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Two Enthusiasts Podcast #56 – Nicky Bobby

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Episode 56 of the Two Enthusiasts Podcast gets us back into our normal format of talking about motorcycles, and whatever rabbit holes present themselves along the way.

Before we get to that part though, we take a somber moment to remember Nicky Hayden, who passed away just a couple weeks before the recording of this episode.

We had recorded a special episode just about Nicky, the day that he passed, but it didn’t feel right to publish it. Our emotions were too raw.

Modestly philosophical during the show now, we also discuss the passing of Davey Lambert, who on the day of this recording succumbed to his injuries sustained at the Isle of Man TT. Two more racers would later die at the TT, Jochem van den Hoek and Alan Bonner. We hold all these racers in our thoughts.

Getting back to our normal selves, we discuss a bit of news, namely Harley-Davidson’s new factory in Thailand, and what that says about the state of the motorcycle industry. We also talk some racing action, as Andrea Dovizioso had just won the Italian GP at Mugello.

The show wraps up with some discussion about supermoto racing, as I participated in the Cascadia Supermoto round held here in Oregon, near Portland.

You can listen to the show via the embedded SoundCloud player, after the jump, or you can find the show on iTunes (please leave a review) or this RSS feed. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well.

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MotoGP

Max Biaggi Continues to Recover, Leaves Hospital ICU

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The Max Biaggi continues to show progress on his recovery, with the six-time world champion finally leaving the intensive care unit at the San Camillo Hospital. The transfer occurred yesterday, which also happened to be Biaggi’s 46th birthday.

Tweeting to his fans on Twitter, the Roman Emperor said “After the time I spent in there, the most beautiful gift and get out of intensive care after 17 days. Thank you for all the birthday wishes and for all the affections received every day. Unforgettable. I love you.”

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MotoGP

Max Biaggi Has Successful Lung Surgery

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We bring you some good news today, Max Biaggi is said to have had a successful surgery this week at the San Camillo Hospital, after his supermoto crash from two weeks ago.

The six-time world champion underwent surgery to his chest, in what the hospital calls a “thoracoscopic toilette of the right pleural cavity.” This was to repair a tear in his lung cavity.

Biaggi will continue to remain in the hospital’s intensive care unit, with painkillers and supplemental oxygen, where his prognosis is listed as “reserved” for now. The surgery was considered a success however, and all signs seem to point to Biaggi’s recovery.

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Bikes

The Updated 2018 Husqvarna FS 450 Supermoto Debuts

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Husqvarna continues to be the only motorcycle manufacturer with a race-ready supermoto, straight from the factory, and what a machine it is, the Husqvarna FS 450. For the 2018 model year, the Swedish brand has added more updates for the Husqvarna FS 450, keeping it at the pointy end of technology.

The big changes come in the form of a new slipper clutch from Suter, and brand that any MotoGP team should be familiar with, along with a new map switch control on the handlebar, which continues to toggle on and off the bike’s traction control, dual engine maps, and launch control features.

The last change of note for the 2018 model year that Husqvarna wants us to share is that fact that there is a new graphics package…this year, the seat is blue.

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MotoGP

Max Biaggi Declared Stable After Supermoto Crash

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Good news concerning two-time World Superbike champion Max Biaggi, as the Italian rider has been declared stable, after his supermoto training crash last Friday. Airlifted to the San Camillo Hospital, Biaggi suffered from thoracic trauma and multiple rib fractures.

Thankfully, doctors have ruled out that he suffered any spinal cord injuries, which is welcomed news after several weeks of high-profile incidents with former world champion riders.

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Dirt

The Five Mistakes You Make Riding a Supermoto

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Riding a supermoto might be one of the most fun things you can do on two-wheels. Basically dirt bikes with street tires, supermotos offer an approachable way to hoon yourself around town, as well as practice some more advanced riding techniques in a lower-risk platform.

If you don’t have a dirt bike background though, your street bike habits might mean bad habits on the pavement with a supermoto, which is why the good folks at SoCal Supermoto put together this informative video about the five most common mistakes they see with new supermoto riders.

It’s a pretty informative, and heck…any chance to talk about supermoto riding, right?

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Dirt

At the AMA Supermoto Season-Opener in Bakersfield

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It all started with the Superbikers. As a young man growing up in the late 70s, there were only three network TV stations for me to watch, and unlike today, motorsports programs were few and far between.

Other than the Indy 500 and the occasional airing of stock car racing, motorsports just weren’t on the air very often. During one serendipitous Saturday, I happened upon ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

And on that particular day, they were airing the Superbikers. Looking back, the influence that program had on the rest of my motorcycling life is immeasurable.

An unusual combination of road racing, dirt track, and motocross, the Superbikers showcased racers I had only read about in the motorcycle magazines.

Kenny Roberts Sr., Jeff Ward, and many others battled on the track to show who was the best all-around motorcycle racer on the planet. Of course, this multi-disciplined form of racing was the precursor to modern supermoto racing.

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Dirt

SWM Motorcycles Targets 6,000 Units in 2017

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You probably haven’t heard of SWM Motorcycles, the off-road brand that carries on where Husqvarna left off in Italy.

Built from the parts that KTM didn’t want when it bought the Swedish brand in 2013, SWM Motorcycles is based outside of Milan, Italy and produces a variety of off-road focused machines using pre-BMW Husqvarna engine designs.

Many members of the company’s team are former Husqvarna employees, including the company’s CEO, Ampelio Macchi – all of whom were left out in the cold when the German brand sold Husqvarna to KTM.

But, with a new production facility, support from the local government and worker unions, along with Chinese financing (from the Shineray Group), SWM Motorcycles has taken on a new life with a promising future.

With 10 models listed on its website, and more planned, this tiny Italian marque is starting to punch above its weight class. As such, SWM Motorcycles is on-track to sell 6,000 units in the 2017 model year.

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Dirt

2017 AMA Supermoto Championship Calendar Released

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Supermoto racing in the United States continues to be in flux, with DRT Racing now taking over the mantle of AMA Supermoto. Releasing its 2017 schedule today, the 2017 AMA Supermoto National Championship Series will have five stops throughout the USA.

It always amazes me that Supermoto isn’t more popular in the United States, especially considering that the racing format was born here in the 1970s, and gained popularity with ABC’s Wide World of Sports “Superbikers” show.

As a training tool, supermoto has given way to flat track racing, though you will still find many of the top road racers cross training on the kart track with a modified dirt bike that has 17″ wheels and lower suspension.

If you haven’t tried your hand at riding a supermoto bike, we highly recommend it. If you don’t believe us though, you should at least try stopping by one of the AMA’s five rounds this year (California, Arizona, Quebec, Sturgis, and Florida).

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Bikes

Imagining the 2018 Suzuki RM-Z450 Supermoto

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It is a tremendous shame that the options for a road legal supermoto for are so limited, with the venerable Suzuki DR-Z400SM being the only offering in the 450cc on-road class.

For virtually a decade, Suzuki has left the DR-Z basically unchanged – as it has done with many of its sport models – so we would love to see Suzuki and other manufacturers give this space more attention (a hat tip to Husqvarna for bringing the track-only FS450 to market, long with the 701 Supermoto).

Although you can wake-up the DR-Z400 with a few simple modification, and there are a bevy of aftermarket kits that can punch the 398cc machine out in size, what we really want from Suzuki is a proper 450cc street supermoto – one that doesn’t stray too far from the brand’s current strong motocross offering.

So, when we saw this little bit of Photoshop work by the folks at the German Suzuki dealership of DSR-Suzuki, we got a little excited.

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