Wahid Ooi, Author at BikesRepublic.com

Argentina MotoGP 2019: Marquez Shows His Class to Take Pole

Marc Marquez scored pole position in qualifying for the Argentina MotoGP 2019.
It was the 81^stpole of his career.
The Top 10 qualifiers were separated by less than 1 second.

After a slow start and difficulties during all four practice sessions, Marc Marquez put the hammer down when it truly mattered to claim the pole position for the Argentina MotoGP 2019. It was the 81^stpole of his career.

The reigning world champion could only record the 8^thfastest time by FP3 giving his team lots of concern. Afterwards in FP4, the chain on his RC213V hopped off the rear sprocket. Marquez had to park his bike, ran through puddles and mud in the infield to a marshal on a moped who fetched him back to his pits.

Marquez then hopped on his spare bike to complete the rest of the session and Qualifying. But he almost crashed at the first turn during Q2, as well. The team proceeded to run a two-stop, three-run session.

The Spanish posted a super-quick 1m 38.304s fastest lap, putting himself 0.154s clear of Maverick Vinalez in second. Andrea Dovizioso steered his Ducati to 1m 38.468s to complete the front row of the grid. Dovi’s time was just 0.010s behind Vinalez and 0.164s behind Marquez.

The times recorded in Qualifying were more strung out compared to the amazingly close times during the first two Free Practice Sessions. Instead of having 1 second covering 21 riders, it worked out to 1 second covering ten riders ahead of the race.

Behind Dovi was Valentino Rossi, 0.241s away from pole. Jack Miller completed the Top 5 with a mere 0.003s behind VR46.

Meanwhile, the two riders of Petronas Sepang Racing Team surprised everyone when their riders Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo qualified sixth and seventh, respectively.

Cal Crutchlow, Takaaki Nakagami and Danilo Petrucci completed the Top 10.

Argentina MotoGP FP2: 21 Riders Covered by 1 Second

FP2 at the Argentina MotoGP saw 21 riders covered by just 1 second.
Andrea Dovizioso was fastest.
Jorge Lorenzo was in 21^stwith just 0.978s behind.

Free Practice 2 (FP1) for the Argentina MotoGP class started with dodgy weather but ended with 21 riders covered by just 1 second.

The session started slow, until the pit lane and track burst into life in the last 10 minutes. As rain once again threatens later proceedings, the teams had to exploit the best situation to post the fastest times. Due to the present qualifying format, the best time from any of the three Free Practice sessions counts towards a place in either Qualifying 1 (Q1) or Qualifying 2 (Q2).

Fresh from his win at Qatar, Team Winnows Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso posted his fastest time of 1m 39.181s. Repsol Honda rider Jorge Lorenzo recorded his best time of 1m 40.159s, 0.978s slower. Dovizioso finished as the fastest rider, Lorenzo was in 21^st.

Jack Miller of Pramac Racing impressed again, stopping the stopwatch at 1m 39.190s, just 0.009 second behind Dovi.

Maverick Vinalez put the factory Monster Energy Yamaha perhaps surprisingly in third with a time of 1m 39.345s. Cal Crutchlow of LCR Honda was fourth with 1m 39.346s, and Fabio Quartararo of Petronas Sepang Racing Team rounded out the top five with 1m 39.357s.

It meant that the Top 5 were covered by just 0.176s.

Valentino Rossi, Alex Rins, Marc Marquez, Franco Morbidelli and Takaaki Nakagami filled positions sixth through tenth. Nakagami was just 0.448s behind Dovizioso.

MotoGP FP3 session starts at 9.50 pm tonight, while Q1 behings at 2.05am and Q2 at 2.30am.

KBS Sets Up Pro-Tem Motorsports Committee After Ousting AAM

The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will set up a Pro-Tem Motorsports Committee (PMC) in place of AAM.
The temporary committee will oversee motorsports activities.
The PMC will do so until the FIM and FIA nominates the official sanctioning body.

The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS – Kementerian Belia dan Sukan) will set up a Pro-Tem Motorsports Committee (PMC), after the ousting of the Automotive Association of Malaysia (AAM) as the motorsports sanctioning body.

