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2012 Kawasaki ZZR1400 Video – Rootsy

Rootsy — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:20:53 +0000

Rootsy on the new 2012 Kawasaki ZZR1400 at the Nardoring in Italy. More specifically, he’s on the 12.5km high speed handling track – that’s the big ring round the outside…

2012 Kawasaki ZZR1400 Launch Video

Rootsy — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:11:50 +0000

The 2012 Kawasaki ZZR1400 launch was held at Nardo in Italy – a gigantic proving ground with a 12.5km speed bowl as its centrepiece. Here’s a video from it. The perfect place for a 200bhp Kawasaki ZZR1400 then… Here’s Kawasaki’s promo video…

2012 Kawasaki ZZR1400 First Ride

Rootsy — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:52:30 +0000

The 2012 Kawasaki ZZR1400 is an absolutely astonishing machine – not least because it exists. We thought that hypertourers had had their day, but thanks to a bulging order book in the USA (they call it a ZX-14) and decent sales in Europe, Kawasaki has been persuaded to give it a coat of looking at. And we’re so glad they did…

That coat involved stroking the motor out to 1,441cc, giving the lump a whole host of internal revisions, treating 50 per cent of the frame to new components, sticking new springs in at each end and then giving this fire-breathing beast an electronics package to be proud of.

The results are spectacular. The engine is the first to impress. Thoroughly usable, but still capable of devastating speed figures, it works as well at 2,000rpm as it does at 11,500rpm - spitting out all of its 200bhp. The KTRC traction control system ensures that you get the best from the motor. It’s not a normal nanny-state TC system, as it allows for slippage and spin, so you really do feel like you’re making progress everywhere. But that’s still not the most impressive bit.

No, the changes to the chassis and suspension really breath new life into the ZZR, and turn add beauty to this beast. Having tested the bike at the Nardo proving grounds, it is astonishing that a bike of this bulk can corner as well as it does. Add in great brakes, a slipper clutch and half-decent ground clearance and you’ve got yourself a trackday botherer…

Then we rode it flat out around the Nardo ring. I scored a GPS verified 184mph on the limiter, so it’s pretty rapid. What this means in the real world is debatable, but at least it talks the talk and walks the walk – plus we got to ride flat out for over 5kms.

You’ll read more in the March issue of Fast Bikes, and watch out for it on YouTube and on the Bike Channel. Head to the Kawasaki website for more information.

2012 Honda NC700X Review

Rootsy — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:38:19 +0000

The 2012 Honda NC700X is the Big H’s attempt to solve the world’s problems. Rootsy traveled to Portugal to discover whether the NC700X truly is the answer.

As far as design goes, the NC700X is a resounding success

It’s hard to argue with data, especially when it doesn’t argue back. Numbers just sit there, smug in the knowledge that they’ve been researched, collated and calculated.

So in trying to understand biking’s current malaise, Honda sent a team of researchers into the field to understand how bikers use their machines, in the hope of being able to present a more applicable product. The numbers that came back were interesting. According to the stats, 90 per cent of all riding is done below 140kph and an engine only ever revs above 6,000rpm just 20 per cent of the time. Though the logic deduced from these figures is skewed (uncontroversially implying that riders are by and large law abiding citizens, and that the largely unused potential of a bike is unimportant), it certainly makes sense that a bike should be built for these very conditions.

The Crossover style is all the rage in 2012

A Webchat with Rossi

Rootsy — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:24:44 +0000

Yes, that’s right. The date with Valentino Rossi is nearly upon us. If you’re looking for Francis Rossi, then we suggest you best try Statusquo.co.uk.

All the questions have been submitted, and on Wednesday 21st, Valentino Rossi will attempt to answer issues such as dog or cat, would a bear beat a tiger in a fight, and who has the smelliest breath in MotoGP? Maybe. We just don’t know, as the questions will only be revealed during the web chat.

This will all happen at 15.00hrs UK time THIS WEDNESDAY. So put it in your diary now. All you then need to do is head to Dainese.com and see what the great man comes up with.

We reckon he’ll say 1) dog, 2) bear, 3) Colin Edwards.

Rossi, Ducati and 2012

2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R Lap at Qatar

Rootsy — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:28:28 +0000

If you want a video of a 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R lap at Qatar, then you’ve just found it. This was Rootsy at the launch of the new ZX-10R. There’s not much more to say!

2011 MotoGP season in pictures

Rootsy — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:30:55 +0000

Yes, it’s that time of year again when we look back and reflect on the year just gone. In MotoGP it was less a bitter-sweet year than just a bitter-bitter one with the death of Marco Simoncelli overshadowing an entertainment-lite season. Only the spectacle of Casey Stoner’s mastery of his machine and elevation to legendary status is all we can take from the year. So here’s the 2011 MotoGP season in pictures, just to job the memory…

Casey Stoner hit the 2011 season running. While most of pre-season (and a good chunk of early season) talk was about Honda’s new gearbox, Stoner got to business straight away, ominously gapping the field from the first race here at Qatar. This was a pattern that would be repeated…

Jorge Lorenzo upped his game, despite coming into the 2011 season as world champion. While the Honda had its gearbox to boost performance, the Yamaha only had its pilots to rely on – especially now Rossi had left the roost. 2011 saw some of Lorenzo’s finest ever riding, culminating in some memorable victories. But on the Yamaha, Lorenzo was always going to be a battle for first loser.

