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First Look Review: 2018 Moto Guzzi Audace Carbon

The 2018 Moto Guzzi Audace Carbon represents the dark side of the manufacturer’s line-up.
It is meant to be a power cruiser, with many beautiful details.
Priced from RM 123,000 (basic selling price not inclusive of SST, road tax and insurance).

Moto Guzzi may be the represent the “heritage” side within the Piaggio group of motorcycle brands, but that does not mean the brand is without “characters” such as this Audace Carbon.

The Audace Carbon represents the “dark soul” of the Guzzi line-up along with the MGX21, a reflection of its name which means “audacious.” There is not one single chromed part. You could say it is the gothic version of the regular Audace.

Distinguishing parts include the carbon fibre cowlings on either side of the fuel tank and front mudguard. Besides that, the cylinder head covers and Brembo front brake calipers are painted in “Mandello Red,” to mark it as the dark lineage shared with the MGX21 and V7 III Carbon.

Moto Guzzi Malaysia introduces limited edition V7 III Carbon – Priced at RM74,900

At the heart of the Audace Carbon is a monstrous 1400cc, transversely-mounted, 90^o V-Twin which punches out 96 bhp. Being a cruiser, however, means torque is always more important than outright horsepower. As such, the engine produces an arm-straightening 121 Nm at just 3000 RPM. It is also Euro 4 compliant, featuring 2 sparkplugs per cylinder and a 3-way catalytic converter. Along with an Eco Ride mode, you can have best mix of performance and fuel consumption while touring.

Speaking of modes, there are three power modes: Veloce (sport), Turismo (Touring), and Pioggia (Rain). The power maps are linked to the adjustable Moto Guzzi Traction Control (MGTC) thresholds. The power modes are courtesy of the ride-by-wire (rbw) throttle.

There is also cruise control, activated by a single switch on the left handlebar.

Lastly, the Audace Carbon includes the Moto Guzzi Multimedia Platform (MG-MP) which interfaces with the app in your smartphone to provide a complete suite of riding information. The system will even show the location of the nearest petrol station within range when the fuel level goes into reserve.

Priced from RM 123,000 (basic selling price not inclusive of SST, road tax and insurance), the 2018 Moto Guzzi Audace Carbon is now available at Moto Guzzi Malaysia. Please follow the Moto Guzzi Malaysia Facebook page for more information.

PICTURE GALLERY

2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon introduced!

The 2018 Ducati Scrambler Icon has been introduced with a host of different makeovers.
Updates include a new aluminium side panels, headlights, flatter seat, renewed suspension setup, and many more.
The new Scrambler Icon will be available starting November in two colours; Atomic Tangerine and Classic ’62 Yellow.

From the ‘Land of Joy’ comes the latest addition into the Ducati Scrambler family that is the updated 2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon. The latest Ducati Scrambler makeover is now more contemporary, comfortable, and safe in a more affordable and essential middleweight bike package. (more…)

Moto2: MV Agusta Cancels 2019 Moto2 Contract with Romano Fenati

Giovanni Castiglioni has announced that we will stop Romano Fenati’s contract with MV Agusta for the 2019 Moto2 Championship.
Fenati caused an uproar after squeezing Stefano Manzi’s front brake lever at the San Marino GP.
Fenati has been given a two-race ban but many are calling for his outright ban from motorcycle racing.

Giovanni Castiglioni announced on his Instagram account that MV Agusta he will stop Romano Fenati from his contracted ride for MV Agusta in the 2019 Moto2 season.

Hot headed Moto2 rider Fenati caused an uproar among racing fans for his actions at the San Marino Grand Prix yesterday. Ironically, Manzi is the current rider for the Forward Racing Team who are the team running MV Agusta and contracted Fenati for next season.

Romano Fenati Picked to Ride MV Agusta Moto2 Race Bike

Giovanni, the CEO of MV Agusta, did not mince his words and opined that Fenati’s actions was the “worse and saddest thing he had seen in a bike race,” before going on to say that he would have handed Fenati a lifetime ban if he was with Dorna.

