As was reported earlier, Michael Schumacher made an appearance racing on a Honda at the Oschersleben circuit of the German Superbike Championship last weekend. On the surface, his twenty-eighth place finish seems rather disappointing, but upon further examination, it was a pretty good weekend overall for the ex-Formula 1 champ. Technical issues kept Schumacher from starting well, with only two racers behind him at position thirty-seven on the grid. Finishing all the way up to number 28 in the first race is a rather good outing considering the competition he was up against. In race two, Schumacher charged his way to position 21 before crashing out.
Despite the accident, Schumacher seems to have enjoyed his time on the track, saying, "I am a racer. I find motorcycles such a lot of fun, but I do not have any plans to enter a race series properly. Perhaps I will race from time to time, but always as a guest runner and without ambitions for another career." Good for you, Schumie. Thanks for the tip, Erik!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Schumacher falls - literally - in motorbike race debut
In the Autoblog Garage: Harley-Davidson Night Rod Special
Harley-Davidson and the cruiser segment in general is currently being forced into the realization that such bikes are often considered playthings by their owners. Sure, there are plenty of die-hard HD fanatics who ride their bikes thousands of miles annually and attend faraway rallies to gather with other enthusiasts who share their passion. Many owners, though, spend more time polishing their chrome than out riding. Such weekend warriors make up a large portion of the cruiser market, and those owners are being forced to hold onto their current rides a bit longer than normal due to the slowing economy in the U.S. -- a country which easily makes up the bulk of cruiser sales.
Harley-Davidson and the rest of the industry could see this change coming long ago, and the V-Rod was its opening defense to this looming issue... and it was a good one by most accounts. The Motor Company, though, has not been content to rest on the original V-Rod as the only alternative to its classic line of air-cooled V-twin powered bikes. Thankfully, we have machines such as the Night Rod Special to provide a welcome diversion from the rolling pieces of nostalgia that make up the majority of HD's line. Does the Night Rod Special's riding experience live up to the promise made by its menacing looks? Read on to find out.
Mahindra joins Tata as interested party to purchase MV Agusta?
Volkswagen, are you paying attention to all of this? As we've previously reported, the German automaker has expressed interest in purchasing an established motorcycle brand, even going so far as to mention Ducati by name. MV Agusta would offer instant credibility and would be a rather easy entrance into the marketplace.
Buell to offer Ulysses Police bike
Generally, when you see the boys in blue riding on two wheels, it's either on an air-cooled V-Twin Harley-Davidson or on a BMW road bike. Neither of these vehicles is appropriate when the road goes away, which could cause a few potential problems when giving chase. Buell, makers of the Ulysses, a bike which falls smack-dab into the center of the burgeoning Adventure Touring category, has decided to rectify the potential problem by offering a version of its on-or-off-road machine to the police. Differences between the Ulysses Police and the standard version amount to different standard side cases, a standard tall windshield, heated hand grips (which are available for the standard model as well), handlebar deflectors and an emergency response kit which includes the obligatory flashing lights and siren.
We wouldn't recommend trying a getaway under any circumstances, but the chances of shaking the Ulysses Police with its 103 horsepower V-Twin and off-road credentials seems pretty slim. As a bonus to the officers on board, the EPA rates the machine at 51 mpg urban/64 mpg highway. Seems like a pretty decent package, we'd say.
Web-assisted early look at the 2009 V-Max
Since the very first Yamaha V-Max was introduced way back in 1984, the motorcycle scene has seen countless changes. The V-Max, though, has remained steadfast in its ways, surviving right on through the break off of Star Motorcycles from its Yamaha parent. A look at Star Motorcycle's current website shows a V-Max from 2007 that is almost exactly the same as the first edition was all those years ago. That will soon change. Although the official unveiling of the machine that started the muscle-bike category is still a week or so away, the internet has struck out with a few early shots of the new 2009 Max. Early specifications point to around 210 horsepower from a new 1800cc V-Four engine, which ought to have no problem establishing Mr. Max as the new quarter mile king. Just how quick will the new V-Max be? We, along with just about everybody else, predict a trip down the 1320 to take a little over nine seconds. Yeah, it'll be the new bike to be seen on.
Honda set to go retro in '09 with CB1100F?
Click the pic above for more high-res images.
