Buell Racing 1190RS Superbike

As for the drivetrain, the 1190RS will feature converted Rotax motors from the 1,125 cc displacement it once had to a more powerful 1,190 cc. This drivetrain also includes 106mm forged pistons, titanium valves, race cams, and forged and machined connecting rods, among other things. All told, the 1190RS is expected to be a lightweight superbike with an output of around 170 horsepower, which is right around the neighborhood of the Ducati 1198R. The company is hopeful in releasing the first batch of these street-legal superbikes at a base price of $39,995 sometime this month.

With the impending release of the Buell Racing 1190RS, expect a steady stream of interest for the superbike, one that should have the execs over at Harley-Davidson shaking their heads and thinking what could have been.

More about → Buell Racing 1190RS Superbike

Buell 1125R

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine and Transmission

Engine Helicon, Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, 72 V-Twin
Displacement 68.7 cu in (1,126 cc)
Bore 4.055 in. (103 mm)
Stroke 2.658 in. (67.51 mm)
Peak Torque per SAE J607, North America 82 ft-lb (111 Nm)
Peak Torque RPM per SAE J607, North America 8,000
Peak Horsepower per SAE J607, North America 146 hp (109 kW)
Peak Horsepower RPM per SAE J607, North America 9,800
Compression Ratio 12.3:1
Mileage per US EPA Urban Trace, CITY6 39 mpg (6 l/100 km)
Mileage per US EPA HIGHWAY Fuel Economy Test6 53 mpg (4.4 l/100 km)
Intake Zero-resisitance airbox, Pressurized RAM air intake

Primary Drive Type Helical gear
Primary Drive Ratio 1.806:1 (65/36)
Secondary Drive Type7 Belt
Secondary Drive Member Pitch Length (# of Teeth or # of Links) 145 tooth belt, 14mm pitch
Secondary Drive Ratio 2.593:1 (70/27)
Transmission type 6-speed, straight cut gears
Transmission Ratio, 1st 2.462
Transmission Ratio, 2nd 1.75
Transmission Ratio, 3rd 1.381
Transmission Ratio, 4th 1.174
Transmission Ratio, 5th 1.042
Transmission Ratio, 6th 0.96

Chassis and Dimensions

Front Brake ZTL-2 braking system
Front Rotor and Caliper Configuration 8-piston ZTL2 front caliper from Nissin
Front Rotor Size, OD 14.76 in. (375 mm)
Number of Front Brake Rotors 1
Rear Brake Two-piston, direct mount caliper, 240mm, stainless steel, fixed rotor
Rear Rotor and Caliper Configuration Same rotor as XB. Rear caliper is new solid mounted 2-piston design from Hayes
Rear Rotor Size, OD 9.45 in. (240 mm)
Rear Suspension Type and Configuration Fully adjustable (adjustable compression damping, rebound damping and spring preload), coil-over monoshock with attached reservoir.
Front Suspension Type and Configuration Fully adjustable (adjustable compression damping, rebound damping and spring preload) inverted forks.
Front Fork Slider Tube Diameter 1.85 in. (47 mm)
Fork Lock Availability (true or false) True
Suspension Travel, Front Wheel, Along Fork Line 4.72 in. (120 mm)
Suspension Travel, Rear Wheel, Vertical 5 in. (127 mm)

Lean Angle at Full Suspension Compression, Soft Contact, Left (degrees)8
48°
Lean Angle at Full Suspension Compression, Soft Contact, Right (degrees)8
48°
Lean Angle at Full Suspension Compression, Hard Contact, Left (degrees)8
50°
Lean Angle at Full Suspension Compression, Hard Contact, Right (degrees)8
50°

Frame Aluminum, fuel in frame, IRC or Intuitive Response Chassis
Swingarm Description A new cast- aluminum swing arm

Overall Length2 80.3 in. (2,040 mm)
Seat Height, Laden3 30.5 in. (775 mm)
Seat Height, Unladen 31.9 in. (810 mm)
Overall Width without mirrors4 28.2 in. (716 mm)
Ground Clearance, Unladen2 4.92 in. (125 mm)
Rake (Steering Head Angle) at Ride Height (degrees) 21
Fork Angle at Ride Height (degrees) 21
Trail at Ride Height 3.3 in. (84 mm)
Wheelbase, Unladen 54.1 in. (1,374 mm)
Fuel Capacity, Total 5.3 gal. (20.1 l)
Fuel Capacity 0.8 gal. (3 l)
Oil Capacity5 3.3 qt. (3.1 l)
Dry Weight 375 lb. (170 kg)
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating 850 lb. (386 kg)
Load Carrying Capacity 390 lb. (177 kg)

