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New BMW S 1000 RR to Debut at BMW Motorrad Night Fuel Malaysia?

The sixth edition of the BMW Motorrad Night Fuel Malaysia will be held on 22^ndJune 2019.
It’s set to take place at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base at Sungai Besi.
Will we see the new S 1000 RR, R 1250 GS and R 1250 RT?

The sixth edition of the BMW Motorrad Night Fuel Malaysia will be held on 22^ndJune 2019. It’s set to take place at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base at Sungai Besi.

The BMW Motorrad Night Fuel Malaysia event has toured across Malaysia since 2016. This 2019 event is a return to Kuala Lumpur.

Celebrating the Making Life a Ride spirit, the BMW Motorrad Night Fuel Malaysia event is one of the largest gatherings of premium motorcycle enthusiasts from across the country and is open to all BMW Motorrad owners.

Held on Saturday, 22^ndJune 2019 at The Base, Sempang Airport, Royal Malaysian Air Force Base along the Sungai Besi area, the event will host a night filled with great food, music, camaraderie.

And as usual, the introduction of new motorcycles from BMW Motorrad Malaysia as well as a lucky draw chance to win a BMW Motorrad GS model. Our guess are the new S 1000 RR superbike, R 1250 GS and R 1250 RT, among others.

Sensational line-up of live performances includes the TC Buskers, Arjuna Band and a special performance by a legendary Malaysian Rock Legend!

Details of the event:

Date : 22^ndJune 2019, Saturday

Time : 7:00PM to 11:00PM

Venue : The Base, Sempang Airport, Royal Malaysian Air Force Base, 57100 Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur.

Ticket entry to the Sixth BMW Night Fuel Event Malaysia 2019 is at RM 90.00 via online registrations from now until Monday, 17^thJune 2019 and at RM 110.00 for walk-in registrations during the event itself. Visit BMW Motorrad Malaysia’s website HERE.

More details are also available on BMW Motorrad Malaysia’s Facebook page or call BMW VOICE at 1800-88-3000.

Anthony West Launches Tirade Against FIM

Anthony West launched an expletive-filled tirade against the FIM.
He also announced his retirement from motorcycle racing.
West rode for Kawasaki in MotoGP, QMMF in Moto2 and was a WorldSSP race winner.

Anthony West launched an expletive-filled tirade against the FIM. He also announced his retirement from motorcycle racing.

He posted in his Facebook page, “***k FIM I’m done with the sport. You’ll never see me on another motorcycle again in my life. You win you FIM dogs. Your (sic) really low s**t people who should have nothing to do with the sport. FIM have pushed me to lose my ride with Kawasaki here in Brazil. FIM have destroyed my life many times and have put me into depression to the point I wish I was dead. I’m done playing there (sic) bulls**t political games. ***k FIM.”

West was a permanent fixture in MotoGP riding in the Kawasaki team, besides being a WorldSSP winner. However, he has been banned for two years after testing positive for stimulants in his urine sample.

It wasn’t the first time he was tested positive with suspected illegal substance. The Australian was tested positive for methylhexaneamine, a substance in nasal decongestant but banned under the FIM Anti-Doping Code. That was when he competed in Moto2 for the QMMF team in Qatar 2012. He denied any wrongdoing but the FIM wasn’t impressed.

Unfortunately, it now appears that West may go down the route taken by fellow-Aussie rider Anthony Gobert.

Ducati Streetfighter V4 to Debut at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC)

A Ducati Streetfighter V4 teaser of its debut at the 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) has appeared in the Ducati FB page.
The video ends with the messages “The gloves come off at Pikes Peak” and “Stay tuned June 13.”
Carlin Dunne is slated to ride a “Ducati Pikes Peak Prototipo” which heavily implies a Streetfighter V4 prototype.

A Ducati Streetfighter V4 teaser of its debut at the 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) has appeared in the Ducati FB page. The video showed a few lines of a bike, before flashing to “The gloves come off at Pikes Peak” and instructing us to “Stay tuned June 13.”

Although the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb officially begins from 24^thJune with pre-race activities such as scrutineering, official practice and qualifying, the race proper begins on 30^thJune.

However, there are unsanctioned practices on 8^th, 9^th, 14^th, 15^thand 16^thJune for the competitors. Thus, the unveiling of the Streetfighter V4 happens on the eve of one of those tests.

Interestingly, the Streetfighter V4 isn’t found in the competitors’ listing. Instead, it’s described as “Ducati Pikes Peak Prototipo (prototype),” in the heavyweight category. Carlin Dunne who has won on Ducatis multiple times will ride the bike. Dunne also won last year on a Ducati Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak. However, his final time was 10 seconds off the record set by Chris Fillmore in 2018 on the KTM 1290 Super Duke R.

There exists beyond doubt that Ducati wants to not only retain the PPIHC crown but also set a new record. Indeed, a Streetfighter V4 prototype was spotted testing at a track last week.

The PPIHC is a 156-corner “track” up a hillside. The competitors (including cars, 4X4s, quads) start from sea level and wind their way up to the finish line at 4302.2 metres (14, 115 feet).

Superbikes were allowed a few years before but were subsequently banned due to a number of fatal crashes. “Motorcycles with one-piece, non-clip-on handlebars are allowed,” as the organizers put it.

So, stay tuned, indeed!

Sources: Ducati, PPIHC

Andrea Dovizioso Put in a Strong DTM Debut

Andrea Doviziso put in a fastest lap just 1.2 seconds off the fastest time in Race 1 of his DTM (Duetsche Tourenwagen Masters) debut at the Misano track, Italy.
It was Dovizioso’s one-off appearance in the German touring car championship, riving for the Audi Sport team.
He has a chance to better the result in Race 2 today.

Andrea Dovizioso put in a fastest lap just 1.2 seconds off the fastest time in Race 1 of his DTM (Duetsche Tourenwagen Masters) debut at the Misano track, Italy.

It was Dovizioso’s one-off appearance in the German touring car championship, riving for the Audi Sport team. Ducati logos feature prominently on the car as Audi owns the Ducati brand.

“Desmo” Dovi finished a credible 12^thposition after working up the field from 15^th. It was a commendable drive as he ended the race just one position behind his teammate Pietro Fittipaldi, who is also a Formula 1 test driver.

He has a chance to better the result in Race 2 today. The DTM series is a cut-throat racing series, featuring hard, no quarter given overtakes and ultra-competitive throughout. This is where German manufacturers battle it out for supremacy and bragging rights.

Dovizioso isn’t the first MotoGP rider to try his hands at auto racing. Fellow MotoGP competitors such as Valentino Rossi competes in rally racing annually. Other riders including Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo have also tested for auto racing teams.

The biggest challenge for two-wheel racers making the shift to four-wheels is usually about braking. As cars have four wheels that maintain contact to the tarmac at most times, brakes can be applied later and more aggressively compared to motorcycles. Another benefit of this is that racecars can carry much higher cornering speeds, too. Consequently, full-time riders need to concentrate more on breaking through this barrier.

Ewan McGregor is Moto Guzzi V85TT Ambassador

Superstar Ewan McGregor is the new Moto Guzzi V85TT ambassador.
He agreed to promote the bike only after testing and liking it.
McGregor is a long-time Moto Guzzi fan.

Superstar Ewan McGregor is the new Moto Guzzi V85TT ambassador.

The V85TT surprised us at how good it was to ride and has plenty of charm. But it wasn’t only us who liked the bike. Sales in Italy, France, Germany and the UK have surpassed expectations. Heck, it even surprised Moto Guzzi and Piaggio brass, so much so that production couldn’t keep up with demand.

Back to the story, Ewan McGregor is made the ambassador because he likes the bike. Product endorsements by celebrities is one thing but McGregor agreed to promote the V85TT on one caveat: That he has to ride the bike and like it first. And he did.

McGregor took part in the bike’s launch in southern Sicily, Italy and rode through all sorts of terrains.

It wasn’t the first instance of the actor’s involvement with Moto Guzzi, however. He had liked the brand for a long time. He stopped by at the manufacturer’s HQ in Madello del Lario at the shores of Lake Como in the middle of his road trip in the “Long Way Down.” He also took part in the 2013 launch of the California 1400 in Australia.

Does this mean McGregor will ride the Moto Guzzi V85TT, while his friend and partner Charlie Boorman will ride the Triumph Tiger 800 XCx/XCa (Boorman is Triumph’s ambassador) in the upcoming sequel to “Long Way Down”?

Aprilia RS660 Patents Leaked

The Aprilia RS660 may just kick start the middleweight supersport segment.
Its patent filings have been leaked online.
The production-ready bike should debut at EICMA 2019.

The Aprilia RS660 may just kick start the dormant middleweight supersport segment. At least, that’s what the manufacturer hopes. But are they serious in putting the concept into production? Patent filings in Australia seems to indicate as so.

The CAD drawings show a bike which adheres to the concept’s silhouette, with some differences.

Firstly, the forks look to be Sachs instead of the Ohlins fitted to the concept at EICMA 2018. The front brake calipers look to be “regular” monoblocs instead of Brembo Stylemas. The main reason for these has to be about cost savings, making the bike more affordable to the masses.

But bear in mind that Aprilia usually offers different versions of their bikes i.e. standard and Factory variants. In the case of the RSV4 and Tuono V4, the Factory variants are fully kitted out in the chassis and electronics departments. It could also be true for the RS660.

Good news is, the fairings take on aerobody applications. Going further, there’s been talk that the bike features an Aprilia Active Aerodynamics (A3) system. But what it does and how it works still remains to be seen.

Anyhow, the production model is slated to be released at EICMA this year. Hope we get to test the bike for its media introduction.

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Latest News

The sixth edition of the BMW Motorrad Night Fuel Malaysia will be held on 22nd June 2019.

It’s set to take place at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base at Sungai Besi.

Will we see the new S 1000 RR, R 1250 GS and R 1250 RT?

Anthony West launched an expletive-filled tirade against the FIM.

He also announced his retirement from motorcycle racing.

West rode for Kawasaki in MotoGP, QMMF in Moto2 and was a WorldSSP race winner.

A Ducati Streetfighter V4 teaser of its debut at the 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) has appeared in the Ducati FB page.

The video ends with the messages “The gloves come off at Pikes Peak” and “Stay tuned June 13.”

Carlin Dunne is slated to ride a “Ducati Pikes Peak Prototipo” which heavily implies a Streetfighter V4 prototype.

Andrea Doviziso put in a fastest lap just 1.2 seconds off the fastest time in Race 1 of his DTM (Duetsche Tourenwagen Masters) debut at the Misano track, Italy.

It was Dovizioso’s one-off appearance in the German touring car championship, riving for the Audi Sport team.

He has a chance to better the result in Race 2 today.

Superstar Ewan McGregor is the new Moto Guzzi V85TT ambassador.

He agreed to promote the bike only after testing and liking it.

McGregor is a long-time Moto Guzzi fan.

The Aprilia RS660 may just kick start the middleweight supersport segment.

Its patent filings have been leaked online.

The production-ready bike should debut at EICMA 2019.

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The sixth edition of the BMW Motorrad Night Fuel Malaysia will be held on 22^ndJune 2019.