Motorcycles

July 11, 2007 World Ducati Week is a strange phenomena – thousands of Ducatisti, members of the Ducati tribe, travel from all over the world for a week of entertainment and experiences based around Ducati’s values, lifestyle and products. Ducati rewards its most faithful regularly at these events, with unique experiences and first-to-see opportunities that are generally reserved for ballrooms and press only occasions by its competitors. This week the 200 bhp Ducati Desmosedici RR, the world’s first MotoGP replica roadster made its first ever public appearance in action at the event held at Misano racetrack in Italy. Over 170 people from 19 countries who have already placed orders for the Desmosedici RR travelled to WDW2007 to witness the public track debut of the bike that was first announced at the same event back in 2004. Back then it was a promising machine struggling to assert itself against the far larger and established MotoGP teams of Honda and Yamaha. This time the bike it emulates is leading the world title – the company even went as far as showing the prototype 1200 superbike it will run next season - amazing scenes at WDW2007. Read More

US$15,000 Carbon Fibre Enertia electric motorcycle to hit stores in early 2008

The era of the electric roadgoing motorcycle is upon us and it’s ironic that it should come from a company that looked set to make its mark in automotive history in the supercar stakes with the Brammo GT, an American-designed and built V12 Supercar. That Craig Bramscher has since become one of the foremost evangelists of light weight performance motoring via the Ariel Atom might have foretold the direction, but the Enertia is a perfect commuter machine built with the same philosophy as the Atom. Using a rigid light weight carbon fibre chassis to contain the battery pack (and most of the weight), a small electric motor is all that’s required to see the Enertia accelerate harder than any automobile to its 50 mph top speed – all that’s needed around town. Most significantly in terms of its credibility as a motorcycle, the Enertia could best be described as an electric motard, and comes with impeccable handling credentials - fat tyres, disk brakes front and rear, quality suspension and a very compact centre of gravity – a trait that we’ve seen before in bikes with exceptional flickability and precise handling such as the Aprilia 250 and Buell. The Enertia’s secret is its weight -at just 275 pounds ready to roll, it’s 100 pounds lighter than the featherweight Aprilia Grand Prix Replica . With the carbon footprint of a few lightglobes, and sports motorcycling capabilities to medium speeds this looks like the first viable electric motorcycle to us –the US$15,000 limited edition "carbon" model will be snapped up as collectors items no doubt because it is a landmark machine in personal transportation. At US$12,000, the standard machine is only pricey until you consider how much it costs to run. You plug this sucker into any powerpoint and it'll be ready to go a few hours later for another 45 miles. If the transport authorities encourage responsible road usage as seems likely, ownership costs could be minimal. The Enertia is a landmark motorcycle and its coming heralds the dawn of a new era of electric motorcycles. Read More

Triumph unleashes new Street Triple

July 5, 2007 Triumph officially unveiled the new 675cc Street Triple to over 5,000 Triumph owners last week at the Triumph Tridays in Neukirchen, Austria. With the first bike to use this motor – the Daytona 675 - winning a string of awards, the "naked" version looks to have the works - comfortable riding position, more upright, balanced, light, powerful, superb handling… it could be the modern version of what the Triumph 650 Bonneville once was when it was king of the road half a century ago. Read More

sunRED solar powered scooter concept

July 4, 2007 Solar-powered cars and boats are all very well; they've got a lot of surface area to exploit with photovoltaic panels. When it comes to developing a solar-powered motorcycle, though, Spain's sunRED had to get a little more creative. Sliding panels on this soon-to-be-built prototype roll back to give the rider access to the seat, and form a complete cocoon around the bike when it's parked. Featuring some other interesting innovations, the sunRED prototype could make a practical short-range commuter, with a range of 13 miles and a top speed around 30mph. It's interesting to look at too, in a "Tron meets an armadillo" sort of way - but I'd hate to see the damage bill if it falls over. Read More

Suzuki's 2008 RM-Z450: electronic fuel injection first for motocross

July 4, 2007 In a move that will see other manufacturers scrambling to keep pace, Suzuki has announced the first production motocross machine to feature electronic fuel injection. Developed in the automobile industry throughout the 1970’s and first introduced to road bikes in the early 1980’s in models such as Honda’s CX500TURBO, fuel injection offers better roll on power and improved low-to-mid range delivery. The new system featured in the 2008 RM-Z450 has been tested by Suzuki's factory riders and given the ultra-competitive nature of the motocross environment, where having a bike that's not capable of winning is just not an option, it’s almost certain that fuel injection will become standard throughout the motocross market in the not too distant future. Read More

evDaytona: battery powered sportsbike does 0-60mph in 2.7 seconds

July 3, 2007 Although the technology is still relatively new, motorcycles are emerging as a great platform for the launch of the electric engine revolution. While high-powered, light and compact electric engines (like the 350hp monster Killacycle Drag Bike) are already available, battery range has typically been an issue. This is perhaps more acute in relation to electric cars, whereas motorcycles are often used as joyriding fun toys and short-to-medium-range commuters, so a 100 mile range still leaves for plenty of practical and fun uses for electric road bikes. With major manufacturers being slow to put electric sportsbikes on the market, smaller enterprises are blazing a trail - like GoBike, who are awaiting DOT approval on a converted Triumph Daytona, with a max speed around 93mph, a cruising range of 143 miles, and a blistering 2.7 second 0-60mph acceleration time that should make it a blast to ride. Read More

