In expectancy of the 2009 Superbike World Championship, BMW Motorrad creates a video promoting their all-new S1000RR motorcycle in both of its forms, street and racing. Riders behind those dark visors are Troy Corser and Reuben Xaus so watch them take this machine to the limit now and during the upcoming race season.
2009 is a very important year for ‘The Yamaha World Superbike Team’ as it now entirely belongs to the Yamaha Motor Europe operations. The new racing livery for 2009 shows the team’s new sponsors and ‘war paint’ for the new season starting at Phillip Island. The new R1’s will be ridden by two riders that need no presentation: Ben Spies gets to ride the bike with the number 19 and Tom Sykes, the one with the number 66.
Michael Schumacher was testing team’s Holzhauer Honda CBR1000RR at the Cartagena circuit in Spain when he crashed, lost conscience and had to be immediately transported to the Virgen de la Risaca hospital.
Apparently, Schumacher suffered a serious hit to the head and multiple neck contusions, but after carefully examining him, Dr. Francisco Martinez decided that Schumacher’s state doesn’t require internment, only a neck support collar.
So we’ll be seeing more of Schumacher in April when the IDM German Superbikes Championship begins.
It is now less than a month until the WSB championship will debut on March 1st and the factory Aprilia World Superbike team makes the final optimizing of their all new Aprilia RSV4 basing on the wind tunnel results.
Aprilia race technicians are trying to find ways of improving both bike and rider aerodynamics in the 2009 racing season and, obviously, they needed a rider. So who better (for the moment) to tuck into RSV4’s fairing than Shinya Nakano? The Japanese rider spend a day in the wind tunnel at the Department of Industrial engineering at the University of Perugia, Italy and has shared his impressions.
Nakano said: "It has been a very positive and interesting experience and I was impressed by the ability of engineers and the staff at the University of Perugia.
"We conducted several tests on my riding position, making the last little adjustments to obtain the best possible aerodynamics. The data that we collected will work to bring new solutions during the course of the season.
"I have to say that the current aerodynamics of the RSV4 are already good and did not need any immediate action.”
BMW has just made public the much awaited press release regarding the 2009 S1000RR, their all-new Superbike motorcycle that will hit Germany’s dealerships this summer. They talk about the bike having a 999cc inline four engine, weighing 183 kg (dry) and costing €15,150 ($19,438), but as interesting as it might sound, this isn’t the best of it. The bike will actually feature ABS brakes and traction control so we’re expecting excellent test results from it.
Very hi-tech, the ABS system has four modes from which the rider will be able to choose depending on the level of sensitivity that he seeks.
Still, the first thing that strikes you is the aggressive design and amazing fit and finish. Please don’t tell me it looks much like an Aprilia RSV4 from the front!
Press release (translated from German) after the jump.
There’s really no connection between BMW’s S1000RR, the blonde model and the light helicopter shown in the first official pictures of the bike, but isn’t this a little hard to pass?
Will the Cagiva Elefant and Raptor models return in full force now that Harley-Davidson has turned their eyes on them? Most likely, yes. With financial support from the American icon combined with Italian heritage, these models are rumored not only to be revived, but to be powered by engines developed by Harley-Davidson in collaboration with BRP Rotax.
After acquiring MV Agusta and Cagiva, HD tries to make its debut in the world of all-around motorcycles, but there are also plans for scooters
and large-displacement motorcycles. Apparently, the firsts on the line are the Cagiva Elefant and Raptor for which the 140 hp waiting harnessed in the 1125cc liquid-cooled V-Twin of the Buell 1125R and the 1125CR seems to be the most adequate. The year of turning point for these models is likely to be 2010.
According to Solomoto, Harley also discusses with BMW about the possibility of these last to provide single or even twin-cylinder 650cc and 800cc more docile engines for future Raptors. Later on, Piaggio will be assigned for delivering 125cc four-stroke engines for entry-level bikes such as the Raptor/Planet and Mito models so they’ve apparently figured pretty much everything out.
If the brand’s reviving goes according to plans, we should not be surprised if, in a couple of years, Cagiva will launch a superbike built in the pure Italian style and driven by a 1200cc BRP Rotax V-twin engine developing as much as 180 hp. This is also part of HD’s plans for Cagiva, but we can only wait and see what will end up being reality and what not because they tend to seem too promising.
Realizing that the $72,500 asking price for the Ducati Desmosedici RR excludes him from the start, a French Ducati fan took matters into his own hands and turned his Monster SR4 into what appears to be a bulkier Desmosedici RR, but without the astonishingly high retail price. The passionate builder also took its time and photographed the bike during the different stages of development and this is how we got the pleasure to share these with you.
Although technically it remains as the Monster’s L-Twin was preferred over a 200 bhp V4 Desmosedici RR engine, the fiberglass fairing and gas tank, the windscreen and headlights as well as the fake underseat exhaust are all testimony of passionate work and detailed craftsmanship.
I reckon that copying isn’t the solution and that he could have gone for something original, but otherwise the guy wouldn’t have ridden a DesmoMonster and, apparently, that’s what he wished the most.
Suzuki has just released the promo video of the 2009 GSX-R1000, their most powerful and most refined superbike product ever built.
With a new, more compact engine, shorter wheelbase and a totally new design, the GSX-R1000 raises once again the stake in the most disputed supersport class.
What is so great about this video is that it takes you through all the upgrades they’ve made on next year’s model so it is pretty much like reading a preview on the bike.
After releasing the onboard video of the all-new 2009 S1000RR, BMW now shows both the street and competition Superbike version in yet another official video racing together where they belong: on the track. It is amazing how Beemer ambitioned to cover the crucial racing and market segments at a time, but 2009’s results (both time laps and sales charts) are eagerly expected as they will most likely speak for themselves.
The inline-four cylinder engine seems to be a smooth power provider while the aluminum twin-spar frame also seems to work perfectly together with the standard swingarm and conventional USD forks. And it doesn’t sound European…I can’t wait to hear it myself.
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