More motorcycles from the Motor Show
Motorcycle correspondent Alan Coates
continues on from last week with his review of the Bangkok
International Motor Show.
V900 Kwaka
Kawasaki: Absent this year was
their massive tourer, the 1400 GTR and the versatile Versys.
Also missing was the newly released 800cc version of the
Fazer.
V900 Vulcan Custom & Classic:
Kawasaki was the only manufacturer to show a cruiser ‘bike,
and chose the smaller engine option. They displayed their
VN900 v-twin in two guises, the Custom, (with matt paint
finish) and the Classic. Power output is 37 kw at 5,700 rpm
hauling 278 kg of bike. The high torque (78 Nm) is
appropriate for the riding style that goes with a cruiser.
ER-6N: A number of versions of
this excellent all-rounder were displayed, including a
Ninja. For a regular around town and weekend trips the ER-6N
is hard to beat for practicality and ease of use.
Hyabusa monster
Ninja ZX-10R: With a huge 138.3 kw
at 12,500 rpm in a package weighing in at 208 kg this top of
the range sports bike is no slouch. However, it does lose
out in the handling arena when compared to Suzuki’s
GSX-R1000 and Yamaha’s R1, both on show here.
Ninja ZX-6R: It is every boy
racer’s dream, to rev the guts out of this middleweight
screamer from Kawasaki. Equally at home on the street or the
track this bike oozes performance (94.1 kW at 14,000 rpm and
weighing only 191 kg). Ride one if you can.
Mini Super Sport: These 125 cc
little bikes with fat tyres remind me of the original
paddock bike, the Honda Monkey. They are popular with all
ages both around town and for off-road general use. Kawasaki
also showed an example fully loaded with specialist trick
parts.
P-Bike: Three basic types of ‘bike
from the Chinese and Thai manufacturers were presented.
These were Tiger Retro step thru’s looking like early
versions of the Honda Cub, the Stallion Mini Solo akin to
the Kawasaki Super Mini paddock style machine and Ryuka
scooters.
Valentino Rossi clone
Piaggio MP3: This three wheeler
(twin front wheels) has been around for some time and has a
reputation for stability and sharp cornering. The 125 cc
SOHC model presented however was the hybrid version, having
11 kw from the petrol engine and 2.6 kw from the electric
motor. Four modes of operation are possible, two hybrid and
two electric, including reverse. Will it catch on? Who
knows?
Vespa: This looked unchanged from
the exterior from decades ago, but on the inside three
capacity engines are available from 150 cc, through 250 cc
to 300 cc. With prices starting at 99,000 baht and going up
to 325,000 baht I can’t see these denting any of the major’s
sales figures.
Suzuki: Suzuki’s show comprised,
in the main, their larger engine machines but no cruisers.
Hyabusa GSXR1300: No less than
three examples were on display in various colors. This model
is arguably the quickest of any of the super sports on the
market with a power output of 145 kW but a kerb weight of
260 kg.
GSX-R1000: A new, more over
square, compact engine together with a shorter wheelbase
updates the GSX-R1000 for 2010 (weight 203 kg) to give
improved performance and agility it is claimed.
1250SA Bandit: This is the
mini-faired version of the long running Bandit. A fully
faired and a full luggage version are also available. The
Bandit enjoys a reputation for an unburstable engine as well
as being very good value for money if you are prepared to
live with its dated engine and chassis.
Yamaha M1 MotoGP: Pride of place on
the stand were clones of Valentino Rossi (46) and Jorge
Lorenzo (99) MotoGP ‘bikes.
YZF-R1: The YZF-R1 is similar in
engine and chassis configuration to their M1 MotoGP
motorcycle. The short-stroke engine has a crossplane
crankshaft that delivers uneven firing intervals (133.9 kW
at 12,500 rpm and weight 206 kg). They say that this gives
linear power delivery allowing the rider to better control
the power. As with others, the chassis is as short as
possible with longer swinging arm for agility and stability.
YZF-R6: This is the 600 cc version
it’s bigger brother. Ultimate handling, cornering, braking
etc follow from race development onto the road. The engine
is ultra high revving (91 kW at 14,500 rpm and weighing in
at 189 kg) with chip controlled throttle. Not the bike for
around town, more circuit dedicated.
FJR1300A: Equipped with a
low-maintenance shaft drive, the 1,298cc inline 4-cylinder
engine produces 105.5 kW at 8,000 rpm. With its adjustable
windscreen, handlebars and seat - as well as heated grips
and a 25-litre fuel tank this gets my vote as the best real
tourer at the show.
FZ1 Fazer: The FZ1 Fazer has a
detuned version of the R1 based 998cc in-line 4-cylinder
engine (110.3 kW at 10,500 rpm). With a weight of 220 kg
performance is lively if not awesome. This is a versatile
machine for those longer work journeys and shorter tours. It
lies somewhere in between sports and tourer without the cons
of those extremes.
GM still
in the red - but remains buoyant
GM posted a $US 4.3 billion operating
loss for its first six months as a newly formed company.
