The Kawasaki Ninja H2

Designed to be the ultimate motorcycle, the street-going Ninja H2 is based closely on the closed-course Ninja H2R. Powered by a 200 PS supercharged engine, it offers intense acceleration, superb high-speed riding potential, supersport-level handling performance, and a sensory experience surpassing anything that riders can find today.

The “Ninja” name is synonymous with Kawasaki performance, and has been shared by many legendary models over the years. Representing Kawasaki’s leading edge, Ninja models have always been the performance leaders of their time, and have shown their prowess time and time again on the racetrack.

The 1971 H2 (750SS Mach IV) took the world by storm when it arrived. Powered by a 2-stroke 748 cm³ Triple, it was the fastest motorcycle of its time. But it was its intense acceleration that made it a worldwide sensation.

Designed to offer riding excitement at a level never before experienced, the Ninja H2 combines the joy derived from sport riding, from being able to skilfully control a high-performance machine—one of the greatest attractions of a Ninja motorcycle—and the same kind of intense acceleration for which the original H2 was famous. It is from this combination that the Ninja H2 name was derived.

Pete’s Cycle is a proud Kawasaki dealer and carrier of the new Kawasaki Ninja H2. Visit one of Pete’s three locations in Severna Park, Bel Air, and Baltimore.

Read More

Ducati Sales

The motorcycle market is as healthy as it’s ever been, at least that’s the case for a number of bike brands have reported increased sales. Ducati is one of them after the Italian bike brand announced its achievement in setting a new company sales record in 2014. For the year, Ducati sold 45,100 bikes, two percent more than the number of bikes it sold in 2013. The 2014 gains also represents the fifth consecutive month Ducati has posted an annual increase. That’s as good a sign as any that more and more consumers are buying Ducatis all around the world. Pete's Cycle is now proud to be a Ducati dealer in Maryland, carrying the fierce Ducati Monster in its lineup.

Ducati experienced steady growth in a number of key markets, most importantly the US, considered as the brand’s largest markets. For the year, American customers bought a total of 8,804 units. Other areas around the world also brought its fair shares of Ducati bikes. In Asia, the company reported setting a new record for most units sold in the continent at 5,787 units, an improvement of 11 percent compared to its 2013 numbers. Thailand, in particular, sold 3,057 units in the year, a dramatic increase of 22 percent year-on-year.

As far as models are concerned, Ducati’s updated Monster line was arguably the biggest reason behind the surge in the company’s sales numbers. In 2014 alone, the Ducati Monster - and all of its derivatives - accounted for 16,409 of the units that were sold all over the world. That accounts for a little more than one-third of the firm’s entire sales figures. Of the 45,100 bikes Ducati sold, 9,788 came from its sports bike lineup with the most popular model being the Panigale 899 (5,806 units sold).

All signs seem to point to improved business numbers for Ducati. But while it did grow in a number of key markets, the company still saw its Europe arm suffer through a three-percent decrease in units sold, settling in at 19,743 units by the end of the year. The company’s own home market in Italy saw a slump in sales amounting to 4,284 units sold, 14 percent worse than its numbers a year ago.

Read More

Triumph Speed Triple

Triumph’s best-selling Speed Triple range is set for a hefty makeover.

The new bike features a raft of changes the British firm will be hoping will be enough to keep the Speed Triple and higher-specification Speed Triple R able to fend off the competition in the naked bike class. The Speed Triple range can be directly traced back to 2005 when a slightly different bike was launched.

Since then the bike has seen mild tweaks and changes while all around it the naked bike class has been evolving. MCN’s road testers still rate the Speed Triple as one of the best road bikes in the class; its lack of power when compared to 160bhp bikes like the class-leading BMW S1000R. The three-cylinder engine has fantastic road manners and an engine note that still finds fans and for many the lack of electronic riders aids (apart from switchable ABS) appeals to many.

What we can see is a bike that has been given a set of styling and engineering tweaks to freshen up the design of a bike that can be traced in almost every regard back to the bike that was launched in 2005 and has barely been changed since. It appears this bike is the standard Speed Triple model but has been given a specification upgrade in terms of the brakes with the fitment of the Brembo brakes from the current R model to replace the lower specification Brembo radial calipers. The Showa forks from the standard bike are still in place.

We don’t really know the exact details of the specification changes we can see here because this bike is still 18 months away from being officially revealed MCN understands. This gives Triumph plenty of time to work on the smaller details and motorcycle firms often use a mish-mash of parts while bikes are testing as they are simply the ones that are at hand and fit.

