ALL THINGS MOTORCYCLE

MV AGUSTA, YAMAHA, BMW, HONDA ALL WITH NEW BIKES

Lots of new motorcycle news, including one bit which heralds the end of an era. Honda is ending the manufacture of motorcycles at their Ohio plant, and you can read more about that at the end of this posting. At the same time, Honda has just recently announced the sale of their DN-01 model in Japan, their all-new automatic transmission-equipped two-wheeler, a production model of a vehicle we first saw at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show (see, sometimes these things do make it into production). What follows are the photos and  PR releases made available to us by Honda, BMW, Yamaha and the legendary MV Agusta, all about their new bikes. Enjoy!

Remember now, we're posting most of this using the manufacturer-supplied copy ... So keep that in mind when things get a bit too "hypee".

BMW K1000R

It's been long-rumored that BMW is considering a campaign in the Superbike racing world with a machine inspired by the bikes from Japan. In fact, test mules have been seen lapping racing circuits with Yamaha R6 bodywork, meaning that the chassis and engine are quite compact for this class. BMW has made liter-bikes (1000cc and more) before, but none have used the industry-standard chassis layout placing the four-cylinder engine transversely between the frame rails with chain-drive and upside-down forks. It will be interesting to see what engineering details BMW chooses to utilizes, because they never do anything exactly like everybody else. In point of fact, they usually do it before anyone else! The bike should make 190 horsepower or more to do battle in Superbike racing if they want to be competitive. Like the Aprilia RSV-4, the BMW will give riders, racers and spectators a few interesting story-lines when World Superbike starts its 2009 season.

2008 YAMAHA YZ-F R6

Light, powerful and bristling with knowledge gained from years of racing, the YZF-R6 is the most advanced production 600cc motorcycle Yamaha—or anybody else—has ever built. The YZF-R6 was the first production motorcycle with a fly-by-wire throttle system—for flawless response under all conditions. YCC-I, Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake, introduced in 2007 on the R1, is now used on the R6 to vary intake tract length for excellent cylinder filling and a broader powerband. On the higher-revving R6, its benefits are even more pronounced. Slipper-type back torque-limiting clutch greatly facilitates braking/downshifting from high speed.

New for 2008:
Over 50 friction-reducing strategies have been employed inside the engine, including the use of wider crank  bearings. Upgraded fuel injection mapping for the YCC-T dual-injector system complements the higher compression ratio for great throttle response and reduced engine braking. A magnesium subframe removes weight from the rear of the motorcycle for increased mass centralization. All-new frame takes handling to the next level, allowing more precise turn-in, greater corner speed, and tighter exits. Thicker headpipe-headstock and swingarm pivot area walls, and elimination of the frame crossmember, help achieve perfect balance. New swingarm has internal ribs added, and extruded section is now forged to work with the new frame. Revised outer fork tubes, a new lower triple clamp, and increased fork offset provide highly tactile front-end feedback.

Moving the rider and bars forward and slightly lower enhances braking and turn-in performance. Clip-ons are also lower and re-angled. Front discs are 310 x 5mm instead of 4.5mm for increased cooling qualities. Increased fork height adjustability and rear ride-height adjustment range accommodate a greater range of riders and tires. Revised bodywork results in even greater aerodynamic efficiency.

"NAKED" KATANA-STYLE "SUZUKI STRATOSPHERE" CONCEPT AN OLDIE AND GOODIE

Remember "naked motorcycles"? The styling was developed to make motorcycles appear more purposeful, like "applied art with a practical purpose", as some people have said about race cars, which are recognizable as cars, but stripped down to their basics. You could also say the style helped motorcycles "look fast standing still", a statement used to describe some sporty cars and real sports cars. The style uncovered as much of a bike's frame and engine as possible, so it appeared as sort of a 'skeleton' with an engine in its low middle and a wheel at either end. A look at such a bike showed-off its individual parts, including even much of the swing arm and rear suspension set-up. The look was all the rage, especially with Japanese-made machines, back in the early part of this century. Now Suzuki is re-re-releasing photos and info on what must be one of their favorite motorcycle concepts of all time, the Stratosphere concept from the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, an 1100cc monster with an Inline 6-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission. (Photo - Cutaway of the Inline-6 which powered the Stratosphere).

