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Bid to Put Spa-Francorchamps Circuit on MotoGP and EWC Calendar

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium is being upgraded to being MotoGP and EWC back.
The circuit still holds the record for the fastest motorcycle GP race.
The last motorcycle GP race held there was in 1987.

Belgium is working to upgrade the Spa-Francorchamps circuit for MotoGP and FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC).

The government of Wallonia region announced that the circuit had been granted a €29.5 million loan to make the circuit safe for motorcycle racing. The loan is part of an €80 million financial package to upgrade and modernize the track and bring international motorcycle racing back to Belgium.

The objective is to hold the WEC in 2022 and MotoGP in 2024.

According to sources, upgrading the track is a daunting task as the circuit winds through the Belgian Ardennes. The area is wooded and has steep hills. (The Battle of the Bulge in World War 2 happened in this vicinity.) As such, there isn’t much room for runoffs. Being a forest and highlands also means lots of rain. There is an average of 12 rainy days per month.

However, Spa-Francorchamps is famous for featuring high-speed racing. Eau Rouge, Radillon and Blanchimont are the fastest corners of all tracks. But there is little room for mistakes due to limited runoff areas.

In fact, Spa holds the fastest average speed in the history of Grand Prix racing. Barry Sheene lapped the circuit at an average of 220.721 km/h, when it was still 14.1 kilometres long.

The last time GP motorcycles raced at Spa was in 1987 after being held there for 40 times. The FIM deemed the track too dangerous after remedial works weren’t carried out. It has been a regular venue for Formula 1 since then.

Car Driver Gets a Condom for Parking in A Motorcycle Lot

A car driver in Singapore received a condom for his inconsiderate behavior.
The driver had parked his car in a motorcycle parking lot.
A note told the driver to not reproduce.

A car driver in Singapore received a condom for his inconsiderate behavior.

In the picture which has made rounds in the internet, a Mercedes-Benz was parked in a motorcycle parking lot. Someone got ticked off by the crass behavior and stuck a condom and note on the car’s windshield.

The note read, “This is a bike lot, you idiot. Here is a condom so you don’t reproduce.”

The report said that the picture “memo” received many positive comments from motorcyclists who often encounter such instances. They even uploaded pictures of cars that committed the same offence.

C’mon, just admit it. All of us felt like doing this to a car that’s parked in a motorcycle lot. There are so many of such cases here in Malaysia. We pull up to a parking area for motorcycles only to find it occupied by a car. Then we had to park elsewhere and ended up getting fined or worse, finding the city council minions had clamped the front brake lever. Yet cars, especially luxury ones get away scot-free.

This isn’t to say that motorcyclists are angels when it comes to parking. Many a time when motorcycles are slotted in between parked cars, marking life difficult for car drivers.

So, let’s all be considerate and park accordingly.

Source: Coconuts.co

Honda Gold Wing Powered Niken Beater Revealed

Patents show a Honda trike.
While the description says, “two or six cylinders,” we are quite certain it may be the Gold Wing flat-Six.
Surely Honda would like to steal the thunder away from the Yamaha Niken.

Honda may be working on a Honda Gold Wing powered leaning trike to challenge the Yamaha Niken.

The concept of a leaning trike is not new, as it was refined by Piaggio in the MP3 scooter. However, it was Yamaha who applied the concept to a performance bike and garnered lots of publicity in doing so. But that’s not all, as Yamaha is rumored to be working on a 1700cc trike.

Honda is not one to sit still when another Japanese manufacturer creates something groundbreaking.

The magazine RideApart dug up these patents to a Honda leaning trike. From the drawings, it is powered by a flat-Four engine. But the patent descriptions remarked, “The cylinder may be a two-cylinder type or a six-cylinder type.” But we are confident that it should be powered by the the GL1800 Gold Wing’s flat-Six, in view of Yamaha’s development of a 1700cc three-wheeler.

Sure, Honda debuted the NeoWing trike concept in 2016, but it was supposed to be powered by a hybrid engine. The NeoWing never made it to production, but it could well serve as the test bed for an advanced trike.

The 1800cc flat-Six currently produces 125 hp compared to the Niken’s MT-09 triple which produces 113 hp. But the real goal here is torque since the trike will be heavier.

Will the concept be ready by the Tokyo Motorshow this year? We would like to see it!

Source: Free Patents Online

GTA: Jakarta? Not! Motorcycle Thief Faints After Being Chased

A motorcycle thief thought he had easy pickings.
But he fainted from exhaustion after being chased.
Jakarta police arrested him while he was still unconscious.

A motorcycle thief passed out after being chased relentlessly by the owner of the motorcycle he stole.

Tanah Abang Police Chief Sr. Adj. Comr. Lukman Cahyono said the thief had stolen a motorcycle outside a house.

