First Rossi Ducati unveiled

That didn’t take long. Ducati has already begun to exploit the marketing potential of having Valentino Rossi riding for its MotoGP team by announcing a couple of special road bikes.



The GP Replica kits are the latest offering from the Monster Art project, which allows owners of Ducati’s naked Monster to quickly and simply change the appearance of their machines.

Comprised of graphics for the tank, pillion seat cover, front mudguard and bikini fairing, the colour schemes are inspired by the GP11 racers of Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi. Very smart they look, too.



Perhaps using either the 848 or 1198 Superbikes as the basis for a homage to Ducati’s MotoGP efforts might’ve been more appropriate, but there’ll probably be more similarly-themed models in the future.



Related posts:

Monster 1100 EVO price

Ducati unveils GP11

K 1600 GT and GTL prices

BMW Motorrad has announced UK prices and specifications for its six-cylinder K 1600 GT and GTL super-tourers, ahead of their showroom launch on 19 March.

The recommended retail prices are shown for each of the four available versions. These include VAT and delivery, but dealer on-the-road charges will be extra.





K 1600 GT - £14,950



Standard specification:

· ABS

· Self-levelling Xenon headlight

· LED indicators and brake light

· Heated grips

· Heated seats

· Optional low seat

· E-Gas with three engine power modes

· Cruise control

· 5.7” high quality LCD dashboard display

· Electronically adjustable screen

· Colour-matched panniers

· Centre stand





K 1600 GT SE - £15,765



Standard specification, in addition to K 1600 GT:

· Adaptive Headlight

· Tyre Pressure Control

· Dynamic Traction Control





K 1600 GTL - £16,515



Standard specification, in addition to K 1600 GT:

· Integrated audio system

· Comfort windshield

· Colour coded top box

· Comfort footrests

· Chrome body kit





BMW K 1600 GTL E - £17,315



Standard specification, in addition to K 1600 GTL:

· Adaptive Headlight

· Tyre Pressure Control

· Dynamic Traction Control





The options list shouldn't be too extensive given the already high equipment levels, but it will include a GPS navigation system and Electronic Suspension Adjustment II.

Drawing up a list of direct competitors for the K 1600 - in terms of specs, price, concept or technology - is pretty much impossible.



An obvious candidate would be the six-cylinder Honda Gold Wing but, at £23,125, it costs way more than the BMW.



The £18,395 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic is much closer on price and yes, it is a touring bike. Apart from that though, it’s a very different animal which generally appeals to a totally separate customer base.



Related posts:

2012 Honda Gold Wing

BMW K 1600 GT and GTL

2012 Honda Gold Wing

A new Gold Wing had been expected, but anyone who was waiting for an all-new bike to challenge the just-released BMW K 1600 GT / GTL is going to be disappointed.



The 2012 Gold Wing, at dealers from May this year, is virtually identical to the model it replaces. Major changes are limited to a partly redesigned fairing with better protection from the elements, slightly larger panniers and revised suspension settings.

Other modifications include an MP3 player interface, clear-coated wheels, a reshaped taillight, urethane seat coverings, updated instruments and an improved satellite navigation system.



Despite Honda’s decision to shift Gold Wing production from Ohio to Japan, the United States will undoubtedly remain an important market. So it’s no surprise that the first public display of the revised version will be at the International Motorcycle Show in Greenville, South Carolina (25 - 27 February 2011), followed by an appearance at the Daytona Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Florida (5 - 12 March 2011).

Pricing for the US has been confirmed at $23,199 to $28,499. Given current exchange rates, UK buyers should therefore have to pay no more than £17,700, right? No, sadly not - the 2011 Gold Wing is currently listed at £23,125, so something similar to that is a more realistic prospect.



The Gold Wing might have an extremely dedicated following, but it seems that the 2012 model is a missed opportunity. Next to the fresh six-cylinder competition from BMW, Honda’s offering is beginning to look overly bulky and old-fashioned.



Related post:

BMW K 1600 GT and GTL

Yamaha YZR-M1 livery

Yamaha Factory Racing has unveiled a new colour scheme its MotoGP challenger, the YZR-M1.

The bikes may look smart finished in blue with the signature Yamaha ‘speed block’ motif, but the livery reveals that attempts to find a title sponsor for the 2011 season have failed.



Current World Champion Jorge Lorenzo remains with the team to defend his title, while replacing Valentino Rossi is Ben Spies, who moves up to the works outfit following a year at independents Tech 3.

The 2011 MotoGP championship commences on March 20 with the Grand Prix of Qatar.



Related post:

Ducati unveils GP11

New Husqvarna SMR511

BMW subsidiary Husqvarna has unveiled its SMR511 supermoto.



