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MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo puts down the hammer to win the Catalan GP

Jorge Lorenzo puts on another masterclass in riding to win the Catalan GP.
Marc Marquez led the race briefly before his 2019 teammate won back the lead.
Valentino Rossi finishes the race in third place for the third time in a row.

Jorge Lorenzo once again gave Ducati something to regret about after he won the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya in flawless style. The Spaniard won the race by over four seconds to secure his second consecutive win.

Hammer it home @lorenzo99! ?#CatalanGP pic.twitter.com/RhFacfK6QQ

— MotoGP™? (@MotoGP) June 17, 2018

Marc Marquez came home in second place to extend his championship lead, while Valentino Rossi secured third place for the third race in a row.

It was not all smooth for Lorenzo, he messed up the start which let Marquez take the lead into the first corner. Andrea Iannone of Suzuki Ecstar too made a fantastic start and slotted into second place on the opening laps, pushing Lorenzo back to third place.

Lorenzo had pace and grace and kept his composure to get past Iannone and Marquez into turn one on the second lap. From there on he simply disappeared ahead and opened a comfortable lead.

His Ducati team mate Andrea Dovizioso found himself in a comfortable third place behind Marquez, but the Italian ran out of luck and crashed out on lap nine – his third DNF of the season which put another massive dent in his title aspirations.

Rossi inherited third place after Dovizioso crashed out, but by then the leaders had already opened up a 3.2 second gap. The gap between the two up ahead though remained under one second for most of the race but Lorenzo looked impervious, setting 1:40.0 second lap after lap. In the end though, Marquez simply could not respond and eventually finished 4.479 seconds behind from Lorenzo, who now draws level on points with teammate Dovizioso in the championship standings.

Another podium for @ValeYellow46 ?

Three-in-a-row for the Doctor!#CatalanGP pic.twitter.com/AkuWGQtamk

— MotoGP™? (@MotoGP) June 17, 2018

Rossi came home in a lonely third place but made it yet another podium finish to remain second in the standings, with Cal Crutchlow of LCR Honda Castrol enjoying a fantastic ride to finish as top independent rider in fourth place. The Brit was locked in a battle with Dani Pedrosa but got the better of the Spaniard. Dani rounded out the top five.

Maverick Vinales opening lap woes continued, with the rider finishing the first lap down in P10 after starting fourth. The Spaniard later managed to salvage sixth at the end of the race, holding off Johann Zarco, but the two traded blows throughout the race.

Danilo Petrucci crossed the line in eight place, with fellow Ducati rider Alvaro Bautista finishing seven seconds further back in ninth place.

Despite a brilliant start, Iannone slipped back and the Italian came home in tenth place. Pol Espargaro picking up his fourth straight P11 finish, with Scot Reding and Karel Abraham were the only other riders to finish the race in P12 and P13 respectively.

Bradley Smith went up to as high as eight place on the opening laps of the race, but was taken out by Takaaki Nakagami on lap 14, both riders are okay.

Mika Kallio of Red bull KTM Factory Racing, Tom Luthi and Aleix Espargaro and Xavier Simeon also crashed out early in the race. All riders are okay.

Malaysian Hafizh Syahrin was enjoying a good race and looked like he could earn a top 10 finish, but he crashed on the exit of turn four.

Alex Rins difficult weekend continued in the race, and the Spaniard retired on lap 12. Jack Miller and Tito Rabat both had to retire their bikes too with Rabat’s Ducati catching fire.

That famous @lorenzo99 leap off the top step of the podium! ?#CatalanGP pic.twitter.com/rDYoUfFAA3

— MotoGP™? (@MotoGP) June 17, 2018

The next race in the calendar is set to take place at the classic Assen circuit, where Lorenzo will be looking to extend his championship points and Marquez will be looking to keep Rossi at bay. Rossi is currently in second place in the standings, but the Doctor has often been the master of the TT Circuit Assen.

Image credits: MotoGP.com

Custom BMW S 1000 RR by Revival Cycles

The folks from Revival Cycles built a custom BMW S 1000 RR with a ‘vintage’ appeal.
Based in Texas, USA, the team envisioned the bike to be a classic race paired with all of its performance magnificence.
Custom alloy fairings and other performance-inspired parts were all included to further enhance the bike’s capabilities as a racer.

Not a lot of folks would tear down a perfectly awesome modern-day superbike and build it up into something completely out of the ordinary. While most folks would consider this as a very daunting task, Revival Cycles from Texas, USA went through this journey and the result is simply outstanding. (more…)

2017 New Motorcycle Sales Above 500cc

2017 had been a tough year for many industries, including motorcycles.
Not many brands posted growth for motorcycles above 500cc.
Let us hope 2018 will see a resurgence for the industry.

2017 was a tough year for motorcycle sales, what more for those above 500cc capacity.

Many motorcycle dealers cited the difficulty in obtaining financial loans for new motorcycles, although there was a steady stream of demand. Many speculations were rife about why financial institutions were reluctant to provide loans.

In the meantime, we have been provided some data pertaining to the number of motorcycle sales in from January to December 2017 (please scroll down for the table).

While it is easy to see which manufacturer sold more motorcycles, please bear a thought for which segment each brand occupy.

For instance, although Kawasaki and Yamaha led the way, brands such as BMW, Triumph, Ducati, KTM, Harley-Davidson and Aprilia are considered the premium segment. That means their motorcycles occupy the higher end in terms of pricing, compared to the Japanese bikes.