Pikes Peak - going sideways at 100mph towards a 3000 ft drop

Casey letting the back end drift last year on the HP2 Enduro

July 3, 2007 The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second oldest automotive motorsport event in the United States. An annual happening since 1916, the race takes place on July 21 when very brave riders and drivers attempt to scale this 12.42-mile (20-km) course that begins at 9,390 feet (2,862 metres) and finishes at the 14,110-foot summit (4,300 metres) of the spectacular Pikes Peak Mountain. One rider’s experiences: “At the speeds we are going now the road gets very skinny, and at the edge is a 50-3,000-ft drop-off! I was battling for the lead one year when my handlebars got locked with the other rider’s. We were going about 100 mph (160 km/h) towards this turn with a 3,000-ft drop on the outside. At the last second we were able to break apart and turn…...” Read More

It takes two-wheels to beat the traffic

Fhybrid front-wheel driven hydrogen-powered scooter

June 28, 2007 Traffic congestion has to be one of the world’s greatest time-wasters and spending long hours at the wheel just trying to get to and from work is not only unproductive, it’s also very stressful. Now new research from the U.K. suggests that the best way to beat this problem (short of working from home) is to switch from four wheels to two. Analysis conducted by the RAC Foundation has shown that commuters could shave up to three hours off their weekly commutes by choosing a motorcycle or scooter over the car, with the biggest savings to be gained in Central London and the East of England. Read More

KTM to debut new KTM 690 in Baja 500

May 30, 2007 After conquering almost every competition frontier it has attempted, Austrian sport motorcycle manufacturer KTM is to attempt the famous Baja 500 and the Baja 1000 with a new prototype machine based on the LC4 engine, currently the most powerful series production single cylinder engine in the world. The LC4 was released onto the market in early 2007 in the form of the 690 Supermoto, which came through its baptism of fire in the Dakar Rally 2007 by dominating the event. In combination with the stable, extremely light tubular frame of the Rally 690, the 690 Baja combines the advantages of a very light and superbly handling Enduro machine with the stability of a rally machine. Read More

Triumph launches Street Triple

May 25, 2007 After much media speculation, Triumph has confirmed that the rumours are true. The brand new Triumph Street Triple will arrive in showrooms in November. Deriving its genes from the iconic Triumph Speed Triple streetfighter and Daytona 675 Supersport machine, the Street Triple is 675cc of pure unfaired aggression: lightweight, agile, and fantastic fun to ride. The bike will be unveiled to Triumph customers attending the Triumph Tridays event in Neukirchen, Austria on June 30. The bike will then receive its official press launch, including a full release of the details, in early July. An official Street Triple microsite containing more information on the new bike will go live in late June. Read More

Dainese seeks beta testers for helmet-to-helmet communication system

May 25, 2007 In a move that could spell the end of meditative "zen" motorcycling, Dainese is looking for beta testers for their D-Nect helmet to helmet communication system, which allows riders and pillions as far as 400m apart to converse with each other on group rides. A limited number of purchasers of the new Airstream Course Infinity helmet, which features the innovative bluetooth/short range radio communication system, will be able to have direct input into the development of the system - and Dainese will shout all beta testers a bluetooth mobile phone for their assistance. Read More

Triumph Daytona 675 scoops Supertest and Masterbike awards again!

May 12, 2007 Triumph's Daytona 675 has continued its insatiable award-winning appetite with victory in both the Supertest and Masterbike multi-bike comparison tests for the second year running. Both of the independent tests, held on Spanish racetracks, saw the Daytona 675 reign supreme despite being unchanged since its launch in 2006, a true testament to the bike's inherent qualities. Read More

Pfeiffer in Red Square

May 7, 2007 We’re obviously huge fans of stunt rider Chris Pfeiffer, so excuse us for being a bit indulgent and running these amazing pics. No Adobe Photoshop is involved whatsoever – that’s Chris doing his thing on his F 800 stunt bike in Moscow's Red Square. "Moscow is an amazing place and I had been doing some stunt shows for BMW Motorrad over there as well as some 'guerrilla' activity with Red Bull," said Chris. "I knew it would be quite difficult to get these pictures but luckily for me one of the guys from BMW had a contact with the local police - who all ride BMW bikes - and he had seen one of my shows, so we were able to get permission to make these pictures close to the Basilica with the distinctive onion domes on the Red Square!" People have been shot for less, and not all that long ago either! Read More

Brough Superior trademarks going to auction

May 4, 2007 Could another gleaming gem of motorcycling history be revived? The rights to the legendary Brough Superior brand will go to auction this weekend at the Legend of the Motorcycle Concours d'Elegance in California. After being out of production since the end of the second world war, the buyer would have a chance to resurrect the original luxury motorcycle; the Rolls-Royce of two wheels and the favoured steed of Lawrence of Arabia. Read More

MV Agusta to return to racing

Carl Fogarty, who will run the factory-supported Mv Agusta team in the 2008 World Superbik...

