Global News Archives

Kazakhstan Replaces Indian MotoGP 2024

The previously postponed Kazakhstan MotoGP round will replace the Indian MotoGP, from 20 – 22 September 2024.

The rights holder of MotoGP, Dorna Sport and FIM decided to postpone the Kazakhstan round at the Sokol International Circuit due to massive flooding in the country. On the other hand, the Indian round will take place in March next year. This in turn pushes Qatar Grand Prix as the season opener to a later date.

This is another twist for the Indian MotoGP, after the CEO of Fairstreet Sports, Pushkar Nath Srivastava, “confirmed” the event was still going ahead. Speaking on 15 May to The Times of India he said “The race is very much on […] These are just rumours floating around. All of the contractual obligations will be met in June.”

However, it was also known that Dorna had given the promoter up until 20 May to settle the matter.

Now, Srivastava told the Indian news agency, PTI “It was mutually decided to shift the race to March next year. We are looking at the first or second week of March … All the stakeholders including Dorna agreed that the September weather is not conducive for the race and it is tough on the riders and marshals as experienced last year.”

Zontes 703RR Sportbike Going into Production

The Zontes 703RR sportbike is going into production. Finally.

It has been five years since we visited the Zontes factory in Guangzhou, China, where we spotted their engineers designing a three-cylinder engine. But the boss told us to keep it a secret so we did not publish about it until it became official a year afterwards.

There was plenty of news about the engine since then, but nothing tangible came out until EICMA 2023, when the Zontes 703RR and Zontes 703F concepts were unveiled.

Why did it take so long? Well, it is because the philosophy held by Zontes’ President to build almost everything in-house rather than outsource components elsewhere. Building in-house means they can control the quality of their components and finished products, as well as cutting the red tape to get problems solved.

Back to the Zontes 703RR, the bike’s type approval document have been sighted along with its performance figures.

Its three-cylinder engine is homologated to 101 hp. The bore and stroke dimensions are 70mm x 60.6mm, giving it a 699cc displacement (“70” means 700cc, “3” mean three cylinders). The crankshaft is space at 120-degree intervals, like all other three-cylinder engines, except the T-Plane crank in the Triumph Tiger 900.

A top speed of 230 km/h was cited in the said documents, putting the bike in the same region of the Honda CBR650R, Aprilia RS 660, Triumph Daytona 660, while beating the Yamaha YZF-R7. However, the CFMoto 675SR may be higher.

It is a great move for Zontes when the 703RR is launched because it has allowed them to break out of their single-cylinder rut. Still, they had better launch this quickly as many more manufacturers, including Chinese rivals that have or will launch their own sportbikes.

CFMoto 500SR 500cc Four-Cylinder Engine Revealed

The CFMoto 500SR’s 500cc four-cylinder engine has been revealed.

Hot on their surprise unveiling of two SR sportbikes last September – a 675cc and a 500cc – CFMoto has filed the patent for the latter’s engine. The 675cc sportbike, on the other hand, uses a three-cylinder engine.

The patent’s drawings show several elements of the powerplant, including the cooling system which is designed to get the engine up to working temperature quickly to lower emissions. It is because the catalytic converter is only truly functions when its elements reach 400-deg Celsius.

The drawings also shows an engine that is fully CFMoto’s own design, and now “inspired” by other 500cc engines. There is no 500cc inline-four in the market these days, anyway.

As such, the company does it the conventional way, such as chain-driven DOHC, with the cam chain located at one end of the crank. The cam lobs act directly on buckets, rather than the current trend of finger followers. Also, there are four individual ignition coils for each spark plug.

The crankshaft follows the 180-degree convention, hence not a “crossplane” or “Big Bang” arrangement.

The gearbox is a conventional six speed item, but the drawings did not show a quickshifter. The engine’s oil sump is offset for exhaust down-pipe routing.

This new CFMoto 500cc four-cylinder engine is expected to produce somewhere in the regions of 80 hp, hence placing in between CFMoto’s 100hp 675SR and 50hp 450SR. It will also rival the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR and Kove 450RR.

