Fan-favourite Wilson boosts AUS-X Open Melbourne line-up
Section: Competition
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider invited to Marvel Stadium event.
Image: Supplied.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Dean Wilson will boost an extensive international line-up for the 2019 Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne, set to be staged at Marvel Stadium on 30 November.
A crowd favourite, Wilson has starred in the prestigious event on two occasions, securing victory on debut during the opening night of racing in 2017.
The AUS-X Open, which will mark the final round of the Australian Supercross Championship and S-X Open International FIM Oceania Supercross Championship, will visit the 53,000-plus capacity Marvel Stadium venue for the very first time.
The line-up of AMA regulars currently includes Chad Reed (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing), Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing), Joey Savatgy (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Justin Brayton (Penrite Honda Racing), while the Greatest of all Time Ricky Carmichael (Suzuki) will also make an appearance.
Tickets for the event will be available exclusively through Ticketmaster.com.au, starting from $39.95 and are expected to sell out fast.
Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista admits he was over confident throughout his last two appearances, resulting in a number of mistakes that saw his significant points lead slashed to just 16 in the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK).
The Spaniard, who went undefeated in the first four rounds aboard the all-new Panigale V4 R, has continued to win and score podiums, however a string of crashes have unravelled what was once a healthy advantage in the rankings.
“I have to learn from my mistakes of the last two rounds, because I think I was a bit over confident – now we just have to concentrate on the next round,” Bautista commented. “Donington Park is a track that I know quite well, but I’ve only raced there on smaller category bikes and never in MotoGP.
“The next two rounds at Donington, and immediately after at Laguna Seca, should be a bit different and interesting for us because they take place on two tracks where we don’t have any data with the Panigale V4 R. In any case our performance is quite high, so we’ll see if we can achieve the same level reached so far this season.”
The WorldSBK heads to Donington Park in Great Britain this weekend for round eight of the championship.
Motorcycle Test by Trevor Hedge Images by iKap & Moto Guzzi
Moto Guzzi’s all-new V85TT is a welcome new offering in the mid-capacity adventure-touring segment and one that spurned a lot of interest on social media when we first highlighted the pending arrival of the machine on MCNews.com.au.
Moto Guzzi V85 TT
Guzzi’s most recent long running adventure bike model, the Stelvio, was an all-roads touring bike. The Stelvio was not built for serious dirt tracks with rock strewn climbs, but instead for mega mile-munching, with few stops required thanks to its 32-litre tank. However, it was competent enough to take on reasonably well formed trails, and in NTX guise scored spoke rims and engine guards. It was powered by a very charismatic, but moderately powerful, 1151cc V-Twin that in its final 8V incarnation mustered 104 horsepower and 113 Nm of torque. It was comfortable and enjoyable, but at over 270kg it was not the best tool in the shed for negotiating tricky side-tracks in the hands of moderately talented riders.
Moto Guzzi Stelvio NTX from 2011
Still, the Stelvio had its fans, and I must admit that I too had somewhat of a soft spot for the latter generation NTX as pictured above. That big 90-degree air-cooled transverse V-Twin stirred the soul perhaps even more than a BMW Boxer. However when in the market myself around the time the Stelvio NTX was released, it was the fizzing ADHD kid that was KTM’s 990 Adventure R that actually got my money.
Moto Guzzi V85 TT
Anyways, enough of a history lesson, and reflections on my bike buying habits, lets get on to the eagerly anticipated new kid on the adventure block from Moto Guzzi, the V85 TT.
Moto Guzzi V85 TT – KYB supply the suspension
Produced in the beautiful northern Italian town of Mandello Del Lario, a fact proudly highlighted on the instrumentation of the V85 TT. The Moto Guzzi factory overlooks the glamorous Lake Como. Guzzi have been producing their machines in those glorious surroundings since 1921. Like most Italian companies the ownership of the brand has changed from time to time, and for the past 15 years Guzzi has benefitted from being under the stewardship of the Piaggio Group. Brands such as Aprilia also under Piaggio’s purview and in recent years Moto Guzzi has benefitted greatly from the tie-up via a great injection of technology from their cousins over at Noale.
