 | | | |
| |
| Price | |
| Bodystyle | Naked |
| Warranty | 24 months |
| Manufacturer Country | Italy |
| Introduction Year | 2009 |
| Displacement (cc) | 749.9 |
| Engine Type | V Twin |
Saturday, May 8, 2010
2010 Dorsoduro 750
2010 RSV 4 FACTORY
2010 RSV 4 R
 | | | |
| Price | |
| Bodystyle | Sport |
| Warranty | 24 months |
| Manufacturer Country | Italy |
| Introduction Year | 2010 |
| Displacement (cc) | 999.6 |
| Engine Type | V4 |
2010 Tuono 1000 R
 | | | |
| Price | |
| Bodystyle | Sport |
| Warranty | 24 months |
| Manufacturer Country | Italy |
| Introduction Year | N/A |
| Displacement (cc) | 997.6 |
| Engine Type | V Twin |
2010 Tuono 1000 R Factory
| Price | |
| Bodystyle | Sport |
| Warranty | 24 months |
| Manufacturer Country | Italy |
| Introduction Year | N/A |
| Displacement (cc) | 997.6 |
| Engine Type | V Twin |
2010 Superbike Smackdown VII Track
Clash of the Titans
The arms race has resumed. Take the covers off the nukes; the battle for superbike superiority is back in full swing!
Over the past few years we haven’t seen any revolutionary gains in performance from the big-bore sportbike world. Things have remained relatively stagnant; be it due to emissions, noise regulations, or a lack of someone really setting a new benchmark, Honda has reigned supreme for two years running. And though others have found small gains here and there, no one has really dropped our jaw with big horsepower numbers or wowed us with totally new ideas – Yamaha’s crossplane crankshaft being the only exception. But that has all changed for 2010…
While the four Japanese machines remain mostly unchanged, a new European contingent enters the fray alongside Ducati. With BMW’s monstrous S1000RR, Aprilia’s wicked RSV4R and the sinister black KTM RC8R, three totally new rockets have joined the Superbike world and with them have come some big claims and new ideas – both in terms of horsepower and technology. But do these bikes really have what it takes to dethrone the tried-and-true Japanese Inline Fours? Or is it merely a case of a lot of talk but little walk?
Putting all eight of these street-legal track-designed rockets through the wringer, we assembled a talented and experienced team of testers, ranging in ability from expert trackday riders to professional champions. MotoUSA’s regular three-time AMA 250cc GP Champion Chuck Sorenson returned, joining myself and fellow staffers Adam Waheed and Ken Hutchison. Also in the crew was AFM fast-guy and owner of Pacific Track Time Michael Earnest, who can ride Thunderhill quicker than most blindfolded, while young gun racer Frankie Garcia was back for another shootout. Motocross semi-pro-turned-road racer Corey Neuer joined the group, as did Nip/Tuck TV star John Hensley, who has been club racing recently and getting quite fast, the pair providing us with totally different and fresh new angles.
Because of the massive proportions and complexity of this monster shootout, we once again split the track and street portions into separate stories. Furthermore, to get as much objective information as possible, we fitted each of the machines with the latest bolt-on data acquisition systems from Kinelogix for our track test. This gave us head-spinning
For the process of getting the outright fastest lap times in the most evenly-matched and fair way possible, as we’ve done the past couple years, we instated the MotoUSA Superpole system. With Chuck Sorensen and I each putting in an out-lap, one flyer and an in-lap on each of the eight bikes, all fully fueled with pre-heated, brand-new Dunlop tires. Order was drawn out of a hat and the session was done congruently during a 1-hour session. As for the rubber, we used Dunlop’s new AMA-spec DOT Daytona SportBike race tires.
We also rented the defunct El Toro Marine base to gather yet more data, this time from quarter-mile, acceleration and braking tests. Not to mention all were weighed, run on Lee's Cycle's dyno and so forth. And once we were able to regain composure and stop our heads from exploding due to the information overload, the end result is the type of comprehensive shootout the readers of this fine publication have come to expect.
