EICMA 2010 Opens Next Week

Milan's annual international motorcycle show EICMA 2010 opens next week and runs from Tuesday, November 2nd, to Sunday, November 7th. The first two days (2nd-3rd of November) are for press and trade visitors so you would need a special pass. The remaining days are general admission which costs € 18 or € 12 after 6pm.

CR&S will be there and on this year's stand you can expect to see a selection of production-ready DUU models as well as a display of VUNs.

It will be interesting to compare the DUU with Ducati's Diavel. Both bikes are new, Italian and are trying to define a new market niche, which is, a muscular cruiser style machine with good handling and a focus on technology over bling. MV Augusta have said that they will have a small, closed stand to display their new 675cc triple. I'm hoping for better things from the Electric Motorcycle pioneers this year. EICMA 2010 will have a special pavilion called Green Planet giving some focus to zero emission motorcycles.

It looks like there will be enough new and interesting things to justify me going this year. Last year I wrote this Blog article with information about EICMA and how to get there. You should check it out if you are planning on going, specially if it's your first time.

VUN PPP Returns to the Track

Franco Cavina track tests the VUN PPP

The VUN PPP made a return to the race track recently in the hands of Franco Cavina. Franco has been testing the bike and turned 300km at the Tolmezzo track in the north of Italy.

Among other things this particular PPP has a close ratio gearbox. Franco says that the fuel map needs some optimization but the engine is powerful and has fluid delivery. Franco is planning to enter this bike in next year's "Roadster Cup" race series in Italy and is currently looking for a talented young rider.

VUN PPP on Display in Bologna

Thomas Salomoni (Dainese Bologna), Franco Cavina and the VUN PPP

Last weekend was the first anniversary of the Dainese "D-Store" on via Stalingrado, in Bologna. To celebrate, the store threw a party with free barbeque food, discount vouchers, an exotic motorcycle display and the inevitable long legged girls to keep a smile on your face.

The VUN PPP was part of the in-store display and will be there over the next few months in-between track testing engagements (more on that to come...).

PPP stands for Pronto Per la Pista, or "track ready".

Vundes Vun van a Man

"Eleven VUN (riders) Go to the Isle of Man", the documentary recounting the journey of 11 VUNICs to the Isle of Man, riding their CR&S VUN motorcycles, has won “best foreign documentary” at the "All Sports Film Festival” in Los Angeles and was ranked second overall.

For more details follow this link...

Glemseck Moto Show Report

Bernhard Peintner (left), Oliver Thiel (right), and his VUN (below)
being interviewed at the Glemseck 101 moto show

Oliver reports from the Glemseck 101 moto show, near Stuttgart, Germany that:

There was a cafe´racer sprint, an old timer riding show, a scooter race of 200 meters, body painting, a playground for children, and for visitors admission was free. A Weißbier €3, Steak €3.50, Würstel €2.50.

...not bad.

Click these links for a full review (in German) and a photo pictorial...

Glemseck 101

The DUU prototype is back in Germany this week and will be on display at this weekend's Glemseck 101 Motoshow from Friday 3rd until Sunday 5th of September.

This year CR&S dealer Oliver Thiel, of Thiel Motorsport, will be displaying the DUU plus four of the nicest VUNs you will find anywhere.

The Glemsek 101 show is held at the historic “Solitute” racetrack near Stuttgart. No longer in use, this track had a long and illustrious life from 1903 until 1965, typically hosting more than 400,000 spectators on a race weekend.

If you are in Germany and want to find out all about the VUN or if you've yet to see the DUU or maybe you just like the T-shirts and would like to buy one, this weekend is a good chance to do so.

Scenes from the Futa Festival

This weekend's Motohad Futa Festival had five VUN's on display and for the first time in the Bologna region the DUU prototype. Below are some scenes from the CR&S stand at the Futa Moto Festival...

The DUU

The VUN PPP (Pronto Per la Pista)

The VUN Polizia

The VUN Blue Flame

VUN & DUU at Futa Moto Festival

Today I rode up the Futa from Bologna to Loiano to prepare my bike for the CR&S stand at the Futa Motorcycle Festival in Loiano this weekend. Cavina Racing are running a stand and will have five CR&S VUNs plus the DUU prototype on display.

It was hot as I rode out of Bologna along Via Muri wearing just a casual T-shirt and Jeans. At the last traffic lights, as you exit Bologna, two bikes pulled alongside. A Suzuki streetfighter (I don't know what), and a new looking Aprilia RSV. The Aprilia rider, in his new Dainese race suit gave an "aww how cute" glance at my VUN then pulled a big wheelie as the lights turned green. I knew he was headed for the Futa...

I pulled in behind them keeping close as we took the long, straight bypass to Pianorro at the beginning of the Futa. The Aprilia rider was impatient to get to the twisting Futa pass as he slowed to pull wheelie after wheelie along the way. My adrenaline began to rise as I anticipated what I was going to do when we got there...

At last we reached the long steep ramp that plants you just past the base of the Futa. The Aprilia rider was stretching his leathers and swerving left to right to warm his tires, then pulled one last wheelie. I knew it would not help him...

The Suzuki took off first, with the Aprilia soon passing him. I followed closely to watch the riders in front and guage how hey might react when I come past. I took the Suzuki on a medium right-hander, round the outside pulling away up the hill and tucked in tight behind the Aprilia. After pulling alongside a few times I finally "showed him the hammer" (as Oliver likes to say). Three corners later and I never saw them again in my mirrors. This is my definition of fun!

If you are in the area (Emilia-Romagna) and want to see a collection of beautiful, hand crafted sporty singles that can hand out this kind of punnishment to an Aprilia superbike, then come along to the Futa Motorcycle Festival (aka Motohad) in Loiano this weekend.

The Green Hell

If Hockenheim was a bit mad, with 250+ bikes together on the track, then the Nurbürgring was mental as anything. We rode the old track which winds its way through 21 km of Germany's Eifel mountains. There are over 300m of altitude changes. Few corners have a run off so only the crash barriers stop you from going into the trees.

Track outings function in the same way as a ski run. You purchase a ticket for the number of laps you want, after each lap you must stop and pass your ticket through the gate before you can start the next lap. I purchased 4-laps for a total of 84km.

A track day at Nurbürgring is a kind of battleground, with super quick Porsches mixing it together with hot fours, track cars, superbikes, VUNs, and everything in-between. We were happy to have Oliver take us out in his V8 Dodge truck to learn the track before donning armor and joining the battle.

The pace we chose was somewhere between a fast sports ride on a mountain road and the pace you might do on a track day at a more sane track like Hockenheim. Once again Oliver, who has a lot of experience at the Nurbürgring (both good and bad), led us round and set the pace, going a little faster each lap. This felt comfortable and relatively safe, except for those moments when a Porsche Carrera vs Mercedes SLK struggle comes at you from behind. The wise (and polite) thing to do is to move over, but this also requires you to drop concentration for a moment so you need to be careful.

Oliver Thiel

Yours truly

 Franco Cavina

There were several car wrecks throughout the day where drivers had dropped their concentration, or exceeded their skill, but I did not see any bikes go down, which is a good thing.

Watching a Porsche Carrera in capable hands passing you and going hard down a dip and through the S-bend is amazing. Those things change direction damn fast and are glued to the track!

Nurbürgring was a blast! Many thanks to Oliver Thiel, of Thiel Motorsport, for organizing the day and for having the patience to show us the ropes.