The Biker Gene

Street Triple ‘R’ announced with Daytona-spec brakes and suspension

2008-07-22T05:48:35Z

Although Triumph’s 675cc Street Triple has already laid waste to everything it’s been tested against in the middleweight naked category - and indeed, a lot of larger bikes - Triumph has announced it will be joined by an up-spec ‘R’ version for 2009 that promises a harder performance edge.

It’s a simple and logical upgrade for the Striple, incorporating the thicker, fully-adjustable USD forks and excellent rear monoshock from the donor Daytona 675, as well as the 4-piston brake calipers, radial master cylinder and larger discs that give the Daytona its stopping power. The seat’s a bit higher and the handlebars are spiffy Magura units - and those are about the only differences. The engine is left untouched.

There has been very few complaints about the brakes and suspension on the standard Striple, so you’d have to assume the main benefit of the R upgrade is the ability to fiddle with the settings - a great addition if you know what you’re doing, but also a huge invitation for novice tweakers to completely ruin the ride quality of their bikes by turning all the dials to 11 in search of fully sick race bike handling.

Harley-Davidson acquires MV Agusta

2008-07-14T01:40:41Z

As we noted on Friday, MV Agusta has been in some serious financial troubles of late, and majority shareholder/President Claudio Castiglioni has been looking for a new investment partner both to capitalise the company’s recovery and to drive a new era of business practices that will see the iconic brand survive beyond the short term.

And it seems the deal is done - Harley Davidson have signed a definitive agreement to purchase 100% of the MV Agusta group, which includes the Cagiva brand.

Will MV Agusta survive long enough to deliver a 675cc, 3-cylinder Tamburini masterpiece?

2008-07-10T09:27:06Z

No doubt hoping to capture a little of the magic that has seen Triumph’s class-smashing 675 Daytona make a massive impression in road tests, track tests and sales charts, MV Agusta is developing its own 675cc triple - and in typical Claudio Castiglioni style, just about betting the company’s survival on it.

The projected MV Agusta F3 supersport bike will feature 4 radial valves per cylinder, which the company believes will give it a significant top-end power advantage over the Triumph. With the Daytona making 123bhp, MV is aiming at 135bhp or more, as well as a lighter weight chassis due to the use of more expensive and exotic materials.

MV engine whiz Andrea Goggi is already working on the motor, and master designer Massimo Tamburini is working on the F3’s design. Tamburini has designed some of history’s most memorably beautiful bikes, including the Ducati 916, MV Brutale and Mv F4 - so it’s reasonable to expect the F3 will be utterly stunning.

Honda’s radical DN-01 to launch in the UK from August 1

2008-07-10T02:47:24Z

It’s fair to say Honda is probably the most conservative of the major manufacturers - technology is introduced very slowly, designs are far from radical and quality and reliability rule the roost. So what the hell is the DN-01 doing in its product lineup? The category-busting cruisy sports maxi-scooter is set to launch August 1 in the UK, at which point we’ll learn if the market’s ready for a bike so outlandish.

The DN-01 is the first bike to feature Honda’s new infinitely variable “Human-Friendly Transmission” (HFT) which is capable of operating in full automatic ‘drive’ mode or a manual shift 6-speed ’sports’ mode that locks the variable transmission to a set of common ratios that mimic the feel of a tiptronic car system. The HFT is expected to show up on a range of future models from Honda.

BMW races a 2-wheel-drive F800 in European Hill Climb Championship

2008-07-09T04:40:42Z

Hill climb races are extreme events that require extreme machinery - check out this video of the famous Billings event if you need any confirmation on exactly how crazy these guys are. And while BMW is hardly known for its extreme bikes, they’ve put together a ripper of a factory bike for this year’s international events.

The bike is powered by the engine from an F800, in a custom frame with an extended swingarm, dirtbike ergonomics, and a paddle-style rear tyre. The front wheel is driven from the countershaft sprocket, and it’s unclear exactly how this is managed.

Bookmark the world’s best motorcycling roads

2008-07-08T13:49:09Z

What a brilliant idea - Wired magazine’s Autopia has started up a Google Maps service where bikers all around the world can tag their favourite roads and learn about where others go to thrash their pride and joy.

Of course it’s unmoderated, so you’d want to do a bit of research before you turn up to a spot where some joker has tagged a 500km straight freeway, but as a starter spot to check out your local area or somewhere you’re planning to visit on two wheels, it’s a great idea.

Check it out and contribute your own roads after the jump.

BMW signs Ruben Xaus for 2009 World Superbike series

2008-06-27T02:33:00Z

BMW ramped up the excitement level on the 2009 World Superbike series yet again today by announcing that Ruben Xaus will be one of the riders to take the new BMW S1000 RR into the heat of WSBK racing next year.

The 30 year-old spaniard is an 11-year veteran of top-level motorcycle racing, from early attempts at World Supersport and 2 seasons in MotoGP to 6 seasons with Ducati in World Superbike including finishing second overall to teammate Neil Hodgson in the 2003 series.

The bike itself sounds exciting, with BMW hinting at an in-house traction control system and possibly the first set of pneumatic valves to enter WSBK.

Here’s hoping Xaus has as much fun on the BMW as he did at the Ducati Hypermotard launch (gratuitous kneedown one-handed powerslide pictures after the jump, in convenient desktop sizes).

Honda’s brake-by-wire system for sportsbikes - Combined ABS

2008-06-11T06:31:12Z

So Honda has announced that future supersports bikes will carry a new electronically controlled braking system that adds antilock braking to an evolution of the Dual Combined Braking system in an effort to prevent brake lockup and allow maximal braking power with less of a tendency to pitch forward.

The new Combined ABS system will certainly be an evolution in terms of rider aids and safety equipment - and it’ll probably be a technically elegant system - but is anyone really asking for this on a sportsbike? Honda claims it’s designed to add minimal weight, given that it’s a supersports-focused innovation, but even the old hydraulic Dual CBS system on the old Blackbirds and VFRs doubled the number of brake lines and made for a generally more complicated and harder-to-fix motorcycle.

Cadwell’s Mountain: motorcycles flying through the air (Bonus vid: one of the worst crashes I’ve seen)

2008-05-23T08:06:00Z

Cadwell Park is a motor racing track in Lincolnshire, UK, that was originally built in 1934 by the owner of the land to give his two motorcycle-crazy sons somewhere to race each other. It’s 3.6 kilometres of challenging and varying turns with frequent elevation changes due to its valley setting, and it has hosted everything from Formula 3 and Superkarts to its current most popular event - British Superbikes. Here’s an exciting onboard lap.

But Cadwell Park is most famous for one simple feature - “the Mountain,” where bikes exit a right-hander into a wicked uphill slope that frequently launches the fast boys well up into the air. So after the jump is a collection of photos from various sources - and a video of one of the most horrific race crashes I’ve ever seen. Enjoy!

[Vid] Wish your new Ducati 848 had that dry clutch sound?

2008-05-21T08:44:59Z

One Italian owner has found the solution. A Tamburini design?