Suzuki GSX-S1000F First Impressions

If you want all the comforts of a flat barred super-naked but you are put off by the lack of wind protection, the new Suzuki GSX-S1000F could be just what you're looking for.

It is identical to the recently launched GSX-S1000 Suzuki naked, with a system based on 2005-2008 stonking GSX-R1000 engine series of Hamamatsu, with the only difference of a full fairing, screen and some tweaks to the inside of suspension .

 

And here riding around the legendary Isle of Man TT course, I could not think of anything else I'd rather be riding. Sports bike handling is precise; precise and composed, while the re-worked engine 145bhp GSX-R1000 gives lots of long stroke midrange ideal for blasting out of the corners.

However, at the same time, the upright riding position, flat bars and full fairing bike gave me adventure levels of comfort and protection against the wind. There is even a simple but effective traction control three stages Suzuki quietly watching out for me in the background.

Venturing off the field TT and some serious back roads of the island bumps stand a little problem with the throttle response; the GSX-SF has a collection service immediately closed a butterfly is fine when you're on dry, smooth roads and giving hard gas. However, in a very rough road and combined with rather firm suspension of the GSX-SF, quick throttle response makes it really hard to be smooth, and you end up with a bit of a wild horse seesaw effect.

Very funny bike and I was seriously impressed by how hard he could ride it without losing his composure, and by how light, accessible and easy to maneuver at low speed too.

From £ 9999, it is one thousand pounds cheaper than the flagship of Suzuki GSX-R 1000, but in the way that would not miss the 40 or so additional HP superbike, and the superbike has no additional safety benefits SF GSX-traction control, either.

Superbike Race Preview

Ian Marsden sets the stage for a thrilling weekend of racing Superbike, like the British and world championships return



 After a break of six weeks, the MCE British Superbike Championship returns this weekend for the fourth round at Snetterton, with JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider James Ellison seeks to extend his lead over reigning champion Shane "Shakey" Byrne in the Paul Bird Motorsport Kawasaki.

Last time Oulton Park, Tommy Bridewell and Stuart Easton each won a race while Byrne crashed out of the second race, with BMW Riuochi Kyonari while the couple was fighting for the lead. It was this that allowed Ellison DNF take the lead in the championship with second place. Ellison now has 109 points, while Byrne has 101 and third-placed man Josh Brookes (of Millwaukee Yamaha) is 94.

Byrne did the double at Snetterton last year, and a repeat would be enough for him to regain the lead of the championship, regardless of how it performs Ellison. However, Brookes is likely to have a say in the proceedings, after breaking his own lap record and finished almost a second ahead of his nearest Byrne during a recent two-day test at Snetterton rival.

Brooke’s performance is even more impressive considering that the Yamaha is new for this year and the beginning of the season was not withdrawn, far from the machines that you or I could buy at our local dealer. After the test, Brookes said there was more to come from the R1. It is still early days and the evidence is not the same as racing, but Brookes could be a serious contender for the title in 2015.

In 2014, he was pushed Ryuichi Kyonari closest championship Byrne. And although it is too early for him to write this year so far, it has endured a torrid time in the first three rounds, and yet is about to get a podium. That has to change in Snetterton - a circuit that both knows and likes.

Snetterton will have a VIP guest at the weekend: nothing less than the legendary Giacomo Agostini, who won 15 world championships in his illustrious career. Always associated with the Italian manufacturer MV Agusta, which will be supporting in his British Superbike campaign, besides being in attendance for the opening of a corner on the circuit is named in his honor.

Away from the racing, there will be an exhibition on Sunday by the Air Corps 6th Army Regiment with its Apache helicopter.




 Snetterton is not the only accommodation superbike circuit action this weekend. The eighth round of the Superbike World Championship is held in place certainly more glamorous of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, near the Italian resort town of Rimini.

Britain's Jonathan Rea is running with the series; after seven rounds and 14 races leading by a massive 124 points from his teammate and fellow Briton Tom Sykes. Mastering Rea has seen finishing in the top two in every race so far, winning 10 times.

Donington Park round in May gave a ray of hope that Rea begin to see some serious competition, with Sykes win both races. However, normal service resumed at Portimao in Portugal, with Rea taking two wins.

To be fair to Sykes, who finished second and eighth, was hampered by technical problems. In the first race, while he was struggling with Rea for the lead, his bike suffered a problem that stopped him beyond 9,000 rpm speed. And then in the second race he suffered a rear tire deflation caused by a damaged rim.

British riders are filling the top four places in the championship: Leon Haslam in third and fourth Chaz Davies. Indeed, such is the domain of British pilots this year, 37 of the 42 podium places available so far have been taken by Rea, Sykes, Haslam and Davies.

Both the British and World Superbike championships will be shown on Eurosport.