Meet the Giants
The all-new German machine and the Italian incumbent enter the fight as the most-anticipated bikes of the year. The S1000RR, in particular is BMW’s first-ever true hardcore sportbike. But can it compete with the tried-and-true Japanese its first time out? The same holds true for the KTM, the RC8 being its first production sportbike. Although the base model was out last year, for 2010 we get a higher-end ‘R’ edition. As for the Aprilia, with years of manufacturing sportbikes under its belt, the Italian brand definitely has more information to work with than BMW or KTM. But does that mean it will make a better product? With all eight bikes set up and ready to go we were ready to hike-up our skirts and find out. So it’s time to grab a coffee, sit back, relax, and enjoy the 2010 MotoUSA Superbike Smackdown!
Shout Outs…
To make sure we give love where it’s due, here are a list of the supporters and integral personnel that allowed the ultimate Superbike Smackdown to take place:
Dunlop
Proving rubber for all eight of these high-horsepower machines is no easy task, thus we knew bringing Dunlop in would ensure testing was done on a consistent, high-performance tire. For this we used their latest GP-A AMA-spec race tire, which did well to withstand the day’s abuse at Thunderhill and made for a completely even playing field, which is exactly what we needed.
GoPro
Making sure we had ample on-board footage for this many machines in the time we had was no easy task, but if it were not for GoPro’s wide angle Hero it would have been impossible. They worked flawlessly and produced some awesome footage. Be sure to check out the videos
Friday, May 7, 2010
TCD
TCD has been working in the design arena for over 20 years. Aside from supplying original concepts and 3D modelled vehicles and props appearing in television advertisements, music videos, pilots and feature films, we also create superb print-quality illustrations and graphics by application of the same cutting edge 3D computer technology.
An exciting sphere of operations for TCD is in the field of product design and in particular, motorcycle design. As one of Australia's leading motorcycle design consultants, we are long-term members of the Motorcycle Designers Association (MDA).
We're ready right now for your next advanced design project, so please get in touch. Email us at: tcdesign@talent.com.au
Swann Insurance Bike
A major design project I have been working on for about a year, in conjunction with Sydney-based insurance research organisation, the IAG Technical Research Centre. This organisation has been looking closely into ways to make motorcycles safer as well as cheaper to repair in the event of a simple tip over, and asked me for some design input, which lead to the 'Swann Insurance Motorcycle of the Future' design.
I wanted to make the concept of such a motorcycle as practical as possible, with a minimum impact on the visuals. I believe you would be hard pressed to spot the various design features without them being pointed out.
I coined a term 'Ablative Design' to describe the idea of cheap, 'sacrificial' components being used in areas susceptible to tip over damage. Think of a $30 alloy cover bearing the brunt of a simple fall off the sidestand, instead of your $2,000 muffler. Simple really. 'Ablative' comes from the old Apollo space program, where it was used to describe the heat shield that was itself destroyed whilst protecting the crew from the dangers of re-entry.
The concept also grew to include the latest ideas in electronics, in the form of ABS, Stability Control,Proximity warning and programmable cruise control.
V-Rex
Early 2010
We are currently engaged in a general makeover of the website. We're adding a lot of background details, concept sketches
and other bits and pieces from the archives. Work will be ongoing for the next couple of months, so feel free to stop
by week to week as new items are added.
Late 2009
The V-Rex received an Honourable Mention for 'Best Eccentric' in motorcycle.com's 'Best of 2009' Awards!
January/February 2009
My focus as a designer was packaging all this technology in a fairly 'standard' looking design rather than anything as outlandish as the current crop of hybrid concept bikes. I chose the British cafe racer as a source of some lines (you can see a little Norton Commando in the ducktail) and I thought it would be fun to blend some older lines with brand new technology. There is a page for it in the gallery HERE, and you can contact me for a press release and high res print-ready images as well, via email
September/October/November 2008
September/October/November 2008
There are TWO V-Rexes (Rexii?) currently to be seen at the massive SEMA show in Las Vegas, one on the K&N stand and the other with the gents at Prospray.