The KBS press release stated that the Malaysian Sports Commission has discussed the matter with KBS. The outcome of the meeting is to set up a temporary committee consisting of all motorsport bodies in Malaysia until a new sanctioning body is named by the FIM and FIA.

The PMC will oversee motorsport matters handled by AAM prior to their dissolution. As such, it will temporarily function as the National Sports Authority for the FIA (ASN-FIA) and National Motorsports Federation for the FIM (FMN-FIA).

The press release also stated that current AAM racing license holders may continue with their sporting activities as usual.

The statement regarding licensing will be a news much welcomed by the country’s professional racers. They had earlier voiced their concerns about the legitimacy of their racing licenses and insurance that were issued by AAM.

GIVI Asia Celebrates 25th Anniversary and Launches New 2019 Products

GIVI Asia celebrates their 25^thAnniversary today and launches the 2019 line-up of products.
The launch was presented to the media and dealers from around Asia.
The company launch 15 new products today and there will be more to come.

GIVI Asia celebrates their 25^thAnniversary today and launches the 2019 line-up of products. The launch was held at the Grand Ion D’elemen Hotel in Genting Highlands.

The company also organized a convoy for the Malaysian motorcycle media to kick off the proceedings. The ride began at GIVI Asia’s headquarters and factory in Bukit Beruntung. Foreign dignitaries and dealers were given a tour of the factory, before heading up to Genting Highlands.

2019 Range of Products

GIVI has always strived hard to provide the best solutions for all riders in every conceivable situation. As such, they boast some 75,000 products of all types. The launch of the 2019 range adds to this massive collection.

Showcased at the launch were hard cases, soft bags, waist bag, waterproof garments and helmets.

Hard cases

Monolock B32N-Advance Bold Top Case. An “upgrade” of the popular B32 Bold, it features a pair of stainless steel rods on top of the lid, an elastic net strung between the rods and a backrest. The 32-litre case and its features caters to riders who tour, but do not want a larger case.

Monolock B270N Top Case. A compact but aerodynamic 27-litre case for riders who want something compact yet stylish. GIVI fitted it to a number of motojournalists’ motorcycles to gain more insight to their use. The lid also has a carbon fibre-like panel to impart a sporty look.

E23 Monokey Side Case. These new side cases offer 23-litres of storage capacity each, but small enough to be mounted beside scooters, kapchaisand lightweight adventure bikes. The lid has handles on both ends, enabling more items to be tied down on top of the lid. They also feature prismatic reflective strips for extra visibility, hence safety.

G12 Fixed System Centre Case. The G12 centre case replaces the ubiquitous “basket” of kapchais/scooters. It has a 12-litre load capacity hence the rider can store items such as his wallet, phone, etc. It’s secured with a lock and waterproof.

Rider Tech Range

The Rider Tech range consists of soft backpacks, waist bags and saddle bags.

RBP03 Rider Tech Camo Backpack, 15-liters.

RWB05 Rider Tech Camo Waist Bag, 3-litres.
RSB01 Rider Tech Saddle Bag, 15-litres.

Waterproof garments

GIVI is also synonymous with high quality waterproof garments. New products are:

PRS04.AX Prime rainsuit.
CAM01.AH Camouflage rain suit.
CRT01.AX Comfort rain trouser.

HPS M30.1 Cielo Helmet

GIVI adds more colour options to the HPS (Head Protection System) M30.1 Cielo helmet range.

Mod Ice White.
Mod Black
Slide Titanium.

On hand to brief the assembled media were Mr. On Hai Swee – Managing Direcor of GIVI Asia and Mr. Joseph A. Perucca – Overseas Operational Manager of GIVI Groups.

L-R: Mr. On Hai Swee, Mr. Joseph A. Perucca, Mr. Sam Sharman

A question was brought up if GIVI Asia will open new GIVI Point concept stores in Malaysia. Mr. On answered that the company is currently looking to expand to other states in both West and East Malaysia. He also stated that there are GIVI Specialized dealers currently in place and they serve specific motorcycle types.