The 500cc bike, which should be named the CFMoto 500SR, looks to have the ergonomics of a street-biased sportbike like the Ninja ZX-4RR, such as higher placed handlebars compared to track-going sportbikes. The prototype showed some aerodynamic elements such as the covers underneath the front brake calipers to channel airflow around the bottom fairing.

The CFMoto 500SR is expected to be launched later this year.

Ducati CR241 and Ducati RR241 Concepts Shown Off

The Ducati CR241 and Ducati RR241 concepts were shown off at the Bike Moto Show Shed, in London.

Both concepts are based on the Ducati Scrambler (or Scrambler Ducati), certainly to showcase Centro Stile Ducati’s capabilities. Thus both utilise the Scrambler’s 803cc air-cooled 90-degree V-Twin.

Ducati CR241 concept

The Ducati CR241 presents an evolved version of the cafe racer, despite maintaining the design cues of 1960s racers such the fairing which mounts to the fuel tank like the Pantah and 750SS. It is then given a modern twist like the colour scheme, flow of the lines. Ducati says it is meant “to stir the emotions of the most nostalgic and passionate fans of ‘60s British rockers iconography.”

Other key key elements include the 17-inch front rim with road tires and clip-on handlebars with bar-end mirrors. The saddle can be converted into a single-seat unit, thus recalling the classic “panettone” saddles of 1970s sportbikes.

Ducati RR241 concept

Over to the Ducati RR241 model, meanwhile, gets a post-apocalyptic treatment with its minimalist aesthetics: two wheels, a tank, an engine, and handlebars.

All the aluminum parts are left exposed, while the tank is stripped of its covers and replaced by a frame to which riders can attach a tank bag for the essentials. The pillion part of the saddle is also removable to create a luggage rack, and a high-mounted Termignoni exhaust completes the look.

The knobby Pirelli Scorpion Rally tires on 18- and 17-inch rims and a high front fender says it is ready for the apocalypse. All it needs now is gun holder and instructions on how to refine petroleum into gasoline.

Are they going into production?

Both concepts were displayed at the London Bike Shed Moto Show, from 24 to 26 May. Unfortunately, Ducati did not say if they are doing into production. We will have to wait until Intermot or Ducati Days at year end when they traditionally launch new models.

New 2024 Benelli TRK552 Unveiled

The new 2024 Benelli TRK552 adventure bike has been unveiled.

The TRK552 is the successor to the rather popular Benelli TRK502 which made its debut in 2017. The model had gone through several updates, although nothing substantial. However, the 400cc to 500cc adventure class has hotted up since, with several new players entering the arena including the KTM 390 Adventure, CFMoto 450 MT-X/Ibex, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Fantic Caballero 500, et al. So, it is high time that Benelli kick the middleweight TRK up a notch.

Highlights:

The old TRK502’s engine was pretty anaemic amongst its competition. So, the new 549cc parallel-twin engine bumps it up to 61 hp at 8,500 RPM and 54 Nm at 6,000 RPM.
Even better, the new engine uses a 270-degree crank to mimic the firing order of a 90-degree V-twin, ditching the old 360-degree crank which had both pistons rising and falling together.

The old bike was also very heavy for its category, so Benelli has brought the TRK552’s wet weight down to 226 kg (5 kg less). Dry weight should be around 215 kg.
LED lighting all around, replacing the archaic halogen and incandescent bulbs.

Adjustable Marzocchi suspension, front and rear, and a new aluminium swingarm.
J. Juan brakes with dual-channel ABS. J. Juan is now owned by Brembo.

New TFT screen with smartphone pairing (dumping the old poorly lit LCD).
There are no rides modes, however.

The 2024 Benelli TRK552 is currently on sale in China, so you can bet that the local distributor, MForce Holdings will bring it here soon. Watch this space.

BMW R20 Concept with 2000cc Boxer Breaks Cover

Remember we posted about a possibly more powerful BMW R18 in the works? The news was true, but it turned out to be something bigger, in the form of the BMW R20 Concept.

