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Sarolea SP7 – The 2019 ELECTRIC MotoGP bike?

The Sarolea SP7 race bike has been considered as one of Dorna’s potential candidates as the 2019 electric MotoGP bike supplier for a one-make electric series in 2019.

MotoGP race direction representative Loris Capirossi just finished testing the Sorelea SP7 electric race bike ahead of the last MotoGP round in Motorland Aragon.

Other potential candidates include the Lightning LS-218 and Mugen’s Shinden Roku electric race bike which has won the Isle of Man TT Zero road race a total of four times.

It was just last week when ex-MotoGP racer and current MotoGP race direction representative Loris Capirossi conducted a private test on a very special bike at Motorland Aragon. Prior the MotoGP round, the 44 year old Italian went into the circuit on board the Sarolea SP7, a fully-electric race bike which is considered as a huge potential for a brand new MotoGP electric class set for 2019. (more…)

Honda Riding Assist-e Concept

The Honda Riding Assist-e Concept is a self-balancing electric motorcycle
Shares the same frame with the Honda Riding Assist
The rider does not need to put a foot down at standstill

The Honda Riding Assist-e Concept at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show.

Honda had earlier previewed the Riding Assist concept (click here for our coverage) but that was powered by a gasoline engine. However, both the e-bike and petrol engine bike were built upon the Honda NC700 frame.

Riding Assist in Honda’s term means that the bike keeps itself upright when stationary at the traffic lights without needing the rider to put a foot or feet down to balance it. Also, the bike keeps itself upright at slow speeds, possibly a good feature for tackling u-turns. But that doesn’t mean you can’t fall off it.

Interestingly, the self-balancing feature was built by Honda’s robotics division. Honda have long been developing robotics and humanoid walking robots like the ASIMO in year 2000 was a prime example.

the Honda Riding Assist-e uses an electric motor mounted under the seat which sends power through a driveshaft to the rear wheel, like that on Honda’s VFR series. A radiator sits behind the electric motor. However, the self-balancing technology doesn’t use gyroscopes.

That’s as much as we know about the Honda Riding Assist-e at the moment, until it is fully unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show on 25th October 2017.

In any event, the Honda Riding Assist-e and Riding Assist look production-ready and it’ll be interesting to see if Honda can bring them to life.

In our opinion, attention should be paid to electric bikes or e-bike as more and more countries around the world and our region are pushing towards the full banning of new gasoline-powered vehicles in favour of electric vehicles, within the next decade or so. But do not fear electric vehicles as electric motors transfer immediate torque without lag, unlike gasoline engines.

Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki are 2017 WorldSBK Champions

Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki are 2017 WorldSBK Champions
12th win of the season for Johnny Rea and KRT
Rea is the first rider to score three successive WorldSBK championships

Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) are 2017 WSBK champions after blitzing the field in Race 1 at the Magny-Cours Circuit in France, with two rounds and five races to go.

Rea charged into the lead from pole positioned and pulled clear of the pack, and continued to put the hammer down throughout the 21-lap race in treacherous wet-drying conditions. This latest win gave him the 12th victory of the season, making him the first WorldSBK rider to win three successive titles.

Jonathan Rea charged to an excellent victory at the Magny-Cours circuit in France on Saturday to secure a historic third consecutive WorldSBK title, crossing the line over 16 seconds ahead of second placed Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), with Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) finishing third.

It was a truly gritty ride from Rea’s teammate Sykes as the Yorkshireman returned to action with a third place result, having had surgery on a finger injury less than two weeks ago – after a Portimao crash. Sykes completed the podium after just losing out on second place to Melandri in the final stages of the race.

Five seconds off the rostrum positions was Leon Camier who had another excellent ride for MV Agusta Reparto Corse. Another 19 seconds back on his compatriot Camier was Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) who rounded out the top five.

Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Leandro Mercado (IODARacing) were sixth and seventh respectively, whilst Davide Giugliano (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) was the eighth rider home.

Early in the race there was a crash for Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), which also saw Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) go down, but remarkably Dutchman Van der Mark fought back to finish ninth, ahead of Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

Race 2 at the Pirelli French Round will get going at the 4.411km Magny-Cours track at 7pm Malaysian time on Sunday.

Royal Enfield Bakal Memperkenalkan Motosikal Dwi Silinder Di EICMA

Motosikal serta enjin dwi silinder dari Royal Enfield telah dijadualkan untuk membuat kemunculan sulungnya di Pertunjukan Motosikal EICMA.
Spekulasi meluas telah mengatakannya mungkin sekali sebuah enjin 750cc.
Ada yang percaya yang ia juga mungkin sekali melebihi 800cc.