On another question regarding GIVI’s sponsorship and involvement in Rimba Raid, Mr. Perucca said that he was surprised at the turnout in the 2018 event. As such, the company will continue their involvement for 2019 and hopefully beyond.

Ms. Anita Yusof, GIVI Asia’s Brand Ambassador was also present at the event to promote her new book, Global Dream Ride (Siri 2).

While the media event ended in the afternoon, Asian dealers descended on the hotel for the official launch in the late evening and through the night.

PHOTO GALLERY

Gigi Dall’Igna and Ducati Talk About Swingarm Scoop After Court Case

Gigi Dall’Igna and Ducati held a press conference to talk about the swingarm scoop on the eve of the Argentine MotoGP.
Data revealed that the part cooled the rear tyre by 7^o average and provided a negligible 300 grams of downforce.
Dall’Igna also revealed that Ducati was inspired by Yamaha’s water deflector.

Gigi Dall’Igna and Ducati held a press conference to talk about the swingarm scoop after the court case.

In the case, Aprilia, Honda, KTM and Suzuki submitted their protest over Ducati’s use of a scoop under the Desmosedici GP19’s swingarm in the Qatar MotoGP. Ducati had stated that the primary function of the part was to cool the rear tyre instead of providing downforce, but their rivals weren’t convinced. However, the motion was thrown out by Dorna and the FIM, hence the case landing in the MotoGP Court of Appeals.

The court subsequently found that indeed the part contributed to cooling the rear tyre and not provide downforce as claimed. The court also heard testimonies from MegaRide, an Italian firm which specializes in thermodynamics.

Consequently, Ducati was absolved of wrongdoing and Andrea Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller, as well as Ducati were allowed to keep their points earned at Qatar.

The one manufacturer who didn’t protest was Yamaha, as they too had fitted a similar device to the YZR-M1’s swingarm, albeit to deflect water from the rear wheel.

Anyway, the Ducati MotoGP team spoke up about the issue on the eve of the Argentine MotoGP round.

(Warning: Nerdy stuff ahead.)

What exactly does the scoop do?

Dall’Igna: “It works to put some air on the rear tyre and the results of our tests, at the Qatar test before the race, is that we can reduce the temperature of the tyre by about 7 degrees on average.”

Gigi Dall’Igna. (Image source: Insella.it)

He conceded that the device had a ‘secondary’ aerodynamic effect, “The water spoiler that Yamaha used at the end of last year had this secondary effect for sure. In our case, I think that we can tell you that we have more or less 3-4 Newtons at 180 km/h, 300 grams more-or-less.”

“Honestly speaking, we didn’t do any wind tunnel testing with the system, because our target was not the [down]force of the device. It was only the thermal effect on the rear tyre.”

Who copied who?

Truth is, Ducati was inspired by Yamaha’s water deflector and decided to produce a similar part, although for cooling the rear tyre.

“Ducati had this idea copying Yamaha. Because Yamaha used a system like this in Valencia and maybe also before in some practices, but for sure during the Valencia race. So, Ducati had this idea to watch what another of our competitors are doing. So I think that the others will copy us (now),” said Dall’Igna.

2019 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR America Debuts

The 2019 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR America celebrates the 25^thanniversary of the Brutale America.
As the name suggests, it will carry the red, white and blue colour scheme.
Only 100 units will be built.

The 2019 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR America celebrates the 25^thanniversary of the Brutale America.

Just over 25 years ago the first Brutale, designed by Massimo Tamburini revived the name “America” with an immediately recognizable color scheme: red, white and blue.

Fast forward to 2012 and the very first 800 three-cylinder platform America was introduced. Today renowned designers CRC Workshop have conceived an all new interpretation, Dragster 800 RR America.

The new Dragster “America” finished in the attractive color scheme of mica blue base with iridescent reflections and horizontal graphic cuts, enhancing the original characteristics of the Dragster 800 RR making it even more of a stand out from the crowd.

