My journey back to Paul Ricard this past February for the press launch of the new MV Agusta F3 675 was special. This enchanting high-speed circuit is perched above the French Riviera in the arid mountains of Southern France. When I was in my early 20s, Paul Ricard was a place of “firsts”: my first race on European soil; my first team endurance race; my first time speeding at 180 mph through dense campfire smoke in the black of night; and my first 130-plus-mph crash. It took half of a French fire brigade to knock down the flames and bring the melted bike to its final resting place.

In stark contrast to the ambitious youngster who arrived here 13 years ago, I am sitting calmly in the media center enjoying an espresso that’s as smooth as the lines on the beautiful MV Agusta resting on the stand before me. With the pressure of professional racing behind me, my job today is to simply enjoy this little firecracker for all she is worth.

Incredibly, just four engineers are behind the new F3. Technical Director Marco Cassinelli, who was recruited from Lamborghini, tells me this small group is very efficient, that it directs all of its energy toward what it believes to be the future of the brand. Upholding MV Agusta’s heritage of beauty and performance is critical, says Cassinelli, but attracting mainstream consumers is also important.

While the engineers dive proudly into the many features incorporated into the electronic dash, my jet-lagged attention span goes no deeper than the panel’s elegant exterior. The display is spartan, its clean, simple design unencumbered by gadgetry. In fact, it’s more like the simple analog clocks on older racebikes than the bulky dashes that are so common today. Same goes for the rest of the bike; there are no flashy badges or logos, just the raw beauty of metal and performance.

I glance around the briefing room and am distracted by a tiny engine that looks like it belongs in a dirtbike. That little thing is the F3’s powerplant? While one of the engineers talks about fuel maps and torque curves, I sneak over for a better look at this compact engine. Yep, it would fit easily in my gearbag.

I’m still in a bit of a haze when I suit up and climb aboard the 675 for my first track session. My senses are confused straight away. The F3 is far too narrow to be an inline-Four, yet it feels curiously similar to a Yamaha YZF-R6. Pressing the Start button evokes different emotions; this Triple is grumbly like a Twin, but it’s too highly strung to be one. I accelerate down pit lane with the front wheel hovering above the pavement. This little torque monster revs out!

Reacquainting myself with Paul Ricard is anti-climactic. The lean 675 quickly finds its way from apex to apex with ease. Balanced ergonomics and a low seating position promote aggressive riding while keeping weight transfer to a minimum. The throaty exhaust note is solid gold, and the F3 seems to beg for more throttle, inviting its most remarkable feature, the engine, to come alive.

Capitalizing on six perfectly spaced transmission ratios and an excellent, full-throttle EAS (Electronic Assisted Shift) auto-shift feature, I busily hustle from first through sixth down the long front straight. The six-injector, 12-valve, dohc, 79.0 x 45.9mm motor is phenomenal, with a wide range of power and the ability to overrev. Strong torque is delivered linearly and right on time in relation to throttle position, with the potent power curve giving an extra pull on the bars between 10,000 and 14,000 rpm. MV claims 126 horsepower at 14,400 rpm and 52 foot-pounds of torque at 10,600 rpm. Redline is 15,000 rpm.

Now that I am fully awake, I’m ready for a second explanation about the many electronic functions. Engineer Mauro Marelli begins by saying the system is new from the ground up. It starts with a ride-by-wire throttle using a standard open-and-close potentiometer. This is augmented by a “safety closing” default to eliminate any surprises.

Moving on, Marelli says a new ECU was designed specifically for the traction control, torque maps and quick-shift functions on the F3. I watch as he scrolls through the well-lit display. The F3 boasts four map settings. The first three—Rain, Normaland Sport—are self-explanatory and preset for user ease. The fourth mode is called “Corono,” which allows on-the-fly customization using thumb switches located, MotoGP-style, adjacent to the left handgrip. Within Corono are five different parameters ranging from eight levels of traction control to torque delivery. Leaving no request unsatisfied, there is even an adjustable highway speed limiter to keep you out of trouble with Smokey. Okay, there are enough options to hang myself. Impressive.

Just how much do I trust the 675’s electronics? Getting to full throttle early on cold tires is never a good idea; but it’s my only opportunity to test the rain mapping, and, thus far, the engineers have not steered me wrong, so I’m willing to roll the dice. Riding out of the pit box, I scroll through to level eight on the TC selector, which is intended for wet conditions. At the apex of hairpin Turn 1, I aggressively pin the throttle in first gear. The familiar safety-net sound of the engine misfiring to limit wheel slip is music to my ears. As the tires reach optimum temperature, I methodically work my way from level eight down to zero. Each selection performs as it was designed, allowing for more wheel slip in a consistent progression. Although the traction control is well-sorted, the engine delivers such steady Twin-like torque delivery that TC is rarely in demand.

Speed is crucial in the evaluation of chassis. Lapping the track at a pretty good clip, I find it difficult to point out any major faults. Even in street trim on one ofEurope’s fastest circuits, the 675 with its hybrid aluminum/steel frame rolling on a 54.2-inch wheelbase carves up the track. Racing speeds, however, ask a lot of the stock suspension. The fully adjustable Sachs shock holds up remarkably well, but the 43mm Marzocchi fork is a little soft at maximum load, diving quickly under hard braking, making the rear end loose on entry and creating some pumping mid-corner. But that I find myself evaluating the F3 as if it were a racebike is the biggest compliment I could pay a stock motorcycle. The 320mm Brembo front brakes are exceptional, as well, offering phenomenal stopping power and feel.

Sitting directly behind the F3’s greatest strength lurks its biggest weakness: the transmission. Though solid in feel, the cassette-type gearbox is fickle; having to take a second stab at third and fourth gears gives away the generous gift that the potent engine delivers on corner exits. EAS helps, but considering the many other great choices in this displacement category, the F3 needs to be a complete package.

Can a small European brand like MV Agusta keep up with the big boys in development costs and still deliver an affordable product? Contrary to the popular notion that you buy a racy Italian motorcycle with your heart, the 675 F3 has an attractive price tag: $13,498. Couple that with incredible performance and elegant looks, and you have an amazing machine. Hopefully, MV Agusta will be able to maintain its newfound momentum.

Sometime in 2006, I received a phone call from none other than the maestro, Massimo Tamburini, then CEO of the Cagiva Group’s R&D department, better known as Centro Ricerche Cagiva or CRC. Tamburini wanted to know if I thought a middleweight MV Agusta powered by a three-cylinder engine would sell in today’s market. I thought it was a wonderful idea, the right way to capitalize on one of the greatest legends in motorcycling that is still very much alive in the hearts of many enthusiasts.

I know perfectly well that Tamburini does not need my opinion to make the right choices when it comes to conceiving, let alone designing, the ultimate sportbike of each class and generation. Possibly, he was hard at the bargaining table for his project and seeking extra support. Regardless, the F3 675 got the green light from Claudio Castiglioni.

In 2008, MV Agusta was going through lean times, so Castiglioni resorted to a small outside technical team to keep development costs down. That four-man R&D unit, known as HRT, is led by Ezio Mascheroni (the legendary ex-race-department chief at Aermacchi and Cagiva) and his engineer son, Maurizio. They are joined by the brilliant and enormously experienced Enrico Sironi, who was a member of the technical team that gave life to the winningest Grand Prix bike ever, the MV Agusta 350/500 Triple.

By 2008, the first engine concept had already been completed. It was as lean as Tamburini wanted it to be: not wider than a Yamaha RD250/350 two-stroke Twin. To keep the engine’s cross-section narrow, the alternator was riding piggyback behind the cylinder block and the valves were gear-driven—like in a real racing engine. Castiglioni turned down the concept because of the extra cost of that tiny, ultra-high-revving alternator (cooling problems, as well) and noise generated by the gears.

Back to the drawing board. Ezio Mascheroni and his team collaborated with MV Agusta Technical Director Marco Cassinelli to tame the original concept down to a level of complexity that would make its design much more rational for mass production while retaining all its fascinating performance potential. The resulting F3 675 spans just 14.7 inches across and weighs 119 pounds dry. MV Agusta says no engine will depart the Varese factory generating less than 130 horsepower.

Inside, the F3 follows the traditional “golden rules” that have inspired all high-performance engines, starting from highly oversquare bore-and-stroke measurements. In its present 675cc form, cylinder bore is the same 79mm that has been used through the years by the hottest editions of the F4 inline-Four in either 1078 or the latest 998cc version. Stroke is down to 45.9mm.

In the future, the F3 is expected to grow to 800cc by increasing stroke to 54.4mm. Bore can be enlarged to 81mm without modifying the cylinder block, and after that only by offsetting the cylinder barrels in relation to the axis of the connecting rods—a marginally daring operation that the HRT team proved safely feasible, but that MV Agusta CEO Massimo Bordi will most likely turn down. Too bad; the exhaust note from a high-revving 850cc Triple would be very attractive.

The MV Agusta 675 F3 comes in two models: an all-out sportbike, the F3, producing a claimed 130 hp at 14,500 rpm, and the Brutale 675, detuned to 115 hp at 12,500 rpm.

People who ride motorcycles and scooters in what used to be called the First World purely for recreation too easily forget that their “toys” are first and foremost transportation devices. But people in the Third World use any motorized conveyance to replace Shank’s Mare or real mares for getting around and doing essential tasks—such as, for example, rushing snakebite victims in Nepalto regional hospitals, as made clear in a recent ScienceNews story.

