Amirul Azreen, Author at BikesRepublic.com

2022 KTM 890 Duke R Launched – Same Engine, Cooler Paint Job

KTM begins its ‘Midweight NAKED February’ by unveiling the 2022 890 Duke R.

The new model year comes with an all-new Atlantic Blue base colour, lifted directly from the KTM 1290 Super Duke R.

The colour is also reminiscent of the palate used on the KTM RC16 MotoGP bike.

Nevertheless, the signature orange frame continues to offer a weird yet perfect contrast of colours, which only KTM can deliver.

First introduced in 2020, the KTM 890 Duke R continue to be the undisputed champion of the middleweight naked bike category.

Underneath the new paint job sits the famous 890cc parallel-twin engine that boasts an impressive 121hp and 99Nm.

The KTM 890 Duke R remains a no-nonsense middleweight naked bike, equally capable of tackling twisty corners on normal roads as it is on the racetrack.

Dubbed The Super Scalpel due to its lightning-fast steering geometry, the KTM 890 Duke R continue to feature a tubular steel chassis and adjustable WP Apex suspension.

The 890 Duke R is equipped with Brembo Stylema callipers, 320mm front disc, and adjustable Brembo MCS master cylinder to counteract the enormous power.

Meanwhile, the 890 Duke R also comes with Michelin Power Cup 2 tyres that ensure a reliable grip on every asphalt surface.

The 890 Duke R also features a host of electronics wizardly, which includes:

Cornering ABS
Cornering MTC (traction control)
6D lean-angle sensor (roll, pitch & yaw)
Riding mode (Rain/Street/Sport and Track)
9-levels adjustable traction control slop
anti-wheelie
throttle control settings

As always, a full range of KTM PowerParts has been developed to allow owners to personalize the 890 Duke R accordingly.

According to KTM, the 2022 890 Duke R will soon find its way to the dealership worldwide.

MotoGP: Sepang Test A Success, SIC Recorded More Than 11,000 Spectators

The 2022 Official MotoGP pre-season test has concluded at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) on Sunday.

The event also marked the nation’s first international motorsport event after a two-year absence.

The two-day event , was dubbed to be successful by SIC and Dorna.

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro clocked the fastest time in Day 1 before Gresini’s Enea Bastianini improved his lap to take Day 2.

The 24-year-old Italian did 1m 58.131s which is also a new track record.

“Overall feedback, everyone was pleased,” said SIC CEO Azhan Shafriman Hanif.

“The protocol that we put in place was very straightforward.

“Tests are being conducted every day, and in terms of participants, they are regularly checked.

“On the other side (spectators), we set up very well for us to get the fans in.

“After two years not having any events, the support is still very high; they are still passionate about the sport,” he said.

Anyhow, Azhan hoped that the success of the Sepang Test could set a benchmark for the Malaysian GP, in October.

“I hope this could be a benchmark for every other event, including the Malaysian GP. I hope this (Sepang Test) could be the spark that we need,” he added.

Asking whether the current rise of Covid-19 cases could impact the Malaysian GP in October, here is what Azhan had to say.

“We plan to run the Malaysian GP at 100 per cent capacity; however, it will depend on the ongoing scenario at that point of time.

“For example, if cases are still on the rise, then we have to shift and adapt our proposal to the government.

“Hopefully, by October, the country will go into the endemic stage so that the Standard Operation Procedure is loosened,” said Azhan.

2022 Honda BeAT Gets New Colour Update – RM5,765

Boon Siew Honda begans its 2022 calendar by updating the Honda BeAT compact scooter.

According to BSH, the Honda BeAT gets new refreshing colour and modern graphics to cater to a younger riders and is available for a price of RM5,765.

Regardless, the 2022 BeAT continue to run on Honda’s eSP (enhanced Smart Power) 108.2cc, single-cylinder air-cooled engine that makes 8.67hp @ 7,500rpm and 9.53Nm @ 5,500rpm. Power gets to the rear-wheel via a CVT transmission and conventional belt drive.

The Honda BeAT also continue to run on 14-inch wheels with 80/90 front and 90/90 rear tyre.

Thanks to the innovative enhanced Smart Architecture Frame (eSAF), the compact scooter offers better agility and ergonomics on the road while providing a greater space utilisation, resulting to a large 4.2L fuel tank and 11.7L under-seat storage.