Class leading technical features and as always an extreme attention to detail including a fuel tank adorned with stars paying respect to the 750S from forty-five years ago. The saddle boasts stitching with gold highlights and unique materials for both the passenger and rider. Beautiful spoke wheels pay homage to the colors of the American flag: red hub, blue spoke retainers and white rims. Of course, the “America Special Edition” decal graces the instrument cluster cover alongside its progressive production number.

The MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR America will be produced in a limited edition of just 200 units globally and comes accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Japanese Company Plans to Sell Flying Bikes by 2022

Japanese company A.L.I. Technologies plans to sell their flying bikes by 2022.
The vehicle is developed to travel in developing countries with poor roads.
The company is pushing to sell a limited edition model by late next year.

Boy, aren’t flying cars and motorcycles the hot topic these days. But let’s put aside the embarrassing D.I.Y.-like flying car prototype that was revealed a number of a days ago and talk about flying bikes.

A Tokyo-based company named A.L.I. Technologies Inc. is aiming to sell a mass-market flying motorcycle by 2022.

The company is currently involved in drones, but is stepping up their game to develop a hover bike in developing countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia with poor roads. Most companies are developing flying cars but only a handful are working on flying motorcycles.

“We’ll create a flying bike first, in order to get flying cars widely used in society eventually,” said Chief Executive Officer Shuhei Komatsu.

“Our hover bike is an ensemble of drone technologies,” he added. He also expressed his confidence that his company can popularize flying motorcycles.

A.L.I. targets the bike to hover dozens of centimetres off the ground by using propellers. Sensors will tell the machine to maintain its altitude over uneven ground and obstacles.

The company is already on its way to pushing out the first limited edition model late next year. Bookings will be open from May 2019.

Druid Motorcycles AI to Maximize Electric Motorcycle Range

Druid Motorcycles will arm their future electric motorcycles with AI (artificial intelligence).
The swarm AI system monitors many criteria and provide the best riding solution.
Motorcycles will get smarter and smarter.

The next wave of motorcycles, especially electric motorcycles, will be managed by AI (artificial intelligence) to maximize range and continuously improve performance. That is what Druid Motorcycles aim to do.

That way, you could travel further and faster without guessing what will happen next.

FROM DRUID MOTORCYCLES PRESS RELEASE

Swarm algorithm connects all DRUID MOTORCYCLES over the air to maximize range and continuously improve performance.

In addition to being maker of the world’s first 3D printed hybrid electric sports bikes Druid introduces continuous cloud connectivity on its revolutionary Prophet^TMplatform.

Druid’s System Warning and Referral Matrix (SWARM) A.I. system continuously reads ride data such as speed, energy consumption and altitude, and shares it in real time to up to 1000 individual Druid motorcycles., Powerful machine learning algorithms then adjust the the bike for weather, hills and riding style, and to maximize performance and extend the range of the electric batteries.

“I was a part time beekeeper when I was young,” says founder and lead designer Milan Svoboda. “From the bees I learned that individuals communicating even basic telemetry information can improve efficiency by an order of magnitude. The software technology today makes this systemic data sharing possible for motorcycles.”

The Druid Sorcerer HybridTM and Sorcerer XEVTM will be available for pre-order this May starting at a launch event in Austin, Texas. VISIT DRUID MOTORCYCLES for updates.

Aprilia “RS660” May Debut in 2020

The Aprilia “RS660” concept may be sold as a 2020 model.
The engine could be derived from the RSV4 superbike, without the back two cylinders.
We hope it is priced within reach of the masses.

Remember the stunning 660cc sportbike concept which Aprilia showed off at EICMA last year? Sources whispered to Moto-Station in France that it will be available as a 2020 model. That means it could be ready by the third quarter this year!

It could very well be so, since the bike was caught testing at a track, also late last year. The spyshots even showed a race-ready version and a roadgoing one.

No performance of mechanical details have been released so far. There’s also speculation that the engine is based on the RSV4’s. However, if true, the 660’s engine is just without the two rear cylinders. Can we expect 100 hp? We may just, given Aprilia’s racing heritage. It should also include the APRC electronics package.

