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Indian Springfield confirmed for 2016

Not long after the announcement and release of the Indian Dark Horse, the American Environmental Protection Agency’s documents have revealed yet another interesting name of a bike that is due to be sold in 2016. It is none other than the Indian Springfield.

While the Indian Dark Horse was discovered in the same way through EPA’s list and was officially announced soon after, we expect the Indian Springfield to be officially announced only next year.

As of now, the only information we have about the Indian Springfield is that it will use the same 1,811 cc V-Twin engine as used on the Chieftain, Roadmaster and Dark Horse. Like the Dark Horse, it’s quite possible the Springfield will be a single seat model as it was when it was last on sale around mid-2000.

The Springfield name references the location of the first Indian factory in Springfield, Massachusetts where it produced motorcycles from 1901 to 1953.

New Kawasaki ZX-14 to be less powerful

As you might have heard a couple of months ago, Kawasaki has updated the ZX-14 for 2016 with an updated engine to keep up with the strict European emission regulations.

This is due to the fact that the ZX-14 was one of the bikes that did not match the emissions standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

So, with a few tweaks to the powerplant, the bike is now ready for the European market. However, the bike’s maximum output, which stood at 210.7hp in the outgoing model, has been decreased to 199.9hp.

The latest EPA test data shows the model has a ‘new’ version of the 1441cc engine with a three-way catalyst rather than an ‘oxidising’ cat. Along with peak power, carbon monoxide emissions have also been lowered.

Set to be available in two variants (ZX-14R and the ZX-14R Performance Sports) for 2016, notable changes include the new instrument cluster with LCD displays with dot-pattern background, black and white interchangeable displays, Brembo M50 monobloc brake calipers with Brembo radial-pump master cylinder, stainless steel brake lines, Ohlins TTX39 rear shock absorber, as well as Akrapovic exhausts.

2015 Yamaha R1 and R1M recalled

Yamaha has announced that it is recalling all 2015 YZF-R1 and YZF-R1M bikes sold so far in the US, UK and Canada to replace the gearbox following a number of failures on the new model.

It is said that there have been a small number of second gear ratio failures on racing and track bikes under extreme load and with mistimed gear-changes, which have led to the gearboxes seizing.

While Yamaha UK hasn’t explained what is happening in detail to owners, Yamaha USA has sent out letters with the necessary details to owners, explaining what the problem was and what needed to be repaired.

“In affected motorcycles, both second gear wheel and pinion gears in the transmission may break as a result of extremely high stress and/or improper shifting. This is due to inadequate component strength and stress concentration at the gear teeth bottom land. In addition, the third and fourth wheel gears may be deformed or break as a result of excessive stress caused by hard usage.

This is due to inadequate component strength. If gears fail, the transmission could lock up, causing loss of control that could result in a crash with injury or death,” said the letter.

Leon Haslam to head to BSB

Uncertain about his future in the WSBK World Superbike Championship, rider Leon Haslam is all set to make a return to the MCE British Superbike championship in 2016.

Sources say that the 32-year-old will be teaming up with JG Speedfit Kawasaki, and will ride alongside James Ellison and Peter Hickman.

It is said that this will be the first Haslam will be riding a Kawasaki machinery in his career. And with a brand new bike closely developed with the factory team of Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes, it could be the chance that Haslam needs to finally bury his demons in the domestic series.

Although no official announcements have been made, Haslam did mention that he was looking at BSB options, and that interesting offers have already been made by certain parties.

KL Bike Week 2015: Road closure announcement

Red Garage Malaysia, the organisers of the KL Bike Week 2015, have announced that a part of Jalan Ampang, adjacent to the Malaysia Tourist Centre (MaTic) will be closed on the 19th of December (Saturday) from 10am to 10pm to make way for visitors and participating bikers making their way in and out of the event.

The KL Bike Week 2015, which will be held at The Lanai, Malaysia Tourist Centre (MaTic), will take place on this Friday, December 18 and Saturday, December 19.

Set to feature an array of activities such as a custom bike show, classic bike show, custom helmet painting contest, live music performances, burnout competitions, and many more, the event is expected to attract thousands of bikers from not only Malaysia, but also other countries in the Asia Pacific region.

For more information, visit Red Garage Malaysia’s official Facebook page.

Kawasaki J125 makes global debut

Less than a year after Kawasaki launched its first ever scooter (the J300), the brand has unveiled its second scooter – the J125 in Spain earlier this week.

Powered by an all-new water-cooled single cylinder 125cc four-stroke engine which produces a claimed 14bhp and 11.5Nm of torque, the J125 weighs 182kg and competes directly with models like the Suzuki Burgman and Yamaha X-Max 125.

