Best Bikes in India | No.1 Two Wheeler Magazine
September 2012
Bike India September 2012 issue, on stands now
Featuring:
Kawasaki Ninja 650 road test
MV Agusta Brutale 675
Sixty years of Suzuki
How to go racing
In Retrospect – Casey Stoner and Willie G Davidson, and lots more.
Plus all the latest scoops, news and happenings from the automotive and motorsports industry
BMW’s superlative R1200GS is all set to get a heart transplant soon.
The new engine is stated to be a water-cooled boxer twin, and will be officially unveiled at the INTERMOT show in Cologne next month. BMW are leaving no stone unturned in hyping the unveiling of the new engine. With its air-cooled design an important feature of the current GS, it will be interesting to see the response from adventure riders when details of BMW’s new bike unfold. While the new GS will be the star of the show, INTERMOT will showcase BMW’s F700GS, HP4 and the new S1000RR with semi-active suspension. The BMW R1200GS is a very important brand for BMW Motorrad globally, and thus this launch is very much significant for the industry.
The latest Japanese brand to introduce a brand-new 250-cc motorcycle internationally is Suzuki.
Now this could be construed both as bad news or good, depending upon which side of the globe you inhabit. The bad news is that the company’s Indian arm is still tight-lipped about their 250-cc plans despite a growing threat from the new performance Turks like KTM, Honda, Bajaj and, apparently, Yamaha too. However, the good news is that the bike fits our requirements perfectly well and some of the international automobile journalists have already shared their first impression of this bike. Here’s what we know about the Suzuki Inazuma.
Shown last year, the Suzuki Inazuma is scheduled for an entry into the British showrooms in September this year with a price-tag of approximately Rs 3 lakh (OTR, UK). Before you raise your eyebrows in astonishment, let us add that currently the bike is being made in China and that when it comes to India, it will be highly localised, thus bringing down the price considerably. Rest assured that the build quality and finish of this bike would be on par with international standards.
Suzuki claim that this twin-cylinder, 250-cc motorcycle draws its design cues from its elder sibling, the B-King. However, the Inazuma is much smaller in size and looks more like a commuter than the buck-wild monster that is the B-King, and the convex headlight design reminds us of the long forgotten Yamaha Libero. We expect the engine to produce approximately 28 PS of peak power, which might not be close to the 33 horses of the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, but Suzuki’s engineers have deliberately done so to improve the bike’s maximum torque, using the parallel twin’s surprisingly long stroke. This would offer a strong mid-range, making the Inazuma very easy to ride. Featuring a very slick six-speed gearbox, the bike is sure to have pure-Suzuki levels of refinement.
Moreover, the 780-mm seat height and narrow fuel tank make this 250-cc Jap ideally suited for Indian customers. The company claims a fuel efficiency of 30 km per litre for international markets, which might (will) get enhanced further for India, by more engine whizbangery and tuning. The arrival of this Suzuki in India is certain, but ‘when’ still remains a question.
British Moto 2 rider, Bradley Smith, has penned a new contract which will see him make his debut in the 2013 Moto GP season with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team.
With Andrea Dovisioso all set to make his switch to Ducati, it is surely going to be an all Brit affair with Cal Crutchlow also signing a contract extension of 1 year which would see him with the Tech 3 team for the 2013 season.
An ecstatic Bradley smith stated,”It is an honour for me to get the opportunity to move to MotoGP with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. I have dreamed about being a MotoGP rider for as long as I can remember and to get this chance with such a professional and successful team is fantastic.” With the 2013 MotoGP season lineup already springing up many surprises, it would be quite interesting to see how dose the young Brit cope up with the others.
British Moto 2 rider, Bradley Smith, has penned a new contract which will see him make his debut in the 2013 Moto GP season with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team.
With Andrea Dovisioso all set to make his switch to Ducati, it is surely going to be an all Brit affair with Cal Crutchlow also signing a contract extension of 1 year which would see him with the Tech 3 team for the 2013 season.
An ecstatic Bradley smith stated,”It is an honour for me to get the opportunity to move to MotoGP with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. I have dreamed about being a MotoGP rider for as long as I can remember and to get this chance with such a professional and successful team is fantastic.” With the 2013 MotoGP season lineup already springing up many surprises, it would be quite interesting to see how dose the young Brit cope up with the others.
It is universally agreed that the 1199 Panigale is one of the most gorgeous motorcycles from the Ducati stable, hands down.
Bike of the year 2012 for many, the Panigale has always been like a pin-up for both young and old to drool upon, just like Monica Belluci.
