Moto blog
The most beautiful race bike ever?
Thu, 06 Oct 2011It was good to see my old HRC team mate Shinichi Itoh making his final Moto GP appearance last weekend at Motegi. At 44 he was a bit off the pace compared to his younger team mates, but that didn't matter as it was a joy just to see him circulating on what I reckon is most stunning GP bike ever. And I gladly braved the pit lane walkabout chaos just to dribble and take a few snaps. Unfortunately he lost the front in one session trashing a complete set of body work but was back in action on race day to grab a few world championship points.
Stoner explains the tank slapper
Mon, 03 Oct 2011Casey Stoner looked all set to win at Motegi, after translating his pole position into an early race-lead. But coming over the crest on the back straight his bike momentarily lost control in a tank slapper. Regaining composure the championship leader was forced to pump his brakes to get the pads back in place, with the rear-wheel bouncing in the air he ran out of time and space to make the 90 degree right hander and was forced to run into the gravel.
2011 World Supersport Champion Chaz Davies
Mon, 03 Oct 2011Chaz Davies has captured the 2011 Supersport World Championship, completing a triumphant return to the series for Yamaha. Davies, the 2008 Daytona 200 winner, finished the Magny-Cours round in sixth place, giving him an insurmountable 35-point lead over Hannspree Ten Kate Honda‘s Fabien Foret with one race remaining. The championship comes in Yamaha‘s return from a one-year absence from the series.
Honda Canada to Launch CBR250R Racing Series
Fri, 30 Sep 2011Honda Canada will introduce a new national racing series featuring the CBR250R for 2012. The news is no surprise as Honda has been running a CBR125R Challenge racing series as a support class for the Canadian Superbike Championship since 2008. With the CBR250R on the market for nearly a year (and reportedly doing quite well at that), a racing series featuring the quarter-liter sportbike was almost inevitable.
2012 Honda Ace CB125 and Ace CB125-D – $627 Motorcycles for African Market
Thu, 29 Sep 2011Honda announced two low-priced small-displacement motorcycles to be produced and sold in Nigeria. The Honda Ace CB125 and Ace CB125-D were developed to be affordable, durable, easy to use and offer good fuel economy. Honda will introduce the CB125 and CB125-D at about 100,000 Nigerian naira (US$627), a price point that Honda expects to be affordable for many Nigerians, with the manufacturer targeting annual sales of 100,000 units.
Honda Announces New 125cc Scooter Engine with Idle Stop
Mon, 26 Sep 2011Honda announced it is developing a new 125cc scooter engine with an idle stop system promising 25% better fuel economy than existing engines. The announcement comes alongside the announcement of a new 700cc engine which will be introduced with the Honda Integra scooter. The new engine will be introduced in a variety of scooter models around the world in 2012.
2012 Honda Integra Announced; All-New 670cc engine with Dual Clutch Transmission
Mon, 26 Sep 2011Ed: Honda has recently announced the new Integra engine will be a 670cc engine, not 700cc as previously announced. This post has been updated to reflect this new information. Honda announced it is developing a new series of 700cc 670cc engines and a second-generation dual clutch transmission for motorcycles.
2012 Honda CBR1000RR Officially Unveiled
Fri, 23 Sep 2011Honda has officially unveiled the 2012 version of the CBR1000RR sportbike. Pictures of the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR actually leaked out last month from Hong Kong but official images and details are now out. The 2012 Honda CBR1000RR receives new Showa Big Piston forks, a new double-tube design rear shock, revised fuel injection settings, updated nose and tail and new 12-spoke cast aluminum wheels.
Motorcycle Thefts Down 11.2% in 2010
Wed, 21 Sep 2011Motorcycle thefts in the U.S. are down for the fourth consecutive year in 2010, according to a report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. There were 49,791 reported motorcycle thefts in 2010, an 11.2% drop from the 56,093 thefts reported in 2009.
Zero Demonstrates Technology to U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Fri, 16 Sep 2011U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood received a personal demonstration of Zero Motorcycles’ 2011 product line in San Francisco. “We are honored to be here and to see the interest from Secretary LaHood.