The same dynamic qualities built into powered two-wheelers (transportation technocrats call any motorcycle, scooter or moped a “Powered Two-Wheeler” or PTW) that make them fun for First Worlders also make them important transportation in places where road infrastructure is skimpy or non-existent, and where road “rules” are likewise minimally attended to. When disaster strikes, a PTW can slip through gridlock, around and over obstacles and, in short, go places where not even the toughest 4×4 can go. And do it all on very little fuel.

The ScienceNews story makes it clear that the bikes were only part of the solution; people had to accept that dealing with snakebites by going to “traditional” healers—snake charmers and the like—was even more important. But even so, without the ability to get snakebite victims to help quickly, the victims would almost certainly die.

Official use of PTWs in our society tends to be limited to police and highway patrols, but the encouraging news from Nepal’s PTW riders suggests that we should not forget what motorcycles can do that cars cannot when seconds count in saving lives.

The future of suspension is unfolding right in front of our eyes. In a few short years, screwdrivers and shock-preload spanners will be a distant memory. For many current BMW and Ducati owners, they already are.

But what if you don’t like the performance of your factory-issued electronic suspension or the range of its adjustments? Or what if you want electronic adjustability and your bike didn’t come equipped with such a system? High-performance Swedish suspension company Öhlins, who not only co-developed Ducati’s electro-units for the Multistrada, has now released its Mechatronic aftermarket upgrade for the ESA-equipped BMW R1200GS; a kit for the Kawasaki ZX-10R is in the works.

Mechatronic has been in development for years. Back in 2007, Noriyuki Haga won Race 2 at Donington Park’s World Superbike event aboard a factory Yamaha YZF-R1 outfitted with an early prototype of Öhlins’ system. Aftermarket electronic suspension was banned from WSBK beginning in 2008.

The TTX-based, BM670 ESA replacement kit for the GS includes a pair of EC (electronically controlled) shocks, ECU, wiring harness and all other necessary pieces. One detail that is different from the ESA’s electro-hydraulic preload actuation is that the Öhlins front damper needs manual adjustment; easy access to the unit and cost savings were deciding factors.

Biggest benefit to the system is the use of twin-tube TTX shocks, which segregates compression and rebound damping into different circuits. A pair of tubes resides one inside the other, with the piston inside the innermost tube. The design allows fluid to be controlled on the up and down strokes without allowing rebound adjustments to affect compression and vice versa.

Serviceability is another plus, as customers have the possibility to change spring rates and also rebuild units.

Functions on the Öhlins system are selected in the same manner as BMW’s ESA and use standard dash screen icons. Rear preload is set by selecting solo rider, rider with luggage or pillion rider, while damping is selected from Comfort, Normalor Sport in street mode or Soft, Normalor Hard in soft- or hard-terrain Enduro modes. A unique feature is a Smart-EC function that automatically increases or reduces damping with speed when Comfort is selected. The ECU also allows future updates to be uploaded for improved damping curves as Öhlins gains more knowledge. Plans to create a rider interface that would allow the bike owner to alter values—similar to what is possible on a Dynojet or Bazazz Performance fuel-injection computer—are under development, too.

We had the opportunity to ride an otherwise-stock Öhlins-equipped GS back-to-back with a standard model on a wide variety of roads, including smooth twisties, freeway and a super-rough, paved dual-sport road with large, jumplike waterbars. Most impressive was the enhanced front-end feedback and total lack of wallowing that we had encountered on the standard GS. Another improvement is that the bike no longer squatted under acceleration. Steering felt considerably more precise, while heavy braking no longer caused front-end grip to feel vague.

On rough sections of pavement in Enduro mode, the Öhlins suspension’s preload could be set stiff to reduce bottoming without adversely affecting small-bump compliance.

On the freeway, we selected Comfort/solo rider and found the damping stiffer than stock, allowing sharp bumps to be more pronounced. We felt, however, that the slightly harsher ride was a fair tradeoff for the dramatically improved overall performance.

At $3279, the BMW GS Öhlins kit doesn’t come cheaply, but compared to BMW’s stock dampers, it seems like a bargain. According to Irv Seaver Motorcycles in Orange, California, replacing the stock ESA shocks on a GS would cost around $3800 (plus labor) if damaged, as the units aren’t serviceable. Next in the lineup will be a kit for the long-travel R1200GS Adventure, followed by the aforementioned ZX-10R.

Details about the TTX36 Mk II EC shock for the 10R are few, but we do know that it will communicate with the stock ECU and utilize on-bike sensors. It will be semi-active in the sense that it will continuously react to rider input and also alter how it responds based on selected power and TC settings, then adjust rebound and compression damping accordingly.

Öhlins has our attention, and if the ZX-10R shock improves the already outstanding performance of that bike like it transformed the GS, we predict that it’s only a matter of time before clickers are a thing of the past on sportbikes and high-end motorcycles.

Alabama’s Confederate Motors just released the third generation of its X132 Hellcat, named after the legendary F6F Hellcat fighter plane. Unique to the latest X132 are the billet engine cases, which are machined from two blocks of 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum. The numerical designation denotes the 56-degree V-Twin engine’s 132-cubic-inch (2163cc) displacement. Confederate claims that the fuel-injected monster produces 132 horsepower and 150 foot-pounds of torque. Custom 50mm Marzocchi fork and Race Tech shock are fully adjustable. Premium components—including carbon-fiber wheels, Beringer Aerotec radial-mount front brakes, an LED headlamp and high-quality hardware—may or may not help justify the X132’s $49,500 price tag, but that probably depends on the depth of your pockets.

Speed Armor High Impact Skid Plates ($39.95) are manufactured in the U.S. by Cycra Racing of injection-molded, high-impact plastic. They install in seconds using supplied high-strength zip ties, offer drain-plug access for quick, easy oil changes and come in six colors—Black, Blue, Red, Gray, Green or Orange—to match most late-model two- and four-stroke Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and KTM dirtbikes. Plus, they’re 100 percent recyclable.

Cycra Racing, Inc.
171 O’Neill Dr.
Hebron, OH 43025
740/929-0188
www.cycraracing.com

Wholesale change doesn’t often come quickly on the heels of resounding success. Since its debut a decade ago, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 has amassed an impressive tally of 37 combined world and national roadrace titles. The mighty Gixxer has proven particularly dominant in AMA Superbike, stringing together seven back-to-back championships from 2002 to ’09, while the bike also claimed an eighth World Endurance title this past year. It adds up to pretty compelling justification for Suzuki to seemingly just tread water with only minor updates to its flagship repli-racer, while other manufacturers have taken the electronic-rider-aid plunge.

We were most recently reminded of the GSX-R1000’s performance prowess in our “Electronic Warfare” shootout (CW August, 2011), in which we equipped our stock testbike with an aftermarket Bazzaz Z-Fi TC traction control unit and lapped second-quickest amongst the current crop of factory TC-endowed liter bikes. It will be interesting to learn if the latest GSX-R can beat the competition without any TC intervention.

I attended a press introduction for the 2012 model at Homestead Miami Speedway in southern Florida. Suzuki refers to the new model as a refined version of the fifth-generation GSX-R1000, noting a short list of updates aimed at improved circuit performance. The goal was a tangible evolution in each of the basic performance areas, including acceleration, cornering and braking. The single-day, track-only event provided a glimpse of what the bike is capable of while lapping the speedway’s 14-turn, 2.21-mile infield roadcourse. Despite Suzuki’s stated emphasis on enhancing track performance and the fact I’ve yet to log any street time on the bike, I’m 100 percent confident in saying that these updates offer a significant improvement for the everyday road rider.

The switch to Brembo Monobloc radial-mount calipers up front (á la last year’s 600/750) has given the bike a true race-spec binder upgrade that appears to be a change of pad compound away from competition-type bite and one-finger stopping performance. The new Sunstar 310mm rotors are made of heat-resistant stainless steel, allowing a reduction in thickness that saves weight. While a fairly firm squeeze on the lever was required to maximize stopping performance, I liked the level of feedback. I also feel the setup will be well-suited to both street and trackday use, offering solid two-finger stopping power and consistency without having an overly aggressive (touchy) initial action.

The Showa BPF fork has been altered to accommodate the bike’s 4.4-pound weight reduction and the shift in center of gravity that resulted from the switch from twin mufflers to one. The fork legs’ overall length and travel are slightly reduced (7mm and 5mm, respectively), along with softer standard settings than before. I didn’t find any need to tweak the front setup but added a few additional clicks of rebound resistance to the shock to help settle a bit of pogo action at the rear under hard acceleration out of one particular infield corner. The front felt fantastic, providing firm-yet-supple suspension action under hard braking and cornering load, along with excellent stability while accelerating or at speed—the best I’ve experienced with a Gixxer since the BPF was introduced in 2009. Based on my limited dry laps prior to afternoon showers, I can’t say if the front-end confidence is all Showa or maybe a trait of the Bridgestone R10 Supersport race-compound radials on which I had never ridden prior to this occasion. The OE tire fitment is Bridgestone’s brand-new Battlax Hypersport S20, a street/sport tire that will be introduced to the press mid-March.

