Motorcycles

Like it or not, most motorcycle brands have a reputation for attracting a certain type of rider. In the case of the BMW rider, the stereotype has a definite touch of the "sensible grandpa" about it ... at least, that's how things worked until recently. For the last five or so years, the German manufacturer has been releasing a bunch of bikes that can actually deliver seriously good fun - albeit in a sensible kind of way. But there's nothing sensible about the bomb they dropped in 2010 with the release of the S1000RR. In our latest video road test, Loz Blain and Noel McKeegan cash in their pension checks and climb aboard the formidable BMW superbike. Read More

If you think this smells like a PR stunt, you're right. In an effort to raise awareness about bathroom emissions and water savings, Japanese toilet manufacturer TOTO has created the Toilet Bike Neo Project ... yep, it's a road-going, three-wheeled toilet fueled by "biogas" generated from the toilet waste. Read More

Ducati's new generation v-twin 1200cc sports bike will be announced at the EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan this November. What we know for sure is that it will be named the "Ducati 1199 Panigale" and that it will not use the traditional Ducati trellis frame but a roadgoing version of the frameless design which has been raced and evaluated rather unsuccessfully by the world's best rider - Valentino Rossi. It seems like a massive gamble for a company that has traditionally attracted customers with its race-winning superbikes. Rumours suggest that the new road bike will weigh in at 176 kg wet and produce 195 bhp. How well it will handle will be the issue. Read More

Practicality tends to take a back seat when you combine sci-fi cult status with custom chopper building - and there's no room for a pillion passenger on the Lightcycle. We first spied Parker Brothers Choppers Lightcycle project last year when it surfaced in gas-powered form, now the company has released video of a fully-electric version of the neon-packing two-wheeler in action. The electric motor may be quieter, but this one's still guaranteed to turn heads. Read More

Yamaha's R1 will gain a six-mode MotoGP-developed Traction Control System (TCS) for the 2012 model year, along with a new ECU (Engine Control Unit) with new mapping. It's the only real change to the R1 for next year though, and Yamaha's premier sports bike will again be the heaviest of the liter bikes. Read More

Now here's something completely different from Husqvarna. The single-track commuter concept that the company hinted at two weeks ago has now taken shape as the Concept E-go - an extremely lightweight electric motorcycle for first time motorcyclists with slimline supermotard styling and a modest electric powerplant that's particularly suitable for urban commuting. Read More

BMW looks set to become the first of the recognized motorcycle brands to begin leveraging the unique advantages of the motorcycle in addressing the quickly changing landscape of urban mobility. The Flying Propeller brand is to create a specialist "Urban Mobility" group, launch two premium, high-performance twin-cylinder maxi scooters before the end of the year, and will unveil a concept electro-scooter later today. Using the large volume of enclosed body space of a maxi scooter to contain all the necessaries, the 60 volt Concept e has a 100 kilometer range, recharges from flat inside three hours at a domestic power point, and the performance of a maxi scooter (expected to be equivalent to a 400-500cc commuter motorcycle). The Concept e will be the first volume production two-wheeler without rear vision mirrors – twin rear-facing video cameras relay what's happening behind the vehicle to two LCD monitors in the cockpit. Very exciting! Read More

We've already written quite a bit about the development of Husqvarna's new Nuda 900 and 900R and the promise of the Italian (formerly Swedish) brand under Teutonic (BMW) ownership to execute new thought, but we felt that the latest release of new info on the supermoto/naked-bike crossover to debut at Frankfurt warranted an update. We already knew the engine was derived from the BMW F 800 R motor with an increase in bore and stroke giving it 898cc, but what we didn't know previously is that the crankshaft has been altered from the F 800 R's 0-degree crank offset angle to 315-degrees, creating an engine with the feel and sound of a V-twin, but with the same excellent power delivery of the parallel-twin at small throttle openings, a characteristic not normally associated with v-twins. Details have also been released on the suspension and running gear packages of both models. Read More

Two of the more intriguing concepts planned for the world's largest motor show (IAA) in Frankfurt a fortnight from now will come from BMW Motorrad and sister brand Husqvarna. Almost nothing about the concepts has been disclosed other than their existence and a few cryptic words in a press release which mention an e-mobility BMW Motorrad design study and "a new idea for individual single track mobility" from Husqvarna. Read More