Inspired by the J300, the J125 looks quite similar to its bigger sibling, and comes with under-seat storage big enough for a single full face helmet and A4 briefcase.

It is said that the scooter also comes with a small glove box at the front which has a 12v power outlet.

According to Kawasaki, ABS and an anti-temper anti-theft ignition switch is offered as standard.

All set to make its UK debut in January 2016, there has not been any official announcement on whether the J125 will be introduced here in Malaysia.

Ural joins scrambler bandwagon

Scramblers have been all the rage lately, and believe it or not, even Ural is in on the action.

Presented at the recent EICMA show in Milan, Ural has fitted knobblies to its anachronistic Ranger sidecar outfit, renaming it ‘Scrambler’ and has given the bike a grey-and-yellow paint scheme.

The company mentioned that it plans to sell only 20 of them in by end of 2016.

It is said that since it’s based on the Ranger, it’s two wheel drive (the sidecar wheel is driven as well as the bike’s rear wheel), it has more off-road credentials than a lot of the other recent ‘scrambler’ launches, and the hefty tubular steel nudge bars around the side car mean it can probably stand up to some beating, even if the weight of them isn’t likely to help performance much.

For those of you who are wondering if this news is any relevant to our market, Ural is expected to make its presence known in Malaysia very soon, so, stay tuned for more updates.

Victory unveils Combustion Concept in New York

Having unveiled the Ignition concept at last month’s EICMA show in Milan, Victory Motorcycles revealed another concept yesterday, called the Combustion concept at the ongoing New York International Motorcycle Show.

Powered by the brand’s Project 156 liquid-cooled 1200cc 60-degree V-Twin engine and chassis just like the Ignition concept, the Combustion was built by Zach Ness of Victory’s long time collaborators, Arlen Ness Motorcycles.

Looking quite close to being production-ready, the Combustion is said to have taken inspiration from muscle cars with a focus on high horsepower and low weight.

According to Victory, the Combustion uses the same rear suspension and swingarm as the Ignition, but the former’s fork is less beefy and not inverted like the previous concept’s front suspension.

Custom features included knurled grips, Wright spoke wheels with billet hubs and rims, custom-painted Brembo radial calipers and beveled brake rotors.

Gary Gray, Victory’s product director said, “This new engine offers the most versatility in American motorcycling. Both of the concepts – Ignition and Combustion, are intended to show what this motor is capable of in very distinct, visual forms. While the bikes are different, the powertrain is capable of delivering the performance in both cases.”

Victory says that the Combustion is its final 1200cc concept, following the Ignition and the Project 156 bike that raced at Pikes Peak.

Pedrosa and Marquez test the Honda NSR500 GP bike

In an effort to give thanks to its workforce and fans, Honda recently held its annual “Honda Racing Thanks Day” at the Motegi circuit in Japan.

The event saw Honda’s top stars being given opportunities to test some of the brand’s most iconic machines on the circuit, including both cars and bikes.

The biggest highlight of the event was of course, the presence of Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez, who had the chance to take Honda’s special NSR500 two-stroke Grand Prix machines to the track for the first time.

They were also given the chance to test Honda’s NSX supercar, as well as racing go-karts and CBR250s against other stars like F1 drivers Fernando Alonso, Takuma Sato, and Toni Bou, Suzuka 8-hour winner Takumi Takahashi, Hiroshi Aoyama and Kosuke Akiyoshi, as well as ten drivers from the Super GT series.

Speaking after testing the NSR500 Grand Prix bike, Pedrosa pointed out that his experience on the bike will be a special one, as this was the first time he had got his hands on one.

“It’s been a really good weekend! I had the chance to have some fun and behave like a kid once again, playing with some very special toys! We drove some great cars and also had a chance to ride the NSR500, whilst enjoying ourselves with other riders and drivers,” he added.

Marc Marquez, on the other hand, said, “It was good to hang out together, talk about our seasons and see drive Honda’s new and old vehicles! I’d like to take this final chance to wish all our fans a very Happy Christmas as well”.

Honda’s Adventure Scooter Could Enter Production in 2017

Remember Honda’s ‘City Adventure’ adventure scooter which was revealed at the recent EICMA show in Milan? (more…)

The stage is set for SAATC 2016

The 2016 schedule for the third edition of the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup has been revealed, featuring 12 races.

Even though the cup is only two years old, it has already produced a world championship rider – Adam Norrodin.

2016 will once again see the championship contested over six rounds in five different countries each round hosting two races. Sepang will see the season kick off with two days of testing in February before the Cup heads to Thailand to race alongside the WSBK Championship.

