F1 News - From boxing to F1 - the sports turning to gaming during lockdown
https://ift.tt/3bu2z6u The punch came in the seventh round: a stinging uppercut from Joe Frazier to the jaw of Lennox Lewis. The former British world champion tried to regain his feet but stumbled back and was counted out by the referee. Smokin' Joe raised his glove in victory as thousands of fans watching at home shared the historic moment. In fact, everyone was at home - including the boxers, who, of course, have long been retired. Lewis himself was watching from self-isolation. He tweeted: "Congrats to Smokin' Joe on a big win. He caught me with a great shot that... I was never really able to recover from. Hats off to him!" The event was the latest virtual fight organised by the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS). Since coronavirus forced the company to cancel all its real-life events, it's turned to gaming to keep fans entertained with the greatest-ever heavyweights pitted against each other in a tournament series streamed online. Reinventing the wheelThe fights are played using computer-versus-computer simulations from the 2011 Electronic Arts game Fight Night Champion. Boxing fans all over the world have been tuning in, with the first two contests viewed by nearly half a million people, according to the company. Co-founder and promoter of the WBSS (and now the eWBSS), Kalle Sauerland, says he and the industry are desperate for the pandemic to pass so he can get back to filling arenas again. But the German-born, London-bred promoter says he's been blown away by the reaction to his e-sports experiment. "It's been huge success so far and it's growing," he said. "We'll still be boxing promoters at the end of all this but I think now is the time to reinvent the wheel a bit to keep people entertained." Wheels are being reinvented all over the world, across many different sports. Formula 1 streamed its first ever Virtual Grand Prix, with full pundit and commentary team. Celebrities including singer Liam Payne and cyclist Sir Chris Hoy played against each other and in teams from their own homes, in isolation. Television outlets are also getting in on the action. In the US, more than 900,000 viewers tuned in for the inaugural eNascar iRacing Pro Invitational Series on Fox Sports. The network has said it will host an entire series of stock-car races, replacing the ones lost due to the pandemic. For e-sports regulars like Johan Sundstein it's an amusing turn of events. The 26-year-old, known online as N0tail, tops the rankings as the most successful e-sports player of all time, netting almost $7m (£5.85m) so far in prize money for playing Dota 2. "We've had this eternal conflict of sports versus e-sports and we've been accused of copying from the sports scene, and now we see the sports world taking a note out of the e-sports world, which I find kind of funny." Sundstein is currently in isolation at his home in Portugal but the Danish professional is having to adapt to the circumstances since a competition was cancelled at the last minute due to the virus. "It was such a bitter thing that they cancelled our major tournament," he said. "I personally had an extended break and I was really excited to get to this one and it just got taken away from me in front of my nose. I'm dearly going to miss it." The e-sports star has made his name and riches playing for crowds all over the world and is now trying to get into streaming to keep busy and connect with his fans. He admits that for the next few months, at least, "that's where all the viewers are". The big e-sports companies know this, too, and already big-prize purse events are being set up to make the most of the near-global lockdown. Popular basketball game NBA 2K is hosting its first ever "3-on-3" tournament where players can participate online for a prize pool of $25,000. Games streaming in general has experienced an explosion in popularity. On Twitch, the largest game platform, week-on-week engagement is growing, with average concurrent viewers now more than 1.5 million, according to Twitch Tracker. Amy Bayliss, known by her fans as Bamyleaf, streams four days a week on Twitch and says she's noticed an upturn not only in viewer numbers but also in conversation when she's online. "There's a lot of people turning to live streaming right now because they're home and bored and everyone's feeling isolated," she says. "But it's not just about tuning in to see decent gameplay, it's just as much belonging and community." The number of people actually playing games is also growing. On Steam, the largest PC gaming platform in the world, a new record was reached on Sunday, with 20.7m players actively gaming or chatting on the platform at the same time. With the boom come concerns from some quarters about how much bandwidth is being used for gaming and the strain it puts on internet networks. Gaming is relatively light on internet usage but downloading games themselves can be very bandwidth-heavy. To combat this, Playstation recently restricted download speeds across Europe, and other companies, including Twitch, have also reduced the quality of streams in order to help internet service providers cope with the overall strain they are now under. The gaming industry, it seems, is working hard to ride the wave of popularity while minimising the impact on services the boom is having. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 March 26, 2020 at 01:03PM
