Sunday, March 29, 2009
Ducati Vyper Cruiser in 2010?
Could Ducati be building a street cruiser to compete against the likes of Harley-Davidson? That’s the rumor behind the so-called Ducati Vyper, which was started by a statement made by Ducati boss Claudio Domenicali, who revealed that Ducati is looking to branch out into a wider market. The 1400cc 170hp prototype is said to be already in running form, and has started preliminary tests at the Bologna factory.
The Vyper will feature a stroked version of the company’s Testastretta engine, and house it in Ducati’s signature steel-trellis frame. A 240 rear tire mounted onto a beefy hollow-section swing-arm is also believed to be on the new machine. Luca from Bar-Design has made some exclusive renders of the Ducati Vyper for Asphalt & Rubber, and if the original looks anything like this, we might just be believers in the Italian chopper concept.
The Vyper stems from a statement made by Claudio Domenicali in several interviews that hinted that was a possibility that Ducati could make a foray into a segment that Ducati has not competed in yet, in order to expand the range of motorcyclists riding the Ducati brand of motorcycle. Slated for release in 2010, the Vyper will make around 170hp, a boat-load of torque, and wear the standard Ducati trellis frame. It will also have a very low seat, which will contrast with the huge 240 rear tire.
It seems strange to think of Ducati as trying to compete with Harley-Davidson for the cruiser market, but the Italian brand may be able appeal to a younger crowd in a way that the American chopper brand cannot.
Luca Bar is a talented young Italian designer and member of the Motorcycle Design Association. He has published renderings for SoloMoto30, and competed in the “Design Your Dream Ducati” competition held by Ducati S.p.A. You can find his online portfolio at bar-design.net, and hopefully his future work here at Asphalt & Rubber.
Source: Motociclismo; Renders: Luca Bar-Design
Finally a Ferrari Motorcycle: well a 1:12 scale model anyway, damn
There is no shortage of Italian built motorcycles, however there is just one Auto Company that we wish would produce a motorbike and that is Ferrari. Could you imagine if you had a superbike with a prancing horse on the front.
Well it seems like you can now get your hands on a Ferrari bike, ok a 1:12 scale model, damn those images they did fool me for a second. If Ferrari was to produce a superbike, it would look a little like this model. The original model was a Yamaha kit from Tamiya; however it has had a few modifications.
Let us hope that the guys at Maranello are looking and decide it is time to produce vehicles with two-wheels as well as their road cars.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Ducati Streetfighter S to hit US dealerships in May
Unveiled at the EICMA show in Milan in November 2008, the smoking-hot Ducati Streetfighter is slated to go on sale in the US by May this year. Priced at $18,995, the Streetfighter S will go on sale in May, while the base model Streetfighter, priced at $14,995, will probably be available by August.
While essentially based on the Ducati 1098, many of the Streetfighter’s bits and pieces are unique to the bike – it has a new subframe, more relaxed steering (25.6 degree rake, compared to 24.5 degrees on the 1098), a swingarm that’s 35mm longer than the 1098’s item, a redesigned cooling system to reduce the width of the bike and a new, fully digital dashboard.
The Streetfighter S is fitted with proper, high-spec bits – 43mm Öhlins USD fork, fully adjustable Öhlins monoshock, five-spoke forged alloy wheels from Marchesini, the Ducati Data Analysis system and Ducati Traction Control (DTC). The Streetfighter S will be available in two colours – red and black – with bronze-painted chassis and wheels, while the base model Streetfighter will come in red and white, with black wheels and dark-grey wheels.
Next week, Ducati will be organising test rides of the Streetfighter for some motorcycle magazines, in Malaga, Spain. In the meanwhile, here are technical specifications of the bike:
Engine: 1,099cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, four-valve-per-cylinder L-Twin
Power: 155bhp@9,500rpm
Torque: 114Nm@9,500rpm
Chassis: Tubular steel trellis-type frame
Wheelbase: 58.1 inches
Front Suspension: Fully adjustable 43mm Showa (Öhlins on the Streetfighter S) USD fork
Rear Suspension: Aluminum single-sided swingarm, fully adjustable Showa monoshock (Öhlins on the Streetfighter S)
Brakes: Twin 330mm semi-floating discs with radial-mount Brembo Monobloc four-piston callipers (front), single 245mm disc with twin-piston callipers (rear)
Dry Weight: 167kg
For what Damien Basset (the man who's designed the Ducati Streetfighter) has to say about the bike and about motorcycle design in general, see our exclusive interview here
Sunday, March 8, 2009
BMW F800R to hit showrooms by May this year
The BMW F800R is coming out in May...
