Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

When a manufacturer stumbles upon a winning formula, it tends to milk it for all it’s worth. A perfect example can be found under the Ducati umbrella. The Panigale V4S has been one of the company’s best-selling models, and when Ducati decided to give it the SP treatment and fit it with carbon fiber wheels, a dry clutch, and some other premium parts, all of them sold out within a week.



Understandably, seeing that kind of success, the decision was made to apply the same SP touches to the Streetfighter V4S, another hit for Ducati. The same carbon wheels, dry clutch, and visual package on the Panigale transferred over to the Streetfighter, but the Streetfighter V4 SP also received stiffer springs and revised valving at both ends for a more track-focused ride. Of course, if you’ve already read my written review of the 2022 Ducati Streetfighter V4 SP, you’d know that. And more.

Considering the instant success of the Panigale V4 SP, it should come as no surprise that when the Streetfighter V4 SP was announced it, too, sold out super fast. Despite all the bikes being spoken for, Ducati still felt the need for a select group of motorcycle journos to try the bike and tell the rest of the world what it’s like. I, my friends, was the only North American invited for this task.

The first time I made it out to Willow Springs International Raceway out there in the Mojave desert was frightening enough. The desert inhabitants were an unfamiliar breed, I wondered how long Cycle magazine would take to comprehend that I was vastly unqualified for my new job, and the Fastest Road in the West was intimidating just on the face of it. Scared enough at the prospect of riding on a real racetrack for the first time, when I stepped out of the hot sun and into the dark track office, there sat in a Lexan case a truly frightening motorcycle, a menacing black mid-’80s Kawasaki ZX1000R that had been stripped for battle, ridden to the 1986 Formula USA Championship (the first one), and named “The Terminator.” 

It reminded me of the thing that sprung from the guy’s chest in Alien, and I was glad it was sealed in a case. Its owner and ‘86 F-USA Champion, it said on the plaque: Earl Roloff. In reality, 1986 was only a few years distant, but the glass case lent an outscale historical weight to the thing, and I assumed Earl Roloff was some kind of Viking warrior in a horned helmet. 

Then, a couple weeks ago, the name Earl Roloff popped up on the West Coast Dirt Trackers page on Facebook. Earl had started rooting through some old photos, apparently, and decided to play with his new FB account. It’s amazing the things I don’t remember anymore, but I remembered the Terminator, and the name Earl Roloff almost instantly. Looking at the first pic, suddenly he seemed more approachable.

We are Born

BMW released its second electric scooter earlier this year in the CE 04, and has made clear it plans to produce more electric two-wheelers in the near future. Oliver Zipse, chairman of the board of management for BMW AG, recently went as far as to say BMW Motorrad will introduce a new electric two-wheeler every 18 to 24 months, with the next model coming in 2023.

While the initial models will be scooters or “urban mobility vehicles,” BMW is expected to eventually add electric motorcycles to its lineup. The company has already registered multiple trademarks for the names DC 01 through DC 09 for use with motorcycles, with the expectation they will be electric.

And now, thanks to a recently published patent application, we have evidence that BMW is working on an electric motorcycle that borrows a key element of its heritage: a Boxer engine.

We’ve already seen one example of an electric BMW Boxer when it revealed the Vision DC Roadster concept (pictured at top). Presented as a design exercise, the concept wasn’t intended to become a production model but rather to explore how BMW could produce an electric motorcycle that stayed true to the brand’s tradition.

The concept had a large battery that made up the bulk of the chassis with two cooling elements protruding from either side, giving it the same general shape of a BMW Boxer engine. Instead of two opposed engine cylinders, the Vision DC Roadster had the side elements housing cooling ribs and fans. The protruding elements were even movable, designed to extend slightly when the motor is started.

With two years of racing canceled due to COVID, the lead up to the 2022 Isle of Man TT was fraught with concern over… well, everything. The Isle of Man is a speck of a country in the middle of the Irish Sea, with only 88,000 residents, that somehow girds up and welcomes 40,000 visitors, 13,000 bikes and an army of riders, teams, volunteer Marshals and support personnel for a two-week festival around the incredible Mountain Course.

