Category: Motorcycles

1. THE VESPA STORE IS ON LINE

   Posted on 7:36am Thursday 27th Jun 2013

   THE WEB STORE DEDICATED TO THE VESPA UNIVERSE OPENS ITS DISPLAY WINDOWS ON THE INTERNET.

   On the new www.VESPA.COM website, dedicated to the most loved scooter in the world, the Vespa Store opens its display windows: a wide range of clothing, gadgets and accessories, to live every day with the style and values of youth, freedom and elegance which Vespa has disseminated across the five continents.

   Vespa Store, the VESPA.COM web store in which the extraordinary Vespa 946 made its debut, already bookable on line, is now enhanced with five sections - Clothing, Helmets and Accessories, Gadgets, Vespa 946 Accessories and Vespa Special Collections - constituting the richest and most accessible “Official Vespa” catalogue ever presented. To live always in perfect Vespa style.

   Milan, 18 June 2013 - Vespa is not just a scooter. It is the most widespread and popular two-wheeled vehicle in the world. It is a legend built on over eighteen million units, on a record of technology and style that sets it apart over time, since the first unit in 1946 to the latest model, the futuristic and precious Vespa 946. Vespa is the only scooter in the world which knows how to be loved, so much so as to be cared for and maintained well beyond the average life-time of any other vehicle and to go beyond its function as an urban vehicle to become a cult object, a real collector's item, symbol of a lifestyle.

   Vespa has been able to anticipate the cultural upheavals that have swept the world in more than six decades, taking on the role of protagonist in the lifestyle revolutions related to the young, fashion and music. Vespa has been a protagonist in the lives of entire generations becoming the bearer of values of elegance, freedom and friendship. And over the decades Vespa has managed to create a unique style linked to its cosmopolitan soul. Now the web, a perfect synthesis of a world increasingly without borders, becomes the place to share these fundamental values for which Vespa is an ambassador.

   The VESPA.COM website, a point of reference for Vespa enthusiasts worldwide, now hosts the new display windows of the Vespa Store, the web space in which - thanks to the possibility of on-line booking - the Vespa 946 made its debut, the most precious and technologically advanced Vespa model ever conceived. On the new Vespa Store a rich array of clothing, gadgets and accessories, conceived and designed drawing on the most classic Vespa iconography, is available to enthusiasts to live in Vespa style, dress with the same casual elegance, surrounded by preciously made objects which are reminiscent of timeless shapes.

   The Official Vespa Store provides access to the five major sections that divide the items on sale:

   Clothing: with the rich Lifestyle collection consisting of T-Shirts, Polos, Jackets and Windcheaters. Always characterised by top quality materials and first-class workmanship and designed in the Vespa style that perfectly summarises a neglected, graciously snobbish elegance.

   Helmets and Accessories: in addition to Vespa helmets, from the most recent lines to the classic series with the flags of the world, belts, sunglasses and bags of various types, from practical and very young shoulder bags, characterised by an elegant “vintage” look, to large travel bags are on sale.

   Gadgets: the legendary perpetual calendars in perfect 50s style, wrist watches and clocks, document holders, stationery and many other proposals, always decorated with historic Vespa images from original prints preserved in the Historical Piaggio Archive, to surround yourself in domestic life with real Vespa objects.

   Vespa 946 Accessories: a section dedicated to the sale of accessories for the new Vespa 946, to make the most valuable scooter unique. Each accessory - from genuine leather helmet bags to the top fairing, chrome luggage racks, genuine leather hand grips, special parts in aluminium - is made with the richness of materials and attention to detail that characterise this exclusive jewel that is the Vespa 946.

   Vespa Special Collections: helmets and clothing, richly finished and exclusively dedicated to the most modern Vespa. To always wear, on every occasion, the elegant exclusivity of Vespa 946.

   The new e-store, whose content and functionalities are accessible from the various desktop, tablet and smartphone platforms, consistently adopts the look and feel of the new www.vespa.com, the official Vespa website, on-line since a few weeks and true "compass" for lovers of the Vespa and its style worldwide.

   The new Vespa Store is immediately active for Vespa enthusiasts in Italy, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK.

2. KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R

   Posted on 7:35am Thursday 27th Jun 2013

   THE BEAST UNLEASHED AT GOODWOOD!

   Ear-splitting prototype’s first ever public ridden appearance comes at the UK’s Festival of Speed. On the handle bar of the ultra strong naked bike: Jeremy McWilliams.  

   KTM’s 1290 Super Duke R prototype will be in action for the first time in public at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, from 12th - 14th July. In November 2012 at the Milan motorcycle show (EICMA), KTM’s technicians and designers demonstrated their ability and ideas through two open megaphones to present the prototype of the 1290 Super Duke R. Its appearance needs no explanation. Unfiltered, the 1290 Super Duke R shouts the essence of KTM´s philosophy into the world: Ready to Race!

   In the promotional video shot to accompany its unveiling at EICMA, the machine dubbed ‘The Beast’ escaped from a secure facility in a cloud of powerslides and effortless wheelies. Soon after, the KTM YouTube channel received more than 700.000 views of this video.

