Romero was a master of many disciplines including AMA superbikes, but he earned his titles while competing in the AMA Dirt Track championships during the glory days of the 1960s and ’70s. He was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998, just 17 years after retiring from the sport that made him a household name among American race fans.
Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com
Unlike many other sets of electric heated motorcycle gloves, Macna Neutron wireless heated gloves don’t have to be plugged into a bulky power supply.
The waterproof gloves come with a discrete, wireless, rechargeable lithium battery in the cuff that lasts for four hours.
Keeping your hands warm and dry is not just a matter of comfort, but also safety. If you have cold hands, you can’t control the throttle and levers as well. The pain from the cold can also divert your attention from the road ahead.
Macna Neutron gloves are not cheap at $399.95, but they would be far more convenient to use than others that need to be plugged in.
These heated gloves have a three-setting regulator on the top side of the cuff.
Even when the heater is switched off, the Bemberg thermal lining should keep your hands warm while their Outdry system should keep them dry.
The Outdry water-impregnable membrane is laminated directly to the inside surface of the outer shell of the glove.
They say it is 100% waterproof because the membrane prevents the gloves from becoming waterlogged.
I’ve ridden with other waterproof gloves that don’t let your hands get wet, but the outer glove still absorbs water which makes your hands cold.
It also means you don’t have to hang your gloves over a heater overnight to dry them out for the next day’s ride.
Macna Neutron gloves are made from tough but flexible goat leather with a nylon upper cuff.
They come with R.I.S.C. carbon knuckle protection, EVA padded palms and TPR padded fingers.
They have a 30-degree closure strap and buckle with wrist and cuff straps, a visor wipe on the left index finger, an ergo-thumb design and “touch tip” in the fingers for operating smart screens without having to remove your gloves.
We’ve tried this touchscreen feature on other Macna gloves and it works ok, but not all the time.
Macna Neutron is available in black only from selected motorcycle retail outlets in sizes S to 4XL.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
Image: Supplied.
Tech 3 E-Racing’s Hector Garzo has finished day one of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup official Valencia test at the top of the timesheets thanks to his 1m41.743s time, with Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) and Niki Tuuli (Ajo MotoE) completing the top three.
Granado, who topped the first day of testing in Jerez, was just 0.060s off the top. A 1m42.136s puts EG 0,0 Marc VDS’ Mike Di Meglio in fourth on the opening day at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, but it wasn’t such a successful day for fellow Frenchman Randy de Puniet.
The LCR-E Team rider suffered a highside at turn 11 and will have an x-ray on Monday evening on his foot. Nevertheless, the MotoGP podium finisher intends to be back on the bike for days two and three.
Nico Terol (Openbank Angel Nieto Team) rounded out the top five, ahead of Trentino Gresini MotoE’s Matteo Ferrari, with Maria Herrera (Openbank Angel Nieto Team) slotting into seventh. Alex De Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE), Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Kenny Foray (Tech 3 E-Racing) completed the top 10.
Australian Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE) was 17th on the timesheets as he reacquainted himself with the electric-powered machine, while also being his first time out at Valencia. One rider not on track was Bradley Smith, who was on MotoGP test rider duty in Barcelona. Testing resumes on Tuesday, including a race simulation.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au
Riders concerned about road surfaces and maintenance may be interested in a test Sydney City Council is running with concrete made with recycled material.
Council has installed a short 30m test section consisting of 15m of traditional concrete and 15m of recycled “geopolymer” on Wyndham Street, Alexandria, a heavy use road to the airport.
The geopolymer material is made using industrial waste from coal-fired power stations and steel factories mixed with concrete.
Council seems more concerned about scoring greenie points with their recycling, but riders will be more interested in its traction and wear capabilities.
We asked council whether it had been tested for suitability for two-wheeled vehicles, given riders are the most concerned about road surfaces of any road user.
A City of Sydney spokesperson assured us the surface of geopolymer “is just like traditional concrete”.
