Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

KTM announced updates for its RC 8C sportbike, including a reworked, more powerful engine, a new exhaust, updated electronics, and the latest WP suspension. Produced once more with the help of Krämer Motorcycles, the RC 8C will have a limited run of 200 numbered units, with a suggested retail price of US$39,599.

The most significant updates are with the 889 cc engine, with new, lightweight titanium valves and connecting rods, plus forged pistons using a new two-ring system (versus the previous three piston rings). The pistons are now lighter, reducing oscillating masses, while also allowing KTM to increase the rev limit to 12,000 rpm.

Other engine changes include a higher compression ratio (14:1 versus 13.5:1), reduced wall thickness, a larger throttle body (48mm versus 46 mm), and new chain-driven camshafts that are now assembled instead of forged.

With the addition of a new Akrapovič titanium exhaust, the KTM RC 8C now claims an output of 135 hp at 11,000 rpm, an increase of 7 hp over the 2022 version. The 2023 RC 8C does sacrifice a bit of torque, now peaking at a claimed 72.3 lb-ft. at 8,250 rpm, down from the previously claimed 74.5 lb-ft.

Nobody does modern classics quite like Triumph, and today, the famed British marque is taking full advantage of its position within the modern classic space by unveiling its new, 10-bike strong limited edition Chrome collection of motorcycles. How limited? Each bike will only be available for one year.

Not quite a mid-year refresh, the Chrome collection is simply a stunning change to the visual appearance of each motorcycle without any mechanical differences or changes. And with the collection of bikes getting the chrome treatment, go-fast updates really aren’t important anyway. After the popular response Triumph received for its Gold Line of limited edition motorcycles in 2022, the Hinckley marque carried that momentum forward with the Chrome line for the 2023 model year (with strong hints that more special collections will come in the years to follow). The Chrome collection includes eight models from the Bonneville family and two from the Rocket 3 family.

As the name implies, the Chrome family of motorcycles features a distinct design trait – chrome detailing performed in-house with a level of detailing that matches jewelry standards. In fact, Triumph estimates each of the Chrome edition motorcycles requires five additional hours of craftsmanship per bike, with up to three of those hours dedicated just to polishing the tank (a normal tank usually takes about 20 minutes).

While chrome is no doubt a stunning visual, as you’ll see in the photos below, the Chrome collection is more than just a chrome tank – there are painted elements to add flair to each bike’s appearance. This painting process involves hand-applied masking (which itself can take 7x longer than the normal painting process), a special primer, hand-sprayed painting, polishing, and then a final inspection.

In 1973, I was beginning to look at the streetbike magazines as well as the dirtbike ones on the magazine rack at Lyons Drug; there must’ve been 20 or 30 of them, and plenty of time to browse as there was no www, and very little hope of obtaining any motorcycle at all anytime soon. The 1973 BMW R90S was a chunk of pure unobtanium, from a planet far, far away, that knocked my striped tube socks completely off. Ian Falloon wrote an entire 128-page book about it.

Some motorcycles redefine the perception of a marque. Prior to the release of the R90S at the end of 1973, BMW motorcycles were considered stodgy, conservative, and plainly unexciting. A BMW was great for hauling sidecars or undertaking long distance cross-country trips, but it was hardly a sports bike. If you were younger than forty it simply wasn’t cool to be seen on a BMW but the R90S changed that. In its day the R90S provided unsurpassed on-the-road performance, but even more significant than the performance was its style. The R90S was the first production motorcycle to feature a factory-fitted fairing as standard equipment. And if the café-racer look wasn’t enough to make the R90S stand out from the crowd the paint scheme was. Early examples came in smoke black, and from 1975 Daytona Orange was an option. With hand-painted pin striping and a horrendous price tag there was just nothing else like the R90S at the time. This was the motorcycle that epitomised the era. An emphasis on style was in ascendance, and the R90S was marketed as a luxury accessory for the new breed of affluent motorcyclist.

My God, man, the thought of poor Trizzle having to ride an open-class sportbike around a chilly race track, and on damp roads, without benefit of traction control – and optional ABS – sends shivers all up and down my spine. The horror. Totally reminiscent of the WW1 aviation movies: We hate to send you up in a crate like this, kid, but somebody’s got to do it. According to me, the 2011 Aprilia RSV4 with aPRC was the first to contain an Inertial Measurement Unit to safeguard its pilot with modern avionics. After it, the electronics arms race was on. In spite of great advances in traction control and ABS over the ensuing ten years, Troy would go on to become a leading test pilot for inflatable rider safety gear.