Always one of the best exhibits at the Tokyo Motor Show is that of the motorcycles. If a journalist writes about the motorcycles displayed there, you know that he or she spent a lot of extra time and trouble in covering the show during the two press days, which works out to a total of about only 16 hours to see the entire show, shoot photos, do interviews and somehow be able to explain it all, vehicle-by-vehicle, when they get back home.

The building where the Tokyo planners put the motorcycles (and this past year, the 2007 show, also most of the busses and trucks which were on display again for the first time in about a decade) is a several hundred yard walk from the main building at Makuhari Messe, where the cars are on display. The walk is up and down some huge flights of "decorative concrete" stairs, and if you've saved the bikes for the last couple of hours on the final media day, one thing you don't feel at all like doing is walking on more hard surfaces. But hey, it's a job, and usually doesn't necessitate much heavy lifting, so who are we to complain, right? But patting ourselves on the back a bit, we do have on this site extensive Tokyo motorcycle coverage from both the 2005 and 2003 shows in the form of Photo Albums ... Check the left-hand margin for those albums (we had some digital tech troubles while covering the 2007 show, and didn't have the time to make the fixes we needed in time shoot the bikes, but we did take a slow walk through the gigantic hall, taking notes and creating some 'mental pictures' to help us get the facts straight when we got home).

SUPERCHARGED 500cc-SINGLE DUE FROM THE UK's ARIEL

Motorcycle News (motorcyclenews.com) is a wonderful place to get the latest on Euro machines, as well as many other bikes from other countries which we never see in the US. That's where we found the info on this machine; Motorcycle News readers were challenged by the magazine (and its website, natch) to come up with the best new idea for Ariel, and the supercharged model sketch seen below won the set, game and match ... And Ariel says they will indeed build it! (Photo Above --- The man who controls the Ariel name and company, Simon Saunders, also builds the "Ariel Atom 3" street-legal race car ... sounds a bit of the ol' oxymoron, don't it? But we've seen the Ariel Atom 3, at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas and can verify --- It looks very capable and is reasonably priced, too --- About 30,000 Brit pounds ... Which is somewhere around US$59,585.88 --- But who's counting, right? And don't forget --- The Ariel Atom is a two-seat sports car).

Many of you old far ...uh, old-TIMERS (yes, me included) will remember Ariel motorcycles from the UK. Most- famously, the name  "Square Four" comes to mind ... And many of those models were produced, as Ariel built them from 1937 through 1958. It's fun to think about and remember these machines today, but readers should keep in mind that the Ariel Square Four made in 1958 was probably not very different in most ways from the original 1937 models, sort of the way Harley-Davidson had been with some of their machines, making nothing but money from them, as the styling and engineering needs were necessary only once, and the machines and tooling necessary to make a new model was probably paid-off in two years, at most. (Art Sketch --- A concept draft drawing for a new Ariel motorcycle, from the UK, a 500cc single-cylinder machine with a supercharger --- All we have to say is, "Where do we line up?").

WORLD'S FIRST PRODUCTION FUEL CELL E-BIKE

You've seen the concept fuel-cell bikes from the TOKYO MOTOR SHOW, which we featured on this BLOG in November, 2005 ... Now word from the people at WIRED.COM says that a company in the UK has developed what they are calling the world's first production-ready fuel-cell powered electric motorcycle. As long as the UK's legendarily bad "Lucas Electrics" has nothing to do with this machine, we're all in favor of its further development ... You know Lucas, if you know cars from the UK ... Lucas-equipped cars and scooters have three settings on their headlight switch: Dim,flicker and off ... Here's the story from the folks at WIRED.COM ...

Jump on your bike, start the engine, throw a rev, and hear... silence? No, you haven’t gone deaf – you’ve traded your mighty Harley for the zero-cylinder ENV (yep, envy). Green vehicles are nothing new – the Prius and its kin have been quietly zipping along special commuter lanes for years – but engineers have largely dismissed an environmentally friendly two-wheeler as impractical. That was until Britain’s "Intelligent Energy" created the ENV, the first road-worthy hydrogen-powered motorcycle. The vehicle runs on a removable fuel cell, emits almost nothing, and will be street legal. The only drag? Top speed, for now, is 50 mph. Production versions go on sale later this year. Head out on the highway on this eco-machine.