MotoGP News - Tank Slappers Podcast: Assessing MotoGP's calendar squeeze plan
https://ift.tt/2R30pDp The 2020 MotoGP season is currently on an enforced hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the first five races now pushed out of their original slots. MotoGP promoters Dorna Sports and governing body the FIM have been proactive during this time, with a provisional calendar already published, while various plans have been mooted on how MotoGP can have as full a championship season as possible when racing does finally resume. In the latest Tank Slappers Podcast, recorded a day prior to the announcement that the Spanish Grand Prix had been postponed, Motorsport.com's Global MotoGP Editor Oriol Puigdemont joins Autosport's International Editor Lewis Duncan to discuss how viable these plans truly are and whether they think more races will be cancelled. Also on the podcast, Uri and Lewis talk about three-time champion Jorge Lorenzo's (hopefully) impending wildcard outing at the Catalan Grand Prix with Yamaha, ask what he hopes to gain from it and consider whether it is the right thing for him to be doing. The Tank Slappers Podcast is Autosport and the Motorsport Network's podcast for all things two-wheeled, and can be found on iTunes via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Simply search 'Tank Slappers'. Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei March 26, 2020 at 11:40AM
F1 News - Haas name Pietro Fittipaldi and Louis Deletraz as new reserve and test drivers
https://ift.tt/2Uj6k9a The US-based Haas team have named Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi and Swiss Louis Deletraz as their official test and reserve drivers for this season. Fittipaldi, grandson of twice Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, was test driver for Haas last season when racing in the German Touring Car series. Deletraz, who finished eighth in Formula 2 in 2019, steps up from his role doing work in Haas' simulator. The F1 season has been put on hold as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. The first eight races have been called off - seven of them postponed, while the Monaco Grand Prix has been cancelled for good as no alternative weekend could be found. F1 boss Chase Carey has said he hopes to reconstitute a new season of about 15-18 races - down from the originally planned 22 - and plans to start the championship in the summer. Haas team principal Gunther Steiner said: "Naturally, we had intended to make this announcement over the course of the Australian Grand Prix to start the season, but events both there and globally took priority with the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. "Pietro and Louis have both proven themselves to us over the past 12 months. "Their work in the simulator was undoubtedly of value as we faced our challenges last season and we're excited to continue to present them with further opportunities to expand their relationship with the team in 2020 when we can return to work." #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 March 26, 2020 at 08:57AM
MotoGP News - Spanish GP becomes fifth MotoGP round postponed due to COVID-19
https://ift.tt/2xmR0Q3 The MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez due to run at the start of May has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, becoming the fifth race to be scrapped. The COVID-19 outbreak is now centred on Europe, with Formula 1 recently postponing its Dutch and Spanish GPs, while cancelling Monaco altogether. MotoGP had its season-opening Qatar race cancelled, with the following races in Thailand, Austin and Argentina postponed to later in the year due to the ever-changing coronavirus situation. It had been hoped that the Jerez race on 3 May could be the official start of the 2020 season, but that was dashed on Thursday morning by MotoGP promoters Dorna Sports and governing body the FIM. Following the loss of the last four races, a new calendar was issued almost immediately by the FIM. However, a new date for the Spanish GP will not be announced until the coronavirus situation worldwide becomes clearer. The full FIM statement read: "The FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports regret to announce the postponement of the Red Bull Gran Premio de España, which was set to be held at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto from the 1-3 May. "The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has obliged the event to be rescheduled. "As