BMW Motorrad teases with a new 1800cc Boxer engine.
The manufacturer contracted Custom Works Zon built a custom bike around it.
Rumors say BMW will build a cruiser.
It seems like BMW Motorrad is working on a new model platform based on a new 1800cc Boxer engine.
However, rather than producing a teaser video, BMW contracted Yuichi Yoshizawa and Yoshikazu Ueda of Custom Works Zon to build a show bike called “R18” around the new engine. The build has already picked up multiple awards on the custom bike circuit.
The new engine is reputed to feature pushrod valve actuation and retaining air/oil-cooling. BMW Motorrad is mum apart from that information.
But what bike would they fit it into? BMW has every segment covered except for a true heritage-style cruiser. It would make sense because BMW could capitalize on the shrinking segment by introducing their iteration of the cruiser.
The manufacturer has already shown that they could utilize the older air/oil-cooled Boxer in the r nine T heritage platform. However, as the impending Euro5 regulations close down on emissions, the 1800cc displacement would make up for the lost power. Additionally, the large capacity would also bring BMW up to challenge heavyweight cruisers from Harley and Indian.
The 2019 Yamaha NVX features improved suspension and new colours.
Its rear shocks now have remote reservoirs.
The 2019 model is available from mid-December 2018 onwards.
Hong Leong Yamaha Motor has released the 2019 Yamaha NVX.
There is no doubt that we have seen many Yamaha NVX on the road. Malaysian scooter enthusiasts love it for its aggressive looks, performance, handling and of course, convenience. We have personally encountered heavily modified ones that could keep up with big bikes on the highways.
We tested the bike back in August 2017 and had so much fun on it. Please click this link for the review.
Most of the fun results from the Blue Core Technology engine. Blue Core is Yamaha’s performance and fuel economy “package.” It consists of Variable Valve Actuation (VVA), optimized cooling efficiency, Start & Stop system, amongst others. The bike is certified as an energy efficient vehicle (EEV). The 2019 model also retains the 5.8-inch LCD meter panel and SMART key features.
The 2019 model is now equipped with rear shocks with remote reservoir. This type of shock absorber means there is more oil or gas stored in the reservoir. As the oil circulates back and forth between the shock body and reservoir, it is kept cooler thereby providing a more consistent damping performance. Additionally, it makes the bike look sportier!
The 2019 Yamaha NVX comes in three new colours called Race Blu, Fiery Red and Active Yellow with new graphics.
It will be available from mid-December 2018 and priced from RM 9,988 (basic selling price but not on-the-road).
The 2019 Enel MotoE World Cup grid, regulations and schedule have been confirmed.
18 riders will take part in the inaugural series.
There are five rounds next year.
The 2019 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup grid, regulations and schedule are confirmed.
Next year’s MotoE championship is the inaugural international electric motorcycle racing competition. It is set up in view of electric vehicle rulings in the coming two decades.
The FIM has published the full 2019 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup 18-bike grid, regulations and schedules.
BMW Motorrad reveals that the 2019 BMW S 1000 RR uses hollow stem titanium valves.
The hollow core lightens the valves.
Lighter valves allow higher RPM ceiling reliably.
BMW Motorrad reveals that the 2019 BMW S 1000 RR uses hollow stem titanium valves.
Everyday Life of Valves
Engine valves are subjected to some of the harshest environments inside an engine. Compared to pistons, they are not lubricated by engine oil hence they are not cooled by it. The valve head – the surface which faces the combustion chamber – is exposed to extremely hot combustions gases of around 700oC.
If that’s not tough enough, each valve is slammed open and then slammed shut multiple times within a space of time. At the 14,200 RPM redline of the old S 1000 RR, each valve is opened and closed at 118 times persecond. The 2019 S 1000 RR is equipped with ShiftCam and has its rev limit increased to 14,600 RPM, on the other hand. Each valve now opens and closes 122 times per second at maximum revs.
As light as valves are compared to the heavier reciprocating parts of the engine, they are still subjected to almost 5,000G of forces. That 5000 times their own weight.
Enter the Metal of the Titans
So, how do you reduce those forces resulting from inertia? Lighten the valves, of course. But how do you lighten something without compromising its strength? The answer was titanium. Titanium has the best strength-to-density ratio among all metallic elements.
Titanium valves are not new. They’ve been around from a few decades and were used in extensively in racing car engines before being adopted as aftermarket products for motorcycles in the mid-90’s. Since then, many manufacturers have utilized titanium valves in their high-performance models.
However, they still have mass and subsequently inertia when in motion. The engine needs more energy for the cam lobes to force the valves to open. The results are power wastage, lower maximum revs and lower reliability.
When Less is More
That’s why BMW Motorrad decided to fit hollow-stem valves to the new S 1000 RR.
But again, hollow stem valves aren’t new.
Car manufacturers have used hollow stem valves filled with sodium since the 70’s. Aftermarket valve specialist Ferrea Racing Components have been making titanium ones for many years.
Ferrea Racing Components hollow stem valves
However, the 2019 S 1000 RR has the distinction of being the first production motorcycle to use titanium hollow stem valves.
How are They Made?
A valve is made of two parts. The stem and base are then friction-welded into a single piece.
BMW bores out 2mm in the centre of the 5mm diameter valve, before welding them. BMW says the process is a secret.
Heaven MC attended a Harley-Davidson Petaling Jaya (HDPJ) event in 3Damansara.
HDPJ has a showcase in the 3Damansara Mall.
President of Heaven MC Nick Lum confirms their love to support events.
Motorcycling lifestyle needs both the dealership and its customer base to support one another. A failure at either end will inadvertently spell the end of the brand’s presence. This is why Heaven MC showed their support to the Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya (HDPJ) showcase at 3Damansara Mall.
The riders of Heaven MC first met up at Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya in The Gasket Alley for some breakfast before riding a short distance to 3Damansara Mall. There, there were provided a preferred parking space. The presence of the bikes and riders gave shoppers the opportunity to view not just the Harleys but also the lifestyle that comes with the brand.
HDPJ also made it possible for us to speak to Nick Lum, the President of Heaven MC.
“The focus of Heaven MC is to support public events, for example, launches, weddings, and so forth, to provide the ‘boom’ effect to the public.”
“Heaven MC has been around for three-and-half years. We noticed wherever the group goes on Harleys, there is a lot of publicity and people would look at the group. Putting that into marketing perspective, there’s impact.”
“We were invited by HDPJ to bring 25 to 30 bikes to show the impact to the public. We did the last event for Skybar in Traders Hotel three weekends ago during MotoGP. The crowd was really excited when they saw Harleys coming. In short, the Harley brand, the soul, the sound, the looks, the culture attract public (attention), so it works. Conventional events as we know (are with) balloons, clowns, fireworks, firecrackers, dancers… To me those are conventional events.”
“As a club, Heaven MC found that it’s a better reason to ride (rather than) going around to eat every weekend.”
“Charities are good but there are so many other clubs doing it already, so we do it once a year.”
“So far so good (for Heaven MC). We have about 120 registered members. We can get up to 25 riders on average with short notice. Given enough time, we can confidently get 50 to 60 riders to join the ride or event. However if the organizer wants a bigger impact, we can invite our friends in other bike clubs to join forces to bring it to 80 to 100 bikes, easily.”
“The biggest impact for Heaven MC was when Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya opened. We joined forces with HOG PJ and managed to put in 500 bikes for the launch event. That was a success. It basically gave us the confidence to hold any other future events.”
“If you need our support during our events, you can look up Heaven MC. We are friendly.”
There you have it. It’s good to have bikers who attend events to lend support to them, while having some fun themselves. But as Nick said, don’t worry, these are friendly bikers.
The 2019 Triumph Bonneville Speed Twin has been introduced.
It features a high-performance engine and handling, with retro looks.
It is inspired by Triumph’s first high-performance bike, the 1937 Speed Twin.
The 2019 Triumph Bonneville Speed Twin breaks cover after being first revealed to dealers during the Global Dealer Conference in October.
The 2019 Bonneville Speed Twin is inspired by the original 1937 Speed Twin – Triumph’s first high-performance parallel-Twin. As such, the new bike is an uprated Bonneville T120.
But it isn’t the case of just slapping on new parts on a T120. Its styling is from the new 2019 Street Twin, but the Speed Twin combines the practicality of the T120 and performance of the Thruxton R.
Triumph pays lots of attention towards how their bikes handle. Consequently, the Speed Twin receives a new frame which was based on the Thruxton R. The front is suspended by cartridge forks. The rear twin shocks are adjustable for preload. Wheels are lightweight 17-inch aluminium shod with Pirelli Rosso Corsa 3 tyres. Four-piston Brembo calipers take care of front braking.
Its seating position is more upright than the Thruxton, but sportier than the regular T120. The ergonomics may look aggressive, but the seat is only 807mm tall.
Powering the bike is the 1200cc High-Power (HP) engine but it has been updated, as well. Triumph revised the engine by adding a magnesium cam cover, new clutch and side cases. The updates yielded a 2.5kg weight saving. Overall, the Speed Twin is 10kg lighter than the Thruxton at 196kg, dry.
There’s now 96 bhp and 112 Nm of torque. The Speed Twin also features ride-by-wire throttle, three riding modes, traction control and ABS.
The ASB1000 class is considered the premier category of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC). Its rules are based widely on the World SuperStock 1000 series.
Azlah will team up with ONEXOX TKKR Racing Team. The 34-year-old will ride a BMW S 1000 RR.