Wheels and Tires

Tire Brand and Model, Front Pirelli Corsa III
Tire Brand and Model, Rear Pirelli Corsa III
Tire Size Designator, Front 120/70 ZR-17
Tire Size Designator, Rear 180/55 ZR-17
Wheel Type, Front 6-spoke, ZTL cast aluminum
Wheel Type, Rear 6-spoke, cast aluminum
Wheel Size, Front (width x dia) (in) 3.5 in x 17 in
Wheel Size, Rear (width x dia) (in) 5.5 in x 17 in

Electrical

Battery Type and Specifications Sealed Lead Acid, maintenance-free, 12-volt, 12 amp-hour (per Battery Council International rating), 200 cca.
Charging System Specifications 37-amp, permanent magnet, three-phase alternator with solid-state regulator (520W peak power)
Starter System Specifications Starter motor 900W, starter drive (gears) and one way clutch.
Headlamp Type and Wattages (high, low and position lamp) Low beam - 2 bulbs at 35 Watts each (70W) , High beam is the low beam bulbs plus 2 more bulbs at 35 W each (140w), poistion indicators are on at all times - 2 bulbs at 5w each (80W and 150W).
Tail Light Wattages (stop and running) .55W for tail light, 5W for stop light
Turn Signal Lights Type (manual or self-canceling) and Wattage Manual cancelling, Front = non-serviceable LED’s. 3W (per side), Rear = replaceable bulbs, 10W (per side).
License Plate Lamp Wattage 5W

Miscellaneous

Windscreen or Flyscreen Clear windscreen
Warranty Term9 2-years

Colors/Finishes/Graphics

Body Work (molded in color) Midnight Black, Racing Red, Acrtic White
Frame Phantom Metallic
Wheels Designer Black for all models

Color Options

Midnight Black, Racing Red, Arctic White

U.S. MSRP

Midnight Black $12,499
Racing Red $12,499
Arctic White $12,499

More about → Buell 1125R

BMW answers MCN theft campaign

BMW has become the first manufacturer to security mark all new bikes in response to an MCN campaign.
The firm will mark every bike it sells with a unique hidden code on dozens of individual parts linking them to the owner.

The system deters thieves by making it more difficult for them to sell the bike or parts without getting caught. A discreet sticker on each machine warns them of the markings, which are almost invisible to the naked eye but can be read by police under UV light.

MCN has been campaigning for manufacturers to adopt security marks as standard equipment.
Our Mark Our Bikes campaign has already led a top bike insurer to give away a security marking pack with every policy.

A BMW spokesman said: "From January 1, all BMW models will be fitted with Datatag's industry-leading system to deter theft, free of charge. The system enables the identification of stolen and unclaimed motorcycles and parts, thereby assisting the police in prosecuting motorcycle thieves and making BMW motorcycles less attractive to criminals as a result."

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Battle of the twins: Harley Switchback vs. Victory Cross Roads Tour

These two similar-looking machines are the latest tourers from Harley Davidson and Victory. Fresh in from the States, the 2012 £13,400 Harley Davidson Switchback and £14,995 Victory Cross Roads Tour have been crafted to transport you from A to B in laid-back, V-twin comfort.

These are two similar takes on the ‘bagger’ – cool customs with hard panniers or ‘bags’.  Although similar-looking and painted in an almost identical shade of metallic red, there are plenty of differences. The Victory is physically bigger, so much so, it actually makes the Harley look dainty by comparison – which is some trick. The Cross Roads Tour’s magnificent, swooping rear end and faired-in panniers give a huge road presence looking like a cross between a ’70s Cadillac and a fairground ride. In fact its back-end is so big it makes even the largest of derrieres look small sitting on it, so the Victory is a bike to make you look thin.

What do you get for your buck?
Both have big, air-cooled, fuel-injected, 1700cc, V-twin engines, comfy seats, tall screens, good-sized panniers, footboards, fuss-free belt drive and ABS. The Victory goes one-step further by giving you cruise control as standard.

But the Harley has a party trick: Its screen is fitted with a quick-release system, so with the panniers removed too, you can turn your Switchback from long-distance tourer to sleek, less clumsy, low-speed cruiser in less than a minute.