While concrete usually has good traction in the dry, it can be slippery in the wet.
However, the spokesperson says the road pavement of the Wyndham St trial has been “broom finished”.
“This finish allows for small ridges in the pavement that increases traction, meaning bike riders’ braking and steering controls are not compromised,” she says.
Depending on how it is laid and the materials used, concrete is often considered longer lasting with better traction (at least in the dry), but also noisier and more expensive.
The latter is the main reason it is not used more extensively.
Use of recycled materials makes concrete a more attractive proposition.
However, concrete is also laid in slabs which can shift and create ridges between them that can destabilise a motorcycle.
In this case, the road is already made of slabs.
Nine sensors have been positioned under the surface to monitor and compare how the geopolymer material performs.
UNSW Sydney researchers will monitor the road performance for up to five years.
Professor Stephen Foster, Head of School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, describes the trial as “a huge step forward” but he is talking about the recycling component.
“This trial will help drive step change in the industry. Many concrete companies are already doing a lot to change, but this trial really gives it another push,” Professor Foster says.
“Research into geopolymer has been undertaken since the ‘90s, but it’s only now that it’s starting to be commercialised.
“While we’ll monitor the road performance for up to five years, a lot of the data collected in the first three to 12 months of this world-first trial will be used to confirm our models and strengthen our predictions.”
Geopolymer is made from fly ash and blast furnace slag and generates 300kg of CO2 per tonne of cement, compared with the 900kg from traditional cement production.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
While Maverick Vinales topped the Barcelona test, Aleix Espargaró – involved in an accident the previous day – was confirmed to have suffered a micro-fracture to the femur and an injury to the left tibia, with significant damage to the ligaments ruled out for the moment, meaning Aleix can begin recovery quickly. The situation with the knee will be assessed in the coming days in anticipation of the Assen race. Espargaró’s goal is to be back in the saddle as soon as possible.
“I’m relieved since the medical check-up showed a better situation than we had initially expected. In any case, I’m sorry to have missed this day of testing. My goal is to begin recovery as soon as possible and speed up my return to the saddle, compatibly with the feedback from the doctors. They told me that in a couple days I’ll be able to get back to cycling and I’m counting down the hours!”
Maverick Viñales meanwhile finished the official Barcelona Test at the top of the timesheets after setting a 1:38.967 at the end of the play, the Spaniard completing a whopping 98 laps to finish 0.047 faster than second place Franco Morbidelli, with Catalan GP race winner Marc Marquez third.
“I’m quite satisfied about the test, not because of the lap time, but because of the way we handled this test, because it was important to try many things. The whole team put in hard work and we changed many parts of the bike. To end at the top is important for us, also for the mechanics, who worked very hard today. But the most important thing is that my feeling on the bike was really good and let’s see if we can keep this momentum, which we had here in Barcelona, going at the next race in Assen. We changed the settings on the bike quite a lot because we think we found one area here that helped us for the race, and it seemed to work, so we will continue to work in that direction and get more confidence on the bike. The feedback on the new Michelin tyres is good. The grip from the tyres is good, so I was able to do really good laps, and I hope they will bring these tyres in the future, because for our bike that will help a lot. But for now we are in 2019 and we keep improving race by race.”
“Today we had the opportunity to work on aspects of the bike that we didn’t have the chance to look at during the race weekend. In particular, we tested different electronics set-ups. We took a step forward with engine braking, especially in the afternoon, so this has been a very positive point of this test. I’m also very happy with the results from the tyres we tested, and I think it is a step in the right direction. Today has been a positive day for us and we hope to be able to use everything we tried today at Assen – especially the electronics.”
Both Viñales and teammate Valentino Rossi weren’t testing anything big in Barcelona, with the team expecting to have some more parts at the Brno test.
