Ay, just when we thought the recent Ducati Panigale V2 Superquardro Final Edition was the last V-Twin superbike that Ducati will make, they say there is a new Ducati V2 superbike is on the way.
MCN said that an interview with the manufacturer’s Head of Product Communications, Giulio Fabbri during the World Ducati Week revealed that the companyt has other plans.
Fabbri told MCN: “It’s not the V2 that is leaving the market, it’s just that particular engine that is going. It’s just the final edition of the V2 Superquadro, but something new will come.
“For sure, we will continue to see a supersport Panigale with a V2. But it’s still very early to talk about the future. I cannot say when something new will arrive, but for us it is very important and the V2 engine is special. It is part of the culture of Ducati.”
What Fabbri said was correct, as it was the V-Twin (also known as V2 or L-Twin in Ducati’s parlance) was what brought the brand to prominence – from the Imola bikes to the 851, 916, and all the way to the Panigale 1299 – prior to the current Panigale V4.
But of course, the Ducati man did not revealed the new bike’s specifications. The last Panigale V2 Superquardro engine displaced 955cc and produced 153hp.
Three policemen were arrested after it was discovered that a Yamaha RX-Z was missing some components. The motorcycle was in the case goods store at the Kemaman District Police Headquarters, Terengganu.
Kemaman District Police Chief, Superintendent Hanyan Ramlan, said the suspects were between 26 and 32 years old.
He said all the members involved were arrested last Tuesday after an investigation found that there were several motorcycle engine components missing from the storage store involved.
“We then conducted an investigation before arresting all the suspects for further investigation.
“Further investigation found that two suspects have the same type of motorcycle and are big fans of RX-Z motorcycles,” he said.
Two of the suspects were brought to the Criminal Court for an application for remand today, but the application was rejected on the grounds that they are still police officers who can be called at any time. The court has also allowed both suspects to be released on bail.
However, Hanyan said his party will prepare investigation papers immediately and refer to the Deputy Public Prosecutor for further action.
BMW has purchased Suzuki’s MotoGP data, possibly to fast-track their entry into the premier class.
According the Motosport.com, this was an insider’s news during the British GP over the weekend. And if it was true, BMW is seeking to pay €18 million for all the GSX-RR’s data acquired.
While BMW knows how to build high powered engines, they possibly need the data in terms of chassis setup and traction control strategies. 18 million is a lot of money, for sure, but it is definitely cheaper than throwing it at a blank sheet. Having the data in hand means BMW has a base to work from and develop their bike.
Dorna has been leaving an empty slot on the grid for the Bavarian brand and it is hoped that the latter will join the championship in 2027. 2027 is the year when MotoGP will go through another large revision, including the use of smaller 850cc engines in place of the current 1000cc engines, and not unimportantly, limiting the use of aerodynamic devices. BMW is already currently making an inline-four engine for their S 1000 RR superbike, so the MotoGP bike could very well adapt that engine.
At the time being, BMW has gleaned a lot of data from the WSBK project. They may have scored only one win in each of the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons, but the signing of Toprak Razgatlıoğlu has since yielded 12 wins from 18 races this year. Will the Turkish rider be apart of BMW’s MotoGP assault? We can bet on this one.
Pirelli took over from Dunlop as the exclusive tyre supplier in the Moto2 and Moto3 classes this year, and immediately saw lap records tumble one by one.
At the British GP at the Silverstone circuit last weekend, Ivan Ortola’s victory was 53 seconds faster overall, compared to 2023. That averaged to 3.5 per lap faster.
Let us not forget that even a 0.1-second per lap improvement is already considered a huge deal at this level of competition, let alone 3.5 seconds. That is because 0.1 second multiplied by 15 laps (at Silverstone) equates to a 1.5-second lead at the end of the race.
Over to Moto2, Jake Dixon’s last lap victory over Aron Canet was also a record-breaking affair. His overall time was 12.5 seconds faster than in 2023. That averaged out to 0.7 second faster per lap.
In fact, of the 40 Moto3 and Moto2 sessions thus far, 38 of those have seen faster times than when Dunlop was the supplier.
It also reminds us of what Sam Lowes said many years before while he was riding in Moto2, when Honda was the engine supplier. According to him, lap times had stagnated because of the tyres.
Seeing this sort of achievement in the very first year is nothing short of breathtaking. Pirelli says they will use the data collected this year to make further improvements for the next rounds and beyond.
While most pay almost all attention to the premier MotoGP class, the real battles are in Moto3. The class features some hair-raising up close and personal racing consisting of multiple overtakes and dive bombs that thrill even grizzled observers. And the new tyres certainly gave the riders more grip to play with, translated into faster lap times and new records.
The recent 2025 Ducati Panigale V4’s reveal was kind of a shock for some, especially among the Ducatisti. Gone is the synonymous single-sided swingarm, replaced by a double-sided swingarm.
We have to say that the new swingarm does look the butch, and it is better, engineering wise. Let us examine why.
