Two Wheels

[wino]

front end loose i'm guessing. Pics are just a few hours old.

 

[wino]

 

[wino]

Alvaro Bautista

Andrea Dovizioso

Bradley Smith

Cal Crutchlow

Marc Marquez

Marco Melandri

Maverick Vinales

Valentino Rossi

Dani Pedrosa

 

[wino]

MotoGP » Qatar MotoGP test times - Sunday (Final)

15 March 2015
Lap times for the second night of the final 2015 MotoGP pre-season test, in Qatar.

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Qatar MotoGP test times - Sunday (Final)

The second night of the third and final 2015 MotoGP pre-season test took place at the Losail circuit in Qatar on Sunday.

Factory Ducati riders Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone, who had dominated Saturday night, were again in contention for the top spot on their new GP15. This time it was Dovizioso who got the upper hand, setting the first sub-1m 55s lap of the weekend to topple Honda's world champion Marc Marquez. Iannone was a close third on a night when the top 14 riders were covered by one-second, including top Open rider Karel Abraham.

Ducati also unveiled some small winglets on the side of its new GP15 tonight.

Testing for the race riders, which takes place between 4pm and 11pm, concludes on Monday night. The opening race of the new season will be held at the same track from March 26-29...

1. = Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 54.907s [Lap 33/38]
2. = Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 55.091s +0.184s [27/54]
3. = Andrea Iannone ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 55.104s +0.197s [16/46]
4. = Jorge Lorenzo ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 55.500s +0.593s [15/51]
5. ˄ Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 55.581s +0.674s [50/61]
6. ˅ Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 55.582s +0.675s [22/40]
7. ˄ Cal Crutchlow GBR CWM LCR Honda (RC213V) 1m 55.624s +0.717s [40/42]
8. ˅ Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 55.648s +0.741s [13/49]
9. ˅ Pol Espargaro ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 55.658s +0.751s [29/46]
10. ˅ Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing (RC213V-RS) 1m 55.765s +0.858s [38/41]
11. ˅ Yonny Hernandez COL Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2) 1m 55.772s +0.865s [13/33]
12. ˅ Aleix Espargaro ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 55.795s +0.888s [22/33]
13. ˅ Scott Redding GBR Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 55.803s +0.896s [50/60]
14. ˅ Maverick Viñales ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)* 1m 55.810s +0.903s [31/42]
15. = Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14 Open) 1m 56.058s +1.151s [20/50]
16. = Nicky Hayden USA Drive M7 Aspar (RC213V-RS) 1m 56.104s +1.197s [40/44]
17. ˄ Mike Di Meglio FRA Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14 Open) 1m 56.259s +1.352s [40/53]
18. ˅ Eugene Laverty IRL Drive M7 Aspar Honda (RC213V-RS)* 1m 56.342s +1.435s [25/54]
19. = Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Test Rider (Desmosedici) 1m 56.476s +1.569s [30/32]
20. = Stefan Bradl GER Athina Forward Racing (Forward Yamaha) 1m 56.724s +1.817s [4/17]
21. ˄ Jack Miller AUS CWM LCR Honda (RC213V-RS)* 1m 56.758s +1.851s [47/50]
22. ˅ Danilo Petrucci ITA Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP14.1) 1m 56.762s +1.855s [9/32]
23. = Loris Baz FRA Athina Forward Racing (Forward Yamaha)* 1m 56.936s +2.029s [8/40]
24. = Alvaro Bautista ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 57.273s +2.366s [36/46]
25. = Alex De Angelis RSM Octo IodaRacing (ART) 1m 57.390s +2.483s [25/45]
26. = Marco Melandri ITA Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 57.982s +3.075s [14/23]

Key:
˄ Rider has a higher position relative to end of previous hour.
= Rider has the same position as end of previous hour.
˅ Rider has a lower position relative to end of previous hour.

