The inclement weather did not stop the passion for Moto Guzzi

The inclement weather did not stop the passion for Moto Guzzi

The inclement weather did not stop the passion for Moto Guzzi

The passion for Moto Guzzi was victorious once again in this edition of Open House, despite the falling rain throughout the weekend that was unable to extinguish the love for the Eagle brand that animates the soul of every Guzzista. 15 thousand arrived in Mandello del Lario from every corner of Europe to celebrate one of the most noble and beloved motorcycle brands in the world.

96 years after its birth, Moto Guzzi is in its second youth thanks to the success of the strategies enacted by the Piaggio Group on the new products, accessories and lifestyle, as well as all the activities conducted for the purpose of spreading the Moto Guzzi culture, a brand that has always been proudly Italian.

Thousands reached the Mandello plant astride their bikes, participating in the Open House with the most activities ever for the public, first and foremost including tours of the production lines (where all Moto Guzzi bikes have always been hand built) and the Museum, the historical heritage of Moto Guzzi that houses more than 150 motorcycles. From the GP of its origins to the MGS-01, going through the first Normale produced in 1921, the Museum collection is a true cult path dedicated to the fans, as is the magnificent Wind Tunnel, the first in the motorcycle field.

Il maltempo non frena la passione per Moto Guzzi

At the centre of the Moto Guzzi Village, in the heart of the plant, the music of Virgin Radio alternated with entertainment led by Ringo. The special guest was Gianfranco Guareschi, the rider who rode his Moto Guzzi MGS-01 to victory in the prestigious Battle of the Twins on the Daytona and the recent winner of the Vintage Endurance 4 hours in Imola astride a Le Mans. Refreshments were provided by the Foodit’s truck, serving quality gourmet dishes made on site in the best Italian tradition. The Proraso station was also fully booked, where an authentic “Barber Shop” was set up to offer top shelf shaving services free of charge to the bikers.

But just as popular was the music made by the V-twin engines in the fleet of bikes that were available for the 250-plus test rides taken: forty-five bikes representing the entire current Moto Guzzi range.

The stars of the festivities were the V7 and V9 units. This year V7 celebrates the first 50 years from the 1967 model. To celebrate this legend, Moto Guzzi made all four models in the range available for a test ride, including the exclusive V7 III Anniversario version. A photo set was also reserved for V7 owners where they were able to have a photo taken to apply on the commemorative certificate dedicated to them.

The other star of the weekend was the special V9 Bobber “Open House” version, created specifically for the event with a selection of prestigious components from the vast official accessories catalogue. This kit will be available at the end of September, included in the sticker price of the V9 Bobber. Thanks to collaboration with Poste Italiane (the Italian Post Office), all of the Open House participants received two special post cards with an exclusive postmark expressly created for the event.

Il maltempo non frena la passione per Moto Guzzi

The creations made by the best Italian customizers on Moto Guzzi bases proved to be a of great interest. These were ultra refined specials that have already been featured on Lord of The Bikes, the highly successful talent TV show that airs on Sky Uno HD.

The official community, The Clan , is a testament to the sense of belonging evoked by the big Moto Guzzi family. In fact, this weekend, community membership exceeded the 18,000 mark.

And so, the three-day celebration dedicated to the most beautiful Italian bikes came to an end and our thanks goes to the Mandello del Lario Comitato Motoraduno Internazionale (International Bike Rally Committee) which managed all the activities outside the factory during Open House 2017.

Il maltempo non frena la passione per Moto Guzzi

courtesy: www.piaggiogroup.com

Aprilia Racing leans on augmented reality at MotoGP to maintain peak bike performance

Aprilia Racing leans on augmented reality at MotoGP to maintain peak bike performance

Aprilia Racing leans on augmented reality at MotoGP to maintain peak bike performance

Aprilia Racing commissioned Realmore (a business unit of Equent Media Group) to develop a software application to be utilized on an augmented reality wearable device, DAQRI Smart Helmet, in order to visualize AR content that helps the mechanics during the preparation and maintenance of racing bikes. The technology will be put into practice during the San Marino MotoGP at the Misano World Circuit in Italy on September 8 -10, 2017.

Characterized by a common passion for innovation and technological research, the partnership between Aprilia Racing and Realmore was born within the Open Innovation project of BacktoWork24 (first system in Italy for private investment in small businesses) and Aprilia Racing, to promote the development and visibility of innovative start-ups and SMEs.

