2011 Honda Crf250r on 2040-motos

Moto blog

You want a nice little car, you do.

We ran a couple of stories last week - both, coincidentally, about new Kawasakis. One was the first peek of the new ZX10R – hot stuff you’d imagine – the other, the new W800 retro parallel twin. I suppose it shouldn’t have shocked us, which story was most popular in terms of hits but it really does mark a seismic shifts in British biking attitudes that the W800 story doubled the hits of the ZX10 piece.

2013 AIMExpo: Skidbike

One of the most inventive devices seen at this week’s AIMExpo is the Skidbike, a novel creation that helps teach riders the skills to balance and to master threshold braking. It’s a Swedish/American invention originally designed to educate riders how to sufficiently apply brakes to avoid an accident without the danger of tipping over and causing injuries. It uses an electrically operated hydraulic ram built on a hinged dolly to reduce front-tire grip, which drastically reduces speeds when traction is lost so riders can learn how to use the brakes effectively.

Tested: Mick Extance Trials School

When it’s minus nine outside, riding motorbikes should be the last thing on any sane person’s mind. Riding them off-road, nearly two thousand feet above sea level seems even more stoopid. But that’s where I was a week last Saturday.