Michael Czysz, Founder and Team Principal of MotoCzysz, has been diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer, according to a team press release. He plans to undergo treatment immediately, which means he will not be able to attend the 2013 Isle of Man TT. He vows to return in 2014.
Noted Honda tuning company Mugen has revealed the second generation version of its electric racebike which will race in the TT Zero at the 2013 Isle of Man TT. The Shinden Ni (“Shinden” meaning “God of Electricity” while “Ni” is the number two in Japanese) will once again be ridden by 19-time TT winner John McGuinness.
Mugen has been working on the Shinden Ni since last year’s TT Zero, using data collected in the race and during tests at circuits in Japan. Mugen worked on making improvements through optimizing motor output and increasing battery capacity. Mugen engineers also managed to remove a significant amount of weight. According to the specs sheet (see below) the Shinden Ni has a curb weight of 240 kg (529 pounds), which is 44 pounds lighter than the first Shinden. Continue Reading »
Honda is serious about showing off the racing prowess of the CBR500R. Sharing much of the same components as its siblings the CB500X and CB500F, it’s easy for critics to question whether the CBR500R is worthy of the CBR designation. The first thing Honda did to try to dispel those worries is to secure the CBR500R as the spec race bike for the 2013 European Junior Cup, a racing series for youths held at select rounds of the World Superbike Championship.
But Honda also wants to show the CBR500R isn’t just for beginners. That’s why Honda factory rider John McGuinness will ride the new Honda CBR500R in the Lightweight TT class at the 2013 Isle of Man TT. McGuinness is second in all-time Isle of Man TT victories with 19, so his involvement gives the 500R instant credibility. Continue Reading »
North Irish brothers and Tourist Trophy racers Michael and William Dunlop showed their support – and nearly everything else as well – for an upcoming event raising funds to fight testicular cancer.
The nephews of all-time Isle of Man TT wins leader Joey Dunlop and sons of another accomplished TT racer, Robert Dunlop, stripped down to their racing boots and gloves, not to mention two strategically placed helmets, for a photoshoot with Northern Irish model Laura Lacole in support of the Belfast Strut, a sponsored walk on March 16.
The event will have 100 participants dressed up as the campaign’s mascot, “Mr. Testicles”, walking 10 miles through Belfast. Continue Reading »
Lightning Motorcycles has signed two-time Isle of Man TT race winner Cameron Donald to race in the 2013 TT Zero and the FIM’s e-Power championship.
The Australian native, who won races in both the Superbike and Superstock classes at the 2008 Isle of Man TT, will ride the latest version of Lightning’s electric motorcycle, a bike our own Troy Siahaan calls the fastest motorcycle he’s ever ridden.
Donald becomes the latest established road racer to sign up to race electric motorcycles. Last September, Miguel Duhamel rode the Lightning to victory at the Le Mans stop of the e-Power series. Earlier in 2012, overall Isle of Man TT lap record holder John McGuinness rode the Mugen Shinden in the TT Zero, and on this side of the Atlantic, Eric Bostrom rode for Brammo in the TTXGP’s North American Championship. Continue Reading »
Noted Honda tuner Mugen announced it will compete in the 2013 TT Zero on the Isle of Man with an updated version of its Shinden electric sportbike.
Mugen entered the Shinden at last year’s TT Zero, with Isle of Man veteran John McGuinness finishing second with an average speed of 102.215 mph. Team Mugen managed to break the 100mph barrier but fell short to the race winner Michael Rutter who rode the MotoCzysz E1PC.
For 2013, McGuinness will ride the Shinden Ni (a.k.a. Shinden 2), the second generation version of Mugen’s electric racer. Developed from data from last year’s race, the Shinden 2 is said to be lighter and more aerodynamic than its predecessor. Continue Reading »
U.K. importer WK Bikes will race the first Chinese-built motorcycle in the 2013 Isle of Man TT, making it the first Chinese-built motorcycle to compete in the famed island road race.
The team will enter Australian racer David Johnson to race in the Lightweight TT race on the CF Moto 650i which is marketed in the U.K. as the WK 650i. Not much detail was released about the racebike but it is likely a faired version of the naked WK 650i (pictured below the jump), which is powered by a 650cc parallel twin engine claiming an outout of 60 hp at 9000 rpm and 46 ft-lb. at 7000 rpm.
Chinese motorcycles have been gaining in popularity in the United Kingdom, with U.K.’s Motorcycle Industry Association estimating Chinese imports would surpass Japanese imports in 2012. Most of those Chinese vehicles are small-displacement models but the WK 650i stands out as being one of the largest-displacement Chinese bikes offered in the U.K. Continue Reading »
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When it comes to motorcycle races, there are two that separate the men from the boys: the Isle of Man TT and the Macau Grand Prix. Both races are held on public roads with little to no margin for error. At the Isle, if you make a mistake, you’re flying off the side of a mountain. At Macau, a mistake puts you into a wall. Continue Reading »
Friend of, and sometimes-contributor to, Motorcycle.com, Mark Gardiner, has announced a second printing of his popular recount of his time racing the Isle of Man TT, Riding Man.
Gardiner also gives us an update on the progress of Riding Man becoming a feature film, saying that it is an “excruciatingly slow” process.
The Isle of Man TT races have earned the distinction of the wildest motorcycle competition on pavement. Rocketing around public roads lined with houses, fences and cliffs at up to 190 mph around a 38-mile course is distinctly unlike the relatively safe confines of a modern racetrack. The specter of death walks close to riders at the IoM – more than 200 people have lost their lives on the course over the event’s 100-plus years.