2015 X Games Moto X QuarterPipe Results

Thomas Pages of France, a pioneer of freestyle motocross quarterpipe, won gold at the X Games debut of Toyota Moto X quarterpipe. Pages earned by throwing a revolutionary motorcycle flip in his second race; he was the first athlete to land the trick again in 2014. Page lost his first attempt on Sunday, but got the bike flip in his second pass for a score of 95.33, beating New Zealand Levi Sherwood, who made his signature egg roll trick and scored 93.00 for the silver medal. Sheehan, who recently won the first triple backflip in the history of motocross in Travis Pastrana's house in Maryland, the bronze medal was.

 

(Courtesy of Monster Energy) Josh Sheehan Monster Energy took bronze in the inaugural Moto X quarterpipe event at the X Games Austin 2015. In front of the high-energy crowd at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, the player 29-year-old from Donnybrook, Australia, had his second career medals at the X Games.

The X Games has always been about progression and the introduction of the first Moto X quarterpipe event is an example of that. The combination of a quarter-pipe ramp as you'd find in skateboard or BMX freestyle motocross competitions, the only rules were that each competitor would have two attempts, and the trick to really tell, had to walk out.

Time gold medalist multiple Monster Energy Freestyle Moto X Taka Higashino was forced out of the event with a broken foot, leaving his Monster Energy teammate, Australian Josh Sheehan, to maintain the strength.

Sheehan recently made headlines by becoming the first person to successfully land a triple backflip on a motorcycle, so there is no doubt that he is not afraid to push the progression and Moto X quarterpipe round one, Sheehan became the first competitor to land his trick actually - A Flair, combined with an Indian-Air Superman. Sheehan scored a solid 85.33 in the first round, placing second overall led to the second round.

Flair is a trick invented by BMX legend Mat Hoffman BMX, and in the second round, Sheehan pushed his trick even more, landing the same trick, but more widely, leading to a better score of 87.33 .

 

In the end, the pairing of a legendary stunt on BMX BMX-inspired event brought him the bronze in the first Moto X quarterpipe event. I was his second X Games medal after the bronze was placed in Moto X Best Trick at the X Games in Los Angeles in 2011.


Toyota Moto X Final Quarterpipe:

1. Thomas Pages, 95.33 Gold (FRA) 
2. Levi Sherwood, 93.00 Silver (NZL) 
3. Josh Sheehan, 87.33 Bronze (AUS)

Moto X Total Points Pipe Quarter:

  

1. Thomas Pages Run February 1 70.0 95.33
2. Levi Sherwood Run 1 Run 2 93.00 91.33
3. Josh Sheehan Run 1 Run 2 87.33 85.33
4. Davi Johnson Run 1 Run 2 67.66 67.33
5. Jey Rouanet Run 1 Run 2 64.00 65.00
6. Cameron Sinclair 51.66 Run 1 Run 2

MotoGP 2015: Championship Standings After Le Mans

The doctor remains at the top of the Championship

It may have been Movistar Yamaha Jorge Lorenzo won at Le Mans, but his teammate Valentino Rossi, who still remains at the top of the championship standings by 15 points.

 

Andrea Dovizioso has moved down one to third in the standings despite finishing third in France, while Marc Marquez Repsol Honda sits in fourth after finishing fourth.

Cal Crutchlow remains in seventh after colliding with fellow Brit Bradley Smith and Scott Redding in the 7th and 13th respectively.

Brother Pol and Aleix Espargaró have 4 points between them, as they are now eighth and ninth respectively.

The next round of MotoGP takes place in Mugello, Italy later this month.

New Honda Africa Twin!

2016 Honda Africa Twin CRF1000L arrives early next year.

For those of us who love motorcycle adventure (and perhaps desired to Transalp in late 1980 but never managed to pull the trigger on one), we have great news: Honda has announced it will sell a new Africa Twin starting early in 2016. This new Honda, known as the Twin CRF1000L Africa, is a production version of the real adventure prototype revealed little information on the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan last fall.



Honda says the new 2016 Honda Africa Twin will be faithful to the attributes of the original Twin XRV650 Africa produced by HRC in 1988 and 1989 as well as the model XRV750 since late 1989 that helped start the movement ADV. This is the way to say the new Honda Africa Twin has been designed as a scout durable and comfortable all day with enough power to swallow large chunks of highway miles with ease.

 

Interestingly, this new Africa Twin that looks like it's powered by a twin 1000cc parallel rather than a V-twin like the original, it will be available with the latest version of the dual clutch transmission Honda tuned to work well on earth . Honda also says this new Africa Twin benefits of everything the company has learned on and off the road in the last decade, including the return of the HRC team for the Dakar in 2013.

2016 Aprilia RSV4 RF | FIRST RIDE

Be a Racer - 2016 Aprilia sportbike track is a weapon exceptionally exciting and easy to assemble.

Imagine Aprilia RSV4 as an exaggerated cartoon-back Rat Fink cartoon of tire smoke hazing Ed Big Daddy Roth, front tire kicking the sky, flames coming from the exhaust, bug-eyed rat pilot clinging to the handlebars to save her life. That's almost exactly what it feels like to pull the trigger on this now-201-horsepower (claimed, crankshaft) superbike Italian, a small, dominated, non-stop exciting machine that offers one of the driving experiences more viscerally enthusiastic All motorcycle.

