Cycle News

Cycle News Issue 27 July 11, 2017

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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IN THE WIND P44 PROPOSED RULE CHANGES FOR WORLDSBK A fter some outspoken me- dia comments from overall Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta in the run-up to the Laguna Seca weekend, the WorldSBK Series Director Dani Carrera gave some clarification of what will probably really happen in the USA. Ezpeleta's comments—that WorldSBK should become a more or less stock class—ap- pear to be more of a guidance for where to go than any kind of declaration that Superbike will be a Superstock-only class, and very soon at that. "It is just the intention to give a clear direction of where we want to go," said Carrera of what has been reported in the media from Ezpeleta. "This does not mean we will land in a completely stock, stan- dard spec. I think between the completely standard rules there is a line in the middle, and this is the work that Scott Smart, the Technical Director from the FIM together with Gregorio Lavilla, are trying to define—having con- versations with manufacturers and teams. So, we are getting close to being able to prepare a set of rules, or a proposal, that will go to the SBK Commis- sion to try to see what can be implemented for next year, and what things can be implemented in the near future. But the clear direction to go in is a simpler spec to bring other bikes com- peting on the track closer to the products on the street. That is the DNA of our championship and that is the way to put a new limit for the level of performance that will allow all manufacturers and all teams to have a level of performance that nowadays we see that only two or four bikes are able to achieve." CN 2018 SUZUKI RM-Z250 UNVEILED S uzuki introduced the 2018 RM-Z250 and it returns much like it was in 2017. Its bigger brother, the RM-Z450, got a major overhaul for 2018, but we'll have to wait a little longer before the 250 gets its long-awaited update. The 2018 RM-Z250 returns with KYB PSF2 Pneumatic Spring forks, Suzuki Holeshot Assist Control (S-HAC) and up- dated graphics. It will be available in July with an MSRP of $7749. CN The 2018 Suzuki RM-Z250 returns with updated graphics.

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