Highlighting the burden GM still faces to
repay government investments in North America’s largest
car-maker, the result is the first official announcement of
GM’s financial health since it emerged from Chapter 11
bankruptcy in the US on July 10.
Despite the significant shortfall in the
second half of 2009, the company continues to say it may
return to profit this year and remains confident it will
make its final US and Canadian government loan repayments
five years ahead of schedule in June.
GM’s Q4 2009 financial statement follows the announcement
of the company’s second quarterly loan payment of about $US
1 billion to the US Treasury and $US 192 million to the
Canadian government on March 31. A total of $US 8.1 billion
was borrowed from both governments.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked which driver repaired
his broken chassis with wood from his hotel furniture in the
Paris-Vienna race, finishing 12th with
no clutch, no exhaust pipe and only one gear? Clue: 1902. It
was British racer Charles Jarrott (1877-1944), whose motto
was “Always finish!”
And so to this week. Which driver, who
set a world land speed record was addicted to Fair Isle
pullovers?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be
the first correct answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Headline
from the year: 2029
Ozone created by electric cars now
killing millions in the seventh largest country in the
world, Little India, formerly known as Australia.
Renault-Nissan cuddles up to Daimler
Ghosn and Zetsche
The auto industry has always been
incestuous and now Renault-Nissan and Daimler have joined
forces in swap deal to cut product costs.
According to the overseas news, Renault’s
next-generation Twingo city car and Daimler’s Smart will
share a new common platform under a far-reaching strategic
alliance signed by Renault-Nissan and Daimler AG that will
also extend to swapping engines and collaboration on
commercial vehicle development.
As part of the agreement, the automotive
giants will each acquire a “symbolic” 3.1 percent
cross-ownership of each other under a share-swap arrangement
announced jointly by Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche and
Renault-Nissan Alliance chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn in
Brussels.
The cooperation - to be overseen by a
12-person board with equal representation from the three
brands - is designed to slash development costs by up to €4
billion ($A5.75b) by 2015, as well as optimize production
efficiency and cut C02 emissions, by sharing platforms,
powertrains and parts sourcing.
Mercedes-Benz four and six-cylinder
engines will be on offer to Renault-Nissan, while Benz will
get three and four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines in
return.
Among the engine deals already revealed
are Mercedes-Benz engines for Nissan’s luxury Infiniti
range, and a Renault-Nissan diesel engine for the Mercedes
Vito van.
As well, the two groups will co-develop
both diesel and petrol engines for the joint 2012
Twingo/Smart vehicle, which will be built jointly by Renault
and Daimler - the two-door version at Renault’s Slovenian
plant and the four-door at Smart’s Hambach factory in
France.
Commercial vehicle co-operation will
include a new entry-level van for Mercedes-Benz from 2012,
based on a Renault design.
The alliance is expected to spawn new
technical joint ventures between Nissan, Renault and Daimler
in future when each company deems it advantageous.
Daimler’s Zetsche was at pains to
distance the new alliance from Daimler’s ill-fated joint
venture with Chrysler, saying, “We start on earth this time
and stay there.”
Zetsche ran Chrysler for five years from
2000. When he took over the top job at Daimler in 2006, he
promptly set about selling off the American company to
venture capitalists Cerberus Capital Management in 2007. And
we’ve all seen what a great “merger of equals” that was, and
went steadily downhill from there and now run by Fiat.
However, this time, the deal is said
(once again) to be one of equals, each company milking each
others’ strengths for improved vehicles and production
efficiencies.
“Our skills complement each other very
well,” Zetsche said. “Right away, we are strengthening our
competitiveness in the small and compact car segment and are
reducing our CO2 footprint - both on a long-tern basis.”
Ghosn said Renault and Nissan knew how to
work successfully in a collaborative partnership. “This
experience is extremely valuable in today’s and even more in
tomorrow’s global auto industry.”
The Infiniti G sports car - currently
powered by a choice of Nissan four-cylinder and 3.7-litre V6
engines - is set to get a Mercedes engine in its next
generation.
Renault-Nissan already has a range of
strategic ventures with Dong Feng in China, Mahindra in
India and AvtoVAZ in Russia, among others.
Likewise, Daimler has done deals with a
number of companies, including Chinese electric vehicle
leader BYD and American electric sportscar pioneer Tesla.
Daimler’s rival BMW has a similar
technical arrangement with PSA Peugeot Citroen, sharing
design and production of powertrains - including the
four-cylinder engine under the bonnet of Mini, Peugeot and
Citroen small cars.
Volkswagen also recently signed an
arrangement with Japan’s Suzuki.
Renault owns 44 percent of Nissan, which
in turn owns 15 percent of Renault. Between them, they
employ 350,000 people with revenues of €86.5 billion last
year.
By comparison, Daimler AG employs a
workforce of 256,000 and generated €78.9 billion in 2009
revenue.
So, whatever the nameplate on your next
car, it was probably made in Brazil, with the engine from
Hungary, seats from Lichtenstein and designed by some yak
repairer in Krygistan. I’m afraid brand loyalty these days
is probably very much misplaced.
