2010 BMW S1000RR onboard Portimao with Troy Corser. Our first action video from the Portimao world launch of BMW’s new superbike. Tor Sagen has some fun on the bike first before we interview Troy…

UPDATE:  Full Review now on Motorcycle.com (with video)

We just spent the day ripping it up around the fabulous Portimao race circuit in Portugal on BMW’s new S1000RR supersport literbike, and it’s set to blow away perceptions of what a BMW motorcycle is.

With 193 crankshaft horsepower and a claimed dry weight of 404 pounds, BMW says the S1000RR has the best power-to-weight ratio of any production bike. And, by the way the S1000 lofts its front wheel onto Portimao’s front straight at 150 mph, we’re becoming believers!

Here is a stop-time short video showing a Suzuki GSX-R assembling all by itself.  According to the YouTube page was shot over 30 hours and the bike started up on the first try, well done!  Now how do we get IKEA to take up this concept?

News of the 2010 Kawasaki Z1000 is, in the ‘Net age, kind of old news already. Yet we’ve not even seen it close up and I’m now more eager than ever to ride this nutter!

During the U.S. intro of the new Concours 14 I had a little chitchat about the ’10 Z with some of my buddies at Kawi. Although I don’t think they’ve seen the attached Euro market video, from what little they told me about the bike’s performance, the opening minutes of this video seem to corroborate what the Kawi staff here said after they rode the bike.

Though it’s generally recognized as a car tuner’s paradise, this year’s SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas is not without two-wheel appeal.

The world’s first production electric superbike, the Mavizen TTX02, was unveiled on Tuesday. The bike has been nicknamed a ‘laptop on wheels’ and is being produced by TTXGP (Time Trial Xtreme Grand Prix) founder Azhar Hussain.

“We are living in a click culture and connectivity is the key, across the board,” says Hussain. “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.”

What should make IT people everywhere wet their pants, the 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.

Aprilia cut short its launch event for the new RSV4R at Italy’s Mugello circuit as not one, not two, not three, not even four but FIVE pre-production models suffered engine failure.

Motorcycle.com contributor Tor Sagen was at Mugello in Tuscany and was scheduled to do a few laps on the world-class circuit on the RSV4R, a lower-spec version of the Aprilia RSV4 Factory. Tor reports the engine problems were being attributed to the conrods from the first batch of 50 pre-production engines.

Honda’s new VFR1200F in action at Sugo in Japan.

UPDATE: 2010 Honda VFR1200F Review -  First Ride Article

I’m here at the Sugo Sportsland racetrack in Japan, an odd place for what seems to be a sport-touring machine like the new VFR1200F. But my time at Sugo today was one of the most incredible riding experiences of my career.

First off, lets dispel the notion the VFR is a direct competitor to sports tourers like Yamaha’s FJR1300 or the Honda ST1300. It’s lighter and more nimble, with racier ergonomics. It’s also smaller in the flesh than it appears in photographs. More attractive, too.

UPDATE: FULL REVIEW HERE!

So much for predictions.

Weather during the month of October in Bologna,Italy, can typically be cold and wet. Indeed, that was exactly the weather we were dealt on the first ride day of the world press launch of the 2010 Ducati Hypermotard 796. Funny thing, though, weather forecasts for the day were boasting of mostly sunny skies and warm, mid-to-upper 70s temps.

The other missed prediction of the day was my anticipating the new Hypermotard to be nothing more than a breathed on Monster 696 mill in Hypermotard 1100 clothing.

As Honda prepares its new VFR1200 for its official unveiling, the red-wing company has set up a website detailing its long involvement in V-4 engines. It began back in 1979 with the introduction of the NR500 grand prix racebike. Rather than fielding a 500cc two-stroke engine, Honda used a four-stroke oval-piston V-4 motor – essentially a V-8 with four cylinders that could be revved to 19,500 rpm! The oval cylinder area was so large that it used eight valves in each!

Each oval-shaped piston in the NR500 utilized two connecting rods to support its lengthy cross-section. Eight valves per could flow a lot of air!

MV Agusta has revealed the latest iterations of its Brutale naked sportbikes. Although looking much like the previous 989R and 1078RR, these new editions have been full overhauled with revisions to their four-cylinder engines and significant chassis tweaks.

Both versions use a lighter engine crankcase than before, and both have names that suggest a displacement different than what is actually under the tank. The 990R has a 998cc motor, up from the 982cc 989R via a stroke increase and a bore reduction. The larger and more expensive Brutale, the 1090RR, retains the old 1078RR’s 1098cc displacement. According to factory claims, both models have less peak horsepower, but the 989R receives a slight bump in torque. Both models include a traction-control system, and the RR adds features like a slipper clutch, larger brake rotors and forged aluminum wheels.

More info and some early riding impressions from Italy after the jump.