“We tried some different things, especially with the electronics, traction control, and engine brake, to make some improvements. We also tried some mechanical things, some parts on the bike. Some things were good, others normal, but overall, we found something positive. We worked a bit with an eye on the future, also for next year and also for the next race, so we noticed a small difference already and I hope we can be faster. The Michelin tyres are fantastic! They did a good job, because they improved the grip in acceleration. You can open the throttle earlier and go faster, so the new tyres are better.”
Rossi headed out with the new exhaust and a finger operated rear brake to finish P14 on the timesheets, 1.001 from Viñales’ time, with Fabio Quartararo working on his starts and testing Michelin’s new tyre compounds – the Frenchman was 5th fastest.
“Today we tried out some changes to the electronics, some different settings for Assen and some new tyre compounds that have been brought here specially for the test. We haven’t put in many laps, since today I felt that my arm was very stiff after a weekend of riding. However, it was a positive day because we were able to work more thoroughly on the electronics, something that is always interesting to manage. In addition, I think we found something special on corner exit that can help us to prolong the life of the tyres at the end of the race. We hope to be able to put it into practice at the coming races.”
Marquez had three HRC bikes at his disposal for the test: one standard, one with a carbon covered frame and one that looks to be Takaaki Nakagami’s 2018 model. The number 93 completed 80 laps on Monday, but it wasn’t all so smooth.
“It has been a very good test and we were able to get a lot of information after trying a few different things for the future. We were looking at not only this year but also the future and what direction we need to take. We looked at both 2020 and also the second half of the season. We tried a new chassis and some new aerodynamics looking to try something for the future. Like always, there were some positives and also some negatives with everything. In the afternoon we made another step and we’ll see how we can use it in Assen.”
Marquez crashed at Turn 4, with teammate Jorge Lorenzo going down at Turn 9 – riders ok. In the LCR Honda garage, Nakagami got to try a 2019-spec RC213V, with Cal Crutchlow having some aerodynamic parts to test for HRC – Lorenzo also circulated with a new aero package.
“It was a very important test for us today, because we tested the 2019 Honda RC213V – actually one of my team-mate Cal’s. We only did three or four short outings in the afternoon, but HRC asked me to test it and it was positive. During the season, during races and practices I have seen the differences when fighting with the factory Hondas, and today I got chance to jump on it, which I enjoyed. It’s a good package and I’m really happy that HRC gave me the opportunity to test it, I’d like to thank them for that. The lap times were good with my 2018 bike as well as the 2019 machine, so that’s a positive too. The LCR Honda IDEMITSU team have done a great job. Having finished this test in a decent way, I’m really looking forward to Assen now as it’s a track I’ve had success at before. However, our target is still trying to put together the best package we can, and to show the best of our abilities. I like the layout in the Netherlands, and even if it is physically hard the straight isn’t too long and our bike handles well. The only concern will be the weather, but you can’t control this!”
“Overall we’re happy. We’ve been doing a lot of work today. We had a lot of small items to test, and we were evaluating the setting of the bike from the last race to the one yesterday because they were completely different set-ups. Again, I can do the same lap time on both settings, so we are none the wiser in that area. I felt good with the bike today, just as I did in the race yesterday. We’ve assessed some parts for Honda and had some good results. As always with testing, there have been positives and negatives, but that’s why we do it!”
“The crash affected my speed and my stamina a lot during the test, it was a very big crash at Turn 9 and I rolled a lot in the gravel. I was lucky not to break anything and I’ve had pain in my elbows, fingers and back all day but we needed to keep working. We worked more on the ergonomics and on some small chassis details, some things for the next races and some things for next year. I want to say thank you again to Honda for organising the trip to Japan we had and their rapid developments.”
Rins was testing an upgrade to Suzuki’s chassis, the same one that test rider Guintoli used throughout the weekend at the Catalan GP. After earning his best premier class finish on Sunday, Joan Mir wasn’t testing anything in particular, just different settings as he continues to adapt to life in MotoGP.
“Today I found that the modified chassis had a lot of positive points, but also there are some things about it that I would like to improve. There’s not a lot to change with it, but we will evaluate it further to try and get the best from it. I’ve done quite a lot of laps today and in general I think we can feel very positive about the way things are going.”
