| December 18, 2016
With the dust having settled, the covers put back in storage and the fingerprints wiped off the fairings, what incite has the recent Milan, Cologne, and Birmingham Motorcycle Shows given us into the 2017 motorcycle world? Cycle News spoke to the men who matter to discover the truth behind the headlines and gain a small taste of what the future holds for the two-wheeled world.
To read this in Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine, click HERE
By Jon Urry
Honda believes in low weight over peak power…
“If we decided to make a bike with 300 horsepower we could. If we wanted to make one with 200 horsepower we could. But to be honest, you couldn’t use a 300 horsepower bike and people can’t use all of 200 horsepower! What do you feel first on a bike? The first time you lean it over, its agility. A 30 pounds weight reduction makes a bike that is far more fun than a bike with 300 horsepower.” Masatoshi Sato, Project Leader of Honda’s new CBR1000RR.
Sato-san says low weight is more important than horsepower. That’s a shift in thinking from Honda.
BMW’s air-cooled boxer engine will survive…
“We will go on making the air-cooled engine, no question, and we will bring it to Euro5 specification, which is beyond 2020. I can’t say in which models…” Karl-Victor Schaller, BMW’s head of R&D.
Far from reducing the air-cooled Beemer range, BMW is expanding it, much to the delight of purists everywhere.
BMW won’t be making small capacity models…
“It is not BMW’s strategy to have lots of volume in the small capacity segment. We want to attract new customers but we will not go 125cc or lower. The G310 is a 100 percent BMW that attracts new customers who may step up to our big bikes as our main focus will remain the big bikes above 500cc.” Stephan Schaller, President of BMW Motorrad.
The 310 GS is as low as BMW’s capacity will ever go.
Suzuki was forced to go back to the drawing board after debuting the GSX-R1000 prototype last year…
“Almost every part has been upgraded or optimized on the production GSX-R compared to the prototypes we displayed in 2015. The main work has been within the engine to meet performance expectations but also the electronics. Last year the plan was for the IMU to only be on the R model, not the standard bike, but after the show we decided to put the IMU on both models. On the dyno we had the highest peak power when compared to our rivals, but this is just one figure. The more important characteristic is the midrange and the GSX-R has more torque and midrange than its rivals thanks to its variable valve timing system. GSX-R is known for its torque as well as its power, so we have not thrown away this history and characteristic.” Shinichi Sahara, Chef Engineer for the Suzuki GSX-R1000.
It took five years to design, and a year to totally redesign! The new GSX-R promises to be special.
KTM’s new parallel twin will be class leading, but expensive…
“The 790 Duke will come in two versions. The stronger one will have around 115 horsepower with a lower power 97 horsepower model for country-specific licence reasons. The R model will also have a comprehensive electronics package that will be of a similar level to the 1290 Super Duke R, but it will not compete in price terms with the Yamaha MT-07, it will be more expensive.” Hubert Trunkenpolz, KTM’s Chief Sales Officer
Two different ways to get your license ripped from your fingers! Oooo we can’t wait to see this thing in the metal!
The real reason for the BMW HP4 Race isn’t a track only bike…
“We have many patents and innovations in the construction of the HP4 Race’s components. When our carbon parts leave their mold, they are ready to go, much like an aluminum part would be, and have very little, if any, variations in their construction. We have simplified the whole construction procedure to the point it is ready for mass production with precise tolerances in flexibility and with none of the variations in construction you get with hand built one-off carbon parts.” Christian Gonschor, the project leader for the HP4 Race.
A design exercise, racebike platform, whatever. The HP4 Race is nothing short of mesmerizing.
There is a new 1299 Panigale on the way, and it will use carbon technology from the Superleggera…
“Carbon is very difficult technology so will never be mass-produced due to the amount of manual content needed making it, but we are investigating some kind of technology that involves carbon that is half way between super premium and mass-production. We will have something in the range of our typical S models which while not exactly the same, and therefore may lose a little bit of the benefits, will be a much more reasonably priced. We are developing new versions of the 1299 Panigale at the moment, stay tuned and you will see if it carries this new technology.” Claudio Domenicali, Ducati’s General Manager
Ducati blew the doors off everyone when they debuted the Superleggera at EICMA.
Husqvarna is targeting the road-bike market in a big way…
“We want to become one of the top three motorcycle manufacturers in Europe and to produce more than 60,000 units. You can’t simply achieve this with off-road, you need to diversify. I think we will grow to 35,000 in off-road sales before hitting a plateau and so 25-40,000 road bikes I would say. The new 401s will not be our only road bikes. We will increase the 701 range and in years to come produce bigger bikes. The 401 engines will be built in India, but the whole bike will be assembled in Austria using European parts to make it a premium product. This is why we can’t build a 125, producing a Husqvarna 125 in Europe would be very costly in a price-sensitive market, so we are concentrating on the 401” Oliver Göhring, Husqvarna’s MD
A sign of things to come—Husqvarna is forging ahead with massive road-bike plans.
