Photos: © 2019 Andrew Kohn / Asphalt & Rubber – All Rights Reserved
This bike has been burning a hole in my to-do list for far too long, partially because I first saw it late last year, but also because of how radial the design is…especially when you consider that it started life as a subdued BMW R nineT roadster.
The work of Austrian designer Blechmann, the bike is called Giggerl and well…it is hard to say which genre of style it fits into exactly. Blechmann has obvious modern cues and ideas for how a motorcycle should look, but Giggerl also has lines from the past, due in part to its air-cooled R nineT roots.
Photos: © 2019 Stephen McClements – All Rights Reserved
Photos: © 2019 Stephen McClements – All Rights Reserved
It is a busy weekend in the motorcycle racing world, with both WorldSBK and MotoGP on track. From Donington Park, we have Stephen McClements once again on the ground, bringing us photos from the World Superbike paddock.
While most of the WorldSBK season has been about the Ducati with Alvaro Bautista onboard, with some occasional surprises by Jonathan Rea and his Kawasaki, today at Donington Park the talk was all about Tom Sykes and the BMW S1000RR.
If you are a loyal reader of Asphalt & Rubber, then you know that we love us some supermoto motorcycles. As such, we bring you today the only factory-built race-ready supermoto for the next model year. Say hello to the 2020 Husqvarna FS 450.
Before you put your 2019 model up for sale, we should note that the changes for the 2020 model year aren’t terribly large.
The Husqvarna FS 450 got a pretty good update last year, with more torque and less weight (thanks to the changes made to Husqvarna’s 450cc motocross bike), so the 2020 machine remains at a claimed 63hp and 220 lbs without fuel.
It is an obvious fact that the motorcycle manufacturers are looking to the future, and that future is looking increasingly like one without fossil fuels.
Electric drivetrains seem to be the prevailing technology of choice for the next generation of riders, and as such BMW Motorrad has its designers busy thinking about what the first electric motorcycles from the German brand could look like.
Enter the BMW Motorrad Vision DC Roadster concept, an electric motorcycle whose sole purpose is to imagine what BMW’s iconic boxer-twin engine shape could look like in an electric shape. Umpf!
If the KTM 790 Adventure R wasn’t off-roady enough for you, the Austrians have just announced another trim level to the ground-breaking ADV machine, which will make it even more suited to long-distance traveling where the asphalt ends.
As such, say hello to the KTM 790 Adventure R Rally for the 2020 model year. Though restricted to just 500 units worldwide, KTM owners can still replicate much of what the “Ready to Race” brand is doing by raiding the KTM power parts bin.
This is because the KTM 790 Adventure R Rally is basically the adventure bike built with all of KTM’s best farkles. But, don’t let that notion distract you into thinking that this is just a simple parts bin pony.
KTM is building a potent machine, with the hopes of getting the imaginations stirring for those with dirt in their blood.
When men name their motorcycles, it is usually with a feminine name. This is a tradition that dates back to early mariners, who were often away from their loved ones for incredibly long periods of time, and remembered their wives and girlfriends by naming ships after them.
It is an interesting tradition we do now though – this naming of motorcycles – especially as the horsepower figures have climbed higher and higher and the curb weight measurements have dwindled lower and lower.
Names like “Heartsbane” or “Widow’s Wail” would seem more appropriate for modern motorcycles, especially if you feel the night is dark and full of terrors.
So, when you consider the hours that Michael “Woolie” Woolaway has spent in his workshop slaving over the next iteration of his Pikes Peak race bike away from his loved ones while creates the ultimate motorcycle for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the name “Beastie” seems far more appropriate than something like “Samantha” – our apologies to the Samantha’s in the crowd, of course.
We have be extolling the virtues of airbag-equipped motorcycle jackets and suits for quite some time now, and to repeat a favorite line of mine, your standard leather motorcycle jacket is now obsolete, if it doesn’t have an airbag in it.
That statement still holds true, but Dainese just gave your old jacket a new life, as the Italian brand just debuted its “Dainese Smart Jacket” system.
Don’t let the name fool you though, this isn’t a new jacket from Dainese, it’s a vest – an airbag vest, to be precise. What makes the Dainese Smart Jacket so…smart…is that the airbag vest can be worn under or over your typical motorcycle jacket.
If MV Agusta’s current marketing strategy hasn’t turned you off to the brand, and you have the coin, the Italians have two pricey motorcycles that they would like you to put in your garage.
First up is the gorgeous MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro, which sees the superbike engine found in the MV Agusta F4 shoehorned into a naked chassis, complete with winglets. With 205hp on tap, the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro is claiming a 187 mph top speed.
If you like that sort of thing, then you better break the piggy bank, because the limited edition MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro is priced at $45,998 of the US market (€42,990 for the European market).