Euro Gossip February 2006

This month we start with news from two of Italy's oldest bike manufacturers, before moving to Germany and the UK, and eventually ending up on the other side of the world with all that's new on the rumor/fact front.

Ducati are currently working on a traction-control system for road bikes that could be seen in production as soon as 2007, according to Claudio Domenicali, the head of product development for the Bologna-based firm. Apparently the GP-developed system has already had extensive testing on the road and has been well received.

Domenicali also confirmed that work is in progress to produce a more powerful Testastretta engine to enable them to compete with the Japanese in Superbike racing. The changes are likely to be around making it smaller and more compact, as well as revving far higher than at present.

Unconfirmed, though, is that the 999 is getting a makeover for 2007 in an effort to get more sales. The bike has never got the fanatical following of the seminal 916 and needs to appeal to a greater audience, so this does make sense, although some feel that the Monster range is now the core business and all efforts should be concentrated there.

Staying with V-Twins, apparently Cagiva now has a 250cc V-Twin four-stroke that it intends to put into a Husqvarna motocrosser. Due to regulations aimed at balancing two-strokes against four, the physically small motor could be eligible to compete in the 125cc category against the two-strokes, making for some interesting racing.

In the last edition of this column, we reported on the leaks from the Moto Guzzi factory, which seem to continue more like a burst pipe at present. It now seems they have a concept cruiser on the drawing board with some pretty radical ideas for a production machine. The leaked picture shows not only a single-sided swingarm, but also a single fork leg to support the front wheel. The engine remains the same traditional V-Twin unit, presumably to save on development costs, while the styling is similar to the Triumph Rocket III.

An MV F4 1000 has been spotted testing in Spain, complete with a high-specification Marzocchi fork and radial Brembo calipers that have not been seen before on a production MV. Obviously the recent sale of the company has not halted testing and development!

Vyrus is not a name you may have heard of before, but they may be worth watching out for in the future. The Italian company headed by Ascanio Roderigo bought up the rights to the Bimota Tesi Millennium, complete with its hub-centre steering arrangement. They began with the 984 C3 with an air-cooled Ducati motor powering it, but a second version has just been announced at 30,000 pounds ($52,000) featuring the latest 148 bhp Ducati Testastretta motor. Thanks to its low weight of 157kg (346 lbs) and less restrictive exhaust system it should be quick off the blocks. Around 150 are planned to be built for this year and details can be found at www.vyrus.it.

BMW have been in the news a lot recently with their move towards more sporty machinery from their touring past. Well it seems they have not neglected one of their main markets with a new version of the R120RT 'Authority'. Basically this is the public utility bike sold worldwide to police forces and similar emergency-based services. Changes from the civilian version include a 27-litre petrol tank and a stronger rear suspension unit. First gear has been lowered for convoy and ceremonial work, and the riders get some comfort with heated grips and seat.

Moving back to the main market, watch out later this year for the launch of the new naked R1200R, which will finalize the move from the now ageing 1150cc-powered range. The new model will have an identical engine to the R1200GS with 100 bhp on tap. The bike is likely to use the Telelever fork and the latest single-sided Paralever shaft-drive system from existing models, but it will be a lot lighter. The styling will also make the bike look more dynamic and probably be along the lines of a Buell in terms of compactness. Expect to see the bike at the Cologne show latest, but an earlier launch could be on the cards.

Watch out too for an HP4 sports bike featuring a tuned K1200S motor giving 190 bhp. Rumors also suggest an HP2 based on the R1200S, to complete BMW's High Performance range announced last year.

While BMW are an acknowledged bike producer, Clemens Leonhardt is not. In fact he is relatively unknown outside his native Germany. That is likely to change when he goes into production with his first bike that will topple Kawasaki from the top slot with the biggest production V-Twin motor. The Japanese lump, at 2-litres, is just a very small unit compared to the 6728cc unit that powers Leonhardt's "Gunbus." The engine is derived from a nine-cylinder radial aeroplane engine and is expected to pump out 500 lb-ft of torque and make 350 bhp. It will be limited to 156 mph, but judging from the sketches released, you would not want to go any faster.

The connection with planes goes further than just the motor, as it runs on a 34-inch front tire and a 37-inch rear that normally support a Boeing 767 when it is on the ground. The Gunbus will be fully road legal and weigh a claimed 18kg (40 lbs) more than the heaviest Harley on the road. More information can be found at www.leonhardtweb.de, but it helps if you speak German.

The original car-engined bike, the Munch Mammut, gets a new lease on life thanks to a series of replicas that are being built in Germany. Fully sanctioned by the bike's original designer, the whole bike has been reproduced faithfully, including the 1000cc NSU car engine. So far five have been made, but thanks to the interest they have generated, a few more may well be made in the near future.

Which is a useful nice link to mention the Austrian bike firm KTM and their four-wheeled car being built in conjunction with German car manufacturer, Audi. Built on similar lines to the very British Lotus 7 open topped sports car of the '60s, it could be publicly shown by the end of 2006 and be in production by 2008. Watch this space for further details.

