morning? In which he suggests motorcycles should be banned from all “high-risk roads.” “It occurred to me that it is not just the motorcyclist at high risk on these roads, that other road users are at high risk from motorbikes. We have a higher risk of having a motorbike and rider slam into our car, and death or injury to the driver and passengers is not the only unfortunate result of that.” Wait, what? ———————————————————————————————————————-- JEFF CORBETT: We need to put the brakes on motorbikes
FILE IMAGE SOMETIMES I have to remind myself that I have been a motorcyclist, that I still hold a motorbike licence. Mostly I feel that need when, as a driver, I come across a motorcyclist fanging around a corner towards me or weaving through peak-hour traffic. Fleetingly I wonder why it is that motorbikes have the same status as cars and buses and trucks, when clearly their two wheels hardly qualify them to mix with vehicles with at least four. It’s fleeting because I know that when I’ve been on two wheels, cars and buses and trucks are a damn nuisance, and I try to avoid hypocrisy. Not always successfully, I’ll admit.
But things have changed, and that happened when I was driving through and around Victoria’s alps a few weeks ago. Every day I saw signs warning that it was for motorcyclists a high risk road, and the signs showed what appeared to be a motorbike and rider sliding on the road.
The risk could have been because the roads were often wet, icy or that there were lots of curves. Many motorbike riders like to get their thrills on winding roads, and in the Hunter two of the deadliest are Putty Road between Singleton and Windsor and Thunderbolts Way heading north from Gloucester. It occurred to me that it is not just the motorcyclist at high risk on these roads, that other road users are at high risk from motorbikes. We have a higher risk of having a motorbike and rider slam into our car, and death or injury to the driver and passengers is not the only unfortunate result of that. There is severe trauma to those involved in the accident and accumulating trauma for the police and ambulance officers who must dread the call to yet another gory accident involving a motorcyclist. It does seem that for many the thrill of motorbike riding is beating the odds. Is accident the right word for those many cases in which the motorcyclist was riding the high risk road for thrills? An accident is something that happens by chance, and when you’re testing yourself and your machine on a high risk road, or any road, a crash cannot be entirely unexpected. It does seem that for many the thrill of motorbike riding is beating the odds.
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Why should your safety and mine be put at risk by a motorcyclist riding for thrills? There’s not much more to riding a motorbike than thrills, given that in comparison to many modern cars they’re no longer so economical and that the disadvantages are just split-second grabs of the passing scenery and being too hot when it’s hot and too cold when it’s cold and too wet when it’s wet. The only difference between motorcyclists is how far they’ll push the limit for their thrills. The two big thrills are speed and corners. Motorbikes accelerate quickly to high speed but unfortunately for thousands of suddenly-departed Australians motorbikes are not so keen to stop, and corners can be exhilarating if they don’t tighten unexpectedly, which too often is just as unfortunate. The great lumps of metal called cruisers and preferred by the ageing and deluded don’t like going around any corner. All motorbikes, all motorised two-wheel vehicles, are inherently unstable and more vulnerable than four-wheel vehicles to road imperfections and wrong camber and potholes and oil spills and wildlife and sand and gravel and heat-softened bitumen and rain and snow. And only someone who’s ridden a motorbike in all weather will know just how much rain impedes the motorcyclist’s vision from behind the visor. The NSW government’s Centre for Road Safety reported a year or so ago that while motorcycles represented just four per cent of registered vehicles in NSW, motorcyclist fatalities in 2016 were 17 per cent of the road toll. Serious injuries among motorcyclists as a percentage of the total were higher. Statisticians keep pumping out motorbike-horror stats but they seem only to excite the risk takers. One that may have spurred the increasing sales of motorbikes is the NSW government’s finding less than 10 years ago that a motorcyclist is 20 times more likely to be killed per kilometre travelled than the occupant of any other motor vehicle. It’s all part of the leather and the swagger, the ultimate expression of the it-won’t-happen-to-me myth. While drivers are required to wear a seatbelt even though they’re in a cabin, motorcyclists are not confined by a belt or a cabin – they’re free to be daredevils, their only concession to safety a helmet. This bravado is at our expense in so many ways and it’s time we did something about it. First, let’s ban motorbikes on all high-risk motorbike roads, starting with Putty Road and Thunderbolts Way. Second, let’s introduce special motorbike speed limits for winding roads or stretches of road, with a new provision for the sudden-death loss of motorbike licence for those who break those and the general speed limits. There are seldom any second chances on a motorbike and the penalty should reflect that. For too long our road rules have ignored the threat to us all of a vehicle that is essentially dangerous, that would not be allowed on the roads if it were invented now. ———————————————————————————————————————--Hmmmm, we have to hope Mr. C was just hoping for some cheap clicks. Victoria has Alps? Let’s not mention any of this to the Victoria Tourism Board, which touts motorcycle tours as one of the many great things you can do in Victoria. The post Things Could Be Worse: You Could Be in Australia appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.comMotorcycle.com https://ift.tt/Xzx9iy May 14, 2018 at 03:34PM |
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