Despite the name, power actually comes from a 478 cc single-cylinder engine connected to a six-speed transmission. A four-stroke unit, it features twin cams, four valves and Keihin digital fuel injection.

The suspension set up includes a rear Sachs damper which is adjustable for pre-load, rebound and compression and gives 290 mm of travel. Up front is a pair of 50 mm Marzocchi upside-down forks, offering 250 mm of travel. Braking is taken care of by Brembo floating discs.



In the UK the SMR511 will cost £7,299, excluding first registration fee and road tax. It’s due in dealers this month.

Monster 1100 EVO price

Ducati has confirmed pricing for its new-for-2011 Monster 1100 EVO.



In the UK both colour schemes - Red with a White stripe or Diamond Black with a Racing Grey stripe - will cost £8,995 excluding first registration fee, number plate and road fund licence.



Meanwhile, buyers in the United States will have to part with $11,995 when the new Ducati goes on sale there in the summer.

On the face of it the 1100 EVO, with its trademark tubular steel trellis frame, looks like typical Monster fare. However, there are several major advances compared to the old bike.



First off is the standard-fit Ducati Safety Pack. This comprises the Ducati Traction Control system, which can be set to four different interference levels, plus anti-lock brakes.



Then there’s the engine. Yes, it’s still air cooled, and it’s still got only two valves for each of its two cylinders. But the EVO’s Desmodue Evoluzione motor has been fettled to provide more power at higher revs, while at the same time giving a more linear torque delivery.



Producing 98 bhp (73 kW / 100 PS) at 7,500 rpm and 103 Nm (75 lb/ft) at 6,000 rpm, it’s now connected to a six-speed gearbox via an APTC wet multiplate clutch.

Handling is taken care of by fully adjustable 43 mm upside-down Marzocchi forks at the front. Partnering that set-up is a Sachs rising-rate rear suspension unit, which features adjustable spring pre-load and rebound damping. Wheels are 17” lightweight aluminium alloy items in a new ten-spoke design.



Competitors for the Monster 1100 EVO in the naked class include the £9,535 Honda CB1000R ABS, the £8,799 Kawasaki Z1000 (for which ABS isn’t available), the £11,699 MV Agusta Brutale 990R and the £9,249 Triumph Speed Triple ABS.



Related post:

Ducati 848 EVO unveiled

New Harley 1200 Custom

Harley-Davidson has announced a revised version of its Sportster 1200 Custom.

Characterising the 2011 model are chrome, five-spoke cast aluminium wheels, both of which are 16” in diameter. To accommodate the increased wheel size, the front suspension has had to be retuned and the forks set wider apart. However, it looks like UK spec bikes will be getting 16” chrome lace-spoke wheels instead.



Other changes to the 1200 Custom include a reshaped ‘eyebrow’ over the headlight, pull-back handlebars and a smaller LED tail light. Power continues to come from the air-cooled, fuel injected 1200 cc Evolution V-twin engine, which produces 107 Nm (79 lb/ft) of torque.

Prices for the Sportster 1200 Custom have been confirmed as follows:

Paint finish	US MRSP	UK price
Standard - Vivid Black	$10,299	£8,295
Colour option - Brilliant Silver Pearl	$10,589	£8,495
Two-tone option - Sedona Orange / Vivid Black	$10,799	£8,745

The introduction of the revamped 1200 Custom also sees the launch of Harley-Davidson’s H-D1 factory customisation programme.



With H-D1, buyers of a new 1200 Custom can choose from a range of items that will be fitted as it is being built. The seven option categories involved are wheels, paint, engine finish, handlebars, foot control position, seat and the security system.

Altogether, there are in excess of 2,600 specification combinations, so the chances of ending up with an individual bike should be quite high.



The bad news - for European customers at least - is that H-D1 is currently only available in the US and Canada.

Related post:

Harley-Davidson Blackline

Harley-Davidson Blackline

Harley-Davidson has unveiled a new addition to its Dark Custom range.



The Blackline Softail ‘celebrates three fundamental elements of motorcycling: mechanical beauty, internal combustion, and the long black line of the road ahead.’

Fair enough, but even without the marketing spiel the result is a neat looking bike with a notable lack of chrome.



Other design highlights include the rear coil-over dampers, which are hidden beneath the power train to give a hardtail look, a bobtail rear mudguard and the lowest two-up seat ever seen on a stock Harley. With a rider on board, its height is just 24 inches (609 mm) from the floor.



The overall effect is completed by the Black Denim powdercoated frame and swingarm, spoked wheels with black anodised rims, mini 5.75 inch (146 mm) headlight and Split Drag handlebars.



