It’s seems that Aprilia isn’t going through a very good period lately. Beginning with the switch from the 250cc class to Moto2 where the Italian brand was leasing and supplying most of the bikes on the grid and getting good money for them, then the last minute decision on the Moto2 project, that was already in the last stages of completion, leaving several long standing clients in the lurch and finishing up with safety problems related to the connecting rods of the RSV4 Factory and RSV4-R which resulted in a recall of 335 bikes already sold in the States.

Now another problem, rumors from Italy are saying that Giampiero Sacchi, Aprilia’s director of the Piaggio Group racing operations, may be leaving the company.

Apparently Sacchi will not be present at the very high profile Aprilia-Alitalia Superbike team launch on February 9th, unthinkable considering Sacchi’s position in the company and that head honcho of both Piaggio and Alitalia Roberto Colaninno will be presenting.

Continue reading: Aprilia and Giampiero Sacchi To Split Up?

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Valentino Rossi is Fastweb’s (a broadband telecommunication company) testimonial and here’s the World Champion in a commercial with one of Italia’s craziest comedians Paolo Cevoli.

Cevoli, who in real life is actually a big fan of Rossi and attends several MotoGP races a year, thinks that wearing Rossi’s leathers and riding his bike will make him and his computer superfast. Unfortunately for Cevoli, he doesn’t even know where the throttle is until Rossi tells him.

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Dainese, world leader in the manufacture of protective clothing for motorcyclists who also owns Mavet and AGV is shutting down their production plant in Molvena, Italy and are delocalizing production to the North African country of Tunisia where they already have two plants with 500 workers.

Company management has decided to move the entire production line to Tunisia and fabbricate in Italy only a hundred of their top of the line leathers, mainly for professional riders, that include among others Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Max Biaggi.

The restructuring will see the Italian workforce that numbers 250, mostly women, cut by 80 employees who will loose their jobs with rolling layoffs for another 120 workers for the next 12 months with social benefits.

The decision comes following the economic crisis that has caused the slump of motorcycle sales that has impacted on the companies sales that are down over 25% and after negotiations with trade unions, Dainese has agreed to invest two thousand euros in re-training each employee layed off in order to avoid heavy repercussions on the local economy.

Molvena will remain the heart of Dainese and keep only R&D departments and continue work on their D-Air leathers that should be put into production at the end of this year.

Source | motociclismo.it

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The other day we showed you the covered photo and teaser videos for the launch of India’s new Pulsar, but we got a tip from one of readers, Shrawan Raja, that Indian Autos Blog had a few ‘spy shots’ (more like full pics) of the new bike.

It’s a small displacement motorcycle, a 135cc that looks pretty nice and above all nimble to ride, especially in something like India’s traffic, not that Italy’s traffic is any less chaotic, especially in cities like Rome or Naples.

Source | indianautosblog

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Bajaj, India’s largest manufacturer of two-wheeled vehicles and known by those outside India for producing some very excellent ads and commercials, will be launching on December 9th a new model of their best selling Pulsar family.

For the launch, they’ve got a mini teaser website with the usual countdown timer and the covered bike that you can click on to see revealing bits and pieces of the bike, but the best part are the Goodbye Traffic videos.

Check them out after the jump.

Continue reading: Goodbye Traffic: Bajaj Launches New Pulsar (w/videos)

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In Italy they say that Valentino Rossi could sell ice to eskimos and and after endorsing a range of bicycles and bedroom furniture for children, Packard Bell who sponsors the Fiat Yamaha team is to release a range of laptops and signed by nine-times MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi and designed by Rossi’s favourite designer, Aldo Drudi.

Packard Bell says the products will be “targeted to those users seeking style, design, and elegance combined with a reliable and prestigious brand name” is being developed now and the line’s exclusive name will be announced upon its market launch.

The Packard Bell laptops and netbooks will sport the signature of Valentino Rossi on the shell, as well as the number 46, the Sun & Moon that distinguish the champion’s helmet, and even Rossi’s nickname ‘The Doctor’.

“Technology is now an integral part of all our lives. In my job, the need to continually compete against talented opponents pushes me to improve and, without a doubt, technology was a substantial factor in all the results I have achieved and laurels I have collected. On the job and at home, a computer is something we can no longer do without” said Rossi.

Source | techradar

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Introduced at the EICMA show, Pirelli will be putting on the market next year, a new high-performance street tire named the Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa. The Rosso Corsa was developed from Pirelli’s experience as the exclusive tire supplier in the World Superbike Championship and intended to replace the Diablo Corse III that debuted in 2006.

The new Diablo Rosso Corsa is said to exceed its predecessor’s performance in key areas such as overall mileage and grip in both dry and wet conditions.

The Diablo Rosso Corsa will be available on the European market starting in January 2010, with initial sizing beginning with: front 120/70ZR17, along with rear 160/60ZR17 (April 2010), 180/55ZR17, and 190/50ZR17 as well as the 190/55ZR17 size.

More info and the entire Pirelli range can be found here.

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We can hardly wait for next month’s EICMA Show in Milan to see the uveiling of some some of those new bikes that we have seen spyshots of, but while we’re waiting, why not check out what the other side of the world is up to, and potentially the biggest motorcycle market of the world, China.

Here’s motocycle.com video of the China International Motorcycle Trade Exhibition, CIMA Motor with 333 exhibitors, 27 motorcycle companies and nearly 1,000 motorcycles on display.

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This time Ducati isn’t launching another of it’s iconic motorycles, but are releasing it’s official Art Prints Collection that will allow enthusiasts the possibility to decorate their living and working spaces with authentic Ducati artworks created by international graphic artists and photographers passionate about motorbikes and technical design products.

The prints are authentic, limited edition, fine art giclée prints, created by young talents and established graphic artists, reproduced on museum quality media and collectors have the possibility to choose the media of reproduction and size of their favourite subject, according to their aesthetic tastes and interior decoration style.

You can choose between four different media and fifteen different sizes, individually crafted and tailored to the individual order and can be purchased exclusively on www.ducatiart.com and will be available at selected Ducati stores.

Prices range from 75€ to 665€ depending on the media of reproduction, the size and the edition.

Check out the entire collection on Ducatiart.

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The new 2010 Buell 1125RR was released yesterday and will be produced in a limited number and for race use only. The 1125 RR and will be available exclusively to licensed professional road racers in the AMA Pro Racing American Superbike class and priced at $39,995.

The RR model has a modified Helicon 1125cc V-Twin engine, and according to the Wisconsin based company has a significant power increase from the 1125R which includes a larger airbox and intake manifold, revised valves and camshafts, a higher compression ratio, titanium exhaust system and other weight-reduced components. The bike is fitted with race-spec Showa suspension, a cast-aluminum swingarm with billet axle adjusters and eight-piston Nissin front calipers.

Continue reading: 2010 Buell 1125RR for Pros Only

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