With AR, Aprilia mechanics are able to visualize content related to motorbike and infographics that respond to the user’s control in real time.

Aprilia-Realmore

The mechanics can interact with models of pinout connectors and see the wiring capabilities by looking at each connector individually. This feature involves speeding up the cable connection activity and virtually zeroing the risk of error by the mechanics.

Through a 3D hologram of the entire racing bike, the mechanics will then be able to see in real time the telemetric data of the temperature of water, oil and tires at the point where they will be most useful. They will also be able to make a checklist of the wear on some parts of the bike and evaluate when to do the replacement.

Remote Expert allows the chief engineer to communicate remotely with the mechanics by displaying overlay on the helmet screen strategic information such as the type of tires to be mounted, the kilograms of petrol to be in the tank or the lap number of the exit.

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Using DAQRI’s Thermal Camera, you can scan the motorbike and receive information about the temperature of the oil and the water in the radiator and check for any anomalies.

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The collaboration between Realmore and Aprilia Racing has found a common place in an environment such as the MotoGP naturally faced with the latest innovations, excellence and technological development. The choice to take advantage of AR technology, still little used in this environment and little known as smart assistance application, has quickly become a winning and wide-sighted one, a choice proven by the enthusiastic welcome of the Aprilia Racing Team.

courtesy: www.piaggiogroup.com

In Bahrain, RS4 is protagonist at the first motorcycle academy in the Middle East

In Bahrain, RS4 is protagonist at the first motorcycle academy in the Middle East

The Bahrain Superbike Championship (BSBK) is an event organised by Moto Gulf Events, supported by the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) and Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF). This is a unique motorcycle championship in the Kingdom of Bahrain and a first for the region. This unique championship involves racers who have the ability to battle in a season long race format that includes 12 races over the period of 6 months.

BSBK launched its first motorcycle academy – The BSBK Academy focused on providing basic, intermediate and advanced training to participants. The goal behind the BSBK Academy is to teach beginners how to use bikes on track and for safety courses. This Academy is the first in the Middle East and Aprilia is proud to say that courses use Aprilia RS4 bikes exclusively.

The first event was conducted on the evening of the 8th of June, followed the 15th and 16th of June. The BSBK Academy, is a one of its kind motorbike training academy in the Middle East which started training camps at the Bahrain International Circuit.

The Academy cateres to various levels of skills in a closed and safe environment. The courses are led by Mr. Hussain AlKooheji, who is a 5 times Superbike Champion and world-renowned and certified coach. All participants are awarded certificates on completion of their course. The academy will continue to conduct professional training classes at BIC through the year. Participants of the academy become a part of the larger BSBK family and are always updated with activities under BSBK.

courtesy: www.aprilia.com

Aprilia’s Good Trend Confirmed Once Again In The Tests

Aprilia

The day of MotoGP tests at Barcelona confirms that the Aprilia RS-GP is fast and competitive in extremely different locations and conditions. It no longer comes as a surprise. The level the Italian project has reached is quite clear, despite the fact that there has been no consecration in terms of results since the Qatar race (with Espargaró sixth across the line), although such confirmation has been more than earned at this point.

Today the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini worked on various fronts in the garage, from new electronic management logic to different front suspension configurations. Aleix Espargaró also completed a partial race simulation, confirming an extremely interesting pace and excellent performance for the bike on used tyres. On the 21st of the 48 total laps he turned, Aleix stopped the clock at 1’45.046, the fifth best time of the day.

There was also plenty of work for Sam Lowes who shaved more than a second off his best time from yesterday. The English rookie put a time of 1’46.389 on the boards during the 41st lap out of a total of 43 done.

ROMANO ALBESIANO – APRILIA RACING MANAGER

“This was definitely a good test. We took another step forward in terms of chassis setup and electronics. From this point of view, we improved brake engine operation and what is defined as RTD (rider torque demand), in other words, the diagram that manages the engine’s reaction to the rider’s demand. Overall, the RS-GP proved to be competitive on practically every circuit and we still have room to improve, especially in the first part of the race with a full tank. Aleix did a partial race simulation with some very interesting times and he found new benefits from the things we tested today. Sam also showed good progress. A few issues have hindered him recently and I am the first to be disappointed, but I am sure that his growth trend will continue.”

courtesy: www.aprilia.com