Other features include:

Combi Brake System (CBS)
LED headlights
parking brake lock
Side Stand Switch

Toprak Razgatlioglu Gets Green Light To Test Yamaha’s Factory M1 In The Summer

Yamaha has formally confirmed that the Turkish rider will get the opportunity in 2022 as a step to evaluate a potential move to MotoGP earlier-than-planned.

“At the end of the season and Jerez test, we planned a test for him and then Indonesia organised the last Superbike race and he had to fly over there.

“But this year, the [MotoGP-WorldSBK] calendars mean we have to find a day that would suit both calendars.

“We have a schedule already and there are two possibilities; one is in August and the other one maybe in June. As soon as we are ready, then we will decide the right moment together,” explained Yamaha Factory Team Manager, Massimo Meregalli.

Razgatlioglu helped deliver Yamaha its first WorldSBK title after 12 long years in an epic battle with 6-time WorldSBK champion, Jonathan Rea at Mandalika Circuit.

Yamaha had planned to allow Razgatlioglu to test out the M1 before the start of MotoGP official test however, the change of date for the final round at Indonesia scuppered those plans.

Now it looks like the 25-year-old will finally given the chance mid-2022 before proceeding to promote him a MotoGP seat in 2023.

MotoGP: Quartararo Admits No Changes Is Done To His M1, Plea For More Power

Fabio Quartararo began the defence of his 2021 MotoGP title with the Official MotoGP Sepang Test at Sepang International Circuit (SIC).

Despite ending Day 1 & 2 as the fastest Yamaha rider on the track, Quartararo was still behind two or more Ducati machinery on the grid.

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro emerged as the fastest rider on Day 1, while Enea Bastianini clocked the quickest time on Day 2 onboard the one-year-old Ducati GP21.

The result could frustrate Quartararo, who was notably outperformed by Ducati bikes during the latter rounds of last year.

It also led to Quartararo asking Yamaha to extract more speed from the factory M1 in the hope to quell the threat of Ducati, especially on the straights.

However, while Quartararo’s top speed of 332.3km/h looked strong, he admitted to out-braked himself coming through the speed trap.

“I wanted more horsepower, but at the end we can’t just invent [more horsepower].

“If we have it, it’s better. But if we don’t, it’s not useful to say all the time that it’s missing power.

“If you have no power, you adapt yourself, like I did in the past. If we need to adapt, we’re going to adapt,” he said.

Yamaha is known for its agility; however its unwavering approach to ensuring the M1 remains the sweetest handling on the grid at the expense of power has come in for criticism in recent years, from the likes of Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales.

Sepang Test: Enea Bastianini Ends Day 2 As The Fastest

Enea Bastianini made surprise improvement towards the end of last season as the young Italian managed to collect 71 points during the final six rounds of the 2021 MotoGP season.

After making a switch to Gresini Racing onboard the Ducati GP21, the 24-year-old is among the fastest rider in Day 1 and 2 at the Official MotoGP Sepang Test.

Bastianini clocked second fastest in Day 1 with 1 minute 58.638 seconds, one of only two riders who managed to do under 1m58s alongside Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro who came out on top.

However, Bastianini further improve his lap time at Day 2 and emerged as the fastest rider of the day with 1m 58.131s ahead of Espargaro’s 1m 58.157s.

According to Bastianini, the Ducati GP21 offers a lot of improvements compared to Avintia’s Ducati GP19, the bike he rode throughout of his rookie season last year.

“I’ts better in every part of the track. You can brake later and also I like a lot the rear because it’s more stable.

“Especially when I have the new tyre on the rear I can open throttle aggressively compared to the GP19,” he said.

After making a great impression towards the end of the last season, the rider is expected to make a significant leap for 2022.

OFFICIAL: Danilo Petrucci To 2022 MotoAmerica

Former MotoGP rider and 2022 Dakar Rally stage winner, Danilo Petrucci will return to track racing after officially confirming that he will race at the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.

The Italian is set to enter race with Warhorse HSBK Ducati Racing onboard the Ducati Panigale V4.

He was previously confirmed to enter the race but needed the paperwork to be completed before making the official announcement.

The day has officially arrived and the former Ducati rider is excited over his return on a Ducati machine.