A useful USB port is tucked away beside the instrumentation. Win! The instrumentation automatically adjusts its brightness to suit the ambient lighting conditions and changes colour completely when things turns proper dark.
The new V85 TT even boasts the same Marelli 7SM ECU smarts as the 200+ horsepower Aprilia RSV4 sportsbike, along with traction control and ABS systems all linked to the fly-by-wire throttle. Importantly though, it is still very much a Guzzi.
Guzzis are different, and the V85 TT is very much different to other options in the adventure-touring marketplace. This is perhaps is its most endearing character trait. Particularly in the technicolour dream-coat yellow-white-red-black colour scheme that Guzzi dub ‘Evocative’.
Moto Guzzi claims the V85 TT tips the scales at 208 kg dry.
Some cruel bastards have dubbed the V85 TT in this colour scheme ‘Ronald McDonald’s bike’. Well I don’t like McDonalds (the burgers are better at Hungry Jack’s), but I do find the V85 TT quite tasty to my colour palette.
Moto Guzzi V85 TT
The quality of the paint finish on the steel trellis frame appears to be fantastic and this extends from the headlight and instrumentation supporting bracketry up front, to the rear grab-rails and luggage rack. It appears deep and lustrous enough to survive the tests of time, and I certainly hope it does.
Moto Guzzi V85 TT
The 853cc V-Twin is a stressed member that helps form the pelvis of the spine frame while the swing-arm pivots directly off the gearbox before terminating in a shaft final-drive. The ‘jacking’ from the torque reaction as drive is transferred to the shaft has long been relegated to a more dark past of motorcycling history by all brands and the Guzzi exhibits no negative handling traits from its shaft-drive system.
Ground clearance is 210 mm.
However I do find the V85 TT taller geared than I would prefer. And obviously with shaft drive you are stuck with that gearing as shortening the final drive ratio is not quite as simple as adding a few teeth to a rear sprocket or dropping a tooth off the front.
Trev describes his riding style as ‘how to do everything completely technically wrong, but somehow still make it to the other end in one piece’. Pretty it’s not, but he has been attending motorcycle launches for two decades and has, as yet, never crashed on one!
Cruising at 100 km/h in sixth gear sees the lightest spinning crank I have ever felt in a Guzzi turning only 3750 rpm. It will pull 70 km/h in first and that means tight and tricky going will need plenty of left hand work to slip that dry clutch. Although it must be said smooth mapping, a reluctance to stall, and a very light pull on that adjustable clutch lever through a nice smooth engagement doesn’t make this too great a chore. It was not all that long ago that BMW Boxers also ran a dry clutch and the smell of clutch in the air at times brought those memories flooding back. That’s not necessarily a negative, BMW ended up getting them right and I have never known Guzzis to have weak clutches, but it is a point worth noting for those that are not accustomed to motorcycles that use a clutch system more akin to a car, instead of the regular wet multi-plate clutch system used in most motorcycles.
Road mode provides the most eager throttle response but it still far from sharp. In Rain mode the engine response is dramatically dumbed down while the ABS and traction control systems are put on high alert for the earliest possible intervention.
The transverse engine pulls quite willingly past 8000 rpm but I found myself often forgetting that 80 horsepower top end was there. The long legged gearing made revving the Guzzi that hard almost a conscious decision. Most of the time I was loping around below 5000 rpm and thinking gee this engine doesn’t really pull all that hard. Only to then force things past that marker to find an engine that actually surprises a little in the top end.
Twin 320 mm floating stainless rotors are clamped by four-piston radial-mount Brembo calipers
The official claims from Moto Guzzi quote 80 horsepower at 7750 rpm and 80 Nm of torque at 5000 rpm. The torque curve does not feel, to the seat of my DriRider pants, quite as broad as their (supplied) dyno chart suggests, but to be fair the engines were hardly broken in and traditionally Guzzi engines do take some time to loosen up and give their best.
