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WorldSBK: Alvaro Bautista joins Ducati factory team for 2019

Alvaro Bautista confirms his move to WorldSBK 2019 after signing with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team.
The current MotoGP rider for the Angel Nieto squad will be racing alongside his new teammate, Chaz Davies.
Both riders in the Ducati factory team will also debut the brand new 1,000cc Ducati Panigale V4 R with hopes to win the championship next season.

Looks like the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati WorldSBK squad is all set for the 2019 season, folks! After the announcement of a brand new signing with the current Angel Nieto MotoGP rider, Alvaro Bautista, the Ducati factory WorldSBK team also confirmed that they’ve also extended their contract with Chaz Davies. (more…)

Triumph to Celebrate Moto2 Engine with Parade Lap at British GP

Triumph Motorcycles have completed the final revision of their Moto2 engine and will showcase it during the British GP.
The 765cc-triple engines will be supplied to Moto2 teams beginning 2019, replacing the 600cc inline-Four from Honda.
Triumph’s engine is expected to produce more midrange and peak horsepower.

Triumph Motorcycles will hold a parade lap during the British GP at Silverstone this weekend on a bike powered by their Moto2 engine. The event commemorates the completion of the Triumph engine which will be supplied to teams in the intermediate class beginning 2019.

The rider picked to ride the bike is two-time World Superbike Champion, James Toseland. He will ride the bike specially painted bike in the Union Jack theme.

The new engine has been warmly welcomed by Moto2 riders who have tested it as it has plenty of midrange grunt compared to the outgoing 600cc Honda inline-Four. It is also reputed to feature a quickshifter for both up- and downshifts, with an autoblipper. Additionally, an advanced Magneti Marelli ECU will be employed which bumped up the power output more than the current Moto2 engine, besides including traction control for the first time.

But do note that although it’s based on the Street Triple RS’s 765cc triple, only the engine will be supplied to Moto2 teams next year, instead of the entire bike which will perform the parade lap. This is because Triumph will not field their own Moto2 team. As per Moto2’s regulations, Triumph supplies the engines while teams such as Kalex, Speed Up, KTM, et al will produce their own frames to house the powerplant.

Triumph Motorcycles have also organized other activities such as a factory visit in Hinckley by Moto2 riders including Same Lowes, Danny Kent and Luca Marini, in addition to Moto3 rider John McPhee.

We hope this parade lap will be telecast “live” in Malaysia this weekend!

Source and pictures: MCN

NHTSA Gaffe Reveals 2019 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R

The NHTSA had mistakenly uploaded the list of 2019 Kawasaki motorcycles on their website.
The list includes a new Ninja ZX-6R.
We expect the 2019 bike to feature a host of changes to go toe-to-toe with the Yamaha YZF-R6.

Kawasaki had issued a letter including a list of 2019 models which included the new Ninja ZX-6R to the United States’ NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) this week. Kawasaki had also stated, “AS the embargo lift date for these models is October 11, 2018, we request that this document not be posted on the NHTSA website until after the embargo lift date.”

Funnily, the NHTSA posted the list on their website anyway.

The 600cc supersport market is pretty much stagnant these days, but Kawasaki has decided to go ahead with the ZX-6R in the hopes of breathing some new life into that segment.

The 11^th October date is when the AIM Expo show is held in Las Vegas, Nevada, US when it’s supposed to make its American debut, although the Intermot event in Cologne will be held a week earlier from 3^rd to 7^th October.

Although there was little technical detail in the list, it did show that the 2019 ZX-6R will be powered by the 636cc inline-Four which is found in the current bike and produces 127.4 bhp., a 2 bhp reduction compared to the current model being sold in Europe.

The reduction would have pretty much to do with the tough emissions regulations in the States. In fact, a document filed with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) showed that the new bike has a 3-way catalytic convertor instead of the existing oxidising catalyst. This new addition nearly halves the 2019 bike’s hydrocarbon, NOX and carbon monoxide emissions. That could also very mean that the bike may meet the new Euro 5 standard in 2020.

The full details may be sketchy, but we do expect the 2019 Ninja ZX-6R to go through an extensive makeover for it to beat the new Yamaha YZF-R6. Therefore, there will likely be a new styling, suspension and electronics package.

Stay tuned!

Didi Resources Organizes Inaugural Aprilia and Modclass Track Day

Didi Resources, the official distributor for Aprilia and Moto Guzzi, among others, is organizing a track day on 9^th September 2018.
There are two categories, one for Aprilias and one for all modern classics in the “Modclass.”
You may rent your racesuit at the track, although you need to bring your own full-faced helmet.

When Didi Resources promised great things to rejuvenate the Aprilia brand in Malaysia, they were serious at it. The new custodian and authorized distributor of Aprilia motorcycles in Malaysia is organizing a track day for Aprilia owners at the Sepang International Circuit on 9^th September 2018.

Piaggio Group Confirms The Appointment of a New Distributor for Aprilia in Malaysia

The Aprilia Track Day is open to all Aprilia owners of any model. Riders can choose between Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced categories, and there are two sessions allocated per category.

The entry fee is RM220, inclusive of track time, refreshments and door gifts.