2009 Harley Davidson V-Rod Muscle launched
The 2009 Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle. All muscle, no fat...?
Decades ago, the Ducati 851 used to have the word ‘Superbike’ emblazoned across its flanks. Just so that you wouldn’t miss the fact that it was a… superbike! A bit like putting a bunch of prancing horse stickers on your Ferrari F430, we suppose, but what the heck.
Anyway, Harley-Davidson have just launched the 2009 VRSCF V-Rod muscle-bike and they are, of course, calling it the VRSCF V-Rod Muscle. That’s one trick the Japanese missed out on. Yamaha V-Max Muscle and Suzuki B-King Muscle, anyone?
‘With sculpted bodywork stretched taut over a powerful new physique, the 2009 VRSCF V-Rod Muscle rides its way on to the power cruiser scene with a broad-shouldered presence. Gaping air scoops, sweeping side-pipe exhaust and a huge rear tire spinning under a clean, clipped fender speak to a contemporary, urban sense of style and performance,’ says a Harley press release.
We have to admit, the V-Rod Muscle looks good...
The V-Rod Muscle is fitted with a 1250cc, DOHC, 8-valve ‘Revolution’ v-twin that’s liquid-cooled and fuel-injected. This engine, which is rubber-mounted on a hydroformed steel perimeter frame, is mated to a five-speed gearbox. Power output is 122bhp at 8,250rpm and 110Nm of torque at 7,000rpm, so straight-line performance should be quite all right. And the bike looks so cool, who cares if it can't carve corners like an R1...
The V-Rod Muscle rides on 19-inch (front) and 18-inch (rear) cast-aluminium wheels, suspension is 43mm USD front fork and twin rear shocks, and brakes are Brembo units. Harley’s Smart Security system and anti-lock brakes (ABS) are optional.
For pricing and other details, visit the Harley-Davidson website here
And here's supermodel Marisa Miller, who speaks about her recentl shoot for an upcoming ad campaign for the Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle!
Ferrari motorcycle coming up for sale, asking price US$300,000
A real, 'official' Ferrari motorcycle, for a mere US$300,000. A bargain, eh?
For those who’ve always wanted a Ferrari motorcycle, here’s your chance to get one. Not some crappy backyard bodge job or a vague concept – this is the real thing. It’s the one-off Ferrari motorcycle built by David Kay Engineering and bears frame and engine number SF-O1M. It’s the only real Ferrari motorcycle in the world.
Back in 1990, David Kay wrote to Piero Ferrari (Enzo Ferrari’s son), asking him if he could build a motorcycle that would carry the prancing horse badge, in tribute to the late Enzo. Piero did approve the project and gave David the permission to put a Ferrari badge on his motorcycle.
The bike, which took 3,000 man-hours to build, was completed in 1995. Its 900cc, four-cylinder, DOHC engine is custom-built, and produces 105 horsepower at 8,800rpm – enough to propel the 172-kilo bike to a top speed of 265km/h.
Other bits on this 1995 Ferrari 900 include a tubular steel chassis, aluminium bodywork, custom-built exhaust system, digital instrument panel, Forcelle Italia USD fork, Brembo disc brakes, 17-inch Astralite wheels and twin WPS shock absorbers at the back.
The bike, which has spent most of its life in its owner’s drawing room, is in perfect, mint condition. Bonhams will be auctioning the machine on the 20th of this month, and asking price would be around US$300,000. Now if all your mates are lining up to buy a Ducati Streetfighter S or the MV Agusta Brutale 1078RR, and you want to be one up on them…
More details on the Bonhams website here
Picture perfect: The BMW S1000RR
BMW have released new pics of its S1000RR superbike, with model Ann Kathrin Ruhl upping the glam quotient. While bikes like the BMW K1300R, K1300S and HP2 Sport do offer a fair bit of performance, the S1000RR – the machine which BMW will be racing in World Superbikes this year – is in a different league altogether.
With its aluminium beam frame, high-spec USD fork and monoshock (both ends fully adjustable), Brembo brakes, carbonfibre bodywork and high-revving 1,000cc inline-four that makes about 200bhp at the crank, the S1000RR is more in line with Japanese litre-class superbikes. That, and perhaps even more, because the S1000RR is likely to be equipped with advanced traction control, ABS, variable length air-intake tracts and positive valve actuation of some sort, the details of which have not been revealed yet by BMW.