Engine features a high-capacity (430 watt) alternator. Marelli supplies the single 52mm ride-by-wire throttle body and 7SM ECU
It is not as willing as the latest BMW F 850 GS, but is not too far off the outgoing F 800 GS engine. But with a more endearing character than the fluffy BMW 800 parallel twin ever mustered before it got its new crank phasing for the latest 850 generation of the model that finally gave the BMW twin some bark.
Guzzi have lightened the crank compared to the ‘V9’ street-bike models that also utilise this new engine platform along with lighter forged pistons that Guzzi claim contribute to 30 per cent lower reciprocating mass.
That would normally be a good thing but to my mind what makes a Guzzi, a ‘Guzzi’, is a bloody heavy crank that makes you really feel those pistons pumping away mightily out each side of the bike.
Riding modes include Road, Rain and Off-Road. The Off-Road setting automatically switches ABS off on the rear brake while adding a little more engine braking and opening the traction control algorithms up a little to allow a bit more slip. The front ABS can also be switched off via a menu.
Granted, these 84mm slugs are a fair bit smaller than the 95mm pistons used in the outgoing 1200 Guzzi models. The move to more free spinning internals of course has benefits in regards to how quick the engine revs (even if that nature is somewhat hobbled by moonshot gearing), it also makes this Guzzi lose a little of its potential charm. Still, the engineering principles are sound and I would expect this push-rod engine, complete with roller cam followers, titanium inlet valves, virtual dry sump and a single 52mm throttle body will provide a long and trouble free service life. Thanks to its relatively simplistic lay-out I would also expect and hope that servicing the Guzzi will be an easy affair.
A deeply finned sump serves as an oil cooler and Guzzi claims the new engine is thermally efficient enough to not require an oil-heat exchanger or radiator. Thus this new engine is a rare bird indeed as we march forlornly towards Euro5 emission regulations. As the launch was conducted in single-digit temperatures we can’t tell you if the engine transmits too much heat to the rider. The rocker covers seemingly have some sort of second skin that prevented them from getting hot enough to warm my gloves during snow photo stops!
As a stressed member the engine forms a structural element of the chassis
No doubt it is that clever Marelli ECU that enables Moto Guzzi to meet all looming emissions standards without the requirement for liquid cooling and that alone deserves some major kudos. There might be hope for the DR650 yet!
The pre-muffler and catalytic convertor set-up on the V85 TT is a monstrosity of epic proportions. Thankfully it is largely hidden but as it is so large, it is a wonder that they also required such a large muffler. The rear disc rotor measures 260 mm in diameter while Brembo supplies the two-piston caliper
It is also electronic smarts that a few years ago helped Guzzi rid themselves of a not so welcome trait that they were infamous for. Massive levels of engine braking that mandated any down-shifts to be done slowly, deliberately and a long way before any approaching corner, if not to enter said corners sideways in a compression lock-up, have long been tamed by the move to ride-by-wire throttle some years ago. The V85 TT does not require a learned Guzzi specific riding technique in any way and is user friendly from the word go.
Moto Guzzi V85 TT
The riding position feels quite natural in most ways except for the bars being exceptionally wide. The seat is beautifully finished and accommodated my ample buns quite nicely. At 830 mm the seat is also quite low while the pegs were at a good height and the vision ahead clear. The screen works well enough without being obtrusive and there is a larger screen on offer from the accessories catalogue if one so desires.
Mirrors are perhaps the best I have ever used. Cruise control is standard. Heated grips are not.
One positive from the ultra wide bars is that the mirrors are absolutely outstanding with a great field of rearward vision and zero vibrations at any speed. The pegs are rubber topped to help quell any vibes to your feet on long hauls and the rubber tops are removed by a single 10mm bolt when it is time to head off-road in wet conditions. And wet and cold conditions we certainly had!
Moto Guzzi V85 TT
Unfortunately this made testing the suspension almost impossible. The near freezing conditions meant that corners could not be attacked with any sort of vigour that would really put the suspension to the test. What I can say though is that over corrugation ripples off-road there was no sense of jack-hammering from the rear end, a trait all too common when you combine shaft drive with a shock not up to the job. The bike steered well, held a chosen line and showed no problematic characteristics, but we didn’t get the conditions required to really put the suspenders through the wringer.
