Moto Guzzi, also known as Guzzi, is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer that has endured from the industry’s infancy to its place today as the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production. Guzzi is now one of seven brands owned by Piaggio & Co. SpA, Europe’s largest motorcycle manufacturer and the world’s fourth largest motorcycle manufacturer by unit sales.
Established in 1921 in Mandello del Lario, Italy, Moto Guzzi has led Italy’s motorcycling manufacture, enjoyed prominence in worldwide motorcycle racing, and led the industry in ground-breaking innovation – for the greater part of its history.
Today Moto Guzzi impresses its heritage on a range of motorcycles in touring, cruising, racing and naked configurations – each with the company’s iconic, air-cooled 90° V-twin engines.
Suzuki Motor Corporation(Suzuki Kabushiki-gaisha) is a multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles, a full range of motorcycles, All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines. Suzuki is the 12th largest automobile manufacturer in the world by production volume, employs over 45,000 people, has 35 main production facilities in 23 countries and 133 distributors in 192 countries.
“Suzuki” is pronounced in Japanese as “soo-zoo-kee” /suzuki/, with emphasis on a high “kee”. It is almost always pronounced in English as “suh-ZOO-kee” /səˈzuːki/, with a stressed “zoo”. This pronunciation is used by the English-speaking public and by the Suzuki company in marketing campaigns directed towards this demographic.
The 645cc liquid-cooled, carbureted 90-degree V-Twin devoid of bodywork took almost no time to reach cult status with its sporty handling and user-friendly low-end and mid-range grunt. Its un-faired design caused the eye to immediately focus on the unique mill hanging from the aluminum, oval-tube trellis-style frame. Not many bike makers in those days embraced the naked streetfighter style for the American market.
Nevertheless, the SV’s ease-of-use made it a hit with Average Joe Rider for commuting and weekend play, while its overall performance caused a groundswell in club racing across the country, all for the 1999 MSRP of $5,699. The bike really was all that and a bag of chips.
The first major update to the SV – and the partially-faired SV650S model introduced in 2000 – arrived in ’03 and included fuel-injection, a new beefy square-tube truss frame and marginal increases in power and torque. In 2007 ABS became on option on either model, and in 2008 the S model went full-fairing as the SV650SF. For 2009 Suzuki perceived performance characteristics between the SV and SF models to be too close, so an all-new model emerged to adapt to changing market demands. We know everyone loved the good ol’ SV, but Suzuki has come up with a solution to fill the gap left by the standard SV’s departure: the 2009 Gladius.
With a street-tuned suspension and re-engineered drive train, the SF is designed with “an air of purposeful aggression” and includes a blackened frame and sleek black/grey bodywork. The new setup is perfect for me because I was already flogging the S-model around the City of Angels when I couldn’t get myself out to the trails. As an urban commuter mount, requiring barely more space to park than a downhill mountain bike, the SF is rip-roaring fun.
For the most part, the new SF model is a city-slickened and supermoto-styled KLX250S with the same four-stroke liquid-cooled 249cc DOHC four-valve Single. On the Area P dyno, the SF was able to crank out 2.5 horsepower more, up to 20.5 ponies at 8,800 rpm - possibly due to a better transmission of power from the street tires than the S’s knobbies. Torque is up marginally to 13.7 ft-lbs at 7,400 rpm. The SF model employs a taller 39-tooth rear sprocket and street rubber to deliver more confident higher-speed street riding. Redlining at 10,500 rpm with a sweet spot between the 7,000 to 9,000 rpm rev range, the SF sure is a screamer.
It’s the battle of the 600’s! Both the Honda CB600-RR and the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R are high-revving engineering marvels. But who’s the best out of these two wheelie monsters?
The CBR1000RR(also known as the Fireblade) is a 999 cc (60.9 cu in) liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder Honda sport bike that was introduced in 2004 to replace the CBR954RR.
Racing roots
The Honda CBR1000RR was developed by the same team that was behind the Honda RC211V race bike for the MotoGP series. Many of the new technologies introduced in the Honda CBR600RR, a direct descendant of the RC211V, were used in the new CBR1000RR such as a lengthy swingarm, Unit Pro-Link rear suspension, and Dual Stage Fuel Injection System (DSFI).
2004
The Honda CBR1000RR was the successor to the CBR954RR. While evolving the CBR954RR design, few parts were carried over to the CBR1000RR. The compact 998 cc (60.9 cu in) in-line four was a completely fresh design, with unique bore and stroke dimensions, race-inspired cassette-type six-speed gearbox, all-new ECU-controlled ram-air system, dual-stage fuel injection, and center-up exhaust featuring a new computer-controlled butterfly valve. The chassis was likewise all new, including an organic-style aluminum frame composed of Gravity Die-Cast main sections and Fine Die-Cast steering head structure, inverted fork, Unit Pro-Link rear suspension, radial-mounted front brakes, and a centrally-located fuel tank hidden under a faux cover. Additionally, the Honda Electronic Steering Damper (HESD) debuted as an industry first system which drastically improved stability and nearly completely eliminated head shake while automatically adjusting for high and low speed steering effort.
