The buzz surrounding the support classes in round one of the 2018 MOTUL FIM Superbike Championship at Phillip Island this weekend was huge – with most of that thanks to ‘Team Bayliss’.
Meet the new lightweight king of the streets, the Suzuki GSX-S125 ABS. It has the best power-to-weight ratio and acceleration in the 125cm3 street sport class, plus nimble handling and great fuel economy. It also has exciting, modern, innovative bodywork, with traditional handlebars and a low seat height for a comfortable ride. With a multi-function LCD instrument and vertically stacked LED headlights in a stylish cowl it is a dependable, comfortable, nimble motorcycle that also delivers genuine Suzuki high-performance.
It was Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) on Day 1, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) on Day 2 and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) on Day 3 to make it three days in a row on top for Honda at the #ThaiTest. Pedrosa is quickest overall with a 1:29.781, with Marquez P3 on combined timesheets on a 1:29.969 and Crutchlow fourth, just outside the 1:29s. Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was second overall - just 0.086 off Pedrosa in the exclusive 1:29 club.
The top-spec Tiger comes with cruise control, hill hold, heated seats, heated grips, corner-clever ABS and traction control, electrically adjustable suspension (just push a button if you’re carrying a pillion), shift-assist for clutchless gear changes, adaptive cornering lighting so it can see around corners, and ride-by-wire throttle control which enables a bunch of riding modes including one very clever mode which switches off all the traction technology so you can ride it like a, er, motorbike.
In dozens of giant exhibition halls each year we get a glimpse into the dealership showrooms of the future. Here are the standout advances from last year’s shows
Enjoying a solid day of racing at the 2018 edition of the Hawkstone International MX, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing squad saw Gautier Paulin secure a strong third overall in MX1 class, with MX2 class rider Thomas Kjer-Olsen finishing second in the highly-competitive 250cc class.
Packed Phillip Island WorldSBK schedule …including more sessions for the stars of the World Superbike show
Fifteen international and national races and an extra session for the world superbike boys are locked in and confirmed, with the release today of the schedule for February 23-25’s season opening round of the 2018 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the thrilling Phillip Island.
Fancy a spin on Josh Waters’ ASBK title-winning Gixxer? Yes please, said Steve Martin
Questions, questions… I had posed plenty of them at the international launch of the new Suzuki GSX-R1000R at Phillip Island in February, just weeks before it was due to compete in the 2017 Australian Superbike Championship.
After travelling more than 78,000km on her Bonneville she’s now featured in the 2018 Guinness World Records book. Danell Lynn insists on keeping the number of countries she’s explored well above her age, so at 36 years old it’s important to keep on moving.
KSF ECSTAR Suzuki Racing team will become the official outfit for Suzuki’s MX Nationals and Australian Supercross Championship campaigns for the 2018 season.
