Motorcycle news, Motorcycle reviews from Malaysia, Asia and the world

MotoGP: Indonesian GP Will Not Take Place Before March 2022 – Dorna

MotoGP promoters Dorna officially announced the inaugural Indonesia GP would only take place in 2022.

The Mandalika Circuit was initially due to held the MotoGP this year, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all parties involved agreed to hold the official race in 2022.

“Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, all parties involved agreed to hold the first MotoGP World Championship Grand Prix at the track in the first part of the 2022 season, in principle during March,” Dorna said in a statement.

Dorna and FIM recently flew to Indonesia to officially examined the track that is currently being built in Lombok.

“The visit to Lombok was very successful, and we can confirm that the Mandalika International Street Circuit will be one of the most important venues of the calendar in the future.

“Indonesia is a key market for Dorna, and for all the stakeholders of the championship,” said Dorna CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta.

However, the Mandalika Circuit is expected to host the World Superbike Championship (WSBK) on November 14.

MotoGP: Marc Marquez All Clear To Race At Portimao

Marc Marquez will return to MotoGP nearly a year after being sidelined with an injury sustained during the 2020 season opener in Jerez.

The Spaniards will take part in this month’s Portuguese Grand Prix, as confirmed by Repsol Honda.

The six-time MotoGP champion had undergone three operations on his right arm in a bid to return for the 2021 season opener in Qatar. However, the medical team had advised against the idea with test rider Stefan Bradl replaced Marquez on both occasions.

Nonetheless, the doctors have given Marquez all-clear to contest in the third round at Portimao on April 16-18.

“In the review carried out on Marc Marquez by the Hospital Ruber Internacional medical team, four months after surgery, led by Doctors Samuel Antuña and Ignacio Roger de Oña, and made up of Doctors De Miguel, Ibarzabal and García Villanueva, for an infected pseudoarthrosis of the right humerus, a very satisfactory clinical condition was found, with evident progress in the bone consolidation process.

“In the current situation, Marquez can return to competition, assuming the reasonable risk implicit in his sporting activity,” said Honda in a statement.

Marquez is yet to jump on the latest RC213V but was allowed to ride the Honda RC213V-S test bike at Barcelona and Algarve after doctors allowed him to intensify his training.

Marquez also shared his excitement on social media.

“I’m very happy. Yesterday I visited the doctors, and they gave me the green light to return to the competition. They have been nine difficult months, with moments of uncertainties and ups and downs, and now, I will be able to enjoy my passion again,” he said.

This BMW S 1000 RR Is Actually A Benelli TNT 600 In Disguise!

Before you asked, no, this is not a scam; instead, what you are looking at is actually a 2013 Benelli TNT 600 disguised as 2015 BMW S 1000 RR.

The owner is putting it up for sale on Facebook and asking for RM21,000.

Apart from some apparent giveaway, we are still amazed at how detailed the bike looks, especially since Benelli and BMW has an entirely different design concept.

The converted TNT 600 looks great donning the famous S 1000 RR fairing and other features such as the iconic front headlamp and the rear lights.

Nevertheless, the disguised S 1000 RR still maintains the same 600cc inline-4, liquid-cooled, DOHC capable of producing 80.46hp at 11,000rpm and 52Nm at 8,000rpm compared to the original BMW that offers 199hp at 13,500rpm and 112.5Nm at 10,500rpm.

Although there is a vast difference in terms of power and performance between the two, we are not here to judge; instead, hats off on the amount of time (and money) spent disguising this motorcycle.

KYMCO AK 550 Gets Euro 5 Upgrade- 51HP, 55.6Nm!

KYMCO, a Taiwan-based motorcycle manufacturer known for its scooter lineup, has updated its biggest scooter available, the AK 500.

The AK 550 maintains the parallel-twin engine but now boasts Euro 5 compliance, making it on par with the famous Yamaha TMAX 560.

The motorcycle also received a revised exhaust system to meet the Euro 5 standards.

Although the AK 550 is 10cc lower than the TMAX, the engine produces a higher power, at 51hp and 55.6Nm compared to 47.5hp available on the Yamaha.

For 2021, the AK 550 also received modern electronics consist of a throttle-by-wire system that offers better finesse and control at low and high RPM.

Nevertheless, the AK 550 still maintain other goodies such as Brembo brakes, lightweight aluminium frame, upside-down fork and adjustable mono-shock.

The bad news is, the AK 550 is currently not available in Malaysia.

MV Agusta Presents 2021 Superveloce Lineup – Welcomes New “S” Version

MV Agusta rolls out the Superveloce range for 2021, consisting of the standard and the new “S” version.

While both the standard and “S” versions come equipped with the same 798cc powerplant, the latter takes attention to detail, characterised by a new white livery, brown Alcantara leather seat, and tubeless spoke wheels.

Engine

For 2021, the major renewal starts from underneath the fairings, the 798cc liquid-cooled DOHC engine now revised with Euro 5 homologation but still pumps out 147hp at 13,000rpm.

The upgrades consist of a new bushing, titanium valves and DLC-coated valve guides that help reduce friction and increase fuel efficiency.

The engineers at Varese also completely redesigned the exhaust system from the manifold to the silencer, all focusing on meeting Euro 5 standards.

Also revised is the control unit, which consists of engine management and control to create a more precise performance.

Electronics

The 2021 Superveloce also received an all-new six-axis IMU inertial platform that reads the motorcycle angle to provide precise and optimum control.

The new IMU also helps to manage front lift control instead of turning it off altogether, making the 2021 Superveloce a more enjoyable bike.

Meanwhile, braking is done by Continental ABS with specific mappings for MV Agusta, which also consist of cornering ABS and traction control.

The Italians also up the ante with a 3rd generation bi-directional Quick-Shift EAS 3.0, which improves the shifting with the help of a new sensor and a new launch control system.

Other major changes:

5.5″ TFT screen
MV Ride App connectivity
turn by turn navigation functions

Currently, MV Agusta has yet to release official pricing but safe to assume no matter what the price is, a beautiful machine like this won’t take up too much time in the market.

Introducing Rizoma Stealth Mirror – Part Mirror, Part Winglet!

Rear-view mirrors don’t do much justice to a motorcycle’s overall look, especially if it’s supersport.

Ducati Panigale V4, BMW S 1000 RR, Honda CBR1000RR-R and Kawasaki ZX-10R are all great-looking machines except for their dull-looking mirrors.

In a mission to solve this conundrum, the creative people at Rizoma introduces the Stealth, a supersport mirror unlike any other.

The Stealth was designed to look as minimal as possible to keep it in line with the overall sportbike design, yet ensuring it provides excellent visibility as a side mirror.

According to Rizoma, the Stealth consist of two parts; a fixed mirror directly mounted to the fairing and a movable glass that acts as a mirror when rotated 90-degrees into the viewable position.

The movable element transforms into a winglet when it is rotated into a closed position. The Stealth is more than just a sleek looking mirror; instead, it also increases downforce for better grip at high speed.

Rizoma claimed the winglet generates 4 kilograms of downforce at a speed of 300kph.

The Stealth is currently available for Honda CBR1000RR, BMW S 1000 RR, Kawasaki ZX-10R, Suzuki GSXR-1000, Yamaha YZF-R1, Ducati Panigale V2, and Ducati Panigale V4.