Moto blog
The bike whisperer...
Fri, 10 Feb 2012We've all been there. The frustration caused when your pride and joy isn't working can cause beautiful relationships to instantly turn frosty. I once spent half an hour in the rain trying to bump start my bike once, before actually checking the kill switch.
Help settle an argument
Wed, 08 Feb 2012I'm happy to admit that I'm a little bit different; I believe that brown is an underused colour in motorcycling and we need to move on from custom café racers and introduce a dustbin fairing craze - you know I'm right. So, as Ben Cope - known around the Visordown office for being rather stubborn - and I were looking over various scooters on the 'net we uncovered the above machine, Honda's Big Ruckus 250. Instantly I thought that the Big Ruckus was absolutely cool, whereas Ben likened it to a 'mobility scooter'.
AMA Supercross: 2012 Anaheim II Results
Mon, 06 Feb 2012The 2012 AMA Supercross season is shaping up to be a tight one, with four racers and former champions healthy and jockeying for position on top of the points standings. Ryan Villopoto, Chad Reed, Ryan Dungey and James Stewart have all claimed wins in the first four rounds. After the second Anaheim round, the four contenders, representing four different manufacturers, are separated by just 13 points.
Stoner Blows Away Competition on Final Day of MotoGP Sepang Test
Thu, 02 Feb 2012To be the man, you have to beat the man, and after the final day of MotoGP’s pre-season test in Malaysia, Repsol Honda‘s Casey Stoner continues to be the man. The reigning MotoGP World Champion didn’t let lingering soreness from the back problems that sidelined him for the first day of testing at Sepang slow him down. On just his second of 21 laps on the final day, Stoner set a blistering lap time of 1:59.607, besting second-fastest rider Jorge Lorenzo by 0.591 seconds.While there’s still some room for improvement to be found his Honda RC213V, Stoner will turn things over to the engineers and fly back home to Switzerland to his wife Adriana for the birth of their first child.
Pit Biking; good clean fun for all the family
Wed, 01 Feb 2012If you haven’t tried Pit Biking yet, you’re missing out on some incredible fun, and it won’t break the bank. The majority of pit bikes are of Chinese origin and I guess, are best described as modern day monkey bikes. Yes Chinese, and I’ve witnessed them being thrashed round all day long without missing a beat, so Jonny Wong and co. are finally getting there on quality and reliability! Although Pit Bikes are designed for off road use, an extra few hundred quid spent on matching up wheels, fitting tarmac tyres and some crash protection will mean you’re track ready for a total of around £600.
Rossi Makes Progress but Hayden Suffers Shoulder Setback
Wed, 01 Feb 2012Ducati continues to develop its Desmosedici GP12 MotoGP race bike, setting modest goals while trying to establish a good setup. Already trailing the other factory teams in development time for its race prototypes, Ducati continued to try to find good base settings for the GP12. Valentino Rossi achieved the team’s goal of lapping under two minutes and two seconds with a time of 2:01.886 while completing 44 laps on the second day of testing at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit.
Spies Second at Sepang Test Day Two; Lorenzo Third
Wed, 01 Feb 2012Yamaha factory rider Ben Spies led for most to the second day of MotoGP testing at Sepang before settling for the second best lap the time sheets behind defending World Champion Casey Stoner. Spies rode 37 laps and recorded a time of 2:01.052, which stood as the fastest lap in the morning session. That time was surpassed later in the afternoon by Repsol Honda rider Stoner by 0.157 seconds.
Stoner Back on Top on Day 2 of MotoGP Test in Sepang
Wed, 01 Feb 2012Casey Stoner made his return to the track after missing the first day of the MotoGP pre-season test at Sepang and showed everyone why he deserved the #1 plate. After skipping the first day of the test due to back pain, Stoner was back on the Repsol Honda RC213V and set the top lap time of all riders. Stoner rode 29 laps and set the pace with a lap time of 2:00.895, 0.157 seconds faster than Ben Spies and 0.173 seconds ahead of Jorge Lorenzo.
Stoner Pulls Back, Skips Day 1 of Honda MotoGP Testing at Sepang
Tue, 31 Jan 2012Reigning MotoGP Champion Casey Stoner pulled his back during his morning stretches leaving teammate Dani Pedrosa to fly the Repsol Honda colors on the first day of the MotoGP pre-season test at Mayalsia’s Sepang circuit. As Stoner received treatment for his back, Pedrosa put in 48 laps to lead all riders. Riding the Honda RC213V, Pedrosa’s best lap time was 2:02.003, making him second fastest on the day behind only Yamaha‘s Jorge Lorenzo and his 2:01.657 time.
Honda Reports Q3 2011-2012 Results
Tue, 31 Jan 2012Honda reported a 41% decrease in net income over the third quarter, thanks primarily to the rising Japanese yen, continuing effects from the Japanese earthquake and floods in Thailand interrupting automobile production. Thanks to recovering auto sales and growing motorcycle sales in emerging markets, Honda reported a net profit of 47.6 billion yen (US$624 million) in the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2011.