“The BMW R20 concept is a mechanical masterpiece,” says Markus Flasch, Head of BMW Motorrad, who was peering under the cover in that previous post. He also went on to say, “The Big Boxer is its centre.”

Yes, it is 2000cc Boxer engine and it is air-oil cooled. BMW engineers designed new cylinder head covers, belt cover, and oil cooler to accommodate the news 2-into-2 exhaust arrangement.

The double-loop chrome-molybdenum steel frame is new, too, obviously. Mounted onto it is the new double-sided Paralever swingarm which was shown in the previous post. It is much shorter than the R nineT’s with a correspondingly shorter driveshaft. BMW says doing so balances the engine’s drive torque (a longer shaft will result in higher torque being applied to both ends, like a see-saw).

The R20 Concept further displays some nice details such as Ohlins suspension, slotted disc rear wheel, 6-piston front brake caliper, and 4-piston rear brake caliper.

The R20 Concept made its debut at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. That is significant because BMW concepts that debut at the show will lead to production.

It has to be said that the twin-cylinder Boxer is BMW’s signature engine. There are two variants, one air-oil cooled used in the R18 lineup, while another is the high-powered and liquid-cooled version utilised by the R 1250/1300 lineup.

Ducati Diavel V4 Wins “Best of the Best” Red Dot Award 2024

The Ducati Diavel V4 wins the “Best of the Best” Red Dot Award 2024.

We know what you are thinking: There were other motorcycle manufacturers who won the award, too, so does it not seemed watered down? Well, the particular recognition obtained by the Ducati Diavel V4 sets it apart from the others because the formal title is “Red Dot Award 2024: Best of the Best.”

This award represents the latest in a string of such award for Ducati, beginning with the 1199 Panigale in 2013, by the XDiavel in 2016, and by the Diavel 1260 in 2019.

The Diavel V4 is the essence of a power cruiser (although Ducati does not call it that), highlighting a muscular and aggressive presence including the massive 240mm rear tyre mounted on five-spoke machined alloy rear wheel. Then there are the four exhaust tips arranged like the barrels of a rotary cannon. But typical of an Italian motorcycle, it is not all brawn, but beauty in its elegant lines, too.

And let us not forget the eye-socket flattening grunt from the Granturismo V4 engine. Yet the bike handles superbly even on twisty roads that will punish sloppily ridden sportbikes.

The Red Dot Award 2024 is only one of such awards for the Ducati V4. It has also received other recognitions such as the Good Design Award, which the oldest global recognition in the design sector, besides the Special Mention at the German Design Award 2024 which was assigned by the German Design Council.

Founded in 1955, the Red Dot Award celebrates the most original and deserving proposals for style and innovation. The award is given by a jury of experts in product design, communication design and design concepts, who this year gave the Diavel V4 the important title of “Red Dot Award 2024: Best of the Best”, the highest recognition of the competition, reserved exclusively for creations capable of setting a new standard in the benchmark sector.

The 2024 Red Dot Award ceremony will be held on June 24th in Germany, at the Aalto Theatre in Essen. The award winners will be exhibited in the Red Dot museum in Zollverein, also located in Essen and now part of the UNESCO world heritage.

You may visit the Ducati.com website page dedicated to the design principles of the Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer.

The Diavel V4 (link to the dedicated page here) is available in dealerships in the Ducati network in the classic Ducati Red or in the glossy Thrilling Black version.

GWM Souo S2000 GL Eight-Cylinder Tourer Revealed

Remember GWM’s eight-cylinder engine which we published? GWM was working on a grand tourer to rival the Honda Gold Wing. So, here it is, the GWM Souo S2000 GL eight-cylinder tourer.

Okay, we admit that it does look like its rival, but GWM’s reasoning is that if they wanted to do something, why not just aim at the top? Thus, that puts the Gold Wing squarely in their crosshairs. Come to think of it, so is the BMW K 1600, although it does not use a flat engine.