Out and About at The Isle of Man TT 2022 – Part 1

The Mountain Course is 37¾ miles in length, carved out of public roads, lined by hedges, stone walls, homes, pubs, and fields full of farm animals that occasionally wander onto the roads during racing to check on what the fuss is all about. After two weeks of incredible highs and lows, and mercurial weather, I can report that while the concern was warranted, the TT lives on. The damn thing somehow still works.

Shut UP, no way was this 20 years ago! Maybe this 2002 Aprilia Mille R stands out in memory because the year after 911 was so uneventful? First we invaded Afghanistan, then Congress approved the Iraq War Resolution – and Dick Cheney was acting POTUS for a few glorious hours while George W. Bush had a colonoscopy. In other words, the crazy hadn’t really even begun. Anyway, the first four-cylinder Aprilia was still way off in the future – along with a host of unknown knowables – and if you’d asked Minime or me if the world needed a four-cylinder Aprilia, we’d have probably given you a blank stare. Why?

BMW is adding a new small displacement sportbike to its lineup, with the company’s Indian subsidiary already accepting pre-orders for the new 2023 G 310 RR. Expected to be based on the TVS Apache RR 310, the G 310 RR should be formally announced shortly for international markets.

We’ve been waiting for a G 310 RR sportbike ever since BMW introduced the G 310 R roadster and G 310 GS adventure bike in 2015. Both models were developed by BMW and produced by Indian manufacturer TVS Motors, which introduced the Apache RR 310 sportbike for the 2018 model year.

Why the wait? We can’t say for certain, but it’s possible BMW’s arrangement with TVS included a window of exclusivity for TVS to produce a sportbike using the platform. Whatever the reason, we won’t have much longer to wait.

BMW Motorrad India has released a handful of teaser images but very little in the way of technical details. The best glimpse of the G 310 RR comes from BMW Motorrad India’s Twitter page (see below). What little we can see of the fairing appears to be similar to the Apache RR 310.

I remember the first time I really got helmet communicators. I’d been resisting them for a couple of years, and we were in the middle of those heady days between MapQuest directions taped to the tank and the ubiquity of smartphone GPS apps. I’d installed a Bluetooth communicator to my helmet, and despite the fact that the speakers were both too quiet and positioned too far from my ears, being able to navigate to places I’d never been, without having to look down at my tank – in traffic – to see how far I had to my next turn, was a revelation. Since then, I’ve learned the pleasures of riding with a group while testing bikes or being warned of upcoming hazards. Music and podcasts are good mileage eaters when you’re on a multi-state ride – or an Iron Butt. When used smartly, helmet communicators are a real asset to riders. After a couple of years with the entire MO staff using Cardo Packtalk Bolds, I’m pretty familiar with the platform. So, imagine my anticipation when the new heir to the Cardo throne, the Cardo Packtalk Edge, was announced. After living with the Edge for a couple of months, I can say it is a nice improvement over the Bold. 

The Magic Sauce

Just one glance tells you that the Cardo Packtalk Edge is an update to the Packtalk Bold. The design is sleeker and more modern looking while still maintaining the button and jog wheel layout with which users are already familiar. The buttons, however, are subtly redesigned to be easier to feel and operate with gloves. The Bold’s antenna, which was supposed to be flipped up when using mesh communication, was always a wart on the device’s design, and Cardo has eliminated it without affecting the Dynamic Mesh Communication (DMC) range. We’ll talk more about that later. 

The unit is waterproof, an essential feature for long rides in the rain. The charging port has been changed from the frustrating micro-USB to USB-C. The increased power delivery offered by the connection means that in a mere 20 minutes of charging, two hours of ride time can be added to the Edge. 

