The vast majority of Triumphs, we’re told, are already made in its three factories in Thailand. Now, production of Speed Triples and Tiger 1200s will be also moving from the UK plant. Of the 65,000 bikes Triumph expects to build this year, some 6-7,000 will be built in Hinckley, while between 52 and 53,000 will be made in Thailand. (Another 5,500 are put together from kits in Brazil.) Business is booming in Asia, and Triumph wants to double its Asian sales within the next three years.
All the details are here, in this post at Leicestershirelive.
Ahead of the opening night at the Losail International Circuit, it seems Yamaha and Suzuki have an edge on the rest. The only non-Yamaha or Suzuki in the top six was Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller, but this could all change once we get to race day. Despite a difficult preseason, it seems Honda found something on Day 3 in Qatar to combat their troubles – we can never discount eight-time Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Crutchlow – while Ducati looked strong on their race simulation runs. KTM and Aprilia will also be fighting up the sharp end having put together great packages, so could we really have a six factory fight on our hands for race wins and podiums from the get-go?
Earlier this month Harley-Davidson announced two mid-year additions to its 2020 lineup — the CVO Road Glide and Fat Boy 30th Anniversary. Now they’ll be joined by a third new model, the Softail Standard.
Like the stripped-down Electra Glide Standard introduced for 2019, the Softail Standard was designed to deliver an essential, no-frills cruiser experience. With a lean bobber profile, a Softail chassis and a Milwaukee-Eight V-twin, the Softail Standard is a back-to-basics Big Twin.
2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard
Offered only in Vivid Black, it has a solo seat that exposes
the chopped rear fender and a smooth, 3.5-gallon fuel tank that shows off the
frame and engine. The all-black Milwaukee-Eight 107 V-twin engine is
highlighted with polished rocker, primary and timer covers and a center-bolt,
round air cleaner. With chrome shields and mufflers, the 2-into-2 offset
shotgun exhaust enhances the Softail Standard’s long, low profile.
Classic laced wheels (19-inch front, 16-inch rear) with
steel rims are finished in brilliant chrome, and the front end features
clear-coated fork sliders, polished triple-clamps, polished top clamp and
riser, and chromed headlamp bezel and turn signals. A mini-ape handlebar adds a
touch of attitude.
2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard
With the look of a classic hardtail frame, the Softail swingarm is stout for dynamic handling and the rear coil-over shock is hidden under the seat. Removing the seat allows access to the shock for easy preload adjustments. The Softail Standard has a Showa dual bending valve fork, front and rear disc brakes, and standard ABS.
Priced at $13,599, the 2020 Softail Standard is affordable and provides a solid foundation for customization. Harley-Davidson has created four Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories packages for the Softail Standard model, and they’re offered at a discounted price when ordered as a package (price does not include labor for installation by an authorized Harley-Davidson dealer):
Day Tripper Custom Package ($1,409.95): Combine classic bobber style with next-level versatility by adding a pillion and a 21-inch detachable sissy bar with pad so a passenger can come along for the ride. This package also includes passenger footpegs and mounts, forward foot controls, and a black leather Single-Sided Swingarm Bag designed to hold essentials.
Coastal Custom Package ($1,599.95): Capture the elements of the performance-oriented, West Coast style. Components include a Softail Quarter Fairing, black anodized aluminum Moto Bar handlebar and matching 5.5-inch tall riser, a Bevel two-up seat and passenger footpegs, and BMX-style foot pegs from the rugged 80GRIT Collection.
Touring Custom Package ($1,699.95): This package outfits the Softail Standard model for the long haul, with a comfortable Sundowner two-up seat and passenger footpegs, a 14-inch-high light smoke quick-release windshield, classic black Detachables saddlebags, and a 14.5-inch detachable sissy bar and backrest pad.
Performance Custom Package ($1,299.95): Amplify throttle response and mid-range acceleration with a Screamin’ Eagle Stage II Torque kit for the Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine and a Screamin’ Eagle Pro Street Tuner to dial it in. Complete the package with a free-flowing Screamin’ Eagle Heavy Breather Performance Air Cleaner and Screamin’ Eagle Street Cannon mufflers for a deep-bass exhaust note. It’s a 50-state street legal, factory-engineered performance upgrade that retains the original equipment factory warranty when installed by an authorized Harley-Davidson dealer.