Retro is fast becoming an accepted design theme industry-wide with vehicles such as the New Beetle, Mini Cooper and Fiat 500 shining as examples of the genre. The same can be said of motorcycles, with such designs as the Ducati SportClassic range as well as half of Triumph's line acting as flag-bearers. Harley could be grouped into that category as well, although they've never really changed since... well, the beginning of time. Anyway, Honda is considering capitalizing on the market trend with a new design inspired by the ground-breaking CB's of the 1970's. When it was first introduced, the CB750 turned the motorcycle world upside-down and went a long way towards making the sporty English bikes of the day obsolete overnight. As an odd turn of events, though, the CB1100F seen above would be anything but revolutionary in the sporting bike game today, considering that the air-cooled engine, skinny "right-side-up" fork and dual shocks are carry-over pieces from the original design. Of course, that's why it looks retro and why many people would likely run to their nearest Honda dealership to place their orders.
2008 Honda Transalp debuts in Paris
Besides all being categorized as "Adventure Touring" bikes, what do the Suzuki V-Strom series and Kawasaki's new Versys have in common? They're both less than 1000cc's and sold in America. Not that we're keeping track or anything, but so are the BMW R1200GS, KTM 990 Adventure, Triumph Tiger 1050, Ducati Multistrada, Aprilia Caponord and even the new Benelli TreK 1130. Not so the Honda Transalp, which has just been completely refreshed and is being shown off at the Paris Motorcycle Show. Sporting a liquid-cooled V-Twin of just less than 700cc's, the Transalp would make a very logical competitor to the aforementioned Versys 650 and V-Strom 650, wouldn't you say? It's not so much that Honda's own XR650L is a bad bike -- it's actually quite good at what it does -- we just doubt that many potential buyers cross-shop the XR with bikes in the Adventure category. Consider too that BMW is rumored to be bringing a GS version of the new F800 stateside as well, and a strong argument could be made that Honda should enter the market.
Regardless of whether it comes to the U.S. or not, the Transalp is a fine Adventure Tourer. A look at our hosted pictures will show you that Honda has made some serious upgrades to their super-popular Euro-bound machine. Riders should enjoy the protection provided by the ample windscreen and fairing, and will likely find a comfortable riding position. Pictures also show the serious routing maneuvers the exhaust gases are forced to take as the bike has been made Euro 3 emissions compliant. If you're reading this and you live in the States, take heart... Kawasaki saw fit to make their new Versys available here. Maybe Honda will show us some love too.
Paris Motorcycle Show: KTM Concept 690 Stunt
From time to time on Autoblog, we run stories featuring KTM's new X-Bow roadster. Color us orange with anticipation at the prospect of an open-air performance machine from the Austrian company normally known for generating excitement with fewer wheels by two. Case in point: the new KTM Concept 690 Stunt. Using their new single-cylinder LC4 engine displacing 654cc's, this machine features an awesome single-sided swingarm, Renthal handlebar, orange crashbars and a 12 o'clock bar aft of the single seat. If this law-breaker-to-be is too over-the-top for you, consider the bike on which it's based: the 690 Supermoto.
Also receiving the new LC4 engine is the 690 Duke. If you prefer your cycling to be done after the pavement ends, KTM has you covered with the 690 Enduro. Each of the new 690 models features a steel trellis frame and an USD fork. No matter what your taste in riding is these days, KTM has a bike to cater to you. Rest assured, even though KTM is testing the sportscar market, they haven't forgotten their orange and black roots.
One more thing... you didn't think that KTM had forgotten you superbike folks did you?BMW introduces new R1200S-based HP2 Sport
click above image to view gallery of the BMW HP2 Sport
Longtime BMW riders would hardly recognize the motorcycles coming from the Bavarian bike maker these days. Starting with the redesign of the R-Series models and their bump in displacement to 1200cc's a few years ago, BMW has been making a statement that it's going to be moving the brand up in the performance ranks. The four cylinder K1200 series has given BMW an image-bike that further cements it into the high performance race, and now the R1200S HP2 Sport will take the BMW brand back to the race track in style.
Starting with the R1200S as its base, already BMW's sportiest model, the HP2 adds new 4-valve heads sporting dual overhead cams. Redlining at around 9,500 RPM, the power output of the engine has been increased to 128 horsepower, and the 85 ft-lb. of torque makes this engine very powerful for an air-cooled boxer-twin. Routing that muscle to the rear wheel is a six-speed gearbox featuring a quick-shifter that allows the bike to survive full-throttle up-shifts and performs quicker than what can be done using your hands and feet.
