Latest Posts:
Asphalt & Rubber
Author

Jensen Beeler

Browsing
Bikes

Moto Guzzi V90 TTR Concept from Oberdan Bezzi

By 10 Comments

The Moto Guzzi V85 TT motorcycle has been a big hit for the Italian brand, exhibiting the happy merger of Moto Guzzi’s retro flare with the popular ADV bike scene.

Moreover, the Moto Guzzi V85 TT is a solid bike to ride, and we gave it solid reviews when we rode in Sardinia last year. But, what if you want to hit the dirt a bit harder than this 90/10 bike provides?

Italian designer Oberdan Bezzi has been thinking this thought (as have many of you), and he has penned what he calls the Moto Guzzi V90 TTR concept.

Keep Reading
By
News

US Roads Have Become Deadlier Since the Coronavirus

By 8 Comments

For those of us who have been venturing outside of the home, the coronavirus pandemic has come with the silver lining that it has become easier to travel by road in the United States.

With more people working from home and sheltering-in-place, the need to get in a car and drive somewhere has fallen by the wayside, and we as motorcyclists have seemingly benefitted from having fewer vehicles to share the road with as we ride.

However, data from the National Safety Council (NSC) – a non-profit organisation chartered by US Congress – should give us some pause, as it suggests that those trips out have been substantially more dangerous than usual.

Keep Reading
By
MotoGP

Paddock Pass Podcast #145 – The Anatomy of a Race Team

By 1 Comment

Episode 145 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out for your race-loving audio pleasure, and this one is a bit special of a show and something a little different from what we usually do.

As such, this show sees Steve English and David Emmett on the microphones, talking about things that are a bit more behind-the-scenes during a grand prix weekend.

That’s right, the guys spend an hour talking about the men and women in the race team who support the on-track action.

Keep Reading
By
News

Back in the Swing of Things, MV Agusta Rush 1000 Delivering in June

By 10 Comments

Perhaps the most lurid motorcycle we saw at the 2019 EICMA show, the MV Agusta Rush 1000 is truly a bike that stands out from the crowd. Designed with what MV Agusta calls a “drag racing” aesthetic, the Rush 1000 takes the already gorgeous Brutale 1000 RR streetfighter, and dials it up to 11.

On the technical side, MV Agusta hasn’t distinguished the Rush 1000 too much from the Brutale 1000 – they both share a 205hp inline-four engine (209hp with the kit exhaust, which surely one would install for the full “Rush” effect), which is pulled straight out of the MV Agusta F4 RC superbike.

Keep Reading
By
Not Bikes

May We Suggest the 600HP KTM X-Bow GTX, For When You Can’t Ride Your Motorcycle?

By 4 Comments

Your eyes are not seeing double. This is in fact a four-wheeled vehicle on the pages of Asphalt & Rubber. It also a KTM. It is a 600hp, Audi-powered, KTM race car actually.

Officially dubbed the KTM X-Bow GTX, this project has evolved over the last 12 years from a peppy open-roof track car for the rich, to a well-sorted racing machine that is ready for a GT2 class near you.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

After High-Speed Testing at the Nardò Ring, The Ducati Superleggera V4 Is Headed into Production

By 7 Comments

After months of shutdown, Italy is finally letting its citizens out of their houses, to start their march back to the new normal of daily life. We can only imagine the great relief this means to millions of Italians, after they endured some of the worst effects of COVID-19 in the world.

For our own selfish two-wheeled pursuits, this news also means the return of operations for Italian motorcycle manufacturers, which have seen their factories motionless while larger issues were addressed. Of course, this too leads us to the news that life is returning to the Ducati factory in Borgo Panigale.

Accordingly, we get word (from a tweet from Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, no less) that the Ducati Superleggera V4 is nearing the start of its production, but not before the carbon fiber superbike heads to the Nardò for some high-speed testing.

Keep Reading
By
Recall

Honda CBR1000RR-R Being Recalled in Europe for Con-Rod Failures

By 4 Comments

If you are a European reader, expecting the soon arrival of your brand new Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade, you might have to wait a little longer, as certain markets in the EU will be issuing a recall on the new superbike.

The recall comes from concerns from the Honda factory over the connecting rods found in the CBR1000RR-R’s four-cylinder engine, which may have a metallurgical defect and fail during use.

Honda tells us that in total about 300 units are affected by the pending recall, which is roughly a tenth of the total bikes expected to ship to European countries.

Keep Reading
By
News

Harley-Davidson’s Problems Explained in Under 15 Minutes

By 18 Comments

If you were looking for a succinct and fairly accurate portrayal of Harley-Davidson’s current business dilemma, look no further than this video put out by the minds at Canada’s FortNine.

Laced with their uniquely irreverent tone, FortNine breaks down how Harley-Davidson has gone from an industry-dominating name (and one of the strongest brands in the world), to a crashing meteor of declining sales and profitability.

Whether you agree with the video’s premise or not (namely that Harley-Davidson is beyond saving), the video is certainly striking a chord with the interneting masses – it had over 300,000 plays within its first 24hrs of it being on YouTube, and currently has close to 6,000 comments, just a day later.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

This Akira Motorcycle Concept by James Qiu Is Fire

By 10 Comments

I am, and forever will be, a complete sucker for a good rendition of Kaneda’s motorcycle from the cult Japanese anime movie Akira. Growing up as a kid (versus growing up as an adult, which is my current state), Akira‘s portrayal of motorcycles was one of the few things that got me interested in two-wheels.

I was a “car kid” growing up, with pictures of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche automobiles hanging on my walls. But, Kaneda’s bike was an influence too, and judging from the comments section when we post about this bike, it was a transformative machine for many others as well.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Bimota Teases Us with Some Blurry Photos of the KB4

By 2 Comments

It didn’t take long for Bimota to respond to stories about its next model, the Bimota KB4, as the Italian manufacturer has released two photos of the bike on its Facebook page…sort of.

The photos are purposefully blurred, thus obfuscating many of the bike’s details, but we can see that the round retro-styled headlight from the concept drawings is still a prominent feature on the KB4.

Keep Reading
By