A bit of a Christmas surprise landed in our inbox today, as the Ducati MotoE project is further along than expected, with their “V21L” prototype bike caught making laps at the Misano World Circuit.
The bike is the first iteration of what will be raced in the MotoE World Cup, starting in the 2023 season.
And while Ducati just announced its intent to takeover that series a few months ago, the Italian brand is clearly far from the beginning stages of that project.
Owners of a 2022 model year Zero SR, SR/F or SR/S electric motorcycle will be unhappy to hear that an incorrect brake pad may have been installed in their rear caliper.
The result of this mistake is that the 45 motorcycles in question fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 122, “Motorcycle Brake System” and thus have to be recalled by Zero Motorcycles.
During his keynote address at Kawasaki’s EICMA presentation, Kawasaki Motors President Hiroshi Ito announced that the Japanese brand would unveil three electric models in 2022.
An ambitious plan, the news is part of Kawasaki’s previous statement that it plans to bring 10 electric and hybrid motorcycles by 2025. Clearly, Team Green isn’t waiting around to make good on that promise.
Of necessity, the past two MotoGP seasons have seen races repeatedly run on the same race track. 2020 was a succession of back-to-back races at the same track: Jerez 1 and 2, Austria 1 and 2, Misano 1 and 2, Aragon 1 and 2, Valencia 1 and 2.
With a better grip on the Covid-19 pandemic, 2021 was much better: the first 15 races have been at 13 different tracks. So far we have only had Qatar 1 and 2 and Austria 1 and 2.
The next three rounds will see MotoGP visit just one new circuit. We have the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna, or Misano 2, the Grande Prémio do Algarve, or Portimão 2, and then Valencia.
Fresh off the news that Energica would be stepping down as the spec-supplier for the MotoE World Cup, today at Misano we learn who will be replacing the small Italian outfit: Ducati.
Energica is to withdraw as official manufacturer motorcycles for the MotoE class at the end of the 2022 season. After four years, MotoE will see something other than the Energica Ego Corsa machine being raced.
The MotoE class has been a qualified success since the class started back in 2019.
Part of Kawasaki Motors Ltd.’s new direction as its own business entity, the Japanese motorcycle brand has ambitious goals for its near future, as it has announced plans for motorcycles with electric, hybrid, and even hydrogen drivetrains.
The strategy outlines that Kawasaki will debut 10 electric and hybrid motorcycles by the year 2025. That plan also includes the development of five off-road models that will use “advanced fuel” power plants.
Swedish electric motorcycle/moped maker CAKE has just announced the closing of a $60 million funding round, which will help the company scale its production and bolster retail and service locations for the two-wheeled brand.
According to the company’s press release, the fundraising was done via two convertible notes (financial debt instruments that can be turned into equity stakes in the company, at a later time), totaling $14 million and $46 million each.
The bulk of the financing came from Swedish pension fund AMF, while the rest of the funding came from several investors, led by current CAKE shareholders Creandum and Headline.
Transportation is changing. If you need proof beyond that statement, take a look at how brands like BMW are envisioning transportation in the future.
There has been no shortage lately of two-wheel brands reevaluating how people will move in close urban environments, and no brand has been experimenting more in this space than BMW and BMW Motorrad.
The German company already showed us last week its electric Honda Grom contender, the BMW Concept CE 02, which is aimed at younger riders (or non-riders) with a fun pint-sized form factory.
Now, the Bavarians have envisioned two more concepts for their last-mile arsenal, dubbed the BMW i Vision AMBY and BMW Motorrad i Vision AMBY. Names only an engineer could love.
Swedish mobility company Cake has made a name for itself by creating intriguing two-wheelers that are so damn purposeful in their design that they take on a functional beauty of their own.
Their debut bike, the Cake Kalk& was lauded for this design ethos, though its $14,000 was a deal-stopper for many. The sub-$10,000 Cake Kalk Ink helped things in that regard, but the Swedish brand has still been on the pricier side of the market.
Responding to those feelings, the Swedes have a new, more affordable two-wheeler on the market now.
Say hello to the Cake Makka, which is a downright utilitarian Scandinavian moto that starts at $3,800.
BMW Motorrad must have some jealousy over what Honda has achieved with its miniMoto lineup, particularly with the Honda Grom, as the latest Bavarian machine takes direct aim at the pint-sized moto market.
Not quite a motorcycle, not quite a scooter, the mini-moto segment has been a surprise hit in the United States and abroad, mostly because of the unassuming and fun machines that flood the market’s ranks.
BMW Motorrad wants in on the action (unsurprisingly) and is looking a bit to the future though, building its Concept CE 02 as a youth-focused electric model.