Indeed, only two brands showed growth: BMW and Triumph.

BMW’s sales has without doubt being pushed by the R 1200 GS and R 1200 GS Adventure, and the S 1000 RR. The lightweight G 310 R and G 310 GS have reportedly sold well, too, but their numbers are not reflected in this report. The R 1200 GS TFT has just made it to our shores and you can bet that it will continue to be the bestseller.

Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia have been performing well since their meteoric growth from 2015. With 17 models to offer, there’s one for a rider of any vocation. 2018 should see them grow even further with the introduction of the new Tiger 800 family, the Bobber Black and Bonneville Speedmaster.

Where to from here?

Whatever it was, 2017 is gone. We have a new government in place who promised that they will make it easier to apply for loans. 2018 has also been slow from the early parts of the year but the 0% GST ruling which took effect from 1^st June 2018 ought to spark a renewed growth in the large capacity motorcycle segment. As bikers ourselves, it is always great to see the latest bikes on the road.

BRAND	2018 ABOVE 500cc SALES (units)
Kawasaki	2,112
Yamaha	1,183
BMW Motorrad	978
Honda	755
Triumph	272
Suzuki	265
Ducati	238
KTM	171
Harley-Davidson	107
Aprilia	97

VIDEO: 100 Motorcycles Destroyed by Excavator in Philippine

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the destruction of 100 smuggled bikes.
The action represented his stand on smuggling and the drug trade on a wider scale.
Total value destroyed was approximately $ 640,000.

The Philippines government, led by President Rodrigo Duterte, continues their no-holds-barred war against the drug trade by crushing illegally imported motorcycles and other vehicles, valued over $ 640,000.

Approximately 100 motorcycles, including Vespas, a BMW, a Harley-Davidson and a Triumph were lined up for death by excavator. The executions of the bikes were carried out in the country’s capital Manila, while several luxury cars and SUVs were destroyed at Cebu city. The bikes have done nothing wrong of course, but Mr. Duterte wanted to send a clear message that crime doesn’t pay. That and taxes needs to be paid, of course.

The President is an avid rider himself and was present at the Manila site. He grimaced when the Harley was crushed, commenting, “When the excavator crushed the Harley it’s like I also got hit in my neck. What a waste.”

Then, why did he order the destruction?

The motorcycles could have been auctioned and the proceeds could go on to fund the Philippine government’s war chest on drug lords, after all. Or sell them as the same price as low-mileage demo bikes? He had come under much criticism for destroying the cash-convertibles since the destruction of 20-odd luxury cars in February.

Well, Mr. Duterte explained that the auction system is equally corrupt and the contraband or proceeds may just end back up in favour of the drug dealers.

But let’s be frank, Mr. Duterte is a showman, and he has to show that he is serious in carrying out his job, given how volatile Philippine politics is. He’s also sending the message that he fears no one, especially smugglers.

Click on the video below and let the pain flow.

Moto2: Jorge Martin moves up to Red Bull KTM Ajo in 2019

Jorge Martin will be moving up to Moto2 next year after signing a new deal with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team.
The 20-year-old Spaniard will be replacing the outgoing Miguel Oliveira.
Martin is currently second in the 2018 Moto3 world championship with just three points behind championship leader, Marco Bezzecchi.

It has been quite a season so far for Moto3 2018 championship leader, Jorge Martin. With three race wins and second in the championship, the Del Conca Gresini Moto3 rider has announced that he will be moving up into the intermediate class with the Red Bull KTM Ajo squad in replacement for the outgoing rider, Miguel Oliveira. (more…)

2018 MV Agusta Turismo Veloce Lusso SCS has an AUTOMATIC clutch?

MV Agusta has launched their latest 2018 MV Agusta Turismo Veloce Lusso SCS which comes with an automatic clutch system.
Called the “Smart Clutch System”, the bike is able to engage and disengage the clutch automatically based on the engine revs.
In short, the SCS system allows you to stop and start rolling again without having to touch the clutch lever.

Premium Italian motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta has unveiled their latest 2018 MV Agusta Turismo Veloce Lusso SCS just a couple of days ago. There are no major changes based on the looks but the SCS in the breathtaking name actually stands for “Smart Clutch System” which is completely brand new. (more…)

Bikesrepublic

Latest News

The folks from Revival Cycles built a custom BMW S 1000 RR with a ‘vintage’ appeal.

Based in Texas, USA, the team envisioned the bike to be a classic race paired with all of its performance magnificence.

Custom alloy fairings and other performance-inspired parts were all included to further enhance the bike’s capabilities as a racer.

2017 had been a tough year for many industries, including motorcycles.

Not many brands posted growth for motorcycles above 500cc.

Let us hope 2018 will see a resurgence for the industry.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the destruction of 100 smuggled bikes.

The action represented his stand on smuggling and the drug trade on a wider scale.

Total value destroyed was approximately $ 640,000.

Jorge Martin will be moving up to Moto2 next year after signing a new deal with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team.

The 20-year-old Spaniard will be replacing the outgoing Miguel Oliveira.

Martin is currently second in the 2018 Moto3 world championship with just three points behind championship leader, Marco Bezzecchi.

MV Agusta has launched their latest 2018 MV Agusta Turismo Veloce Lusso SCS which comes with an automatic clutch system.

Called the “Smart Clutch System”, the bike is able to engage and disengage the clutch automatically based on the engine revs.

In short, the SCS system allows you to stop and start rolling again without having to touch the clutch lever.

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