While the new black tachometer face and red pinstripes on the wheels, single titanium muffler and golden-hued Monoblocs account for ample visual cues that separate the ’12 from its predecessor, one twist of throttle at low rpm spells out the most significant difference: A combination of cam profile change, slight compression increase, exhaust tune and ECU mapping have resulted in an increase in midrange torque output without any loss of peak power. The dyno chart in the press kit suggests a flatter torque curve filling in some dips that previously existed. We’ll find out soon enough when we get a test bike on the CW dyno, but for now, I can say I was impressed by how readily the Gixxer grunted out of Homestead’s second-gear hairpin, beginning the drive with revs below 4500 rpm. Once the rain hit, I put in a few more laps sampling the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector B and C modes, and I’m very glad I did. Earlier in the day, in dry conditions, I was puzzled by a non-linear delivery when I rode in either alternate mode. It appears that rolling the throttle on too aggressively (which is easy to do on a grippy track) while in B or C mode was the issue. In the wet, I applied throttle more steadily and was rewarded with smooth, controlled delivery.

The business end of the Gixxer is A mode, and its new, improved linear power delivery extending from basement revs all the way to the indicated 13,600 rpm redline makes the wait for Gixxer 6.0 all the easier to process.

Twin- and four-cylinder Universal Japanese Motorcycles from the Seventies and early Eighties are all the rage these days. They’re simple to find, cheap to own and, thanks to Joker Machine, easy to turn into cool café racers. Machined billet bits for these bikes run the gamut, from case covers, headlight brackets, hand controls, triple-clamps (with a nifty built-in crossover manifold for dual-disc front brakes) to folding bar-end mirrors, rearset footpegs and “Joker”-themed gas-tank emblems. Prices start at $10.

Joker Machine
1931 Yeager Ave.
La Verne, CA 91750
909/596-9690
www.jokermachine.com

Racing is a minefield of unknowns. Celebrating on the podium at New Jersey Motorsports Park, site of the final round of the 2011 AMA Pro Road Racing series, Josh Hayes could not have imagined that two months later he’d be making his MotoGP debut. But no one envisioned that Marco Simoncelli would be killed in a freak crash at the penultimate round of the world championship in Malaysia. Or that non-life-threatening injuries suffered by Colin Edwards in the same accident would force the Texan to abandon the season-ending race inSpain, freeing up his Tech 3 Yamaha for Hayes.

Weeks before Simoncelli’s fateful crash, Yamaha had arranged for Hayes to test Edwards’ YZR-M1 at the Circuito de la Comunitat Ricardo Tormo. Flights were booked, hotels paid for. But the test wasn’t really a test; it was a gift to Hayes for winning his second-straight American SuperBike title. At 36, Hayes knew a move to MotoGP was not in the cards; Edwards’ teammate, Cal Crutchlow, and ex-Honda man Andrea Dovizioso were already contracted to Tech 3 for 2012. So, with a spectacular, come-from-behind national championship behind him and a handful of low-key laps on a soon-to-be-extinct 800cc MotoGP bike ahead of him, Hayes had been kicking back at home in California. A few days shaking down the new YZF-R1 and “a little tennis” were the scope of his training regimen.

Although Hayes keeps up with friends Edwards and factory Ducati and Yamaha riders Nicky Hayden and Ben Spies, he doesn’t follow MotoGP. “I’m just not going to look at [MotoGP] because I want it,” he said. “I can’t make it happen, so I’m going to focus on what I’m doing.”

Hayes was at Yamaha’s U.S. headquarters in California when he learned that Tech 3 was actively seeking a replacement for Edwards. “I could feel the hair stand up on my arms,” he said. “I thought, ‘Oh, my God, I might actually get a shot at this.’”

A few frantic days later, Hayes and his wife, Melissa, a regular in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike class, were on a plane bound for Spain. Chance of a lifetime? Personal doubts had now made the treat of a MotoGP test seem so far away. Now, it was all about competition.

“At the end of the day, I’m a racer,” said Hayes. “I have pride, and there’s a lot I want to accomplish for myself. As much as everybody has been wonderful about telling me, ‘Hey, just go have fun and enjoy the experience,’ there’s still a checkered flag at the end.”

When MotoGP regrouped in Valencia less than two weeks after the loss of Simoncelli, MotoGP’s next great star, the dark specter of death hung over the entire paddock. “Ciao, Marco” and “RIP #58” were still being tweeted and posted on racing bulletin boards around the globe.

Upon arrival in Spain, Hayes learned that he would have less than four hours total to figure out the track, the motorcycle and his new team. Hayes had been to Valencia once before, but he’d never turned a wheel on the tricky, 14-turn 2.5-mile circuit. He’d never sat on, let alone ridden, an 800cc MotoGP prototype. Layers of electronic aids, carbon-carbon Brembo brakes and series-spec Bridgestone slicks were further uncharted territory.

“I was a nervous wreck,” he said.

Hayes doesn’t speak French, so he was uncertain if he would be able to communicate with the Provence-based Tech 3 crew and chief engineer Guy Coulon. Plus, the weather forecast for the weekend was dodgy. Hayes also had to deal with a grid full of the top riders in the world—including recently crowned world champion Casey Stoner and former AMA and World Superbike Champion Spies—all of whom knew their machines intimately and were well-versed on the many nuances of the Spanish racetrack.

Hayes may have felt like an outsider, but the vibe in the paddock toward him was extremely positive. Crutchlow, not Edwards, was Hayes’ “guidance counselor” for the weekend. Hayes had sent Edwards a couple of text messages wishing him well in his recovery, but that was the extent of their contact. Crutchlow and Hayes are good friends off the track and have trained and socialized together inCalifornia, where Crutchlow’s management company is located. Other people in the paddock also volunteered their assistance.

Hayes’ MotoGP experience reminded him of his early years in the AMA ranks, racing alongside his heroes, Aaron Yates, Jason Pridmore and Miguel Duhamel. “I was following Miguel at SearsPoint [now Infineon Raceway],” recalled Hayes. “I thought, ‘Oh, my God, if I have to ride like that, my career is over. This is as far as I’m ever going to make it. There’s no way!’”

Hayes made steady progress, and this past season, he passed Yates for seventh overall on the AMA’s all-time rider win list. With 39 victories to his credit, he’s just one podium-topping finish shy of five-time Daytona 200 winner Scott Russell. Duhamel heads the list with 86 wins.

Victory was the last thing on Hayes’ mind at Valencia. With a weekend full of memorials to Simoncelli, the entire paddock sporting pins with a red “58” on a black background, visual reminders everywhere of the fallen Italian emblazoned on trucks, plus giant walls of remembrance and folks having their pictures taken under the Gresini semi with its full-size picture of a waving Simoncelli, the entire track felt like a place of pilgrimage.

When someone suggested that perhaps Hayes had given fans someone to cheer for, he said, “Maybe the timing couldn’t have been better.” He described the loss of 13-year-old Peter Lenz at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2010 and Superbike racer Jamie Bowman a decade earlier at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “But then you take a hit with one of your top guys—Marco Simoncelli—and the whole world wanted to see something good, you know? No one wants to end the season on a low note. I was lucky that a lot of people got behind me.”

This wasn’t idle talk. As the weekend went on, more journalists—European writers, in particular—asked to speak with Hayes. “Maybe they wanted to find a positive somewhere in there,” he remarked. “I think they got that.”

Hayes didn’t disappoint on the track, either. On Friday morning, he was second-to-last. Then, when pit lane opened in the afternoon, he was first out of the gate. He never pitted, instead spending every second of the 45-minute session running laps—25 in all. By the end of practice, he’d jumped five spots to 10th overall.

“I thought I’d be riding on a razor’s edge—everything is good and then you’re sliding on your head,” said Hayes. “That wasn’t the case. The bike is forgiving, and the electronics work extremely well.”

Both sessions were wet, the second more so than the first. Midway through FP2, nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi zeroed in on Hayes. “He followed me for a while, passed me and then ran off the track,” recalled Hayes. “When he passed me, I took the opportunity to see where he was on the track, how he was approaching the turns.”

Hayes’ education continued in the pit box. “When I came back after practice,” he said, “eight people were looking at me, waiting for me to tell them something. I wanted to give them some information, but at the same time, I was just trying to learn how to ride the thing. It was more about what I could take in rather than what I could tell them.

“Guy, Andy, Peter from Bridgestone and the rest of the Tech 3 team—they were all fantastic. This wasn’t a ‘Look, man, just ride it and get it over with.’ But at the same time, the bike is as developed as it will ever be.”

On Saturday, Hayes’ progress appeared to stall. He was slowest in morning practice and qualified dead-last—16th, 4.181 seconds behind pole-sitter Stoner—for Sunday’s race. To Hayes’ surprise, the Tech 3 team was impressed. They figured he would be 3 seconds per lap slower than factory Yamaha test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga, not within a tenth of a second. “That’s great,” said Hayes, “but I don’t like being last.”

Hayes finally got to experience the Bridgestone slicks and Brembo carbon-carbon brakes. “I’d been told that if you don’t put a lot of force into the tires, you can’t keep enough heat in them to work,” he said. “So I was trying to push hard to keep the heat in the tires, but I wasn’t sure how much was too much with the moisture hitting the track.

“Twice, I stopped to do practice starts. Both times, I didn’t have any brakes in the first and second turns; their performance changed that quickly. Then, all of a sudden, it was like somebody flipped a switch. I almost flew over the handlebars!”

To everyone’s surprise, Hayes set the fastest time in Sunday morning warm-up. “I had roasted a set of rain tires—blown ’em up so bad that I couldn’t ride on them anymore,” he said. “When I came rolling down pit lane, the guys had a ‘dry’ bike ready for me with slicks from qualifying. I needed all of the experience I could get, so I rolled back out with 5 minutes to go. I got two flying laps.”

Spies was the last Tech 3 rider, at Indianapolis in 2010, to lead a practice session. Hayes joked after the session that he should retire from MotoGP while he was on top.