Overall it was a great test for Yamaha, but there will be slight worry that Quartararo suffered technical failures on both Sunday and Monday, in addition to Valentino Rossi’s (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) Turn 2 crash on Day 3. The Doctor was uninjured and ventured back out during the last hour of the test, with teammate Viñales completing the most laps of anyone on the final day – 84 for the number 12. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director Massimo Meregalli was pleased with the progress made with improved grip and on acceleration, saying the 2020 package “is very competitive” – good news for Yamaha fans. Rossi finished 0.474 off his teammate’s time, placing the nine-time World Champion in P12. Overall Rossi was happy, the feeling with the bike is good and he “isn’t far” but he needs to work more with the tyre.
That’s the conclusion Newsweek and Statista came to when they joined forces to rank the top 1000 online shops in the USA, “across eight industries and 39 categories.” Who are we to question?
Viking Bags Press Release:
Brea, California: Newsweek is one of the leading newspapers in the nation. Operating for 80 years, the company recently conducted a ranking of leading online shops in the USA together with Statista. Viking Bags was ranked as one of the best online shops in America. The company is especially famous for its saddlebags.
Online shopping has seen a very significant upsurge in today’s global market trends. Statista is one of the leading global research firms worldwide and speculates that global spending for online shopping will reach a huge sum of $5 trillion by 2021. Not so long ago, online shopping was viewed as a hoax and scam-like activity. However, with the recent advancements in secure payments and quality e-commerce stores, customers now trust this facility. Newsweek and Statista joined forces to rank the top 1000 online shops in the USA. This was done across eight industries and 39 categories. The research was highly in-depth and thousands of websites were a part of this study. Viking Bags has been ranked in the “Car, Motorcycle and Boats” category with a very good rating of 7.64 points out of 10. This rating is based upon a ranking system of 48 objective and subjective criteria. Websites who were able to pass the initial screening were tested by analysts further. This was done based on a 41 objective criteria divided into 6 dimensions. Structure and usability, trust and security, service and communication, payment, purchase and delivery, and technical performance formed the 6 dimensions. After this, the websites were shared with a panel of more than 8000 American online shoppers. They assessed the appearance of online websites. Finally, the websites were ranked on a score out of 10.
Viking Bags enjoys expertise in producing high-quality and weather-resistant leather saddlebags for more than a decade. Furthermore, we have warehouses in Los Angeles and California. This allows us to deliver the bags in just two (2) days. Viking bags is regarded very highly in motorcycle communities across the USA as a manufacturer of saddlebags for Honda, Harley-Davidson, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Victory, Indian, Hyosung, and Triumph, etc. Besides saddlebags, the company also manufactures sissy bar, chopper, solo, tank, windshield, swing arm, fork, roll, and handlebar bags, and luggage solutions, etc.
The company aims to enhance the quality of its products every day. With key investments in R&D, compliance with international standards, and an understanding of current and upcoming motorcycle trends, the company keeps getting better.
On the back of its stunning success in 2019, the MotoGP™ eSport Championship is back and better than ever for the new season with an expanded format, four-round Global Series and a chance for gamers to become part of the MotoGP™ experience all reasons to stay tuned. Once the Pro Draft is completed, the 22 fastest gamers from the three Online Challenges will be entered into the Pro Draft Selection. So what is this and how does it work? Here we address some FAQ on the new format.
On the final 2020 preseason test day, World Champion Marc Marquez has three RC213Vs in his side of the garage, on of them being Takaaki Nakagami’s (LCR Honda Idemitsu) 2019 machine, as HRC try to make headway before the season opener in a couple of weeks’ time. Elsewhere, Petrucci has two different fairings on his GP20s, a 2019 version and a 2020 version.
One of the great attributes of ADV bikes is their relatively tall centers of gravity, which makes it easy to flick them from side to side. True to the breed, the V-Strom is athletic and nimble, its somewhat corpulent 545 curb weight disguised by easy manners and neutral handling. Coupled with its narrow-ish seat, upright ergos, and wide aluminum handlebar, the V-Strom immediately reinforces why these gangly-looking ADV bikes are so lovable. The Spanish teenagers on their GSX-Rs and CBRs may have looked the MotoGP part—what with their one-piece leathers and Euro-femme haircuts—but there’s no way they weren’t just the least bit flustered craning their necks and squinting around blind corners. The only cyclist that appeared to be having a more relaxed go of it on these twisty roads was the requisite Spanish farmer on a scooter. But he and his kind were going very, very slowly, making do with poor jetting and low horsepower, and feeling the lingering lethargy of one too many breakfast Riojas, it’s easy to imagine.
