Press
The only Japanese rider to win at the TT has passed away
Mitsuo Ito, the first and only Japanese rider to win at the Isle of Man TT, has passed away at the age of 82.
Born on 1 January, 1937, Ito san was a lifelong Suzuki employee and made his Grand Prix debut in 1961. Two years later he won the Ultra-Lightweight TT on his Suzuki RK67, and he remains the only Japanese rider to win around the famous 37.73-mile course. In 2008 he returned to the Isle of Man with Suzuki GB to celebrate his achievements.
Ducati prototype Streetfighter V4
Ducati prototype Streetfighter V4
- The Bologna-based Company makes Streetfighter V4’s arrival in 2020 official
- The PPIHC race track in Colorado (United States) chosen as the proving ground for the new Ducati Streetfighter model
- Carlin Dunne, who won the 2018 edition of the race, will be riding the prototype
Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 13 June 2019 - Ducati is preparing for the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb; in this edition, which will start on June 30th, Carlin Dunne will tackle the most famous hill climb in the world on the Streetfighter V4 prototype.
All New 2019 Triumph Rocket 3 TFC
ALL NEW 2019 TRIUMPH ROCKET 3 TFC
The second Triumph TFC to be launched and a British engineering masterpiece - the new 201
Suzuki GSX 1400 One Bike to Rule Them All
Suzuki GSX 1400 - One Bike to Rule Them All
It was around 1998 and I was dreaming about a muscle bike, but one with good brakes none of your sliding caliper rubbish. It had to be twin shock or a 1200 Bandit may well have fit the bill. I read in Bike magazine about a Japan only Suzuki that looked perfect but I didn’t want a grey import. I have never had much luck with Kawasaki’s so the ZRX was out. I focused on the Yamaha XJR and started saving my pennies.
A couple of years or so later I walked into David Jones in Newtown and there sat a Suzuki GSX 1400 the bike that was supposed to be Japan only. It was very impressive the tank was huge, having front forks the size of bridge supports. It had six pot Tokiko callipers on the front, remote reservoir twin shocks, traditional looking clocks, a six speed box and a 190 section rear tyre (a big tyre back then). So that’s all the boxes ticked. Just like that my XJR fund had a new destination.
Stripped back to the heart - BMW Motorrad Concept R18
The BMW Motorrad Concept R18 shows how a forward projection of a 1960s boxer engine could look like today as a purist custom bike in combination with all the classic design icons of BMW Motorrad design.
Edgar Heinrich, head of BMW Motorrad Design explains:
“With its clear aesthetics openly on display, the Concept R18 embodies for me what motorcycling, at its core, is really about. It is all about feeling instead of thinking, and not using technology for self-staging, instead giving space for imagination. This concept bike appeals to something deep down – you just want to just get on it and ride off. But when you get off it again, you don’t just put it in the garage and walk away – you turn around again and give it a final parting glance.”