Did Nissan Just Make the Ultimate Motorcycle Engine?

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Nissan Motor Company is better known for its four-wheeled vehicle pursuits, so it might surprise you to see its name mentioned here on Asphalt & Rubber. To front load the answer to your most pressing question, no the Japanese marque is not getting into the two-wheeled universe.

However, Nissan has been doing some interesting work, ever since it took over the DeltaWing project. In a nutshell, the Nissan DeltaWing was a failed IndyCar replacement race car project that aimed to push the boundaries of light, aerodynamical, and efficient vehicle design.

It found new legs in the endurance racing arena though, and participated in the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans — however it didn’t finish the iconic race, when a competitor crashed into it 75 laps into the race.

Nissan and the DeltaWing team have since parted ways collaboratively, but the Japanese car maker has clearly learned something from the process. Returning to Le Mans for the 2014 season, Nissan will field a very similar design, which it has dubbed the Nissan ZEOD RC.

A hybrid race car (Nissan hopes to complete its first lap at Le Mans solely on electric battery power), what tickles our fancy most is the 1.5 liter three-cylinder turbocharged engine, which weighs a featherlight 88 pounds. Twenty inches tall, eight inches wide, the Nissan DIG-T R engine is small, though mighty. How does 400hp grab you?

In terms of power per cubic centimeter, the DIG-T R rises to the top-end of the MotoGP engine spectrum, where one-liter four-cylinder engines make near 260hp at the crank. Nissan of course has the advantage of forced induction, but you still have to appreciate 400hp in such a small form factor.

It will never happen, but we would love to see what a good chassis company like Bimota could do with such a lump at the their disposal…actually, maybe not.

The ideas here are sound though, and with the current trend of OEMs exploring the use of forced induction for motorcycles, maybe something similar will come to the two-wheeled world. Hey, there’s nothing stopping us from dreaming. We now return you to your regularly scheduled two-wheel programing.

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First Look at the “Husqvarna” Moto3 Race Bike

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In case you didn’t hear the news, Husqvarna will enter the Moto3 Championship this year; and like the 2014 Husqvarna dirt bike line, the Swedish brand’s name will basically be painted onto the Austrian company’s machinery.

The move is an interesting one for the Husqvarna brand, as the company is about to start a new chapter in its already interesting story. The acquisition of Husky by KTM’s Stefan Pierer essentially consolidated the premium dirt bike segment into one company, and his efforts also brought about the reunification of Husaberg and Husqvarna.

How KTM and Husqvarna will operate going forward is unclear. For 2014, the differences are only paint deep, as is Husky’s Moto3 program, which is being run by Aki Ajo — the same highly regarded squad that ran KTM Racing’s factory bikes in the 2013 season.

While we can drool over another beautiful race bike, especially one of some peculiarity, what really intrigues us though is what this signals for the Husqvarna brand in the long term. Is this just a marketing effort to promote a struggling marque? Or does does Pierer have eyes for Husqvarna on the street? Only time will tell.

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2014 Kawasaki Z1000 Debuting at EICMA

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With the KTM Super Duke 1290 R debuting today, and BMW Motorrad set to show its BMW S1000RR-based streetfighter in a couple weeks, we get news that Kawasaki will be upping its game in the street-naked category as well — debuting an all new 2014 Kawasaki Z1000 at the 2013 EICMA show in Milan, Italy.

Teasing the bike for the past few weeks, this is the first news confirming the date and model in question from Kawasaki. Big Green isn’t talking specs at this point in time, but instead is using the Japanese wordsugomi — “the intense aura or energy given off by a person or object of greatness and felt by the viewer” – to pitch the new Z1000.

With the liter-bike streetfighter segment pushing 165+ hp on new models, it will be interesting if Kawasaki’s “emotion and feel” pitch works on buyers. In our opinions, anything over 150hp just silly on a street bike, but street-naked owners are victim to the same spec-sheet racing forces that drive the the superbike market’s quest for more peak horsepower.

We assume the new Kawasaki Z1000 won’t quite have the same jaw-dropping horsepower figures that are found on the 2014 Aprilia Tuono V4 R, 2014 KTM Super Duke R, or 2014 BMW S1000R, but Kawasaki could really bring a potent package with a budget price tag to fruition here, which could really get the attention of riders who commute during the week and canyon carve on the weekend. We’re certainly excited.

