MOTOR-CAR SPORT

  Like Facebook 2013 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Homologated for AMA Pro Racing Despite 636cc Displacement The 2013  Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R  has been homologated for  AMA Pro Racing , making it eligible for the  Daytona Sportbike  and  Supersport  classes for 2013. The news comes as a bit of a surprise as those classes typically consist of Inline Four racebikes with a displacement smaller than 600cc. The new Ninja ZX-6R immediately carries a displacement advantage over its I-4 competition in the class such as the  Honda  CBR600R ,  Suzuki  GSX-R600  and  Yamaha  YZF-R6 . Also eligible in those classes are the  Ducati  848  (a Twin) and the  Triumph  Daytona 675  which uses a three-cylinder engine. The 636 will carry a weight penalty however, facing a minimum weight of 375 pounds compared to 355 pounds for the sub-600cc bikes. The last time Kawasaki had a 636cc Ninja, it ...

New Indian Thunder Stroke 111 Engine in “Spirit of Munro” Streamliner To mark the unveiling of its new  Thunder Stroke 111  engine,  Indian Motorcycle  revealed a custom-built streamliner motorcycle dubbed the “ Spirit of Munro “, equipped with the new  Indian  engine. The “Spirit of Munro” is a tribute to the Munro Special, the 1920 Indian scout that set a new land-speed record in 1967 at the  Bonneville Salt Flats  for under-1000cc motorcycles. The Munro Special was famously depicted in the 2005 film “ The World’s Fastest Indian “, starring  Anthony Hopkins . The streamliner is fully operational, designed from the ground up around the new Thunder Stroke engine. The engine is paired with a custom exhaust and intake system as well as a chain drive conversion for the tall gearing required of a motorcycle built to set speed records. “Part of the process of building a new motorcycle is building many pre-production and produ...

             Defiant: The New Arai Helmet Arai has a new model helmet for 2013 called the Defiant. Based on the RX-Q the new helmet, shown here in Base Orange Frost, is meant to appeal to the motorcyclist who desires urban-aggressive styling coupled with Arai’s reputation for safety and comfort. More than just a styling exercise, the Defiant boasts new technologies unseen even on the company’s flagship Corsair-V helmet. Inside the Defiant the exposed areas of the cheekpads and neckroll feature Arai’s water-repellent Dry-Max material that prevents water absorption in wet conditions. The new IR Neckroll pad has been reshaped to flow more air to the bottom of the helmet at lower speeds. On the helmet’s exterior the front edge trim below the chinvnent is flared along the bottom which Arai claims is more than just styling in that it creates a stabilizing down force while reducing buffeting, lifting, and turbulence-generated...

news 2013 BMW R1200GS Telelever Problem Explained in Transport Canada Recall Earlier this week, we wrote about reports in the Italian media of a  delay on deliveries  of the 2013  BMW R1200GS  because of an issue with the suspension. Transport Canada has now issued a recall notice on  BMW ‘s new GS – the third to come from the Canadian government agency – that would explain the delay. According to  Transport Canada , the threaded plugs securing the fork tubes to the upper triple clamp may come loose over time on some units. This may cause a fork tube to detach, posing a serious crash hazard. According to  MotorradOnline.de , the issue was discovered during BMW’s internal testing, after a GS was put through 60,000 km on the test bench. The solution seems simple enough. BMW will crimp-lock the fork tubes’ threaded plugs, creating a more secure connection. The bigger concern for BMW is the number of issues being reported before the R12...

  Ducati Announces Record Sales in 2012 Ducati  sold a record 44,102 motorcycles in 2012 while reporting a 16% increase in revenue over 2011. The positive news was announced as part of new parent company Audi ‘s annual press conference in Igolstadt, Germany. Worldwide revenues totaled 606 million euros (US$789 million) including more than 200 million euros since Audi officially acquired  Ducati  in July 2012. Motorcycle sales were up about 4% from 2011. Sales were particularly strong in the U.S., which accounted for sales of more than 9,300 units in 2012. U.S. sales were also up 21% compared to 2011. “The biggest single market was the United States with more than 9,300 motorcycles sold – twice as many as in 2003,” says Rupert Stadler, chairman of the board of the Audi. “Why do I mention that? Because the relevant overall market has contracted by more than half in the same period. So Ducati successfully utilized one of the most difficult times in the A...

               2014  SUZUKI V-STROM 1000  While the KTM 1190 Adventure and BMW R1200GS were grabbing all the headlines from INTERMOT today, we think the real news from the adventure-touring section is the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 concept, a nearly production ready bike that will debut in 2014. While Suzuki V-Strom owners we preach from the mountain the off-road prowess of their bikes, the truth is that Suzuki did not have adventure-touring on its mind when it built the V-Strom 1000 (or 650 for that matter), with the emphasis more on the touring side of that designation, than the adventure. A quick look at the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 Concept for the 2014 model, and that has clearly changed. A bit late to the party, Suzuki has finally put together what looks like a serious ADV bike, which will likely rival other Japanese ADV bikes like the Yamaha Super Ténéré, and give BMW, Ducati, KTM, and Triumph buyers some serious pause before they pl...