At the start of the race, facing the business end of the field, Hayes couldn’t hear his own motorcycle. He let the clutch out too quickly and bogged the engine. But he picked up four spots when Suzuki’s Alvaro Bautista knocked down the Ducatis of Hayden, Rossi and Randy de Puniet in Turn 1, passed two more by the end of the first lap and then spent the rest of the race trading blows with Nakasuga. Track conditions were constantly changing, and when rain hit hard with five laps to go, Toni Elias and Loris Capirossi “either had major problems or just gave up,” said Hayes. “We caught them really fast.” Then, Czech rookie Karel Abraham ran off and tipped over in the gravel, gifting Hayes another position. He finished seventh.

How do you sum up this spectacular, unexpected performance? The pressure on any racer—man or woman, amateur or professional—is to grow, to build, to overcome. Before leaving for Spain and its minefield of unknowns, Hayes confessed that he was “scared to death.” Rather than concede defeat and hide in his motorhome, he learned as much about the motorcycle, the team and the racetrack as time allowed. He dealt with constantly changing weather conditions and the pressure of the world stage. He didn’t crash. By doing all of this, he earned the respect of the Tech 3 Yamaha team—in fact, the entire MotoGP paddock—and gave U.S. roadracing credibility it couldn’t buy at any price.

Now, that is world class.

Interlocking 3D siping used in Avon’s new Ultra Xtreme, Supersport and Sport radials was developed by parent company Cooper Tire for winter car tires. On two wheels, the intent is improved tread-block stability in wet and dry conditions, leading to a larger footprint and improved grip at deep lean angles. The Ultra Xtreme and Ultra Supersport models share the same sticky race compound; Ultra Supersport and Ultra Sport (shown) have the same tread pattern and more prominent siping. Sport uses a Triple Extrusion compound—more durable in the center, softer on the sides. A third compound located under the first two binds them together, reducing tire temperature and increasing tread life. The 3D Ultra Supersport and Ultra Sport come with a limited road-hazard warranty. Per-pair MSRP ranges from $408.71 to $525.49.

Avon Motorcycle Tyres North America
4600 Prosper Dr.
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800/624-7470
www.avonmoto.com

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, commercial rights holder for MotoGP, doesn’t have a model motorcycle on his desk. He has a model boat. It’s not just any boat, either. It’s a small, sturdy Galician fishing vessel, crafted from wood and with a reputation for being virtually unsinkable. It’s a boat called a “dorna.”

That boat not only inspired the name of the company founded 24 years ago, it also speaks volumes about Ezpeleta and his plans to make MotoGP, the world’s highest level of motorcycle roadracing, as unsinkable as a dorna even in turbulent economic times. The Spaniard’s proposal to allow production-derived engines in the premier class under the guise of “Claiming Rules Teams” (CRT) has been greeted by a mixture of enthusiasm from fans tired of processional and predictable races produced by a short 16-17 rider grid, and by team owners and riders anxious to find a way into the “show” without crippling costs. This acceptance is offset by outraged “purists,” who believe MotoGP should continue to be a sky-is-the-limit technological war exclusively for “true” prototypes powered by high-revving factory prototype engines.

This interview, conducted in Spanish at Dorna HQ in Madrid, reveals Ezpeleta’s vision of the future of the troubled MotoGP World Championship.

Why did you change MotoGP engine displacement from 800cc to 1000cc?

The reason for the change is to make possible the use of 1000cc production-derived engines that are capable of high performance but for much lower costs.

The original change from 990cc to 800cc in MotoGP was requested by the manufacturers. After the death of Daijiro Kato [at the Japanese GP in 2003], they felt that it was necessary to reduce performance. A consensus was reached to lower displacement to 900cc. But at the last minute, there was a change, driven by Honda from within the MSMA [Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers’ Association], to reduce displacement to 800cc.

What started as an initiative by the factories to limit speed and power became a technological battle to equal and then to top the lap and race times from the 990cc engines. The manufacturers developed electronic aids for an engine of a size and type that none of them built for the market.

Did you consider funding an engine project so that private teams would not have to depend on the factories?

Only the manufacturers are capable of building engines for the series. Attempts to find private alternatives to factory engines failed. So, the teams were forced to pay whatever price the manufacturers set, and the factories kept increasing costs by developing their technology. When an established IRTA team with a sponsor could no longer pay the lease price for an 800, their only course was to withdraw.

We had to find a way for teams to stay in the series. So, we looked to this wealth of 1000cc production engines that have the potential to be developed without great cost. None of the engines had a bore larger than 81mm. This 81mm bore and a stroke of 48.5mm for a 1000cc Four were good parameters to prevent teams from using ultra-short-stroke engines as they did under the original 990cc rules.

The 81mm piston size works to some extent as a rev limit in itself. Controlling revs this way means that it is not absolutely necessary to use pneumatic valves, and lower revs give the rider a less-peaky engine and reduce the importance of electronic aids. This rule was approved last March for 2012 and applies to all engines—factory and CRT. But it is only a first step.

If this is only a first step, why not make it a bigger step for 2012?

We make our rules a year in advance. The 81mm maximum bore was approved in March, along with the 3-liter [fuel capacity] advantage for CRTs and six extra engines. If I had known then what I know now, I would have proposed a fixed rev limit and a generic ECU. But I had been led to believe that the factories were taking my request to lower leasing costs seriously and four manufacturers would be putting two-bike teams on the track in addition to at least the same number of satellite teams.

When I saw mid-summer that this was not the case, that Suzuki was probably withdrawing and that there would be fewer satellite teams, I realized that, unless I acted decisively, there would be only 12 bikes on track in 2012 and maybe as few as six factory bikes in 2013. I decided that I would no longer help any team to pay leasing costs and that I would help all teams that wanted to run CRT bikes.

With a fixed rev limit—my idea is 14,500 to 15,000 rpm—and a standard ECU in 2013, the gap between factory and private teams will be reduced.

How has the MSMA reacted to the idea of a rev limit and a standard ECU?

At first, they raised their hands to their heads and went ahh! But now, they have seen what we are doing and begun to accept the solution. They had to accept the fact that their rules made the problem in the first place. There are many factories, but now there are only three MSMA members: Ducati, Honda and Yamaha. I can’t limit myself to working exclusively with just these factories. They have a place at the table, but they no longer make the rules.

In the Grand Prix Commission, we all have a voice. MSMA is the expert of technical matters. IRTA represents the teams. The FIM is concerned primarily with management of the events and safety. Dorna has commercial rights and, therefore, an interest in all aspects of the series. When I told the MSMA that I intend to impose a single ECU in 2013, they were opposed and are still against it. But they no longer have the power to simply reject a rule or impose new rules.

I’ve read the rules, and they are vague—more like general guidelines than specific rules. Will the difference between a CRT bike and a factory bike be decided by a majority of the GP Commission members?

There is an expression in Spanish, I don’t know if it exists in English: Quién hizo la ley hizo la trampa. ‘He who made the rules made the tricks,’ more or less. I have been running this series for 20 years and have been in racing all my life. I have seen how the language of rules leaves loopholes and unintended consequences that can subvert the true intention of the rules, the spirit of the rules.

I will not let the series become a prisoner of specific language. I have defined our problem and set out to solve it. We all know what we mean by a CRT team and by a factory team, and the GP Commission has the technical understanding and authority to interpret the guidelines and make this kind of decision. What we say goes.

What do you say to those who believe MotoGP should only be prototypes and that CRTs are invading Superbike territory?

The rules do not stipulate that CRT engines have to be production-derived. What the rules do stipulate is that the CRT engine can be claimed by a factory team for 20,000 Euros. Engines don’t determine whether a bike is a prototype. The best way to understand that the important element in GP prototype racing is the chassis is to look at Moto2. At the tracks we share with World Supersport, the less-powerful Moto2s are faster in lap time and race time. Why? Because they are true racing bikes—prototypes—with the right rigidity, weight balance and adjustability to allow them to be adapted to different circuits and riding styles.

Do you see the CRT bikes being competitive in the near future?

Yes. In 2012, the difference will be large at first, but competition between the CRT teams themselves will push development. In 2013, with a rev limit, the factory teams will still have the technical advantage, and they will have the budget to hire the best riders. But, as in the days when there were private 500cc teams capable of winning an occasional race and of running near the front, the CRT-type bikes will close the gap on the factory teams under the new rules.

This will be good for everyone because professional racing is primarily entertainment. That is why grandstands are built, tickets are sold and why TV rights have the value they do. We want the factories to participate, but in the very worst-case scenario, I have to accept that they might leave someday.

After testing the 1000cc Yamaha YZR-M1, Jorge Lorenzo told me, “Power will no longer be a problem with these big engines.” But even though the engines are bigger, the gas tanks aren’t. What happens if the MSMA comes to you and says we need more fuel or more engines to remain competitive?

I won’t give any increases to the factories in fuel or number of engines unless the private teams are compensated for these additional advantages. Regarding fuel, Dorna’s Technical Director, Corrado Cecchinelli, assures me that the CRT bikes do not need any more than 24 liters, so I would not increase the factory bikes from 21 liters. That is the limit they set for themselves. They’ll have to live with it.

Dennis Noyes worked with and for Carmelo Ezpeleta during the hectic first years of the Dorna/FIM contract more than 20 years ago before returning to the media center and TV commentary booth as a journalist. Noyes’ son, Kenny, finished fifth at the final round of the 2011 Moto2 World Championship and 28th overall. This is Noyes’ first story for Cycle World.

