Random International News thread

[becham_79]

Re: The World's Fastest Triumph

Powered by two, 2,300cc Rocket III engines, the Castrol Rocket aims to set a new motorcycle land speed record, breaking the 400mph barrier in the process. It’s being ridden by American racer Jason Di Salvo.

Read the rest of the article here - The Worlds Fastest Triumph | RideApart

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Calling that a motorcycle is a 'stretch'.
The carbon fiber body work looks cool though.

[B7ACKTHORN]

Re: The World's Fastest Triumph

Harley-Davidson to launch 500cc learner bike ... and maybe an electric?

Iconic American manufacturer Harley-Davidson is releasing a 500cc v-twin learner motorcycle and considering building an electric Harley

Just checking … no, it's not April 1. During its 110-year anniversary celebrations, iconic American manufacturer Harley-Davidson has dropped a couple of brand-twisting bombshells – firstly that it's building a 500cc learner bike, and secondly that an electric Harley is under serious consideration.
Here's an interesting tidbit: if you search Google, you'll find 12,700 results that contain both the word "Sportster" and the defensive phrase "not a girl's bike." Try the same search using the Honda Shadow, another mid-level cruiser, and you get just 965 results.
The Sportster, of course, is the current mid-capacity cruiser line in the Harley-Davidson range, with 1200cc and 883cc engine models. That's bigger than most sportsbikes, but not big enough to escape the ridicule of certain big-bore Harley owners (1400cc and upward) who seem to think 883cc isn't hairy-chested or noisy enough to be considered a "real bike."
And that's the market into which Harley-Davidson is planning to release a 500cc learner machine, ostensibly to replace the excellent 492cc Buell Blast which was scrapped, along with the entire innovative Buell brand, back in the depths of the global financial crisis in 2009.
Despite any flak new riders might face, the move opens up several new markets for H-D including restricted-license riders throughout Europe and Australia, and aspirational customers through India and Asia, where a cheaper, 500cc Harley would still be bigger than most things on the road.
H-D's COO Matthew Levatich, speaking at the company's 110-year anniversary celebration in Milwaukee, said the as-yet-unnamed bike is "nimble, light weight, has a low seat height and supple throttle and braking. I’ve ridden it – it looks great, sounds great, it’s a Harley, and it’s priced right.
“We want to get it out as soon as we can, but it’s got to be right. New engines are complicated, and we’ve got to get everything right from a durability, reliability and confidence perspective. On the other hand, chassis and other things are a lot more straightforward.”
He also hinted that it would likely be built in India: "The American qualities of a Harley are very important to people,” said Levatich. “The literal ‘where does that shock absorber come from’ part of it is less significant, but it has to have the spirit and soul of America. We have Harley-Davidson factories in India and Brazil – can we leverage those facilities and expertise so it can get to the, for example, Indian consumer, faster?
“These are things we are becoming more open-minded to, but we understand the importance of ‘made in America’ – the American quality, spirit and integrity that matters to the customer."
And if a 500cc Harley-Davidson wasn't enough of a brand-twisting bombshell, Levatich went on to talk about the possibility of an electric Harley that ditches the combustion engine altogether.
“I am sometimes asked … whether there will be an electric Harley,” said Levatich. "People would say ‘hell no’. But why not: our engineers are quite intrigued with the idea of what an electric Harley would look like, sound like and feel like. And would it be visceral, would it be emotional, would it be luscious. And there’s a way to do that I believe, and it would be very exciting.”

Cheers!
VJ

[NewsReaper]

Lauge Jensen is the first motorcycle manufacturer in the world to pass the new EURO4 emissions regulations.



The Danish manufacturer specialises in creating personalised, premium cruiser motorcycles

[NewsReaper]

[B7ACKTHORN]

Re: BMW makes record with August 2013 Sales

Super-impressed with the Lauge Jensen. Classic statement that brilliant ideas are always in unusual places. Sheer beautiful machines.

Cheers!
VJ

[NewsReaper]

BMW S1000RR hits 224.190 MPH at Bonneville!

