Two Wheels

[wino]

Ducati take the covers off their four-pronged attack on the 2013 MotoGP season

Happy families ... Ducati reveal four-bike MotoGP attack for 2013. Source: Ducati Corse / Supplied

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Ducati have unveiled their MotoGP machines for 2013, as the Italian manufacturer tries to ressurect their fortunes in the sport's top class.

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Gobmeier, Dovisioso and Hayden. Source: Supplied
The covers came off the new Desmosedeci GP13 at the now-traditional "Wrooom 2013" pre-season press event at Madonna di Campiglio in Italy, Nicky Hayden and new signing Andrea Dovizioso doing the honours.
Ben Spies and Moto2 graduate Andrea Iannone were also on hand to unveil the two Team Pramac bikes, as Ducati increases the relationship between its factory and satellite bikes.

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Gabriele Del Torchio Source: Supplied
Ducati comes into 2013 off the back of two years in the doldrums, with no wins to show from their partnership with MotoGP star Valentino Rossi.
The team has undergone some personnel changes in the off-season, including the appointment of Bernhard Gobmeier to run the operation, replacing long-time chief Filippo Preziosi.
Ducati Motor Holding CEO Gabriele Del Torchio said the changes at the top have been aimed at getting the company's on track fortunes to match the solid performance of their road bike division.
"Our company’s motto is ‘Never give up,’ and with the ability to react that has always been one of our characteristics, we face 2013 with a new organization, ready to take to the track," he said.
Hayden, the 2006 MotoGP world champion, said they have a long way to go to regain the form that saw Casey Stoner regularly competing for wins from 2007 to 2010, but the arrival of Gobmeier has, so far, been positive.
"I’ve met with Mr Gobmeier, and he strikes me as a very intelligent person, with many ideas about where he can help," the American told the assembled press.
"From a technical point of view, the new management hasn’t stepped into an easy situation, but they’re very motivated to reach our goals.
"It’s a completely fresh start for us, and although there’s clearly a big challenge ahead of us, it’s also an exciting one. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish. The future looks very good."

Read more: http://www.foxsports.com.au/motor-sports/moto-gp/ducati-take-the-covers-off-their-four-pronged-attack-on-the-2013-motogp-season/story-fn2ms4i4-1226554849564#ixzz2IUAumXUY​

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[wino]

 

[wino]

this guy continues to prove he's a fuckhead and he is out to kill the best sport in the world.

MotoGP chief Carmelo Ezpeleta thinks CRTs would fly with top riders

Saturday, January 19th 2013, 16:03 GMT

MotoGP chief Carmelo Ezpeleta suspects CRT bikes would be much closer to prototype pace if some leading riders tried the second-class bikes.
There was a clear gap between the pace of the two motorcycle types during the 2012 season, although Aspar's Aleix Espargaro led the wet finale at Valencia, where Gresini's CRT rider Michele Pirro claimed a class-record fifth place.
Despite initial criticism of CRT, Ezpeleta believes they are not far behind the top bikes in performance.
"In our opinion CRT has been a big success for the 2012 season," he told the official MotoGP website.
"I know that this was in wet conditions, but in any case, a CRT was leading the Valencia Grand Prix for many laps.
"The bikes are not very far away. Theoretically the riders that are using the CRT are not the best.

"I think this is impossible, but if any of the top riders would use a CRT, I don't know how big the difference would be."
This year Bridgestone is providing bespoke rear tyres for the CRT bikes, some of which will also begin work on the new spec ECU.
Ezpeleta believes this will also bring CRT squads closer to the front.
"Now they will have some improvement in the tyres, but also we will develop together with Marelli and some of them the new ECU that will be compulsory in 2014 for the non-factory teams," he said. "This gives us a big expectation."

 

[D.O.A.]

the old ironhead I'm stripping down to turn into a bobber

 

[b2ux]

good deal getting the ole lady a bike sweet shes gonna love your ass for this one a sportster ......