View this post on Instagram

This has been the worse and saddest thing I ever seen in a bike race. True sportsmen would never act this way. If I would be Dorna I would ban him from world racing . Regarding his contract for a future position as rider of MV Agusta Moto 2 , I will oppose myself in every way to stop it . It won’t happen , he doesn’t represent our company true values ⚔️⚔️⚔️ #mvagusta #rc #moto2 #fairplay

A post shared by Giovanni Castiglioni (@mvagusta.gc) on Sep 9, 2018 at 11:33pm PDT

Indeed, Fenati had been handed a 2-race ban by Dorna and FIM from the next GP but everyone, including us, is of the opinion that it is not enough. Banging fairings is one thing but applying the brakes at 230 km/h could have caused Manzi to flip over.

If the race ban is ridiculous, adding insult is Dorna docking Manzi with a six-grid placing penalty at the next GP. Other MotoGP riders have done worse stuff and gotten away.

Manzi had lunged inside Fenati at Turn Four when the latter went wide. Fenati turned back toward the apex and the two came together, and almost crashing. However, both riders managed to collect themselves and continue riding. Fenati then caught up with Manzi after Turn Seven and squeezed the latter’s front brake lever when they were side-by-side. Manzi would go on to crash in a separate incident two laps later, while Fenati was black flagged for “irresponsible riding.” Please click on the video below to watch.

Aprilia Malaysia Inaugural Track Day

Aprilia owners in Malaysia had a great day at the Sepang International Circuit yesterday.
Didi Resources, the new custodians of the brand organized a track day as promised.
A great mix of Aprilia models took to the track.

As promised by Didi Resources, the new custodian of Aprilia motorcycles in Malaysia, the inaugural (under new management) Aprilia Malaysia Track Day went off without a hitch yesterday at the Sepang International Circuit.

Didi Resources Organizes Inaugural Aprilia and Modclass Track Day

Besides rides and convoys, organizing a track day for Aprilia owners is the right thing to do as the activity demonstrates the manufacturer’s “Be a Racer” philosophy.

It was great to see owners showing up from all over Malaysia and even Singapore on all sorts of Aprilia models, because we are used to seeing the RSV4 superbike in the Malaysian Superbike Championship (MSBK), Malaysian Speed Foundation (MSF) and track days on weekends.

Instead, this track day organized by Didi Resources provided the opportunity to ride on track on any bike, more like a “Run what ya brung” track weekend.

Indeed, we saw the Shiver 750, Tuono V4, SL1000R, RSV Mille (the father of the RSV4), RS250 two-strokes, and an SR-Max 300 scooter ridden by Khairul Hafiz.

Of course, the riders attended a safety briefing after registration. Aprilia Malaysia had also prepared race suits and riding gear for rental to those who don’t own them.

It had rained on the track from early morning and the open track day riders came back to report on a slippery track after their first session. However, the Aprilians were lucky as their sessions started close to noon and went on through late afternoon. The sun had started to shine and dried the track by then.

It was visible that the participants had a great day although they were also exhausted after riding under the hot sun. Didi Resources also provided refreshments and lunch so that they had nothing to worry about except of having fun.

Lastly, while there weren’t many who took the track as expected despite the large number of Aprilians who showed up, we believe there will be many more in the next track days. We would also like to add that they event went without a hitch, and there was no mishap.

PICTURE GALLERY

Modclass Speedway introduces modern classics to SIC!

The very first Modclass Speedway track day session was held at the Sepang International Circuit.
Around 20 modern classic bike owners took their machines for some fun time around the track.
The Modclass Speedway was organised by Tiga Moto and supported by Moto Guzzi Malaysia.