The more pertinent question among Malaysian bikers is price. Yup, always price before anything else. It depends on Aprilia to whether position this bike as a premium millionaire boys’ club material or superbike for the masses.

We do hope it’s the latter since we don’t have millionaire daddies.

Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Trials and Royal Enfield Bullet 500 Trials Launched

The Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Trials and Royal Enfield Bullet 500 Trials have been launched.
The launching followed the teaser videos of a bike being ridden off-road.
Both borrow heavily from the Bullet 350 and Bullet 500, but with a number of difference.

The Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Trials and Royal Enfield Bullet 500 Trials are launched, after teasing with scrambler-like bike being ridden off-road.

However, unlike the scramblers that are all the rage these days, Royal Enfield went the route of equipping the Bullet 350 and Bullet 500 for off-roading.

Their “Trials” moniker may also be considered a bit misleading in this day and age. That’s because trial bikes are those compact, lightweight and seatless machines that are used to climb over obstacles.

But Trials here allude to the extreme off-road bikes in the 1960s.

As such both Bullet Trials are equipped with off-road features compared to their roadgoing brethren. The model uses 19-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels, shorter wheel fenders, upswept exhaust muffler, spring mounted saddle, and a luggage rack in place of the passenger seat.

In terms of styling, the tank and panel are taken from the Bullet and so are the engines. However, the headlamp is different, and the handlebar is taller. The Trials 350’s frame is painted in red, while the Trials 500’s is in green.

They look cool, don’t they? Can we get to see them in this year’s Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride?

Ducati Diavel 1260 and Yamaha Niken Win 2019 Red Dot for Design Awards

The new Ducati Diavel 1260 and and Yamaha Niken won the prestigious 2019 Red Dot for Design awards.
The judges award the accolades to products in terms of design and innovation.
Winners can display the Red Dot label on their products.

The just-launched Ducati Diavel 1260 and three-wheeled Yamaha Niken won the prestigious 2019 Red Dot for Design awards in Germany.

The awards recognize the most worthy and original design and innovation, since its inception in 1955. Winners are allowed to display the Red Dot label on their products.

A jury of 40 international design experts evaluate more than 5,500 products in different categories. Among them are motorcycles, cars, electronics, furniture, watches, retail, and so forth.

But although there is a winner in each category, only the top design is awarded the Best of the Best.

The 2019 Red Dot for Design award for the Ducati Diavel 1260 means the manufacturer has now won it the third time. Previous winners from Ducati were the Panigale 1199 in 2013 and XDiavel S in 2016. So, not only do the Italian bikes look good to us, even design experts think so.

Yamaha won an award for the Niken this year, no doubt for its three-wheel design execution. It was also the third Red Dot accolade for the Japanese manufacturer. Previous winners were the MT-07 in 2015 and XSR900 in 2017.

It’s Legal! MotoGP Court of Appeals Rules in Favour of Ducati

The MotoGP Court of Appeals ruled that Ducati’s swingarm scoop was legal.
It follows the protest logged by four manufacturers after the Qatar MotoGP race.
The ruling means Andrea Dovizioso keeps his win, points and lead in the championship table.

The MotoGP Court of Appeals has ruled that Ducati’s “scoop” attached the bottom of the swingarm as legal. The appendage was fitted to three Desmosedici GP19s at the Qatar MotoGP race.

Although the court only released their decision, they did not assign a reason to why or what data convinced them.

But it’s safe to assume that they found the device cools the rear tyre instead of providing extra aerodynamic downforce. Moving forward, Ducati is allowed to use the scop ONLY IF it’s fitted together with the front wheel spoilers.

The decision also means that Andrea Dovizioso keeps his Qatar win and points, while Ducati also retains their manufacturer points earned at that first round.

However, this may open up another problem: How will Dorna and FIM enforce that scoops used in the future, whether by Ducati or other manufacturers, DO NOT provide aerodynamic downforce?

In the meantime, we can expect a new round of regulations.