Suzuki’s fire has been reignited…
“After the financial crisis in 2008 there was a big shift of focus within Suzuki to move more towards the smaller capacity markets in Asia, which is partly the reason for the drop in European new models. Now, starting with the GSX-R models, our focus is on the fun of motorcycles—run, turn and stop—which we believe is a strength of Suzuki. We have built innovative bikes such as the Gamma, Katana and Hayabusa in the past and in the future we will develop a few bikes that do not sit in a series and are very unique. Expect something innovative from us soon, our engineers are full of ideas and the success of the MotoGP project has allowed us to rediscover their capabilities and built their confidence.” Toshihiro Suzuki, President and CEO of Suzuki Motor Corporation.
The big S is coming back hard and that’s only good news for us riders, says Suzuki-san. Yes, that is his real name!
Yamaha’s T7 concept bike will be released soon…
“By the end of 2018 we will release a final road version of the T7 concept bike.” Eric de Seynes, Yamaha Europe’s COO.
This was one of the bikes of the year—Yamaha will sell truckloads of this T7 once it goes into production.
BMW will not race in MotoGP…
“Our focus is not to serve MotoGP, it is to serve the customers. We will always try to build the best superbikes that money can buy, but for a broad range of customers not two or three pilots that run around in circles.” Stephan Schaller, President of BMW Motorrad
The last time BMW was in the MotoGP paddock was with Colin Edwards and Forward Racing back in 2012. It was a disaster and BMW isn’t coming back.
KTM is building a MotoGP replica…
“MotoGP is one of the biggest pushes you can do for a brand, so much so you don’t need a superbike in your road bike model line-up. However, we have a MotoGP track only replica in mind and it will be a very small volume track day weapon! It will also be incredibly expensive!” Hubert Trunkenpolz, KTM’s Chief Sales Officer
Yes, you’ll be able to buy a road-going version of this bike!
KTM won’t abandon the large-capacity single cylinder…
“People look at the 790 and think we will stop the 690’s production, but we will not, it will remain for sure. It’s a niche bike and we would disappoint a fair few riders if we removed it. The big single is something very special and is loved by many riders and so there is no need to take it out of the range.” Hubert Trunkenpolz, KTM’s Chief Sales Officer
Single-cylinder bikes like the RC 390 are very much part of KTMs future.
Ducati is working on engines that aren’t only V-twins…
“Ducati is not about a very specific type of motorcycle, we made a V4 in the past so it is a possibility for the future. We will see something in the future that is different than just two cylinders, but exactly when this happens and what it is I can not say.” Claudio Domenicali, Ducati’s General Manager
Domenicali, coy in his usual Italian charm, is hinting at something big.
Yamaha’s T7 will be a world-beater in the Tenere tradition…
“If you look at the bike’s wheel sizes, dimensions and geometry then it is tuned to be very light and slim and that is suited to off-road riding. Weight is also a big factor, the bike is designed to be light as many off-road style bikes with license plates are too heavy to use properly off-road. At the moment we are exploring just how sporty to make the T7 or how much of an adventure bike to make it. We may go for a light bike with a large tank or have different versions. We will not have a heavy bike and our dream is to go light. The T7 will make it possible to go long distances, but keep the fun factor thanks to a light weight, which will then increase its off-road potential.” Oliver Grill, Yamaha Europe’s Product Planning Manager
You’ll be able to ride from California to Afghanistan on this thing. If you’re that way inclined.
Kawasaki won’t be building any air-cooled retro bikes…
“The W800 has stopped production and while we are interested in the retro market, we are not ready yet. We see retro bikes in Kawasaki’s future, and a few years ago we showed a retro Z1000 made by an Italian company, which was an interesting concept. But sadly an air-cooled engine is not an option for us anymore.” Tsuyoshi Shibata, Kawasaki Motors Europe Product Planning Manager
You are the weakest link… there’ll be no more W800 Kawasakis. Not that there were any in the U.S., anyway.
The best job on motorcycling is…
“Designing a bike as extreme as the Superleggera is fantastic, the best job on motorcycling. The design team has no limit and we are not told to keep to a budget like you are on a standard road bike—we can do whatever we want and think about the costs later on!” Cristian Gasparri, Ducati’s Head of Vehicle Project Management
No limits. Those are the words a motorcycle designer longs to hear. When they do, a bike like this often results.
Norton is counting on the V4’s success…
“We have invested close to 10 million pounds in the V4, easily seven million, probably eight to 10. We had a British government grant of $4.5 million and we found the rest ourselves and that’s why the V4 is such a big deal, we have bet the ranch on it! Genuinely. We were properly scared before we showed it to potential customers, but the reaction has told us we will be okay. All it needed was someone to come up and say ‘you have screwed up here…’ and it would have been curtains for the company.” Norton CEO Stuart Garner
Garner (left) has put it all on the line for the new Norton V4. Luckily, it looks like the gamble will pay off.
Norton has a naked V4 in the pipeline as well as a parallel twin…
“There is a reason why the V4 motor is designed to look good naked. That is a very important consideration for future models. We will also be halving the engine to make a parallel twin in the near future.”
Simon Skinner, Norton Head of Design
Simon Skinner’s got some wicked designs up his sleeve. Norton are back, baby!
To read this in Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine, click HERE