May 3, 2007 It's taken more than 30 years, but exclusive italian motorcycle marque MV Agusta has finally announced its intention to return to top-level racing in the World Superbike Championship in 2008, providing factory support to Carl Fogarty's WSBK team. Team Foggy Racing will be given some very desirable tackle as they take on the world's best superbike teams, but the job won't be easy - and it comes with some very weighty expectations. Read More

BMW's 450cc enduro prototype impresses on its first outing

May 2, 2007 BMW whipped the covers off its new 450cc enduro prototype on the starting line of a World Enduro Championship race in Puerto Lumbreras, Spain last weekend. It's BMW's first serious enduro contender - the brand's GS twin-cylinder bikes and recent 650 singles have all been more adventure-sport oriented than built for serious enduro racing. Still, the new bike leapt out of the blocks, scoring championship points in both races and looking like a genuine contender. Clearly BMW is set to invade the lucrative serious off-road segment which has helped to build its Austrian neighbour KTM into Europe's second largest motorcycle manufacturer. Read More

The Moet & Chandon Indian Chief Champercycle

The first images of the 2008 Indian Chief will be released on Saturday.

May 1, 2007 America's Indian motorcycle is back... Again, and this time with a taste for fine bubbly. In what could be viewed as an unfortunate pairing, Moet & Chandon have teamed up with the brand to produce a preview model of the much-anticipated 2008 Indian Chief, complete with a built-in champagne cooler compartment (!) and a disclaimer against cruising under the influence. Read More

Harley meets Ducati - the Roehr American superbike takes shape

April 14, 2007 The Harley-Davidson Revolution Engine Erik Buell dismissed as too large and heavy for a sportsbike may get its chance to fly after all. Roehr is seeking investors to capitalise its first production run of its flag-waving American RV1000 sportsbike. Read More

Canadian T-REX 3-wheel street racer

Stand in front of it, and it looks like an exotic race car. Peek behind, and it looks like it's got a very large motorcycle up its backside. 0-60mph in under 4 seconds, with the elemental acceleration of a motorcycle, the cornering traction and roll-bar safety of a race car and the complete lack of practicality you'd expect from a machine bred purely for sports. Introducing Quebec's nastiest export: the T-REX from Campagna. Read More

350 bhp battery-powered Killacycle smashes 1/4 mile records for electric vehicles

April 9, 2007 Electric engines have a very unsexy image; environmentally friendly hybrids and plug-in vehicles couldn't be further from the minds of most high performance motorsport fans. The battery-powered Killacycle, however, is raising eyebrows at the dragstrip after smashing the electric vehicle quarter-mile speed record with a very respectable 8.168 seconds @ 155.78mph earlier this week. Video here. Read More

Victory's Vision of the next all-American cruiser

April 5, 2007 "We're not rewriting American history, we're writing its future," reads Victory's website preview of its 2008 Vision cruisers. Perhaps, although the styling seems to blend the front end of a big touring Beemer with the rear of a 1930s gangster-style Cadillac. There's no denying the bike is a bold statement - but will cruiser fans, notorious for their conservative styling tastes, share Victory's enthusiasm? Loz Blain looks at a new and important motorcycle. Read More

BMW Motorrad ready to return to Le Mans

April 3, 2007 BMW has already shown in its short time as a Formula One constructor that it has the wherewithal to play at the ultimate level and news this week that it will begin competing in motorcycle endurance racing is hence of great significance. On 21st April 2007, the legendary "24-heures moto" races off to yet another blinding start, but with one small but significant historic difference: after an absence of 50 years from competitive road racing, a BMW Motorrad factory team will be on the grid. Read More

BlueAnt’s US$190 Handsfree for Motorcyclists

March 28, 2007 While motorcycle riders are going to miss pulling on the dome of silence and escaping from the rest of the world, BlueAnt’s Interphone Handsfree & Intercom offers new capabilities that will be highly sought after. The US$190 Interphone Handsfree & Intercom is being launched at this week’s CTIA Wireless 2007, and is designed to be easily attached to either full faced or open faced helmets. It is fully weatherproof and water resistant and incorporates a world class Digital Signal Processor (DSP) designed to reduce noise and echo to ensure excellent clarity of sound. The motorcycle “hands-free” follows just a few days after the company’s US$100 Supertooth Light Bluetooth handsfree speakerphone which is aimed primarily at motorists though it offers handsfree functionality for any bluetooth-enabled mobile phone in any environment. Read More

MotoGP 800cc Round 1 – Ducati draws first blood