As such, the GWM Souo S2000 GL is complete with a large top box and a backrest for the passenger. On the other hand, the S2000 ST variant only has side boxes, like the Gold Wing F6B. The S2000 has a Hossack type front end, similar to the Honda and BMW.

But the rest of the spec sheet are higher in spec. For instance, the Gold Wing’s flat-six engine displaces 1833cc, while the S2000’s flat-eight is 2000cc. The Honda has a 7-speed, semi-auto dual clutch transmission (DCT), while the S2000 has an eight-speed DCT. GWM’s engine has DOHC, and the Honda’s has SOHC.

While its styling points to copying the Gold Wing’s, GWM says it is inspired by the traditional Chinese lion. That can certainly be seen in the headlights, intended to evoke a lion’s eyes, which are set in a reverse-raked nose that gives the bike a prominent brow above them.

Other features include radial-mount four-piston Brembo brake calipers, stereo with Bluetooth connectivity, electronic parking brake, automatic headlights, TFT screen, adjustable screen height, voice control, cruise control, and of course, electric reverse gear.

GWM, or Great Wall Motor in full, is the world’s 19th largest auto maker in terms of market capitalisation with USD 28 billion. That is in the regions of Kia, and ahead of Subaru and Nissan. Other brands under GWM are Ora, Haval, Wey, Tank, and Great Wall, that are marketed internationally. Souo marks their first venture in the motorcycling segment.

GWM 8-Cylinder Motorcycle Engine Breaks Cover!

Ducati Monster Senna, a New Homage to the F1 Legend

The Ducati Monster Senna debuts as the latest homage to the late F1 legend, Ayrton Senna.

Ducati had previously produced the 916 Senna, 996 Senna, and 1199 Panigale Senna so it is only fitting to return to this iconic variant. Ayrton’s first motorcycle when he moved to Monte Carlo was a Ducati Monster, anyhow.

However, unlike the superbikes that were painted in stealthy colours in respect to his untimely passing, the new Monster Senna’s livery was styled in the Centro Stile Ducati and took inspiration from Ayrton’s bright yellow, blue, and green race helmet, which represented his Brazilian nationality.

This theme is not only present on the bodywork but extends to the yellow Brembo Stylema front brake calipers, blue seat, and yellow bands on the Termignoni (yay!) exhaust mufflers. The Senna logo is also present on the tank.

Only 341 units will be built, in accordance to the 3 F1 championships, and 41 wins achieved by Senna. There is a “Racing is in my blood” caption on the back of the fuel tank.

Main features of the Ducati Monster Senna:

Plate with model name and progressive number (XXX/341).
Dedicated animation on dashboard ignition.
Sports seat with logo.
937 cc Testastretta 11° engine, producing 111 hp at 9,250 rpm, and 93.2 Nm at 6,500 rpm.
Termignoni silencers with yellow stripes.

Aluminium front frame.
Rear subframe in lightweight GFRP.
Machined from billet aluminium footrests.
Aluminium swingarm.
Öhlins steering damper.
Fully adjustable Öhlins NIX30 front fork.
Fully adjustable Öhlins monoshock.
Forged aluminium wheels (-1.86 kg) with two-tone yellow/green/blue tag.

Carbon fibre front and rear mudguards.
Engine guard in yellow.
Full LED lighting system with sweeping technology direction indicators.
3-inch colour TFT instrumentation.
Riding Modes (3 settings) calibrated to benefit from the new chassis, new Wet Riding Mode.
ABS Cornering adjustable on 3 levels with front only mode.
Ducati Traction Control (DTC) with 8 levels, Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) 4 levels.
Launch Control adjustable on 3 levels.

Brembo front brakes with 320 mm discs, monobloc Stylema® calipers painted in yellow.
Hydraulic clutch with radial pump.
Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) for up and down shifting.
Lithium ion battery.
Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tyres.
Windshield.
Passenger seat cover.
Dedicated motorcycle cover.
Certificate of authenticity.

