General Motorcycle News
Ducati’s contests are always cool because they give the regular, average owner a chance to show what they have done at a variety of venues. The first “Showdown” this year is at Daytona, so if you are taking you Duc down for bike week, consider leaving it at the Island Read more…
This actually happened last month, but it is worth posting for those who might not have heard about it. The possibility exists that the frame could crack below and behind the steering head on a bike that has been stunted or crashed. I find it hard to believe that Suzuki Read more…
Years ago- back in the 70’s, Consumer reports tested motorcycles for their readers. As bike sales fell in the 80’s, they quit. Well, when bike sales soared this past summer due to 4.00/gal gas, they got back in the motorcycle testing business. But the question is “can we learn anything Read more…
This event happens every year, but it is worth mentioning for those of you who will be in Daytona for Bike Week. This year they are shining the spotlight on 2 flat track legends- Parker and Springsteen. All of the proceeds go to the AMA Motorcycle Museum in Ohio. Plus, Read more…
A Vincent Black Shadow is one of the rarest and most desirable motorcycles ever made. Leno has one is his collection and you can watch the video to get some of the history. Very cool bike. I suspect that the final price of this bike will be way out of Read more…
Well, you know the old saying- “Scooters are fun to ride, you just don’t want your bike friends seeing you on one”. That is generally true, but scooters have gotten a lot better and a lot faster making them even more fun. So, if you have a garage to hide Read more…
Check this out from over at Autoblog… In a follow up to yesterday’s post on Hayden and Stoner in the Italian Alps, we have a few pictures of them racing the Ferrari F1 drivers in Karts on the ice. Looks like a lot of fun and as it turns out, Read more…
Here is a nice picture of Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner showing off their new GP ride for the 09 season, the GP9, in the new team colors. The bike was officially unveiled last week in the Dolomite mountains in Italy. Sweet bike and a sweet place to hang out Read more…
Well, this is crazy… Northrop Grumman is celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the B-2 bomber and so they commissioned OCC to build a custom bike for the event. Custom is cool except when you are a gov’t contractor and are basically using tax money on toys. Oh well, check Read more…
I saw this over at 2 Wheels Blog and had to post it. How cool would it be to get a new RD350 2 stroke from Yamaha. It’s all speculation, but it’s always fun to dream- Thanks Jerry!
I’ve seen this ad all over the web – Harley is advertising that you will get your full purchase price back on any Sportster model if you trade up to a bigger model within a year. Harley’s idea of riding free is a little different than my idea. You do Read more…
Yep, Aprilia is offering a hooligan bike in the US to compete with the likes of Ducati’s HyperMotard. Too bad Suzuki has discontinued the SV1000S. They were easily converted to the 03 only naked style and offered tons ‘o fun for very cheap money. But the Aprilia is really priced Read more…
Craig over at Hemmings Auto Blogs posted a few pictures of stuff he saw just standing around while he was at Mid-Ohio’s Vintage days. After going to the Vintage weekend at Barber (Birmingham, AL) this past October, I can attest to the fact that you will see a lot of Read more…
Wow, things must really be tough at Honda. It shouldn’t surprise us with what is happening in the economy, but for some reason we tend to think of Honda as being above it all. But the reality is that not only are their auto sales down over 30%, but motorcycle/powersports Read more…
Here is another Motorcycle Survey done by JD Power assessing the satisfaction of new motorcycle buyers. The numbers are good and trend upward suggesting that the quality of the bikes and service is getting better each year. But there is one trend that is not good- the average age of Read more…
Ducati Seattle has been nice enough to post 48 pictures of the new Streetfighter. Lots of detail shots and different angles. So if you aren’t likely to get a chance to see one in person anytime soon, this is the next best alternative. Happy viewing! This is motorcycle prOn, so Read more…
Here is some good info for those who are either buying or selling motorcycles. One area I can completely sympathize with the dealer in, is the test ride problem. It is not as simple as test driving a car since you have no idea of the buyers riding skills and Read more…
Well, Buell’s have never had very good resale, but up until recently, they actually did pretty well in the showroom. However, with the recent, umm, economic downturn, you can score a new 08 1125 for under $8000.00 in some locations. That is a smokin deal no matter how controversial the Read more…
For a quick virtual tour of the new Harley museum, click on the different areas for descriptions of what you will find there. They also have wallpapers, Facebook backgrounds, a webcam and other cool stuff. From the look of the webcam, nobody is riding in Milwaukee today! If you are Read more…
If you have visited Ducati’s site recently, you have undoubtedly seen the new 170HP 1198 Superbike. I’m not too crazy about the white color, although it would look a lot better if the wheels were white as well. Still, with just a little paint work, this could be a stunning Read more…
OK, this is crazy… A Smart Four Two (usually about 70HP) with a 200HP (give or take) Suzuki Hayabusa motor grafted into the engine compartment makes for a crazy and wild ride. Looks like fun. Especially the stoppies. What won’t people try? BTW, if the car looks crazy, you should Read more…
Green is in even if gas is relatively cheap again. So Jay Leno takes a look at Zero Motorcycle’s new dirt bike. At 7500.00 it is a very expensive trail bike, but green is usually expensive… Even so, the allure of having a completely silent dirt bike that has 100% Read more…
I saw this over at DucatiSpot and thought you all would like to see it too. From the SEMA show we have the ultimate race setup. I’m sure there is a matching tent and trailer to rest in between races:)
This was posted up over at the Kawasaki Triples Forum. Supposedly happened up at Deals Gap, which if you are familiar with it, is one of the best but most dangerous places to ride in the eastern US. Lots of guys buy bikes and head up there thinking they are Read more…
Vicki Smith of Ducati.net fame has posted up a huge gallery of photos and comments from the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan. It is worth the visit just to see some of the models- human and motorcycle;) Thanks Jerry! When it comes to motorcycle shows, EICMA is the macdaddy. It’s Read more…
The only feeling I have right now is um, lust. It has been a long time since I have had bike lust. All the new bikes are cool when they come out each year, but I have a hard time getting really over the top excited about most of them. Read more…
This is a good program and undoubtedly saves lives and reduces injuries. I read a couple of years ago that most of the Navy’s Blue Angels pilots ride sportbikes and that they viewed it as a measured risk like many other things in life. But they were quick to point Read more…
This post is by my friend Jerry who is a vintage nut and guru… The T-125 in the picture above was the winner of the VJMC show at Barber’s a couple of weeks ago. My favorite was the 1970 Suzuki T-125 Stinger. I am partial to these; they are one Read more…
It has been about 20 years since I did any real racing, but that may change soon. Well, actually, what I’m going to do is not real racing, it is just for fun. The cool think about pocketbike racing is that you can set up a track in just about Read more…
There is a great photo blog by Vicki Smith about “Old Blue”, the Ducati that won the 1977 Daytona race and the men who did it. Since the original bike is no longer available, Barber commissioned a replica for the museum, and it is amazing. Take some time to scroll Read more…
It is very rare that you see anything at all about motorcycling on any of the major news networks unless it is about a tragedy. So when I saw this article linked on MSNBC’s front page, I was shocked. The author is an avid motorcyclist and obviously loves to ride. Read more…
I’m tired, sunburned and need a shower… Did I mention I’m tired? So here is a quick look at a few of pictures from the literally thousands of bikes that were there. Awesome weather, awesome bikes and great racing. More to come in the following days.
The Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club has some good info on their participation at the Vintage Festival this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. One of my friends will be showing his Bridgestone at the event and as you can see he is hard at work getting it ready! This should be Read more…
Don’t forget to put next weekend’s vintage festivities on you calander- October 17-19. If you like the old cool stuff, this is the place to be for the swap meet and vintage races. Heck, I keep saying I’m going to find me an old FJ600 to race, but the reality Read more…
With 175 HP and a dry weight of 503 LBS, performance should be excellent. My only complaint with previous K series bikes was their top heavy feel. But it looks like BMW has totally reworked this bike so hopefully that is a non-issue now. We will have to wait and Read more…
Kawasaki has announced their new 09 line-up and there is at least one really good bit of news. The ER-6n, which is basically a naked version of the 2 cylinder in-line 650 Ninja is coming to the US. Since Suzuki now has a fully faired version of the SV650, I Read more…
Press Release- Top 1 Oil “Ack Attack” Sets New Absolute Motorcycle Land Speed Record – 360.913 MPH On September 26, 2008, after five days of pushing their streamliner motorcycle to new limits on the salt flats of Bonneville, the Top 1 Ack Attack team achieved what it came to do Read more…
WOW… this is cool. Finally the manufacturers strike back and tell the AMA to take their rules and shove it… Thanks Jerry! This just in from the MIC: Motorcycle Industry Council To Launch The USSB Championship Factory Riders Offered a New National Series IRVINE, Calif., Sep. 10, 2008 – The Read more…
As gas prices keep rising, people are looking for alternative means for commuting and getting around town. Scooters have been popular in Europe and Asia for many years and they are just now starting to really catch on in the US. With the new reality of energy prices, people are Read more…
Victory is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary and created a special edition of the Vision touring bike for the event. While the styling is not for everyone, it is apparently liked by at least 100 people who reserved the special ed. bikes in 7 minutes. At 29,000.00 it is not cheap. Read more…
Well, it’s more of a dual sport, but the basic layout is there- 650cc twin, upright seating, and a decent price (for BMW). I really think this will be a winner and I can see the aftermarket guys salivating over the possibilities if BMW imports enough of them. From BMW- Read more…
Well sort of… Anyways, this is pretty cool. Makes a lot of what we call stunt riding over here look lame.
From a BMW press release-No pictures yet… Woodcliff Lake, NJ – August 12, 2008…Proving good things do come in small packages, Husqvarna Motorcycles is preparing to introduce its highly anticipated 250cc four-stroke engine in the all-new 2009 TC 250 Motocross race bike this year. The ultra light, compact power plant Read more…
One of the most popular bikes on the road today is the Suzuki SV650. They are comfortable, handle well, get great gas mileage and retail for about $6000.00 in the US. Used SV’s are really great deals. It comes in 2 variations- a Sport model with a quarter fairing and Read more…
Check out the video from Jay Leno’s Garage as he gets the royal treatment from Ducati. Thanks Jerry!
From the floor of the dealers meeting in Las Vegas we have these pictures of the new Harley Trike. The first one is obviously a show bike but I think the second one is production. I’d rather have one of the Can Am Polaris built 3 wheelers that have the Read more…
Pretty bike and the engine has a character all its own. Check it out at the Moto Guzzi website– From their Press Release- This newest addition to the Moto Guzzi line, the Griso 1200 8V has been designed to flourish in the realm of two-wheel beauty and performance; a bold Read more…
We have a month for everything, and this month is Women’s Motorcycle Month. To celebrate that, the AMA Museum has put up a display with several women featured. Some of these women are amazing because of the distance traveled. But I’m amazed by the era they did it in. Bikes Read more…
Museums are cool and there are a few really good motorcycle museums- like Barber’s in Birmingham, AL and now the new Harley museum in Milwaukee. It really is amazing how far we have come in 100 years. The museum has the very first Harley- basically a moped, and everything else Read more…
With the price of gas here in Atlanta at about 4.10/gal, people are trying to figure out ways of getting around that they can afford. Atlanta is a big, very spread out city with a lot of people living in the suburbs and commuting to the city for work. When Read more…