the situation remains in a state of constant evolution, a new date for the Spanish GP cannot be confirmed until it becomes clearer when exactly it will be possible to hold the event. "A revised calendar will be published as soon as available." It is expected the following French and Italian Grands Prix at Le Mans and Mugello respectively will also be axed from their current slots - with a decision on the former expected at the start of April, according to French GP promoters. Jerez's postponement also means the final pre-season test and opening round of the 2020 MotoE World Cup will not take place. Dorna has previously expressed its hopes to still be able to run all 19 remaining races following Qatar's cancellation. The most recent revised calendar issued shows a run of eight races in 10 weeks, with the season not set to conclude until 29 November in Valencia. However, Dorna and the FIM has not ruled out running the year longer if necessary, while two-race weekends and races behind closed doors have also been mooted. Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei March 26, 2020 at 05:46AM
F1 News - McLaren staff that were quarantined arrive back in UK
https://ift.tt/2WGeRop The McLaren staff quarantined in Melbourne as a result of a coronavirus case at the abandoned Australian Grand Prix are all back in the UK. Sixteen employees spent two weeks in self-isolation after one tested positive in the lead up to the race. McLaren said: "All team personnel who were in self-isolation in Melbourne have now safely returned home." The positive case led to the cancellation of the season-opening race at Albert Park. A member of staff of tyre supplier Pirelli also contracted coronavirus in Melbourne but the company says he has since recovered and left Australia. The F1 calendar has since been thrown into disarray, with the first eight races all called off and one, Monaco, cancelled altogether. The latest event to be postponed was the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, originally scheduled for 7 June. The organiser of the next scheduled race, the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on 14 June, said on Tuesday that a decision on that event would have to be made shortly after Easter weekend, which is 11 and 12 April. F1 boss Chase Carey said on Monday that he hoped to be able to run a revamped schedule of 15-18 races starting at some point in the summer. The original 2020 calendar had an all-time record 22 races on it. However, some senior team personnel are beginning to question whether it will be possible to race at all this year, given the seriousness of the pandemic around the globe. McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown said: "The teams, F1 and FIA are working very closely together to do everything we can so when the world is a safe place to go racing, we can go racing, and hopefully have as much of the schedule preserved (as possible). "There are plans in place to start up in the summertime if the world allows us to and still get in quite a bit of the racing season. Hopefully that will happen." #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 March 26, 2020 at 05:27AM
Motorcycle News - Brotherly Build – Fabbris Moto Honda CB750
https://ift.tt/3dAS6ID Michele and his brother Marco launched their workshop, Fabbris Moto, in 2007. The pair share a passion for both race bikes and classic motorcycles. This, of course, means the brothers have a penchant for building cafe racers and their latest project follows suit. Based on a ’92 Honda CB750 the UJM has been given the full cafe treatment for a close friend and customer. “Luca asked me for a custom build that wasn’t too extreme,” recalls Michele. “I know the seven-fifty platform well because I started my career as a Honda technician. At first, he wasn’t convinced he liked the shape of the standard bike, but after I showed him some sketches he accepted my proposal”. Motorcycles via Return of the Cafe Racers https://ift.tt/2M9riRb March 26, 2020 at 01:45AM
Motorcycle News - 8 Things You Need To Know About The 2020 Ducati Streetfighter V4
https://ift.tt/2vSOn88 Poor Ducati. It seems as though the mystical powers that be simply have something against its new model, the Streetfighter V4. After all the hype surrounding a naked version of the mighty Panigale V4, nothing has gone to plan. First was the death of Carlin Dunne while en route to a commanding victory at the Pikes Peak hill climb, then came the cancellation of the international press intro for the SF V4 at the Ascari Circuit in Spain due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Nonetheless, as the saying goes, the show must go on and Ducati is doing its best to make lemonade out of lemons; holding a livestream presentation for the Streetfighter. In it, lead designer Jeremy Faraud explained the concept behind the style of the Streetfighter. After, Ducati’s lead test rider Alessandro Valia – quite possibly the fastest factory test rider out there – took a deep dive into the technical aspects of the Streetfighter. Getting a peek behind the curtain, so to speak, to learn about a motorcycle from the people who actually designed, engineered, tested, and ultimately made it is always revealing. This Streetfighter live stream, while definitely different than the norm, left us with a few key takeaways. Here, then, are 8 Things You Need To Know about the 2020 Ducati Streetfighter V4. Once the world has recovered from this unprecedented Coronavirus pandemic and opened its doors again, we can’t wait to actually ride the Streetfighter and see for ourselves if the hype is warranted. When we do, we’ll be sure to tell you our thoughts. Until then, read on to learn more about one of the most anticipated bikes of the year. Designed After The JokerAs Faraud put it, the design inspiration for the Streetfighter came from the Joker – yes, the one from Batman – because of his split personalities. In the Streetfighter’s case, this is a machine that’s calm and elegant on the street, but can get wild and aggressive on the racetrack. Faraud explained how the angled LED daytime running lights form the angry eyes while the black space below occupying the air intakes give an aggressive, Joker-like appearance. From the side view the Streetfighter had to clearly resemble a naked bike, but with obvious inspiration from the Panigale V4. Exposing the V4 engine and front frame was the obvious first start, then the remaining bodywork takes the same angular shapes and lines as the Panigale V4. Faraud likes to think of the Streetfighter as having a floating body above the mechanical components. F1-InspiredMoving hot air is hard to do on a bike with minimal fairings, but the Ducati Streetfighter incorporates F1-inspired extractors behind the radiator to move hot air away from the rider. It also has a secondary benefit as the mounting points for the wings. More on that in a moment. Longer than the PanigaleSince the Streetfighter is meant to be more relaxed and (slightly) easier to manage than the Panigale, its wheelbase is extended compared to Panigale 0.5-inch (15mm), making it 58.3 inches. This should reduce the tendency to wheelie and make the Streetfighter a little more stable. Wings!If the Panigale V4 sets the bar with one set of wings, then the Streetfighter ups the ante with two! The biplane wings are mainly the result of wanting to reduce the width of the bike compared to the huge wings seen on the Panigale. Meanwhile none of the downforce was lost in the process. Ducati says there’s already 4.4 lbs (2 kg) of downforce at 31 mph (50 kph), while 168 mph (270 kph) equals 62 lbs (28 kg) of downforce. Interestingly, Ducati claims the downforce distribution, in this case, is 44 lbs (20 kg) on the front and 18 lbs (8 kg) on the rear. The purpose is to add mechanical grip, reducing the tendency to wheelie, while adding stability at high speed, including those first moments when you get on the brakes. The wings also increase airflow through the water and oil radiators by 2% and 10% respectively. A 200-hp Nakedbike?!We all know the Streetfighter V4 shares the same 1103cc Stradale V4 engine as the Panigale, but it’s still crazy enough to warrant another look. This 90º, 1103cc V4 features Ducati’s tried and true desmodromic valve actuation and stays true to Ducati’s V-Twin heritage by essentially coupling each bank of cylinders together. Cylinders 1 and 2 fire 90º apart, then the crank rotates another 200º before cylinders 3 and 4 fire, 90º apart. The result is 208 hp, slightly down from the Panigale’s 214 claimed horses, though still a monstrous amount. Ducati even says 70% of the bike’s torque is available from 4000 rpm. Because there’s so much power on tap, power is actually curtailed to certain degrees in the first three gears, before full punch is on tap from fourth gear on. A shorter final drive ratio vs. the Panigale V4 will give the rider the feeling of a more powerful launch when the throttle is twisted. Panigale V4 ElectronicsA superbike sans fairings, the Streetfighter promises to be a beast for the reasons described above. Thankfully, the Streetfighter will also come equipped with the same electronics package as the Panigale V4, all centering around the Bosch 6-axis IMU. That means:
