Bikes

Last year I gave the “World’s sexiest sport bike” honors to the Ducati 848 EVO, I think the EVO gets good competition for that title from the 2012 MV Agusta F4 RR.  Not only is the F4 RR “hella sexy”, it also comes with a lot of power to back those good looks (kind of like the saying, not only is it beautiful on the outside, it’s also beautiful on the inside).

The MV Agusta F4 RR is powered by a 4 cylinder 1000 cc engine that produces a massive 201 horsepower at 13,400 rpm, which according to the Italian manufacturer, is the world’s most powerful production superbike.  This much power can get you into a lot of trouble and put a smile on your face and give you that warm fuzzy feeling that will last well into the cold winter months.

BMW has unveiled their latest creation, the 2013 HP4. Unlike previous HP motorcycles from BMW which used the boxer engine layout, the 2013 HP4 uses an inline-four engine from the S 1000 RR. The 2013 BMW HP4 is also equipped with other goodies that can’t be found on any other production sports bikes. An example of such is the DDC (Dynamic Damping Control), the world’s first ever dynamic suspension system. This DDC setup allows the motorcycle to adjust the suspension damping as the road/track conditions change. The bike has four riding modes including Sport and Rain for street riding while Race and Slick for the race track.

Another very handy feature on the BMW HP4 is the torque-adjust Launch Control system. BMW also claims that the 2014 HP4 is the lightest four-cylinder super sports bike in its class with a dry weight of 169kg (372.5 lbs).  With 90% fuel in its tank, the motorcycle weighs in at 199kg (439.7 lbs).

Montreal based company, Lito, revealed their electric motorcycle and they are setting the standards high for the competition. The company is claiming their new motorcycle, Lito Sora, allows the bike to travel a range of 300km (185 miles) between charges thanks to its 12 kilowatt-hours’ worth of on board lithium polymer batteries.

The Lito Sora is also capable of reaching speeds of up to 200 km/h (125 mph) and is the first bike to feature an in-dash touch screen GPS system as well as allowing the rider to have control of the electronically adjustable ergonomics. The Sora also uses regenerative braking system and a CV transmission that allows the engine’s output to be efficient at a broader range of speed and allows the Sora to reach that top speed of 125 mph.

Not a week goes by where we don’t write about a tuned car, however, it’s pretty rare for us to write about tuned motorcycles.  I guess because motorcycles (sport bikes) are already highly tuned by their manufacturers to squeeze out every ounce of performance from those small engines and there isn’t much bodywork that can be enhanced/tuned by aftermarket tuners.  There are rare occasions when a tuner works their magic on a motorcycle, in this case, the Ducati Monster 1100 EVO Bulgari tuned by Vilner.

I’m not sure if this project is a collaboration between Vilner and Italian luxury goods retailer Bulgari (Bvlgari) or the “Bulgari” is referring to Bulgaria, the country where Vilner is from.  According to Vilner, the Ducati Monster 1100 EVO Bulgari’s design is inspired by a praying mantis that’s moving gracefully while performing Kung Fu… or something like that, see their quote below.