The owner of the motorcycle had left the engine on while warming it up. The thief saw his opportunity and jumped on it and rode off.

But his thoughts of an easy score was dashed when the owner gave chase on another motorcycle. The chase kept up until Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta. By then the engine of the stolen motorcycle had given up and sputtered to a halt.

The thief got off and ran on foot, while still being hounded by the motorcycle owner. Finding himself cornered, he decided to jump into flood canal (a large storm drain) and tried to swim away.

However, he fainted from exhaustion after pulling himself up on the far bank.

The police arrested the GTA-wannabe while he was still unconscious. The owner of the motorcycle recovered his vehicle and brought it home.

Source: Jakarta Post

2019 Moto Guzzi MGX-21 arrives in Malaysia! RM172,000

Moto Guzzi Malaysia has offically unveiled the 2019 Moto Guzzi MGX-21 for the Malaysian market.
The state-of-the-art “Flying Fortress” is powered by a 1,380cc 90° V-Twin Big Block engine with 96.6hp and 121Nm of torque.
The recommended selling price has been set at RM172,000 (without tax or insurance).

Moto Guzzi Malaysia which is brought to you here in Malaysia by Didi Resources Sdn Bhd has officially introduced the brand’s latest and most advanced model yet, the 2019 Moto Guzzi MGX-21. Dubbed the “Flying Fortress”, this is the next step in Moto Guzzi’s technological advancements when it comes to their world of two-wheels. (more…)

Max Biaggi and Voxan to Attempt Electric Motorcycle Speed Record

Ex-MotoGP and WorldSBK star Max Biaggi will ride a Voxan Wattman to claim the electric motorcycle speed record.
Voxan Motors claimed the Wattman as the “fastest electric motorcycle in the world.”
They will carry out the attempt at the Bolivian Salt Flats.

Yes, THAT Max Biaggi. The ex-MotoGP and WorldSBK star will attempt to break the electric motorcycle speed record.

Biaggi will ride the Wattman (as in “Watts”, geddit?) by Voxan Motors. Voxan is currently preparing the bike for Biaggi to ride at the Bolivian salt flats.

The current record is held by Jim Hoogerhyde who rode the electric Lightning SB-220 (close cousin of the LS-218). Hoogerhyde took the Lightning to 327.608 km/h (203.56 mph). Voxan and Biaggi are aiming for at least 330 km/h (205 mph) to break the old record and set a new mark.

Biaggi is the ambassador to Voxan’s parent company, Venturi since 2018.

Max Biaggi as Venturi’s ambassador – Photo credit RideApart

“When my friend Gildo Pastor (Venturi’s president) came to me with his plan for the world land speed record and the Voxan Wattman, I was obviously going to say yes. Gildo is both an expert and a pioneer in the field of electric mobility. Under his impetus, Venturi Automobiles has set a number of records and marked a host of world firsts,” said the charismatic race, also known as “Mad Max.”

Voxan is the direct competitor to performance motorcycle makers Lightning and Energica. They claim the Wattman as the most powerful electric bike in the world. The motor produces 200 hp and 200 Nm of torque, compared to the Lightning LS-218’s 200 hp and 228 Nm. The Wattman can hit 160 km/h in 5.9 seconds.

Even the beastly 2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2 needed 5.2 seconds to go from 0 to 160 km/h.

Other than brute power, the Wattman can charge from 0 to 80% in less than 30 minutes, and has a range of 180 km.

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Latest News

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium is being upgraded to being MotoGP and EWC back.

The circuit still holds the record for the fastest motorcycle GP race.

The last motorcycle GP race held there was in 1987.

A car driver in Singapore received a condom for his inconsiderate behavior.

The driver had parked his car in a motorcycle parking lot.

A note told the driver to not reproduce.

Patents show a Honda trike.

While the description says, “two or six cylinders,” we are quite certain it may be the Gold Wing flat-Six.

Surely Honda would like to steal the thunder away from the Yamaha Niken.

A motorcycle thief thought he had easy pickings.

But he fainted from exhaustion after being chased.

Jakarta police arrested him while he was still unconscious.

Moto Guzzi Malaysia has offically unveiled the 2019 Moto Guzzi MGX-21 for the Malaysian market.

The state-of-the-art “Flying Fortress” is powered by a 1,380cc 90° V-Twin Big Block engine with 96.6hp and 121Nm of torque.

The recommended selling price has been set at RM172,000 (without tax or insurance).

Ex-MotoGP and WorldSBK star Max Biaggi will ride a Voxan Wattman to claim the electric motorcycle speed record.

Voxan Motors claimed the Wattman as the “fastest electric motorcycle in the world.”

They will carry out the attempt at the Bolivian Salt Flats.

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