As I noted in my Panigale V4 review, this latest generation of Ducati electronics is some of the best in the business, a direct result of Ducati’s racing division, Ducati Corse, working in conjunction with the production side to fine tune the software and algorithms controlling the rider aids. For example, DTC EVO2 has been refined to the point you can hardly feel any oscillation from the rear when the tire spins and the system kicks in. Also, the throttle mapping will actually reduce revs if it detects slip during neutral throttle. Typically, if you’re maintaining neutral throttle and the rear wheel slips revs will rise, making an already sketchy situation even harder to control. A Focus On Rider ComfortA Panigale for those who don’t want to commit themselves to the Panigale’s ergonomics, the Streetfighter relaxes things a little. It starts with the bars, which raise the rider up, ends at the pegs, which are 24mm lower than the Panigale, and meets in the middle with a seat that has 60mm of foam. This comfort comes at the expense of short people, as the SF’s 33.3-inch seat height might deter the vertically challenged. Light As A FeatherIf Ducati’s stated curb weight is to be believed, then the Streetfighter V4 promises to be an absolute screamer. Ducati says the Streetfighter weighs in at 392.4 lbs full of gas – and this is for the S model with Öhlins electronic suspension! Divide that by the claimed 208 hp, and you have a power-to-weight ratio of 1.8 lbs per horse! Of course, now that everyone’s appetites have been thoroughly whetted, the only thing left to do is ride the thing. The post 8 Things You Need To Know About The 2020 Ducati Streetfighter V4 appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO March 25, 2020 at 08:33PM
Motorcycle News - Social Distancing with Indian’s New FTR1200 Rally
https://ift.tt/2Uijrr5 Way back in the old days of early March 2020, a huge crowd assembled among gathering clouds. The Supercross at Daytona ran on schedule to packed stands. It would be the last major motorcycle race for the foreseeable future, but we didn’t know that. The witnesses were mostly young and beautiful: These are the people who will carry the world forward when our boomer lungs fill with pus, and we utter our final, intubated gurgle. We saw the crazy reports of toilet paper hoarding circulated on social media. We weren’t blind. We knew something was coming. On this, our last night of innocence, we sat shoulder to shoulder blasting out throaty cheers to over-modulated rock music and watched Eli Tomac slowly reel in and then pass Ken Roczen to take the win. Then the shit hit the fan. Daytona’s remaining races were first declared off limits to spectators. I checked in with Speedway officials and found my Motorcycle.com media passes would allow me access. Then a day later Speedway officials declared the races off limits to everyone. The show was canceled. The huge, motorcycle-product tent city erected in Daytona’s parking lots began to thin as vendors packed up their wares. The whole town seemed to lose its will to go on – except for the Harley riders whose exhausts raged on, impervious to fear. I still had a loaner Indian FTR1200 Rally for a few days. Shelter in place was the directive. So, I decided to clear out with everyone else and explore the lonely tracts of the Ocala National Forest. The Cross Florida Barge Canal is a centuries old idea. The on-again, off-again attempt to create a water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico via Central Florida is off at the moment. I’m not fully convinced the game is over, as the partially completed canal seems a hard thing to resist for politicians seeking boondoggle money. Slicing through Florida’s shallow aquifers, mixing sea water with fresh, the canal project had environmental issues from the very beginning and has been repurposed into a natural path called the Cross Florida Greenway. That’s where I took Indian’s new FTR1200 for a little sand-to-sand combat. Eastward from Highway 19, the Greenway gets dirty. The COVID-19 virus will have a hard time finding me on this road of compacted sand. It’s a smooth-ish high-speed dirt road mixed with loose sugar sand. The FTR has such a luxurious amount of power 6th gear roll-ons send long roostertails of sand slashing through the pine scrub. It’s a wonderful feeling to never want more, and in the dirt, the FTR gave me all the power I could possibly want. Let me clear this up right now: the FTR1200 Rally is not a dirt bike. It has knobby tires, but one look will tell you it’s a streetbike. The thing is, the definition and dimensions of an off-road bike have changed greatly since the advent of large, heavy ADV motorcycles. Going by the new, 600-pound-ADV standard, the FTR is a relative lightweight at 500 pounds and a nimble machine to boot. Deep sand, the kind of sand you get on the tight corners of The Greenway, were best taken at a walking pace. Other than that, I had no problem hustling the sturdy little 1200cc bike down graded dirt roads at 50 to 80 miles per hour. The Rally could go faster in the dirt but not with me at the controls. After 20 miles the Greenway intersected pavement, and I turned the FTR north towards another tenuous canal tie-in. Only a century after Philip II, the King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, and Sicily first proposed the Cross Florida Canal, work began in 1672 on the Castillo De San Marcos fort in Saint Augustine, Florida. The fort is a huge tourist attraction, and as this was still in the early days of virus alerts, the place was crowded with sweaty, sunburnt, disease vectors. I thought with the government order to close everything I could sneak in