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  • Mission Motors unveils Mission R electric racing superbike

    In Bikes, Hybrids, EVs and Alternative Fuel, International News / By / / 26 comments

    mission r 1
    Click to enlarge

    Another electric superbike has come about, and this one is set to compete in the TTXGP racing series in 2011. San Francisco-based Mission Motors has introduced what it tags as an entirely new race-ready design, called the Mission R. At the heart of it all is a liquid-cooled three-phase AC induction motor offering 14.4 kWh and 141 hp, housed in a package smaller than that in a current 600cc petrol equivalent.

    Built by the EV powertrain technology arm of Mission Motors, in this case MissionEVT, the unit offers 156 Nm of torque at the crank from 0 to 6,400 rpm, and performance specs include a top speed of over 260 kph in a single gear. A MissionEVT 100kW motor controller offers customisable regenerative braking maps as well as throttle maps, allowing the user to tune the bike to his preference.

    mission r 2
    Click to enlarge

    Meanwhile, the Mission R’s chassis features an entirely new design for integrating and balancing the weight and volume of a large EV battery pack into a motorbike, and the chassis is wrapped in a new and aerodynamic industrial design by Tim Prentice of Motonium, with a small frontal-area and aggressive ergonomics.

    All vehicle and ride data is accessible via WiFi or 3G connections, and MotoGP-spec components from Öhlins, Brembo, and Marchesini round out this built-for-racing package.

     
     

  • Electric superbike set to go racing against petrol racebikes

    In Bikes, Hybrids, EVs and Alternative Fuel, International News / By / / 17 comments

    swigz ebike

    Next month will see the start of a rather intriguing two-wheeled battle, that of electric versus gasoline, as the world’s most powerful electric superbike goes head to head against conventional gasoline-powered race bikes in a professionally organised road race in the US.

    The Swigz Racing bike will compete against the likes of racing superbikes such as the Ducati 1198 and KTM RC8 at the Auto Club Speedway in California in January, though it will make its track debut later this month in a private test.

    By February next year, the 194 hp and 400 Nm electric superbike – which features a bespoke KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) among the host of tech on board – should become the most powerful road racing motorcycle of any kind being actively campaigned.

    swigz ebike 2

    Excluded from the FIM and TTXGP Championships for electric motorcycles, which set a new 250kg maximum weight limit for 2011 (the bike weighs 266 kg), Swigz Racing’s owner Chip Yates, who is also the bike’s rider, said the decision was made to take the platform forward in the competitive environment of gasoline bike racing.

    With a power to weight ratio that is slightly better than 600cc bikes, the machine will begin the 2011 season by competing in the WERA Pirelli Sportsman Heavyweight Twins Superbike class, where its power to weight ratio puts it in the middle of the field, though a more than 20% increase to its current 194 hp has been planned after the first race.

     
     

  • Naza Group announces its displays for KLIMS

    In Bikes, Cars, Local News, Naza / By / / 2 comments

    diavel 1

    Visitors to the Naza Group’s display at the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show, which begins on Dec 3, will be able to catch some RM20 million worth of supercars and superbikes on show.

    The displays will be made up of products from the Group’s luxury car brands – Ferrari, Maserati and Brabus – as well as from Chevrolet, Peugeot and Kia. On the motorcycle front, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Piaggio, Aprilia, Vespa, Gilera and Naza Bikes stuff will be on show.

    harley

    Naza is slated to unveil several products at the show, including the Maserati Gran Cabrio, Vespa LX150, Harley-Davidson Softail and its star display, the Ducati Diavel, which is being flown in especially for the show’s opening on Dec 2.

    Among the other highlights are the Camaro SS Bumblebee, made popular in the hit movie Transformers 1 & 2 and the Cruze of the World Touring Car Championship (also seen in the latest Hawaii Five-O series) at the Chevrolet booth.

    Camaro

    The Group is giving away some neat prizes at the show – 10 NAZA Blitz scooters, with one scooter to be given out each day during the 10 days of the show. Visitors who purchase their KLIMS’10 tickets online stand a chance to win a 3-days/2-nights self-drive getaway, with a choice of either a Chevrolet Captiva or Harley Davidson Sportster 48 to get you there and back, courtesy of the Group

    Elsewhere, activities such as a mini-treasure hunt and a charity photo shoot have been planned. And if you purchase a car or motorcycle from Naza World during the show, you stand to win the Grand Prize of a Mercedes-Benz SLK200 Roadster and a Honda ST 1300 valued at RM230,000 and RM102,000 respectively.