Hard to handle?
At low speed, yes. These are big beasts. Harley claims a wet, ready-to-ride weight of 330kg for the Switchback, but the Victory is heavier still, weighing 338kg dry – or around the same as TWO Suzuki GSX-R600s.

As a result, they’re not easy to paddle around at walking pace, especially backwards, but the lighter Harley is marginally easier.

As you reach normal road speeds the Harley and Victory are far easier to handle. The Harley’s new cartridge-style forks and twin rear shocks give the Switchback decent poise in the corners, far better than Harleys of old. Remove the Harley’s screen and it feels even sportier and more nimble.

The Victory is similarly capable on normal roads. It’s a little more agile, sporty and the brakes are a fraction better, too, but it has to bow down to the Harley on A and B roads as it’s bigger and heavier. On the motorways it’s a different story…

Touring
When you’re touring, the Victory’s extra weight helps flatten out the bumps and its size keeps you more cossetted than the Harley. Add in the Cross Roads Tour’s smooth six-speed gearbox and engine and you’ve got a supremely relaxing ride. It’s fine all the way until you creep past 70mph and then the tall, barn-door screen creates an extreme amount of buffeting. Not such a problem in America where you get shot for doing over 55mph, but not so good keeping up with fast lane traffic here.

Although the Harley isn’t quite as accomplished on the motorways, there’s not much in it - you have to jump from bike to bike and back again to really figure out the difference.

Verdict
There’s really not a lot to choose between these two bikes and they ride as similar as they look. They’re both smooth at motorway speeds and have punchy acceleration. They enjoy the safety of ABS, have decent luggage-carrying capacity, but suffer buffeting from their tall screens at motorway screens and aren’t brilliantly-equipped.

The Victory is definitely the smoother, most modern-looking and the one to pick if you’re going to spend lots of time touring.

But it’s the Harley that just snatches the win here. It’s lighter and easier to handle at parking speeds and on the twisty roads. It’s comfortable, smooth and the quick-release screen is a nice touch, letting you enjoy a less cumbersome feeling Harley around town and to let the wind in your hair in warm weather.
Best of all, the Harley is £1496 cheaper, and that clinches the deal.

More about → Battle of the twins: Harley Switchback vs. Victory Cross Roads Tour

How Tiny MV Agusta Threw Down a Challenge to Big Boys

MV claim their new F3 will take the supersport class by storm, thanks to its high power, light weight and sophisticated electronics. But how can a company with a fraction of the staff and investment of the major players manage to build a class-leading bike for competitive money?

MCN’s visit to MV’s Italian factory reinforced just what an achievement this would be – the picture, left, shows ALL the people involved in the project. By comparison, Triumph has 200 people just working in R&D – 10 times as many as MV – never mind the other 430 in production, sales and marketing.

To find out how MV produced the F3, MCN went inside the company’s R&D test facility, the design house in San Marino and the engine department.

“The gravity-cast crankcase is the biggest innovation”
Gianluca Negri sketched out the first version in his spare time back in 2006, so when the late Claudio Castiglioni told Negri he needed a new three-cylinder engine, an initial version was already underway. It then took another four iterations of the basic layout to get to the production version with 132bhp.
Incredibly there are just four people who have worked on the actual design of this engine from the start of the project.

Negri said: “The first element of the design was the easiest part. Getting the engine ready for production was the hardest; that and getting the gravity-cast design of the lower crankcase to work.

“In fact the crankcase has been the most difficult part of the design; that and the overall size of the engine has created some big challenges. The dimensions, weight and strength needed from the crankcase has been a tough balance to get right. It’s just not possible to get that balance from die-casting as it cannot get the depth of the casting that is possible with gravity casting; you wouldn’t be able to extract the stamp afterwards.”
The original design rules laid down by Castiglioni stated the engine had to be the most compact in class and Negri is very proud the finished production version is just 3.5mm wider than the first version despite having to move the generator from the back of the engine to the left side to keep production costs down.

Negri added: “I think the Triumph engine is very well designed; very simple. I think our engine is better in every way though.”

“The hardest element was making everything so tightly designed.”
The F3 was the last bike the late Claudio Castiglioni saw in finished form before his death, and he played a big role in making sure it met the strict criteria laid down at the start of the project in terms of styling. British designer Adrian Morton worked on the bike’s design almost completely on his own but it was the exacting demands of Castiglioni’s brief that gave him the biggest headaches during the development.

