Ex-MotoGP Rider Nobuatsu Aoki takes the new Suzuki Katana for a spin in this video.
It’s the first full video of the bike since the teasers.
We’re still waiting for the news of when it will arrive and cost in Malaysia.
The new Suzuki Katana has aroused much excitement since it was unveiled at the 2018 Intermot show. And now, there’s a video of ex-MotoGP rider Nobuatsu Aoki taking it for spin.
In the video, Aoki is seen flogging the Katana through corners, blasting past fallen leaves to a beautiful autumn background.
Aoki then talks about the bike, engine, chassis, electronics. It is a Katana after all, so the “promotional talk” is forgiven.
“I couldn’t believe how much fun the bike is,” said Aoki in the video. “A proper engine in a proper chassis, and the riding position is fantastic. I was surprised how easy to ride it is.”
“The road surface is wet today and strewn with fallen leaves (one scene where he speeds through a huge drift of leaves on the road made me a little anxious), yet the traction control and ABS support the bike for easy riding with complete confidence.”
It’s a nice video to watch, since it’s the first full footage of the bike being ridden, as compared to the teasers. We get to listen to how it sounds like too. Wish the video was longer.
You can continue on to watch this video on the development of the bike, too.
On another note, Suzuki Assemblers Malaysia has confirmed that they will bring the bike to our shores. When and how much are other matters.
Aprilia and Gulf announced their partnership in MotoGP 2019.
Both brands welcome the new partnership.
The MotoGP 2019 season begins on 10th March.
Aprilia and Gulf announced their partnership in MotoGP.
Aprilia has been making steady inroads towards the front in the premier motorcycle racing championship over the last two seasons; the riders were no longer confined to the rear or midfield. The Noale-based manufacturer made the jump into MotoGP after dominating the 125cc and 250cc world championships for many years. They also made forays into the 500cc world championship.
On the other hand, Gulf has had lots of presence in automotive racing. We’ve seen many top marques such as Porsche and Aston Martin sporting Gulf’s trademark light blue and orange livery for many decades.
The Gulf brand is already in Malaysia, and they are actually one of the world’s largest petroleum brands. They offer fuel retail (as in petrol stations) and lubricants to a wide range of automotive and industrial applications.
“The opportunity to move up into MotoGP, as a major partner of Aprilia Racing was a logical next step forward after World Superbikes,” explains Gulf Vice President International, Frank Rutten. “Aprilia is one of the most successful racing marques of all time while Gulf, of course, has a long history of success in motorsport. Making the move up to Grand Prix racing with a manufacturer that we know matches our ethos of quality, endurance and passion and our desire for progress.”
“We are delighted to be forging this new partnership with Gulf,” enthused Aprilia Racing CEO, Massimo Rivola. “It is an iconic brand with an impressive range of products and a great racing history. We look forward to writing the next chapter in this history over the coming years. I am very pleased to have Gulf working with Aprilia Racing in our upcoming MotoGP campaigns and it will be exciting to see these two great brands moving forward together.”
The Piaggio Group –for which Aprilia Racing is the technical flagship –is one of the world’s biggest motorcycle manufacturers, with more than 550,000 motorbikes per year sold across its brands, which also include Vespa, Gilera and Moto Guzzi, as well as Piaggio itself.
Gulf Motorcycle lubricants cover everything from scooters and small capacity motorcycles, to its dedicated range of Superbike oils. Gulf has long used motorsport as a means to help develop and test new product. This step into MotoGP with Aprilia Racing heralds a further drive towards superior-technology motorcycle product from Gulf, as it seeks to conquer new, emerging markets as well as to strengthen its position in existing markets.
Aprilia is concentrating hard on MotoGP development for 2019, looking to be regularly in the mix at the sharp end of the MotoGP field. To this end, in January, Piaggio brought in former Ferrari Sporting Director, Massimo Rivola to head up Aprilia Racing. With two new crew chiefs and a talented rider line up of Italian, Andrea Iannone, Spaniard Aleix Espargaro and Briton, Bradley Smith, Aprilia is putting more resource than ever before into making strides forward in this intensely competitive series.