KTM’s RC8 spent so many years being a concept - a V4 and then a V2 - that no one knew whether this crazy orange design would ever see the light of day. I for one am glad to see it in its first evolved state after the 2008 world launch at Ascari. KTM must be a huge fan of Ducati as everything KTM has done with the RC8 from the L-twin (V75-V90) configuration, Ascari launch and then Portimao launch is all in the footsteps of the red giant from Bologna, Italy. But was it a wise move? Isn’t V4 the future now?
Those are questions yet to be answered, but one question I do know the answer to is whether the 1198 RC8R is a Ducati killer or not. It definitely isn’t yet, so today I’m comparing it to the liter fours and the latest and best 600cc in-line fours instead.
And it wouldn’t stand a chance there either I hear you whisper? Well, it’s not quite as clear cut as that. While cornering on the brand new Bridgestone BT-003RS tires the RC8R leans with great willingness and turning from an extreme left lean to an extreme right is the easiest thing in the world. Only the 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R felt better in this area on Almeria.
The Brembo monoblocks worked very precisely on the RC8R with a fantastic initial bite. The 43mm WP USD fork felt fine, but not with the same feedback as the Ninja. The new fully adjustable WP mono shock must have helped a lot at the rear because the RC8R could be fired very hard out of the corners without much of a rear wheel slide. The RC8R was also of the best bikes along with the 600s for a circuit that can be ridden in second gear between the two straights. Plenty of low-end, traction-friendly V-twin torque.
BMW took the official wraps off its new literbike contender, the S1000RR, at the legendary Monza Racing Circuit last weekend in conjunction with an Italian round of the World Superbike Championship.
Although we already teased you with some details that have trickled out about the bike in our A Closer Look article, we now have been given full details about BMW’s new Superbike contender.
The pertinent numbers are a claimed 193 horsepower (at the crankshaft) and a 403.5-lb claimed dry weight. In a ready-to-ride form including fuel, BMW says to expect 450 lbs of weight. DTC Dynamic Traction Control is an appealing option, as is the Race ABS that adds just 5.3 lbs to the bike’s weight. Also innovative is the RR’s variable-length intake tracts that work in harmony with a 14,200-rpm redline, the highest among its rivals.
Kawasaki’s engineers were given a clean slate to produce the best ever supersports Ninja for the 600cc class. They strived tirelessly to meet their goal… Great video.
The 25th Anniversary of the Buell Motorcycle Company coincides with a new chapter in the history of America’s largest manufacturer of sporting motorcycles: A liquid cooled 72-degree 1125cc motor powering its all new 2008 Buell 1125R.
At the heart of the 1125R is the Helicon V-Twin powerplant, claimed to produce 146 horsepower at the crank, developed in conjunction with BRP-Rotax specifically for Buell and the 1125R. Buell fans can rest assured that the bike is true to the Buell heritage of being rider friendly and decidedly different than the competition. The fuel-in-the-frame technology is retained, although capacity has been raised to 5.6 gallons. It’s still-stubby 54.5-inch wheelbase is 2.5-inches longer than the current Firebolt design and should still be plenty agile. The next generation of the Zero Torsion Load single-disc front braking system, ZTL2, features an 8-piston caliper derived from the XBRR racing platform and should provide plenty of power to haul this beast down from speed.
After years of riding and enjoying Buell motorcycles, the primary complaint from this company and the majority of the motorcycle media was a decided lack of power compared to the competition. Buell appears to have addressed this issue and with the track introduction of this new bike just weeks away, the answer to some of the questions on the minds of consumers everywhere will soon be answered.
Will the bike be as powerful as Buell claims? Will it still have that razor-sharp handling of its predecessors? Will the chassis be stable enough to handle the additional speed facilitated by the new motor? How will this version perform on the race track? How will it stack up to the other V-Twin liter bikes? We should have answers to all of these except the last question by the end of August.
Moto Guzzi, also known as Guzzi, is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer that has endured from the industry’s infancy to its place today as the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production. Guzzi is now one of seven brands owned by Piaggio & Co. SpA, Europe’s largest motorcycle manufacturer and the world’s fourth largest motorcycle manufacturer by unit sales.
Choppers n Bikes Wallpapers
Top Bikes Babes Wallpapers