to see the fort, but the lines were long, people were close-coupled. I didn’t want any part of that scene. The FTR pulls hard up to an indicated 130 miles per hour before the electronic speed limiter kicks in; 130 in 6th gear is only 7200 RPM. The speedometer number spacing tightens up over 120 mph, making it hard to tell exactly what speed you are traveling, but really, at that pace, your eyes should be on the road. The FTR will do 130 in 5th gear, also electronically limited. The remaining gears hit the rev limiter around 9000 rpm. It’s a hard cut-off that gets annoying if you live near redline, and the Rally gets to redline quickly in whatever gear you choose. I made it back to the safety of the Ocala Forest pretty fast, burning through gasoline at the rate of one gallon for every 40 miles traveled. The most fuel I put in the FTR’s 3.4 gallon under seat tank was 2.5 gallons, and the low fuel light never illuminated. By the next morning, hard-core capitalists were talking about handing out free money to everybody, the stock market reached new lows, verified cases of COVID-19 doubled, schools closed, and grocery stores were stripped bare by a frightened public intent on hoarding whatever they could get their hands on. It wasn’t a good look for America. We like to think of ourselves as heroic cowboys, never ruffled, always true. We became The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly rolled into one. Outside, it was like any other beautiful March day in Florida. The sun rose; the warmest Daytona Bike Week weather I can remember continued, hitting 90 degrees. I took advantage of the dry weather to explore Kismet Road, a route that had stopped me in the past due to deep water. The water level was down, replaced by sections of deep sugar sand. I dropped the FTR into first gear and paddled through. The FTR’s weight is low and balanced making footwork fairly easy. Kismet exits onto Highway 42, the closest thing to twisties you’ll find in Central Florida. Hanging on the front of the FTR Rally’s engine are a few things you shouldn’t smash into rocks. There’s an oil cooler on the right, and on the left is the battery with a finned aluminum voltage regulator. The battery is inside a plastic box. So, I don’t think a stray rock kicked up by the front wheel will hurt it. Rock crawling or curb hopping could do some damage. The FTR Rally has less electronic widgets than the full-boat FTR. The instruments are analog instead of touch screen, there are no power settings (it’s full power all the time), and the ABS system cannot be turned off like the touch screen model. All things considered, I like the simpler Rally except you really need to be able to turn the ABS off in the dirt. With ABS activated the rear brake is useless in sand or traction-compromised situations. Luckily, most ABS front brakes seem to work well in the dirt, and the Rally’s front brake was no exception. If you’re shaped like me: short, fat, and neck-less, the FTR Rally will fit perfectly. I loved the handlebar/seat/foot peg relationship. The thing was like Posturepedic designed a motorcycle. On the Rally I was tilted slightly forward with my feet directly under my butt. The handlebars were plenty wide and right where I wanted them. The Rally has a mildly aggressive stance, but it put me in mind to try anything. I didn’t fear deep sand bogs or tight trail u-turns like I would have on a bigger motorcycle with a cruiser-ish, feet forward, spine-curving slouch. But then what are you doing out in the woods on that type of motorcycle? The Rally’s seat is narrow at the front then grows wider a few inches back. Being chimp-of-leg, the foot peg location blocked a firm stance when stopped, but I could still reach the ground okay thanks to that narrow section. It felt like a dirt bike for sure. There is a ridge cutting across the seat that forms a bucket for the rider. It’s comfortable on the street and good during hard acceleration, but I would prefer a flatter seat which would allow me to put more weight on the back tire in off road situations. That hump hampers my movement, man. A motorcyclist must have laid out Highway 42 because the pavement gently sways for no reason at all. Florida is amazingly flat yet some unsung hero took care of us motorcycle riders for a few miles. On the street, the FTR is supremely composed. Braking is strong. There are no wobbles, the bike is never out of sorts. The Rally feels like solid material instead of built up from individual parts. Cracking the throttle in the first two gears causes the front wheel to come off the ground. The bike hits so hard in first gear that the tire spins. It does a wheelie and then smacks into the rev limiter all at the same time and within what seems like 30 feet. I really like this motorcycle. The Indian FTR Rally is so good it joins the thinly populated ranks of modern motorcycles I would own. Indian sells an accessory rear rack that I would buy before I left the showroom. Another thing I