Fairstreet Sports Denies the Cancellation of Indian MotoGP 2024

Fairstreet Sports has denied that the cancellation of Indian MotoGP 2024.

The denial was issued by the sport’s local promoter after “news” of the cancellation spread like wildfire around the world and back at the speed of light. Autosport.com was the first to report that the Indian round would be dropped as Fairstreet is yet to disburse funds to MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports and several vendors.

That also led to speculation that the postponed Kazakhstan GP, which was originally intended for 16 June, will take the 20 September slot upon cancellation of the Indian MotoGP 2024.

Now Crash.net was told that payments were held back due to India’s Model Code of Conduct. It is a regulation which restricts spending public funds when elections are near. The GP’s funds comes from the government of Uttar Pradesh where the Buddh International Circuit resides. In any case, the funds have been approved to be disbursed on 4 June.

Fairstreet Sports CEO Pushkar Nath Srivastava told The Times of India on 15 May that the race is still on. “The race is very much on,” he said. “These are just rumours floating around. All of the contractual obligations will be met in June.” The reports had earlier stated that Dorna had given Fairstreet a dateline of 20 May.

Dorna signed a seven-year contract with Fairstreet Sports in 2022 to organise the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit from 2023 until 2030.

Brembo Hypure Caliper to Debut

The new Brembo Hypure caliper is set to debut later this year.

What is there to say about the brand, Brembo? Even non-motorcycle enthusiasts already know the brand, so much so that some even refer to ANY brake caliper as “Brembo.” So, we might as well just skip the brand introduction and go right to this product.

The Brembo Hypure is fully intended for high-end supersport bikes. Conversely the earlier Stylema had been used on all types of bikes from supersports to even dual-purpose bikes. As such, what the Hypure delivers is a combination braking power, better feel at the lever, and light weight.

Highlights of the Brembo Hypure:

10% lighter weight than the competition. Weight savings in this area means your bike has less unsprung mass, hence less inertia to contend with, resulting in better handling.
Brembo says this was achieved by their experience and new design tools to distribute aluminium in the right places.
Consequently, stiffness remains the same despite lower weight, and improved cooling.
Reduces pad wear through a new spring, pad, and pin system, besides a specially crafted bearing surface between the caliper and pads.
The company says that with this system, the pads move without resistance toward the disc at the start of braking. When the lever is released, the pads move away quickly from the disc to reduce friction.

The Brembo Hypure was teased at EICMA last year and will be fitted as original equipment to a new and upcoming supersport motorcycle. Speculation is it will either be on the 2025 KTM 990 RC R or Yamaha YZF-R9, or even both.

Anyhow, our advice is to use special locking bolts for your motorcycle’s brake calipers.

KTM 990 RC R Incoming!

Indian MotoGP 2024 Maybe Dropped due to Non-Payment

The Indian MotoGP 2024 round may be dropped.

Autosport revealed that the local promoter, Fairview Sports has not made payments to the “local vendors and MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sport.” However, Fairview is given time until 20 May to sort out the matter.

The Indian MotoGP 2024 was set to return the second time from 19 to 22 September. Its cancellation could very well mean Kazakhstan taking over the slot. The Kazakh round was to begin on 16 June but was postponed due to massive floods.

The 2024 MotoGP calendar will see a reduction back to 20 rounds should the Indian MotoGP gets cancelled. The Argentinian round was cancelled before the start of the season, bringing the total down to 21.

Last year’s inaugural GP in the country also saw difficulties as the Buddh circuit was only ready and certified at the last moments, but remained dirty when MotoGP arrived. Riders also raised concerns that the track’s undulating and flowing layout had inadequate run-off areas.

Speaking of arrival, several riders’ and team personnel’s Visa approvals were also delayed causing the riders to miss out on several promotional events.

India is currently the world’s largest motorcycle market hence is an important stop for the manufacturers and MotoGP.

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Ducati CR241 concept

Ducati RR241 concept

Are they going into production?

Highlights:

Main features of the Ducati Monster Senna:

Highlights of the Brembo Hypure:

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