Blue Name = Factory - Official MotoGP ECU hardware, unique manufacturer software.
20 litres of race fuel, 5 engine changes for the season. All engines identical throughout the year within the same team (development freeze).
Black Name = Factory (with concessions) - Official MotoGP ECU hardware, unique manufacturer software.
Applicable to Factory entries by a manufacturer that did not achieve a dry win in 2013 (Ducati) or any new MotoGP manufacturers (Suzuki and Aprilia).
Same 24 litres of race fuel, 12 engine changes, softer rear tyre, no engine development freeze and extra testing opportunities as the Open Category.
Red Name = Open - Full official MotoGP ECU, hardware and software.
24 litres of race fuel, 12 engine changes, softer rear tyre, no engine development freeze and greater testing opportunities relative to Factory.
* Rookie

2014 Qatar MotoGP:
Pole Position:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 1m 54.507s
Fastest race lap:
Alvaro Bautista SPA Honda 1m 55.575s

Official Qatar MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Jorge Lorenzo SPA Yamaha 1m 53.927s (2008)
Fastest race lap:
Casey Stoner AUS Ducati 1m 55.153s (2008)

 

[Twisted Gut]

Gooooooooo Cal

 

[wino]

at least Cal didn't drop it on his out lap this test. Be interesting to see how he goes this year Twisted. I wish him luck he's a good bloke and a hard rider.

128mph ice wheelie sets record
Published: 13 March 2015


With some help from a BMW S1000RR, 24-year-old Swedish rider Robert Gull has become the first person to wheelie a motorcycle at over 200 km/h on ice, and in doing so has set a new Guinness World Record.

Swedish riders never let the winter get in the way of a good ride, they just use the smooth iced tops of frozen lakes instead of roads, and spiked tyres instead of sticky rubber. With plenty of ice guaranteed for several months every year, this offers lots of opportunities for sports, but why play ice hockey or go skating when you can ride your RR instead?

Robert Gull has already established a reputation for his high-speed antics on ice, and was recently timed at over 200 km/h on his RR for a flying kilometre on ice – while carrying a pillion! Last year, he broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest motorcycle wheelie on ice when his overall speed of 183.8 km/h smashed the 2013 record that was set by American Ryan Suchanek on a frozen lake in Wisconsin on a Kawasaki ZX-10R.

Then, on 31 January this year, Ryan managed to do an even faster wheelie, with an overall speed of 189.1 km/h recorded over the required 100-metre distance. This threw down the gauntlet for Robert, who along with his family and sponsors, decided to attempt to go even faster on the ice and bring the record back to Sweden again.

After spending many hours in the garage building special ice tyres for the attempt it was time to test. However, the winter had been quite harsh in Sweden and as the day drew nearer, he was only able to complete two tests.

“Despite that, everything felt great and I was really comfortable on the bike,” he says. “It felt like we were ready for the record attempt and from earlier experience I knew it would be hard, but that I would for sure do my best.”

February 28 was chosen for the official attempt to break the Guinness World Record. On the day, the weather was warm, which made the ice softer on the top. After testing a couple of different tyres in the rear, to find which one was most suitable for the conditions, it was time to do some serious wheelies. Robert managed to maintain his wheelie through the measured 100 metre line, and the overall speed was recorded at 206.09 km/h. The entire attempt was recorded by six cameras and witnesses.

“Now we have to send all material to Guinness to get it approved and made official,” commented a delighted Robert. “I know that many other riders across the world will attempt to beat this record before the summer. I’m not sure if they will succeed, but whatever happens, I’ll remain satisfied because I was the first one in the world to wheelie over 200 km/h on ice.”

 

[wino]

IF ONLY THIS ANIMAL COULD BE RACED !!

Chris Walker to make TT circuit debut – on Kawasaki H2R!

Published: Yesterday 19:13
The Kawasaki H2R will take to the Isle of Man TT course later this year for the very first time, with Kawasaki legend Chris Walker scheduled to ride a parade lap on the supercharged machine during the 2015 TT.
The lap, which will feature past racers who famously wore RST leathers, this year’s Superbike TT title sponsor. Led by RST founder Johnny Towers, a former TT racer himself, the lap will also include Steve Plater, Ian Simpson and Jamie Whitham among others.
“It’s a big thing for RST, and a big thing for me to be asked to join in their legends parade lap. I’m a huge fan of the TT, and I have a huge amount of respect for the guys who race that discipline; I try to get over to spectate every couple of years or so, and was over last year for the Senior. That makes being asked to take part in the lap even more special.
“As for the bike; it’s going to be just what I need for my first lap of the TT on closed roads – what could possibly go wrong with 329 brake horsepower?! It’ll be very nice to unleash the 130db of noise though, even though it might fade into nothing compared to bikes like the Honda Six that have raced there in the past!
“I haven’t thought about speeds, because I’m planning on taking it really easy , but with all that power I probably won’t be taking my hands off the bars too much!”

