BMW K 1200R

Make Model	BMW K 1200R
Year	2008
Engine	Liquid cooled, four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
Capacity	1157
Bore x Stroke	79 X 59 mm
Compression Ratio	13,0:1
Induction	Injection
Ignition  /  Starting	Electronic  /  chain
Max Power	163 CV 120 kW @ 10250 rpm
Max Torque	2,9 kg-m 127 Nm @ 8250 rpm
Transmission  /  Drive	6 Speed  /  shaft
Frame	Bridging frame, die-cast aluminium, load bearing engine
Front Suspension	BMW Motorrad Duolever; central spring strut, rebound damping electronically adjustable with optional ESA
Rear Suspension	Die-cast aluminium single-sided swinging arm with BMW Motorrad Paralever; central spring strut with lever system, spring pre-load adjustable to continuously variable levels by means of hydraulic handwheel (electronically adjustable with optional ESA), adjustable rebound damping (rebound damping and compression electronically adjustable with optional ESA)
Front Brakes	2x 320mm discs 4 piston calipers
Rear Brakes	Single 265mm disc
Front Tyre	120/70-17
Rear Tyre	180/55-17
Seat Height	820 mm (low seat: 790 mm)
Dry-Weight	237 kg
Fuel Capacity	19 Litres
Consumption  average	17.2 km/lit
Standing ¼ Mile	10.8 sec
Top Speed	262 km/h

Just when you thought the growing "naked bike"

segment - sportbikes shorn of their plastic wrappers, unveiled for all to see -
was all about showing off and nothing about substance and style, here comes the
2006 BMW K 1200 R. Unlike the weightlifter who can barely scratch his own back,
the K 1200 R is powerfully built yet agile, massively quick yet perfectly docile
for those times you want to take it easy. It's the ideal combination of menace
and class.

BMW has taken
advantage of the incredible technology housed in the new K 1200 S - a
straight-line speed machine that also accelerates, turns and stops like a
truly modern superbike - to create the K 1200 R. In fact, except for revised
bodywork and ergonomics, the two bikes are very much alike.

And yet the two motorcycles couldn't be further in
temperament. The K 1200 S is sophisticated, urbane, while the K 1200 R is
built for the rider who lives for sport riding and uncompromised
appearances. The K 1200 R eschews full bodywork for a tidy, aerodynamically
designed instrument-panel fairing that incorporates powerful asymmetrical
headlights and the engine oil cooler. This is a face that
performance-oriented riders won't soon forget. Nor will race fans, as the K
1200 R will form the basis for the BMW Power Cup, with races to be held all
over the world on special race-prepared machines. Taking up where the
popular Boxer Cup left off, it's likely that the best, hardest-fought racing
in 2005 will come from the ranks of the Power Cup.

 POTENT ACCELERATION FROM A STATE-OF-THE-ART
POWERPLANT

Behold the most powerful production motorcycle engine
BMW has ever built, the beneficiary of decades competing at the highest
levels of motorsport. But it's not just about sheer thrust. Indeed, the K
1200 R's revolutionary inline-four-cylinder engine sets new standards not
just for power - and, as important, excellent power delivery - but it was
designed from the start to be compact and light. Moreover, its unusual
configuration - the cylinder block is canted toward the front wheel by 55
degrees - not only reduces the entire motorcycle's center of gravity but
also permits innovating packaging solutions. The K 1200 R's layout is as far
from a me-too arrangement as you can get.

Thorough development of the 1157cc, liquid-cooled
engine made possible the 167-horsepower peak but is also responsible for the
engine's broad, flat torque curve; although it peaks at 94 pound-feet, 80
percent of the peak torque is available from 3500 rpm all the way to the
11,000-rpm redline. That's flexibility.

