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MotoGP Winter Test 2017 – Vinales Fastest in Sepang

Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha) set the overall fastest time (again!) at 1:59.368
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) just 0.138 seconds behind Vinales
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) third fastest on board the Desmo GP17
ALL top 10 riders separated within 0.404 seconds!

It was a hard-fought battle yesterday but the newly-appointed Movistar Yamaha rider, Maverick Vinales, set the fastest time again out of all the riders in the past three days. With a blistering time of 1:59.368, Vinales took the top spot in his 40^th lap out of 72 around the Sepang International Circuit (SIC). (more…)

Ducati Desmosedici GP17 – A Closer Look

The latest Ducati Desmo GP17 is one of the fastest bikes on track.
Casey Stoner showed it’s incredible potential on Day 1.
‘Mysterious box’ under the rear tail said to be possible new jet exhaust propulsion system
First bike to break the 2-minute barrier during Sepang MotoGP Winter Test 2017

During the MotoGP winter test a couple of days back, we were invited by the main sponsor on the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, Shell Malaysia, to the Ducati Garage Tour to have a look at what it’s like for the team and bikes in the highest level of motorcycle racing in the world. (more…)

Shark Helmets introduces limited edition Johann Zarco helmet

New helmet limited to 1500 units only.
Hailed as one of the safest helmets ever.
Constructed from carbon aramid fibre and features double blade spoiler.
Comes with anti-scratch and anti-fog features.

Shark Helmets has introduced a new limited edition model of its flagship helmet, the Race-R PRO in celebration of Moto2 World Champion, Johann Zarco.

Distinguishable by its striking design and visible carbon fibre, only 1500 units of the limited edition helmet will ever be produced. Naturally, it will come with all the features expected of a top level racing helmet – lightness, stability, comfort and ventilation.

The Race-R PRO is constructed from carbon aramid fibre and features a double blade spoiler to aid high speed aerodynamic force. Crystal clear visibility is another feature of this helmet, achieved thanks to the optical class one visor with variable density – the visor is 2.8mm around the edges and 4.25mm in the centre – which offers near perfect optical quality.

On the safety front, the visor has a patented four anchor point visor safety lock and is treated with an anti-scratch treatment outside and an anti-fog treatment inside. It fastens securely using a double D-ring strap and tucks away using a magnet. It also comes with a quick release visor system and the interior is removable and washable.

The Race-R PRO is hailed as one of the safest helmets on the market with five stars in SHARP testing and has appeared on the winners podium at world-level racing championships over 150 times.

Each helmet is individually numbered and for those of you who prefer not to have stickers on your helmet, the helmet comes with sponsor stickers unattached but included in the box.

Ducati XDiavel – Most beautiful bike of 2016?

Ducati XDiavel wins world’s oldest prize dedicated to design excellence.

It wouldn’t be too far fetched to say that the Ducati XDiavel is the best looking bike of 2016, there were very few bikes that awed us as much as the XDiavel did.

Ducati’s first ever “power cruiser” has proven to be a stand-out in international Design competitions, having already bagged the prestigious European “Red Dot Award 2016”. The XDiavel has now picked up another award from the “Good Design Award 2016”.

The Good Design Award was established in 1950 and is the world’s oldest prize dedicated to the most innovative and cutting-edge industrial products and graphic designs produced around the world. For the 2016 edition of the Good Design Award, the jury evaluated over 900 candidates from 46 countries. The products evaluated ranged from electronics to robotics, from furnishing to graphics and vehicles.

In the vehicles category, the XDiavel won thanks to its unique silhouette, one that is recognised as a style, innovation and performance icon.

Hailed by Ducati as a true “Technocruiser”, the XDiavel wasn’t just a redesign of the standard Diavel, it was meticulously redesigned down to the very last detail; combining futuristic exaltation of mechanics and state-of-the-art technology.

The Good Design Award 2016 prize-giving ceremony took place on 27 January at the New York site of the Chicago Atheneum.

The Ducati XDiavel has already been launched in Malaysia, click here for more information as well as the price of the XDiavel in Ringgit Malaysia.

MotoGP Winter Test 2017 – Iannone Fastest in Day 2

Newly-appointed SUZUKI ECSTAR rider, Andrea Iannone, clocked in the fastest time on day 2 of the MotoGP Winter Test 2017

It was a slow start to the day as the morning session was only filled with four bikes total; three Ducatis and a Yamaha Tech 3 machinery. Due to heavy rain on Monday evening, the track was still a bit damp and most of the riders and team waited for the track to dry before heading out sometime around 2pm local time. (more…)

Honda to introduce supercharged motorcycles?

A series of leaked patent images seem to suggest that Honda is set to follow Kawasaki into the realm of supercharged motorcycle engines.

It seems as if some top motorcycle manufacturers are reaching the ceiling of what is technologically possible with modern day motorcycle engines.

Not too long ago, Kawasaki reintroduced the supercharger with the H2 and H2R. However, the step towards forced induction wasn’t entirely new. Back in the early 80s, the Japanese motorcycle big four all had a supercharged model for offer – Honda had the CX500 and 650 Turbo, Yamaha had the XJ 650 Turbo while Suzuki had the XN 85 Turbo and Kawasaki had the Z750 Turbo.

Anyway, the point is – supercharging isn’t entirely new for motorcycles. In fact it has been around since the 1930s, it seemingly took a break from the mainstream and now it is making a come back. Again.

New to the modern supercharging bandwagon is Honda Motorcycles, though yet unconfirmed but a leaked patent image seems to suggest that Honda will soon follow Kawasaki down the forced induction road.

The leaked image (shown above and below) doesn’t show much expect that the engine looks like a single-cylinder unit with the supercharged mounted on the left.

The patent image also doesn’t do much to suggest which Honda motorcycle will get the supercharging treatment, but word on the internet suggests that the NC750 (pictured above) could have been designed to eventually receive a supercharger.

Kawasaki has always maintained that it’s H2 and H2R won’t be the only machines to get a supercharger. So could we be at the brink of another big-four forced induction era? We certainly hope so.