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High-heeled Boots Caused Rider’s Death

A British coroner concluded that high-heeled boots contributed to the death of a lady rider.
She appeared to have been distracted by her footwear.
We recommend boots with wide, flat soles.

British coroner determined that it was high-heeled boots that caused a lady rider’s death in an accident.

The Dorset Coroner’s Court heard a statement from Coroner Brendan Allan. According to him, the rider was distracted by her boots before losing control of her bike and crashing. He added that, “It is with the utmost importance that bikers wear appropriate clothing, no matter how short the journey and no matter how familiar the person is with it”

The debate of fashion vs. practical biker wear continues to rage in this case. Some motorcyclists refuse to wear boots because “they are hot,” especially in our climate. Some swear by boots, but they are divided into two schools of thought. One group says any type of boot is fine, as long as they are boots. The other says that there is a specific type that’s safe for riders.

So, who is correct?

Motorcycle boots should have flat heels and soles, even if they are thick (or tall). Flat soles allow for a wider area for feet placement on the footpegs. Besides that, the wider area contributes to safety when you put a foot down on the road, especially during emergy stops.

Stilettos make ladies look hot but it isn’t so when you’re struggling for balance.

Source: Daily Mail UK

Indian Motorcycle go VVT

Indian Motorcycle patented their variable valve timing (VVT) system.
It will equip a new Euro 5-compliant engine.
The technology is the best solution in delivering power with low fuel consumption and emission.

More and more manufacturers embrace variable valve timing technology as Euro 5 looms. Indian Motorcycle is next up.

As Euro 5 seeks to cut more emission, motorcycle manufacturers are forced into looking for other solutions. It was either that or downsizing the engine or reducing power production (god forbid!).

Right now, VVT offers the best answer. Variable valve timing and variable valve lift controls valve overlap at the correct engine loads and timing, yielding power while saving fuel and limiting emission at the same time. Please click the link below to learn more about variable valve timing/variable valve actuation.

2019 Ducati Diavel 1260 to Feature DVT

VVT usually finds place in motorcycles with “sportier” deposition such as the BMW S 1000 RR, Suzuki GSX-R1000, it’s made its way into other types of motorcycle engines. Ducati uses their proprietary Desmodromic Valve Timing (DVT) in the 1260cc V-Twins, while Yamaha employ the tech in their scooters. BMW has now equipped the new 1254cc Boxer (flat-twin) with their own “ShiftCam” technology.

Photo credit – United States Trademark and Patent Office, Motorcycle.com

A new Indian engine was spied months back, but patents revealed that the American manufacturer is pursing VVT technology as well.

Indian’s VVT looks different in because the engine employs overhead valves (OHV) and pushrods rather than overhead camshafts (OHC). Therefore, the VVT phaser is situated at the of the crankcase.

KTM 790 Adventure and KTM 790 Adventure R Prices Revealed

Prices for the KTM 790 Adventure and and KTM 790 Adventure were released by KTM Malaysia recently.
KTM intends to revolutionize the dual-sport market with the new bike.
The 790 Adventure is priced from RM 78,800 while the 790 Adventure R is priced from RM 84,800.

Prices for the KTM 790 Adventure and and KTM 790 Adventure R were released by KTM Malaysia recently

KTM had listened to the wishes of adventure and dual-sport riders around the world in creating the new bikes. Consequently, both variants are “different” when compared to dual-sport motorcycles in its middleweight and of capacities, as well.

But it wasn’t a case of just building an adventure bike with two variants. The Austrian manufacturer wanted to “revolutionize the dual-sport market.”

The engine is shared with the 790 Duke naked sportbike, but tuned for smoothness and tractability, especially in the rough. The new LC8c parallel-Twin allows KTM engineers to place it in the frame for optimal weight distribution, hence easier handling characteristics. Another benefit is the lower seat height.

Next, the fuel tank is moved downwards to the sides of crankcase. Doing so moved the bike’s centre of gravity downwards. There are two benefits to this: 1) It makes the bike more stable and not top-heavy; 2) It allows the rider to move around easier when standing up in the rough.

790 Adventure (left) and 790 Adventure R (right)

The 790 Adventure (without the “R”) is more road-biased and intended for riders who tour and include some light off-road in their itinerary. The 790 Adventure R, on the other hand, is more off-road biased.

As such, the 790 Adventure R includes a Rally mode where the rider could choose the level of traction control and throttle response on-the-fly.

You can read about our impressions in the link below:

KTM 790 Adventure and KTM 790 Adventure R Test & Review

The 2019 KTM 790 Adventure is priced from RM 78,800 while the 2019 KTM Adventure R is priced from RM 84,800. The prices are inclusive of SST but not on-the-road.