 

[wino]

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/sport/...live-at-730pm/

Watch the Isle of Man TT launch live at 7.30pm!

Published: Yesterday 19:01
This year’s Isle of Man TT launch is scheduled to get underway at 7.30pm tonight, and will be live on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.
The event, live from Douglas’ Villa Marina, will be hosted by Steve Parrish and Jamie Whitham, will feature a host of top TT riders, including John McGuinness and Michael Dunlop.
In the sidecar class Dave Molyneux will be introducing new passenger and fellow Manxman Ben Binns while fellow race winners Ben Birchall/Tom Birchall and Tim Reeves/Patrick Farrance, Conrad Harrison/Mike Aylott and John Holden will also outline their plans on attempting to return to the top step.
High profile TT newcomers who will be introduced for the first time on the Isle of Man include former World Supersport rider Robbin Harms and Ireland’s Derek McGee, who will be able to pick up tips from last year’s sensation Peter Hickman, the fastest ever newcomer, who will share his thoughts on building on 2014’s success.

TT home page

http://www.iomtt.com/

 

[wino]

Column: Can Michael Dunlop make the new R1 a TT winner?
Published: 14 March 2015


I was reminded of a famous tale told about Joey Dunlop last week. I was in Spain to watch Joey’s nephew, Michael, have his first ride on the new Milwaukee YZF R1 Yamaha at Alcarras that he hopes will help him add to his tally of 11 TT victories.

Thirty years ago Brian Coll, a well known Irish entertainer at the time and the latest sponsorship recruit to Joey’s team arrived in the great man’s TT garage. Coll, having forked out a hefty sum in support of his hero, felt sure that he would receive a warm welcome from Joey. Instead he found himself completely ignored as the Ballymoney man worked in silence on his race bikes. After two days a bewildered Coll mentioned the matter to Joey’s race manager, Davy Wood.

“Don’t worry about it Brian’” Wood reassured him.

“I’ve been here a week and he hasn’t spoken a word to me yet either!”

Michael Dunlop wasn’t totally silent as he went about his business with the new Yamaha last week; there were occasional exchanges with his crew chief and mechanics and the odd snippet of conversation with his new teammates, Josh Brookes and Broc Parkes. But aside from these brief engagements, Dunlop was mostly unsmiling, his face a mask of determination as he tried to eke some small advantage from every moment of the test.

“You have to push and push and push.” he let slip at one point, as reluctant to engage with the press as anyone else.

“You can’t let there be frustration or you will be beat.”

To prevent frustration creeping in Dunlop was very much hands on in Spain, a driven character relying on his own intuition and race craft to find his way around the new bike. Where Brookes and Parkes simply provided their mechanics with feedback to make alterations, Dunlop was on the tools himself.

From filling the fuel tank

first thing each morning to changing wheels and helping make the dozens of suspension adjustments, Michael was in the thick of it. Tucked away at the back of the garage on his unliveried bike, he watched carefully as each adjustment was made, testing a bolt for tightness or checking a tyre pressure.

As the mechanics started to load the bikes into the team’s transporter on the final night, Dunlop delved into his bag for a black ledger and meticulously recorded every setting on his R1 for future reference.

Were it not for the ECU graphs flashing from the computer screens or the Monster claw logos embossed on the baseball hats you could have been forgiven for thinking you had stumbled across a scene from another era.

Dunlop’s actions intended no slight to any of the hardworking men around him. It is simply that he cannot afford to rely too much on anyone else to deliver something he wants so badly.

In the season that lies ahead Michael knows that he will face another massive fight with McGuinness, Martin and Co for TT supremacy.

The Ballymoney man will inspire and draw on the Milwaukee team’s enthusiastic backing to try to turn the new Yamaha into a TT winning machine. In 2014 that task fell to the BMW team, the year before it was Honda but for this season the challenge is of a different order altogether. Where the Honda was already a proven winner and the BMW had an established racing pedigree, the Yamaha is a brand new motorcycle; untried, untested and completely unknown. Making it a winner will be a new mountain to climb for Dunlop but he says he relishes the challenge.

