Motorcycle Racing and Riding

You heard it here first folks… Unless you didn’t.  Scott Harwood— ASRA National Endurance Champion and AMA Pro Racer— is looking for an ride in the 2010 Isle of Man TT and the 2010 Isle of Man TTXGP (alternative fuels: hydrogen, electric, etc.) He will be eligible for all classes (TT SBK, TT STK, SeniorTT, TTXGP, etc.)

Scott is currently working with AMA Pro / DMG, to obtain an FIM International race license (DMG is the FIM’s representatives in the United States). If you would like to present a sponsorship opportunity, then please go to www.go-scooter-go.com to contact Scott.

We wish Scott all the luck, and hope to be there when he rides the TT!

Don Emde shared this beautiful Isle of Man TT video with us on facebook, and mentioned that he wants to go next year as a spectator. The music is “Now we are free” by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, from the movie Gladiator. It was uploaded by Mirko Guzetta. Thank you Don and Mirko!

Isle of Man Tourist Trophy 2009 Steve Plater Onboard:

Scott Harwood shared this 2009 Isle of Man TT video with us:

Scott also shared a video from this year’s TTX with us:

I am simply copying Suzuki’s words for this post.  Unlike the Honda post where I actually wrote all but the list of bikes. Please see: a note about “press releases, news releases, and public service announcements”. Thank you.

Go here for the more-complete Honda 2009 Motor Show Article

Exhibition Models

Burgman Fuel-Cell Scooter

Having stunned the motorcycling world with the Crosscage fuel-cell bike at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki applied the technologies to a more practical and accessible form of two-wheel transportation: a scooter. The result is the Burgman Fuel-Cell Scooter. The fuel cell is air-cooled and concomitantly light, compact, and structurally simple. A 70MPa hydrogen tank (the highest-pressure tank used on a bike thus far) allows a usable riding range. And the tank is mounted within a robust frame for safety.

Gladius 400 ABS

The Gladius 400 ABS is a stylish naked bike with a 400cm³ V-twin engine. It features a truss frame that combines rigidity with great looks. And its newly designed V-twin engine delivers plenty of power in a rider-friendly way. All told, the Gladius 400 ABS is great way to experience the nimble performance and classic throb of a V-twin machine.

Boulevard 400

Boulevard 400

The Boulevard 400 is a performance cruiser with aggressive bikini-cowled looks and a 400cm³ engine. Low, flowing body lines that give an unmistakable sense of performance are combined with inverted front forks and stylish cast wheels. The engine is a narrow-angle (45°), liquid-cooled V-twin with fuel injection.

Bandit 1250F ABS

The Bandit 1250F ABS is a fully faired tourer. Together with the compact body and torquey performance that make touring so enjoyable on the Bandit series, it has a sharply styled full fairing for heightened comfort.

Other Exhibition Model

Suzuki will also be showing a GSV-R racebike.

Production Models

The Suzuki booth will feature the following production models: Gemma; Skywave 250 Type M; DR-Z50; and Love SNA26.

Mavizen was created to support electric-vehicle motorcycle racing teams. (I believe that Mavizen is also the name of Azhar Hussain’s iPod accessory company.) Mr. Hussain founded TTXGP: a motorcycle race that took place at the Isle of Man TT in 2009.

Mavizen will be producing the Mavizen TTX02 electric racing motorcycle. The powertrain includes twin Agni motors, and a computer (Linux or Windows). The motorcycle will cost £25,000 (about $41,500 USD) with the Circuit Pack battery pack. Here are the battery pack options:

• Circuit Pack: 6kw/h, 25 miles track use, 38/60 miles hard/gentle road use
• Snaefell Pack: 11kw/h pack, 40 miles road racing, 75/130 miles hard/gentle road use, hot swappable power packs
• Sprint Pack TBA. 3kw/h, 6 miles track use.

Click on the thumbnail images to see larger versions. Click on the larger versions to close them.

This looks like a great project, and we hope for this company’s success. We are suspicious about some of the claims  though:

• The winning bike, the AGNI X01, was produced by Agni Motors.  The AGNI X01 was a converted Suzuki GSX-R 600.  The Mavizen TTX02 is a converted KTM RC8 1190. Claims that the TTX02 is based on the winning-bike are potentially unfair to Suzuki and KTM. Apparently Mr. Hussain is making the claim based on the fact that both bikes have twin Agni motors. (sources: mavizen.com, egrandprix.com, agnimotors.com)
• Mr. Hussain claimed that the bike makes 90 horsepower. Agni Motors claims that the twin-motor AGNI X01 made less-than 50 HP max, and only 12HP-per-motor at peak efficiency  (source: agnimotors.com).
• Top speed is claimed to be 130+MPH. Rob Barber, the TTXGP winner, and an experienced racer, only averaged 85 MPH at the TTXGP. He was clocked at 102MPH at the end of a downhill segment. We have to assume that Mavizen’s 130+MPH claims are based on a very different gearing ratio. EVs are not geared for high speeds, because that would either make them too difficult to control at lower speeds, or make them too inefficient to reach their destination. Speeds over 100MPH could be obtained via a transmission that was designed to keep RPMs relatively low. Modern motorcycle and automotive engines are designed to keep RPMs relatively high. This motorcycle does not have a transmission.