Please follow KTM Malaysia’s official Facebook page for more up-to-date information.

WorldSBK 2019: Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki Ends Bautista and Ducati’s Streak

Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki finally ended Alvaro Bautista and Ducati’s WorldSBK 2019 winning streak.
Rea won in Race 1 at the Imola circuit in Italy.
Bautista finished second after winning the first ten races of the year.

Four-time and reigning WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea and his Kawasaki team ended Alvaro Bautista and Ducati’s winning streak in Race 1 at Imola, Italy.

Bautista and Ducati have scored a perfect ten out of ten races in five rounds prior. However, Rea proved the spoiler when Bautista tried to adapt to the tricky Imola circuit. It was the latter’s first race there. Rea had been strong throughout the practice sessions only to be pipped by Bautista’s teammate Chaz Davies in Superpole for pole position.

Come race day, Rea took the lead as soon as the lights went out, but passed by Davies soon after. It looked like the pair was going to resume their hard battles and rivalry through the last few seasons. Unfortunately, Davies’s bike encountered a problem and forced the Welshman to retire. In so doing, he handed second place to Bautista.

A battle soon erupted behind them.

Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) sat in third, while Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) fought up to 4^thfrom 8^thon the grid. Van der Mark’s teammate Alex Lowes followed in 5^th, ahead of Rea’s teammate Leon Haslam. Independent rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Purcetti Racing) moved in 7^th.

At the front, Bautista had no answer to Rea’s pace. The Kawasaki man began to pull away at 0.7s per lap.

On a day of seeing front runners suffering bike problems, Tom Sykes’s BMW started to slow and eventually retired. At the same time, Lowes started to slip backwards.

With the final position suddenly available, van der Mark and Razgatlioglu battled tooth and nail. The pair swapped paint and traded blows on the penultimate lap to the stage of colliding twice. But it was the Turkish rider Razgatlioglu who presevered to cross the line in 3^rd.

There was no problem for Rea, conversely. It was his eighth win at the track and 72^ndin WorldSBK. It was Kawsaki’s 128^thwin in the series.

Race 2 continues today at 8pm Malaysian local time.

Final results after Race 1:

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)
Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team)
Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK)

Ducati Sales up 5% in First Quarter 2019

Ducati posted a 5% increase in sales for the first quarter of 2019 vis-à-vis the same period in 2018.
The biggest selling segments were the Hypermotard/Multistrada and Scrambler.
The Supersport/Superbike category saw a large drop.

Ducati posted a 5% increase in sales for the first quarter of 2019 vis-à-vis the same period in 2018.

The number equals a total of 12,541 motorcycles compared to 11,949. That’s good news considering the global motorcycle sales slump.

However, the model which drove the sales was of a surprise. The Italian manufacturer had hoped the new Diavel 1260 will drive sales in 2019, but it was the new Hypermotard 950, instead. The Hyper’ contributed an 18.6% growth. Ducati grouped the Diavel and Monster in the same “naked” category which dropped by 1.13%. The Hypermotard is in the same category as the Multistrada, on the other hand.

The other contributor is the Scrambler line-up, which saw a 14.8% increase. Ducati shored up the yellow-bike family with a slew of new models for 2019.

As for the Supersport/Superbike category, it posted a 13.5% drop after the huge success of the Panigale V4’s success in 2018.

The manufacturer is yet to launch further 2019 models. We shall see how these will do by the first half of the year.

Segment	Q1 2019	Q1 2018	% Change
Scrambler	2,894	2,522	+14.8
Diavel / Monster	3,054	3,089	-1.13
Hypermotard / Multistrada	4,113	3,469	+18.6
Supersport / Superbike	2,480	2,868	-13.5
Total	12,541	11,948	+4.96

Source: Audi AG

David Beckham Banned from Driving

David Beckham was handed a driving ban.
He was charged with using his mobile phone while driving.
The driving ban is in effect for six months.

We wanted to not publish this story, but the temptation was too great. David Beckham was handed a driving ban by a British judge.

A member of the public spotted Beckham using a mobile phone while driving his Bentley in Central London. He then lodged a report against the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy star.

Beckham’s counsel, Gerrard Tyrrell said his client had “no recollection” of the incident. However, Beckham pleaded guilty anyway.

The celebrity already logged six points on his driving license for speeding previously. The District Judge handed out six more points for the mobile phone offence, bringing the total to 12 that’s needed to lose driving privileges. The ban is in effect for six months.

Besides owning a bevy of exotic cars, Beckham also owns many motorcycles but his favourites are Triumphs. One of his motorcycles is a customized Triumph Bonneville on display in the Triumph Factory Visitor Experience in Hinckley.