He knows that if he can pull it off there won’t be any doubt that it is the talent of the man rather than the machine that offers the key to winning on the Mountain course.

And there will be very few who will doubt that he is capable of proving his point.

 

[Keka]

Valentino Rossi
Qatar test, Doha
March 15th

 

[wino]

MotoGP »
MotoGP: ‘The GP15 is a real Ducati’
18 March 2015

“We have the same engine angle as last season and we have the desmodromic valve system. The GP15 is a real Ducati” - Gigi Dall'Igna.

• 1

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MotoGP: ‘The GP15 is a real Ducati’

The biggest surprise of MotoGP pre-season testing has been the instant performance of the Ducati GP15.

The all-new machine is the first complete Desmosedici by Gigi Dall'Igna, who joined Ducati from Aprilia at the end of 2013.

The Italian held his nerve by waiting until the second of the three pre-seasons tests to debut the bike, which was promptly hailed as solving the turning problems that have baffled Ducati for years.

The GP15 left Malaysia with the fourth fastest lap time, then went on to dominate the final test in Qatar. Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso each led one night of testing at Losail, venue for the opening round of the championship at the end of this month.

Most worrying for its rivals, Iannone and Dovizioso did not use the soft rear tyre available to the Open class plus Ducati, Suzuki and Aprilia factory entries. Instead the Ducatis set their time on the harder rear tyre, which is what they will use in the race.

With Honda's world champion Marc Marquez the only rider within half-a-second of the Ducatis at Losail - the Spaniard set the second fastest lap time - the prospect of a Ducati pole position (using the extra performance of the soft tyre) is very real.

Victory will clearly be a much tougher task and the loss of the final night of Qatar testing also meant race simulations were scrapped. But the very fact victory is being mentioned shows just have far Ducati, without a win since 2010, have come.

So what was the key to the Desmosedici's transformation? Dall'Igna wasn't going to reveal any secrets, but he did disclose a change in philosophy at the Ducati Corse headquarters.

“In my opinion this bike comes from a real work of different areas,” Dall'Igna said at Sepang. “For me in the past maybe [at Ducati] the engine was an engine, the chassis a chassis. So the engineers designed the engine and then at the end the chassis designer had to develop the chassis [around] the engine.

“Now I think it is quite different. We really worked together. Everybody had to accept some compromise. That means some decisions about the engine came from the chassis designer and the reverse.

"This is I think the step that we did and also why this bike is so small in comparison with the [previous Ducatis].”

Given the changes that have been made, and similar design features that now exist among all of the MotoGP manufacturers, Dall'Igna was asked if he feels the GP15 is still 'a Ducati'?

“I think so,” Dall'Igna replied. “One of my problems, frankly speaking, is that I normally don't watch what the other [factories] are doing. For sure I have some ideas and probably these ideas are similar to the other manufacturers.

“But at the end we checked all these ideas inside Ducati, with the Ducati people and technology. Yes or no comes from Ducati. So I think it is a proper Ducati. We have the same [engine] angle as last season and we have the desmodromic [valve system]. The GP15 is a real Ducati.”

Dall'Igna denied that changing the 90-degree engine V, a layout also used by Honda, or the factory's unique desmodromic system had been out of bounds.

“If I was in another brand probably I don't use the desmodromic system because this is a system that has a lot of potential, in my opinion, but it is quite complicated,” Dall'Igna admitted. “So if you do not have the knowhow to do this it is quite difficult. But we are Ducati. Ducati has a lot of experience with this kind of system and in the end I think this is an advantage in comparison with the other solutions.”

Ducati's rivals - Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Aprilia - all use pneumatic-valve technology rather than the trademark, mechanical system at Ducati.

“In my opinion we have exactly the same advantages as the pneumatic system, but at low rpm the friction is a little less. The overall performance of the engine I think is better [with the desmodromic],” Dall'Igna declared.

Dall'Inga surprised his rivals by steering Ducati out of the factory engine freeze and into the Open class technical concessions at the start of 2014. Without that change, also available to Suzuki and Aprilia, Dall'Igna believes it would have taken three years to reach the point they are at with the GP15.

Ducati will lose two litres of race fuel, down to 22 litres, if it achieves a dry race win or two more podiums this season. That will have almost no impact since, “we finished with 22 litres in all of last year's races.”