The issue came to light and became hotly debated after four manufacturers protested post-Qatar race. The four – Aprilia, Honda, KTM, Suzuki – were of the opinion that the scoop provided downforce to the Ducati’s swingarm to keep the rear tyre on the ground more often, aiding stability and prolonging tyre life. Therefore, it’s illegal as the scoop falls outside the set guideline for “aerobodies.”

Ducati, on the other hand, insisted that it only functions to direct air to the rear tyre and cooling it. The manufacturer had submitted the design to MotoGP Technical Director Danny Aldridge prior to the race. It was subsequently approved and memos were sent to all the teams.

Other manufacturers weren’t convinced, of course. Aprilia were vehement: They had earlier submitted the plans of such a device earlier to the Technical Director but was rejected along the aerobody rules.

They logged their protest after the race, but their complaints were thrown out, thereby it was referred to MotoGP’s Court of Appeals.

Bikesrepublic

Wahid Ooi

Marc Marquez scored pole position in qualifying for the Argentina MotoGP 2019.

It was the 81st pole of his career.

The Top 10 qualifiers were separated by less than 1 second.

FP2 at the Argentina MotoGP saw 21 riders covered by just 1 second.

Andrea Dovizioso was fastest.

Jorge Lorenzo was in 21st with just 0.978s behind.

The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will set up a Pro-Tem Motorsports Committee (PMC) in place of AAM.

The temporary committee will oversee motorsports activities.

The PMC will do so until the FIM and FIA nominates the official sanctioning body.

GIVI Asia celebrates their 25thAnniversary today and launches the 2019 line-up of products.

The launch was presented to the media and dealers from around Asia.

The company launch 15 new products today and there will be more to come.

2019 Range of Products

Hard cases

Rider Tech Range

Waterproof garments

HPS M30.1 Cielo Helmet

PHOTO GALLERY

Gigi Dall’Igna and Ducati held a press conference to talk about the swingarm scoop on the eve of the Argentine MotoGP.

Data revealed that the part cooled the rear tyre by 7o average and provided a negligible 300 grams of downforce.

Dall’Igna also revealed that Ducati was inspired by Yamaha’s water deflector.

What exactly does the scoop do?

Who copied who?

The 2019 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR America celebrates the 25thanniversary of the Brutale America.

As the name suggests, it will carry the red, white and blue colour scheme.

Only 100 units will be built.

Japanese company A.L.I. Technologies plans to sell their flying bikes by 2022.

The vehicle is developed to travel in developing countries with poor roads.

The company is pushing to sell a limited edition model by late next year.

Druid Motorcycles will arm their future electric motorcycles with AI (artificial intelligence).

The swarm AI system monitors many criteria and provide the best riding solution.

Motorcycles will get smarter and smarter.

FROM DRUID MOTORCYCLES PRESS RELEASE

The Aprilia “RS660” concept may be sold as a 2020 model.

The engine could be derived from the RSV4 superbike, without the back two cylinders.

We hope it is priced within reach of the masses.

The Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Trials and Royal Enfield Bullet 500 Trials have been launched.

The launching followed the teaser videos of a bike being ridden off-road.

Both borrow heavily from the Bullet 350 and Bullet 500, but with a number of difference.

The new Ducati Diavel 1260 and and Yamaha Niken won the prestigious 2019 Red Dot for Design awards.

The judges award the accolades to products in terms of design and innovation.

Winners can display the Red Dot label on their products.

The MotoGP Court of Appeals ruled that Ducati’s swingarm scoop was legal.

It follows the protest logged by four manufacturers after the Qatar MotoGP race.

The ruling means Andrea Dovizioso keeps his win, points and lead in the championship table.

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BikesRepublic

It was the 81^stpole of his career.

Jorge Lorenzo was in 21^stwith just 0.978s behind.

GIVI Asia celebrates their 25^thAnniversary today and launches the 2019 line-up of products.

Data revealed that the part cooled the rear tyre by 7^o average and provided a negligible 300 grams of downforce.

The 2019 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR America celebrates the 25^thanniversary of the Brutale America.