Latest Posts:
Asphalt & Rubber
Tag

video

Browsing
News

Trailer: Quick

By 10 Comments

We can’t tell if South Korean film Quick is going to be amazing, or horrible, or horribly amazing, but the trailer certainly has us intrigued. Launching under the title Fast in the United States (yes, we too have no clue why the title needed changing for the American market), Quick is about…well, we have no clue…but it looks like there’s a motorcycle in it, so that’s a start.

Our guess is that our protagonist is named Fast, and he does things really fast-like on his fast motorcycle, which is named Quick. Uggh..this article is going downhill rapidly (see what I did there). Just watch the trailer after the jump, and leave your best guesses as to the plot structure in the comments section.

Keep Reading
By
Racing

What Does a Record TTXGP Lap at Infineon Look Like?

By 19 Comments

The 2011 TTXGP season-opener at Infineon Raceway got off to a less than enthralling start, with only four bikes showing up for racing on Saturday, and three bikes remaining for Sunday’s race. Nevertheless, the event was the first time we’ve gotten to see the Brammo Empulse RR in its race livery, and taking some laps in public. Though the racing wasn’t close, the shining star during the weekend was Steve Atlas taking the Brammo Empulse RR on an outright lap record for electrics at the Sonoma, California based track.

With a time of 1:55.15, Brammo is the team to beat currently, and there’s hope that Lightning, Mission Motors, and MotoCzysz will give the Oregonian company a run for its money later on in the season. Until those teams unveil their bikes in a race, Brammo retains the bragging rights to being the fastest on the track. Check out Brammo’s record run after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
News

Behind the Scenes at a Ducati Diavel Commercial

By 7 Comments

We hear the Ducati Diavel is doing quite well in sales, with many dealers reportedly out of stock with the units. Though some dealers still have bikes in stock, namely the ones that jumped on the Diavel bandwagon early-on, it’s clear now that more people than just us here at Asphalt & Rubber were impressed with Ducati’s take on the performance cruiser category. While Ducati’s deal with the Devil got our overall seal of approval, some of this success surely has to be owed to the heavy media blitz from the Italian brand.

Like with the Multistrada 1200 release, Ducati has put the Diavel front-and-center in its marketing machine. Helping win the hearts and minds of the skeptics, Ducati has put together a short video advertisement of the Diavel, and for extra measure, a behind the scenes making of the clip. If you ever wanted to see how much effort goes into a one minute video spot, here’s your chance. Be sure to keep an eye out for the Mercedes-Benz cameo as well. Original advertisement and the behind the scenes footage after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
Racing

Trailer: Fastest – The Sequel to Faster

By 11 Comments

Mark Neale has been a busy man lately, first putting out Charge, his movie on the first two electric races at the Isle of Man, and now with Fastest, his follow-up to the must-own MotoGP DVD Faster. Following Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, Fastest starts with the two riders’ time together as teammates in the Fiat-Yamaha MotoGP squad, and watches that team-dynamic turn into a heated rivalry.

Neale follows the duo as they dominate the field on their Yamaha YZR-M1 race bikes, and later as Rossi splits from Yamaha for Ducati Corse. Talking to the filmmaker the other day, it sounds like Neale is still putting the final touches on the film, but was ecstatic with how it was coming together. If it’s half as good as the trailer, we should be in for a real treat. Check it out after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
News

Video: Husqvarna 900cc Parallel Twin Motor

By 6 Comments

Husqvarna is getting into the street bike scene, and the first order of business for the Swedish brand was to create a motor suitable for such a purpose. Husqvarna doesn’t have to undertake this endveour alone though, as parent company BMW Motorrad has been helping the previously dirt-based brand with the new powerplant. Based off the BMW F800’s lump, Husqvarna has increased the 800cc motor’s displacement to somewhere in the 900cc range, likely by stroking-out the combustion chamber.

Husqvarna isn’t talking much about specifics, just simply stating that the new motor will have a “reasonable increase in power and torque.” With news that the bike is road testing, it’s only a matter of time before the obligatory spy photos start popping up, as the company targets a November release of the new street bike at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan. Brand extension, or brand dilution? You make the call in the comments. Video after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
News

500,000 Triumphs Built at Hinckley

By 2 Comments

Half a million Triumphs have rolled out from the Hinckley company and its five factories since its rebirth in 1990, which was restarted with the purchase of the firm by John Bloor. With 20 years of new-found success under its belt, Triumph is 2,000 employees strong, and ready to celebrate two decades worth of brand revival by touring its 500,000th motorcycle: a 2012 Triumph Speed Triple.

