Latest Bike News

Bimota unveil 2013 lineup at EICMA

November 16, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Italian motorcycle marquee Bimota who have some of the most exquisite motorcycles in the world today, have unveiled their latest works of art at the ongoing EICMA show.

The Italian master craftsmen have revealed their 2013 lineup in the form of 7 new offerings. Yes, that is correct, seven new offerings. Leading the lineup is the BB2 sports bike which has an retro looks infused with modern technology – like a BMW S1000R has mated with a Ducati from the early 1990s. Next in line is the DBx motocross bike which is specially catered for those who want to have fun in the dirt, mud & muck, a complete enduro racer. The Tesi 3D Naked offering from Bimota is simply something out of this world, sporting a single front swing arm & a hub center steering, in a nut shell, pure Alien!

Also adding to the already jaw dropping lineup are the DB8 & DB9 motorcycles which are draped in Italian colours, something for the patriots we guess. The DB10R is the hooligan of the group, this Ducati Hypermotard based racer is all about pure adrenaline & madness and sports a 1078cc beast of an engine. The last piece of the puzzle is the DB11 sporting a Ducati 1198cc mill and is super sports personified. Sleek, sharp & sexy, Bimota have struck the motorcycle world by storm big time, with such an arsenal of amazing bikes I think I am in love again with Italy.

KTM 390 Duke revealed

November 15, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Amid bated breath from show-goers, KTM have unveiled the new 390 Duke at the ongoing EICMA show, and details from the press briefing provide more information on what to expect ffrom this pocket rocket from Austria.

The bike will have a 373.2cc single-cylinder engine with the same chassis as the 125 Duke and the 200 Duke. The short-stroke cylinder (89mm x 60mm) has a max power output of 43.5PS at 9,500RPM and max torque of 35Nm at 7,250RPM. The bike also features a six-speed manual transmission, WP suspension, Brembo brakes, and optional Bosch ABS.

The bike falls into the A2 licensing system of Europe and will compete with the Honda CBR500R and the Kawasaki Ninja 300. It will be built in India by KTM’s minority shareholder Bajaj Auto and is expected to be launched in India in early 2013, with parts and technology likely to be seen in future Pulsars from Bajaj.

2013 Honda CBR500R officially unveiled

November 15, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Just like Korean rapper PSY’s viral hit on YouTube, ‘Gangnam Style’, the CBR500R is currently the most talked about set of wheels in biking circles currently.

Honda have officially unveiled the specs & price of this 500cc liquid cooled baby CBR which is stated to hit the US market pretty soon. The baby CBR is all set to roar with an all new fuel injected parallel twin 500cc liquid cooled engine, capable of producing 54.7PS of power. Adding to the CBR’s arsenal of drool are an all-new set of petal disc brakes on both wheels, a monoshock rear shock absorber, new alloy wheels, new twin slat headlamp design, a new exhaust muffler and fatter tyres at the front and rear.

Sources at Honda have hinted that the CBR500R might follow its siblings, the 1000RR and the 250R in coming to the Indian market. Well we are keeping our fingers crossed as of now. Given that the CBR250R is already being manufactured in India – plus with the increase in competition with the likes of the 390 Duke – it is possible that the 500R’s next possible destination might strongly be India. The 2013 Honda CBR500R will sell for about $5,999 approx or $1,800 more than the smaller engined CBR250R in the US Market. To put it in an Indian perspective, about a lakh rupees higher than the CBR250R. Honda have also finally revealed the much-needed upgrade to the CBR600RR for 2013. No info has been provided regarding technical changes as such, but the motorcycle gets a comprehensive makeover as part of Honda’s 5^th anniversary celebrations of the CBR600RR.

MS Dhoni’s Superbike Team Unveils New Identity, Riders & Vision

November 9, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

MS Dhoni’s Superbike Championship Team followed up last season’s podium finish at the Supersport FIM World Championship with the unveiling of its new name, look and riders. The team will now be known as Mahi Racing Team India (previously MSD R-N Racing Team India), and its logo too has been facelifted in accordance with the growing stature of the team.

