Gray Aprilia Mana GT Motorcycles, page #17

Moto blog

BSB 2012; Mystic Mac investigates

In my opinion, the smartest move in the BSB off season has to be Michael Laverty moving from Swan Yamaha to HM Plant Honda. With a ban on electronics for 2012, and in particular traction control, WFR's Graham Gowland has already proved to Laverty how competitive an EVO spec Fireblade can be - so I’m tipping both these riders to be bang on the money at the Brands Hatch season opener in April. Unlike BMW, Kawasaki and Yamaha, Honda have deliberately developed their road-going Superbike without electronics to give a user friendly feel with good mechanical traction, so it’ll be interesting to see how the opposition copes with their high-tech trickery stripped off.

Piaggio Announces 2011-2014 Business Plan – More Hybrids and Electric Models In the Pipeline

The Piaggio Group revealed its business plans for the next three years with a focus on developing fuel efficient engines and introducing new electric motors and hybrid powertrains. Beginning in 2012, Piaggio plans to introduce a new generation of engines with lower emissions and improved fuel economy. Examples include the new 350cc engine introduced in the Piaggio Beverly SportTouring and the fuel-injected 125cc four-stroke, three-valve engine equipped in the Vespa Quarantasei concept (which the company has apparently, and quietly, renamed as the much easier-to-pronounce Vespa 946).

De Puniet, Espargaro to Ride Aprilia-powered Aspar CRT MotoGP Racebike

The Aspar racing team announced the signing of Randy de Puniet and Aleix Espargaró to compete in the 2012 MotoGP World Championship on a CRT racebike powered by Aprilia engines. De Puniet (pictured above with his Playboy model girlfriend Lauren Vickers) rode a mystery race bike for Aspar this week at a MotoGP test, believed to be a modified version of Aprilia‘s WSBK-spec RSV4 with MotoGP-issue Bridgestone tires and carbon brakes. CRT rules require the use of a prototype chassis, so the Aspar machine cannot use the RSV4′s chassis.

EBR 1190 Wins 2011 European Superbike Championship

Harald Kitsch and the Pegasus Race Team has won its second championship on the EBR 1190RR, capturing the 2011 European Superbike open race class title. The championship follows Kitsch’s win in the 2010 Sound of Thunder V-Twin Championship on the Erik Buell Racing racebike. While the Sound of Thunder championship was won against other V-Twin machines, the European Superbike class included sportbikes from the Japanese Big Four, BMW, Aprilia and Ducati.

How I'll remember Marco

I think we'll all be mourning the loss of Marco Simoncelli for a long time yet; his full potential will remain an unanswerable topic of many pub debates for years to come. But one thing's for sure: he was unique and this year he injected so much energy, plenty of controversy and a whole load of 'what ifs' to the sport. I must admit, for years I used to sacrifice whatever was happening on a Sunday to make sure I could watch the GP but this year I haven't seen every race, it just hasn't been the same: Stoner has been dominant, the grid has been embarrassingly low on numbers, Rossi has been absent and the battles have - in general - not been memorable.

EICMA 2011 Preview: Aprilia SRV 850 Maxi-Scooter

Updated with additional photographs. Aprilia announced it will present a new 850cc V-Twin engined maxi-scooter with an RSV4-influenced design at the upcoming EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy. The 2012 Aprilia SRV 850 will be the Italian brand’s largest scooter.

2011 AMA Pro Daytona Sportbike Champion Danny Eslick

Danny Eslick won his second career AMA Daytona Sportbike Championship, adding another #1 plate to the one he won in 2009. The Geico Powersports RMR Suzuki GSX-R600 rider won three races this season and added another five podium finishes to win the title by a 275-256 margin over Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Josh Herrin. Eslick clinched the title after finishing sixth in the first race of the 2011 season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

US Motorcycle Sales First Half 2011 Results

The U.S. motorcycle industry saw a 4.6% decrease in year-on-year sales over the first six months of 2011, thanks mostly to a 17.3% drop in ATV sales. Motorcycle and scooter sales however saw a 1.7% bump in the first half .

Piaggio Reports First Half 2011 Results

The Piaggio Group reported slight increases in net sales and net profit over the first six months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010. Net sales increased 1.1% to 830 million euros (US$1.19 billion) over the first six months of 2011, compared to 820 million euros (US$1.18 billion) in the first half of 2010. Piaggio reported a net profit of 33.3 million euros (US$47.9 million), a slight increase from the net profit of 33.1 million euros (US$47.6 million) reported last year.

Price Cut for Aprilia Tuono 1000R

Piaggio USA has announced a price cut and special financing offer on the Aprilia Tuono 1000R to help clear inventory for the impending arrival of the streetfighter’s successor, the Aprilia Tuono V4R. The winner of our 2009 Streetfighters Shootout, the Aprilia Tuono 1000R is regularly priced at $12,999, but until Sept. 30, 2011, Aprilia USA is cutting the price to as low as $7,499 (for the 2007 edition of the Tuono).