Define: Bobber

While I like the look of the 2012 Harley Davidson Street Bob presented in this review by Motorcycle.com, I question the use of the word "bobber" as a term to describe this motorcycle.



To me, a bobber is somewhat of a unique motorcycle where no two bikes are the same; bikes that are custom and built by people who have a genuine passion for motorcycling. They are cut up (AKA bobbed), chopped up, stripped down, light weight, fast and just down right "kick ass" motorcycles! Something like these:

Photo: BikerSwag.com
Photo: BikeEXIF.com
Photo: USA Bobbers.com
Photo: Brett Jordan (CC)
Photo: Mbike.com
Although a couple of the bobbers above are the result of custom motorcycle builds, a bobber isn't restricted to professional custom bike builders. A bobber can be built in a backyard garage by people who have a passion for building something unique. So I am left with the question, can a mass produced motorcycle such as the 2012 Harley Davidson Street Bob be considered a bobber? I say no, what do you think?

Racing in the Street

Well, the cold weather & winter is upon us here in Freddy Beach (aka Fredericton). To help get through the winter months, I dream of spring and hitting the open road...maybe even a little "Racing in the Street"!

Merry Christmas!

Good News for CSBK 2012

Good news for the Canadian Superbike (CSBK) Championship Racing Series, today they announced that they were able to secure a major sponsor for the upcoming 2012 racing season. This past fall, there was some controversy between the major sponsor - Parts Canada and the series management. The end result, Parts Canada pulled their sponsorship from the series.

Earlier today, Frontline CSBK Inc., organizer of Canada’s National motorcycle road racing series, introduced Chrysler Canada - Mopar as a major sponsor. This is great news for fans of the CSBK series and ensures that we will have races to follow in 2012. CSBK also announced the new Honda CBR 250 National Challenge series as well as Pro Superbike class, Pro Sport Bike, Harley-Davidson XR1200 Cup, Amateur Superbike and Amateur Sport Bike. In addition to the announcement of a new major sponsor, the 2012 series schedule was released:

2012 Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship Schedule
Round 1 (June 23-24) Shannonville Motorsport Park, ON.
Round 2 (July 7–8) Autodrome St. Eustache, QC.
Round 3 (July 21-22) Atlantic Motorsport Rark, N.S.
Round 4 (August 11-12) Circuit Mont-Tremblant, QC.
Rounds 5/6 (August 25-26) Mosport International Raceway, ON.

2012 V-Twin Superbikes

As mentioned in a previous post, I was really excited to see the release of the 2012 Ducati Panigale. From what I have read, it is supposed to be quite a machine. To add to this, the rebirth of Erik Buell and the EBR1190RS is another point of excitement for 2012 as is the update to the 2012 KTM RC8. What do each of these bikes have in common, they are V-Twin powered superbikes!

With the introduction of these 2012 models, wouldn't it be great if one of the major motorcycle magazines initiated a 2012 V-Twin Superbike Shootout? Speaking for myself, it would be one comparison that I would be most interested in reading!

After some online research, here is a quick comparison of the power plants behind these three superbikes.

2012 Ducati Panigale

Type: Superquadro: L-twin cylinder 1199CC, 4 valve per cylinder, Desmodromic, liquid cooled
Bore x Stroke: 112 x 60.8mm
Power: 195hp (143kw) @ 10,750rpm
Peak Torque: 98.1lb-ft (132Nm) @ 9,000rpm
Exhaust: 2-1-2 system with catalytic converter and 2 lambda probes. Twin stainless steel mufflers with aluminum outer sleeves
Transmission: 6-Speed
Clutch: Slipper and self-servo wet multiplate clutch with hydraulic control

2012 EBR1190RS

Type: Liquid cooled V twin
Bore X Stroke: 4.17 x 2.66 (106 x 67.5 mm)
Displacement: 72.6 cu 1190CC
Compression Ratio: 13.6 :1
Fuel Delivery: Dual 61mm throttle bodies
Exhaust: Primary + Secondary
Peak Torque: 97 ft-lbs @ 9400 rpm
Peak Horsepower: 175 hp @ 9750 rpm
Clutch: Wet multi-plate, slipper
Transmission: 6 speed

2012 KTM RC8

Design: 2-cylinder 4-stroke Otto motor, 75° V arrangement, water-cooled
Displacement: 1,195 cm³ (72.92 cu in)
Bore: 105 mm (4.13 in)
Stroke: 69 mm (2.72 in)
Performance: 129 kW (173 hp)
Peak Torque: 93.7 lb-ft @ 8000 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed claw gears
Cooling: Water cooling, permanent circulation of coolant by water pump
Clutch: Multi-disc clutch in oilbath / hydraulically operated

Based on the information above, it appears that the Ducati Panigale has a major horsepower advantage over the EBR 1190RS and the KTM RC8, but there are other innovations that have to be considered too re: engine torque, frame, weight, suspension, traction control, etc.,...something a V-Twin Superbike Shootout would tell us. Which V-Twin Superbike do you think would come out on top?

Ducati - Checkmate!

The new 195hp Ducati 1199 Panigale...looks like an amazing machine!




I love the sound of the Superquadro engine...check this out, "Checkmate"!



Further information, multimedia and pics available at Ducati's Panigale 1199 website.

Steve McQueen & Triumph

Who was cooler than Steve McQueen, actor, motorcycle racer, auto racer and yes, rebel! This evening as I was catching up on some online reading, I came across the new releases from Triumph Motorcycles. One of the new releases is the Triumph T100 Steve McQueen Limited Edition Motorcycle.

According to the Triumph news release, this will be a limited production motorcycle with only 1100 being made available. Each bike will be numbered and will have Steve McQueen's signature on the side cover. The bike is designed after the Triumph Trophy TR6 which came to fame in the Great Escape movie! Kudos to Triumph for doing this.

Check it out, the 2012 Triumph Steve McQueen Edition...





Click on the image for a full view

...and the Triumph Trophy TR6 that Steve McQueen made famous!





Until next time, ride safe!