     
     

  • AMG – official car partner for the Ducati MotoGP Team

    In Bikes, Cars, Ducati, International News, Mercedes-Benz / By / / 15 comments

    AMG’s sponsorship of the Ducati MotoGP Team marks the first step in a new joint-marketing journey. I guess the two companies think their target customers are quite alike – which pretty much can be summarized in a few words – rich men who love speed.

    “I am very pleased that we are able to announce our strategic cooperation with Ducati today. AMG and Ducati ideally complement each other, as both companies share the same values: racing as the driving passion, and high performance plus exclusivity as the central brand messages of both AMG and Ducati. This long-term cooperation will help us to jointly access new customer groups,” said Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

    “I am especially proud to have AMG as one of our sponsors for the MotoGP Team. I am also very pleased that our joint marketing activities are well under way. In AMG we have found a partner who perfectly reflects our brand values of high performance, motorsport, excitement and our sense of unmistakable style and design,” said Gabriele del Torchio, President and CEO of Ducati.

    During selected AMG events, participants will be able to test ride Ducati motorcycles, and Ducati customers will similarly have the opportunity to try out the latest AMG high-performance cars at events. Joint events are planned for the members of the AMG Private Lounge, in which more than 13,000 AMG customers worldwide are registered.

    What do you think – are Ducati riders more similar to AMG customers or BMW M customers? Not that such a marketing partnership would ever happen – BMW has their own Motorrad bikes to accompany their M vehicles, and that includes the new S 1000 RR!
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  • Move aside Monster, here comes the Ducati Diavel!

    In Bikes, Ducati / By / / 21 comments

    Ducati has a way with names. Why a cocktail of letters and numbers (CBR1000RR for instance) when you can just call the thing by whatever feel it gives you. Case in point is this, Ducati’s new model that will make its world debut at the EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan next month. It’s called the Diavel, Bolognese for devil.

    Pronounced Dee-ah-vel, the name was born early in the development process of the bike. When the prototype was wheeled out in front of a group of Ducati engineers and technicians for the first time, one man saw its rear silhouette and exclaimed in the Bolognese dialect: “Ignurànt comm’ al diavel!” or “Evil, like the devil!” in English.

    From then on, Diavel became the internal nickname for the project, now made official. Apparently, this was also how the legendary Monster was named 20 years ago.

    Built to have a commanding presence, lightweight and agile, the Diavel “will take the man-motorcycle relationship to the next level in absolute comfort”. It won’t be lacking in performance with a Testastretta 11° engine and just 207 kg to haul. Features include ABS, Ducati Traction Control and Ducati Riding Modes.

    High res image after the jump.
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  • GALLERY: 2010 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix

    In Bikes, Motorsports / By / / 5 comments

    MotoGP made a quick stop at the Sepang International Circuit over the weekend and at the end of the grueling race, the Fiat Yamaha Team emerged victorious as Valentino Rossi took victory of the race and teammate Jorge Lorenzo secured the championship, with 313 points.

    His closest championship rival Dani Pedrosa did not compete in the race after breaking his collarbone during the Japanese GP practice. While we wait for more action from the next round this coming weekend, you can enjoy some high-res images of the Malaysian GP after the jump.
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  • Rossi wins at Sepang as Lorenzo clinches championship!

    In Bikes, Motorsports / By / / 10 comments

    Motorsport fans enjoyed a double whammy over the weekend as both the 2010 Japanese Formula 1 GP took place with Sebastian Vettel emerged winner and at the same time, the Malaysian round of the MotoGP was held at Sepang. Jorge Lorenzo, from the Petronas-backed Fiat Yamaha Team went on to win the 2010 championship, after starting from pole position.

    Lorenzo managed to seal the deal with his third place finish, after losing out to second place man Andrea Dovizioso from the Repsol Honda Team. Lorenzo’s teammate Valentino “The Doctor” Rossi who gave the tittle to the former won the race.

    Rossi suffered from a poor start on the opening lap and dropped to as low as 11th. The Italian who became world champion back to back in the past two years continued the fight and managed to sling shot himself into the lead midway through the way.

    Lorenzo became the first Spaniard to win the MotoGP championship since Alex Criville back in 1999. “I was really impressed to be at the front and to not lose any time until the end of the race,” said the Yamaha rider. “When the tyres started sliding I thought to myself, ‘Today we have to finish the race and get the maximum a rider can get in the motorcycling world…’. Today is the happiest day in my life and we have to celebrate it,” he added.