“I’m happy because I’ve improved my general pace and my fast lap pace. We’ve worked well all day, improving every area of the bike a little bit. We didn’t focus on any one thing really, more just my overall feeling with bike and building my experience up.”
Francesco Bagnaia was the leading Ducati rider on Monday in Barcelona, the reigning Moto2 World Champion finishing 6th quickest. Bagnaia did crash at Turn 13, rider ok, with teammate Jack Miller testing a new ‘salad box’ on his GP19 – the Australian completed 60 laps and finished P9.
In the factory Ducati garage, Andrea Dovizioso was on track with a carbon reinforced chassis, similar to that of the GP18. Dovi was 12th, with teammate Danilo Petrucci 0.008 faster in 11th.
“I’m satisfied with how this test went. We tried several upgrades in terms of chassis, electronics and aerodynamics, finding some solutions that gave me better sensations on the bike. In particular, we improved the feeling with the front and mid-corner turning. The track may have been a bit quicker compared to yesterday, but we were fast with used tyres, which is never something to take for granted. We’ll utilize some of these upgrades starting from next round at Assen, where we’ll resume from this base to keep the positive momentum.”
“It’s been a positive test, in which we focused on several areas. We tried some new tyres brought by Michelin ahead of the next races, and a chassis upgrade that gave us a good feeling especially in corner entry, even though we’ll be able to gauge its true advantages only during a race. Yesterday didn’t go as planned, but it’s important to keep working hard to understand where we have more room for improvement and to further increase our competitiveness. Starting from Assen, we’ll try to use these upgrades to our advantage.”
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing had three riders at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with MotoGP Legend Dani Pedrosa joining Pol Espargaro and Johann Zarco. Pedrosa was testing what looked like a new tail unit, with Zarco finishing as the fastest KTM in P15. Espargaro crashed at Turn 2, rider ok.
“I got a new chassis and a different seat to try and improve. It is not an easy job because when I change things I feel better but it is not immediately visible so I need to push myself to get the faster lap-time and use the parts. I improved today compared to my qualifying time on Saturday so I am quite happy. Everyone was very fast today and it was pretty tough but we must keep working hard. I’m quite satisfied.”
“We tried a lot of chassis parts and also electronics because we had problems at the weekend through Turns 12 and 13. I had a small crash and could not make a faster time. We’ll have to see in the races to come if we have found some more improvements but we did some work on the aerodynamics and other aspects such as the change of direction with the bike. I’m happy. The bike we finished the race with here we will use in Holland because we have a good package and it will be interesting to see what we have now works in cooler conditions.”
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini were one rider short after Aleix Espargaro’s crash on Sunday in Barcelona. Teammate Andrea Iannone was seen trying a carbon swingarm, with the Italian and test rider Bradley Smith completing a combined 164 valuable laps for Aprilia.
Reale Avinita Racing’s Karel Abraham had to jump off his Ducati after it caught fire at Turn 4 – rider ok.
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira and Hafizh Syahrin were also back at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with premier class rookie Oliveira doing 61 laps in total with a fastest time of 1:40.862 minutes. Syahrin clocked a 1:41.162 after doing 52 laps in the Catalan sunshine.
“Today has been a very productive day. We confirmed some parts that we already tried in the past, but because it was in race condition, we couldn’t really validate, what we tested and we did some tyre tests for Michelin and finally we also tried some different setups suggested by KTM.”
“This has been a truly good test. I was able to improve my riding a bit, but we had to start a bit later with a mechanical problem on the bike. Everybody already set a time in the morning, therefore, we were not concentrating on doing a fast lap anymore. I didn’t use many new tyre, but a new one from Michelin, which was really good and even better than the one we chose in the race. I was able to do very consistent laps. I know, they are still far off, but with the race condition from yesterday, it would have been very good. Overall, this test has been positive. We also tried some things with the electronic, which was a bit better, but also the same at some places. We need to keep working hard and try to be better in Assen next time out. I’m happy with this test.”