The ABS is a dual-channel unit supplied by Continental
The rear suspension is also a little different than most with the shock off-set to the right and working directly on the swing-arm, negating the need for a bottom linkage. Yes, somewhat like the PDS system on a KTM, but in this case the shock is mounted to one side and attached to a fairly rearward point on the drive-shaft, which also doubles as the RHS of the swing-arm.
Shaft drive means no chain maintenance. It isn’t the sturdiest looking shaft drive housing I have seen but hopefully it proves up to the job long term. Swing-arm pivots directly off the gearbox
KYB supply both the shock and the forks that offer 170 mm of travel at each end. Preload and rebound damping is adjustable at both ends. Ground clearance is 210 mm.
A reasonably sturdy bash-plate is standard on the V85 TT
Outright braking power was also hard to judge in the conditions we experienced but they did prove progressive and predictable in what were some seriously sketchy conditions.
Rolling on a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear the Tri-colour variants of the V85TT ride on Michelin Anakee rubber while the solid colour models are shod with Metzeler Tourance Next. The rims are spoked but require tubes thus there is no tyre-pressure monitoring system available to add to what otherwise is a very comprehensive cockpit suite displayed on the full colour TFT dash.
Both the brake and clutch levers are adjustable
The other annoyance is that while there is a gear position indicator, there is no gear position sensor on the gearbox. Instead the ECU works out what gear it is in via a combination of RPM and rear wheel speed. This means that when you are sandwiched between two trucks after lane-splitting to the front of the traffic lights the neutral light does not go out until you start rolling, which had me on tenterhooks when the lights went green as to whether I was actually in gear or not. This is compounded by the fact that there is no audible or sensory feedback when you select first gear. It is a minor gripe, but still, it shitted me!
Moto Guzzi quoted ‘aeronautical references’ when describing their twin tail-lights which they equate to the look of a twin-engine jets after-burners… Where are the flames!
Sophisticated and switchable traction control and ABS systems married to individual riding modes are all standard while the instrumentation is both comprehensive and clear. A six-segment fuel gauge allows you to keep an eye on how much of that generous 23-litre fuel capacity is remaining. The ambient temperature display laughs at you as it registers 0-degrees while realising that Moto Guzzi had not fitted the optional heated grips to the bikes prior to the Australian launch.
The engine has always been a focal point for Moto Guzzi stylists and the V85 TT is no different.
Further down the track Guzzi will add phone/intercom and navigation functionality to the dash via an app on your smartphone that will connect to the bike via bluetooth but this technology is not available at launch. Hopefully early buyers of the machine will be able to retrofit this at a modest cost when it becomes available later this year.
The twin head-lights might conjure memories of the NTX 650 from 1996 and the Quota 1000 from 1989 but those bikes certainly never sported the bespoke Moto Guzzi eagle shaped daytime running lights to add that final piece of Guzzi signature to their form.
In the adventure-touring segment Moto Guzzi are providing something that is distinctly different. For those that speak Guzzi fluently from previous experiences with their unique V-Twins, I believe you might miss the loping gait of that heavy crank throw, but otherwise there is enough to still enough Guzzi flavour to savour.
Moto Guzzi V85 TT – Image by TH
It is not an off-road supremo to the level of a GS, or a competitor for the coming more hard-core Tenere 700 Yamaha or the new 790 Adventure from KTM. It is an all-roads touring machine that opens up a little more horizons to riders who are in to the softer level of adventure, Guzzi makes no pretentions of this being otherwise.
The 23-litre fuel tank is the largest in this mid-capacity segment and should guarantee touring ranges in excess of 400 kilometres.
The price of admission for the single colour option V85 TT machines is $20,690 ride away while the Tri-Colour variants command a $700 premium. That is getting up there for a mid-capacity touring machine but that is the price you pay for something a little bit different I guess. The V85 TT certainly stands out from the crowd, and I don’t mind being a bit different….