A richly finished, luxuriously lined full-face Vemar helmet for less than what many people pay each month for cable television? Designed in Italy and manufactured in China to meet current DOT and ECE standards, the new-for-2012 Storm ($135 solids, $145 graphics; sizes S-XXL) has an adjustable “Vemar Klima” ventilation system with four intake vents on the top and front of the shell and two large exhaust vents in the rear. The Storm comes with a non-scratch, anti-fog Pinlock-equipped clear shield, carrying bag and five-year warranty.

Motonation
10225 Prospect Ave.
Santee, CA 92071
619/401-4100
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Oakley salutes seven-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi with a special edition of its Holbrook sunglasses ($120). This classic-looking design has a polished black frame with impact-resistant warm-gray lenses for increased contrast and improved depth perception in bright light. There are metal icons in Rossi’s favorite color, yellow, and his racing number and initials are printed on the inside of the ear stem. For frame storage and lens cleaning, this edition includes a custom Microclear bag featuring art inspired by the sun-and-moon motif found on Rossi’s helmet and leathers.

Oakley, Inc.
1 Icon
Foothill Ranch, CA 92610
800/431-1439
www.oakley.com

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Close your eyes and plant a finger on the map. Anywhere you like. As long as it doesn’t come back smelling like ocean, there’s a good chance you can ride a motorcycle there. Not just any motorcycle, of course. You’ll want one of these: a full-size adventure-touring bike.

Motorcycles such as the BMW R1200GS, KTM 990 Adventure and the new-to-the-U.S. Yamaha Super Ténéré earn the “adventure” label by promising a mix of on-road capability (read that as comfort, range, luggage capacity) and off-road suitability (don’t read that as lining up for the start at the nearest EnduroCross). The “touring” part means you’ll seek your two-wheel thrills far from home, which has in part thinned the small Singles from the herd and pushes you toward bikes that can be fitted with durable, hard-sided luggage. Plus, you’ll want room for your GPS, SPOT emergency locator, satellite radio and plug-in coffee maker, for all we know.

Like sport-touring, the similarly hyphenated adventure-touring category forces tremendous compromises on the equipment, probably even more so than among STs. And, along those lines, you need to ask yourself just how much true off-roading you’re likely to tackle, because the answer will help you put each of these three bikes’ strengths and weaknesses into context.

For our testing, we rode all three independently over long distances, shook them out on a long day ride that included both high- and low-speed paved, twisty roads, and then brought them all together for a two-day flog in the Southern California high desert. In truth, this is probably a higher degree of off-road riding than most owners will put them to, but we felt that we needed to challenge them to the most difficult tasks—scaling rock-strewn trails, grinding through sand washes, roosting volcanic effluvia—to see what they’re really made of.

Since the model-year 1981 introduction of the R80 G/S, BMW has just about owned this market segment. The current product is an amazing construct, surprisingly light for such a large, technology-filled motorcycle, impressively powerful, feature-rich and styled to look the part. BMW borrowed the HP2’s dohc cylinder heads for the 1170cc opposed-Twin engine in the GS for the 2010 model year. That free-revving motor remains a charmer, with the most peak horsepower and torque of these three (98.4 hp and 78.5 foot-pounds), leading the similar-displacement Yamaha by 6.2 hp/5 ft.-lb. and the 999cc KTM V-Twin by 8.1 hp and a whopping 16.5 ft.-lb. of torque. Senior Editor Blake Conner said, “The Boxer Twin is without peer in this group. At cruising speed, the engine is smooth, especially if that cruise speed is 75 to 80 mph.”

Twins? Yes and no. All three machines feature a pair of cylinders, but each bike’s set of jugs is arranged differently. Power character is, not surprisingly, quite similar among all three, with ample controllable torque and linear power. But the BMW R1200GS wins the hot-rod award for providing the most performance headroom.

KTM’s familiar 75-degree V-Twin doesn’t have the ponies of the bigger engines, but it’s smooth and extremely tractable, with a higher redline than the others (9500 rpm vs. the BMW’s 8500 and the Yamaha’s 7750) and a commendably flat torque curve. The KTM has noticeably less flywheel effect, giving the engine a snappier feel and, well, there are times when 90-plus horsepower is just too much for the dirt.

Yamaha’s 1199cc parallel-Twin has a character all its own. Using a 270-degree crank, the Yamaha’s narrow engine feels more like a very large, very smooth Single. Power delivery follows suit, with a grittier personality and the ability, even with the standard traction-control system switched off, to find traction.

We love almost everything about the Yamaha but the YCCT—Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle—ride-by-wire system. The Super T has two modes: S for Sport and T for Touring. In the S mode, initial throttle response is slightly languid but then wakes up with a bang, only to flatten out slightly. The soft-hard-soft character makes the bike very difficult to ride smoothly. In the T mode, the Ténéré is much more manageable but feels dull. We’d love you to take one more stab at this one, Yamaha, especially given that your competition needs no such electrickery to provide a seamless, predictable translation from twistgrip movement to forward thrust.

The more time we spent in the dirt, the more we came to dislike the electronics fitted to the BMW and the Yamaha. Our 990 Adventure came with ABS, which can be switched off, and brakes with soft enough onset that they were immediately at home over challenging terrain. In fact, the whole KTM felt like it was born to be spewing chunks of terra firma from the back tire.

For safety off-road and fairness in the comparison, all three wore Continental TKC 80 street-rated knobby tires. The KTM has a traditional 21/18-inch combination, while the other two sport compromise 19/17-inch wheel sizes. To some degree, the BMW and Yamaha disliked the Contis’ profiles (the BMW quite a lot, actually), but the KTM could well have been delivered on these tires—it felt that natural.

Electronics, then? Yes, the BMW’s two-stage traction control can be turned off, as can its linked ABS, but doing so takes a series of button presses and a thorough understanding of the icons on the LCD panel. Yamaha allows you to select one of two TC levels as well as Off, but you can’t easily disable ABS. Here’s the deal, dear manufacturers: If you really want these bikes to go off road, you need to make it easier to configure them for that purpose.

KTM’s 990 Adventure is the closest thing you’ll find to a Dakar Rally refugee in the large-displacement adventure-bike class. It’s shockingly good off-road and gives up few creature comforts on the highway.

We know from thousands of miles in the saddle that the BMW R1200GS is a superlative all-around streetbike and a more-than-passable tourer. Our recent experience on the Ténéré suggests much of the same, with the added benefit of powerful, quirk-free brakes, a sufficiently stout engine, great fuel range (like the BMW) and good weather protection. The KTM falls behind in the comfort category but not by much, mainly at the hands of cockpit turbulence at highway speeds. Understand that the spread here isn’t huge, with the Yamaha barking right up the BMW’s tailpipe and the Adventure just a few lengths back. Any of us would hop on any of these three for a weeklong tour.

Expectations and results invert when tarmac gives way to nature’s highway. Light (by the class standards), agile, predictable and confidence-inspiring, the Adventure tackles all but the most technical terrain without causing the rider to have a what-the-hell-am-I-doing? moment. Yamaha’s beast, the heaviest in the test by 47 lb. (591 lb. wet compared to 544 for the BMW and 519 for the KTM), causes some initial concern. Says Off-Road Editor Ryan Dudek, “Compared to the others, the weight of the Ténéré is most apparent, giving the impression that it is hardest to handle.” But it turns out to be surprisingly adept, tracking through sand reasonably well and steering predictably once you’ve switched off TC. The BMW was everyone’s least favorite off road, with the experienced guys fairly sanguine about its weight and the front end’s propensity to dance, skitter and generally fail to redirect the Beemer’s mass. The one tester with little recent time off-road hated it. As for Dudek, the guy who lives off-road: “You have to build a certain confidence in the GS, as well as with the others, before challenging a steep climb or sandy hill. But put out the spoiler alert: The KTM is obviously best for off-road work. Its riding position is closest to that of an actual dirtbike, from its aggressive handlebar to its slim chassis. It gives the rider more control over the bike.”

Conner helps put the BMW in perspective: “The GS’s bar is too wide to be comfortable when standing. Mechanically, the BMW is capable off-road, but is anyone really going to take the GS off-road just to ride off-road? No way.”

BMW wasn’t through earning Blake’s ire. He managed to break both Vario sidecases, one of them after it had been completely emptied. First, the small plastic tang behind the locking support broke, followed by the one where that bracket clamps onto the frame tube. At that point, the bags are free to depart the bike, which both did at least once. Put bluntly, the expensive Vario bags aren’t suitable for true off-road work or even for bumpy dirt roads, for that matter.

Yamaha Super Ténéré is ultra-comfortable on the highway and surprisingly good off-road. Its traction control is particularly effective in the dirt, allowing controlled wheelspin to assist turning.

In contrast, the KTM accessory bags and Yamaha’s optional panniers (both top loading, our preferred method) proved durable. In fact, we had no problems with the Ténéré’s bags at all and only managed to pop some rivets on the KTM’s set after jumping the bike for photos with them in place (but the bags stayed on).

We’re not suggesting that luggage sets the finishing order, but by unanimous vote, we call the Yamaha Super Ténéré the best of the three when the overarching concern is a traditional adventure/touring compromise. If your dirt/street ratio will be no more than, oh, 30/70, the Yamaha will do the job and do it extremely well. Reports Conner, “I was rather surprised by the Super Ténéré when the dust settled. It really proved to be the jack of all trades; it is a really good streetbike with many features that touring riders are looking for.” Slide that preference pointer over to, um, 50/50 dirt/street, and we say go orange (or, in our case, white) with the KTM. It’s close enough in the comfort/touring categories that neither the BMW nor the Yamaha gets away, and then it soundly trounces both of them once off the beaten path.