 

[wino]

the old ironhead I'm stripping down to turn into a bobber

View attachment 91722

kool, I'm sure you already have most of the bike done already in your head. Probably even the paint. Be sure to give us updates on your progress bud. And if you get stuck on ANYthing drop us a line i'm sure we can be of some help.

Giz a rundown on what it is. It's just an old harley to me atm.

 

[wino]

random . . .. . . been a while

 

[wino]

 

[wino]

 

[wino]

here magoo

 

[wino]

hey magoo have you even given this guy's efforts this year a thought ?

 

[wino]

 

[D.O.A.]

good deal getting the ole lady a bike sweet shes gonna love your ass for this one a sportster ......

sportster implies sporty, like how fat boy implies fat penniless smelly hairy bearded illiterate 1%er's

 

[b2ux]

sportster implies sporty, like how fat boy implies fat penniless smelly hairy bearded illiterate 1%er's

the origins of a sportster was a bike built by a women for a women see willie g's girlfriend back in the day couldnt hold up a panhead nor start it,, so she and him came up with the sportster a smaller version of the bike using a flathead motor so she could ride with him and start it. it had less compression and was a lot easier to kick. after a year of playing with it they figured out it could be made to go faster and was billed as the first sportbike and marketed to compete with the brit bikes.....
this is why a lot of the older harley guys look at a sportster as a girls bike because this is what it was ment to be.....

 

[wino]

Kawasaki Racing Team’s 2013 Season Launch Proves To Be A Great Success

Newsflash, 31 January 2013
The Kawasaki Racing Team unveiled its 2013 colours and technology package close to the team’s base of operations in Barcelona today, at the prestigious FAD Institute in the centre of the city.

Shortly before the machines, spares and team members head off to Australia for the first round of the 2013 championship, media, sponsors and VIP guests had the chance to see the latest race version of the official Ninja ZX-10R in its full glory.

The guests were also treated to a visual presentation of what it takes to turn a completely stock Ninja ZX-10R into a Superbike World Championship contender, with parts of the SBK machine also laid out one-by-one alongside a stock roadgoing bike and the full Superbike racing spec machine.

The event was held, appropriately enough, inside the Fostering Arts and Design complex, which like the Ninja ZX-10R is famous for being on the cutting edge of modern design.

Speakers included both riders; 2012 championship runner-up Tom Sykes and proven race winner Loris Baz. Team Manger Guim Roda, Kawasaki Europe Director Shigemi Tanaka, and Kawasaki Europe Racing Manager Steve Guttridge also addressed their guests before the new bike was proudly unveiled by Tanaka-san, Loris and Tom.

Guim Roda, Team Manager: “I want to say thanks to the mechanics and the Kawasaki staff, who from the beginning supported us strongly in this project. We have to consider that from the beginning this was a kind of team-building job, which now allows us to explain how we build the bike to take it to the level of competing in the Superbike World Championship. I also want to say thanks to everybody who has helped us, especially our suppliers, the Motocard family, all the team who have worked to let us be here today and who will help us to have more success in the future.”

Shigemi Tanaka, Director Kawasaki Motors Europe: “I am honoured to be here to represent Kawasaki Motors Europe and KHI Japan, which are responsible for the World Superbike racing project. Five years ago Kawasaki joined forces with a new and young team called Provec, who managed our World Supersport effort in Europe. They provided an excellent overall effort for Kawasaki. Just last year the Provec team were rewarded by being promoted to assist our factory engineers in Japan, to develop our official World Superbike racing effort. Technically, the team are at a very high level and all the staff work hand-in-hand with our technical partners around the world to provide a race-winning package - the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. Kawasaki regards our investment in both the Provec team and the World Superbike Championship as money very well spent. So we are very happy to be here again, in beautiful Barcelona, to launch the official Kawasaki Racing Team and to look at our amazing 2013 Ninja ZX-10R race bike, delivered by Provec. We wish the team, its staff, its riders and everybody involved in the racing programme the very best of success over the 2013 season.”