When was the last time you witness a group of modern classic bikes tearing it up in the track? It is certainly a rare occasion and earlier today, the Modclass Speedway organised the very first outing for some enthusiastic modern classic bike owners around the Sepang International Circuit (SIC). (more…)

Moto2 2018: Romano Fenati Red Mist Moment at San Marino GP

Romano Fenati’s red mist moment in Moto2 at San Marino was captured on camera.
The fiery Italian had a run in with Stefano Manzi in the Moto2 race.
Fenati was DQ’d in the race but expect a heavy penalty soon.

If Moto3 is usually always exciting, let us be honest, Moto2 is snooze inducing (to put it kindly). The Moto2 contest at the San Marino GP was going to be no different, what with Francessco Bagnaia running away with his home grand prix. Well, that was until the red mist descended on racing bad boy Romano Fenati.

Fenati had been running down in 15^th, when Stefano Manzi snuck his bike inside the formers into a right hander. When Fenati turned toward the apex, both riders came together and ran wide into the sand trap but managed to stay upright.

It was visible at that moment that Fenati was furious and he gesticulated wildly at Manzi.

As the camera focused adoringly (read: boringly) on the race leader, it suddenly cut away to Fenati’s team preparing the pitboard signaling that the rider had been DQ’d (disqualified). Soon, the we saw the slow-motion footage of Fenati riding up beside Manzi, then reaching out with his left hand to squeeze the latter’s front brake lever.

Romano Fenati had great talent and was one of the first riders picked by Valentino Rossi himself to ride in his SKY Racing Team by VR46 in the Moto3 Championship back in 2014. He was sometimes brilliant while totally nowhere in the remainder. Yet, the team knew he had raw talent and retained his services.

In 2016, he was suddenly dropped beginning the Austrian GP and his contract for the remainder of the year and 2017 was terminated. The team would later cite “behavioral issues in conflict with team policies.”

But Marinelli Honda decided to take gamble and signed Fenati for the 2017 Moto3 season. The team was rewarded with three victories and five second places as Fenati finished second overall.

He moved up to Moto2 this and suffered tremendously as he languished near the tail end. However, MV Agusta has signed him up for their foray into Moto2 in 2019.

Romano Fenati Picked to Ride MV Agusta Moto2 Race Bike

In our opinion, such action is unquestionably dangerous and inexcusable, besides being just one of a few cases. Dorna and the FIM has not published any actions on Fenati at the moment but expect a heavy penalty.

Bikesrepublic

Latest News

The 2018 Moto Guzzi Audace Carbon represents the dark side of the manufacturer’s line-up.

It is meant to be a power cruiser, with many beautiful details.

Priced from RM 123,000 (basic selling price not inclusive of SST, road tax and insurance).

PICTURE GALLERY

The 2018 Ducati Scrambler Icon has been introduced with a host of different makeovers.

Updates include a new aluminium side panels, headlights, flatter seat, renewed suspension setup, and many more.

The new Scrambler Icon will be available starting November in two colours; Atomic Tangerine and Classic ’62 Yellow.

Giovanni Castiglioni has announced that we will stop Romano Fenati’s contract with MV Agusta for the 2019 Moto2 Championship.

Fenati caused an uproar after squeezing Stefano Manzi’s front brake lever at the San Marino GP.

Fenati has been given a two-race ban but many are calling for his outright ban from motorcycle racing.

Aprilia owners in Malaysia had a great day at the Sepang International Circuit yesterday.

Didi Resources, the new custodians of the brand organized a track day as promised.

A great mix of Aprilia models took to the track.

PICTURE GALLERY

The very first Modclass Speedway track day session was held at the Sepang International Circuit.

Around 20 modern classic bike owners took their machines for some fun time around the track.

The Modclass Speedway was organised by Tiga Moto and supported by Moto Guzzi Malaysia.

Romano Fenati’s red mist moment in Moto2 at San Marino was captured on camera.

The fiery Italian had a run in with Stefano Manzi in the Moto2 race.

Fenati was DQ’d in the race but expect a heavy penalty soon.

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