When Ducati revealed the 2023 Panigale V4 R last week, we raised an eyebrow when we saw its $44,995 price tag. As we noted in our First Look article, this exceed the price cap to be eligible for World Superbike racing. According to 2022 regulations, sport production machines were capped to a price of €40k, and the previous Panigale V4 R fit snugly below that price cap. The 2023 model, however, comes in at €43,990 in Ducati’s home market, Italy. We figured another shoe had to drop.

And drop it did, mere days after the Panigale reveal. To the surprise of absolutely noone, the Superbike Commission announced changes to the World Championship regulations, including an increase to the price cap on homologated production models. The announcement, which can be read in full here, includes this paragraph:

“Due to the global economic situation and the recorded inflation, the FIM wished to consider the
cost evolutions of production machines for 2023. A general proposal for a maximum percentage
of increase of the maximum retail price of homologated production models was approved. The
exact amounts and percentages will be published at a later stage.”

As the announcement notes, the exact amount of the increase will be announced later, but we think it’s safe to assume the new price cap will be €44,000, or 10 euros more than the Panigale V4 R’s price.

Only three motorcycle manufacturers in the world can claim to have been in continuous production for more than 100 years, and Moto Guzzi is one of them. When it comes time to make a historic transformation to the brand, that change carries a lot of weight on its shoulders. With the Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello, the manufacturer alludes – twice – to that long history in the name alone. First, the V100 honors the century of production and maintains form with past naming conventions, while the last part of the name refers to Mandello del Lario, where all Moto Guzzi motorcycles have been made since 1921. When looking at the V100 for the first time, the Moto Guzzi lineage is unmistakable. So, where’s the risk?

Moto Guzzi Teases V100 Mandello And Reveals Plans For New Factory

2022 Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello First Look

Editor Score: 88.5%

Did we really need the Ducati Streetfighter V4 to be even trickier and more refined than the one that won last year’s Open Nakeds Shootout with ease? The one that out-horsepowered even the mighty Kawasaki Z H2 – 177 rear-wheel horses to 163? Actually there was room for improvement, as the mighty V4 S finished third in the Track portion of that seven-bike slugfest. But hey, if it’s a track bike you want, maybe you should just go ahead and get the Panigale. Nay, the Streetfighter is the stripped-down street version, and as such we were all bowled over by not just its scintillating performance, but maybe even more by its unexpected boulevard civility. Like having your cake and riding it too.

Never content, however, Ducati’s upped the Streetfighter’s game for 2023, including addition of a new V4 SP2 model. Extensive electronic upgrading follows the path laid down by the latest Panigale, along with new simplified graphics to control it all, descended from the racing Desmosedici. New Engine Brake Control (EBC) EVO 2 software is said to make cornering even swifter and safer, new Ducati Quickshifter calibration has been refined. We didn’t even complain about the heat before, but a new cooling fan strategy is now in place to offer “greater thermal comfort for the rider already at typical road use speeds.” Ahhhhh. There’s plenty more where that came from.

Pity the person who can’t be content unless they have the very best: The new Streetfighter V4 SP2 gets special Winter Livery Paint, carbon fiber wheels, and other exotic bobs and bits not the least of which is that holy of Bologna holies, a dry clutch. 

Start wheedling now, Streetfighter V4 and V4 S models will be available in Ducati dealerships starting from January 2023, while the V4 SP2 version will arrive starting from March 2023. Read on, in the Queen’s English, for the full glorious scoop.

Ducati Press Release:

I’ve been slippin’ Mickies on my paws for a while now – back before the days of viruses, when Corona just conjured up thoughts of mediocre beer. From the moment I received the Racer Mickey gloves, they became my go-to for any quick moto trips out of the house, shoots with the team, and press launches. As is usually the case with Racer gloves, they fit snug but comfortably straight out of the gate and molded themselves to earn the phrase “fit like a glove” within a few rides. Over 26 months of near daily use, I managed to wear out my first set (more on that later) and was quickly on to my second pair, which have seen continued constant use.

As is evident by the seven other Racer glove reviews at the bottom of this page, we’re big fans at MO. The company offers a wide range of gloves for men and women that span everyday use, racing, touring, and ADV. 