would do before leaving the dealership is remove that awful rear hugger/turn indicator/license plate holder thingy. It looks like something the Borg would attach to assimilate your motorcycle. Indian needs to find the designer who drew up that hugger and transfer him to the toaster division of Polaris. (Then again, there’s already an accessory in the Indian catalog to get rid of it: Item# 2884060.) By Saturday the entire world was completely freaked out. Italy was overrun with coronavirus victims. I started to worry about getting home to New Mexico. What if the government blocked interstate travel? What if gas stations closed up? In all this confusion, could I keep the Rally without Indian noticing? Would motels take guests? Would grocery stores have food? It was that kind of crazy. I rode the FTR Rally back to Indian’s Main Street location. I was just in time because the crew had their sprawling Indian parking lot display broken down and mostly packed away. The Saturday of the 200 is normally the busiest day during Bike Week, but this Saturday was lost to the chaos engulfing America. A tiny virus, COVID-19 has beaten Daytona this year. Hang in there MOrons, because Bike Week 2021 is already spinning our way, cutting a graceful helix through the dark infinite universe. We will arrive and one day the sound of racing motorcycles will again rip through the balmy Florida night and throaty cheers will blast from strong, beautiful fans packed shoulder to shoulder. The post Social Distancing with Indian’s New FTR1200 Rally appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO March 25, 2020 at 06:09PM
Motorcycle News - US-Spec 2021 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP Claims 188 hp
https://ift.tt/3bpMWgp Since the 2021 CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP was announced in November, we’ve been eagerly waiting for Honda to release horsepower figures for the U.S. market, hoping it wouldn’t be far off the 215 hp claimed for the European-spec model. Thanks to VIN documentation Honda submitted to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, we can now report the American-spec CBR1000RR-R will only produce 188 hp. While that’s a good improvement from the previous generation CBR1000RR which NHTSA filings list at 169 hp, it’s still down significantly from the Fireblade European customers will be getting. While we’ve been used to seeing a power drop-off for U.S. spec models, the news is still disappointing, especially compared to bikes such as the BMW S1000RR which claims 205 hp in its NHTSA documentation. At 188 hp, the Fireblade SP is much closer to its Japanese brethren. Per NHTSA, the U.S. version of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R claims 186 hp and the Suzuki GSX-R1000 is listed at 185.3 hp (data on the current Yamaha R1 isn’t available through NHTSA yet but the 2018 model claims 187.4 hp). The 2021 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP is priced at $28,500, with availability scheduled for June 2020. The post US-Spec 2021 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP Claims 188 hp appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO March 25, 2020 at 02:50PM
Motorcycle News - Laid Back: Proof that you can turn a Cub into a chopper
https://ift.tt/39dXeyM
This super cute scoot is right on brief. 2LOUD’s customer, a young woman, was very clear on what she wanted: “Cub plus chopper plus love.” And builders Ma ‘Max’ Yicheng and Lu Yongyu were all too happy to oblige.
This one came with a 90 cc motor and a three-speed gearbox, but Max and Lu quickly wedged in a 190 cc Zongshen mill with a five-speed box. With most of the bodywork gone, the engine’s now on full display. It’s been ‘upgraded’ by way of a new filter, and a simple, yet elegant, custom-made exhaust.
Max and Lu upgraded the wheels too, by lacing a set of 18F/17R aluminum rims to the stock hubs, with fresh stainless steel spokes. The guys kept the stock drum brakes, but refurbished them, and picked a set of vintage treads from Duro for the tires.
It’s capped off with a gorgeous caramel-colored leather seat, which has a custom-built opening mechanism to access the gas tank. A knurled stainless steel knob up top releases the seat, which then hinges forward on a stylish hand-made stainless steel hinge at the front.
With the scoot’s original side panels gone too, Max and Lu had a couple of holes to fill on the sides of the bike. So they fabricated a pair of 3D heart-shaped covers to fill in the gaps.
Thoughtful little details are strewn throughout the build, just as we’ve come to expect from this Taiwanese powerhouse. Note the cross-brace on the bars, the exhaust hanger and the main frame tube gusset; all of them have been drilled out to complement each other.
2LOUD Facebook | Instagram | Images by Double Photography Motorcycles via Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/2Mf9b0c March 25, 2020 at 12:32PM |
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