Forget for a moment the many structural advantages, 65 degree V-configuration engine 4 RSV4 compact over the conventional four-line packaging benefits, improved mass centralization, lighter weight and reduced inertial effect the shorter rod, etc.-what really connects with monsters combustion engine is the character, something that this bike offers the bagful. With its enticing NASCAR rumble at idle, animal actual roar when you twist the throttle, and the power of strong brick in every rpm, this bike feels network ready right out of the evidentiary Aprilia claim #BEARACER box.

Although the fastest laps yet again in our latest round-bike liters (see "Class of 2013" MC, in September 2013 here) -and he won seven titles rider and manufacturer World Superbike combined in the last six years, it was past time for a comprehensive reform of the RSV4 platform they were essentially unchanged since its debut in 2009. Although it looks superficially similar, engines, chassis, electronics, ergonomics and aerodynamics all been reworked to keep the RSV4 relevant and running in the front of the class.

Although the basic architecture has not changed, the 1000 cc V-4 engine has analyzed every aspect to improve efficiency. Airbox a new and improved air flow increases above batteries variable length intake reconfigured with a fixed even shorter for more power at high revolutions length. Intake paths and exhaust have been reconfigured and both combustion chambers are now smoothed to obtain more accuracy. All valves are titanium, enlarged to 33 mm sockets, while the cams are 600 g lighter and new bars to save 100 g each. The results of this relentless reviser are impressive, an impressive increase of 16 horsepower over last year, to 201 hp at 13,000 rpm (and a maximum of nearly 85 pound-feet of torque at 10,500 rpm). This puts the RSV4 right on the mark with rivals like BMW S1000RR, Ducati 1299 Panigale, and Yamaha R1.

The chassis has been optimized at the same time, especially in an attempt to prevent horses heavy landing force one cap. The rocker has been lengthened 4mm and motor down slightly in the frame, dropping the center of gravity and move forward slightly in an attempt to keep the bike on the back wheel (offset has been increased from 30mm to 32mm fork to reduce trace and offset any loss of agility direction). As before, the motor position, angle head, swingarm pivot position, and the rear end height all can be altered, like a real racebike.

The integrated electronics Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC), which combines traction control, wheelie control, launch control, and ABS-grade career also been reviewed. Mode power road trip softened and electronic interventions intensified mode "nobody uses," he said Aprilia engineers-has been scrapped in favor of a new profile race that slots between the existing Sport and Track modes with aggressive power delivery combined with Track mode electronic interventions that minimize pilot fatigue and wear of the tires. "Track Mode is for your lap Superpole, career mode go the distance," explained the engineer. The three maps have been specifically revised to reduce the intrusion of engine braking, with good results.

Recently repaved Marco Simoncelli Misano World Circuit on the Adriatic coast of Italy, it was the perfect showcase for the latest RSV4. Mirror-smooth, grippier a diamond file, and multiple fast and long corners occasionally, double apex, perhaps more than any other song Misano requires a bike that works well on the edge of the rim. And perhaps there is no other sport bike more comfortable in the extreme angles of inclination it. It bends it again until the tailpipe drag-it will, and feet slippers are buried and the RSV4 is still stable and neutral stone dead, even in the "Curvone" T11-12 that careen through knee down to 150 mph. This platform is even more reliable and predictable than half that speed ....

Smart Motorcycle Helmet Maker Skully Lands $11 Million In Series A To Start Manufacturing The AR-1

Not long after the closure of one of the most successful campaigns in the history of Indiegogo and landing another $ 1.5 million in seed capital, SKULLY, motorcycle helmet with a heads-up display, has raised $ 11 million in funding Serie A.

Riverwood Walden Ventures and Intel Capital led the round, with participation Training 8 TechStars and Western Technology Investment.

Part of the money will go to finance the production of the first intelligent helmet SKULLY, the AR-1. The element Indiegogo campaign has yet to send and the company says it hopes to start sending supporters principles soon.

SKULLY is also in the midst of hiring a group of engineer’s hardware and software to help with the manufacturing process. It is likely that the new workforce for future product development beyond the first quarter is also used. However, a source close to the company told TechCrunch that SKULLY has a history of high turnover, and has let go of several employees in the last half year.

A company spokesman said he believed SKULLY had a volume of less than average for a SF startup businesses.

Founder and CEO SKULLY Marcus Weller was not ready to discuss future plans of the company. Instead, he stressed that SKULLY is growing and that new funds would be used to hire more people and send the first product.

"There are a lot of costs involved in the process of manufacturing the same. The proceeds of this round SKULLY help carry through its manufacturing milestones and accelerate our technology roadmap," Weller said.

Nicholas Brathwaite, one of the founders of Riverwood Walden Ventures, will have a seat on the board of SKULLY. Bringing in Braithwaite is strategic for the launch smart helmet. He was the lead investor in GoPro and is a former chief technology electronics manufacturer Flextronics. As such, it could take a broader and experience grows Skully network.