“I’m so happy that I am coming back to race with Ducati and I would like to give a special thank you to all the Ducait people who made this project possible,” said Petrucci in a statement.

“I spoke about this project with Eraldo Ferracci (Advisor, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NY) at Circuit of the Americas last year and all the management including Claudio Domenicali, Gigi Dall’Igna, Paolo Ciabatti and Davide Tardozzi, and they were really happy to have me on board again.”

The 31-year-old Italian will ride a factory-build Ducati Panigale V4 R in the MotoAmerica series on April 8th.

9-Time WRC Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb Announced As Indian Motorcycle Ambassador

If you don’t know who Sebastien Loeb is, you probably live under a rock.

The man is a nine-time World Rally Championship champion and has three Dakar podiums in his career.

The WRC legend will add another achievement as Indian Motorcycle announced Loeb as the company’s new ambassador!

In addition, Loeb will now ride an Indian FTR R Carbon to help promote the American motorcycle brand.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Sébastien Loeb, who is a charismatic and talented personality.

“During our meeting, I discovered a real enthusiast, of cars of course, but also of two-wheelers, especially motorcycles with a character like the FTR.

“I am thrilled with this new partnership which goes against the grain of Sébastien’s traditional universe. Basing this partnership on the Indian FTR is a natural fit; it is a motorcycle with a unique style and performance, everything that Sébastien was looking for in his future motorcycle,” said Pierre Audoin, Indian Motorcycle National Manager, France.

Meanwhile, Loeb also expressed his excitement over the new development with Indian and is looking forward to taking the FTR Carbon R on numerous adventures.

“I am pleased to collaborate with Indian, I am seen more often behind the wheel than the handlebars, but I have always ridden to experience different sensations.

“I love riding whenever I get the chance, whether on the track or on the road, and the FTR has all the qualities necessary to have fun at any pace,” he said.

Despite spending most of his life behind four-wheelers, a love for motorcycles is often there and is often the case with drivers racing at the top level. The 47-year-old himself spent a lot of his time at moto-racing, including enduro, during his earlier days.

Honda Working On Self Counter Steering System

For the past two years, radar sensor technology was all the hype with motorcycle manufacturers fitted with adaptive cruise control and blind-spot detection.

However, the effort to increase rider’s safety saw Honda’s taking a different approach, with the company now developing a counter-steer system for the GL1800 Gold Wing.

The advanced steering assistance has been Honda’s main agenda for quite some time. After introducing its Riding Assist-E system, the Japanese firm is currently deep into the development stage of a new system.

While the concept focused on keeping the bike upright at a standstill, Honda’s latest self-counter steer works in an entirely different way.

Unlike the Riding Assist-E system that uses gyroscopes flywheels to keep it upright, the new system uses electric motors located at the front to help counter-steer the bike if it senses the motorcycle is about to slide.

Although the working mechanism is complex, the configuration is simple.

An electronic actuator is mounted near the steering head and it is connected to the top yoke of the bike by a lever and a rod. During a sliding incident, the actuator will kick in and predetermine the amount of opposite force needed to counteract the misalignment of the front or rear wheel.

While it could help the rider to avoid crashes or any unwanted incident, the thought of having hardware that allows the bike to turn by itself seems pretty scary.

Nevertheless, the counter-steer system could only be a feature specifically built for the Gold Wing and might not find its way on the other Japanese company’s two-wheel range.

Considering the Gold Wing weighs 382 kilograms, it needs all the fancy features to increase the rider’s safety.

TBR Introduces New Frame Sliders And Tail Tidy For The Yamaha R7

If you own the Yamaha YZF-R7 and are looking for some extra accessories, check out TBR’s latest frame sliders and tail tidy.

The French-based company has expanded its current catalogue to offer extra protection and added style for Yamaha’s newest middleweight sports bike.

The frame slider is probably the essential accessory you need to look out for.

According to TBR, the pair of frame sliders is made with a precision machine and comes with TBR’s Shock Absorber System (SAS).

The sliders are attached to the side of the frame with shock dampening pads that helps to soften the fall. The end of the slider is also made with low-friction synthetic material.

The kit is available on TBR’s website for USD270 (RM1.2k) and can also be fitted on Yamaha’s new MT-09.