Kawasaki’s November 2019 acquisition of a 49.9% shareholding in Bimota has brought the Italian boutique manufacturer back from oblivion, to the point that despite a slowdown caused by component supply issues, it’s now constructed all 250 examples of the its limited edition kickoff model unveiled at the 2020 EICMA Milan Show, the supercharged hub-centre Tesi H2 now being shipped to its dealers around the world – but mainly in Japan. As Bimota’s strapline for the bike succinctly puts it – “The Revolution Continues!”

The Tesi H2 has now been joined by the KB4, a less obviously radical but nonetheless innovative follow-up model, which having previously been shown as a concept bike at EICMA 2020, was displayed in production-ready guise at last November’s show, with a retail price in Japan of 4,378,000 yen including 10% tax (3,980,000 + 10% tax 398,000) which is currently 31,200 euro, or 28,400 euro tax free. But there’s still no word of a European price, nor of availability despite production being in full flow in Bimota’s new 2,500m² factory in the born again company’s Rimini birthplace housing its 13 employees. With 105 examples already manufactured at the time of my recent visit there, and 30 of the bikes already shipped to Japan, I was honored to be the first journalist anywhere in the world to be able to ride the result. Despite having tested almost all the different motorcycles Bimota has produced in its half-century of existence – it’ll be celebrating its 50th birthday next year – and even raced some of them, after a full 215km/135mi day of riding the KB4 on the challenging roads of the hilly hinterland behind Bimota’s Rimini factory, I was surprised to discover this wasn’t at all the bike I thought it was going to be, after seeing it make its debut at last year’s Milan Show.

That’s because the KB4’s slinky styling by Bimota’s in-house progettista Enrico Borghesan makes it appear to be the latest of the many Bimota Superbikes-for-the street concocted down the years by Bimota’s COO & CTO Pierluigi Marconi, 62, and his predecessors. But it’s not. “If we’d wanted to make a new generation Bimota Superbike, we couldn’t have avoided using Kawasaki’s ZX-10RR engine to do so,” says Marconi. “But quite apart from the difficulty of improving on a motorcycle that’s won seven World Superbike titles in the past ten years, that wasn’t what I or Kawasaki wanted to do. Instead, we’ve used the 1043cc motor from the Z1000SX Ninja, because our objective is to provide our customers with the ultimate real-world motorcycle, a sports tourer – no, SuperTourer! – which is the best handling bike on the market in everyday use, while also rational and user-friendly to ride. Please tell me if we succeeded!”

Due to the popularity of Harley-Davidson’s open-class adventure bike, the Pan America, it was only a matter of time before we’d start seeing the aftermarket bursting with all sorts of choice upgrades to enhance the stock machine. Among those companies is, of course, Akrapovič. The company already produces aftermarket exhaust components for the majority of the adventure motorcycling segment, and now you can get a high quality titanium and carbon fiber slip-on for your Harley-Davidson, too (an optional link pipe is also available if emissions compliance is not necessary for your application).

The Pan America is an excellent sum of its parts, but the all-new 1252cc Revolution Max engine has played a pivotal role in the new model’s success. On the Rottweiler Performance dyno the Pan America 1250 Special cranked out 124.6 hp and 76.8 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheel. With Akrapovič’s titanium slip-on, the Slovenians tell us to expect an increase of 1.7 hp and 4.1 lb-ft of torque while subsequently shaving 11.6% of weight (1.1 pounds) compared to the stock system. This EC/ECE-approved exhaust also complies with the latest Euro 5 standards and needs no remapping to the ECU with its simple plug-and-play installation.

Created to fit seamlessly within the lines of the bike and utilizing a design used on Akrapovič products for the Adventure bike sector, this highly durable exhaust has a sandblasted high-grade titanium muffler outer sleeve with a stainless-steel link pipe. The handmade carbon fiber end cap and heat shield perfectly follow the profile of the muffler. The Slip-On Line (Titanium) is compatible with the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special version even when fitted with the Harley-Davidson side cases, saddlebags, and center stand.

Kawasaki pulled the covers off its first ever electric vehicle, and as we expected, it is a new powered balance bike for young riders called the Elektrode. Designed for riders as young as three years of age, the Elektrode is positioned as an entry point for future motocross riders.