No amount of debriefing was going to cure the Ducati of its handling woes. Underlying just what a talent Casey Stoner is, Rossi jumped on the bike, uniting a nation in the process. But he wanted to jump straight off, the balance of the machine not suited to Rossi’s style. The lack of performance first caused headlines, but as this became the norm the Ducati’s relative uncompetitiveness soon became a non-story.

2011 was full of unfilled potential. Rivaling the Ducati story was Toni Elias circulating at the back of the grid. Having been bounced back into MotoGP after taking the first Moto2 crown, we were all expecting to see Elias as proof that the new feeder class was key to the sport’s future. But Elias’ struggle to get heat into the Bridgestone tyres haunted him all season long. But the question remains, how can someone who looks so fast in pictures languish at the back of the pack?

Cal Crutchlow had a real James Toseland of a season. Racing out of the gate, Cal impressed in his initial few rides, and could have got a podium at a wet Jerez were it not for a crash. But Crutchlow peaked too soon, and after a crash at Silverstone in front of his home fans (Toseland, again), Cal’s head went somewhere and soon he was looking at tyres as the reason for his slump – much to the team’s annoyance. The one saving grace was seeing the quietly impressive Karel Abrahem off for the rookie of the year title, giving Cal a platform to build on next year.

And it’s goodnight from them. Yup, the near season long debate of will they, won’t they, ended up with Suzuki taking a sabbatical from MotoGP in 2012. The cash strapped manufacturer teased us and the team as to its plans, but having already downsized to just Alvaro Bautista, Suzuki plumped for pulling the plug. And this decision came at a time when Suzuki seemed to have finally got to grips with the 800. Bautista recovered well from breaking his leg at Qatar, and shone in races towards the end of the season. But that effort now appears to be all for nothing.

And so to the end of the season when Ben Spies threatened to take his second victory of the year under a cloudy Valencia sky. But who should come and steal Spies’ thunder (after leading for much of the race, granted). Yup, fittingly, Casey Stoner stuck on the afterburners and took victory in the last race of the year.

But the 2011 season will forever be remembered for one man’s tragic death. Marco Simoncelli had the world at his feet and possessed equal amounts of talent and potential. But the outpouring of grief after his death was not because of his championship standing or number of podiums, but rather because of the combination of his care free attitude and happy spirit allied to steely determination whenever he put his helmet on. The world goes on, of course, but he will forever cause us to pause, reflect and smile from time to time.

Midwest Enduro – Season Finale

Onboard Portimao Lap

Rootsy — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:08:22 +0000

OK, so this isn’t the most exciting onboard Portimao lap you’ll ever watch, but if you’re heading out to the track this winter on a trackday for the first time (you lucky buggers…) this will give you a much better understanding of where the track goes.

It’s a tricky track, with plenty of blind corners and elevation changes, and this onboard Portimao lap will pick out the pertinent points at a much lower speed. It’s not exciting, but like all forms of revision, it’ll be worth all the hard work. And don’t moan to us about it being dull…

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2012 Honda Fireblade First Ride

Rootsy — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 23:31:07 +0000

So the new 2012 Honda Fireblade has only had a small number of changes made to it, but could it be that their effect is pretty impressive?

You can count on one hand the number of important changes Honda has made to the 2012 Fireblade. New Showa BPF fork, new Showa Balance Free Rear Cushion shock, new wheels, new styling and a new dash. Anything else counts as a tweak. So that means that power remains the same, the electronics package remains the same (non-existence except for the C-ABS option), and the chassis and ergonomics remain the same. And do you know what, we’re glad.

Why? Because the 2008-2011 Honda Fireblade was just so bloody brilliant. It was pure, balanced and sophisticated – and the 2012 bike stays with these themes.

Taken to Portimao in Portugal to sample the new 2012 Fireblade, the first thing to notice is that there’s not much to notice. The BPF’s give that flat feeling as you get on the ZX-10R and GSX-R1000, the rear shock’s effects aren’t mind bending, and the motor feels almost the same as before (which, of course, it is). The jury is still out on the Bridgestone S20 rubber, mainly because it was cold and Portimao has lost its initial grip, but once Honda technicians stuck some R10 track tyres on it was really time to let it rip.

And what a great bike the Honda Fireblade remains to be. Poise, balance, class, predictability and fun. It works on so many different levels that you can’t fail to be impressed by its abilities. It’s a fitting tribute to the bike that started it all, 20 years ago.

We were denied a road ride, but if you pop to a Honda dealer they should be getting demo bike in through December, so go and try one for yourself. All you need is, ahem, £11,300 to pry one out of their hands (or £12,000 if you want the C-ABS bike). Read more in the January edition of Fast Bikes, or head to honda.co.uk for more information.

Axis Datalogging Video

Rootsy — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:15:57 +0000

We used Axis Datalogging equipment during our big SBOTY test earlier in the year, and not only does it capture everything you’ve done on track in minute GPS detail, but you can hook it up to a video feed to get awesome data like this. The video is of our A-Force at Parcmotor on an Aprilia RSV4 APRC. S-weet!

For more details on the Axis Datalogging kit go to the Flexion website.