“Azlan is one of the best riders we’ve got in Malaysia right now. It was amazing to me that he had not been snapped up by any of the factory teams yet, so we jumped on the chance to have such a high-calibre rider in our team,” said Bobie Farid, Team Principal of the ONEXOX TKKR Racing Team.
“No other rider can equal the depth of experience that Azlan will be bringing with him” said Bobie, referring to Azlan’s long and successful racing career that had taken him from the Malaysian Cub Prix Championship to the top of the Asia Road Racing Championship and subsequently to the Moto2 class of the MotoGP.
ONEXOX TKKR Racing Team is very active in the local motorcycle racing scene. Come 2019, they will field entrants in every class of the Malaysian Cub Prix Championship as well as the ARRC. The team is also weighting on entering the Spanish National Championship (CEV).
Honda Group of Companies in Asia and Oceania confirms their direction for motorcycle racing in the region.
Honda hopes to produce more world class riders and mechanics through their participation.
The program covers almost all racing series in the region.
The Honda Group of Companies in Asia and Oceania confirms their direction to strengthen Honda’s involvement in motorcycle racing in the Asia & Oceania region. The media briefing was held after the qualifying day at the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) at Buriram International Circuit, Thailand.
Honda confirmed it will pursue the challenges of motorcycle road racing in the region with an aim to develop world-class motorcycle riders and team mechanics from Asia. To achieve this goal, Honda is committed to creating a motorsport culture as well as developing the skills of racers and team mechanics throughout Asia.
In line with this commitment, Honda’s motorcycle subsidiaries in Asia including Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and India have been following the regional direction in their operations through a variety of motorsports activities such as establishing the Honda racing school, forming their own road racing teams, organizing local Honda one-make races, and competing in local, national, and international races.
Honda’s young riders and team mechanics continue to broaden their experience and improve their skills through intensive training and by competing in various races for local and national championships. The most promising stars will move up to greater challenges by joining Honda’s racing team for international races namely the ARRC. Outstanding riders and mechanics from Honda’s Asian teams will ultimately have a chance to join Honda’s racing teams for world-class races.
At the briefing, Honda also provided an update on its teams that are participating in the 2018 ARRC. Currently, Honda teams from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and India are competing in the Underbone 150cc (UB150), Asia Production 250cc (AP250), and Supersport 600cc (SS600) classes. They have achieved impressive results, especially in the AP250 class, in which Honda rider Rheza Danica of the Astra Honda Racing Team from Indonesia is set to take the 2018 AP250 rider championship.
Honda also confirmed its participation in the inaugural Asia Superbike1000cc class (ASB1000) at the 2019 ARRC with Honda Asia-Dream Racing, a team for which top personnel from Honda subsidiaries and Honda racing teams across the Asia and Oceania region are being recruited. Former MotoGP racer Makoto Tamada was confirmed as team manager and Zaqhwan Zaidi from Malaysia as team rider. This year, the team finished in 17th place in the Japan Superbike 1000cc class (JSB1000) at the 2018 All-Japan Road Race Championship (JSB) and took 7thplace in the Suzuka 8-hour Endurance Race. In 2019, Honda Asia-Dream Racing will continue to participate in both championships, challenging itself to perform better and finish in higher positions.
With the collaboration of team members from Honda companies throughout the Asia & Oceania region, Honda will strive to deliver the best race results to realize the dream of having a Honda team and riders become a challenger in world-class motorcycle racing.
Representing Honda were Mr. Soichi Yamana, Department Manager of Motorcycle Department, Motorsports Division, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.; Mr. Atsushi Ogata, Director of Asian Honda Motor Co., Ltd.; Mr. Ryo Takahashi, General Manager of Motorcycle Business Division, Asian Honda Motor Co., Ltd.; and Mr. Makoto Tamada, Team Manager of the Honda Asia-Dream Racing.
Five-time and current Formula 1 champ Lewis Hamilton crashed his superbike.
He rode alongside Yamaha WorldSBK riders Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark.
He messaged his love for motorcycles and a request to Valentino Rossi afterwards.
Lewis Hamilton crashed during his track outing. He later posted his about love for two wheels and a request to visit Valentino Rossi’s ranch.
The five-time and current Formula 1 champion rode during a special track day at Jerez. Hamilton was riding a specially-prepared all-black Yamaha YZF-R1 alongside World Superbike riders Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark. The event was organized by the Pata Yamaha World Superbike Championship squad and British track day company No Limits.
However, Hamilton had a small crash at Turn 5 but was lucky to walk away from it.
He posted a few messages on his Instagram account the next day, admitting his love for motorcycle racing. But he stressed that he had no plans to switch over to two wheels.
“Miss riding the superbike already. FYI I’ve always loved two wheels more than four. Always wanted a motorbike since I was a kid however I am super grateful my dad got me a kart. But current new love is out on track on my bike.”