The new look was unveiled by MS Dhoni at a function in Mumbai in the presence of cricket, social, corporate, film and glamour personalities. For the first time in India, the superbikes were unveiled and put on display. The team and its riders were also introduced to the guests during the event.

Mahi Racing Team debuted as the first Indian team in the 600 cc class at the FIM World Superbike Championship mid-season in June 2012. The team earned a place on the podium after only five rounds, and will be aiming for the championship in their first full season in 2013 in the Supersport category.

The team announced it had signed up triple world champion Kenan Sofouglu and fourth-placed Fabien Foret, with Dan Linfoot and Florian Marino being the other two riders. They will test the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R during the official winter testing season.

Kenan Sofouglu is a professional motorcycle racer from Turkey, who won the Supersport World Championship title in 2007 & 2010 with the Technomag-CIP team and in 2012 with Kawasaki.
Fabien Foret is a professional motorcycle racer from France who has 24 podium finishes (including 11 wins) and 12 pole positions in the Supersport World Championship in 2008.
Dan Linfoot is a British professional motorcycle racer with extensive experience in various categories including minibike, 125 cc, 250 cc, Superstock 600 cc, and Supersport.
Florian Marino is a French professional motorcycle racer who has raced in various categories including Superstock 600 cc and British Superbike.

The team management is a mix of personalities from cricket, films and other fields.

MS Dhoni is the captain of the Indian cricket team and is also an avid collector of motorcycles
Nagarjuna Akkeneni is a film star and producer primarily in Telugu cinema, and is passionate about superbikes and cars
Arun Pandey is a former national cricketer and founder of a sports management company. He will serve as the Chairman and Managing Director of the team.
Nandish Domlur is an experienced professional from the kids and family entertainment industry. He will serve as the Co-Managing Director of the team.
Amit Sandill comes from an industrialist and business background, and has raced Yamaha motorcycles and spearheaded other riders and teams. He will serve as the Director of the team.

The 2013 season is significant also because Mahi Racing Team will be supported by the Kawasaki Factory team. March 2013 will mark the debut of the Buddh International Circuit on the FIM Superbike World Championship calendar, and the popularity of motorsport in Asia can only rise with the strong performance of the Indian team in the 2012 season.

MS Dhoni’s Superbike Team Unveils New Identity, Riders & Vision

November 9, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Kenan Sofouglu is a professional motorcycle racer from Turkey, who won the Supersport World Championship title in 2007 & 2010 with the Technomag-CIP team and in 2012 with Kawasaki.
Fabien Foret is a professional motorcycle racer from France who has 24 podium finishes (including 11 wins) and 12 pole positions in the Supersport World Championship in 2008.
Dan Linfoot is a British professional motorcycle racer with extensive experience in various categories including minibike, 125 cc, 250 cc, Superstock 600 cc, and Supersport.
Florian Marino is a French professional motorcycle racer who has raced in various categories including Superstock 600 cc and British Superbike.

The team management is a mix of personalities from cricket, films and other fields.

MS Dhoni is the captain of the Indian cricket team and is also an avid collector of motorcycles
Nagarjuna Akkeneni is a film star and producer primarily in Telugu cinema, and is passionate about superbikes and cars
Arun Pandey is a former national cricketer and founder of a sports management company. He will serve as the Chairman and Managing Director of the team.
Nandish Domlur is an experienced professional from the kids and family entertainment industry. He will serve as the Co-Managing Director of the team.
Amit Sandill comes from an industrialist and business background, and has raced Yamaha motorcycles and spearheaded other riders and teams. He will serve as the Director of the team.

2012 Aprilia Caponord 1200 images leaked

November 9, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Looks like all the manufacturers are playing peek-a-boo with the enthusiast before EICMA show which is scheduled next week.