The Elektrode is powered by a 250 W air-cooled, brushless motor mounted in the rear wheel. The motor is completely sealed and has no exposed moving parts, increasing its durability and protecting it from water.

The motor is powered by a lithium-ion battery housed in the frame. Having both parts relatively low in the chassis allows the Elektrode to have a low center of gravity, helpful for kids just starting out.



Our Indian spokesperson says she’s excited to share that Indian Motorcycle is unveiling two new limited-edition baggers within its premier “Elite” class, and that makes us excited. “With limited availability, and an exclusive, custom-inspired design, the 2022 Indian Challenger Elite and 2022 Chieftain Elite deliver the ultimate in style and exclusivity,” we’re told. The Challenger of course rolls with Indian’s latest 108-inch PowerPlus liquid-cooled V-twin that we love, the Chieftain with the more traditional air-cooled Thunderstroke 116 motor, complete with pushrod tubes. Horses for courses. Either way, these bodacious high-tech, high-end baggers will definitely flip some wigs and/or furrow some brows straight off the factory floor.

Pricing for the Indian Challenger Elite starts at $34,999, while the Chieftain Elite begins at $32,999. Both models will begin shipping to dealers this month.

Indian Press Release:

INDIAN MOTORCYCLE LIMITED-EDITION, ‘ELITE’ BAGGERS COMBINE SHOW-STOPPING STYLE WITH SOPHISTICATION & RELIABILITY 

New Indian Challenger & Chieftain Elite Deliver the Ultimate in Style & Exclusivity                    

One of the biggest surprises at the 2021 EICMA show last November was the news Honda is working on a new Hornet model.

At its booth in Milan, Honda presented a sculpture with an elaborate light show projecting a hint at what to expect from the new Hornet. In the six months following EICMA, however, there has been very little, er, “buzz”, coming from Honda.

Honda looks to rectify the situation, releasing several sketches of the Hornet along with a short video about the design process behind the concept.

The various sketches show different iterations with a common insectoid theme. The sketch shown at the top of this article was the only one Honda released as its own individual image, suggesting it’s the closest to what we can expect from a production model.

You see, here’s the thing about the Isle of Man TT. It shouldn’t be thought of as a “bucket list” event. The TT is The Bucket. The 115 year old vessel which holds the best of motorcycle racing history, technology, competition, camaraderie, and culture. It is surrounded by the places and the people and the spirits that form a shared experience unrivaled in motorsports. And once you indulge, you will know that once is not enough. This is trip number thirteen for me. And as in years past, rather than just report on the results of the TT Races, I’ll give Motorcycle.com readers a sense of what goes on throughout the fortnight, out and about on The Isle of Man.

Off The Grid On The Isle Of Man – 2018

I arrived just before Practice Week (now officially called Qualifying Week, but give it another 50 years for that to be broadly used by the locals) allowing time for copious hugging of old friends not seen since 2019. I greeted my plucky Suzuki V-Strom 650 that had sat patiently in a garage for three years on a battery tender. She fired up, and I began my rounds.

First stop, Castletown for the Pre-TT Classic Road Races, organized by the venerable Southern 100 Club, and run on the 4.25 mile Billown Course. Old school, mass starts, furious sounds, sidecars and solos, and the distinct smell of Castrol R wafting across the fields. An awards ceremony in front of Castle Rushen, one of the best- preserved medieval castles in the world, makes for a celebration of the return of real road racing and spirited motorcycle banter to the island. The Pre-TT Classic is worth a visit on its own, as is the Southern 100, run in July.

You kind of have to give Harley-Davidson credit. In 25 years, the Electra Glide Standard has only gone up by $6934 (to $19,429), and in that time H-D’s best-selling bagger has gotten about a thousand times better. Okay, maybe not a thousand times, but way better. And you get like 40 more pounds of it, too. Makes you wonder how many 25-year old motorcycles are still around, and still in the same basic form? Salute.