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2014 Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC ABS

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Now 167 hp strong, those crazy Italians in Noale are upgrading there already stout Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC for the 2014 model year, and for bonus points are adding an ABS package along with those extra ponies on the streetfighter’s peak horsepower figure.

Integrating the Bosch 9MP dual-channel ABS package, which is mated to Brembo M432 brake calipers up-front, Aprilia has made the 2014 Aprilia Tuono V4 R  a bit more stable while braking on questionable road conditions — keeping the bike inline with its competitors.

With a bevy of changes coming to the Tuono’s 999.6cc V4 power plant to boost power, we also see that Aprilia has included its second-generation APRC electronics package to the motorcycle, making it easily the most tech-savvy machine in its category.

Other changes include also a larger fuel tank (4.9 gallons), and a new seat for better street performance and ergonomics. It’s not clear if Aprilia USA will price the 2014 Aprilia Tuono V4 R at its previous $14,999 MSRP, or will continue its aggressive pricing at $13,999, like the company has done with the 2013 models.
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2014 Kawasaki Z1000 – So Much Sugomi

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We have seen the 2014 Kawasaki Z1000 leaked and teased ad nauseam ahead of the 2013 EICMA show, but now we finally have the official photos and specifications of the Kawasaki’s new street-naked.

For the new year, Kawasaki says that the new Z1000 has a revised ECU setting, along with different camshaft timings and oval exhaust connectors between the header pipes.

Other improvements like connected cylinders (less pumping loss) and a new airbox design, help the 2014 Kawasaki Z1000 reach 140hp (104.5 kW) and 82 lbs•ft of torque from its 1,043cc inline-four engine.

Equipped with radially mounted Tokico monobloc calipers, Kawasaki’s now signature petal brake rotors, and a radial-pump master cylinder, the stopping power of the 2014 Kawasaki Z1000 has been enhanced over its predecessor.

The suspension too has been reworked, with the new Z1000 getting Showa’s Big Piston forks, with separate fork function — one fork handles rebound damping, while the other handles compression.

While everyone will surely be talking about the headlight on the 2014 Kawasaki Z1000, we doubt the discussion will center around the fact that the headlight is an LED unit, a first from a Japanese OEM.

You are either going to love or hate Kawasaki’s “Sugomi” design philosophy, but the new Z1000 certainly highlights the brand’s willingness to stray from the bland that often churns itself out of the other three Japanese OEMs, so kudos to them for that.

For our thoughts, we like the new design. It’s not for everyone, that is for sure, but it would suit us just fine as we explore the realms of one-wheeled motorcycle inversion. No word yet on price, but this machine is headed to the USA.

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Hero Hastur 620 Concept – A Streetfighter with EBR Inside

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The Hero MotoCorp news keeps coming. Last week we reported on the Hero HXR 250R 250cc lightweight sport bike and the impressively practical Hero RNT diesel scooter.

This time, it’s a 620cc streetfighter concept called the Hero Hastur 620. With a parallel twin putting out around 80hp, and claimed weight of only 352.7 pounds wet, the Hastur definitely has a few of key ingredients needed for success.

As a concept, it looks like something a couple of teenagers put together in shop class after learning to use the MIG welder. Perhaps I just don’t get the uber-aggressive look of streetfighter bikes; why does a bike need to look like it is perpetually scowling and wants to eat pedestrians off the sidewalks? In comparison, the 2014 Kawasaki Z1000 looks positively organic.

It is obvious that not only is Hero proud to point out Erik Buell Racing’s involvement in the development of the bike, but they are seemingly equally chuffed about the tubular steel trellis frame. It’s highlighted in a “Hey look at this!” yellow and dominates the overall aesthetic of the bike.

Looks aside, the concept is significant in that it points Hero’s product development into the middleweight sports market. This is a crucial segment for sales in the United States where riders tend to be more recreational, seem to enjoy power over practicality, and where the streetfighter trope is still somewhat salient.

It will be interesting to see what else Hero has in store for the European and American markets, especially as EBR begins importing Hero models to the USA.

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