Do we suddenly dislike the GS, a longtime staff fave? Not at all. The BMW remains an incredible, flexible streetbike, one of the quickest ways down a cobbled mountain road and a vehicle built with obvious care. It should be, considering that our fully equipped (ABS, Enduro Electric Suspension Adjustment, traction control, heated grips, wire-spoke wheels) GS put the sticker just shy of $20,000. Grab a Ténéré, base price of $14,500, add luggage and heated grips and you’re still a whisker under $16K.

Close your eyes and pick a point on the map, and the Yamaha Super Ténéré will take you there in comfort, with enough off-highway competence to keep you from spending the night in places you’d rather not be.

More from Adventure Biking

Ride There – Bonus Content

BMW R1200GS vs. KTM 990 Adventure vs. Yamaha Super Tenere.
Bonus content for the print feature “Ride There.” (CW, February, 2012). We flog the big adventure-touring mounts-BMW R1200GS [Read more...]

 

Adventure Bike Must-Have Accessories – Feature

Plan on riding your adventure bike off-road?
Wilderness survival tips are great, but it’s better if you never have to use them in the first place. So, to give yourself [Read more...]

 

Adventure Bike Crash Course – Feature

A few pointers from an expert for piloting that big adventure bike off-road.
1. Slow down. Most novices try to use speed to maintain balance, and we teach them to use skill instead. A big adventure bike [Read more...]

 

ADV Survival Tips – Feature

How to be prepared: 13 tips on how to survive in the wilderness when things go wrong.
Here you are, standing next to your bike, listening to the tick-tick-tick of the cooling engine, stuck in the middle of nowhere [Read more...]

 

Moto Electronica – Feature

Less like Kraftwerk, more like makework.
Few experienced motorcyclists take issue with anti-lock brakes and traction control. ABS and TC, their generic names, undoubtedly [Read more...]

 

Adventure Seeker: The Love Affair is Over – Feature

A two-week dream trip has ruined the rest of my biking life…
For the February issue of Cycle World, I rode a variety of BMWs more than 2500 miles largely off-road from South Africa’s Cape coast north [Read more...]

The first preseason MotoGP test has just taken place at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, giving us a look at how the jump from 800 to 1000cc changes things. Although bigger engines can make more power, the factory prototypes get the same 21-liter fuel allowance as before. If the races stay the same length, every use of more peak power must be paid for by more economical fuel use on part throttle. Were any of the teams running their full 2012 fuel economy systems? We can’t know, and this can easily make bikes look faster in these tests than they will be once racing begins.

Just on lap times, Sepang test results could easily be finishing order of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship. Casey Stoner on a Repsol Honda was first at 1:59.607, 0.57 of a second clear of Jorge Lorenzo on a Yamaha YZR-M1. Then came the second Repsol rider, Dani Pedrosa, followed by Ben Spies on another Yamaha. Last of the top five and 1.2 seconds down from Stoner was Valentino Rossi on the latest twin-beam aluminum-chassis version of Ducati’s GP12.

First of the “Claiming Rules Team” bikes (essentially prototype chassis powered by hopped-up production engines) was the Suter/BMW of Colin Edwards at 2:04.722, more than five seconds back. Bringing up the rear were the Kawasaki-powered Avintia-BQR bikes on FTR British-made chassis, which were 8, 9 and 10 seconds down from Stoner. The Aspar-Aprilia “ART” bikes, which tested last fall at Valencia, Spain, were not at Sepang.

Now for the complications: Last year, Stoner and Honda were completely dominant. Stoner adapts to conditions, such as the now highly developed Honda. In his words, “I ride each bike as it must be ridden.” That means he is not wasting time, as so many others have, trying to make his present ride feel and handle like what he rode at the beginning of his career.

On the 2012 Bridgestone tires, Stoner’s bike is chattering. He said, “Chatter is something very difficult to fix. Surely, they are on it.”

With chatter, you cannot just “man up” and ride through it. The harder you push, the more violent the chatter becomes and the faster your bike heads for the outside of the turn. As veteran rider Mick Grant once said, “Chatter occurs under conditions of good grip and heavy load.” As the front tire is pushed near the limit of its grip, it occasionally begins to slide and then re-grip. The dull impact of re-gripping compresses the tire, slightly bends the fork legs, twists the steering head and deflects the front of the chassis. If the bending/unbending frequency of any of these parts is close to the front tire’s slip/grip frequency, the two can reinforce each other until the chassis is “ringing” and the front tire bouncing in unison. The more the rider tries to “ride through it,” the more intense becomes the vibration.

This is further complicated by the fact that the front of the chassis must be deliberately made laterally flexible to act as a “sideways suspension” when the bike is near full lean in corners (and the normal suspension is mostly pointed sideways). Get that lateral chassis frequency wrong and you invite chatter.

So, not only is Stoner 0.57 of a second ahead of Lorenzo’s Yamaha, he is in that position while dealing with chatter. Stoner said, “Considering we’re still going pretty fast without having this area completely dialed-in is a positive.”

This chatter is not affecting just Stoner; teammate Pedrosa had it, as well, and his crew was changing tire pressure and suspension settings in efforts to reduce it.

Lorenzo and Spies were not prominent in the chatter discussion. Remember that before the 2006 season, the Hondas had bad chatter in the tests but Yamaha did not. Honda’s problem yielded to countermeasures, but when racing started, Yamaha suddenly had severe chatter that kept Rossi from earning early-season points.

It has been pointed out that Rossi and teammate Nicky Hayden have, historically, rarely complained of chatter. In Hayden’s case, when both he and Max Biaggi were on Repsol Hondas in 2005, Biaggi was plagued with chatter but Hayden was not.

Bridgestone’s goals for this test were to speed tire warm-up at the starts of races and, in the words of engineer Tohru Ubukata, “…make their grip characteristics easier to manage…”  In the days of racing tires with grooved tread, the flexure of unbraced tread elements caused tires to heat up quickly after the start and begin to grip. But when slicks arrived in 1974, their smooth, self-bracing tread flexed much less, slowing warm-up enough that many riders crashed on cold tires in the first three laps. Warm-up laps were soon provided, and electric tire warmers came next. Yet even if tire warmers are turned up hot enough to damage the tires, performance on lap one is still tricky, because a full distribution of temperature in the tire takes time to establish itself.

For many years in GP racing, there have also been riders or machines that had trouble getting rubber to its best operating temperature and keeping it there. Edwards had this problem with Michelins at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2006. Part of the physics of rubber is a limited temperature range of best grip. Cold rubber is stiff; overheated rubber is greasy. If the tires are designed to perform optimally for top riders, slower riders, certain riding styles or particular machines may not work the rubber hard enough to reach grip temperature. If the tires are made to suit mid-pack riders, those at the front may find their rubber overheating and sliding. Bridgestone has, therefore, sought to widen the temperature range of best operation. This is one of the problems with a spec-tire series: With more than one tire maker competing, there can be a wider menu of tire choice.

Stoner bettered the lap record on only his second lap, an indication that the new Bridgestones are clearly not some “safety tire” but are genuine steps forward in overall performance. And the chatter? This is a cycle that has gone on as long as I’ve been watching. Each year, tire grip improves, and because more grip flexes chassis parts more, chatter is a possible result. The teams respond first with the time-honored band-aids, then with retuned chassis, and the problem comes under control. The following year, the cycle repeats, for no one has ever devised a complete “medicine” for chatter.

Suggesting that Bridgestone has succeeded in widening its tires’ operating temperature range is the fact that Edwards had a giant chatter problem with his Suter/BMW CRT bike, while running four seconds off the pace. In general, there has to be good grip before there can be chatter.

“Right now, our issue is chatter,” said Edwards, who went on to explain that if the chatter could be suppressed, he thought he could run a second to a second-and-a-half quicker. What might this imply for Stoner’s performance, once his team deals with the chatter? Stay tuned for the next test, which begins on February 27 at Circuit of Jerez in Spain.

Lorenzo had other concerns and was quoted as saying, “I think we need to work on the electronics, especially on the exit of the slow corners.”

What about Rossi and the Ducati? A disappointing full second off the pace through 2011, Rossi and teammate Hayden spoke of lack of front-end feel and of understeer. This is unknown territory for Ducati, which burst on the scene in 2003 with the most power in the class and were soon finishing on the podium. Yet after Stoner’s masterful world championship on the red bikes in 2007, it was unclear whether Yamaha R&D overpowered Ducati or Ducati lost its combination as its chassis evolution continued.

Now that a full twin-beam aluminum chassis has replaced the extremely stiff carbon-fiber front frame/airbox used previously, Hayden said, “The front-end feeling is by far the best of any Ducati I’ve ever ridden.”

Rossi added, “Already this bike is better in braking and entry, better feeling with the front. Now, we have to make work for the acceleration, for the engine, for the electronics.”

Ducati Corse boss Filippo Preziosi said, “The next priority is to concentrate our effort in exiting the corner in the initial acceleration area before the bike starts wheelieing.”

This was the second area mentioned by Rossi’s crew chief, Jeremy Burgess, in the middle of last season: understeer. As the rider throttles up, weight transfer to the rear reduces the front tire’s ability to hold line and the bike runs wide. Some of the things Stoner and associates have said suggested that he used the Ducati’s naturally rough power onset to get the rear tire loose enough to steer with the throttle and not with the handlebars (shades of Kenny Roberts!).