Maintaining high power and low emissions is one
responsibility of the K 1200 R's BMS-K (BMW Engine Management with
Anti-Knock Control) Digital Motor Electronics. This system features fully
sequential cylinder-specific fuel injection with integrated anti-knock
control and a three-way catalytic converter in the exhaust. Combining the
use of a sensitive oxygen sensor and fast feedback processing in the
engine-control computer with special anti-knock sensors, allowed BMW's
engineers to tune the K 1200 R's engine for maximum power yet retain the
ability to use less-than-premium fuel. (Maximum power will be obtained on
premium fuel, however.)

This sophisticated injection system allowed BMW's
engineers to boost the K 1200 R's compression ratio to a race-like 13.0:1,
which benefits not only power, but combustion efficiency as well. That gives
the rider more power and torque, and increases fuel economy at the same
time.

 A NEW KIND OF BALANCING ACT

Inline-four-cylinder engines have characteristic
vibration but the K 1200 R powerplant uses a technology also explored in the
new R 1200 Boxer engines to make it inherently smooth. Twin balance shafts
are driven by a toothed belt from the crankshaft at twice the crankshaft
speed and employ elastomer isolators to reduce transmission of noise and
vibration. These balance shafts reduce transmission of second-order
vibration from the engine to the chassis and, therefore, to the rider, who
will experience four-cylinder serenity as never before.

Dramatic advances in driveline technology abound in the K 1200 R. The
cassette-style six-speed transmission uses stacked shafts to reduce the
engine's overall length and to form the most efficient method of
transferring power to the shaft final drive.

 CHASSIS OVERVIEW: HIGH-TECH ALLOY FRAME AND
UTTERLY UNCOMMON SUSPENSION

The K 1200 R shares the K 1200 S's chassis components,
including light-alloy main frame featuring dramatically tilted main spars -
to further reduce the machine's center of gravity - made up of a selection
of materials: pressure-cast aluminum, alloy extrusions and special die-cast
aluminum members. Because the counterbalanced engine does not vibrate like a
typical four-cylinder, it can be mounted solidly to the frame - no rubber
isolators are necessary. In this way, the frame is further strengthened by
the engine structure.

BMW has always pushed forward on suspension design,
and the K 1200 R continues the tradition. Joining a revised, lightened
version of the company's famed Paralever rear suspension - much lighter than
conventional shaft systems and without a typical shaft's squatting
tendencies - is the Duolever front suspension. Based on a concept developed
by British inventor Norman Hossack in the 1980s, Duolever effectively
isolates suspension movement from steering forces for smooth handling.
Moreover, Duolever has significantly less friction than conventional
telescopic forks, so its action is much more supple while also being given
spring and damping rates appropriate for a sportbike. Finally, the Duolever
has been designed to provide effective anti-dive control so that the K 1200
R remains on an even keel during hard braking.

And it's not just the suspension design that breaks
new ground, either. As with the K 1200 S, the K 1200 R features BMW's ESA -
Electronic Suspension Adjustment - as an option. Accessed through the
instrument panel display, ESA sets spring and damping rates electronically.
The rider can choose three combined spring settings - solo, solo with
luggage or rider with passenger and luggage - along with three damping
modes: comfort, normal or sport. The spring settings must be adjusted at a
standstill, but the damping adjustments can be made while underway.

IMPRESSIVE BRAKES AND ADAPTIVE ANTI-LOCK CONTROL,
TOO

BMW's acclaimed EVO brake system is standard on the K
1200 S. Integral ABS is available as an option. Disc diameters in front are
320mm with a single 265mm disc at the rear. The K 1200 S includes BMW's
Partial-Integral adaptive braking system. Both brakes -- front and rear --
are activated whenever the rider pulls the handlebar-mounted lever, but only
the rear brake is activated by the foot pedal. BMW has continued to develop
the EVO ABS system and for the K 1200 S, the technology has been refined
once again to take full advantage of the bike's peerless sporting
performance.

These powerful brakes work through new-design wheels
that are light yet strong. They carry traditional sportbike-sized tires - a
120/70ZR17 in front and a large-footprint 180/55ZR17 at the rear.