Aprilia have released the first official pictures of their new 2012 Aprilia Caponord sports tourer. The Caponord shares its chassis with the Dorsoduro 1200, while it also incorporates the semi-faired front end of the RSV4. This new sports tourer will be the Noale-based brand’s big offering for the adventure-touring market of Europe. Well, the Coponord is introduced to compete with the likes of the Ducati Multistrada and the KTM 1190 Adventure.

The bike is loaded with techno-bits like selectable fuel mapping, traction control, and ABS brakes and also features 17″ wheels at both ends. The Caponord 1200 has all the basic amenities you would expect in an increasingly competitive adventure bike market, and if rumors are to be believed, the Italian marquee will offer the Caponord with semi-active suspension as well.

Although majority of the features related to the bike’s engine and other important elements have been kept under wraps till EICMA, it will be quite interesting to see how the 2012 Aprilia Caponord 1200 will fare in the Adventure-touring market of Europe.

KTM tease enthusiasts with 390 Duke audio clip

November 9, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Austrian motorcycle heavyweights KTM have stated that the upcoming EICMA event is very important to them, with the likes of the 390 Duke & 1190 Super Duke to be unveiled at the event.

Both these ‘Orange Maniacs’ are ready to take the streets by storm. The 390 Duke will feature a 373cc single-cylinder engine, while the bigger and badder 1190 Super Duke will get a de-tuned version of the KTM RC8 V-twin mill.

Well, looks like KTM wants to bring Christmas quite early for their fans and other bike enthusiasts. KTM’s official blog has released an audio clip of one of the bike’s exhaust note, and we’re pretty sure that it belongs to the smaller 390 Duke. Hit the link to listen to or download the sonorous burble of this single cylinder screamer and stay tuned for more updates on the same.

Source: KTM Blog

Benelli unveils the BN600

November 8, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Over the years, Italian motorcycle brands have left us awestruck with the amazing art they create on two wheels.

Benelli has been the sort of master craftsmen which keeps on surprising bike enthusiasts like me, asking for more. The marque have made some extremely gorgeous motorcycles in the past but since the Qianjiang Group acquired the brand, it has gone into some sort of hibernation. But now Benelli is all ready to showcase the world their latest work of art, the Benelli BN600 motorbike.

The stage is all but set for this beauty come the EICMA show next month. Featuring a liquid-cooled, fuel-injected DOHC four-valve 600cc engine, this inline-four street-naked which produces 81PS of power is all ready to rumble. Look’s like Benelli are making a move from their quirky triples to new “Japanese” four-cylinder power plants.

The chassis of the BN600 is a steel trellis/aluminum plate design, with 50mm USD forks and 320mm radial brakes. Rounding out the specs are the BN600′s 17″ wheels with 120/70 & 180/55 tires, front to back respectively. The fuel tank capacity is of 16 liters, and white, black, and orange are the colours in which the BN600 will be draped in.

The BN600 is still a sharp looking machine which will be all set to be available by mid-2013. Pricing thought have not yet been confirmed.

Max Biaggi announces retirement

November 7, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

The 2012 World Superbike Champion Max Biaggi has announced his retirement from motorcycle racing.

The 41 year old Roman was born Massimiliano Biaggi in the year 1971. Max began his Grand Prix career in 1991 and won four back-to-back 250cc titles from 1994-1997 riding an Aprilia RS250 in the first three years and a Honda NSR 250 in the fourth year. Biaggi made his 500cc debut next year and raced in the premier class till the end of 2005. He moved out of MotoGP at the end of 2005 and entered the World Superbike Championship in 2007 after a year long hiatus.

Biaggi won his first WSBK title in 2010 riding the Aprilia RSV4 for the Italian factory and won the title for the second time this year, riding for Aprilia again. Biaggi has had an illustrious career that spanned over two decades and has raced for Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki during these years. However, he is most famous for his rivalry with nine times Motorcycle World Champion Valentino Rossi. By retiring as a champion, Biaggi has become one of the very few racers who have managed to end their careers on a high. Arrivederci Max!