“I have the highest regard and respect for these motorbike riders. It’s a much different discipline however [it] require[s] some of the same basics such as time, patience, fearlessness, focus, agility and risk taking – all of which make a sport exciting.”
“And yes, I’d love to race bikes. But these guys are on another level so I think I’ll just enjoy riding and testing the limits on track.”
Hamilton concluded his post with this message: “Valentino Rossi I need to come to the ranch asap,” he said.
The Briton is no stranger to the world of motorcycles. He is the ambassador for MV Agusta who created the F4 LH44 and Brutale 800RR LH44 special models in tribute to him. He spent two days lapping around a racetrack in California with Cal Crutchlow. He even said he will join MotoGP in 2018 but later admitting that it was an April Fool’s Day prank.
There were two bikes spotted: One in street trim and another in race trim.
This is what we know so far. It is a parallel-Twin engine based on the RSV4 but with the rear cylinder bank removed. We are curious to see how Aprilia arrived at 660cc since half of 1078cc is over 500cc…
Aprilia claims the bike may do more than 100 bhp, making the RS 660 a supertwin. The Noale-based manufacturer is aiming for a lightweight and high-performance bike. It would be eligible for the Isle of Man TT’s Lightweight TT class if the engine is below 650cc.
We also hope that Aprilia will include their APRC electronic rider aids package on the bike.
The question on everyone’s mind is the price, of course. Will it be priced to compete toe-to-toe with the current crop of 600s and 650s? Needless to say, there’s no point if the RS 660 costs in the regions of RM 70,000 to 80,000. However, Piaggo has shown their aggressive pricing strategy with the Moto Guzzi V85 TT recently. The price has totally undercut bikes of the same category from all other manufacturers.
Another question is when will the RS 660 be launched? 2020 is when Euro5 regulations are implemented, so it could be so. Lastly, will Aprilia use the engine platform to build other type of bikes?
It is the world’s toughest off-road endurance race.
However, the rally sees its largest participation in its history.
The countdown to the 2019 Dakar Rally has begun. “The Dakar” is known as the world’s toughest off-road endurance race.
The Rally’s 41stedition will begin on 7thJanuary 2019. 534 competitors on motorcycles, cars, UTVs, trucks, SxS and motorcycles will then begin the 5000-km trek. They will climb from sea level to 5000 metres of elevation over sand dunes, rocks and everything in between. The distance includes 3000-km of intense special stages through extreme weather conditions. It’s all designed to test the riders’ mental and physical perseverance, besides machine endurance.
However, there is a change for the upcoming rally. Held in Peru only, and will not involve neighbouring countries of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. On the positive side, such an arrangement avoids the border complications that have dogged the earlier editions.
Image source: DriveMag Riders
The 2019 Dakar Rally breaks a number of its own records. The rookie class sees the largest number of participants. The women’s class is also the largest yet with 17 participants. The new “Original by Motul Class” has 34 entries. Originally known as the “Malle Moto class,” the entrants can only fix their vehicles with the limited amount of supplies that can fit into a small trunk. (Malle is the French word for trunk.)
A new addition is the “half marathon.” Cars, trucks and SxS’s that have pulled out earlier by the opening half will get a second chance to complete the race. The category begins after the half-time rest day but as a separate classification. The competitors will wear orange plates and will not be included in the top 25 starters.
Do check in with us from time to time as we bring you the happenings from this most-punishing race.
There were so many crashes over every race weekend in 2018.
But it was Marc Marquez who topped the MotoGP crash list.
However, it was Stefano Manzi who crashed most often over the three classes.
Marc Marquez may had captured his fifth MotoGP crown in 2018, but he also tops the crash list.
Marquez hit the ground 23 times last year, ahead of Alvaro Bautista who found the kitty litter on 21 occasions. The former would have destroyed many more bikes if not for his superhuman feats in saving sure crashes. However, 23 crashes are an improvement over the 2017 season during which he wiped out 27 times.
The world champion crashed mostly in practice sessions as he pushed his tyres and bikes to discover their limits. He will then know how much he could push during the race.
Other Top 5 crashers were Xavier Simeon (18), and Cal Crutchlow tying with Jack Miller at 17.
Malaysia’s Hafizh Syahrin fell 9 times.
However, Marquez’s number of crashes pales in comparison to riders of the other classes. Stefano Manzi (whose front brake lever was squeezed by Romano Fenati) went belly up 31 times in Moto2. Manzi was followed by Lowes (27), Marco Bezzecchi (24), Jorge Navarro (24), Gabriel Rodigro (22). Marc Marquez would have slipped in 5thplace.
There were 303 crashes in MotoGP, 418 in Moto2 and 356 in Moto3. That totals up to 1,077. The number is a reduction from 1,126 in 2017.