Power comes from a rigid-mounted, counter-balanced, fuel injected Twin Cam 96B V-Twin engine that generates peak torque of 89 lb/ft (120 Nm). Drive is via a 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission.



In the United States, the 2011 Blackline Softail has an MSRP of $15,499 which excludes taxes, licenses, freight, dealer preparation and other fees.



A price for the UK has yet to be confirmed.

Related post:

New Harley 1200 Custom

2011 Kawasaki W800 price

Following a debut at 2010’s Cologne Intermot motorcycle show, Kawasaki has now confirmed pricing for its new W800.

In the UK it’s £6,649 which includes VAT at the new rate of 20%, but excludes on the road charges.



By comparison Triumph’s Bonneville - the obvious main rival - costs £6,149 in standard trim. The higher spec Bonneville SE is slightly more at £6,549, while the very retro Bonneville T100 model with its wire wheels, peashooter exhaust, fork gaiters and lots of chrome is £6,949.



However, an important difference to note is that those Triumph prices are all ‘on the road’.

Elsewhere, Australian buyers will have to pay $11,999 (plus on the road charges) for a Kawasaki W800, while in Germany the suggested list price is €8,190 plus freight and other costs.



Admirers of the W800 in the United States and Canada are going to be disappointed, though, as it seems that for now Kawasaki won’t be importing the bike into those markets.



Related posts:

Kawasaki W800 revealed

Retro Kawasaki W800

Bike of the Year 2010-2011

The BMW S 1000 RR has clinched the International Bike of the Year 2010-2011 award.

Fourteen jurors, representing motorcycle publications from around the world, were each asked to allocate a fixed number of points to their three favourite new bikes. The BMW emerged a clear winner ahead of Ducati’s Multistrada 1200 S, the only other candidate that received a significant score.



BMW has now won the International Bike of the Year contest three times. Previous victories came in 2004-2005 and 1993-1994 with the R 1200 GS and R 1100 RS respectively.

International Bike of the Year 2010-2011
Position	Motorcycle	Points
1	BMW S 1000 RR	57
2	Ducati Multistrada 1200 S	33
3=	Honda VFR1200F DCT	9
3=	Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré	9
5	Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC	8
6=	Kawasaki Z1000 SX	4
6=	MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR	4
8	Kawasaki 1400GTR	2

Revamp for UK bike test

The current format for the UK’s motorcycle licence test was only introduced in April 2009. Consisting of two parts, the first is conducted away from the roads and includes hazard avoidance and emergency stop exercises. The second element is a road riding assessment, which lasts for at least thirty minutes.



However, the system has received a lot of criticism. In particular, the first module has been slated for its content, as well as the number and geographic spread of the locations where it is carried out. Additionally, there have been calls to make the test a single event, rather than being split into two distinct parts that can rarely be taken on the same day.

In response, the government commenced a review back in June 2010, and the Department for Transport has now announced its initial proposals.



The aim is to return to a single, on-road test. This could mean that the hazard manoeuvre is carried out on the public road, provided the assessment still complied with EU standards. Meanwhile, the slow speed exercises (u-turn, slalom and figure of eight) might be delegated to examiners at training centres ahead of the main test.



Wisely, perhaps, the changes aren’t going to be rushed through. With the details still needing a lot of work, the plan is to trial the proposals in the early part of 2011, followed by a public consultation. The target would then be to introduce the new test during late 2011 or early 2012.

ZX-10R recall explained

A couple of weeks ago, Kawasaki announced a ‘technical hold’ notice for its new 2011 Ninja ZX-10R in North America - in other words, a recall.

Under the notice, all bikes already delivered to customers and those at dealers had to be returned to Kawasaki. The cause was said to be unexpected engine behaviour, but an official reason wasn’t disclosed at the time.

Now, though, it seems that Kawasaki engineers have got to the bottom of the problem. A statement from the company reads:

"It had been discovered that when some examples of the new 2011 Ninja ZX-10R were operated at high rpm under unique riding conditions - such as operating on a racetrack - the intake valve springs could surge. Should this rare incidence occur it could cause one or more intake valves to seat improperly, resulting in poor engine performance.



"Having examined the very small number of machines which exhibited this surge phenomenon, the Kawasaki factory engineers have designed and fully tested a countermeasure which solves the problem without affecting any facet of the new engine’s outstanding performance.



"On the limited number of machines produced so far, the camshaft, valve springs and spring retainers for intake valves are being replaced to prevent the valve spring from surging. The same design update is automatically being incorporated into the ongoing production run of the newest and most powerful Ninja yet produced."

The European launch of the bike, which was delayed because of the technical issues, is now expected to be at the end of January 2011. In the UK, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R will be priced at £11,699, with ABS costing an additional £1,000.