Source: MCNews.com.au
With the carrier released, use a hook spanner to rotate the carrier to tighten or loosen the chain as needed. As always, check your service or owner’s manual for the correct measurement for your motorcycle. Once you’ve got it in the correct position, tighten the pinch bolts according to the specs in your manual.
Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com
Image: Supplied.
A career-first race win and overall podium at High Point’s fourth round of Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship has fuelled Hunter Lawrence’s desire to earn a maiden overall victory.
The youthful Australian put on a stellar display of riding during Saturday’s event, making a number of passes while storming to victory in the opening encounter.
He returned for race two with eyes on the number one spot once again, although a lacklustre start saw him forced to work his way through the front of the field, mustering up a P3 finish for runner-up honours.
“I was pumped on that, had an awesome start and made two passes in the same spot to get the lead,” Lawrence commented. “I was smiling, but the last three laps were so hard, everything and anything runs through your mind. I think it’s unhuman if you don’t—it’s the first time, I’m so stoked, you think of the team, you think of everything.
“I spent maybe three seconds a lap thinking about all of that stuff, but then you have to focus back on the job. Second moto, believe me, I was wanting to win it, but the start wasn’t as stellar as the first one, and I took too long to get around Colt [Nichols]. Would have loved to have won the overall, but the moto win is a huge step for me so I’ll take it.”
The Geico Honda contender is now ranked seventh in the championship standings after previously holding down ninth. Pro Motocross returns this weekend at WW Ranch Motocross Park in Florida.
Source: MotoOnline.com.au
Image: Supplied.
After a dramatic Catalan grand, it was time for more laps on Monday as the premier MotoGP class got back on track for a one-day official Test.
On the more general agenda, MotoGP tyre supplier Michelin brought four different rear tyres to test, added to those which were in the allocation for the race weekend. Three of them are being evaluated for use in 2020, and the other is being tested ahead of possible use at the Red Bull Ring and Buriram.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP were testing electronics to improve engine braking and want to improve the smoothness of power delivery. The fastest man of the day with a lap much quicker than pole position, Maverick Vinales did a staggering 98 laps with a final lap-time of 1m38.967s, the lap with which he topped the timesheets.
Teammate Valentino Rossi was testing a new exhaust and a new finger-operated rear brake, putting in a best of 1m39.968s after 71 laps. Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli ended the day in P2, just 0.047 sbehind Vinales and another who improved late in the day, on lap 76 of 78.
First time podium finisher and teammate Fabio Quartararo headed out later in the day to aid his recovery from arm pump surgery, but he put in 56 laps and did a best of 1m39.428s. He practiced some starts and also focused on working with the tyres.
At Repsol Honda, reigning champion Marc Marquez had three different bikes in the garage, and there was also a new swingarm attachment spotted. Marquez did 80 laps and his best was a 1m39.257s after 80 laps, but the Catalan GP winner also had a crash in the early afternoon at turn four.
Teammate Jorge Lorenzo was another who crashed, this time in the morning, and the five-time world champion went down at turn nine. His best lap was a 1m40.35s7 and he did 65 laps, ending the day in P17. Lorenzo was seen with a new black front fairing to test.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) had those aero parts from HRC to test, the same as seen on Lorenzo’s machine, and both he and teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) were working on race set-up. Crutchlow was P10 after 73 laps, Nakagami P7 after 59 – and the Japanese rider also tried the 2019 bike. HRC test rider Stefan Bradl was also out on track, doing 84 laps.
Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins led the way at midday, and he was P4 by the end of play. He was testing an upgrade to Suzuki’s chassis, the same one that test rider Sylvain Guintoli used throughout the weekend at the Catalan GP. The Spaniard did 75 laps and rookie teammate Joan Mir did 67.
