Friday, March 28, 2008
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Koreans are not just lucky enough to lay their hands on latest innovative electronic gadgets only. Now, Hankook motor trading, an official partner of Yamaha Motor has taken wraps off its latest super sports motorcycle ‘YZF-R1’ for the Korean market.
The chic motorcycle comes rocking a liquid cooled 4-stroke 4-valve DOHC engine and boasts new electronic throttle YCC-T (Yamaha chip controlled throttle), slipper clutch, and dual elliptical mufflers. It offers a fuel tank capacity of 18-litres with 3.4-litres in reserve. Though the pricing is not known, the YZF-R1 is scheduled to hit the streets.
The Suzuki GSX 1300R, also known as the Hayabusa, is a hypersport motorcycle introduced in 1999. The name Hayabusa is the Japanese term for the Peregrine Falcon, known for its speed, and perhaps a joke at the expense of the Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird which was the fastest production motorcycle prior to the Hayabusa. The Peregrine Falcon is a predator of the common blackbird. Its extreme performance capability has also dubbed the bike as a “high abuser” of legal speed limits.
Afterwards, certain bikes were out to dare the Hayabusa top speed for a production motorcycle, including the BMW K1200S, the Kawasaki ZX-12R and the new ZX-14. And now Suzuki has decided for the 2008 model that they’ll not only revamp the super-bike, but will boost the size of the engine from 1299cc to 1340cc.
The compression power increases from 11.5:1 to 12.5:1. The 41cc increase in displacement stems from a 2mm increase in stroke giving each tube of the Inline-four a final spec of 81mm x 65mm (bore/stroke). Inside, there’s a new three-ring aluminum alloy forged slipper piston. The motor also gets a new set of titanium valves for intake and exhaust. The sizes haven’t changed, but the alternative metal has reduced the weight.
A little technology pulled from the GSX-R line is the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector (S-DMS) which provides three options of power delivery. A 4-2-1-2 exhaust which meets Euro 3 and Tier 2 emission regulations has been attached. Overall length has increased to 86.6 inches while the wheelbase is same. A 15mm higher windscreen and vertically stacked dual headlights are a part of the new look. The seat and rear sub-frame have been lowered by 17mm.
A pair of 310 mm balanced front rotors (10 mm smaller) offer less unsprung weight and are pinched by new Tokico radial-mount calipers. The single-piston rear caliper grabs a larger 260mm rotor (+20mm). There’s a Diamond like Coating (DLC) on the lower section of the inverted fork for less stiction. The steering geometry is virtually indistinguishable at 24.2 degrees of rake and 98mm of trail, an increase of 1 mm.
The revamped instrument cluster now features four analog meters for speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge and water temperature with a new S-DMS mode indicator, gear position indicator and adjustable engine rpm indicator.
Since its introduction, the major Japanese motorcycle manufacturer realized that the power and speed wars among flagship sports bike would not end and would eventually lead to increased government regulations, an unfavorable public image due to more fatal accidents and higher insurance premiums.
The new Hayabusa will be available in Orange, Blue, and Black. Expect to see this ‘fiend’ sometime in October with a price tag of $11,999.
What makes the Victory Vision special? The bike is as good as it gets with sleek looks and a powerful 106 c.i. V-Twin with a six-speed transmission. It’s fuel tank can take in six gallons of fuel that ensures you go a long distance before you get your bike refueled, but that isn’t what I am talking about.
Ducati Desmosedici RR is a hot ride and who wouldn’t be happy to see its production go up? Seeing the high demand for the bike, the company has decided to increase production from 1250 units to 1500 units.
All 1500 RRs will be delivered to their customers by the end of next year. The company has decided to give an upperhand to existing Ducati owners with first 500 instances of the new model being offered to 999R riders.
RR is a road version of the Moto GP bike and comes with a 1000cc V4 engine with a maximum power of 200bhp. A 100% carbon fibre bodywork with a tubular steel frame for the RR means the dry weight is just 171kg.
Yamaha’s new motorcycle, the Tesseract is very different from what you would expect a motorbike to be, simply because this one has four wheels. An additional pair of rims provide extra stability, but still the driver is able to lean the bike around bends and park it upright.
The company says addition of more wheels has not increased the width of the new motorcycle, as compared to conventional motorcycles. Set to debut in Tokyo Motor Show this month, the Tesseract has a V-Twin petrol engine and a hybrid drivetrain. Apparently, even motorcycles have decided to go hybrid.