The MotoGP circus just concluded the final pre-season test for the 2019 season at the Losail International Circuit yesterday. The race season kicks off at the same circuit on 10thMarch.
A Foggy-Petronas FP1 was auctioned at RM167,149 (£31,275) in a retro show in England.
The bodywork was fully restored, and the bike is in running condition.
The bike was a homologation model for World Superbike Racing.
A Foggy-Petronas FP1 was sold for RM167,149 (£31,275) in England.
MCN reported that the particular bike has only 7km on the odometer and was sold at a retro show in Warwickshire. This unit came from 2003 but the bodywork has been restored to the original Petronas livery by the manufacturer.
We reported months ago about a batch of Foggy-Petronas FP1 acquired by a British race car firm, Lanzante. But the company did not reveal the number of units they have. They also insisted that their batch is not among the 129 bikes seized by Malaysian Customs.
MCN discovered 60 FP1s in a warehouse in Essex in 2010. Those 60 units plus another 69 were sold to Momoto in Malaysia and rebadged as the Momoto MM1. But they were soon seized by the Customs for not paying the import and excise duties. Momoto sued Petronas but there was no other news thereafter.
The Foggy-Petronas FP1 road-legal bike was made to homologate it for World Superbike racing. the Sauber Racing 899cc three-cylinder engine produces 127 hp at 10,000 RPM and 92 Nm of torque at 9,700 RPM. The bike is also bedecked with high-end componentry such as Öhlins suspension, OZ Racing wheels and Brembo brakes.
We put together a glossary of motorcycle terms for your ease of reference.
You may have heard of the terms and wondered what they actually meant.
We start with those under the alphabets A to B.
We often hear our riding buddies talk about “horsepower,” “compression ratio” or “aspect ratio.” Or you may have read them in our reviews and articles. But what do those terms really mean? That’s why we decided to put together this Glossary of Motorcycle Terms.
We decided to stick to the major components on a bike and stuff that are directly related to a motorcycle. We shall probably publish another glossary for other things such as types of tools, for example.
I took us many months to compile all these, so we hope you would take a look. Plus, it’s cool to be smarter, trust us. But do check back once in a while, as we will update it from time to time.
A
ABS
Anti-lock Braking System. The system prevents tyres from not rotating when hard braking pressure is applied. It allows the wheel to turn a certain degree, preventing skidding and enabling the rider to control the bike.
Airbox
Stores air pressure so there is always positive pressure when the throttle bodies’ and carburetor butterflies are opened. The airbox also contains the air filter.
AC
Alternate current. As opposed to DC (direct current), AC oscillates back and forth. The motorcycles stator (generator) produces AC, which is then directed through the regulator/rectifier to convert it into DC.
Alternator
Almost all motorcycles do not use alternators to generate a supply of electricity like cars do. See “stator,” instead.
Aspect ratio
Tyre’s nominal sidewall height as a ratio of the tyre’s width, in percentage. A 70 aspect ratio means 70% of the tyre’s width.
The aspect ration is the second number i.e. 70 in this case
ATTGATT
All The Gears All The Time. That’s right, never ride without proper safety gear.
Axle
The metal shaft which holds the wheel up and links the both sides of the forks and swingarm.
B
Bash plate (also skid plate)
A piece of plating, in aluminium or steel which is mounted to the bottom of the engine’s crankcase. It protects the crankcase from being “bashed.” Usually found on adventure and off-road bikes.
Bash plate – Photo credit touratech-usa.com
Battery
Device which stores electrical energy. Batteries have come a long way from lead acid types to maintenance-free activated glass material (AGM) and lithium-ion types.
BHP
Brake horsepower. It measures the engine’s power output without any losses. Conversely, HP (horsepower) is measured by hooking the engine to a dynamometer. BHP is measured in a controlled environment without attaching anything to the engine. Hence, BHP figures are bigger. See also “horsepower.”
Bike
The other term for motorcycles, although it originated from bicycles.
Binders
No, we don’t mean the glue that hold the pages of a book together. See “brakes.”
Bleed
Act of removing air bubbles from hydraulic circuits, such as the brakes, cooling system, etc.
Block
See “engine block.”