Having already enjoyed some extremely positive testing experiences since the end of the 2012 SBK season the Kawasaki Racing Team heads to the first round in Australia full of confidence and expectation for a strong 2013.



Sepang CRT Test gets underway


Sepang CRT/ECU Test - Day 1 Highlights
Sunday, 3 February 2013
Ahead of the first Official MotoGP™ Test of 2013 which will start on Tuesday, the CRT outfits got off to a frustrating start at the Sepang International Circuit, as a series of problems for the three teams that were testing today meant there was very little track action throughout the day.
NGM Forward Racing´s Colin Edwards and Claudio Corti, Came IODA Racing´s Danilo Petrucci and Lukas Pesek and Avintia Blusens´ Hector Barbera and Hiroshi Aoyama had all arrived in Sepang ready to take advantage of the two extra days testing given to the teams that are using the Magneti Marelli ECU system, but it was a frustrating day for most of the riders.
Danilo Petrucci was the first out on track, just less than an hour into the test session, which ran from 10:00 until 18:00 local time. The Italian made 27 laps as he tested the new electronics package.

Avintia Blusens spent most of the day trying to resolve wiring loom issues. In the afternoon, nearly five hours into the test, Hector Barbera finally managed to get out on track but additional electronic problems with the FTR-Kawaski meant the Spaniard only managed four laps. Team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama was finally able to get out on track for nine laps with half an hour of the test remaining, to assess the condition of his wrist, which he broke in a motocross accident two weeks ago. The Japanese felt some pain after getting off the bike and will re-assess his condition in the morning.

The NGM Forward Racing team were still building their bikes well into the afternoon, having not received all of their parts in time to have them built in the team´s workshop ahead of the test. Edwards and Corti could only stand around and watch as the team finished their work throughout the day. For Corti it was too late to get out on track before it closed, while Edwards managed only an out lap in the last five minutes of the test session.

All six riders will have another day´s exclusive use of the track for testing tomorrow, before being joined by the rest of the MotoGP teams on Tuesday.

 

[D.O.A.]

wino hey man check this shit out, harley wiring hell

how the fuck can you earth from a rocket cover, and have another black negative ( i assume) wire running down to the solenoid terminal ( i pulled the plunger out for the pic), I thought it would be ground to the frame or some shit, the fuck is it doing there? plus there's the positive wire still, running back down to the starter. 3 fucking leads? I dunno how this bloke wired the bike but it can't be right.

edit; one would think a positive wire would be RED and negative black. Plus the third wire, the red one, is the fucking lights. I think a blind man wired this bike. I had to pull out the multi-meter, 2 fucking positive cables. Needless to say earthing from a cover and a few bolts doesnt work very well either, now I gotta nail it to the frame someplace.

 

[wino]

I never seen a earth ground on cam cover either bloke, to the engine case yeah but not an ally cover, and looking at the original pic you posted I would guess he's tried to by-pass something cause there appears to be no extra stuff added that needs power. I would be looking to download a manual for the bike and use the original wiring loom diagram to see the original set up. You can get a good electrical contact cleaner from Bunnings for @ $10/15 which I have found works well, dont use CRC or WD40. If I remember correctly my 1000J earthed of the crank case and the frame but I dont have the bike in this shed to check. Whats the dodgey looking switch do ? Is there a frame bracket near you could use for the earth ? I hope I've been a bit of help bloke but the elec side of bikes/cars is something I have always stayed away from I have only done it when I have prolly like yourself. I just googled harley manuals and heaps of sites came up shouldn't be too hard to steal one from somewhere. Anyone else got any thoughts ?