   Like any good concept machine, the creators were not about complying with regulations. This was about showing what happens when the best technicians, designers and riders are unleashed at the KTM Factory in Mattighofen. The developers started with another hefty rebore of the RC8 R engine in order to give it maximum punch. Around this two-cylinder elemental force, they fitted a tight suit tailored from light steel pipes, completing the frame with a single-sided swing arm and top level prototype development suspension components from WP Suspension. The chassis is completed with lightweight wheels, racing brakes and racing tyres. With the test rider in the video is still in his recovery period, having had to recalibrate his brain to riding levels never previously thought possible, former MotoGP rider Jeremy McWilliams will attempt to steer this powerful machine around the nine turns that make up the 1.16 mile Hillclimb course. Nirvana for petrolheads, the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the largest motoring garden party in the world – a unique summer weekend that brings together an impossibly heady mix of cars, motorbikes, stars and motor sport ‘royalty’ to create the largest motor culture event in the world. Held in the immaculate grounds of Goodwood House, this annual Hillclimb event is a true celebration of motor sport and all things automotive. The 2013 Festival of Speed will focus on highlights from the Festival’s glittering 20-year history, featuring the biggest, best, fastest, loudest and most outrageous vehicles of all time. KTM won’t be out of place.

   KTM will also be in attendance on four wheels with another UK first, as the recently unveiled X-Bow GT will be trying to beat the official Hill Climb car record of 41.6s.

   Jeremy McWilliams said: “It’s always an honour to ride at Goodwood, but to be honest this will be the most insane bike I’ve ever ridden and yes - more than a certain MotoGP bike. Hopefully I can keep ‘The Beast’ on a leash and put on a good show for the fans at Goodwood. It is going to be memorable!”

    SPECIFICATIONS: KTM 1290 Super Duke R Prototype

   • Engine: liquid cooled V-twin, based on RC8 R Superbike with Ride-by-Wire
   • Displacement: more than ever
   • Power and torque: very, very much
   • Electronic assistants: ABS and traction control – stoppie and wheelie protection disengageable (of course)
   • Top speed: depends on the rider’s courage and figure
   • Frame: Trellis frame made of chrome molybdenum steel
   • Swing arm: single sided aluminium swing arm
   • Suspension components: WP prototypes – upside-down forks with gas pressure reservoir, directly linked rear shock
   • Wheels and tyres: aluminium wheels with slicks
   • Brakes: front and rear Brembo racing calipers
   • Weight: incredibly low

3. The Swift Chrono brand

   Posted on 8:53am Friday 26th Apr 2013

   ...faster and more furious - New from Digital Speedos

   Swift Chrono brand grew from a desire to fuse up-to-the-minute electronics with great UK style and design. The results are two stunning new products: the Chronometric Style speedometer and the smooth-revving RPM Gauge, with even more plans in the pipeline.

   The Chronometric Style speedometer With a max speed of 150 mph, the Chronometric Style speedometer is a perfect fit for the classic café racer. Its tramline dial, easy to read white pointer, black metal case and chrome V bezel look great, while the unit slots neatly onto the standard mounts of 60s and 70s British bikes. A wide range of pick ups and speed senders are also available, including cable drive adapters, and both magnetic and non magnetic hall effect senders.

   Swift Chrono RPM Gauge The new RPM Gauge revs smoothly up to 10.000 RPM. It’s designed to work on multiple cylinders, connecting via the coil or ECU. And, just like the Chronometric Style speedometer, the Swift Chrono RPM Gauge benefits from a classic tramline dial, easy to read white pointer, black metal case and chrome V bezel,  fits the classic and café racer style bikes of the 60s and 70s.

   Not content to rest on our laurels, however, our plans for the future include a classic battery operated race gauge, and multifunction gauges. Find out more about Swift Chrono at www.swiftchrono.co.uk

   www.digital-speedos.co.uk

4. Engineer Filippo Preziosi resigns from Ducati Motor Holding

   Posted on 12:01am Friday 1st Mar 2013

   For reasons of poor health, Filippo Preziosi has taken the decision to resign his position.

   The company thanks him for 19 years of outstanding professional service. The now vacant position of Ducati Motor Holding Director of R&D to be announced

   Borgo Panigale, (Bologna, Italy) 28 February 2013 - Engineer, Filippo Preziosi, has communicated his intention to resign from his position at Ducati Motor Holding.

   Declaring reasons of poor health related to his particular physical condition, Preziosi’s resignation was accepted by Ducati, saddened and disappointed to lose such an accomplished and strategic member of staff. The company respectfully acknowledges the 45-year old Italian’s decision and thanks him for his significant contribution during his 19 years with Ducati, 12 of which were within Ducati Corse.

   Previously occupying the role of General Manager of Ducati Corse, Preziosi, was appointed Director of Research and Development of Ducati Motor Holding at the end of 2012 and was to start his new role after a period of rest. An announcement of the successor to this strategic role, now left vacant by the resignation, will be communicated in due course.

5. KTM PowerWear Street clothing range unveiled

   Posted on 12:01am Saturday 2nd Feb 2013

   The 2013 Street riding range of KTM PowerWear is now available through UK dealers.

   Consisting of 39 items, the official Street riding collection from the Austrian brand covers everything from head-to-toe (and even underneath) for sports, track, supermoto, urban, commuter, adventure and travel riders.

   Along with something to suit all riding disciplines and climates, garments in the collection that aren’t made by KTM have been exclusively transformed ‘Ready to Race’ by leading brands, including Arai and Alpinestars - such as the KTM RX-7 GP helmet (£686.81) and S-MX 5 Boot (£164.17).

   With a choice of nine jackets, seven trousers, three leather suits, four helmets, six gloves and four boots, new editions to the Street range include the Urban (£246.68), Pegscratch Evo (£246.68) and Vented (£164.17) jackets. These are available with separate matching trousers or can be zipped to existing ‘riding pants’. The jackets offer huge amounts of functionality and come supplied with CE approved armour.

   The 2013 PowerWear catalogue is available from KTM dealers or can be downloaded here. Along with the functional riding equipment, there’s a huge array of casual clothing for men, women and children, as well as a vast assortment of accessories for the true KTM fan.