For years, sport bike manufacturers have played by this golden rule: "If it wins on Sunday. It sells on Monday." The motorcycle companies know if they do well at the racetrack, it will pay in the showroom. But what does that mean for "Average Joe Sport bike?" This means that all of us mere mortals get to benefit from track proven technology. Yeah! That's right, the Slipper clutch, light-weight wheels, huge brakes, and carbon-fiber you use one the street, helps racers win championships.
With discussions on the racetrack effecting riders on the street, fans of V-Twins should check the new rule change in World Super bike. Beginning in 2009, Twins will be allowed to compete with 1200cc motors against 1000cc four cylinder bikes. Ducati is rumored to already be in development of a 1200cc bike. This benefits us because, the new rule stays, the new bikes have to run 1000 models for public sale, and 3000 units by 2010.
This is not the first time a new rule change has effected WSB. A number of years ago, in the Super bike class, 1000cc twins competed against 750cc inline-fours. During this time Ducati dominated the series, with the iconic 996. The Japanese manufacturers caught on and built their own "big twins" to combat Ducati. The Japanese teams efforts paid off
, with American Colin Edwards winning the WSB title in 2000 and 2002 aboard the Honda RC51. Current MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden also won a AMA Super bike championship in 2002 on board a RC51. During this time the public was blessed with the Honda RC51, and Suzuki's powerful TL1000.So, the future is wide open for new V-Twin sport bikes. We know that Ducati will be the first to come along with something big and powered by two cylinders.(They have big shoes to fill, the new 1098 is amazing.) Hopefully the Japanese manufactures will follow suit, just as they have done in the past, and build a V-2 to compete against the boys in Bologna. I just hope that in a few years, we see a bunch of big grins through visors riding big twins.