One of the biggest changes to the bike remains one of the most mysterious in the form of the centrally-mounted air intake above the twin front lights. We can definitely see Triumph has added a ram-air system to the 1050cc three-cylinder engine and this would only have been done to boost power and overall efficiency. The ram-air scoop can be seen to run from above the front lights and then into a new headstock casting section which then attaches to the existing frame design. This is a cost-effective way of boosting power to the engine and only making the minimum of changes to the bike to allow the routing of the ram-air scoops.

Triumph never comments officially on spy shots taken of bikes before official launches so we can only estimate what improvements to power and torque can be expected but we reckon on power going up to around 140bhp from the current 133bhp with a corresponding lift to around 85ft lbs from 82ft lb currently.

The importance of any changes to the Speed Triple cannot be overstated for the British firm because the bike remains a big seller. In light of this it’s not hard to see why Triumph is apparently not making huge changes to the bike but the conservative nature of the tweaks to the bike may disappoint some who have been hoping for a much more radical overhaul.

Triumph insiders have told MCN this bike is an interim machine to tide the firm over while it works on a completely new bike which is many years away from showrooms as it has only just been started. Triumph has recently moved to refocus the work it is doing on the core of motorcycles which have come to be so integral to the modern history of the firm owned by John Bloor. Triumph has officially stopped work on a new single-cylinder 250cc range of bikes and has also recently closed a separate off-shoot called Trident Powersports which, after years of work, had now ceased to exist and all work in setting up a leisure sports division has been canned.

MCN understands a lot of work is underway at Triumph to give the current range of motorcycles a complete modernizing overhaul and the Speed Triple, along with the smaller Street Triple is going to be integral to that but we understand this bike will be revealed in finished form towards the end of 2016 for a 2017 model year release.

Before this bike comes along there will be an anniversary model launched called the Speed Triple 94 which will celebrate the 20 years since the bike was first launched. For now, Pete's Cycle is proud to carry this bike!

Read More

Kawasaki Ninja H2R

One of the biggest announcements to come at the end of 2014 in the motorcycle industry was the release of the Kawasaki Ninja H2R streetbike, which is poised to be the fastest motorcycle ever built for the public. The announcement came at the EICMA expo in Milan, which was the biggest news story of the entire event.

The H2R is not for the faint of heart and has so much power that it can be driven only on the racetrack. To accommodate those who want the power on the streets, Kawasaki made a street legal version – the Ninja H2. However, with the growing attention of the H2, a lot of industry experts wonder if the motorcycle plans to live up to the hype. According to Cycle World, the H2 has an absolutely insane 300-hp engine and a price tag that is more than $50,000.

H2 Brings Extra Hype – Even For The Limited Bike

Even though the majority of riders will never get on top of one of these beast machines, it still has a ton of hype that brings back some memories of classic muscle cars or vintage bikes. Kawasaki claims the motorcycle weighs only 525 pounds wet – including fluids, gas and everything else needed to take the bike for a spin.

On the other hand, some experts in the industry said the Ninja H2 is much closer to the 200 hp range, and overall output was said to be much higher than originally expected, the source reported. All the excitement for the Ninja H2 comes from its supercharger and the ridiculous amount of horses it carries, but other super streetbikes are available with a much lower price tag.

Changing The Industry And Buyers’ Mindsets

According to the Times of Oman, Kawasaki said the Ninja H2 is the “most exciting and fastest motorcycle ever” and that it will change the way consumers and other bike manufacturers think about or create rides in the future. However, the bike is still exciting plenty of riders willing to splurge on the superbike.

“This is the most ultimate bike I’ve ever come across,” said Talal Husain Al Balushi, sportsbike owner and expert, according to the source. “It is entirely in a class of its own. It is pure thrill to even have a glance at the beauty. I cannot wait to see the bike in reality; to feel it up close. The bike’s sinister performance and devilish looks make it dangerously addictive.”

Some of the other features that make this superbike stand out among any competitors is that it is “meticulously hand-assembled” and has a flashy paint job that will excite any motorcyclist, Jalopnik reported. Still, some riders are skeptical about the reduced H2 version that will be street legal. However, Cycle World stated the newly revised H2 has only different camshafts, head gaskets, clutches and a legal exhaust system for public roads.

Orders Ended In December

Even if some riders are still on the fence and debating on biting the bullet to obtain the H2R or street legal H2, orders for the bike actually ended Dec. 19, but a list of specific guidelines for possible buyers was included and forced riders to acknowledge the rules before the company would accept the deposits for the motorcycle.

The H2R does not come with a warranty and requires service inspections for every 15 hours of engine operation above 8,000 rpm, which only makes the bike that much more expensive for the public. However, diehard riders who put their money forward will surely believe the hype when they finally get on top of the Ninja H2 or H2R.

Pete's Cycle is a proud Kawasaki dealer and excited hear news about the newest Kawasaki models!

Read More