Well, now, the news is that, apparently, the Ducati 1199 Panigale seems to be to too loud for the Japanese market. And to concur with the stringent noise norms, Ducati have carried out a few modifications on the Panigale before its release in the land of the rising sun next month. The Japanese version of the Panigale now sports a black carbon fiber exhaust can in place of the original underbelly exhaust, in addition to a larger plastic clutch cover and revised engine map.
The Panigale’s revised exhaust system, which appears to have been just welded onto directly onto the bent pipes, adds 8 pounds (about 3.5 kgs) to the stock system. While it certainly detracts from the Panigale’s exotic looks, the bigger concern here is the fact that peak horsepower is now limited to just 137 PS. That’s plenty, but we reckon hardcore sport bikers won’t take it too well anyways.
Source: Asphalt and Rubber
The next-gen Ninja series is ready to be officially unveiled in the USA
Of late, there has been an overkill of Kawasaki Ninja news. Love it or hate it, but you surely can’t ignore it. Here’s another interesting news bit on the international marque. This time round, Kawasaki Motorcycle Corp. USA are set to go big at the ‘Big Apple’ come September 13th. The famed Japanese two-wheeler maker is gearing up for the global debut of its 2013 Ninja line-up, which includes the beastly ZX-10R, ZR-6R and the baby Ninja 250R. The company will stream out a live feed of the line-up reveal at New York’s famed Times square. Aptly themed as the ‘Ninja Times Square Takeover’, the city that never sleeps is going to be painted green from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.
Kawasaki have planned out a two-block display of their motorcycles, as well as their celebration carnival which stretches along Broadway from West 45th to West 47th Street. For all you die-hard Kawasaki fans, the highlight of the celebration will be great music, give-aways, along with special celebrity guests and the legendary Kawasaki motorcycles like the ZX-1 on display.
Looks like the US of A is gonna have a heck of a ‘green day’!
Mahindra Racing has announced their tie-up with the Swiss engineering consultancy firm Suter Racing Technology AG for the joint development of their 2013 Moto3 bike.
Mahindra is the only Indian manufacturer competing in the Moto3 class of the motorcycle world championship (MotoGP). The team entered the sport last year with their ‘GP125’ two-stroke 125cc bike and ended the year with a pole position in the final race of the season, the last ever of the 125cc class.
For 2012 Mahindra Racing switched to the MGP30 250cc four-stroke machine to compete in the new Moto3 class but the team has had a difficult time with the new engine which is hampering their progress. To overcome the situation, Mahindra Racing has partnered with the Swiss firm, led by former GP rider Eskil Suter, to develop a new chassis and engine for their 2013 project. Suter Racing Technology is one of the best technology consultants in the motorcycle racing industry and provides chassis and engine solutions to few other teams in Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP (CRT) as well.
Mahindra Racing has announced their tie-up with the Swiss engineering consultancy firm Suter Racing Technology AG for the joint development of their 2013 Moto3 bike.
Mahindra is the only Indian manufacturer competing in the Moto3 class of the motorcycle world championship (MotoGP). The team entered the sport last year with their ‘GP125’ two-stroke 125cc bike and ended the year with a pole position in the final race of the season, the last ever of the 125cc class.
For 2012 Mahindra Racing switched to the MGP30 250cc four-stroke machine to compete in the new Moto3 class but the team has had a difficult time with the new engine which is hampering their progress. To overcome the situation, Mahindra Racing has partnered with the Swiss firm, led by former GP rider Eskil Suter, to develop a new chassis and engine for their 2013 project. Suter Racing Technology is one of the best technology consultants in the motorcycle racing industry and provides chassis and engine solutions to few other teams in Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP (CRT) as well.
Ben Spies announced his decision of leaving the factory Yamaha team in MotoGP at the end of the 2012 season, during the Laguna Seca GP last month. There were rumours of him going back to the World Superbike Championship (WSBK) to ride a factory BMW S1000RR alongside Marco Melandri.
However, we hear that the British rider Leon Haslam has been offered a new deal by BMW to continue riding as their factory rider in WSBK next year while Spies is in talks with the Gresini Honda MotoGP team for the 2013 season. If the deal works out, Spies will replace Alvaro Bautista in the Gresini team and may get to ride a factory spec RC213V machine with full support from HRC.
Along with that, Spies is also discussing the possibility of working with Suzuki for the development of their 1000cc GSV-R MotoGP bike. It will involve a few wild races for him next year and maybe the entire 2014 season as a factory Suzuki rider.