Qatar will host races three and four from March, the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup racing alongside the MotoGP World Championship. Mid-May will see the Cup riders return to Sepang for their first races at the Malaysian circuit, once again alongside the WSBK Championship before heading to the Zhuhai circuit in China. This race will run with the highly popular Pan Delta event.

The final two rounds of the 2016 Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup season will see the youngsters follow the MotoGP riders to Motegi and Sepang in October for last four races. 12 races and ample practice time offer riders a chance to learn the tracks and continue to improve their race craft.

The riders who will be participating in the 2016 Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup are:

Tom Stewart William Edwards (Australia)
Ahamed Kadai Yaseen (India)
Irfan Aradiansyah (Indonesia)
Dwiki Hardhiana Suparta (Indonesia)
Faldhan Novayaser Mardani (Indonesia)
Alif Akbar Utama (Indonesia)
Basyiruddin Samhan Mashuri (Indonesia)
Riku Sugawara (Japan)
Yuki Kunii (Japan)
Shogo Kawasaki (Japan)
Muhammad Izam Ikmal (Malaysia)
Muhammad Khairul Ikhwan Bin Ajis (Malaysia)
Amirul Hakim Bin Mohd Rizal (Malaysia)

2016 SAATC Race Calendar:

Date	Event Type	Coinciding Event	Circuit	Country
9^th – 10^th February	Test	None	Sepang	Malaysia
11^th – 13^th March	Races 1&2	WSBK Thailand	Buriram	Thailand
17^th – 20^th March	Races 3&4	MotoGP Qatar	Losail	Qatar
13^th – 15^th May	Races 5&6	WSBK Malaysia	Sepang	Malaysia
16^th – 19^th September	Races 7&8	Pan Delta	Zhuhai	China
14^th – 16^th October	Races 9&10	MotoGP Japan	Motegi	Japan
28^th – 30^th October	Races 11&12	MotoGP Malaysia	Sepang	Malaysia

McGuinness and Cummins to remain with Honda

23-time Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness and Manxman Conor Cummins announced yesterday that they will remain with the Honda Racing squad for the 2016 road-racing season.

Having won the Senior TT category this year, McGuinness said that he aims to maintain the form this year as well. Meanwhile, Cummins, who also had a strong year with the squad culminating in a pair of superbike second places at the Ulster Grand Prix, says that there’s still room for improvement.

Speaking at the Motorcycle Live event, the duo said that besides the Isle of Man TT, they will also be participating in the North West 200 and Macau Grand Prix. Cummins on the other hand, will also be racing at the Ulster Grand Prix.

“2015 was a mixed season for me, I didn’t really get the results I wanted at the North West or the TT, but it all came together at the Ulster and leaving with two second-places was great. The Fireblade is a great machine and I’m so happy to be back with Honda Racing again for now my third year,” said Cummins.

According to Honda Racing Team, the ‘Morecambe Missile’ and the ‘Ramsey Rocket’ will participate in the Superbike classes at the North West 200 and also the Superbike and Senior races at the Isle of Man TT aboard the proven Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP. Cummins will also take part in the 2016 Ulster GP and both riders are scheduled to race at Macau later in the year

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Admin

Indian Springfield confirmed for 2016

New Kawasaki ZX-14 to be less powerful

2015 Yamaha R1 and R1M recalled

Leon Haslam to head to BSB

KL Bike Week 2015: Road closure announcement

Kawasaki J125 makes global debut

Ural joins scrambler bandwagon

Victory unveils Combustion Concept in New York

Pedrosa and Marquez test the Honda NSR500 GP bike

Honda’s Adventure Scooter Could Enter Production in 2017

The stage is set for SAATC 2016

The 2016 schedule for the third edition of the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup has been revealed, featuring 12 races.

2016 SAATC Race Calendar:

McGuinness and Cummins to remain with Honda

23-time Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness and Manxman Conor Cummins announced yesterday that they will remain with the Honda Racing squad for the 2016 road-racing season.

Indian Springfield confirmed for 2016

New Kawasaki ZX-14 to be less powerful

2015 Yamaha R1 and R1M recalled

Leon Haslam to head to BSB

KL Bike Week 2015: Road closure announcement

Kawasaki J125 makes global debut

Ural joins scrambler bandwagon

Victory unveils Combustion Concept in New York

Pedrosa and Marquez test the Honda NSR500 GP bike

Honda’s Adventure Scooter Could Enter Production in 2017

The stage is set for SAATC 2016

McGuinness and Cummins to remain with Honda

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