During the recent MotoGP Winter Test at Sepang International Circuit, Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (SRT), showed its 2020 racing livery. After coming in fourth overall in the manufacturer’s standings, Petronas Yamaha SRT has won the accolade of best privateer team.
The team’s two riders, Fabio Quartararo from France and Spaniard Franco Morbidelli have also stamped their mark on the grid during the previous season, coming in fifth and tenth respectively in the rider’s championship. Quartararo was also crowned best rookie in 2019 as well as best privateer rider.
For this year’s season, SRT is looking strong with Quartararo posting fastest test lap in Sepang at 1’58.439. Meanwhile, Morbidelli was more focused during testing on detailed aspects of the Yamaha YZR-M1’s performance, notably front end vibration.
“In general I think the testing has gone well. Although we should not be focusing too much on the lap times. Psychologically, it is good to have the fastest rider and for the other racers to see this,” said Petronas Yamaha SRT team principal Datuk Razlan Razali.
“We are working hard to improve on the bike’s top speed and we hope in Qatar we will be taking steps forward. My target for now has changed a little; we want to be faster over race distance as we know now, for one lap, we already have the speed,” said Quartararo.
Updated for this year is the 2020 Triumph Street Triple 765R, following in the footsteps of the 765RS, launched last year. As per the RS, the 765R now comes with revised head cowl and the same LED headlight design.
The 765 cc, three-cylinder power plant on the 765R is now Euro 5 compliant and produces 118 PS at 12,000 rpm with torque rated at 77 Nm at 9,400 rpm. This compares against the 123 PS at 11,750 rpm and 79 Nm of torque of the 765RS version with better engine response on the 765R coming from a 7% reduction in rotational inertia.
Also part of the 765R’s standard equipment is an up-and-down quickshifter on the six-speed gearbox plus shift-assist clutch. Braking uses Brembo M4.32 four-piston callipers clamping 310 mm floating discs on the front wheel and a single-piston Brembo calliper at the back with two-channel ABS as standard.
While the 765RS gets Showa BPF full-adjustable forks, the 765 R comes with 41 mm upside-down Showa SF-BPF forks with compression and rebound adjustment in separate legs. As for the monoshock, the 765R uses a Showa unit with adjustable compression and rebound damping and preload.
Inside the cockpit, the 765R uses a combination monochrome LCD display with analogue tachometer and ride-by-wire gives three ride modes – Sport, Road and Rain – along with traction control. Along with the standard fitment Pirelli Rosso III tyres, the 765R also comes with low ride height option the brings seat height down to 780 mm from the standard 825 mm.
Dry weight is claimed to be 168.4 kg, versus the 166 kg dry weight of the 765RS and fuel is carried in a 17.4-litre tank. There are two colour options for the 2020 Triumph Street Triple 765R – Sapphire Black and Matt Silver Ice. In Malaysia, the 2020 Triumph Street Triple 765RS retails for RM67,900.
Yamaha announced last week that it has started taking orders from other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for its high-performance prototype electric motors for a variety of vehicles, including cars and motorcycles.
The prototype interior permanent magnet synchronous motor is capable of ‘industry-leading power density’ thanks to a high-efficiency segment conductor as well as advance casting and processing technologies, according to the Japanese manufacturer, and it is capable of producing up to 200 kW (268 hp). The motor will be either water-cooled or oil-cooled, depending on its intended application.
Yamaha will customise the prototype motor to the specific needs of individual customers ‘in short time spans’ using production methods that the company will adapt to various product groups, it said. The video footage below shows what appears to be an Alfa Romeo 4C being used as a test bed, and assuming the full 268 hp is used, this represents a 28 hp gain over the 1.8 litre turbo petrol engine the car comes with, as standard.
The Iwata-based manufacturer is also working on more compact applications, with outputs starting from 35 kW (47 hp). Incidentally, 47 hp is the European output limit for A2 motorcycle license holders on the continent, which means that the majority of motorcycle sizes will be catered for in Yamaha’s development of the electric motors; the flexibility for different products should also fit other forms such as sport bikes and tourers.
Yamaha has yet to state target output numbers for its bike application motors, though in terms of other electric bikes for comparison, the Energica Ego produces 145 hp and 200 Nm of torque, while the Harley-Davidson LiveWire produces 104 hp and 117 Nm of torque.