2019 ASBK Champion Mike Jones kicks off title defence
Defending Australian Superbike Champion, Mike Jones, is feeling confident and ready to fire for this weekend’s first round of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
The Queenslander aboard his DesmoSport Ducati V4R, believes he has struck the right combination following a successful test last month at Phillip Island and is ready to defend his championship title.
Mike Jones
“After the test I feel really confident heading into the race weekend. We were able to have good pace at the test, and now for me I’m preparing myself mentally to be able to come out on the race weekend and be firing straight away. I know everyone is amped up for the first round and ready to go.”
Mike Jones – TBG Image
It is the overall package of the new Ducati that has Mike excited.
“It feels like a completely different bike, but it’s probably been the most rider friendly bike I’ve ever ridden so that was a real positive, and it’s just been finding the right settings.”
Despite being “very happy” with the pace of the bike at the Official ASBK Test last month, Mike admits to keeping an eye on what Wayne Maxwell – also on the same model machine and who broke the Superbike lap record at the test – is doing.
“He did reel off a few quick laps, but as we saw last year it is not the be all and end all. Race pace is the most important thing and I feel like we got that at the test and something we are quite strong with.”
Mike Jones – TBG Image
Mike feels his biggest competition this year could come from 2018 ASBK Champion, Penrite Honda’s Troy Herfoss, who he battled for the championship win in the last race at Sydney Motosport Park in 2019.
“I believe it is going to be Troy Herfoss again, purely because of who he is as a person, and the drive and motivation that he has got. In my opinion that is what you need to be able to win, he’s going to be the strongest guy through the year again.”
It’s not only Australian superbike riders who want to upset the champ this weekend, but 4-time American Superbike Champion, Josh Hayes, will also be aiming to cause a few upsets when he joins the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship at the Island, which Mike thinks is fantastic for the championship.
Mike Jones – Image by Rob Mott
“I think it’s really exciting for ASBK for someone of his calibre wanting to race with us at Phillip island and I think it’s the perfect place for him to come and do it. All the riders are eager and keen to go racing so it should make for a really competitive first round and having Josh in the field will be really cool just to have another gauge of where the ASBK is. “I personally feel it (ASBK) is at a really high level.
“Having the first round of ASBK alongside WorldSBK is important because the motorbikes are based on the same type of production bikes. It’s a real asset for the riders and fans to see the world level and domestic level guys go racing on the same weekend.”
The 2019 ASBK Champion wants a big crowd at the Island this weekend.
“We all share the same passion and it brings everyone together, come down and watch. It will be a weekend of a lifetime with World Superbikes and ASBK on the same weekend with incredible action from both championships. But I know particularly here in Oz, the racing is fierce and it’s going to be close, so come and have some fun and get involved.”
Ben Henry prepping the DesmoSport Ducati for Mike Jones at Phillip Island
Razgatlioglu tops the timesheets on day one of Phillip WorldSBK test
Section: Competition
Rookie Locatelli fastest in the WorldSSP category.
Image: Russell Colvin.
It was Pata Yamaha newcomer Toprak Razgatlioglu who topped the timesheets on the opening day of the Phillip Island Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) test, edging out Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK) and Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha).
Razgatlioglu set a blistering lap of 1m30.740s to surge to the top of the times, while Sykes and Baz set times 1m30.762s and 1m30.777s respectively.
Five-time defending champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) was fourth with a time of 1m30.996s, while the top five was completed by Leon Haslam (Team HRC) with a 1m30.996s lap.
Sixth went to WorldSBK rookie Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), followed by Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha), Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK), Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Regular front-runner Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) was 15th.
In WorldSSP, rookie Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) set the pace with a lap of 1ms33.336s, edging out reigning champion Randy Krummenacher (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), whose fastest time was 1m33.638s.
Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was third with a time of 1m33.671s, while the top five was rounded out by Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Australian wildcard Oli Bayliss (Cube Racing) was 16th fastest with a time of 1m35.918s.
Bringing you the Best Motorcycle News from Around the Web!
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