(more…)

Nicky Hayden’s Accident Investigation Report Released

Nicky Hayden was knocked down by a car in May this year
He passed away five days afterwards
The case’s investigator put blame on both sides

Nicky Hayden is still very much missed by the motorcycle racing fraternity, his fans (many of them here in Malaysia), and the lives of those he touched outside the paddocks.

The world was shocked to the news of him being hit by a car while he was out cycling near the Misano Circuit in Italy, on 17th May 2017 (click here for our report). He was transferred to the ICU of a hospital outside Rimini, also in Italy. Get well wishes poured in, inundating Facebook and websites. Everyone were positive he would fight through the episode, just like how he had fought through so much adversity on the track.

But this was one race Nicky could not win, succumbing to his serious head injuries five days later (click here for our report). Everyone was crushed by the news.

The case has been under investigation by the local prosecutor, and the findings of the has been made public.

The investigation took account statements from the driver, eyewitnesses, and CCTV footage. Fault had been apportioned both parties, which meant both Nicky and the car driver were at fault. 70% of the blame went to the driver, for excessive speeding, and 30% to Nicky Hayden, for failing to stop fully at the intersection’s stop sign.

The 30-year-old driver struck Nicky while driving at 70km/h in a 50km/h speed limit zone.

Accidents are more often than not the result of a combination of circumstances, and very rarely that any one party is 100% accountable.

The case will now head to a Italian criminal fault and lawyers are sure to argue on the comparative fault between Nicky Hayden and the driver.

The driver faces a five to ten years sentence in jail, as he is charged with vehicular homicide.

In our personal opinion, please look out for cyclists and give them a wide berth. It’s not easy for them to spot other vehicles when they’re tucked into that riding position. Use your horn and approach carefully.

Biker Stories (Part 2) – The Wave

You know The Wave. Not the Mexican Wave but the Biker Wave.

You’re riding along on a quiet country road.

You take sharp deep breath and sigh in relief to get away from your office and boss which you named “The Gulag” and “Jong Un” respectively in your phone. Let’s not get to the Mrs.

As you ride under a natural canopy formed by overhanging branches, you wonder how nice it would be if other bikers, your brethren, had ridden here and admired such beauty. You make a mental note to share this route on Facebook later.

With that positive thought in mind, you notice quaint houses dotting the roadside every few kilometres, but they all seem empty. You haven’t seen a car or a motorcycle for the last 20 kilometres, come to think of it. Not a soul except for birds darting among the branches. Some loneliness, or a pang of guilt, perhaps?

A few more kilometres down the road and you spot a group of bright lights heading up the hill towards you. You smile in your helmet.

As your draw near, you notice they are riding the same model as yours, perhaps it’s a same-make ride. So, you take your left hand off the handlebar and wave.

The leader looked straight on as he passes by, as if he doesn’t want to acknowledge seeing a ghost. Slightly irritated, you keep waving nonetheless, but the rest of the group did the same too!

Langsinyeri!!!

You start to question yourself. Are my bike and I cloaked in an invisibility shield? Was it because they didn’t notice my hand because of the black gloves? Am I in Padang Mahsyar and my soul continues to ride?

That episode has left you seething under your helmet for the next 10 kilometres, swearing their pistons would seize. Or a solar flare shorted out their ECUs. Or the same flare blew out their GPS and send them riding in circles.

The above scenario isn’t unique to a just one occasion, it’s now happening everytime I go out on a ride.

Everyone waved at each other when I started biking in the 80’s, regardless of what either party rode; be it a sportbike, cruiser, tourer, dual purpose, even small bikes.

More and more bikers don’t acknowledge each other these days, although when riding on the same model, what more when encountering others on different makes. It happens even when we’re side by side at the traffic lights. Or worse, they’d return your wave by flipping the middle finger. Adoi.

I’m not being annoyed because of not being acknowledged but are people so full of themselves these days? Are they trying to say, I own a large capacity motorcycle, thereby I’m an elitist, therefore another person isn’t supposed to be on one? But hey, I bet they pound their chests about “brotherhood” and “sisterhood” at biker meets. I’ve often noticed male bikers waving to lady bikers without reservation, though. Tsk tsk!

When one biker waves at another, it might also be because he’s trying to warn you about the dangers that lie ahead. Watch out, there are potholes on the road. Or slow down, there’s taik lembu in the next corner.