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This tiny hole made 230hp possible
This tiny hole on the side of Casey Stoner’s 2011 Honda RC212V can’t be terribly important, can it? Turns out it was absolutely essential. Why? It cooled the electronics that provided traction control and managed power delivery to stretch just 21 liters of fuel across the duration of an entire race. "The parts we make don't look all that flashy or interesting, but they are the equivalent of ...
20 June 2012
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02 December 2011
News
Of spoilers and speed holes
In 1992, the Honda CBR900RR Fireblade forever changed motorcycling. In the decade preceding its launch, two-wheeled performance had already undergone something of a renaissance. The 1984 Kawasaki GPZ900R made an insane amount of power — 115bhp — allowing it to become the first stock motorcycle to ever exceed 150mph. In addition to the liter bike, another class of motorcycle was also created
26 September 2011
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Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control explained
When the embargo finally ended and we were able to bring you analysis of the 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R without pissing off Kawasaki we told you the bike was significant not because of its unprecedentedly powerful engine — 197bhp — but because it brought a MotoGP-derived traction control system to the road. That's a good thing since North American market ZX-10Rs will be 20bhp down. This video explai...
20 October 2010
Details: 2010 Moto Guzzi V7 Cafe Classic
Having seen the two-wheeled embodiment of sex that is the Moto Guzzi V7 Racer, it’s easy to forget that there’s another attractive cafe racer already available in the V7 range. The 2010 Moto Guzzi V7 Cafe Classic looks hot in green, but can it perform? Photos: Kerry Pierno The good: — The torque reaction. Hit the electric start button and the whole bike kicks over to the right as the en...
17 September 2010
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Details: Brammo Empulse RR
HFL superfriend Sean Smith stuck his camera lens up inside the Brammo Empulse RR to grab these pictures at Laguna Seca last weekend. What they reveal is an electric race bike that's shockingly similar in configuration to the 2010 MotoCzysz E1pc. We're not suggesting that one rips off the other, instead it looks like two companies have independently come to similar conclusions about the best ...
30 July 2010
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Details: the tiniest steering damper in the world
This tiny adjustable steering damper belongs to the 2011 Honda CRF450R and 250R. Isn't it cute? It's not new, debuting on the 2008 models, but like the rest of the 2011 MX bikes, it's been slightly upgraded, in this case growing its piston size from 20 to 24mm for better control. On off-road bikes like these, steering dampers help keep the bike tracking straight over ruts and while landing jumps a...
21 July 2010
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iDrive comes to motorcycles
In addition to an analog tachometer and speedometer, the First debuted on the 2001 BMW 7-series, Nine years later, the system just about works, but only after several revisions and after repositioning a lot of the functions back to simple dash-mounted buttons. Technology for technology's sake? You bet, and now it's coming to motor...
19 July 2010
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Details: 2010 MV Agusta F4
Photos: Grant Ray When the 2010 MV Agusta F4 was announced, we criticized it for being a little heavier and a little less powerful than the outgoing model. The official line at the time was that numbers lie, or a least MV's old numbers did and the new one's didn't. Now that we've ridden it on the road and on the track we believe that. We'll be bringing you a Vs. feature next week, but for th...
30 June 2010
News
Alpinestars XA: cooling the MotoGP grid
While watching the last MotoGP race at Mugello I saw this device poking out of Designed to plug into the same port in Alpinestars race leathers as a hydration bladder, the XA is a battery powered fan that pumps 140 cubic feet of air into the suit every minute. It can do that for up to 45 minutes thanks to a lithium polymer battery that's similar to the latest tec...
18 June 2010