Bore
Represents the diameter of the cylinder in which a piston travels. The bore and stroke determine the displacement/capacity of the engine.
Boxer (engine)
A Boxer engine has its cylinders mounted opposing each other, hence it’s also called “opposing twin” or “flat-twin” for two-cylinder machines such as the BMW R-series. The reason it’s called a “Boxer” is because the pistons appear like a Boxer extending his arm outwards and inwards. The Honda Gold Wing is a flat-Six, so you can call it a horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine.
Brakes
The apparatus which helps you to set your speed, slow down and come to a stop. Almost all motorcycles now use hydraulic disc brakes, with just a few using the traditional cable actuated drum brakes.
Brake caliper
A brake caliper carries the pistons that push the brake pads onto the brake disc. There are a variety of types, such as the two-piston sliding pin and the latest four-piston “monobloc.” There was a brief flirtation with six-piston calipers but the concept has since been abandoned in the advent of better disc and pad material.
2018 KTM 790 Duke’s front brakes
Brake disc
The disc is mounted to the wheel, thus brake forces that act on it slows down the wheel, hence the bike.
Brake fluid
The “blood” of the hydraulic brake system. It’s the medium which transfer the force from your fingers to the brake pads. Contained in the reservoir.
Brake hose
If the brake fluid is the blood of the system, the brake hose is the blood vessel that carries the fluid.
Brake master cylinder
It applies pressure to the brake fluid when the brake lever is squeezed.
Brake pads
The material which rubs against the brake disc or drum housing, converting kinectic energy to heat
Burnout
Burnout – Photo credit rokbagoros.com
The act of keeping the bike stationery or near stationery while the rear tyre spins freely and pours out white acrid smoke. A sure way of shortening the lifespan of your tyre.
Butterfly
Butterfly – Photo credit offcamberautosport.com
The “valve” which sits in the throttle body (fuel-injection) or constant velocity carburetor. Opening the butterfly opens the intake tract to a vacuum which pulls in air. In a fuel-injected system, the fuel-injector sprays fuel into the airflow. As for carburetors, the vacuum sucks fuel from the float bowl through jets that atomise the fuel.
PETRONAS Lubricants Marketing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (PLMMSB) today launched Malaysia’s very first PETRONAS Sprinta Mobile Workshop for motorcycles. Designed to offer fast, quick, convenient, and professional service, this unique mobile service workshop will be making its way around Peninsular Malaysia with bike servicing capabilities paired with their renowned PETRONAS Sprinta lubricants. (more…)
The International Motomania of Kuala Lumpur 2019 rocked through the weekend.
Many vendors big and small were present including Harley-Davidson, Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, Shell, Indian, Ducati, Yamaha.
Retro rock performances went on throughout the day.
The International Motomania of Kuala Lumpur 2019 rocked the capital over the weekend, from Friday 22ndFebruary to Sunday 24thFebruary.
Held at the Malaysian Tourism Centre (MaTiC), it attracted motorcycle riders and fans, and tourists alike. There were fun activities throughout the day and through the night, so visitors never felt bored throughout.
Premium motorcycle and motorcycle-related product vendors were also present, including Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya, Aprilia Malaysia, Moto Guzzi Malaysia, Hong Leong Yamaha Motor, Indian Motorcycles, Ducati Malaysia and Shell Advance Malaysia.
Shell Advance Malaysia’s booth was busy throughout the event due to a special promotion. Visitors who bought the Shell Advance AX7 and Shell Advance Ultra with PurePlus Technology received exclusive cool towels, motorcycle covers and goodie bag. They also qualified for the lucky draws on the last day.
Besides them, there were also other vendors who displayed their products such as luxury cars (including a Ford Mustang!), retro motorcycles (Suzuki Katana, Suzuki RG500 Walter Wolf), riding gear and merchandize.
Activities included retro motorcycle competition, custom motorcycle competition, battle of the bands, and concerts featuring great rock icons such as Datuk Awie, Mus May, Bandi Amuk and others. There were also other local bands who took to the stage and they showcased the amount of raw talent Malaysians have.
Food and refreshment were provided by food trucks. They offered a great variety of local and international delights.
