Home / Posts tagged 'Superbike'

• Don’t Try This at Home: Jason Britton Hoons the New Kawasaki ZX-6R [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 7 March 2013

  

  We’re all familiar with those t-shirt-wearing knuckleheads who like to pop wheelies on their motorcycles while clogging up the diamond lane on the highway, right? Of course we are. There exists a certain temptation to call these yahoos stunt riders. Don’t give in to that temptation; they’re merely squids literally and figuratively taking their act on the road.

  Jason Britton, on the other hand, is no squid. You might recognize him as the host of Super Bikes!, a program that aired on the soon-to-go-bye-bye Speed network, but he’s also one of the top professional stunt riders in the country, if not the world. And in this video from MotorTrend’s “On Two Wheels” series, not only does JB demonstrate his amazing skills, but also his new 2013 Kawasaki ZX-6R and the modifications he’s made to it. And oddly enough, the setting appears to be the parking lot of Kawasaki’s U.S. headquarters. But you know what they say: One man’s parking lot is another man’s playground.

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• MTT 420R Turbine Superbike Demands Balls of Diamond

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 29 January 2013

  

  Large-of-mandible talkshow host and lifelong gearhead Jay Leno owns hundreds of automobiles and motorcycles. However, he has gone on record multiple times that one of the favorite rides in his collection is his MTT Y2K, an American-built superbike powered by a gas turbine engine cribbed from a helicopter. And as Jay will show you, it’s just as awesome/insane as you think.

  So what does MTT (short for Marine Turbine Technologies) do for an encore? Build a new bike around lessons learned from the Y2K project, of course. But lessons from the Y2K aren’t the only things around which the new bike – dubbed 420R – is being built.

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• Vilner Stingray is a Stunning Custom Aprilia RSV Tuono 1000 R

  In Motorcycles / By Ari Cox / 23 January 2013

  

  The Aprilia RSV Tuono 1000 R is a naked wonder based on the Aprilia RSV 1000 R superbike. In stock form, it has presence and grace that demands attention. So, it was the perfect platform for leather master Vilner and bike tuner Galaxy Custom to work their magic. These partners in crime both hail from Bulgaria, Europe’s 14th largest country (fun fact!).

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• Maria Motorcycles Italian Sniper Ducati 750SS is Right on Target

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 6 December 2012

  

  From 1991 to 2002, Ducati produced the 750SS, a cheaper, less intimidating version of the 900SS superbike (which was the subject of a famous Cycle World review penned by a certain Hunter S. Thompson). Though well-liked by the Ducatisti, the 750SS is not widely regarded as a late model classic by the motorcycling community at-large. Basically, it’s generally seen as a used medium-displacement sport bike that happens to come bundled with the Ducati mystique and a Desmodromic-valve V-twin.

  However, Luis Corriea, the principal behind the Portuguese firm Maria Motorcycles, thought a 750SS (specifically a 1994 model) would be a great starting point for a custom bike. And after seeing the end result – which Corriea has dubbed the Italian Sniper – we’re inclined to agree with him. But this bike’s beauty is more than skin deep.

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• Vilner Triumph Speed Triple Bulldog is a Face Anyone Could Love [w/ Video]

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 6 November 2012

  

  There are motorcycle enthusiasts out there (and you know who you are) who steadfastly refuse to regard the current era of foreign-owned British bike nameplates as anything other than cynical, heretical cash-grab. And that’s a crying shame, because modern Triumphs, Nortons, BSAs and Royal Enfields are stylish, solid performers that are, horror of horrors, quite reliable. Late model Triumphs, in particular, are great ways to break from the Japanese and Italian superbike herd.

  Of course, if you want to stand out from a group that already stands out, there are many options for personalizing a modern Triumph. Now Vilner, our favorite car and motorcycle tuner in all of Bulgaria (which is saying…not that much), has developed a collection of cosmetic upgrades for the Speed Triple. And for something named after one of the most homely dog breeds under the sun, it sure looks handsome.

