Owners of the “ultimate street brawler” (their words, not ours) will be simulataneously pleased and disappointed to see the 2010 Yamaha FZ1. As we reported earlier last month, the 2010 FZ1 did not see the incorporation of the YZF-R1’s cross-plane crankshaft, and it also missed out on some of the R1’s other attributes, both good and bad. Photos and more after the jump.
Buell Motorcycle will be idling its East Troy plant during the months of November and December. During that time, employees will receive 8 days of paid vacation (and be essentially unemployed the rest of the time), but will retain their full medical benefits. The move by Buell isn’t all that uncommon for manufacturers who are experiencing a slow down in production, but surely sucks that “Happy Holidays” cheer out of the non-unionized shop.
UPDATE #1: Well, Dorna got their mitts on YouTube and the video is gone. Sorry Folks.
UPDATE #2: Ok, found a new video from a different angle that shows more of the aftermath.
The life expectancy of this video, isnt’ foreseen to be very long, but we thought we’d bring it to you because it sets up some of the best quotes you’ll find in MotoGP racing. Both by the Uber-Italian commentators, and from the rider involved.
Americans Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards may not be podium regulars, but they certainly bring the down-to-Earth, good old boy, tell it how you see it mentality to an otherwise very rigid sport, and the events of the San Marino GP are certainly a shining example of those character traits.
Rumors are circulating that Suzuki is about unveil its 2010 motorcycle line-up, which will reportedly feature an all new 1,250cc Bandit, new GSX-F, and an updated GSX1000R. With the Gixxer 1000 being completely revamped just last year, we’re not sure if that means just new colors for 2010, or if Suzuki will be making modest performance enhancements, like we saw with the 2010 Honda CBR1000RR and 2010 Yamaha YZF-R6.
Those are all the details we know now, more as it comes to us. Remember to always tip your waiter, and your daily motorcycle blog.
Filippo Barbacane woke up one day displeased with the Moto Guzzi Griso 8V, so he did something about it. The result of his labor is this “diamond” in the rough, the Moto Guzzi Diamante 1400, which Barbacane will be producing in a limited run of 30 motorcycles. Pictures and more after the jump.
In Google’s attempt to map every piece of asphalt on planet Earth, they have begun to take their Street View service to the race tracks of America. First on their list, and our personal favorite, is Laguna Seca. Check it out after the jump, you’ll catch a few ALMS cars in the shots, as they flanked the Google Street View car as it went around the course.
Former World Superbike Team, FB Corse, looks to be poised to enter the MotoGP Championship series for 2010 with race bike that uses a proprietary chassis and a 3-cylinder motor that was originally designed for BMW’s MotoGP effort.
Looking to back up their claim as the fastest electric motorcycle in the world, Mission Motors was also in attendance at this year’s Bub Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Shod in their streamlined fairings from the TTXGP, the Mission One reportedly averaged 160 mph through the timed mile. Check after the jump for a video of their run down the salt.
MV Agusta is rumored to have a 3-cylinder motorcycle in the works that’s smaller than the current F4, and Motociclismo was lucky enough to find it wandering about in the wild. Already dubbed the F3 (by the media, not MV), we know very few concrete facts about the F3, other than the visibly higher clutch case, and smaller front forks. The rest of the information is based on speculation and a little triangulation. Continue past the jump to read it.
MotoRevue has sent their man Jérôme Vannesson into the bat cave to whip up another photoshop of what they expect a motorcycle to look like, and this time getting the treatment is the 2011 Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory, in all its re-imagined glory.
Available starting January 2010, Yamaha is releasing another Limited Edition R1, this time featuring the race livery of Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP race bike. Before you run out to your local Yamaha dealer though, you should know a couple things:
First, the Rossi Race Rep comes with a price tag that’s over $1,200 more than the rest of the 2010 Yamaha YZF-R1 model line (raven, blue/whie, and pearl white), and for that extra cash all you’re getting is the re-painted fairing, and a fuel tank with a replica of Valentino’s signature on it.
Secondly, you might be surprised to learn that on top of that price premium, the 2010 R1 costs $800 more than the 2009 R1, despite the fact the R1 goes virtually unchanged for the 2010 model year.
For those not good with numbers, those combined prices put the 2010 Yamaha R1 LE costing over $2,000 more than this year’s current YZF-R1, and all it has to show for it is a paint job that sells another company’s product.
Say what you will about Ducati’s Nicky Hayden LE 848 Superbike, at least they knew what paint costs, and had Nicky personally hand-sign each bike.