Morton explained: “Mr Castiglioni spent a lot of time working with us; probably more than any other MV because Massimo Tamburini (designer of the Ducati 916 and original MV Agusta F4) had left the company and he never liked being watched while he worked. Space was the biggest issue and there are some incredibly tight clearances between fairing panels and the frame and engine; some as low as 3mm.
If you look at a Honda all of the clearance will be around 20mm but that’s why a Honda looks like it does and an MV looks different.”

Morton spent five months carefully crafting the full-size clay model of the F3 at the design headquarters of the firm called Centro Research Castiglioni (CRC). He said: “Designers always want to be a bit wacky but Mr Castiglioni was very clear about what he wanted the bike to look like and he gave a very strong direction before we even got started.”

“The F3 has completed 250,000km of testing.”
MV’s test team has been busy over the past three years on both the road and the track as it prepared the F3 for production with a team of three test riders, four mechanics and the boss. A new development for the F3 was getting a wide selection of employees to ride the bike and give feedback as it developed.

Aristide Cremonese is the head of the test team. He said: “Our work starts with building of the very first prototype bikes and progresses all of the way through to production while carrying out all of the testing needed. The F3 has covered around 250,000km (156,000 miles) in total through all of the different versions but that doesn’t take into account the engine dyno testing.

“We then build a second series of bikes to match the development prototype which is followed by the second prototype stage which uses not hand-built parts but those supplied by outside suppliers. By this stage the bike will have covered around 100,000km on road and track. Once we get past this stage, in the production side of the factory, we build what are called pre-series bikes which keep on testing.”

Even once the bike has been signed off, the test team’s work is not done as they keep on riding bikes to work on the fine tuning of maintenance schedules.

“Getting the ride-by-wire throttle to work perfectly was the toughest thing.”
The F3 has the most comprehensive set of electronics ever seen on a supersport bike, with all of the work done by just three permanent MV Agusta staff and technicians from Eldor, the ECU design company.
Traction control can be fine-tuned through eight levels of intervention, the throttle is fully electronic ride-by-wire with four different riding maps available too; Rain, Sport, Normal and Custom. All of these can be tweaked and adjusted within each map according to the rider’s preference.

Mauro Marelli has been at the helm and explained the toughest element to get right was the part throttle reponse of the F3. He said: “The ride-by-wire (RbW) system was a huge amount of work; particularly the way the throttle works with small inputs. Getting this right was tough and we used lots of riders to help us with that; not just test riders.

“There is still work to be done on this; maybe the last 0.25% of that throttle response but it’s also something that can be worked on into the future. If there are any improvements then we can send those to dealers and they can update the software on the bikes during a service.

“Our aim was to make the bike as easy as possible to ride; fast or slowly. The traction control works very well at achieving this as well.”

More about → How Tiny MV Agusta Threw Down a Challenge to Big Boys

BMW S 1000 RR Poisoned Arrow

The “ActiveComfort” SportEgo seat delivers improved seat comfort and better hold in hang-offs. The non-slip upholstery means that more force is transmitted into the seat when you decelerate, providing relief for all your muscles. The seat is also available in versions with a (2 to 4cm) higher cushion, with an effect on the handling that is nothing short of revolutionary. The rider can move the bike beneath him or her significantly more effectively over the centre of gravity. Cornering is noticeably lighter, and the bike’s agility is increased in all riding situations.

Wunderlich offsets the extra weight with masses of carbon fibre and titanium: a measure that makes as much sense technically as it does visually. An ultra-lightweight SBK sports exhaust with titanium header pipes looks after things in the sound department.

Just as much attention is paid to optimising performance characteristics. For instance, the torque development is optimised by means of an intermediate Performance Box, resulting in spontaneous high acceleration with finely tuned control characteristics.

Overview of the built-in main components:

• "PowerSportego” handlebar conversion
• “VarioLever” hand levers adjustable in length and reach
• “ActiveComfort” SportErgo seat
• “DoubleBubble" sports screen
• Easy tail conversion
• Compatible with racing tail (not illustrated): Wunderlich aluminium number plate mount and indicators with built-in rear/brake light functions
• Kellermann indicators with built-in brake/rear light (rear)
• Wunderlich crash protectors
• RACE locking oil plug with cable-fastening fixture
• “Race” front indicator conversion
• SBK sports exhaust system
• Performance Controller

More about → BMW S 1000 RR Poisoned Arrow