The larger of the above prototype motors could go into, among other things, a high-performance cruiser type of bike; might Yamaha do an electric reprise of its V4-engined muscle bike and call it the ‘EV-MAX’?
During a Harley-Davidson media ride in Antequera, Spain, recently to which paultan.org was invited, on the riding menu were a dozen custom Sportsters built by Sykes Harley-Davidson in the UK. The 12 Sportsters were actual customer bikes, road registered and built to specification.
Styling for the Sykes custom Sportsters covered a range of styles, from the, compared to the other bikes, somewhat “normal” bobber to dragster style, ape hanger and flat-tracker. Each Sykes Sportster was unique, some having intricate paint jobs, others finished in bare metal.
Others sported a variety of handlebars styles, from the aforementioned “ape hanger” to flat bars and everything else in between. Engines were similarly dissimilar, with the V-twin configuration adorned with cut-off exhausts, shorties, open pipes and the like.
What was common amongst all the Sportsters that were ridden by the assembled media to dinner was all exuded that Harley sound. After two days of riding stock standard Harley-Davidson Softtails and another totally silent machine in the mountains around Antequera, was something of a welcome change.
With the admonition that the bikes we were riding belonged to someone else and would have to be returned in the condition in which we received them, the ride progressed through the old part of the town of Antequera. Replete with cobblestones, steep inclines, pedestrian traffic and slippery manhole covers, the gaggle of journalists had a whale of a time cruising the streets.
In Malaysia, the Harley-Davidson Sportster XL1200 comes in Custom, Roadster, Forty-Eight and Iron flavours. Pricing starts from RM75,400 for the base model Forty-Eight and goes up to RM85,800 for the 1200 Roadster in Two-tone paint.
For the 2020 MotoGP season, it appears that Monster Energy Yamaha will be using the same graphics as in the previous year. However, during an interview satellite team Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (SRT) principal Datuk Radzlan Razali, paultan.org was informed the 2020 YZF-R1 is an all new race machine, with new chassis and engine.
This means factory team riders Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales are on all new bikes with carbon-fibre fairing and swingarm, as is Petronas SRT rider Fabio Quartararo, who posted fastest time in the Winter Test at Sepang. Meanwhile, Quartararo’s teammate Franco Morbidelli is riding a 2019 YZR-M1 with “improvements”, said Radzlan.
With Rossi and Vinales still in the first team for 2020 and as is known, Vinales has signed on 2021, fan favourite Rossi is still undecided on his future plans. Rossi’s contract with Yamaha ends in 2020 and he has been quoted as saying he would wait till mid-season to decide his future in MotoGP.
Rossi’s place in the Monster Energy Yamaha team will be taken by Quartararo with speculation that Rossi might move down to the satellite team, stay on as a Yamaha test rider or retire to concentrate on his VR46 race team. In other news, Jorge Lorenzo, who had a dismal and injury-hit season with Ducati on the Desmosedici GP19 – injuring his back with a bad fall in Assen last season – has come on board with Yamaha as a test rider.
Last year, Vinales placed third in the overall rider standings while Rossi managed seventh. For Vinales, this is his fourth season with Yamaha, while “The Doctor” has been racing for Yamaha for 15 years.
At the conclusion of 2020 MotoGP Winter Testing in Sepang International Circuit (SIC) over the weekend, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo of Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (SRT) topped the leaderboard with a time of 1:58.349, set in the first session of day three. Riding a 2020 factory spec Yamaha YZR-M1, Quartararo, aged 20, has been signed up to join the factory team in 2021, with Monster Energy Yamaha, replacing fan favourite Valentino Rossi.
In second after three days of testing was Cal Crutchlow of LCR Honda Castrol with Alex Rins of Team Suzuki Ecstar coming in third. Crutchlow clocked a best lap time of 1:58.431 and Rins posting 1:58.450.
Inside the top 11, all riders posted a sub-1:58.975 time and there were six manufacturers inside the top 10. Honda’s sole top 10 finisher was Crutchlow along with Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro while Yamaha, Suzuki and KTM had two riders each and Ducati having three.