Other V-Rex highlights include confirmation of where and when the V-Rex makes its movie debut in 2009!
On slightly disrelated other news, 'Wired' featuring my 'space fighter' design in their on-line gallery.
Siggraph! Who's that up on the screen?
Hollywood star Paul Walker looking mighty cool on a V-Rex.
VR-2 coverage in MCN.
August 2008
The bike is also making an appearance in LA at the massive and awesome Siggraph conference. Newtek, the makers of the software I used to design and build the original 3D concept, will have a 'real ' V-Rex on their stand for the week, as well as a video interview with yours truly explaining the finer points of the design process.
I have finally gotten round to rendering a short 'demo reel' featuring some of my designs in quicktime format. You can download it HERE.
May 2008
Also there is a series of articles appearing in 3D World magazine which trace the development in diary form of the V-Rex from my original idea and sketch all the way to rolling down the streets of the U.S.
I am also working on some car designs which will be added to the gallery shortly.
April 2008
There are more new designs on the way, including our first hybrid.
Vids vids vids! Clips of the V-Rex are all over the web. It looks GOOD in motion!
Click on these images below to see some of them.
March 2008
If Angelina Jolie strolled down Main Street naked, perhaps with her hair on fire, she might come close to attracting the amount of attention the Travertson V-REX does. - Kevin Duke
I'll add links to the various other stories as they appear.
Late August
Huge media launch here in Sydney for a major design project I have been working on for about a year, in conjunction with Sydney-based research organisation, the IAG Technical Research Centre. This organisation has been looking closely into ways to make motorcycles safer as well as cheaper to repair in the event of a simple tip over, and asked me for some input, which lead to the 'Swann Insurance Motorcycle of the Future' design coming about.
The media launch was kicked off by our very own Aussie motorcycle racing star Casey Stoner, currently leading the pack in the MotoGP series, who unveiled large images of the design, which features a virtual 'wish list' of items designed to make motorcycles both safer and cheaper to insure.
A HUGE story has just appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald sparked by this launch, featuring nice big images of the design. The story is up online currently here
July
In early August there is going to be a major media launch involving a motorcycle design I have penned in conjunction with the IAG Research Laboratory here in Sydney. This motorcycle is being used to highlight some deficiencies in current motorcycle design as regards ease of damageability and cost of repair. More details will be added as the launch grows closer.
June
Also, starting to become a topic is something I have been working on in liaison with staff from the IAG Research Laboratory here in Sydney, Australia. Serious in-depth research is currently underway into ways that motorcycle design can be improved as regards the expense of damage ocurring after a simple 'drop'.
With horror stories of bikes being 'written off' by insurance companies after simply rolling off the sidestand, there's plenty to be done. I believe this problem can be successfully tackled at the design stage without affecting the 'looks' of the bike very much, if at all. It would be no fun if your bike looked like a battleship just so that you could insure it!
I will be setting up an entire page on this website to go into this subject much more in-depth. For now , here is a link to IAG's website on the topic, complete with QuickTime movies.
Oh and I started building Skeletor, my original thumper design from a few years ago. See here for more info.
April
Some stories are starting to appear about the bike. This week Ozbike magazine in Australia features the bike on the cover and in an 8 page centrefold pictorial. A french magazine called "maximoto' has also done a rather nice feature as well.
Bit of a roundup from Daytona. First off the bike won its class at the Daytona Beach Boardwalk Bike Show and Christian has a HUGE trophy for the mantlepiece! The bike was also entered in the world famous 'Rat's Hole Bike Show' somewhat reluctantly as Christian explained that the V-Rex is NOT a one-off custom bike, it's a PRODUCTION bike, but, according to Christian, they wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, and so for possibly the first time in history, a production bike placed in the TOP TEN out of 150 entries at this prestigeous show!
March 11th 2007
March 5th 2007
March 4th 2007
Last night we received the first pics of the finished bike. This morning had to look again just to check I wasn't dreaming!
Stay tuned llike I said :-)
Stay tuned llike I said :-)
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