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• 2012 MV Agusta F3 675 is a Computerized Crotch Rocket

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 9 November 2011

  

  In the world of four-cylinder superbikes, MV Agusta is arguably the most aspirational of aspirational brands, yet still manages to be pretty attainable. But not everyone wants or needs four-cylinders or almost 200 horsepower in a motorcycle. Some folks just want something that’s a bit lighter and a bit less intimidating, but is still a blast to ride.

  Now MV Agusta is ready to cater to those types of buyers with its first modern triple, the all new F3 675. But the three-cylinder engine under the tank isn’t the only noteworthy feature of this bike. There’s also a sizable suite of electronics designed to get the full potential out of those three pounding pistons.

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• 2012 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Slims Down and Muscles Up

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 26 October 2011

  

  If you’re a motorcycle manufacturer and one or more of your models has had a cheeky, colloquial nickname (such as Hog, ‘Busa or Beemer) bestowed upon it, you know you’re doing something right. Suzuki’s GSX-R range, which debuted in 1984 with the GSX-R400, falls into this category, as the various family members that have come and gone over the years have come to be known as “Gixxers,” a mutant phonetic pronunciation of GSX-R as an acronym. It’s even on Urban Dictionary, and you can’t get much more mainstream than that (except for, you know, the Webster’s and Oxford dictionaries).

  The current alpha dog of the Gixxer Pack is the GSX-R1000 and, as the name implies, the DOHC inline-four engine displaces just one cc short of one liter (that's 999cc for those of you who aren't up on your metric units of weight and measure). The 2011 model is a rocket ship, but Suzuki has found some room for improvement. And those improvements have been made to the 2012 model.

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• 2012 BMW S 1000 RR is Loaded for Japanese and Italian Bear

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 21 October 2011

  

  Few people will dispute that BMW builds motorcycles that are as obsessively engineered and as engaging to ride as its cars are to drive. However, there’s a good chance many folks will dispute the notion that BMW builds legitimate superbikes. And it’s true that, for many years, the Bavarians seemed perfectly content to leave the stupid-fast crotch rocket market to the Italians and the Japanese (as well as the occasional interlopers from Britain, the U.S. and elsewhere).

  That changed in the spring of 2008, which was when the BMW S 1000 RR entered production for homologation in the World Superbike series. Sales to the public began about a year later, and critical acclaim and brisk sales followed soon thereafter. But rather than resting on its laurels, BMW has decided to update the S 1000 RR for 2012, and the result is a bike that’s even more capable and sophisticated.

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• Eyal Melnick’s Drag-On Concept Packs a Camaro V6 Punch

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 29 July 2011

  

  Six-cylinder pony cars have, for better or worse, been derided by many as being “secretary specials” for, well, ever. And, in fairness, many youthful, independent career girls – and not just in the appointment-scheduling and dictation-taking fields, but also the likes of hairdressing, retail and teaching (Hi Mom!) – have signed on the dotted lines for such cars, usually because they were deemed by their purchasers to be sporty, cute, economical, a good value, and/or not too powerful for non-hoon feminine tastes.

  But as the Bard of Hibbing says, the times, they are a’ changin’. The current V6 variants of the Camaro and Mustang both feature sophisticated four-cam, 24-valve mills producing in excess of 300hp, with exact figures that meet (in the case of the Mustang) or beat (in the case of the Camaro) the outputs of their immediate predecessors’ base V8s. How’s that for progress? It also begs the question: What other vehicles could benefit from these compact, rev-happy mills? For at least one industrial designer, the answer is motorcycles.

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• Design+Industry Strike Trike Straddles the Line between Supercar and Superbike [w/ Video]

  In Auto News, Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 22 June 2011

  

  There’s a good chance your first ride was a tricycle. And there should be no mystery as to why they’re so popular: They combine the simplicity and maneuverability of a two-wheeled vehicle with the stability of a four-wheeled vehicle. Trikes are pretty much the optimum mobility solution for tykes on the go.

  But what about the transportation needs of adults? Sadly, three-wheelers get pushed to the periphery for us mature audiences. However, trikes seem to be experiencing a bit of a renaissance among designers and manufacturers. This group of three-wheeler true believers includes the Australian firm Design+Industry, which has unveiled the racy looking Strike Trike seen here.

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