It’ll be great to see and hear Aprilia’s V-Fours and V-Twin ridden in anger on the track again.

Also held on the same day are sessions for “Modclass” motorcycles, which is open to all modern classic motorcycles, although it is organized by Moto Guzzi Malaysia.

The entry fee is a little higher at RM250, but it includes a safety riding briefing and short training by “Foreman” Oh Kah Beng. Besides that, there is also a guided ride by certified marshals and motorcycle inspection by trained personnel. As with the Aprilia sessions, the Modclass fee also includes food and refreshments. Riders will also receive a Certificate of Completion at the end of the day.

For the Modclass, it will be the best opportunity to settle the score among modern classics to see which is faster!

You need not worry if you do not own a racesuit as you can rent a set which includes the suit, gloves and boots at RM330 for the entire day. You will need to bring your own full-face helmet, though.

Please register quickly as there are limited slots and they are going fast! You may refer to this link https://goo.gl/forms/wd3bJSCrdXrGQm2R2 to register or get in touch with Liyana at 011-23008919.

See you at the track.

New Ducati Hypermotard for 2019?

Ducati could be revamping the Hypermotard for 2019.
It should be ready for Euro 5 emissions standard since it will be implemented in 2020.
While it is not confirmed, there is speculation that the new engine will be equipped with DVT (Desmodromic Variable Timing).

A revamped Ducati Hypermotard has been caught undergoing road trials. Could it be released for 2019?

Looking at the spy shot, the “new” bike looks to have a new engine, styling changes and twin underseat exhaust silencers.

According to MCN, the exhausts are the obvious sign that the new Hypermotard will comply with the Euro 5 emissions standards that’s set to be introduced in 2020. The new rulings are even tougher on carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and noise emissions.

Hence, the new Hypermotard’s exhaust system separates the baffles and catalytic convertor rather than having both in the same unit. The new Supersport and Multistrada may also follow this same route.

Speaking of the new Multistrada 1260, the Hypermotard’s engine may just be equipped with DVT (Desmodromic Variable Timing) too since the system allows for better efficiency throughout the rev range.

Other takeaways from the spy photo are a new steel trellis subframe which replaces the previous one-piece cast unit, the clutch and alternator covers beefed up for more sound-proofing, and Marzocchi forks and Sachs rear monoshock.

Expect the 2019 Hypermotard to be unveiled at EICMA.

Modenas Dominar “Explore the Unexplored” Ride

Modenas organized the Dominar “Explore the Unexplored” Ride to let Dominar D400 riders experience their bikes as sport-tourers.
The first ride was from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh.
The convoy stopped at a number of attractions to allow the riders to shoot pictures for the #motography project.

There’s no doubt that Malaysia has many attractions that are unique; and the best way to enjoy not only these destinations is by riding a motorcycle, which makes us motorcyclists a lucky lot. Consequently, this is what Modenas sets to do when they organized the Modenas Dominar “Explore the Unexplored” Ride from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh yesterday (19^th August 2018).

The ride was also part of Bajaj and Modenas’s #motography project whereby the pictures snapped by the participants are shared as a database of sorts for other Bajaj owners around the world who wished to ride in Malaysia.

Apart from those, the ride was catered to the Modenas Dominar D400 owners, since the bike is branded as a sport-tourer.

A total of 12 riders signed up for this first ride and showed up at 6.30am for registration, breakfast and briefing. The organizers handed out a special T-shirt and sticker to each participant to commemorate the ride. They were then briefed about the #motography project and the ride.

True to the sport-touring spirit, a few had mounted larger windscreens and GIVI panniers and top cases.

The convoy pushed off from Modenas’s HQ and made onto the PLUS Highway toward their way to the Sungai Buaya exit for a short ride to the Selangor Dam at Kuala Kubu Bahru for the first photography stop. The convoy progressed in a smart fashion and the marshals made sure not to get in the way of other road users.

The sun started to shine down as the participants looked for the best angles to shoot the best pictures of their bikes.

From Kuala Kubu Bahru it was another short ride back onto the highway via Serendah as the group headed to the Tapah R&R to refuel. They got going after the short stop and rode to Ipoh for lunch.

A sumptuous lunch was organized at the multiple award-winning Indulgence Restaurant.

Based on the grounds of a pre-war bungalow, the restaurant’s ambience and food was a welcomed comfort from the blazing sun.

The haze had thankfully dissipated by then to a clear blue sky.

The organizers invited the riders to join in a fun game was organized in the restaurant’s compound.

The first required the riders to ride as slow as they can for 50 metres to test their skills in motorcycle control and balance.

The second game involved riding with a pillion. The passenger needed to throw a water balloon over a length of tape raised across the “track” and re-catch it without breaking it, while the rider must ride as slow as he can.

The winners received a RM50 Petronas fuel card each.

The ride got back on the road and headed to the last stop at Kellie’s Castle. Here, the riders took another round of pictures to be uploaded to the #motography mini site. The riders dispersed from this point afterwards.

There will be many other such rides coming up in the future, so please make sure to join if you are a Modenas Dominar D400 owner. Also, please follow the official Dominar Malaysia Facebook page for the latest updates.