Rossi commented that last year, most of the things they tried seemingly had no effect; but now, for the first time, the new bike is responding in a more normal way. Yes, Rossi is still 1.2 seconds back from the front, but now there seem to be tools at hand by which to improve.

Lorenzo and Spies seemed to take a longer view, that lap times in the first test are much less important than getting quickly and easily on the pace and gaining familiarity with how basic settings changes affect performance.

Honda is said to have weathered the depression of 2008 better than Yamaha. So, what we saw in 2011 and recently at Sepang could be just the effect of Honda’s greater financial ability to support development. Yet the next test could bring surprises either way.

And the CRTs? Even canny, experienced Edwards has a distance to go to “get amongst the chickens.” Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta has said he is happy to see “two races in one,” and that, if necessary, he will give the privately built machines other advantages to make them more competitive. At present, while MotoGP prototypes are limited to 21 liters of fuel per race and six engines for 18 events, CRTs get 24 liters and 12 engines.

To me, CRT just looks like an extension of Moto2—another opportunity for desperate small-team owners to stay in business by renting amusement rides in the top class to sons of wealthy families. It’s been a long tradition in Formula One.

Brembo has combined clutch and front-brake master cylinders with turnsignals in single handlebar-mounted units. Available stateside this spring for late-model European and Japanese streetbikes, LED Body Radial Master Cylinders ($365 per side) use energy-efficient LEDs—Light Emitting Diodes—rather than traditional incandescent bulbs. The high positioning of the master cylinders makes the turnsignals more visible to oncoming traffic than conventional, fork-mounted signals. The master cylinders are cast, and Il tricolore is incorporated into the tops of the reservoirs. Both levers are adjustable for span to accommodate a range of hand sizes. Brembo has patented two applications for this design: The first is the commercial “direction indicators” seen here; the second will be used by police motor officers.

Brembo North America, Inc.
47765 Halyard Dr.
Plymouth, MI 48170
734/468-2100
www.brembo.com

When Brian Klock of South Dakota’s Klock Werks Kustom Cycles (www.kustombaggers.com) was let loose to create a customized version of Victory’s Hard-Ball, his first question was, “What do we do with it?” The bike had to be completed by the Long Beach International Motorcycle Show, which gave Klock some inspiration. And he would need it, as he had just over a month to complete the build.

“When I thought of Southern California, I thought of the whole low-rider movement and the van craze,” said Klock. “Victory already had the ‘flat’ look all figured out, so I wanted to go in a totally opposite direction.”

Step One was upgrading the wheels to gold-anodized Performance Machine Icons in 21-inch front and 18-in. rear sizes, which then required formation of a new front fender. A Vegas rear fender and taillight were used because the fender’s center crease complemented the one on the Hard-Ball’s tank. Next up was Klock’s own Klip-Hangers handlebar, which is a combination of an ape-hanger and clip-ons and is adjustable for height and angle.

“The hardest part of the build was to put Tex at TexEfx under the gun to get the paint done, because it’s pretty complicated,” said Klock. “There are water-beading spots, brush spots, fade spots and all the hand pinstriping with lace underneath. It looks like a ’70s van ran into a low rider.”

Leaving the engine stock didn’t seem right, so the Freedom 106 was stuffed with a Lloyd’z Motor Workz 116-in. kit and high-performance cams, a Barnett Scorpion clutch and managed by a Dynojet Power Commander V with Autotune.

Klock Kustoms had one last trick up its sleeve: the Kicker PXI 50.2 iPod/iPhone controller and amp kit. The controller is installed on a custom billet triple-clamp, while a pair of 5 1/4-in. speakers is mounted on the saddlebag lids. Inside the right bag is a Kicker IX 1000.5 amp and 8-in. subwoofer.

“I figured people would say that the paint is way over the top and way too gaudy,” Klock said, “but I hoped they would see what is possible with the Hard-Ball or Cross Roads by looking at the Klock Roads.”

We’d say that Klock not only figured out what to do with the Hard-Ball but executed the build beautifully.

There is a significant difference between innovation and novelty. An innovation solves a serious and outstanding problem in a fresh, new way. A novelty is difference for its own sake, accomplishing no meaningful purpose.

Although motorcycling has certainly seen its share of novelties throughout its history, it also has been the beneficiary of many true innovations that re-aimed the industry in a direction it either pursued for many years or, in some instances, still follows to this day. Here are just a few.

Frameless Construction
There is perhaps no better example of innovation than the Vincent Series B Rapide of 1946, which presented radical, forward-looking thinking in the form of frameless construction. Like with Ducati’s new 1199 Panigale, the Vincent’s steering head was attached to its engine’s cylinder heads by a box structure, with the rear suspension affixed to the back of the engine/gearbox unit. In the early 1990s, New Zealand’s John Britten did something similar with his homebuilt V-Twin racebikes.

Aluminum Twin-Spar Chassis
Yet another example of innovation with long-standing effects is the 250cc racebike designed by Antonio Cobas, whose aluminum twin-spar chassis concept is now used on most of the world’s sport- and racebikes. He built eight of these in 1982, one of which was ridden in GPs by Sito Pons; in 1984, Pons won the Spanish GP at Jarama on a Kobas (Cobas’ brand) chassis. By 1986, Yamaha had adopted the concept in 500cc GP competition, and Honda was building its VFR750F with such chassis.

Adventure Bikes
As described in other stories this month, BMW’s popular GS series, the first of which was the 1981 R80 G/S, created an entirely new category of production motorcycles called “adventure.” But long ago, California desert racers rode their big, home-built bikes (“desert sleds”) on the highways and across the deserts in much the same spirit as that original G/S (“Gelande/Strasse,” which means off-road/road in German). BMW, however, deserves credit for putting such bikes into production.

Telescopic Forks
BMW was not the first to produce a workable telescopic fork, but it did a quite good job of it just before WWII. This design made it unnecessary to tolerate the weakness, flexure and frequent instability of existing girder forks, with their four bronze-bushed links and limited suspension travel. Telescopic forks were adopted by one maker after another in the later 1940s and ’50s, and their use is near-universal at present.

Wheelbase Length
As explained in “The Five Greatest,” Italian engineers Piero Remor and Carlo Gianini placed the inline-Four engine of their 1923 Rondine in the chassis transversely instead of longitudinally, as had been the tradition with previous four-cylinder motorcycles. This not only solved an uneven cooling problem but also allowed four-cylinder bikes to have a more reasonable wheelbase. But in the 1930s, another Italian maker, Moto Guzzi, tackled excessive wheelbase length in a different way. The Guzzi engine’s single horizontal cylinder made the engine rather long, so to compensate, the two transmission shafts were “vertically stacked”—placed one above the other—as a means of reducing their contribution to engine length. Yamaha adopted vertically stacked transmission shafts on its 500cc Grand Prix bike in 1984 and put the design into production on the 1998 R1. Since then, one after another maker has adopted this feature to make engines shorter, front-to-back.

Long-Travel Suspension
Long-travel suspension is an innovation of the 1970s that solved important problems of stability and control on rough surfaces. It evolved first on motocross and off-road bikes, with Maico increasing rear-wheel travel by moving the shocks forward on the swingarm and Yamaha doing likewise with a single-shock design. After proving its value on dirtbikes, long-travel suspension was adopted in roadracing in 1974-75, from which it then spread to streetbikes.

Hub-Center Steering
Bimota’s famous Tesi (which means “thesis”) of the 1990s attempted to be innovative by eliminating the telescopic fork in favor of a type of hub-center steering. The concept, the performance and the look never caught on, reducing Tesi to the status of a novelty—along with the ELF hub-steerers, the Fior bike, the Yamaha GTS1000 and other attempts to improve on the highly developed telescopic fork.

Disc Brakes
Motorcycle disc brakes were a genuine innovation, and like so many other ideas, originated in the dim past. But as drum brakes were becoming marginal in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly for racing, innovators like Grand Prix racer Peter Williams began to seek fade-free performance from automotive disc brakes of the period. Honda put a single front disc brake on its 750cc Four in 1969, and by 1972, discs were the new standard.

Slipper Clutch
As you brake hard and downshift when aggressively entering a corner on a large-displacement four-stroke, the drag of engine braking tends to make the rear tire hop or slide out to the side. MV Agusta, in its last racebikes of the mid-1970s, did not find a solution for this, and Honda encountered the same problem with its oval-piston NR500 of 1977-81. Honda, however, developed a device that partially disengaged the clutch when the rear wheel was driving the engine. This was the “slipper clutch,” now found on many sportbikes.

The Future
Motorcycles continue to have serious problems that cry out for innovative solution. To go around corners at today’s high angles of lean, bikes have to locate their engines and riders high enough to avoid dragging crankcase or footpegs on the pavement. But with major masses located so high, wheelies and stoppies occur at lower rates of acceleration/braking. Compromise!

Motorcycles are small, but their aerodynamic drag is relatively high because their short length allows no room in which to “close” airflow smoothly and with low loss behind the vehicle. A motorcycle’s wake therefore is turbulent and drag relatively high. Low-drag, fish-like shapes like those proposed by Craig Vetter or used on large “cabin bikes” just look weird to many riders. More compromise!

Yet another unsolved problem, most notably on roadracing motorcycles, is the behavior of suspension in corners. Conventional suspension works well when the vehicle is fully upright or only at moderate lean angles; but when at high lean angle in mid-corner, the suspension is mostly pointed sideways, making it almost useless if the pavement is not glass-smooth. At present, designed-in frame flex acts as a crude “sideways suspension” in corners, but it’s a tricky technique to make work right.

