The title says it all, the video is what you get. Motorcycles are cool…
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California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is pushing for a massive statewide speed camera initiative which could help super-set the Golden State’s budget to the tune of $19.9 billion in revenue, and make the state $397.5 million in bulging net income. California is currently sweating a massive budget deficiet, and despite Arnie’s chopper riding roots, he seems to see stretching government control as a method to dead-lift California out of debt.
Ducati has announced that the first 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 has rolled off the assembly line in Bologna, Italy. The white MTS 1200S with Öhlins suspension got the usual Ducati welcome, with champagne toasts and even a “baptizing” ceremony. The first Multistrada 1200S’s are set to be available by April of this year, while the MTS 1200 base model and ABS version should be out later in in May.
The Multistrada 1200 is an important motorcycle for Ducati as it shows the brand extending its mark beyond the performance bike realm, and into the sport-touring class, which is no easy feat considering the adventure bike/sport-touring king, the BMW GS, is the best selling motorcycle in the world. To help battle the GS, Ducati has made the Multistrada 1200 to have an engine with the longest service intervals in Ducati history: 15,000 miles. Photos of the first production Multistrada 1200 after the jump.
UPDATE 3: Because of our article Motorcyclist Online has further refined their “Buzz” section. Of course they’ve also removed Asphalt & Rubber from their feed. We’re not expecting an apology from them at this point.
UPDATE 2: A small victory, Motorcyclist Online has changed their format to only copy the first 50 words of our text…still no link love though, and still actually copying the wrong text from us.
UPDATE: It looks like Motorcyclist Online is actually copying this story as well. Sweet irony!
I got a strange email today…which isn’t that strange in of itself, because I get strange emails on a regular basis, but the email contained a link to Motorcyclist Online, the internet version of Motorcyclist Magazine, which is owned by Source Interlink Media.
Clicking onto the link I see an article that was written this morning, published in its full text. “That’s funny” I think to myself, because we certainly never gave Motorcyclist permission to use our articles…clicking further I see we’re not the only online motorcycle site whose content is being copied onto the online pages of Motorcyclist Online…we’re just the latest addition to this blatant act of plagiarism and IP theft.
Kawasaki UK has announced that it has setup a new website where interested riders can sign up to test ride a Kawasaki street machine from their local dealer. The site, kawasakitestride.co.uk, let’s riders search for new and used green machines by location, and then schedule a test ride directly with the dealerships. While this doesn’t affect us American riders too much, it’s a sign that the at least some portion of the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers are revaluating the motorcycle purchasing process.
As we reported last week, there were rumors circulating that Bajaj was poised to take a controlling interest in KTM, which could see the Indian manufacturer owning up to 90% of the Austrian company. After the circulation of these rumors KTM released a statement (posted after the jump) that touched on some of the issues brought about by the weekend’s news coverage, namely the future ownership structure of the company.
Some publications have taken this release as a denial of the acquisition rumors (which the release at no point actually says), but like many press releases what is said is often less important that what isn’t said. Sensational headlines aside, KTM’s response only suggests that CROSS Industries AG will remain the majority shareholder in KTM, and in no way denied rumors that Bajaj would be increasing its stake in the Austrian company. While CROSS and KTM’s current leadership seem set to remain intact at KTM (what was actually stated in the release), our sources continue to point to Bajaj increasing its stake in KTM, while the company’s glaring omission to address that part of the industry rumors seems to confirm that initial suspicion.
With KTM’s shareholder general assembly only two weeks away, we won’t have long to wait to see how the over $40 million of additional stock gets spread out over current and potential investors. Press release after the jump, for you to make the call yourselves on what was said.
Fresh from it’s unveiling in Milan, DailyMotos has posted a video to YouTube on the Official presentation of the FB Corse MotoGP team and FB01 race bike. Garry McCoy was on hand to help take the wraps off the MotoGP contender, which has a three-cylinder 800cc motor that was originally intended for a BMW MotoGP entry. Check the unveiling after the jump.
Asphalt & Rubber has been out of the office for most of this President’s Day weekend, but we’re back now and eager to make it up to you. We’ve got some great stories that we’ll roll out this week, but while we put them together we thought we’d tide you over with this video that showcases the development process of the 2010 BMW S1000RR superbike. The video highlights the planning, designing, and testing of BMW’s first true sportbike, which gives an interesting perspective into the bike’s creation. Click past the break to watch the video, and go ahead and queue up your own music because this soundtrack is el horriblé.
Fiat-Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo has undergone surgery to his right hand, after injuring it while riding on a motocross course near his home in Barcelona on Thursday. The injury will mean that Lorenzo will not participate in the next Sepang test, but he is expected to make a full recovery in time for the Qatar test in March.
Rumors are indicating that KTM has invited Indian manufacturer Bajaj to increase its stake in the Austrian company from the current 30% to up to 90%. While neither party has confirmed the news, it is reported that Bajaj has accepted KTM’s offer, and will immediately purchase an additional 21% of the company’s stock, making it a 51% majority shareholder. Bajaj will then increase its ownership to 90% at a later undecided time.
Mission Motors has announced today that they have replaced co-founder Forrest North in his role as company CEO. The move signals a change within Mission Motors that shows the company focusing on bringing products into production and putting them into consumers’ hands. In their announcement, Mission Motors’ Board of Directors have begun their search for a long-term CEO with experience in product development and automotive manufacturing, but in the interim the company will be headed by its current COO Jit Bhattacharya.
The transition, while seemingly drastic, is one that every startup must face as it moves from a visionary and industry challenging mindset to a functional and operational capacity. This movement in management is one that virtually all startups face at some point or another, and something we’ve talked about here in some detail in our “Tradition is not a Business Model” series, so it’s announcement at this point in time isn’t terribly surprising to this author, and storied lesson in entrepreneurship that transcends even into the motorcycle industry.