 OPTIONS AND ACCESSORIES TO TAKE YOU THE EXTRA MILE

A comprehensive list of BMW options and accessories
are available for the K 1200 R. These include:

Options

o Anti-theft warning system

o Heated handgrips

o Low-profile seat

o ABS Brakes

o Luggage Rack

o Clear Turn Signals

o Cockpit Fairing

Accessories

o BMW Navigator II GPS moving-map system

o Center stand

o BMW adjustable side cases

o Soft Top Case

o Tank Bag

Honda CBR 600RR

Make Model	Honda CBR 600RR
Year	2008
Engine	Liquid cooled, four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valve per cylinder.
Capacity	599
Bore x Stroke	67 x 42.5 mm
Compression Ratio	12.2:1
Induction	PGM-DSFi fuel-injection with four 40mm throttle bodies.
Ignition  /  Starting	Computer-controlled digital transistorized with electronic advance and independent four-cylinder 3D-mapped computer control.    /  electric
Clutch	Cable-operated multiplate wet clutch.
Max Power	118 hp  88.1 KW @ 13500 rpm
Max Torque	66 Nm @ 11250 rpm
Transmission  /  Drive	6 Speed  /  chain
Front Suspension	41mm inverted HMAS cartridge fork with spring preload, rebound and compression damping adjustability, 120mm wheel travel
Rear Suspension	Unit Pro-Link HMAS single shock with spring preload, rebound and compression damping adjustability, 129.5mm wheel travel
Front Brakes	2x 320mm discs 4 piston calipers
Rear Brakes	Single 220mm disc 1 piston caliper
Front Tyre	120/70 ZR17
Rear Tyre	180/55 ZR17
Seat Height	820 mm
Dry-Weight	156.5 kg
Fuel Capacity	18.2 Litres
Standing 1000 m	20.6 sec / 243.9 km/h
Standing ¼ Mile	11.1 sec / 207.3 km/h
Top Speed	253.9 km/h

A lighter crank and lighter con-rods means lighter — and smaller —
everything else, so the entire package — capped off with 11-ounce lighter
magnesium valve covers — measures up as 27.5mm shorter than the 2006, all
the while making more power and torque and weighing in at 3.7 pounds less.

“The clutch is
lighter, smaller and stronger, and the transmission gets closer ratios and a
redesign to reduce driveline lash.”

Engine improvements don’t stop there. We didn’t complain about last
year’s clutch or transmission, but Honda improved them anyway. The clutch is
lighter, smaller and stronger, and the transmission gets closer ratios and a
redesign to reduce driveline lash. There’s also a new gadget called the
Intake Air Control Valve (IACV), which smoothes throttle response, avoiding
the jerky fuel injection-induced response some other motorcycles are cursed
with.

The airbox — which now sucks air through a hole in the front of the frame
like the RC-51 — gains seven percent of additional capacity, and the
radiator is 40mm narrower, but 34.2mm taller so not too much frontal area is
lost. The exhaust now has titanium baffles; they could have put that
bling-bling on display like some OEMs do, but they put it inside where it
would do the most good.

Suspension and brakes are standard, if effective, fare. In front, a
fully-adjustable (except for high-speed settings) 41mm inverted fork and
four-piston radial-mount calipers get the job done, (although Toland said
the new braking components offer more sensitivity) and in the rear the Honda
Unit Pro-Link is bolted to the three-way-adjustable shock. The Unit Pro Link
shock linkage is GP-tech for the street; it isolates the suspension almost
totally from the frame to ensure the smoothest possible ride.

A Honda Electronic Steering Damper (HESD) that’s half the size (and 20
percent lighter) of last year’s damper keeps the compact chassis — with a
steeper rake than the old machine’s — under control by adjusting damping
force according to speed.

To wrap up the package, the Honda stylists added a thicker seat (although
it’s roadcourse as a DOT race tire on dry pavement would be. I say
“probably” because I didn’t want to be that guy who pushed it too hard in
the rain and crunched a brand-new bike: I was happy at an 8/10ths pace.