When the road going version of the S1000RR goes on sale – probably towards the end of this year – the bike is expected to cost around US$15,000. If BMW can stick to that kind of pricing, the 1000RR should be a lot of bike for a relatively reasonable amount of money.
With all-new bikes like the Aprilia RSV4 and the 2009 Yamaha R1 and Suzuki GSX-R1000 to beat in World Superbikes this year, BMW riders Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus are going to face an uphill battle. Still, with BMW prepared to go all out on research and development, the S1000RR’s prospects don’t look too bad at all…
And here's the first official pic of the street-ready S1000RR. Four-mode ABS, advanced traction control, 183kg dry weight. Price, in Europe, is 15,150 euros. Place your orders now at your friendly, neighbourhood BMW dealership...
2009 Big Dog New Model Launch New Models, Hot Engines and Cops By Jon Towle
"This year we have seven models," said Paul Hansen, the marketing director. "They include the four pro-street, and two chopper model lines and one all-new touring model."
Paul introduced us to six new models, including the all-new Bulldog and teased us with the touring model, reminiscent of Bandit's and Jesse James Touring Chopper from 1998. The touring model won't be launched until December 2008.
The ProStreet model Line-up for 2009 will include the award-winning Pitbull, top-selling Mastiff and will be joined by two all-new models: the highly styled, lower priced Coyote and striking new flagship of the line, the Wolf, to commemorate Big Dog's 15 years.
The Chopper line-up included their fatest tire (330/17) two-model gang, the Ridgeback at 9 feet long, the most outrageous chop in the line-up and the K-9, America's number one chopper. Both of these bikes are stretched by radical history, have 1.5-inch hefty frames and 39 degrees of rake, but the Ridgeback is rigid and the K-9 a Softail configuration.
Half of the crew was hung over due to excess at a particular hotel bar the previous evening, including yours truly. We were then told that we would be riding the new bikes most of the day with lunch being served at Cook's Corner (a famous SoCal biker bar I have spoken of in the "road tests" section here on Bikernet).
Paul took a few more Burnin' Daylight minutes to tell us about the 2009 Big Dog upgrades. "A new tri-cam 121-inch polished, electronic fuel-injected engine is exclusive to the 2009 Wolf, delivering nearly 2,000cc of punch to the new model," Paul said. "The rest of the line-up comes equipped with fully-polished 117-inch engines." All Big Dog motorcycles have signature BDM balanced primaries and transmissions. "The clutch, redesigned in 2008, dramatically reduces lever effort for smooth and easy gear engagement. New for 2009, the primary compensator sprocket ensures a smoother, quieter ride."
"Okay" proclaimed Hansen (the marketing director for the dog), meeting over, go down stairs and pick out the bike you want to ride today! We all signed our waivers shit and then stampeded down the stairs to the bikes. Coffee spilled, chairs knocked over almost like the last day of school when you're in the seventh grade. It was hilarious.
I spotted the one that caught my eye, the new lower price-point Coyote. Running to it, I knocked down small children (even though there were no small children there). I slammed my helmet on the bar in a gesture that would say "mine, mutha fucka's." The Coyote has a price tag under $24,000 and was designed for rider ease with enhanced agility. The rake is still 39 degrees but with only a 2-over front end and 4.25 inches of ground clearance. It struck me as not being intimidating or super long, but solid, straight as an arrow and ready for battle.
Everyone put their shit on and fired-up the caravan of angry bikes waiting for the Big Dog guys to jump into the camera car and lead us. The thunder from the bikes had most employees across the street on Harbor Blvd. come out of their shops to see just what in hell was going on. Were they being invaded by Soviet tanks or something? Naw, it's just us.
2009 Harley-Davidson CVO Test Drives: Exclusive Bikes With Big Torque and Personality
SANTA BARBARA — Harley-Davidsons come in such a wide variety of shapes and sizes it's sometimes tough to keep them all straight. But every year a thin slice of the Harley's meaty lineup scores the CVO treatment. Short for Custom Vehicles Operations, Harley's boutique CVO division is responsible for pushing the envelope on both styling and performance.