Staying with cars, Mercedes are rumored to have approached Piaggio to see if they are interested in buying the Smart Car from them. The small city-based cars and sports cars are popular in Europe thanks to their ease of parking and have something of a cult following. Piaggio's boss Roberto Colonino tried to buy Fiat before settling on the scooter firm, hence the offer!

A Dutch firm is aiming to be the first into production with a two-wheel drive machine next year. The front-wheel drive will be by means of hydraulics and will be an option on the Turbo Diesel bike they are aiming to put into production at the same time. Three versions are planed, a road bike, an off-roader and a full race bike. EVA Products, the company concerned, claim all will have a turbo engine complete with intercooler and shaft drive, and will also be available in kit form.

The new Triumph Tiger now seems to be in its final form judging from a prototype seen out on the road testing near the factory in Leicestershire. Spy shots show a tubular frame similar to a Speed Triple with a heavily braced swingarm very similar to those used on a sports machine. All pretensions of off-road capability seem to have gone from this new version of the very popular Tiger. Extended Showa inverted forks are fitted with radial brake calipers and disappear into a three-quarter fairing with twin headlights. The motor looks like the 128-bhp item from a Speed Triple, which if it maintains the same spec and state of tune, will see the Tiger as the most powerful of all the big trailies!

Last year we mentioned that British sports car firm TVR tried to buy Benelli when they were up for grabs. They nearly succeeded until the Italian unions scuppered the deal, which would have eventually seen the bikes built in the UK. It now seems their bike dreams are still alive with rumors suggesting that an engine is well on its way through the development process within the factory. Although the firm will not confirm anything, there has been no denial of the rumors either!

The Chinese made CR3 is a low-cost 125cc four-stroke with the British AJS logo on the fueltank. Hmm... Is there a word in the Chinese language that means "copyright"?

The Chinese now seem to be regularly featuring in this column for various diverse reasons, showing just how quickly they are getting to grips with the motorcycle market worldwide. This month it is because they have a budget 125cc four-stroke roadster bearing the famous British AJS logo on the tank for sale in the UK. (Looking suspiciously like an Asian-market Honda CBR150, the "CR3" has a twin-spar frame, an inverted fork and sport fairing. -Ed.)

Few racing aficionados will need much reminding about how the British AJS factory won the very first 500cc Grand Prix crown in 1949, to name just one of their many racing victories. Innovative racing bikes like the Porcupine and good steady road bikes like the Model 31 would no doubt fall off their stands if placed next to the CR3 that claims heritage with them!

Avon Tyres is introducing what might become the next big thing in cruiser tires, making a 20-inch rear and a 23-inch front for its Venom line.

One British firm that can still genuinely claim to be in production is Avon Tyres. They have just announced a commercially available 20-inch rear radial tire for the custom market along with a 23-inch front. Running under the Venom name, the AM 41 and 42 are both V-rated for speeds up to 149 mph, so they are as much for go as for show. Expected to go on sale this summer as demand is already there, so we can expect a whole new breed of custom bikes that sit taller than current machines with fat tires, making them more usable on pot-holed roads.

Last time we reported on the new race schedule for the Isle of Man TT races that had just been announced. Well, reaction seems to be positive, and supporters of the now-defunct combined 125/400 race feel they may well get another chance now that one of the 600cc races has been dropped. But, closely following the race schedule was a whole new program to train race marshals for the event. The budget for training has been increased and so has the number of hours that a marshal will be expected to train. The amount of radios and other safety aids have also been doubled in an effort to prevent any more tragedies happening due to lack of quick assistance, or marshalling errors like last year.

In Sweden, which, as we know, is very safety conscious, engineers are constructing female crash test dummies to use in staged motorcycle crash tests. The scientists claim they need to know how a female's body reacts compared to a male's! The spin-off could of course be a brand new all-female pop group with a familiar sounding name entering the music charts!

Alpinestars is working on improving the safety of off-road boots like these Tech 10s, by building leg braces into the boot with the intent of preventing leg fractures caused by trauma like impacts and twists.

Staying with safety, Italian clothing firm Alpinestars are working on leg braces that are built into the rider's boots. The intention is to help prevent broken legs caused by impacts and twisting and is aimed at the motocross rider rather than road riders or racers.

Remember a couple of months ago when I mentioned the Vee Two Squalo was likely to resurface in its homeland of Australia? Well further news from 'down-under' suggests that the new 'Super' model will have a supercharged 999 Testastretta engine in place of the original 900SS engine. The Springtex supercharger will boost power to 175 bhp from the standard 140, but the manufacturer claims that it will be as rideable on the road as on any track. Only 99 will be built and will have electric screens, rear facing cameras, digital dashboards and single-sided swingarms. No price has yet been fixed, but expect to see one at the Cologne show at the end of the year.

Those of you who have traveled extensively in the Far East will have seen whole families traveling on small motorcycles along with massive bags of rice, etc. Well, that is all set to change in the Philippines, as it is now a criminal offence for more than two people to ride on a bike. The senior police officer who brought the law into being cited gangs of bank robbers on bikes as the reason the law was created.

However, any law is only as good as those that enforce or apply it. In Nepal, a police officer was recently killed and the other seriously injured when their patrol bike crashed into a traffic island late at night. They should have been enforcing a curfew on bikes, but instead were messing about on their own, both being drunk at the time!


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