Obviously, there is a lot more to do! Anyone have an innovation to offer?

Modular design: 360-degree Pivot Locking System employs stainless steel jaws that wrap around stainless steel pegs, securing the EPS-lined chinbar in the down position. Large, front-of-helmet release button is easy to manipulate while wearing riding gloves. Smooth, single-handed up/down action.

CNS-1 shield: Noticeably wider and taller than the previous CX-1V of the still-available Multitec, this injection-molded faceshield provides a broad, clear field of vision. Changing shields is a snap with the new Neotec-exclusive QR-N baseplate. Included anti-fog Pinlock insert is likewise easy to install and effective, but, technically, is illegal for night use because it does not meet VESC-8 light-transmission standards.

Ventilation: Large shutter-type lower chin vent is effective and can be opened or closed while wearing even thick gloves. Same goes for upper intake (three positions) and exhaust vents. Deep channels molded into dual-layer EPS liner move cooling air through the helmet.

QSV-1 sun shield: Provides instant relief from sun glare with one quick motion. Large, left-side-of-helmet slider moves non-locking, injection-molded tinted inner shield up and down. Shoei says the forehead area of the Advanced Integrated Matrix (largely fiberglass) shell is slightly higher to accommodate the internal shield, allowing for no reduction in the thickness of the EPS liner.

3D liner: Interior is plush, removable, washable and replaceable. Center pad components are three-dimensionally shaped to match contours of wearer’s head. Fit for the two staffers who tried the helmet was exceptionally comfortable yet maintained a firm, stable hold up to triple-digit speeds. If you wear glasses, try before you buy; your frames may not fit. Center pad and multi-layer cheek pads are available in different thicknesses for customization.

The Shoei Neotec helmet is available in seven solid colors in XS-XXL sizes. MSRP for Anthracite Metallic, Light Silver, Brilliant Yellow (shown), Wine Red or Matte Black is $662.99. Gloss Black or White costs $648.99.

www.shoei-helmets.com

Modern sportbike gloves are pretty well-defined: leather fingers, palms and tops, molded-plastic knuckle protection, high-tensile-strength thread, hook-and-loop wrist closures. Seen one pair, seen ’em all, right?

Not so fast. The Handroid Pod from U.K.-based Knox is, um, different. Derived from the original, full-race Handroid, the Chinese-made Pod is a competition-quality glove with cow- and kangaroo-hide construction, pre-curved fingers and a medium-length gauntlet. Like the Handroid, the Pod has floating “exo-skeleton” finger and knuckle protection in which half-moon-shaped, articulating plastic guards run the length of the top of each digit, including the thumb. Curl up your fingers and the guards glide back-and-forth like snakes.

The Boa Technology Lacing System wrist closure also comes from the Handroid. We’ve seen similar micro-adjustable cable/reel setups on high-end boots. Here, you cinch down the closure by pressing on the circular, top-of-wrist knob and rotating it clockwise—click, click, click. To loosen the cables, pull out the knob. A hook-and-loop strap at the base of the wrist provides added security.

Another unique feature: Scaphoid Protection System (SPS). Molded-plastic sliders sewn into the palms grease the skids in a hands-down slide, theoretically reducing pressure on delicate wrist bones. In normal riding, you don’t even know SPS is there.

We didn’t crash-test the Pods but did experience a seam failure (pinky); Knox replaced the gloves under warranty, no questions asked.

All in all, a lot to like. And different, to boot—er, glove.

Knox Armor USA
56832 Mound Rd.
Shelby Township, MI 48316
888/611-5669
www.knoxarmorusa.com
Price…$224.95

Ups

• Snug, race-favored fit
• Boa lacing system guaranteed for life of the gloves
• Premium materials

Downs

• Boa wrist closure doesn’t fit under tapered sleeve ends
• Available in white/black only
• Premium price

In early February, Harley-Davidson unveiled two new “mid-year” models, the 2012 XL1200V Seventy-Two and FLS Softail Slim, at Southern California biker hotspot Cook’s Corner. The Seventy-Two is part of Harley’s popular Dark Custom line, which also includes the Iron 883, Nightster, Forty-Eight, Street Bob, Fat Bob and Blackline.

Drawing its name from Route 72— the famous Whittier Boulevard cruising strip that runs from Puente Street in Brea, California, to Atlantic Boulevard in East Los Angeles—the Sportster-based Seventy-Two has a stainless steel mini-ape handlebar mounted on a 2-inch riser, a central speedometer, 2.1-gallon “peanut” gas tank, skinny 21/16-inch wire-spoke chrome wheels shod with bias-ply Dunlop whitewalls, a chopped rear fender and chromed shorty dual exhaust pipes. The rubber-mounted, ohv 1200cc engine is equipped with a five-speed transmission and finished in gray powdercoat with chrome covers. Claimed “laden” seat height is 26.6 inches. Dry weight is 545 pounds.

At the launch, the Hard Candy Big Red Flake Seventy-Two on display was fitted with an optional solo seat topped with a Schwinn Sting-Ray-esque metalflake cover that replaced the standard one-piece Sportster saddle. A chrome one-piece sissybar is also available.

“In creating the Seventy-Two, we were also inspired by the vibe of the early choppers era,” said Frank Savage, H-D Manager of Industrial Design. “Those bikes were colorful and chromed, but also narrow and stripped down to the essentials. You look at period examples and they are almost as simple as a bicycle. It’s a custom style that’s very particular to America and that California scene.”

“The final touch to the Hard Candy Big Red Flake paint is a logo on the tank top and pinstripe scallop details on both fenders. Each was originally created by hand, and we recreated that art in a decal for production, so they have the appearance of hand-applied graphics in that they are not exactly perfect. The graphics are then covered with a final clear coat application.”

“The Seventy-Two will appeal to 18-34-year-olds because it’s a look and era that they admire,” said H-D’s Director of Consumer Influence, Paul James. “But it also appeals to our core customers, many of whom were young adults in that era. The Seventy-Two reminds them of bikes that they grew up with. It bridges generations.”

MSRP for the Seventy-Two is $10,499 in Black Denim or Big Blue Pearl. Add $700 for Hard Candy Big Red Flake.

Harley Senior Designer Casey Ketterhagen is the creative pen behind the Softail Slim’s “essential” look. “It’s time to make the engine the focal point of the motorcycle,” he said, “so we put a Softail on a diet to get the proportions back in check. Scale down the rear with a narrow tire and chopped fender, and the heart of the bike, the motor, once again becomes the focus. I’d personally like to strip the bike down even further, but this is as far as we can go on a production model.”

In fact, the widest part of the Slim is its brand-new cross-brace-equipped “Hollywood” handlebar that stretches across the 5.0-gallon gas tank and black “cat’s eye” speedometer console.

“This bar has been in our past,” said James. “No one knows where the name came from. There’s some thought that guys in that era mounted extra lights to the bar and ‘had gone Hollywood.’”

Relatively narrow 90/85-series Dunlops are mounted on black-hubbed/rimmed, wire-spoke 16-inch wheels front and back. Half-moon-shaped floorboards are topped with “retro-style” rubber pads. Like the Seventy-Two, the Slim is fitted with a side-mounted license-plate bracket.

Like all non-CVO 2012 Softails, the Slim is powered by Harley’s rigid-mounted, counterbalanced, air-cooled, 1690cc (103-cubic-inch) Twin Cam V-Twin that is said to produce 98.7 foot-pounds of torque at 3000 rpm.

“We left a gap between the nose of the seat and tank so the rider can see the top of the motor,” said Ketterhagen. “I like to look down and see what’s moving me.”

The black-powdercoated engine is treated to polished covers and a round, gloss-black air cleaner. A six-speed Cruise Drive transmission is standard. Height for the tuck-and-roll saddle is just 23.8 inches, the lowest seat on any current-model Harley.

“There are a lot of people who don’t have long inseams,” said James. “They want to feel comfortable on a bike. They want to be able to feel their feet on the ground, feel in control. At the same time, that ‘slammed’ look is hot.”

Claimed dry weight is 671 pounds. Of current Softails, only the 638-pound Blackline weighs less.

MSRP for the Slim in Vivid Black is $15,499, making it Harley’s least-expensive Softail. Black Denim or Ember Red Sunglo lists for $15,884. Options include a sprung solo seat and a gloss-black primary cover and finned derby cover.

While there’s nothing significantly mechanically different about the Seventy-Two and the Slim from their Sportster and Softail siblings—the powertrains, for example, are identical; suspension is similar—James said both bikes have a unique look, riding position and feel because of the way that the parts and pieces have been put together.

Timing is important, too. “The last two years, we’ve introduced mid-year-model bikes,” said James. “We introduced the Forty Eight about this time two years ago. And last year, we introduced the Blackline. This year, we have two new motorcycles in this time frame.

“The idea is to become more customer-led, more nimble, introduce more products, be quicker to market. We’ve listened to our dealers, and we’re pushing the timing of our dealer shows and when we’ve launched new motorcycles out further to give them that time to serve the marketplace and make sure we weren’t overlapping the middle of the riding season with new models.

“We’re producing much fewer motorcycles than we did in 2006, but we’ve become a more efficient company. Since 2009, the beginning our ‘transformation,’ we’ve changed the way we do a lot of things, everything from manufacturing to purchasing up to production. The transition to the new factory in York, Pennsylvania, is really the result—the payoff—of a lot of this work.”