A tribe of V85 TT in the Victorian High Country
Moto Guzzi V85 TT Specifications
ENGINE
Type
4 stroke, 4 valve 90° V-twin with twin spark ignition
Cooling
Air
Engine capacity
853 cm³
Bore and stroke
84 x 77 mm
Compression ratio
10,5 ± 0,5 : 1
Idle engine speed)
1300 ± 100 rpm
Maximum power
59 kW (80 HP) at 7750 rpm
Maximum torque
80 Nm at 5000 rpm
Fuel system / Ignition system
Magneti Marelli 7SM2 electronic fuel injection; 52 mm diam. ride-by-wire throttle body, Magneti Marelli injectors, two lambda probes, torque control
Mechanical 6 speed transmission, with shift pedal on left hand side of engine
Steering rake angle
25,7°
Trail
128.3 mm
Chassis
Front suspension
41 mm diameter telescopic hydraulic fork Stroke 168 mm
Rear suspension
Die-cast light alloy swingarm with 1 shock absorber adjustable spring preload and hydraulic rebound. Stroke 102 mm, 170mm travel
Front brake
320 mm stainless steel floating disc, radial calliper with four opposing 32 mm pistons
Rear brake
260 mm stainless steel disc and floating calliper with two 22 mm pistons
Front wheel
2.5″ x 19″
Rear wheel
4.25″ x 17″
Front tyre
110 / 80 R19 59V Inflation pressure: 2,5 bar
Rear tyre
150 / 70 R17 69V Inflation pressure: 2,8 bar
Fork oil – right stem
446 cm3 Level from sleeve edge: 144 mm
Fork oil – left stem
360 cm3 Level from sleeve edge: 143 mm
Front wheel
2.5″ x 19″
Rear wheel
4.25″ x 17″
Front tyre
110 / 80 R19 59V Inflation pressure: 2,5 bar
Rear tyre
150 / 70 R17 69V Inflation pressure: 2,8 bar
Maximum Length
2240 mm
Maximum width
950 mm
Height (at adjustable windshield)
1300-1325 mm
Wheelbase
1530 mm
Kerb weight
229 kg
Max. vehicle load
448 Kg (rider + passenger + luggage)
Capacity
Fuel tank (including reserve)
23 ± 1 L
Fuel tank reserve capacity
5 ± 0.5 L
Moto Guzzi’s tradition of adventure
Moto Guzzi boasts a solid off-road tradition and the acronym ‘TT’ stands for “tutto terreno” (all terrain) and builds on a tradition that was established by the marque with their Gold Medal winning ISDE machines in the 1930’s. In 1957, Guzzi offered the Lodola Regolarità, followed by the Stornello Regolarità in 1962.
Moto Guzzi took on the Paris-Dakar in 1985 with the V65 Baja and the following year with the V75 Baja, where they proved robust and reliable.
The high front mud-guard and double front head-light in the V85 TT are reminiscent of the NTX 650 from 1996 and the Quota 1000 from 1989.
Pre-event mishap benches Norton for Hattah Desert Race
Section: Competition
Factory KTM rider breaks collarbone ahead of 2019 edition.
Image: Foremost Media.
A pre-event mishap in the lead up to Hattah has benched North Star Pastoral KTM Desert Racing Team’s Callum Norton for the 2019 edition of the desert race.
The youthful Victorian, who’s coming off a gritty effort in the Finke Desert Race last month, suffered a light tip-over while competing in a pony express event at the weekend in preparation for Hattah, landing awkwardly and subsequently breaking his collarbone in the process.
“I was out near where Hattah is for an event – a pony express – so we were doing it in pairs,” Norton explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “On my first lap I was going around a section that’s not too fast, but just had a little tip-over out of a corner and landed straight on my shoulder.
“I got up and could feel straight away that I had broken my collarbone. It wasn’t a big crash, and the rest of the body is okay – it’s just one of those things that happened pretty quickly.
“Hattah is always one of my favourite events in the year, I always look forward to and it suits me pretty well. I’m definitely spewing I won’t be racing, but I’ll hopefully be there to watch.”
Thefactory outfit will field KTM Enduro Racing Team regulars Daniel Milner and Lyndon Snodgrass at this weekend’s Hattah in Victoria.
Supplies of the new BMW S 1000 RR have been substantially delayed thanks to a high demand for the company’s first high-performance M package.