Surprise showing of the 2020 MotoGP Winter Test on day two was Dani Pedrosa, having retired from Repsol Honda and taken up duties as test rider for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Known as “The Bridesmaid” for always having shown strongly at MotoGP but never winning a championship like Randy Mamola before him, Pedrosa shut his critics up by posting a 1:59.599, indicating there is fight left in the old dog.
Also getting in stride was Johann Zarco, riding for Reale Avintia Racing on a Ducati Desmosedici GP19, clocking 1:59.825 on day two. After a dismal 2019 with KTM Red Bull where he left the team suddenly mid-season, Zarco tested for Respol Honda but was passed over in favour of world champion Marc Marquez’s younger brother, Alex.
Back on track was former world champion Jorge Lorenzo, after suffering an injury-hit season with Ducati. Now employed as a test rider for Yamaha, Lorenzo is focusing on developing the 2020 YZR-M1 and helping the engineers find the good and bad points of the point, also saying he not feeling any pain on the bike after injuring his back in Assen last year.
Recovering from shoulder surgery, champion Marc Marquez posted 1:59.821 on day three, crashing on day two whilst chasing down his team mate and brother Alex. Meanwhile, the younger Marquez posted a best lap of 1:59:175 on day three of testing.
Speaking one-on-one with Petronas Yamaha SRT team principal Datuk Radzlan Razali told paultan.org he is cautiously optimistic for chances of winning the championship this year. “Right now we are very pleased with what Fabio has done and it is still too early to tell. Certainly we hope this year to be standing on the top step of the podium, which will be a first for a satellite team after 20 years,” said Radzlan.
The latest addition to the Ducati Panigale V4 range is the 2020 Ducati Panigale Superleggera V4, coming in at the top of the Borgo Panigale firm’s superbike lineup. To be produced in a limited run of 500 units, the Panigale Superleggera V4 is priced at USD 100,000 (RM414,000).
The Panigale Superleggera V4 joins the Panigale V4, Panigale V4S, Panigale V4S Speciale, Panigale V4R and Panigale V4 25th Anniversario 916 in Ducati’s catalogue. According to Ducati, the Panigale Superleggera V4 is the epitome of its design and engineering prowess, being its most powerful and technologically advanced superbike.
Setting the Panigale Superleggera V4 apart is the use of carbon-fibre in the frame, swingarm and wheels, and it is designed to be road-legal. Carbon-fibre is also used in the fairings and bi-plane wings, drawing on Ducati’s experience in racing aerodynamics in MotoGP.
At 270 km/h, the Panigale Superleggera V4 produces 50 kg of downforce, 20 kg more than the Panigale V4 and V4 R. In standard trim and with the road-legal Akrapovic exhaust in place, the Panigale Superleggera V4 V-four, 998 cc mill is capable of producing 224 hp at 15,250 rpm and 118 Nm of torque at 11,750 rpm.
Adding the race kit bumps this number up to 234 hp at 15,500 rpm with a maximum torque of 120 Nm at 11,750 rpm while reducing the Panigale Superleggera V4 power plant’s weight by 6 kg from the standard Panigale V4 engine, giving a power to weight ratio of 1.4 hp per kg. Overall, the Panigale Superleggera V4 weighs 159 kg dry, 16 kg lighter than the base Panigale V4.
Naturally, the Panigale Superleggera V4’s electronics suite has been upgraded in line with its racing identity. Aside from the three ride modes, the rider has five custom modes available. This complements the lap timer which also stores GPS co-ordinates for five circuits.
Lightness pervades throughout the Panigale Superleggera V4 with lightweight Ohlins suspension that uses a titanium spring in the rear monoshock. A special touch are the Brembo Stylema R front brakes with ventilation holes in the callipers. All in, the Superleggera V4 laps the Mugello circuit in the hands of Ducati factory rider Michele Pirro with a time of 1:52.45, or just under two seconds slower than the Panigale V4 R SBK World Superbike contender.
Purchasers of the Panigale Superleggera V4 will get the chance to ride the actual Panigale V4 R used by the Ducati Corse team in the World Superbike Championship during the Ducati Superbike Experience, along with gifts of a carbon-fibre helmet and Dainese D-Air race suit, exclusive to the Panigale Superleggera V4.
Meanwhile, 30 lucky customers who purchase the MotoGP Experience will, under the supervision of Ducati Corse technicians, get to sample the actual MotoGP Desmosedici GP20 as raced by Andrea Dovisioso and Danilo Petrucci.