The increased traction meant I could settle down and really get a feel
for the machine’s suspension, braking and other qualities. With a team of
Honda technicians on hand to ensure a perfect set-up, the suspension felt
spot-on, even though they misunderestimated my weight by 20 pounds. Although
the track is very smooth, there are some pavement ripples in one high-speed
braking zone (thanks, Grand Am cars!) that translated into some choppiness,
but I imagine any motorcycle would get bounced around there.Accelerating off
of Turn Six down the back straight, the front end gets light but the HESD
damper works fine and there’s no drama.

Serious sportbike pilots have eagerly anticipated the arrival of the
potent new 2007 CBR600RR, and now the industry experts have confirmed this
incredible machine was well worth the wait. Cycle News crowned this
middleweight missile winner of its ‘07 600cc Class Shootout, with the more
compact, more powerful and lighter-weight 600RR easily besting the
competition on both track and street. Roadracing World went one
better, calling the CBR600RR “the best 600cc sportbike ever.” Praise doesn’t
come much higher. And neither does performance.

Street stunt riding world champions...

Forget Chris Pfeiffer, these guys are the real stunt riding world champs!

2009 Yamaha V-Max: Specs, first official pics and video

With its 200bhp V4, the 2009 V-Max should be quite all right...

The first Yamaha V-Max
came out in 1985, when Yamaha took a 1,198cc, 140bhp V4 and made a big,
bad, bruiser-cruiser out of it. Now, more than twenty years on, Mr Max
is back in his new avatar – the 2009 Yamaha V-Max. We’ve already shown
you the first ‘leaked’ pics of this bike last week, and now we have the full spec on the new V-Max from Yamaha.

Yamaha say the primary goals for the V-Max project team were awesome acceleration
and strong engine performance, precise and sharp handling, unique
styling and Euro III compliance. The result is a 310-kilo motorcycle
fitted with a 1,697cc V4 that makes 200 horsepower at 9,000rpm and
166.8Nm of torque at 6,500rpm.

The new V-Max is loaded with electronics. There’s Yamaha’s GENICH technology for starters. That’s Genesis in Electronic engineering aimed at New, Innovative Control technology based on Human
sensibilities. Er, yeah… well. Moving on, there’s also Yamaha Chip
Controlled Intake (YCC-I) and Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle (YCC-T),
which play a key role in extracting 200bhp from that 65-degree V4.

Mr Max rides on 18-inch wheels, and rear tyre size is a truly manly
200/50 R18. The chassis is an all-new ‘diamond-type’ unit made of
aluminium. It’s a strong, lightweight structure that’s made of
gravity-cast, CF die-cast and extruded aluminium sections. The design
incorporates gravity-cast components for the main frame and pivot
assembly, while the rear frame is made from a range of Yamaha’s
exclusive CF die-cast parts and extruded parts which are welded
together.

This combination of different types of aluminium, each
with a different rigidity level, is one of the major factors in
achieving the overall desired balance of rigidity. And to enhance that
balance even further, the V4 engine is incorporated as a stressed
member – using cast-iron mounts at the front, the centre of the V bank,
and at the top and bottom of the crankcase.

Now that Mr Max is back, other super-nakeds must be shivering in their boots

The
V-Max’s front fork has 52mm downtubes, and their oxidized titanium
coating ensures better surface hardness and stiction-free operation.
The fork is fully adjustable for preload, as well as rebound and
compression damping. Rear suspension is link-type Monocross, with the
rear shock being fully adjustable for preload, and compression and
rebound damping. All settings are remote adjustable.

Front
brakes are dual 320mm wave-type discs, gripped by radial-mount 6-piston
calipers. Rear brake is a 298mm wave-type disc gripped by a pin-slide
type single-piston caliper. The V-Max also gets Yamaha’s latest
linear-controlled ABS system, which prevents wheels from locking up
under hard braking and provides consistent braking over all types of road surfaces.