The bike will go on a promotional tour starting May 24th, and helping show the genesis of the machine, the British company has put together this video that shows its progress down the Triumph line. It’s a well done video, which celebrates a worthy achievement…now if only A&R could get its hands on the new Speed Triple, all would be well in the world. Watch the video after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
Racing

This is What Electric Mini Moto Racing Looks Like

By 6 Comments

Unless you were there, you probably missed the AMA Mini Moto SX racing action last Friday in Las Vegas, which saw the debut of two bikes by Brammo, an electric mini moto the Brammo Encite, along with the full-sized Brammo Engage dirt bike. Featuring the company’s Integrated Electric Transmission (IET), Brammo took to the dirt to compete with some Zero electric bikes (Quantya seemingly abstained from the event), as well as a field of traditional gasoline-powered mini motos.

With footage from aboard Trevor Doniak’s Zero MX, we get to see what racing in the Vegas Mini Moto SX was like from behind the handlebars. Besides having a traffic jam of slower gas-powered bikes start ahead of them (it’s creepy how quiet the start for the electrics was in comparison), the old addage that “rubbin’ is racing” comes to mind as we see our protagonist hit the dirt, not once, not twice, but three times, seemingly always with a Brammo rider nearby.

We’re not saying that Doniak’s Zero was intentionally looking to take out the Brammo of Kris Keefer, thus assuring a podium sweep by Zero, but others are. Video after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
Banter

Another Day in the Roland Sands Office

By 4 Comments

Making custom bikes of his choosing in Southern California is pretty lush gig, and helping prove the point that we should give up this crazy blogging lifestyle, Roland Sands Design has come up with this “typical day in the office” video. Tracking a promotional photo shoot that starts in the RSD shop, and ends in some apocalyptic industrial park, there’s a bevy of women, motorcycles, and Roland.

After crushing a small mutiny here in the office (we must not have enough bikes for our decor here in the A&R office), we can share with you  the video of a typical day in the Roland Sands Design office. Employers beforewarned as your workforce may start complaining of unfair working conditions. Employees beware, not all the scenes here are strictly work safe.

Keep Reading
By
Banter

Video: Casey Stoner Helps Hock Some Hondas

By 7 Comments

It’s been a while since we had a motorcycle advert to critique, but with the thawing of winter’s ice, we should have a plethora of videos to show in the coming motorcycle friendly months. First up for the new riding season is Honda with this CBR1000RR ad that features MotoGP star Casey Stoner, and what appropriately looks to be Oz’s Repsol Honda Casey Stoner race replica that he is riding.

As far as motorcycle marketing goes, this clip is a pretty good effort by Honda Australia. Star GP rider, good production quality, and a demand generation focus all make for a compelling advert. Honda will need all the help it can get though, as it’s hard to sell the same bike that’s been out for four years, albeit with some fresh paint and some minor tweaks here and there.

In a market segment where dyno graphs and high-tech gizmos rule the sales sheet, here’s to hoping that quality in adverts can make up for quantity on the dynamometer in the Land of Kangaroos. Check it out after the jump and let us know what you think.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Video: 2012 MV Agusta F4 RR Corsacorta – 198hp Superbike

By 8 Comments

Ducati isn’t the only Italian manufacturer coming out with a new motorcycle for 2012, as we get our first look at the 2012 MV Agusta F4 RR Corsacorta. Making 198hp (18hp over your standard F4), the new MV features a short-stroke “Corsacorta” motor. We can expect to see the 2012 MV Agusta F4 RR Corsacorta hit dealers this summer, with a price tag of somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000+.

MV Agusta is noticeably ramping up its product line offering now that it is back in the hands of the Castiglioni family. Also due out in 2012 is the all new MV Agusta F3, and its naked sibling the MV Agusta Brutale 675 B3. Expect an unveiling of those bikes at EICMA in November; and in the meantime, checkout the video of the new F4 in the video out after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Brammo Engage – Electric MX & Supermoto from Ashland

By 12 Comments

A part of Brammo’s announcement that it will be entering the electric dirt bike scene, the Brammo Engage is the cornerstone of the Ashland, Oregon company’s off-road line. Featuring the S.M.R.E. designed Integrated Electronic Transmission (IET), Brammo is not only getting into the dirt bike and supermoto scene with the Engage (going squarely after players like Zero and Quantya), but is raising the ante by offering a six-speed transmission specifically designed for electric motors.

Details and specifics are still coming together about the Brammo Engage, and even the photos given to the press are of pre-production machines that are based-off S.M.R.E. prototypes. However, early speculation is that the IET system will also feature regenerative braking, another first for the Oregonian company. Photos, video, and more after the jump.

Keep Reading
By