Moto blog
Nicky needs to slide
Mon, 10 May 2010Following Joe Kopp's historic win on a Ducati in AMA flat track, alarms bells have been going off in the heads of many, "Hey why doesn't Nicky Hayden jump on the Duke flat tracker?" Well the guys at the excellent American publication Road Racer X are running an online petition and a great marketing wake-up call for Ducati to get Nicky on board the bike for the Indy Mile on August 28th. If he won, and it's a big if considering he hasn't raced flat track in a long time, Nicky would complete the AMA Grand Slam which encompasses victories in the following; half-mile dirt track, mile dirt track, short track, TT, and a Superbike race win. It's an exclusive club with only four members, Dick Mann, Kenny Roberts, Doug Chandler and Bubba Shobert.
Ducati Strada Tech jacket
Sat, 01 May 2010Most of you will know that Dainese design make most of Ducati’s top class performance wear and this new jacket is no exception. Designed in conjunction with the launch of the new Multistrada 1200 this great looking jacket can be separated with the interior lining usable as a stand alone windproof jacket. It’s good to see brands using mountainwear technology for things like zips and seamless stitching as it blocks out so much water and wind.
10 points if you can guess what this bike is
Sun, 25 Apr 2010Spotted outside my hotel in Assen. I'm not talking about the big red bike with DUCATI written on the fairing, no. I'm talking about the one it's locked together with.
Ford Ranger Wildtrak: part three
Fri, 16 Apr 2010Clocked over five thousand miles in the Ranger, lugging bikes to track events, back to importers and dealers, that sort of thing. It’s freeing up, especially the suspension. I can drink a cup of coffee now without inhaling it.
2010 Vyrus 987 C3 4V [video]
Wed, 14 Apr 2010The new Vyrus 987 flies high even in the rarefied air of ultra sportbikes. It marries a 185-horse Ducati 1198R engine with a hub-center-steered Bimota chassis unlike anything else on the market. Still not cool enough for ya?
That used to be a Ducati 1098
Thu, 08 Apr 2010I spotted this on my tinterweb travels. It's allegedly the demonstrator bike from a Ducati dealers on the isle of Jersey, in the English channel. The only information to hand is that the bike spat the rider off and the bike hit a tree - the only one for miles - and burst into flames.
If Rossi went to Ducati...
Tue, 30 Mar 2010BY THE WAY he's been enthusing about Yamaha over the last few months, the chances of Valentino Rossi defecting to Ducati for his final stint in MotoGP looks increasingly slim. But if The Doctor did decide to end his illustrious motorcycle racing career with Ducati, then this is what his Desmosedici racer could look like, says bike design guru Oberdan Bezzi. Looks cool in Martini colours, yes?
Ford Ranger Wildtrak: part two
Fri, 19 Mar 2010Been ‘modifyin' the Ranger this weekend, as those Max Power toss-pot types would say. But I haven’t fitted a four-inch diameter penis-substitute tailpipe. No, I’ve made the pick up bed more useful.
Learn on track with Mackenzie and Whitham at Focused Events
Tue, 09 Mar 2010Focused Events Rider Development Days at Silverstone offer a new, intense tuition-based experience on a selection of new Supersport machines, hosted by high-level instructors including Niall Mackenzie, Jamie Whitham and Steve Plater.The courses will be situated at Stowe circuit, Silverstone and will be aimed at Novice and Intermediate riders. Dates for the events have been confirmed as 14th May and 2nd September.Pupils will not only be taught by World class instructors, the machinery available for use will be high-end Supersport machines from Ducati, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. Total cost for the day is £339 including bike hire with a £50 premium for use of the exotic Ducati 848.Chief Instructor and Visordown Road Test Editor Niall Mackenzie explained, “A track day can be an intimidating place to learn circuit and road skills, especially for less experienced riders.
2010 Ducati Multistrada: crashed
Mon, 08 Mar 2010THIS IS WHAT a 2010 Ducati Multistrada looks like when it's been slung up a gravel road at well over 60mph. The word on the street is that journo Costa Mouzouris of CMGonline is the culprit behind the battled-scarred machine; reports say he lobbed it while on the bike's world press launch in Lanzarote. In true Ducati post-topple fashion, the bike appears to have spewed the contents of its sump over the floor, as well as sustaining a fair bit of cosmetic damage.