For 2009, Harley has created limited edition versions of the Fat Bob, Softail Springer, Road Glide and Ultra Classic Electra Glide. As with all CVOs from years past, some of the trick styling cues from this small stable of exclusive bikes might someday trickle down to the standard lineup. Not for the shy (or the short of cash), these bikes offer the ultimate expression of what Harley can do through innovative design, engineering and accessorizing. And yes, we had an awfully good time sampling each one on the fantastic roads near Santa Barbara. —Basem Wasef
The Specs
All 2009 CVOs are equipped with the largest stock
At $25,299, the CVO Fat Bob is the most affordable of the CVO bunch. Obviously, with a Mustang GTlike price tag, this still ain't a cheap bike. It also happens to be the lowest-volume model, with only 2450 examples available for 2009. This custom Fat Bob features Harley's first use of 16-in. Fang wheels, which combine a black powder coat slotted center with a chrome rim. Sitting on lowered and retuned suspension, the CVO Fat Bob boasts plenty more flash, including a smoked LED tail/brake light assembly, a Heavy Breather engine intake with exposed filter and Harley's first-ever use of Alcantara on the saddle.
The $26,999 CVO Softail Springer's production will be limited to just 2500 units and combines a chromed, retro-looking sprung front end with an ultrafat 240mm rear tire. The Springer is equipped with the same Heavy Breather intake as the Fat Bob and wears a 130mm front tire and an improved four-piston brake caliper. You'll also get a real buffalo hide seat (!). Other cool details include the spun aluminumfaced instruments and a fully polished and chromed swing arm.
Next up the CVO totem pole is the $30,999 Road Glide, which will see a production of 3000 bikes. Arguably the boldest-looking of the 2009 CVOs, the Road Glide contradicts typical bagger stereotypes with its short windshield, saddlebag extenders and rakish profile. The Road Glide's massive frame-mounted fairing is color-matched front and back, and houses spun aluminum faces and a two-speaker Harman/Kardon stereo system. The Glide features Harley's new touring chassis, which is now robotically welded, and has a new motor mount system for smoother idling. A revised touring exhaust is also designed to offer more passenger space, and less heat.
The king of the CVO hill (and the most expensive Harley on the market) is the $35,499 CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide. Available for 4200 well-heeled buyers, the Ultra wears the same revised touring frame and exhaust system as the Road Glide, plus a reinforced saddlebag mounting system (for greater payload capacity) and a new suspended seat that reduces fatigue and more effectively deflects heat. Power-locking saddlebags, air-adjustable rear suspension and Brembo-sourced antilock brakes are great for long rides, and a 160-watt Harman/Kardon stereo and an internally wired electronic throttle add unexpectedly modern touches to the bike.
The Ride
We spent a day riding these CVO models in the hills of the central California coast, and they behaved like more intense versions of their stock Harley-Davidson counterparts. Thrust from the 110-cu.-in. Screamin' Eagle engine is noticeably stronger, with an especially thumpy low-end wallop that's more satisfying than the off-the-shelf mills. Claimed torque figures range from 110 to 115 lb.-ft., depending on the bike. The rumbly exhaust snarl reminds us of what makes Harleys so special.CVOs generally ride stiffer, thanks to their slammed suspensions and more aggressive wheel/tire setups. While that difference is less immediately perceptible on the touring-based Road Glide and Ultra models, it becomes more apparent with the Springer and Fat Bob cruisers.
Improvements to the CVO's riding characteristics are numerous. The Softail Springer's beefier 4-piston brakes require less lever effort, and the result is confidence-inspiring stopping power. The Fat Bob feels a bit heavier than the Springer, but its lower stance makes it more tossable, and its connectedness to the road lends a sportier personality. The biggest improvements, however, are found in the touring models. Their all-new frames (which will make their way into all 2009 Harley-Davidson touring bikes) feel stiffer and more sure-footed when the road gets twisty.
But while there are many bright spots in the CVO experience, there are a few niggling ergonomic issues, too. The CVO Fat Bob, for instance, only comes with forward controls. And that can get tiresome on long rides. We prefer the option of mid-mounted controls on the non-CVO version. The Road Glide feels a bit underdampened, and the Ultra exhibits a strange combination of too-far-forward footpegs, a too-far-back removable backrest and a windshield that would serve its purpose much more effectively if it were slightly taller. But for the most part, the 2009 CVO models are lively and entertaining to ride.
The Bottom Line
Harley's expensive CVO models certainly aren't for everyone. And that just might be the whole point. The ornate paint and complicated graphics are either stunningly attractive or dizzyingly overwhelming, depending on your personal style. And the intricacy of the chrome parts that adorn these bikes means they'll need much more attention when it comes time for cleaning. But to most Harley riders, that should actually add to the fun. If past CVO iterations are any indication, the 2009 models will sell out faster than you can say, "I wish I had put down my deposit."