You've seen the concept fuel-cell bikes from the TOKYO MOTOR SHOW, which we featured on this BLOG in November, 2005 ... Now word from the people at WIRED.COM says that a company in the UK has developed what they are calling the world's first production-ready fuel-cell powered electric motorcycle. As long as the UK's legendarily bad "Lucas Electrics" has nothing to do with this machine, we're all in favor of its further development ... You know Lucas, if you know cars from the UK ... Lucas-equipped cars and scooters have three settings on their headlight switch: Dim,flicker and off ... Here's the story from the folks at WIRED.COM ...

Jump on your bike, start the engine, throw a rev, and hear... silence? No, you haven’t gone deaf – you’ve traded your mighty Harley for the zero-cylinder ENV (yep, envy). Green vehicles are nothing new – the Prius and its kin have been quietly zipping along special commuter lanes for years – but engineers have largely dismissed an environmentally friendly two-wheeler as impractical. That was until Britain’s "Intelligent Energy" created the ENV, the first road-worthy hydrogen-powered motorcycle. The vehicle runs on a removable fuel cell, emits almost nothing, and will be street legal. The only drag? Top speed, for now, is 50 mph. Production versions go on sale later this year. Head out on the highway on this eco-machine.

CLIMBING HILLS? NEED MORE TORQUE? HOW ABOUT A DIESEL-POWERED BIKE!?

Way back in the mid- to late-1970s, we did a lot of writing and photography of motorcycles We did many 'one-shot' complete 100-page magazines for Harris Publishing (much sought-after treasures like "1979 Motorcycle Buyer's Guide", that sort of thing...<g>) ... And was very involved in covering the motorcycle racing scene in southern California, which was red, red hot at the time. Boy, those were the days ...

... from the Speedway races at four different tracks each week, including Costa Mesa, Irwindale, Ventura and San Bernardino (single-cylinder 500-cc four-stroke bikes which ran on nitro-methane, turned left-only on dirt tracks and had NO BRAKES -- and even had a 'SIDEHACK' [sidecar] class ) ... To world-class motocross at tracks including Saddleback (where I once saw a 17-year-old competitor killed during a race --- Terrible and extremely rare), Carlsbad (from where I have a photo of one of my relatives running across the track smack in front of Roger DeCoster on his Suzuki, and barely making it), Escape Country at the Robinson Ranch (now known as Coto de Caza --- When I worked and rode there it was necessary to ford a running stream to get to the place; now it's a freeway off-ramp --- It's also the place where we saw a very young (and now somewhat-successful IRL driver) Jeff Ward as a 'mini-motocrosser' on what were then virtually hand-made small MX machines; the factories didn't make them at the time) and of course the MX and TT events at world-famous Ascot Park (I announced races at Ascot and Escape Country) --- And for road racers ... Ontario Motor Speedway, where one fine afternoon I watched Gene Nixon fall off his Kawasaki triple (remember those?) and then slide on his back at 130 miles per hour into the wall ... MOTORCYCLES WERE HAPPENIN', MAN!

Way back in the mid- to late-1970s, we did a lot of writing and photography of motorcycles We did many 'one-shot' complete 100-page magazines for Harris Publishing (much sought-after treasures like "1979 Motorcycle Buyer's Guide", that sort of thing...<g>) ... And was very involved in covering the motorcycle racing scene in southern California, which was red, red hot at the time. Boy, those were the days ...

... from the Speedway races at four different tracks each week, including Costa Mesa, Irwindale, Ventura and San Bernardino (single-cylinder 500-cc four-stroke bikes which ran on nitro-methane, turned left-only on dirt tracks and had NO BRAKES -- and even had a 'SIDEHACK' [sidecar] class ) ... To world-class motocross at tracks including Saddleback (where I once saw a 17-year-old competitor killed during a race --- Terrible and extremely rare), Carlsbad (from where I have a photo of one of my relatives running across the track smack in front of Roger DeCoster on his Suzuki, and barely making it), Escape Country at the Robinson Ranch (now known as Coto de Caza --- When I worked and rode there it was necessary to ford a running stream to get to the place; now it's a freeway off-ramp --- It's also the place where we saw a very young (and now somewhat-successful IRL driver) Jeff Ward as a 'mini-motocrosser' on what were then virtually hand-made small MX machines; the factories didn't make them at the time) and of course the MX and TT events at world-famous Ascot Park (I announced races at Ascot and Escape Country) --- And for road racers ... Ontario Motor Speedway, where one fine afternoon I watched Gene Nixon fall off his Kawasaki triple (remember those?) and then slide on his back at 130 miles per hour into the wall ... MOTORCYCLES WERE HAPPENIN', MAN!