 

[wino]

13 mins I tried to edit that ^

 

[wino]

Pedrosa heads close-fought first day of Sepang MotoGP™ test

As teams set out to put in track time to bed in their new or upgraded bikes they were fortunate with the weather as the forecast rain did not appear, giving riders a full day’s worth of running. And it was Repsol Honda Team’s Pedrosa who put his RC213V top with a 2:01’157 late in the day as he set out to test the latest evolution of the bike, in particular focussing on longevity of the engine. Yamaha Factory Racing’s Lorenzo, who holds the record for the fastest lap at the circuit from 2012 with a 2.00’334, had a final push with his new Yamaha, featuring a different chassis and upgraded engine, and got within 0.008 seconds of his compatriot. The upgraded machine is set to cure pumping and give better acceleration out of corners.
Yamaha and fans alike got their first real glimpse of Valentino Rossi back on the Japanese machine, with the Italian not disappointing with a time just over four-tenths off Pedrosa in fourth. He stated he was “very happy” with the Yamaha, sighting that he felt comfortable from the first lap. However, the story of the day was arguably Pedrosa’s teammate Marc Márquez, who was only 0.036s slower than Lorenzo, putting himself third, and increasing his credentials as one of the favourites this year.
It does however look like LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl, who is running a RC213V with the same spec as the HRC team in Valencia last year, will also have a say this year, after ending the day in fifth, just two tenths off Rossi. He was working on a raft of things from traction control, to suspension and brakes. Behind him was Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow, who improved steadily across the day, on board his 2012 machine. And rounding out the top seven was Go & Fun Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista, who continued his quest to find the best set-up with his Showa suspension, finishing 0.824s off the top.
Yamaha test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga and HRC test rider Kosuke Akiyoshi put in good performances to make the top ten, in front of Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden, who kicked off the team’s new era by finishing tenth, over two seconds off Pedrosa though, in front of Yamaha test rider Wataru Yoshikawa.
Tech 3’s rookie Bradley Smith was getting used to his machine, ending the day in twelfth, around 2.3 seconds off the front, in front of Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso, and the Power Electronics Aspar Team of Aleix Espargaró and Randy de Puniet. Pramac Team’s Andrea Iannone made steady progress on his Desmosedici making it into 16th by the end, ahead of teammate Ben Spies, who put in a few hours on his new Ducati this morning, although had to stop due to shoulder pain.
HRC test rider Takumi Takahashi headed Avintia Blusens’ Héctor Barberá, who was focussing on electronics, as well as Paul Bird Motorsport’s Yonny Hernandez, Cardion AB Motoracing’s Karel Abraham, Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci, Avintia Blusens’ Hiroshi Aoyama and NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Claudio Corti. MotoGP™ newcomer Michael Laverty lapped on an ART bike to get used to the Bridgestone tyres and carbon discs, and was followed by Ioda’s Lukas Pesek, Bautista’s teammate Bryan Staring, whilst NGM’s Edwards suffered bike issues and finished the day last, putting in only 25 laps all day.

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2013/sepang+motogp+day1+test

Yamaha makes positive start in Malaysia


Tuesday, 5 February 2013
The long winter wait was finally over this morning as the 2013 MotoGP field took to the track in Sepang for the first official test of 2013.
Reunited Yamaha Factory Racing teammates Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi were quick to blow off any cobwebs from the winter rest. Rossi was initially the fastest rider during the majority of the morning session, clearly taking little time to re-bond with the YZR-M1 that has brought him so much previous success.
Reigning World Champion Lorenzo was not far behind, the Mallorcan’s typically methodical approach to testing seeing him steadily work through a number of different items that the two were unable to fully test in Valencia at the end of last year. By the time riding stopped for the day, Lorenzo had risen to second, just 0.008 seconds from first with Rossi in fourth, less than half a second from the front. Both riders will be back on track at 10am local time tomorrow and again on Thursday for the final of the three days of the test.
Jorge Lorenzo
“This morning I had to get the feeling again for the MotoGP bike but it didn't cost me so much time as it did last year. When I got up to a good pace we tried some things we couldn't try in Aragon, we need to work on it more. Some parts I liked, some things need more work. Tomorrow we are going to keep trying the things we tried today and also some new parts. Times are very close between Yamaha and Honda so we will try to improve our bike to be even better. We are still working on acceleration, we improved a lot last year but it’s still not our strongest point. I think now at this point consistency is one of my strongest points and I hope to continue that this year.”
Valentino Rossi
“I’m very happy about the first day of testing with the M1. After two seasons away I was able to come back on the bike and remember the good feeling I always had with it. I am also happy because I was quite fast from the morning. We worked on the settings to make some improvements and we made some good steps. In the afternoon we started to work on the new parts for the season. It’s just the first test but the potential is high and I am in a good position, I am in fourth place but not far from the other three guys. I am very positive that we can improve over the next few days but I’m happy with the start.”
Press release courtesy of Yamaha Factory Racing.