The third generation gets a revamped engine and suspension for 2019, with more power, more technology, but less flab.
Power has been increased by 6kW (8 hp) to 152kW (207hp) and weight has been reduced from 208kg to 197kg (193.5kg with M Package).
And for the first time, BMW Motorrad offers M options and M Performance Parts for the new S 1000 RR.
The M package includes motorsport paint, carbon fibre wheels, lightweight battery, M Chassis Kit with rear ride height adjustment and swingarm pivot, sport seat and Pro Mode.
M gear has been available for BMW cars for years, but this is the first time it has been offered on a motorcycle.
BMW S 1000 RR with M package
S 1000 RR M package demand
BMW Motorrad Australia spokeswoman Leanne Blanckenberg says the “strong global demand for the S 1000 RR with the M package” has resulted in a delay in supply of the standard S 1000 RR.
“BMW Motorrad has had to adapt the originally planned production and delivery schedules from our suppliers,” she says.
“The production planning adaptations to the new S 1000 RR to meet the market requirements for a high M package equipment quota result in a reduced volume for the market launch in June,” she says.
“In addition, longer tool and system delivery times on the supplier side are currently reducing and regulating the output on the manufacturing side.
“BMW Motorrad is working in the best possible way to eliminate the bottlenecks to counter delivery delays and meet the great demand for the S 1000 RR.”
It is also believed early production models had a crankcase problem that has now been fixed.
Incentives
In Europe, buyers who have paid a deposit and face long delays are being offered a loan bike while they wait or they can keep and continue to ride their trade-in bike at an agreed price until the S 1000 RR arrives.
Some dealers are also offering customers discounts and cash rebates on BMW rider gear or bike parts.
Leanne says BMW Motorrad Australia has not yet made any decisions on incentives.
Mitsuo Ito, the first Japanese rider to take victory at the Isle of Man TT in 1963, passed away overnight (July 3) at the age of 82.
Mitsuo Ito on the top step of the podium at the Isle of Man TT in 1963
As an employee rider of Suzuki, Ito participated in domestic and international racing, including Road Racing Grand Prix from 1959 to 1969.
Mitsuo Ito
After retiring from racing, he took part in Suzuki’s racing activities including the development of racing machines and world-class technologies, as well as working with the development of Suzuki riders, including Kevin Schwantz, who went on to become the 500cc World Champion in 1993.
Mitsuo Ito
Ito was inducted into the Motorcycle Federation of Japan (MFJ) Motorcycle Sport Hall of Fame last December for his achievement in 1963 at the Isle of Man TT.
Electric-powered category commences at the Sachsenring.
Image: Supplied.
The inaugural FIM Enel MotoE World Cup will launch into action this weekend at the Sachsenring in Germany alongside round nine of the MotoGP World Championship.
After an incredible amount of hard work and dedication from all partners involved following the devastating fires in March, the electric-powered series is primed to commence with an 18-rider grid.
The Sachsenring hosts the history-making weekend – a tight and twisty track that should be a stunning venue for MotoE’s debut – with the machines having shown some impressive corner speed during testing.
In the race simulation in Valencia, it was Brazilian Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) who took victory, beating the man who’d taken the first E-Pole – Hector Garzo (Tech 3 E-Racing) – to the flag.
Finnish rider Niki Tuuli (Ajo MotoE) completed the podium, and all three have been consistently near the top of the timesheets in each testing. The fastest man overall in the Valencia test, however, was Bradley Smith (One Energy Racing), and he didn’t race. He was on MotoGP test duty in Barcelona as the simulation took place, so he’ll be one to watch when the lights go out.
Australian Josh Hook, piloting a Pramac Racing prepared Energica Ego Corsa MotoE, will be amongst the talented field as they chase the first-ever title in the division. Free practice kicks off on Friday, followed by E-Pole on Saturday and the first-ever race on Sunday.
How would you like a gold MV Agusta? No worries, says the premium motorcycle manufacturer on the shores of beautiful Lake Varese in north Italy.
For several years now MV Agusta hasn’t made any new models. Instead, they have made a lot of limited-edition motorcycles for rich customers.