With its refreshed look as part of updates to be in line with Ducati corporate identity, the Ducati Petaling Jaya showroom has been relocated slightly to the front of the row ahead of the Naza Automall facing the Federal Highway, giving it better prominence compared to its previous location at the end of the access road. This is now the second-largest Ducati showroom in Southeast Asia, says the company.
This renovated facility also houses one of the largest Ducati service areas in Asia spanning 5,009 sq ft as part of Ducati Petaling Jaya’s built-up area of 16,339 sq ft, while the service centre features eight work bays in order to accommodate the service of 450 bikes a month.
Customers and the visiting public are promised a premium experience from the refreshed setup that has been given a RM1.5 million update, where the latest Ducati corporate identity comprises experential sections including distinct areas for apparel as well as for accessories, while the Scrambler sub-brand also gets its own section dubbed the Scrambler Camp, also with the brand’s own range of apparel and accessories.
In terms of future growth plans for the Italian marque, plans are afoot for the opening of a new flagship showroom at a prominent location, while further expansion plans include the opening of a new showroom in the Southern region by the second half of this year, said the deputy group CEO for the automotive group in Naza Corporation Holdings, Datuk Nik Hamdam Nik Hassan.
The Ducati Petaling Jaya showroom is open seven days a week, albeit with different operating hours on weekends; this is open 9am to 6pm Mondays to Fridays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, and 10 am to 5pm on Sundays. The aftersales department operates 9am to 5pm Mondays to Fridays and a half-day on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm, and is closed on Sundays.
Made iconic by its appearance in the movie “Terminator 2: Judegment Day”, the Fat Boy is known to many as what a Harley-Davidson )H-D) motorcycle looks like and is now 30 years old. To commemorate the occassion, H-D has released the 2020 Harley-Davdison Fat Boy 30th Anniversary.
Built in a limited edition run of 2,500 units worldwide, the 30th Anniversary Fat Boy has been listed at a price of USD 21,949 (RM90,549) on its US website. Launched in 1989, the original Fat Boy was based on the looks of a 1949 Hydra-Glide and leaped into public consciousness when Arnold Schwarzenegger rode a 1991 FLSTF in the movie.
Today’s Fat Boy uses a 2018 Softtail chassis as its base and mounts a Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-twin. Displacing 1,868 cc, the mill delivers 161 Nm of torque and is mated to a six-speed Cruise Drive transmission with belt final drive.
Coming only in Vivid Black, the Fat Boy 30th Anniversary comes blacked out with bronze accents and features a new headight nacelle housing LED lighting. The solid Lakester cast aluminium disc wheels are retained in 160mm front and 240 mm rear widths, giving the limited edition Fat Boy its distinctive look in the H-D catalogue.
Fuel for the 2020 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy 30th Anniversary is carried in a 18.9-litre tank and seat height is 658 mm. Weight for the Fat Boy 30th Anniversary is 304 kg.
Entering 2020, the Yamaha NVX 155 now comes with new graphics for this year’s colours of yellow, red and blue. Pricing from Hong Leong Yamaha Motor (HLYM) for this very popular 155 cc scooter is now RM10,088, excluding road tax, insurance and registration.
Since its launch in Malaysia in 2017, this is the second time HLYM has updated the NVX 155, with the first colour revision coming at the end of 2019. Aside from that, there have been several special editions such as the GP edition in 2017 and 2017 and the Doxou.
Mechanicals for the NVX 155 remain the same, with the 155 cc, single-cylinder mill producing 14.8 hp at 8,000 rpm and 14.4 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm. The liquid-cooled mill comes with Variable Valve Actuation (VVA) with fuelling by EFI and power getting to the ground via automatic transmission and belt final drive.
Since 2019, the NVX 155 has come fitted with rear shock absorbers using reservoirs to improve handling while the front maintains the use of conventional telescopic shock absorbers. Standard fitment is front-wheel ABS on a hydraulic disc brake while the rear wheel has a drum brake.
A 25-litre storage compartment is found under the seat, along with a USB slot for the rider’s electronics. The instrument panel is a backlit, monochrome LCD display and keyless start is part of the rider conveniences.
