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Harley-Davidson wants to buy Ducati? RM7.2 billion, please!

According to latest reports, Harley-Davidson has been rumoured to make a bid to buy over Ducati from Volkswagen Group.

Volkwagen has been planning to liquidate some of their major assets including Ducati ever since the great emissions scandal back in 2015.

The biddings to purchase Ducati has been set at €1.5 billion (around RM7.2 billion) in which VW will start accepting bids from potential owners starting July.

According to a recent report made by Reuters, the latest high profile name that has been thrown in to bid over as the new owner of Ducati is none other than Harley-Davidson. Ever since Volkswagen Group has been slapped in the face with the emissions cheating drama, they’ve been looking into liquidating some of their assets and Ducati falls in that very list for sale. (more…)

MotoGP: Cal Crutchlow signs new two-year deal with HRC

Cal Crutchlow has signed a brand new MotoGP two-year contract with HRC to remain with LCR Honda for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

The brand new deal with HRC will promote Crutchlow to factory rider status which will get full support from HRC and of course, the latest Honda RC213V machinery.

The 31 year old Brit rider has so far obtained two victories and four podium finishes and at the same time assisted the Honda factory team in developing their wild Honda race bike.

MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow has signed a new two-year agreement with HRC just a few days before the next round at the Dutch GP in Assen earlier today. The two-year extension to remain with his current LCR Honda squad will see him being promoted as a factory rider which is fully supported by Honda Racing Corporation. (more…)

Driver invades Federal Highway motorcycle lane, ends in disaster!

The motorcycle lane on the federal highway has been hotly debated topic for the past year or so. The authorities claim that the motorcycle lanes are safe and good enough and hence motorcyclists should stay off the federal highway.

On the other hand, motorcyclists and motoring media are vocal about the dangers of the motorcycle lane. Dangers such as flooding, lack of proper lighting, bad road conditions and signages and even theft are some of the problems with the motorcycle lane on the federal highway.

But another problem is cars! There have been a number of times where cars have invaded the motorcycle lane to cut queue or simply beat the jam. These not-very-bright individuals put the lives of hundreds of motorcyclists in danger with their actions.

This afternoon, the Proton Iriz seen in the photos here was spotted driving on the motorcycle lane near the Mid-Valley-Puchong section (near the roundabout on the motorcycle lane). It is unclear what happened but the car was obviously travelling on the motorcycle lane and slipped into the drain. It even managed to beat the barriers blocking motorcycles from travelling onwards.

No police officers were seen on the scene but the motorcycle lane was blocked off for a private tow truck to get to the car. If there was an award for the most idiotic driver of the day, it would be this guy!

Watch the video below to see what our editor and the Managing Editor of Autofreaks.com Chris Wee had to say about the motorcycle lane in the recent ‘Torque Show’ by Autobuzz.my.

Ducati releases New 2017 Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro Pro

Ducati has introduced the latest 2017 Ducati Multistrada Enduro Pro which has been geared to be more tough and adventure-ready.

The Pro features a new Sand-themed colourway, two-toned seat, Ducati Performance bull bar, Termignoni titanium exhaust and many more.

The Enduro Pro will be available in the UK market soon with a price tag of £18,995 (around RM102,797 after direct conversion).

Ducati has unveiled yet another great variant to the Multistrada 1200 Enduro especially for those adventure riders who are eager to get some off-road fun that is the Pro Edition. What’s already a great package to begin with has been garnished with a few extra bits to make it more awesome when going on those off-road adventures. (more…)

WorldSBK: 24 year old Jake Gagne fills in Nicky Hayden’s ride at Laguna Seca

The next WorldSBK round at the iconic Laguna Seca raceway will see Jake Gagne, a 24 year old MotoAmerica competitor as the replacement for the late Nicky Hayden.

Gagne was a former Red Bull Rookies Cup and AMA Superstock 1000 champion has been chosen by the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team for his already vast experience with Honda machinery.

The Geico US Round will be on 7 to 9 July 2017 where the Red Bull Honda squad will go full force once again with Gagne and Stefan Bradl.

After the recent passing of one of the world’s most respected racers of all time that was Nicky Hayden, the Red Bull Honda outfit currently competing in the FIM Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) has chosen MotoAmerica rider Jake Gagne as replacement. (more…)

Is this the Final Ducati Panigale ever?

Ducati has released a video teaser entitled “When the End Tells the Whole Story” shows what probably looks like the FInal Ducati Panigale evolution ever.

There’s also the date of 7 July 2017 stated in the video which signifies the next WorldSBK round in Laguna Seca where most probably the final Panigale will be introduced.

There move also coincides with further developments of their V4-powered superbike that has been planned to go into production as well compete in the WorldSBK in the beginning of the 2018 season.

The end of the Ducati Panigale is getting closer and closer to reality with the giant Italian manufacturer getting ready to unveil one of their biggest paradigm shifts ever to the highly anticipated V4-powered superbike. While we’re not sure if this is true or not, Ducati has revealed a teaser video highlighting the Panigale with the tagline “When the End Tells the Whole Story”. (more…)