 

[wino]

The gap narrows as Sepang MotoGP™ test continues


Midday highlights from the 2nd day of testing at Sepang
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
As the second day of MotoGP™ testing got underway in Sepang it was the Repsol Honda and Yamaha foursome that continued to top the timesheet at the mid-way point, although the gap to the rest of the field is narrowing.
Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa continued where he let off yesterday as he was top at the 2pm local time mark with a 2.00’549, as he continued to test parts for engine durability, whilst Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo was close on his tail with his new chassis and engine upgrades by just 0.019s. Pedrosa’s teammate Marc Márquez continued to impress in third just over two tenths off the pace, followed by a similar margin by Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, who is also putting in consistent times as he get’s reacquainted with the M1.
Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow has looked impressive so far as he put his 2012 spec M1 closely behind Rossi in fifth, with LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl in tow, who continued work on his near factory spec RC213V. Go & Fun Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista’s Showa suspension work is still on going, as the Spaniard placed seventh at the half-way point, ahead of a rapidly improving rookie Bradley Smith on his Tech 3 Yamaha.
The Ducati Team will be relieved that yesterday’s pace was no true indication of their form, as the duo of Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso were much improved in ninth and tenth place respectively, now just over 1.5s off the front. This morning they managed to displace HRC test rider Kosuke Akiyoshi and Yamaha test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga to the spots behind them, with a vastly improving Pramac Racing’s Ben Spies in tow. After a short run yesterday and shoulder trouble, the Texan had already lapped more this morning with 27 laps than his total yesterday.
His teammate Andrea Iannone was just over a tenth off, one place behind Yamaha test rider Wataru Yoshikawa, with the Power Electronics Aspar duo in tow, which are both working with a new chassis and swingarm. Avintia Blusens’ Hiroshi Aoyama’s wrist was not looking too problematic as the Japanese rider improved over yesterday to 18th place, followed by Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci, Avintia’s Héctor Barberá, Cardion AB Motoracing’s Karel Abraham and HRC test rider Takumi Takahashi.
Paul Bird Motorsport’s Michael Laverty showed great improvement as he outpaced teammate Yonny Hernandez, with both finishing ahead of NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Claudio Corti and Colin Edwards. Go & Fun Honda Gresini’s Bryan Staring rounded out the field on his FTR-Honda machine.

Suzuki re-entry: "We have our doors open for them"


Javier Alonso discusses Suzuki re-entry
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
Dorna’s Managing Director of Events Area, Javier Alonso, has told motogp.com that the door is open for a Suzuki return in 2014, after the Japanese outfit visited the on-going Sepang test today.
He commented: “They are visiting us, they are having a look, and we’ve offered them the possibility to test whenever they would be ready to test. And this is what they are studying right now, the possibilities, and how they want to continue with their programme.”
As to whether Suzuki has fully committed to returning, Alonso said: “They are still working on the decision, they are working on the project, and I think they have some important meetings after this….we have our doors open for them.”
Suzuki has already been told that it will have to enter the championship via an existing team, to bring stability to the championship and give value to existing teams. Alonso explained: “The situation is that we have a full crowded grid and of course we commit with the teams that are here with us today, and they will keep the right to continue to be there. Therefore if everybody wants to continue and Suzuki wants to come back they will have to reach an agreement with one of those teams.”
Check out the full interview here at motogp.com.

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2013/Suzuki+reentry+We+have+our+doors+open+for+them