Three dry wins would then mean loss of the soft rear tyre, but that would only hurt Ducati in qualifying and offer the opportunity to run the very hardest option in the race. The chance to use 12 instead of five engines, avoid the development freeze and increased testing will remain until the end of 2015 regardless of results.

2016 then sees the introduction of a single ECU and Michelin replacing Bridgestone as tyre supplier. The softer Open class tyre and different quantity of race fuel are set to disappear (22 litres for all) but some results-based perks - such as avoiding the engine development freeze - will continue for uncompetitive manufacturers.

It is not yet clear if Ducati will join Honda and Yamaha in being ineligible for the 2016 concessions. That will depend on where the bar is set and what Ducati achieves this season.

“My target is at least one win. I don't know when, but this is the target for Ducati in 2015,” Dall'Igna said.

If the Qatar test is anything to go by, he may not be waiting long...


by Peter McLaren

 

[wino]

Stoner today ^

 

[wino]

LOL indeed Murph

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/feuling-w-3-prototype-triple-threat?src=SOC&dom=fb

 

[McM]

LOL indeed Murph

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/feuling-w-3-prototype-triple-threat?src=SOC&dom=fb

Over 600 pounds! I didn't know even BMW has such a concept, interesting read though.

 

[wino]

I dont even belive it's real and it looks like it's a softtail frame and it looks unfinished. I posted it to see if someone would bite and . . . . .. . . . . ..

 

[Keka]

 

[Keka]

Ian Lougher

 

[Torque Button]

I dont even belive it's real and it looks like it's a softtail frame and it looks unfinished. I posted it to see if someone would bite and . . . . .. . . . . ..

They actually constructed a few of these bikes a long time ago, in the same time-frame as the HD V-Rod was introduced

http://www.feulingparts.com/products/W3/W3-MOTORCYCLE

 

[wino]

 

[wino]

WSBK » WSBK Thailand: Buriram - Free practice results (2)

20 March 2015
Full free practice results (2) from the second of the 2015 World Superbike Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand

WSBK Thailand: Buriram - Free practice results (2)


Full free practice results (2) from the second of the 2015 World Superbike Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand

1. Alex Lowes GBR Voltcom Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000 1m 34.685s
2. Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing ZX-10R 1m 34.751s
3. Chaz Davies GBR Aruba.it Racing Ducati 1199R 1m 35.288s
4. Leon Haslam GBR Red Devils Roma Aprilia RSV4 1m 35.288s
5. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki Racing ZX-10R 1m 35.457s
6. Sylvain Guintoli FRA PATA Honda CBR1000RR 1m 35.570s
7. Troy Bayliss AUS Aruba.it Racing Ducati 1199R 1m 35.690s
8. Matteo Baiocco ITA Althea Ducati 1199R 1m 35.913s
9. Jordi Torres ESP Red Devils Roma Aprilia RSV4 1m 35.943s
10. David Salom ESP Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1m 36.055s
11. Leandro Mercado ARG Barni Ducati 1199R 1m 36.105s
12. Michael van der Mark NED PATA Honda CBR1000RR 1m 36.218s
13. Randy de Puniet FRA Voltcom Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000 1m 36.263s
14. Sylvain Barrier FRA BMW Italia S1000RR 1m 36.308s
15. Nico Terol ESP Althea Ducati 1199R 1m 36.391s
16. Leon Camier GBR MV Agusta F4 RR 1m 36.940s
17. Roman Ramos ESP GO Eleven Kawasaki ZX-10R 1m 37.632s
18. Niccolo Canepa ITA Team Hero EBR 1190RX 1m 37.692s
19. Christophe Ponsson LUX Grillini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1m 37.824s
20. Santiago Barragan ESP Grillini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1m 37.964s
21. Anucha Nakcharoensri THA YSS TS Honda CBR1000RR 1m 38.174s
22. Greg Gildenhuys RSA Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1m 48.767s
23. Larry Pegram USA Team Hero EBR 1190RX 1m 38.772s
24. Imre Toth HUN Team Toth BMW S1000RR 1m 39.256s
25. Ireneusz Sikora POL Team Toth BMW S1000RR 1m 40.719s
26. Chanon Chumjai THA RAC Oil BMW S1000RR 1m 40.810s