After his best MotoGP finish yet on Sunday Mir was back out on track to continue his adaptation to the premier class and he did a fastest lap of 1m39.670s, improving later in the day. Guintoli was also at the test and did 69 laps.
At Mission Winnow Ducati, meanwhile, a carbon reinforced chassis was spotted. Andrea Dovizioso did 63 laps with a best of 1m39.917s to take P12, with teammate Danilo Petrucci doing 57 laps. The Mugello winner was 0.008s quicker than his teammate at the test to end the day in 11th.
Pramac Racing had rookie Francesco Bagnaia up in sixth overall as he did 54 laps, the best of which was a 1m39.466s set before a crash at Turn 13 next time around, rider ok. He tested the tyres and worked on improving setup.
Teammate Jack Miller ended the day in P9 after 60 laps, and he had a new unit at the rear of the bike and worked with the new tyres. Tito Rabat (Real Avintia Racing) was first out on track and was P13 after 75 laps, and teammate Karel Abraham did 35 laps – with the Czech rider suffering a crash and the bike coming off pretty worse for wear.
KTM certainly had something high profile and pretty new on track – test rider Dani Pedrosa. The Spaniard appeared for the first time at an official test and did 51 laps as he worked through his program. Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) tested a new chassis and put in 70 laps, moving up the timesheets late in the day to depose teammate Pol Espargaro from P15 by just 0.004s, with Espargaro putting 57 laps despite a crash.
Portuguese rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) did 61 laps and ended the day just behind Iannone, with teammate Hafizh Syahrin putting in 52 as both continue adapting to the KTM MotoGP machine.
Finally, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini were represented by Andrea Iannone and test rider Bradley Smith, with the Noale factory working on the engine and with some small items to test in a host of different areas. Iannone was working more on short terms solutions and did 76 laps with a best of 1m40.606s, with Smith focused more on the long term.
He did 88 laps and was just half a tenth quicker than Iannone. Aleix Espargaro is sidelined after the crash near the start of the Catalan GP race.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au
Indian Motorcycle has announced the FTR 1200 Artist Series, a limited-edition selection of five tank covers designed by five cutting-edge, urban artists. They will be available from select dealers around the country starting July 2019.
The artists in this series include Steve Caballero, Adam Turman, RISK, D*Face, and ThankYouX.
Caballero is a skateboarding pioneer, but he’s also a dedicated rider and customizer. He even manages to create a lot of art, much of it inspired by hot-rod culture. That’s the source of inspiration for “Cab Dragon,” the design he contributes to the Artist Series.
Turman got his start in Minneapolis, doing posters for local bands. He gained notoriety for large murals and installations across the Midwest, drawing his inspiration from comics and heavy metal art. These sources of inspiration are clearly evident in the grim reaper and phoenix he created for his contribution to the Artist Series, “Rising from the Ashes.”
RISK is a graffiti-style originator from Southern California. He stands as one of the first artists to use billboards, freight trains, and overpasses in the area as canvasses for his work. He was a founding member of the West Coast Artists graffiti crew but has since moved his work into more traditional realms, with showings in galleries and museums all over the world. “A New Day” pays homage to his street art roots.
Getting his start creating stickers and posters that went up all over London, D*Face has since become a leading figure in contemporary street art. He takes inspiration from skateboarding culture, early graffiti culture, and pop art among other sources. “The Devil Within” is his contribution to the Artist Series.
ThankYouX is another innovative street artist, who started his journey spray-painting stencils around Los Angeles to pay respect to Andy Warhol. He’s since gone on to become a notorious figure in modern abstract design, and his approach to street art has gained him recognition from art collectors and dealers around the world. He imparts that abstract aesthetic in his Artist Series cover, “Meant to Tell You.”
Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com
Finalizado el Test en Montmeló con buen sabor de boca! Gracias equipo por todo el trabajo! ✊🏼
Test day done with good feelings! Thanks team for all your work!
#MM93
Source: Marc Márquez on Facebook