The
2009 Yamaha V-Max is limited to an electronically governed 220km/h top
speed, though we’re sure aftermarket experts will have something to say
about that. And, of course, after you’ve unlocked the full potential of
that 200bhp V4, there’ll be the turbos and the superchargers and the NOS systems…

The
V-Max will cost about US$18,000 and only 2,500 units of the bike will
be made this year. For more details, and to order your own V-Max

Electric motorcycle inventor crashes at Wired NextFest

The inventor of the “KillaCycle” electric motorcycle almost killed
himself during a demonstration at the Wired NextFest conference.
Bill Dube, a government scientist during the
day and electric bike builder at night, did a “burn out” in front of
the Los Angeles Convention Center, but accidentally accelerated too
much and crashed into a Minivan.


Here is the video:

’m Fine (scapes and cuts) Bike is a little bent….

First off, I’m just a bit scraped up. Embarrassed of course. I had not
intended the bike to move in the soapy water, just spin the tire.

Got it slowed down to about 20 mph. Front wheel is bent, as are front forks. Cowling is not nearly as pretty as it was.

Battery box took a hit from the front wheel. Almost certainly, some
cells were shorted. No smoke. No fire. Ultra safe cells. Had these been
anything but A123 Systems Nano-phosphate cells, shorts would have
caused a serious fire.

No major damage. We will have it fixed in short order.

Important to note: Area in front of the bike was CLEARED of ALL PEOPLE.
NO ONE was at risk but me. Concrete on both sides of area.

Yes, I am an idiot for not wearing a helmet. :-/

Credits: Chris Holewski

Derbi Terra 125 Adventure

If
you needed any more evidence that adventure touring is overtaking
sportsbikes in popularity, here it is. 125s provide practical, cheap
transportation to tens of thousands of European teenagers, who get a
license for one of these easier, cheaper and earlier than they can for
a car. Traditionally this market has been the preserve of miniature
sportsbikes and race rep scooters. The Derbi Terra 125 Adventure will
be the first adventure touring bike for teenagers. Complete with
knobbly tires and aluminum panniers, it should actually be more capable
of crossing the Sahara than any of its bigger, heavier competition.


Here is a video of the bike

Technical Specification;
Engine Single cylinder 4Stroke 4V EURO 3
Timing system Double overhead camshaft, 4V
Bore x stroke 58 x 47 mm
Displacement 124,2 cc
Fuel supply Carburettor Æ 30
Starting system Electric
Cooling system Liquid
Compression ratio 12:1
Lubrication Dry sump
Ignition Electronic CDI
Transmission Gear assembly
Clutch Multi-plate
Gearbox 6 speed
Front suspension Æ 41 mm hydraulic fork. 195 mm travel
Rear suspension Mono-shock with adjustable spring pre-load. 150 mm travel
Front brake Single Disc Æ300 mm.
Rear brake Single Disc Æ220 mm.
Tyres Front 90/90x21” - Rear 130/90x17”
Battery 12V 6Ah
Maximum lenght 2.195 mm
Maximum height 1.408 mm
Maximum width 793 mm
Wheelbase 1.454mm
Seatheight 850 mm
Fuel tank 11 L (2,5 reserve)
Dry weight 117 Kg

Yamaha R 125 VS Aprilia RS125 VS Honda's CBR125R - who wins?

We know that you're dying to lay your hands on the new yamaha R15 to be
launched in india soon. While there has been a lot of talk about the
bike, there hasn't really been any information on the relative
performance of the bike. We cannot give you any info on the performance
of the R15, but the mother of the bike, the the R125 has been tested
against its peers very recently.
British magazine MCN has tested
the latest 125cc sports motorcycles. The triad of the newset 125cc
machines includes the two stroke Aprilia RS125, Honda's CBR125R and
Yamaha's new YZF-R125. See the video to have a good idea of how the
bikes fared in the comparo. More info on the three bikes is available
in the latest (28th May) edition of MCN.