Etc.
ETC.
SENNA REPLICA DUCATIS COMING
Ducati will issue a special-edition 916 model honoring Ayrton Senna, the late Formula One racer. The bikes had been in the works before Senna’s death, featuring a paint scheme approved by the three-time world champion. After Senna’s San Marino GP crash, Ducati had considered not producing them, but decided to do so as a tribute to the legendary Brazilian, who owned a 1991 Ducati 851. Some 200 916 Sennas will be made. There is no word on when the bikes will be available, or how much they will cost.
OVER THE TOP
Kensei Sato, whose frame design company Over has attracted worldwide attention, is out to create the fastest motorcycle on sale anywhere in the world. He is combining a modified version of his acclaimed 0V15A frame (see CW, February) with a tuned Kawasaki ZX-11 engine to make a motorcycle he says will go close to 190 mph. Bikes will be available for purchase in early 1995, says Sato.
MOTO GUZZI SAVED?
A June announcement that DeTomaso Industries hired consultants to evaluate Moto Guzzi and find potential buyers apparently skirts the edges of what’s really happening.
Sources here and in Europe confirm that a negotiated buyout of Moto Guzzi by Finprogetti, a consortium of Italian businessmen, is under way.
“They’ve assessed that Moto Guzzi is a cash cow with poor management,” says Fran Contaldi, president of Moto America, the U.S. Moto Guzzi importer. He adds that new bikes are on the way to the U.S.
It may be some time before Guzzi’s well-received Sport 1100 makes it here. The new managers halted production after 15 prototypes were built. Sources say the bike will be further refined before production resumes in September. Getting answers about motorcycle safety is now as easy as touching the right computer keys. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has linked up with GEnie, an online computer service, becoming part of the service’s Motorcycling RoundTable. MSF instructors and staff members answer questions and discuss issues in real-time, which means you don’t have to leave a message and wait for a response.
MSF GOES ONLINE
GEnie members can also use the service to contact BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, Motorcycle Consumer News magazine and Spectro Oils. For more information, call GEnie at 800/638-9636.
COOL CAGIVAS ON THE WAY
Reports from the Cagiva factory suggest the company is building three new motorcycles: a beamframe, four-cylinder 750cc sportbike and two four-cylinder 900cc models with similar frames. One of the 900s will be a sport-tourer not unlike a Flonda CBR1000. The other will be a tourer, complete with a full-length fairing and saddlebags. No date has been set for the bikes’ release. Cagiva may also build three-cylinder sportbikes bearing the MV Agusta name, and a Ducati II Monstro Single.
READER INFORMATION REQUESTED
The CW long-term test fleet now includes a Kawasaki ZX-9R and a Concours, a KTM LC400 and a Suzuki RF600. If you’ve purchased one of these machines, we would like your comments about the bike. Let us know how much you paid, what maintenance costs you’ve incurred, modifications you’ve made and any problems you may have experienced. Address your remarks to Long-Term Projects, Cycle World, 1499 Monrovia Avenue, Newport Beach, CA 92663.