Meanwhile, TBR’s new tail tidy helps create a cooler look for the R7, replacing the ‘ugly’ stock license plate holder, which is long and hideous. The tail tidy can also reuse the R7’s stock indicators, ensuring the bike remains practical for road use.

The tail-tidy is available for USD145 (RM600) and comes with a two-year warranty.

KTM Set To Unveil Two New 890 Duke In February

KTM wil roll out not one but two 890 Duke range in February which includes the 890 Duke R and 890 Duke GP.

According to reports, the Austrian firm will unveiled the 890 Duke R on February 7th followed by the grand-prix inspired Duke GP on February 22nd.

While we can already picture how the KTM 890 Duke R will turn out, the 890 Duke GP is still a mystery.

However, it is safe to assume the 890 Duke GP to get premium race-spec component, similar to the KTM RC 8C track bike but without the bespoke features.

KTM is calling the two bike launch as “Midweight NAKED February” , meaning the possibility of a full fairing motorcycle is not on the cards, yet we believed the Duke GP will feature some race bike components.

The two models could also offer fresh new colourways, with KTM might go crazy over the GP variant.

SPY SHOT: Triumph-Bajaj Baby Scrambler Caught Testing For The First Time

The collaboration between Triumph and Bajaj Auto is finally upon us as the test mule motorcycle was caught doing rounds for the first time.

From its looks, the upcoming Baby Triumph will not be based on the Trident 660 or any of the Hinckley’s naked range, but instead, the test mule looks similar to the firm Scrambler 1200 lineup.

We can see that the test mule features some similar components and parts to those found on the Bajaj-built KTM 390 Duke.

According to YouTuber MOTOBOB, who came across the test bike, the dash is lifted straight from the 390 Duke, and while it could change later during the production stage, it shows how closely Triumph and Bajaj are working.

Other similar components taken from the 390 includes ByBre radially-mounted two-piston brake callipers.

While we know the bike runs on a single-cylinder Euro5 certified engine, the finer details, including the engine capacity (rumoured to be between 350cc to 500cc), is still unknown.

Although Bajaj is responsible for the engine development and manufacturing, the motorcycle will carry Triumph’s badge.

Looking at how aggressively Triumph’s is developing the new bike, we assume that the finished product will debut later this year.

The baby Triumph could find its way to rival other small capacity single-cylinder machines like the 390 Duke, BMW G 310, Honda CB300R, Royal Enfield Meteor 350 and Bajaj’s very own Dominar 400 UG.

(Source: MCN)

Bikesrepublic

Amirul Azreen

2022 KTM 890 Duke R Launched – Same Engine, Cooler Paint Job

MotoGP: Sepang Test A Success, SIC Recorded More Than 11,000 Spectators

2022 Honda BeAT Gets New Colour Update – RM5,765

Toprak Razgatlioglu Gets Green Light To Test Yamaha’s Factory M1 In The Summer

MotoGP: Quartararo Admits No Changes Is Done To His M1, Plea For More Power

Sepang Test: Enea Bastianini Ends Day 2 As The Fastest

OFFICIAL: Danilo Petrucci To 2022 MotoAmerica

9-Time WRC Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb Announced As Indian Motorcycle Ambassador

Honda Working On Self Counter Steering System

TBR Introduces New Frame Sliders And Tail Tidy For The Yamaha R7

KTM Set To Unveil Two New 890 Duke In February

SPY SHOT: Triumph-Bajaj Baby Scrambler Caught Testing For The First Time

2022 KTM 890 Duke R Launched – Same Engine, Cooler Paint Job

MotoGP: Sepang Test A Success, SIC Recorded More Than 11,000 Spectators

2022 Honda BeAT Gets New Colour Update – RM5,765

Toprak Razgatlioglu Gets Green Light To Test Yamaha’s Factory M1 In The Summer

MotoGP: Quartararo Admits No Changes Is Done To His M1, Plea For More Power

Sepang Test: Enea Bastianini Ends Day 2 As The Fastest

OFFICIAL: Danilo Petrucci To 2022 MotoAmerica

9-Time WRC Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb Announced As Indian Motorcycle Ambassador

Honda Working On Self Counter Steering System

TBR Introduces New Frame Sliders And Tail Tidy For The Yamaha R7

KTM Set To Unveil Two New 890 Duke In February

SPY SHOT: Triumph-Bajaj Baby Scrambler Caught Testing For The First Time

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