BMW S1000RR hits 224.190 MPH at Bonneville!



A specially prepped BMW S1000RR by Andy Sills of Hunter Sills Racing hit 224.190MPH at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

The record-breaking S1000RR was built in the U.S. by San Diego BMW Motorcycles with the help of Shane Kinderis, owner of Alpine Performance in Australia and the crew chief for the Australian Superbike team Next Gen Motosports. The modifications were done while staying within the SCTA 1000 cc requirements.

"This was our first opportunity to test the Alpine Performance tuned motor and new Catalyst fairing design for the S1000RR, and were delighted by the results," stated Gary Orr, owner of San Diego BMW Motorcycles. "We worked with both companies while road racing the S1000RR and we knew we could work together to make the S1000RR fast....really fast...."



Source: BMW S1000RR Land Speeder Becomes World's Fastest BMW Motorcycle - European Car

[dishayu]

Re: BMW S1000RR hits 224.190 MPH at Bonneville!

BMW S1000RR hits 224.190 MPH at Bonneville!

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A specially prepped BMW S1000RR by Andy Sills of Hunter Sills Racing hit 224.190MPH at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

The record-breaking S1000RR was built in the U.S. by San Diego BMW Motorcycles with the help of Shane Kinderis, owner of Alpine Performance in Australia and the crew chief for the Australian Superbike team Next Gen Motosports. The modifications were done while staying within the SCTA 1000 cc requirements.

"This was our first opportunity to test the Alpine Performance tuned motor and new Catalyst fairing design for the S1000RR, and were delighted by the results," stated Gary Orr, owner of San Diego BMW Motorcycles. "We worked with both companies while road racing the S1000RR and we knew we could work together to make the S1000RR fast....really fast...."



Source: BMW S1000RR Land Speeder Becomes World's Fastest BMW Motorcycle - European Car

That's not entirely earth shattering, is it? The bike does 200mph+ stock anyways...(with speed limiter removed)

[Technosid]

Re: BMW S1000RR hits 224.190 MPH at Bonneville!

not something astounding

the bike as stock with 193 bhp and 187 kg weight,can acheive 205 mph had it not been limited

[B7ACKTHORN]

Re: BMW S1000RR hits 224.190 MPH at Bonneville!

Kawasaki mulls local assembly




The company is exploring the addition of new bikes that could be locally assembled in India



Bajaj Auto’s long-time partner Kawasaki Motors is exploring the introduction of new brands in India to complement its popular Ninja brand and strengthen its position in the country. The Japanese brand, known for its super bikes, street and off-road bikes, on Wednesday launched two models under the supersport category — ZX-10R and ZX-14R priced at Rs 15.7 lakh and Rs 16.9 lakh, ex-showroom, Pune, respectively. Shigeto Nishikawa, deputy managing director, India Kawasaki Motors, said, “We are presently studying what more brands we could launch in India. We have many brands in our portfolio and we need to see which category we could enter.”

The brands which Kawasaki sells internationally are Vulcan (cruiser bike brand), Concours (touring bike brand), KLX (off-road bike brand) and KX (motocross bike brand). The company introduced the Ninja brand in India a few years ago. The company is also exploring the addition of new bikes that could be locally assembled in India. The Ninja 250 could make a comeback in the country at a more affordable price than its earlier price tag of Rs 2.70 lakh. The Ninja 250 was replaced by the Ninja 300 recently and the Ninja 650R was also added later. “We have a capacity to make 5,000 units a year in India but we are operating at 1,500 units at present. We have to make further use of this facility to improve its utilisation. That is why we are exploring the plan of launching more locally made products including the Ninja 250,” added Nishikawa.

Kawasaki on Wednesday announced plans of setting up a separate line of dealerships, independent of those managed by Bajaj Auto, to sell its super bike range. The first of such dealership would come up in Pune this week, while more such outlets would come up in the rest of the country in a phase-wise manner. The Ninja 300 and Ninja 650 would, however, continue to be sold by Bajaj Auto’s dealership under the KTM brand.