In 2016, MV made a one-off F4Z for a Japanese businessman in a joint collaboration with car designer Zagato.
MV Agusta F4Z Zagato
Gold finish
The latest one-off special is a Dragster 800 RC with a golden mirror finish.
It includes plenty of carbon fibre and an SC Project Reparto Corse exhaust.
Gold MV Agusta Dragster 800 RC
There are no details on the all-money-and-no-taste buyer, but MV Agusta gave them a X-lite X-803 Ultra Carbon helmet with golden livery to match.
New MV bikes?
So when will MV Agusta get around to making some new models?
In May, they announced they will produce the Superveloce 800 which was unveiled in concept form at last year’s EICMA motorcycle show in Milan.
However, the solo-seat Superveloce is not a new platform. It is just another variant of the F3.
MV Agusta Superveloce 800
And it will be yet another limited-edition Serie Oro (gold series) with delivery of the first 300 units expected in March 2020.
Earlier this year the company launched their fourth limited-edition model in collaboration with five-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton.
It is the Brutale 800 RR LH44 and only 144 bikes will be made, each with Hamilton’s race number “44”.
They will cost $A38,880 ride away, which is about $14,00 more than the RR version and $10,000 more than the RR America.
Limited editions
We’ve lost count of the number of “limited-edition models” they have released in recent years as the company has struggled under financial constraints.
It sort of makes a mockery of the term “limited edition” when they produce so many.
Top of the range of limited-edition models was last year’s $A125,012 Claudio F4 which pays homage to former company president Claudio Castiglioni.
Claudio F4
Meanwhile, MV Agusta have produced only a couple of new models since 2013 and suffered from a frustratingly slow supply chain. We know of one rider who waited six months for a sump plug!
Instead of fixing supply, updating their bikes or launching new models, MV continued to churn out limited-edition models with a lick of paint, some extra farkle and a hefty price tag.
World champions still recovering from injuries sustained in Latvia.
Image: Supplied.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo Jeffrey Herlings and Antonio Cairoli will not travel to Indonesia for the next two MXGPs as they continue to recover from their injuries, which are due to take place at Palembang and Semarang over consecutive weekends.
Reigning world champion Herlings is recovering from surgery on his lower right leg after crashing during the sighting lap Latvia, and is still not in a position to recommence riding.
Cairoli endeavoured to resume riding on Tuesday, although the pain and discomfort in his right shoulder confirmed that the nine-time world champion is not yet at an adequate level to return to racing.
“This was not the update we wanted to make but sadly Tony has not recovered enough from his dislocated shoulder to race again in MXGP at the moment and we knew Jeffrey would be needing more time after his bad luck in Latvia,” said KTM vice president of off-road Robert Jonas.
“Obviously it is a difficult situation for us and we are constantly assessing the recoveries of Tony and Jeffrey. Thankfully we still have excellent riders in two busy rounds of MXGP in Indonesia and we hope they stay safe and continue to enjoy a successful MX2 season so far.”
Red Bull KTM are flying to Indonesia this weekend with reigning champion Jorge Prado, who has been unbeaten in all MX2 rounds he’s contested, along with rookie Tom Vialle.
Imagine a seat that slides with the riders when they move sideways out of their seat for corners or forward and back for aerodynamic effect.
Now Finnish engineering company Etteplan has received a patent for a seat that slides sideways and forward and back with the rider.
The seat has been tested by disabled Finnish racer Ulla Kulju who was paralysed at 15 in a snowboarding accident.
Ulla
She works as a Senior Design Engineer at Etteplan and is the world’s first paraplegic female motorcycle racer, coming sixth in the disabled world championships 2017.
Perhaps it would be useful for disabled riders, but we’re not so sure it would be useful for other riders.
What would prevent it sliding around and upsetting the rider’s control?
The company says the invention would be useful for all racers and helped Ulla improve her lap times.
Not only has the patent been granted for the seat, but also the manufacturing process as it is 3D printed in one piece.
Printing motorcycle parts on 3D printers looks like being the future of motorcycling for precise and cheap manufacturer.