Construction

The glove’s short cuff design is made from a mix of leather, Clarino (artificial leather), and textile which do an excellent job of providing comfort, protection and ventilation. Protection is bolstered in key areas with Superfabric-covered hard sliders at the knuckles and palm as well as TPR pads on the back of the first three fingers and thumb. 

Earlier this year, we wrote about how signs of a Pan America 975 were mistakenly mentioned in an official Harley-Davidson web page for an accessory locking fuel cap. Up until shortly after our article went live, the page listed the fuel cap as being compatible with the RA1250 (Pan America 1250) and RA1250S (Pan America 1250 Special) as well as two unannounced models: the RA975 and RA965S, which we assumed to be Pan America models powered by the 975cc version of the Revolution Max engine, like the one equipped on the Nightster.

Motorcycle.com has now obtained further evidence of the existence of middleweight versions of Harley-Davidson’s adventure-tourer, once again from Harley itself, as well as the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The proof comes via official installation instructions for a pair of accessory mirrors designed for Revolution Max models. The ’66 Collection Round Mirrors and Empire Mirrors (available in black anodized or anodized with machine-milled highlights) are designed to fit all RevMax models, including the Pan America 1250, Pan America 1250 Special, Sportster S, and Nightster. For most markets, including the U.S., the installation instructions specify additional steps for “for all models except RA1250S”, which is the model code for the Pan America 1250 Special. These added steps are necessary because the non-Pan America models (i.e. the Sportster S and Nightster) come with bar-end mirrors and require installing handlebar mounts for the accessory mirrors.

The instructions for a few other markets, however, provide the same additional steps “for all models except RA1250S and RA975S”. Both model codes are listed in the instructions for Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovenia, and Ukraine. We’ve gone through the mirror kit instructions for all other markets and languages, and none of them mention the RA975 (or the previously leaked RA965S which now appears to have been a typo.)

Ten years ago, Tommy, Trizzle, and the Duke were feeling their oats as they manned about town on a trio of naked torpedoes. “When it came to forming a mental picture of riding one or the other, we also agreed the sexy Speed Triple will pick up more chicks than the Aprilia. The Tuono’s manufacturer claimed it was for  “the rider who, given the chance, would use a race bike just to go for a coffee.” Meanwhile, the MV Agusta’s combination of short wheelbase and mid-range torque keeps the Brutale’s front wheel in the air, aided by the shortest overall ratios in the first two gears. `It leaps off the line like a hot poker was stuck up its gorgeous pipes,’ raves Duke… “for those who appreciate its tight tolerances, beauty of design, historical namesake and can disregard the practicality of purchasing the other bikes, the Brutale remains an appealing and exotic Italian option.” Picking a winner was, as always, a fight to the end.

Last year’s edition of our annual literbike streetfigher shootout pitted three competent, albeit plebeian, naked bikes to battle for supremacy — Honda CB1000R, Kawasaki Z1000 and Triumph Speed Triple. This year we’ve assembled the aristocrats of the class — Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC, MV Agusta Brutale R 1090 and Triumph Speed Triple R — to determine the hierarchy of the naked elite.A double-R version of the Brutale exists, but its $19,000 MSRP is $2,500 more than the most expensive bike here, pushing it out of retail pricing contention. At $16,500 the Brutale R remains the priciest of this group ($15K Tuono and $16K S3R). We did invite the $19K Ducati Streetfighter S to join the fray, however the unavailability of a 2012 model kept it from competing, though, like the Brutale RR, its lofty price would only have hindered its ranking among the assembled bikes. Perhaps later we’ll pit the expensive Duc against the equally exorbitant MV in a platinum cage match.

Our 2012 naked bike ménage à trois includes three exotic and very sexy streetfighters.

The R designation of last year’s winning Speed Triple brings with it significant upgrades over the standard model including an Öhlins NIX30 43mm fork and TTX36 rear shock. Brembo monoblocs replace the two-piece units, and ABS is standard. The S3R rolls on forged, five-spoke PVM wheels, reducing unsprung weight by 3.75 lbs. Also improved is the Speed Triple’s transmission by way of new internal shafts and shift drum, and an increase in shift dogs from four to five.

Oozing top-shelf components but powered by the same inline-Triple of the standard model, the Spreed 3 R arrives to this year’s naked bike party sweating its streetfighter title.