Cheers!
VJ

[aeroblade]

Re: BMW S1000RR hits 224.190 MPH at Bonneville!

That's not entirely earth shattering, is it? The bike does 200mph+ stock anyways...(with speed limiter removed)

Actually riding on the salt flats is a lot different than riding on tarmac. The ground reacts differently to the vehicle and is very slippery. There is a lot of effort involved in maintaining traction through out the run.

[Technosid]

Re: BMW S1000RR hits 224.190 MPH at Bonneville!

Actually riding on the salt flats is a lot different than riding on tarmac. The ground reacts differently to the vehicle and is very slippery. There is a lot of effort involved in maintaining traction through out the run.

agreed
salt behaves differrently..its coarse and bad for the tyres and plus there is loads of wheelspin (no traction)

[NewsReaper]

BMW to produce E Scooter in 2014

BMW Motorrad's C Evolution, the electric scooter design will be produced come 2014.

BMW Confirms Production E Scooter for 2014 - Motorcycle USA

[NewsReaper]

Human-powered speed record falls at Battle Mountain

It's with considerable interest that Gizmag has followed cyclist Graeme Obree's latest quest to break the human-powered speed record on his self-designed and self-built bicycle, Beastie. On Friday at the World Human Speed Championships at Battle Mountain, Nevada, Obree finally made the attempt. Though he fell short of that ultimate record, he did break the world prone record (for cycling head first, face down) with an impressive speed of 56.62 mph (91 km/h). Yet the overall speed record was broken during the event, by a team from the Delft University of Technology and VU University Amsterdam.



The crew at the finish line verify the weeks speeds and times (Photo: Rick Robson)Unlike Graeme Obree's Beastie, the Delft and Amsterdam bike was a recumbent (Photo: Rick R...The Delft and Amsterdam team takes a moment out to browse computer monitors online (Photo:...
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, Obree revealed that the record fell after a number of incremental improvements from the 47 mph he achieved at the beginning of the week. "The timekeeper announced it is a new official world record, and that's a strange feeling," he said. "I've not heard that for 20 years." That was when Obree set the one-hour cycle distance world record on another bike he designed and built himself, Old Faithful.

Listening to the interview, it sounds as if Obree is reconsidering whether a prone bike can compete with the speed of recumbents, an idea he borrowed from the way skydivers dive.

He may have been partially convinced by the efforts of cyclist Sebastian Bowler and his team from Delft and Amsterdam, which managed to add 0.6 km/h to the existing human-powered speed record with a new and formidable pinnacle of 133.78 km/h (83 mph). Technically this is for a single rider in the 200 m flying-start category, but as the shortest distance of those contested, this tends to be the fastest category at Battle Mountain.

The Delft team had its own technical problems to overcome during the course of the week, finding that the high speeds achieved deformed the outer shell, compromising its aerodynamics. The team was able to fix the problem, and went on to break the record, set in 2009 by Canadian cyclist Sam Wittingham.

Though Graeme Obree's own achievement fell short of the 100 mph barrier he'd hoped to break, he sounds satisfied to hold the prone speed record. Yet Obree remains convinced that 100 mph is achievable. "I do still believe 160 km/h [or] 100mph is possible in the next 20 years with the developments I've seen here this week," he tells Cycling Weekly. "There is absolute cutting-edge technology here and brilliant, friendly people."

Source: Human-powered speed record falls at Battle Mountain

[princesirohi]

Re: Human-powered speed record falls at Battle Mountain

thats pretty fast for a cycle. good.

[blizviz]

2014 Honda CBR150R Announced In Indonesia

Official….Honda rilis warna baru CBR150R. Banderol terkoreksi naik…. | Iwanbanaran - All about Motorcycle

detikOto - Baju Baru untuk Honda CBR150R

Honda Indonesia has launched an updated version of the CBR150R for 2014.

So far, the only difference seems to be only superficial, with fresh new colours and decals.