    The season isn’t over just yet. There are three more races to go, starting off with the Australian round in Phillip Island this coming weekend. The circus will then head back to Europe for the Portugal and Valencia races.

     
     

  • 2010 Petronas MotoGP Carnival kicks off in KLCC!

    In Bikes, Local News, Yamaha / By / / 12 comments

    Petronas sponsors some of the top racing teams in the world, and celebrating the return of the Fiat Yamaha Team to its “home away from home” race, the national oil company kicked-off its 2010 Petronas MotoGP Carnival over the weekend. The nine-day event at the Esplanade in KLCC will run until Sunday 10 October. This weekend, Sepang plays host to the Malaysian round of the MotoGP.

    The highlight of the carnival will be the special appearance by 2010 MotoGP championship leader Jorge Lorenzo of the Fiat Yamaha Team today (6 October) from 5.30 pm. Also making an appearance at the carnival is Malaysia’s very first Moto2 wildcard rider, Md Zamri Baba the following day. Lorenzo is favourite to win this year’s MotoGP. He leads the table with 297 points from Dani Pedrosa’s 228. The latter crashed in Japan last weekend and fractured his collarbone.

    The two Yamaha YZR-M1 bikes of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo will be on display throughout the carnival. Other activities include a safety riding clinic by Hong Leong Yamaha and performances by local artistes. Daily trivia and contests offer visitors a chance to win attractive prizes. Buying VR46, JL99 and Petronas-Alpinestars merchandise gives fans a chance to win autographed Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi helmets. Tickets for the Malaysian GP will also be on sale.

     
     

  • Smart releases offcial pictures of their escooter concept

    In Bikes, Concept Cars, Hybrids, EVs and Alternative Fuel, smart / By / / 7 comments

    Smart has just released official pictures of their escooter concept. Looks wise, it sports LED lights, solar cells and a green/white paint scheme. The scooter uses a 48-volt lithium ion battery pack, which gives it an approximate range of 100 kilometres over a single charge. When juice does run out, a normal household socket could be used to recharge the batteries.

    In terms of performance you can expect the scooter to reach a top speed of 45km/h, as it is driven by a disc shaped wheel hub motor in the rear wheel with an output of 4kW/5.3hp. Apart from the powertrain, Smart say that the chassis structure is based on the tridion safety cell of the Smart Fortwo”, with the use of swappable plastic body panels.

    Other features available with the Smart escooter are anti lock brakes, Blind Spot Assist and an airbag that is tucked under the handle bar paneling. Just like the Mini E Scooter, the Smart escooter also has a compartment for an iPhone. It replaces the normal instrument panel and gives you speed, range, battery status and it can also act as a navigation system. An image gallery is available after the jump.
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  • Citroen Survolt concept takes on the Agni Z2 electric bike!

    In Bikes, Citroën, Hybrids, EVs and Alternative Fuel, Videos / By / / 10 comments

    The battle of the electrics has commenced! The all-electric Citroen Survolt concept recently went head to head with the fully electric Agni Z2 motorbike, at UK’s Thruxton Race Circuit. Behind the wheel of the Citroen Survolt was none other than Le Mans racer Vanina Ickx and piloting the electric bike was British superbike racer Jenny Tinmouth.

    The Survolt concept as we know, is capable of accelerating to 100km/h in under 5 seconds, going on to reach a top speed of 260km/h thanks to it’s 220kW/300hp twin electric motors. It’s 31kW lithium ion batteries allow the Survolt to offer up to 200 kilometers in terms of driving range.

    The Agni Z2 is no slouch either, even if it only produces about 50kW/65hp from its electric motor, it gets to the 100km/h mark in just 3.5 seconds! The two-wheeler’s top speed is figured at 209km/h.

    Catch the video of the two ladies of motorsport in action, as they take their electric monsters round the track. But don’t expect to hear the screams of roaring engines, just the whine of electric motors. Look for a picture gallery and a video after the jump.

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Latest Fuel Prices

PETROL
RON 95 RM1.98 (+0.06)
RON 97 RM2.28 (+0.06)
RON 100 RM3.20
VPR RM3.10
DIESEL
EURO 2M RM2.17 (+0.12)
EURO 5 RM2.27 (+0.12)
Last Updated 19 Jan 2019