Here are eGrandPrix’s goals for 2010:

• TTXGP UK Championship 2010 (four round goal)
• TTXGP at the Isle of Man TT, May 29 2010 – June 11 2010
• TTXGP USA Championship 2010  (four round goal): May 14-16, 2010 (AMA Pro weekend)

Here is the Mavizen TTX02 Launch Promo:

Here is the eGrandPrix.Tv – TTXGP 2009 DVD trailer. Fun! And the bikes go weeeee:

Here are the Mavizen announcements from SEMA, November 3 2009:

130mph ‘laptop on wheels’ unveiled in Vegas

The much heralded Mavizen TTX02 came out from under the covers today to meet the brave new world

The bike has been nicknamed a ‘laptop on wheels’ and is being produced by TTXGP founder, Azhar Hussain, an entrepreneur with a background in consumer electronics. “We are living in a click culture and connectivity is the key, across the board. Our approach was to find how we could make a laptop go racing. We think electric vehicles have more in common with consumer electronics than traditional automotive.”

TTX02 is the first factory production vehicle to be delivered with a dedicated IP access and connectivity to the network. Each bike can be connected from any browser through an on board web server and WiFi.
Hussain continued, “By building on the open standards of the internet and the PC, we unlock the creativity and lower the costs of innovation for teams, enthusiasts and riders. TTX02 is a development platform that invites the potential for success previously seen in electronic hardware and software, into the automotive industry. We need to pick up the pace of innovation and make it real fast; TTX02 is a key marker in that journey”
Azhar Hussain founded TTXGP, the world’s first zero carbon, zero emission motorcycle race which took place at the Isle of Man TT in June this year. The TTX02 is inspired by the winning bike, the Agni X01. It has been built by TTXGP’s manufacturing arm, Mavizen, on a chassis supplied from the factory of one the world’s leading motorcycle manufacturers.

Hussain continued, “The limited production bike, the Mavizen TTX02, gives potential participants a chance to acquire a bike that they can develop themselves to make it competitive and unique to them. Racing is brutal but at least with the Mavizen TTX02, the racers can start with a proven platform. Mavizen is about growing the grid by being an enabler by those who want to take part.”

The Mavizen TTX02 uses the rolling chassis of an FIM homologated and road legal bike. A world class manufacturer is supporting Mavizen by supplying direct from the factory, frames ready to be worked over by the Mavizen engineers.

Every owner will have the option to apply to their national vehicle licensing agency under various single vehicle type approval regimes.
Mavizen TTX02 will be available for delivery in Q1/2010 with a limited production of 50 units. Target price for complete bike with a Circuit Pack is £25,000. This will be a complete platform to take part in any national or FIM championship. To place your deposit and discuss options, please log onto www.mavizen.com.

onthethrottle.com and Seamus Taaffe of Yamaha Factory Racing show us how to clean brake calipers.

Links and images used by permission of Sean de Fraine— Sean is the Web master for www.blarneyquick.com and the Kevin Schwantz School – Official Page facebook page.

Do you want to learn Barber Motorsports Park?   How about getting a tow from Kevin Schwantz?  Sean de Fraine and his friend Keiron Mooney attended the Kevin Schwantz School at Barber and Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year.  What next?  How about the 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP?  Yeah, they attended that too as spectators.  Sean came over from the UK, and the guys decided to make the most of it.  Sean wrote up the story and the Kevin Schwantz School published it here. Check out Sean’s story.  It’s a good read.

Sean posts photos, videos, and links to the “Kevin Schantz School – Official Page” facebook.com fan page.  To learn more about the Schwantz School go to www.schwantzschool.com.

You can see the guys riding down below.  That’s Kieron Mooney on the Blarney Quick Racing (BlarneyQuick.com) GSXR750, and Sean de Fraine in the Rizla+  leathers.  Rizla+ sponsors the Suzuki MotoGP team. It’s the series, and manufacturer, that Kevin Schwantz won the championship for in 1993.

For more about Kieron and Sean’s Schwantz School Experience see “Kieron Mooney Met Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Nicky Hayden, Kenny Roberts, Wayne Rainey, and Kevin Schwantz While Attending The IndyGP version of the Kevin Schwantz School”.

Keiron Mooney, Kevin Schwantz, Sean de Fraine

That's Sean de Fraine (in the Rizla+ Leathers) and Kieron Mooney and on the BlarneyQuick.com GSXR750.

!!!

His responsibilities will be handled by David Atlas, Tom Bledsoe, and Chris Harris.

According to David Atlas COO: “Roger’s health is first and foremost in our minds. Roger’s significant, multi-decade contribution to motorcycle racing is well known but nothing is more important than his health.”

This one is showing up on all the best Web sites.  Bill Wagner doing Sachsenring supermoto stylee no doubt.

Originally published 2009-10-12, edited 2009-12-26, content by Joe Salas and Paul Danger Kile.

Supermoto is a form of racing that combines on-road, and off-road, within the same track. The racers typically ride dirt bikes with road-racing parts added. What if one were to take an SV650 bike to a Supermoto race? It’s too big, right?

Dan Sewell races for CODE4Racing, is sponsored by Twin Works Factory, and teaches for Z2TrackDays. Here is his Web page. Below are images of Dan racing an SV650 in Supermoto. When does anyone do that? This may be the first time!

The photographer, Joe Salas, gave us permission to use the  images here.  Joe photographs track days, and races, and makes the photos available at 4theriders.com.

Rossi and Lorenzo’s 2009 Catalan Battle for 1st Place: