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Cause of MotoE Fire Confirmed

Organizers of the MotoE World Cup confirmed that a short circuit ignited the batteries.
The huge fire destroyed at the temporary storage, MotoE bikes and equipment at the Jerez Circuit.
The fire cancels the remaining pre-season tests and first round in May.

Organizers of the MotoE World Cup confirmed that a short circuit ignited the batteries which consequently led to a huge fire at the Jerez, Circuit in Spain.

The fire broke out around midnight, destroyed all 18 Energica Ego race bikes, equipment, tools and riders’ gear and kits. They were stored in a temporary paddock for the 2019 FIM Enel MotoE World Cupt pre-season tests.

The grid includes the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) team.

The first round of the inaugural championship which is slated to take place from 3^rdto 5^thMay is cancelled. Thankfully, the championship is still on for the year.

Local police are still investigating the fire but announced that it was caused by a short circuit. The short then ignited the high-density battery, which is a part of the high-performance charger used in MotoE. However, that caused the short was not confirmed.

Short circuits cause a suddenly rise in temperature leading to thermal runaway for the lithium batteries. Consequently, a chain reaction leads to the breakdown of the system’s thermal balance and fire.

The bikes were not connected to the charging infrastructure when the fire broke out.

Kawasaki GTR Owner Club (GTROC) 6th Gathering

Kawasaki GTROC (GTR Owner Club) celebrates their 6^thgathering today.
The ride started from Kawasaki Motors (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.’s HQ in Glenmarie, Shah Alam.
They will ride to Melaka to meet another GTR group to bring the total to 300 motorcycles.

Kawasaki 1400GTR onwers of from the GTR Onwer Club (GTROC) begun their 6^thgathering today in the historic city of Melaka.

Some 50 owners of the high-powered sport-tourer congregated at Kawasaki Motors (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.’s (KMMSB) compound for the flag off. From there, they rode to Ayer Keroh, Melaka to meet up with another group of 1400GTR owners, bring the total to almost 300 motorcycles.

The group will visit an orphanage and a religious school for charity work, as part of the ride’s itinerary.

The Assistant General Manager of KMMSB, En. Awaluddin Bin Md. Lip, and Assistant Manager for Marketing of KMMSB, En. Ahmad Radzi Abdul Rahman (better known as Che Mad) welcomed the group. They added that KMMSB felt honoured to support the group and their activities, besides looking forward to more co-operations in the future.

President of GTROC, Dato’ Shaid Tasiran thanked KMMSB for their support. He then laid down the rules for the convoy, including the etiquettes such as following the marshals’ signals, no wild riding, etc., besides their itinerary and routes.

The Royal Malaysian Traffic Police will escort the group once they reached Melaka.

The ride was flagged off by En. Awaluddin Bin Md. Lip.

PICTURE GALLERY

Ducati Profits by 7% in 2018

Ducati posted a 7% profit margin for 2018.
The profit was despite the 2.7% global slump for motorcycles above 500cc and 9% drop in the US market.
Although revenue was down, the manufacturer compensated with the sale of higher margin models such as the Panigale.

Ducati announced a 7% profit margin 2018.

The end of 2018 posted the figure despite the worldwide slump in sales for motorcycles above 500cc. The Italian manufacturer delivered 53,004 units, compared to 55,871 in 2017. That’s a 5.1% drop in a worldwide drop of 2.7%. Ducati’s sales took the largest hit in their biggest market, the US where the market dropped by 9%.

Yet, it was the fourth consecutive year in which the manufacturer had sold more than 50,0000 bikes.

Revenue in 2018 was €699 million, a reduction from €736 million in 2017, translating to an operating profit of € 49 million compared to € 51 million. The operating margin was 7% in 2018, the same as in the previous year. Ducati managed to compensate for the reduction in volume through the sale of models with higher margins, such as the Panigale line-up. (The Panigale was the best-selling sportbike in 2018.)

Ducati Panigale V4 was World’s Best-Selling Sportbike in 2018

“2018 was challenging from many points of view, but we are satisfied with our financial performance throughout a difficult year” – declared Claudio Domenicali, CEO Ducati Motor Holding – “The company is generating the resources to continue funding the development of new products which is very positive for the future.

Oliver Stein, CFO Ducati Motor Holding, added: “Financial stability is extremely important for the company in order to support the technological development programme which Ducati is currently involved in at full speed.”

The results were part of the announcement for the Audi Group’s 2018 financial year.

Ride a Suzuki GSX-R1000RR in a Rally? Why Not?

Ricardo Domingos rode a Suzuki GSX-R1000RR in the Portugese Baja Rally.
Although he didn’t win, he beat out a large number of other competitors.
The Baja rally pits competitors against the clock.

What’s the first you need to have in order to compete in a rally? An offroad motorcycle, of course. Er… So, what’s this Suzuki GSX-R1000RR doing here?

The Portugese stunt rider Ricardo Domingos obviously had different ideas when he competed in the Portugese version of the Baja 500. He said all he needed were knobby offroad tyres and higher handlebars to do the job. Plus some engine remapping for torque instead of all-out horsepower, too.

He then entered in the amateur class of the Baja 500 Portalegre rally, finishing 24^thout of 70 participants. If you think that’s a bad result, think about the other 46 riders on offroad bikes that he beat.

The original Baja 500 (as in 500 miles) is held in the Baja California Peninsula in America. There are separate classes for cars, trucks, buggies and motorcycles. Participants race through the desert against the clock.

The Portugese Baja, on the other hand, had been around since 1987. It was created by JoséMegre, a former Paris-Dakar competitor. It is now part of the Rally World Cup.

Check out the video of Domingos and his Gixxer below. Courtesy of EnduroPro Magazine.

Price of 2019 Suzuki Katana Revealed in UK

The price for the 2019 Suzuki Katana was revealed in the UK.
The original Katana revolutionized motorcycle styling.
When will it come to Malaysia?

While Suzuki Assemblers Malaysia announced that they will bring the 2019 Suzuki Katana to our shores, there is yet any date of its release and price.

The Katana name is among the legends from the Hamamatsu-based manufacturer, alongside the GSX-R and RGV (during the heydays of the two-strokes). Suzuki knows that most of their bikes have gone under enthusiasts’ radars for the past number of years. Hence rolling out the Katana ought to bring them back to the fore again.

The Hans Muth-designed first Suzuki Katana stunned many when it was unveiled. Some called it too big of a departure from contemporary motorcycle styling. But a bigger group who fell in love with it made a bigger noise, hence it came a legend.

However, the styling didn’t only bode well with enthusiasts, as it did so with other motorcycle designers, too. If this was a different dimension where the Katana never existed, current motorcycles would look a whole lot different.

So, this is what the manufacturer is banking on. Bring the heritage of the bike named after the Samurai sword back to (hopefully) those who are nostalgic for it and/or a newer generation.

Okay, okay, we’re sold. How much?

£11,399 (RM 61,741.80). We wish it’ll be that cheap when it arrives!

Source: MCN

Inaugural 2019 MotoE Season Up in Smoke

The storage unit for the 2019 MotoE bikes and equipment at the Jerez Circuit caught fire last night.
The conflagration destroyed all the bikes and equipment.
Set to begin in six weeks’ time, the motorcycle suppliers and teams may not assemble their equipment by then.

The inaugural 2019 MotoE season is in doubt after an immense fire at the Jerez Circuit in Spain last night.

The fire that broke out in the temporary garage destroyed all 18 Energica Ego electric bikes. They were stored there for the championship’s second full pre-season test at the circuit. Additionally, all other equipment and items associated with the championship were also burned to ashes. They included riders’ kits, tools, laptops.

Thankfully, no one was hurt in the incident.

The 2019 MotoE Championship was scheduled to begin alongside the first European MotoGP round at the Jerez Circuit in May. It will then move on to additional rounds at Le Mans, France; Sachsenring, Germany; Red Bull Ring, Austria; and Misano, Italy.

However, with just six weeks to go, time may prove too short to replace the 18 Energica bikes and equipment.

The cause of the fire has not been established.

News and image source: MCN

Bikesrepublic

Latest News

Organizers of the MotoE World Cup confirmed that a short circuit ignited the batteries.

The huge fire destroyed at the temporary storage, MotoE bikes and equipment at the Jerez Circuit.

The fire cancels the remaining pre-season tests and first round in May.

Kawasaki GTROC (GTR Owner Club) celebrates their 6th gathering today.

The ride started from Kawasaki Motors (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.’s HQ in Glenmarie, Shah Alam.

They will ride to Melaka to meet another GTR group to bring the total to 300 motorcycles.

PICTURE GALLERY

Ducati posted a 7% profit margin for 2018.

The profit was despite the 2.7% global slump for motorcycles above 500cc and 9% drop in the US market.

Although revenue was down, the manufacturer compensated with the sale of higher margin models such as the Panigale.

Ricardo Domingos rode a Suzuki GSX-R1000RR in the Portugese Baja Rally.

Although he didn’t win, he beat out a large number of other competitors.

The Baja rally pits competitors against the clock.

The price for the 2019 Suzuki Katana was revealed in the UK.

The original Katana revolutionized motorcycle styling.

When will it come to Malaysia?

The storage unit for the 2019 MotoE bikes and equipment at the Jerez Circuit caught fire last night.

The conflagration destroyed all the bikes and equipment.

Set to begin in six weeks’ time, the motorcycle suppliers and teams may not assemble their equipment by then.

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Kawasaki GTROC (GTR Owner Club) celebrates their 6^thgathering today.