What does a swingarm do?
The name itself lends to its function of connecting the rear wheel of the motorcycle to the frame via a pivot. So, the rear wheel can move up and down to follow the road’s surface.
However, that is not all as the swingarm also needs to be able to withstand several types of forces such as weight (rider, passenger, luggage, road bumps), lateral loads (when the bike is leaned over so much that road bumps now act vertically on the swingarm’s spar/spars), twisting load imparted by the chain.
That is exactly why swingarms on high-powered motorcycles are so much larger than those simple box-section steel type on simpler bikes.
Single-sided swingarm
Pros:
Easier Wheel Removal: The single-sided design allows for easier removal of the rear wheel, without upsetting the rear axles alignment, chain tension, and brake pads.
Granted, this setup was first utilised on the Imme 100 in 1948, and the swingarm doubled up as the exhaust. It was later adopted by Moto Guzzi Galletto scooter in 1950. There are still scooters that utilise this arrangement.
However, it was Honda who first used it on a sportbike in the modern age, namely the VFR range which they used for endurance racing.
Aesthetics: The great Massimo Tamburini chose a single-sided swingarm design for the iconic Ducati 916 because it looked “like the rear wheel is not connected to the motorcycle and is floating,” and Ducati had thought of racing it in endurance races, too. It was henceforth that top-of-the-line Ducati sportbikes feature the single-sided swingarm, apart from the 999 and now the Panigale V4.
Cons:
Strength and Rigidity: Achieving the same level of strength and rigidity as a double-sided swingarm can be more challenging, which results in the need for material.
Weight: Hence, they can be heavier than double-sided swingarms.
Less flex: Back in the days of the 70s superbikes, engineers had to contend with frames and swingarms that flex too much, making their bikes wallow in corners. So the frames and swingarms got stiffer and stiffer. Then, when they became too stiff, the bikes do not handle well in midcorner. Why? Because the suspension is most effective in absorbing road shocks when the bike is straight up, but that effectiveness goes away when the bike is leaned over.
So, in the engineers began working on frames and swingarms that offer “tuned flex” in the mid-90s. This flex allows the frame and swingarm to absorb road shocks and road surface imperfections while the motorcycle is leaned over, hence provides better grip to the tyres.
And this is exactly why the Ducati Desmosedici GP bike uses a double-sided swingarm, as with the new Panigale V4. In fact, Ducati says that the new V4’s swingarm is 37 percent LESS stiff laterally.
Cost: Single-sided swingarms are often more expensive to manufacture and repair due to their complex design and the need for specialised components. Therefore finding application on high-end bikes only.
Double-sided swingarm
Pros:
Cost-Effective: Generally, double-sided swingarms are less expensive to produce and repair. They use more conventional design and manufacturing techniques.
Strength and Durability: Engineers can tune their stiffness versus flex characters easier as loads are distributed between two spars.
Lighter: Less material is needed to make it stiff, thus is can be made lighter versus its single-sided counterpart.
Cons:
Wheel Removal: Removing the rear wheel can be more cumbersome compared to a single-sided swingarm, as it will perturb the chain’s tension and alignment.
Maintenance Access: Access to the rear wheel and brake components can be more restricted, making maintenance and cleaning more challenging.
Adjusting the chain(!): Adjusting the chain and the rear axle’s alignment is a necessary task but it is often time consuming and frustrating. A wrongly adjusted chain will shorten its lifespan, while a misaligned axle results in handling issues.
In a nutshell
Each type of swingarm has its specific use cases and advantages, so the choice between them often depends on personal preference, intended use, and budget considerations.
Tesla is being sued by the family of a biker who was killed when he was rear ended by a Tesla Model 3 whose driver was using Autopilot mode. The lawsuit was filed in Salt Lake City, USA.
The family of Landon Embry are suing the company on the grounds that the driver assistant software and other safety features were not fully functioning. As such, the car which was travelling between 120 – 128 km/h, rammed in Embry’s Harley-Davidson.
Embry, 34, was thrown off his motorcycle and died at the scene.
The driver of the Model 3 involved was deemed to be “tired and not in a condition to drive as an ordinarily prudent driver” in the lawsuit. The family’s complaint said: “A reasonably prudent driver, or adequate auto braking system, would have, and could have slowed or stopped without colliding with the motorcycle.”
This was not the first time that a Tesla was involved in crashing and causing harm to either the driver or another party while on Autopilot. In fact, Tesla had just settled another lawsuit after being sued by the family of a Model X owner who was killed when his car crashed into a median, whilst on Autopilot.
Many quarters including the US National Highway Transport Safety Agency (NHTSA), have called out Tesla’s Autopilot program, citing that it is not fully “auto” and still requires inputs from the driver. However, it seems that some drivers have taken the term to literally mean that they can lay back and take their hands off the steering wheel and feet off the pedals. Hey, even an aircraft’s sophisticated autopilot requires the pilots to monitor other systems of the aircraft and make decisions.
