Red Honda XR Motorcycles, page #63

Moto blog

Honda RC-E Electric Sportbike Revealed at 2011 Tokyo Motor Show

We’re still waiting for any technical details but here are initial photographs Honda has released of its new RC-E electric sportbike concept at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. (Updated with six more high-resolution images.) Honda describes the RC-E as an electric version of a supersports bike, claiming a powerful and smooth ride for an electric vehicle within the compact form of a 250cc-class motorcycle. The images clearly show Brembo calipers and Ohlins suspension, and we especially like the LED headlights and the retro styling.

Honda to Shift Mid and Large Displacement Motorcycle Production to Thailand

Honda is reportedly moving production of 400cc and larger motorcycles to Thailand from Japan to reduce production costs and overcome the rising value of the yen. According to Japanese news outlet Daily Yomiuri, Honda plans to produce 400cc and 500cc models at a new factory to be built in the suburbs of Bangkok, Thailand. Honda currently produces small displacement models such as the CBR250R in Thailand, with larger models coming out of Honda’s factory in Kumamoto, Japan.

Rossi Finishes Second to World Champion Loeb at Monza Rally Show

Valentino Rossi is back on the podium. Not a MotoGP podium, mind, but for a rally car race at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy. (Post updated with video.) Driving a Ford Fiesta RS with co-driver Carlo Cassina, Rossi won two of nine stages and finished second overall to eight-time World Rally Car Champion Sebastien Loeb at the 2011 Monza Rally Show.

JCR Honda Wins 2011 SCORE Baja 1000 [Video]

Josh Burns of our sister site Off-Road.com was in Mexico to cover the 2011 SCORE Baja 1000. He sent us this report of the motorcycle results. For more, check out Off-Road.com and the related reading links at the bottom of this post.

Honda NC700S and NC700X Coming to Canada – US Availability Still Uncertain

American Honda has not included the recently revealed NC700S and NC700X models in its 2012 list of offerings, but it looks like the two motorcycles will be available in Canada. Honda Canada has not made an official announcement but a dealership in Kelowna, B.C., has published a press release that appears to have come directly from Honda Canada saying the two models will be available in Canada in the summer of 2012. (EDIT: Honda Canada has confirmed the NC700 models will be at the Toronto Motorcycle Show Dec.

2012 Honda Fireblade and NC700X launch

I'm chucking a few essential items into my massive stuffa bag, ready to go to Portimao tomorrow for the International launch of not just the Honda NC700X but also the new Fireblade, too. You couldn't fathom two bikes at further ends of the scale. One all about performance and speed, the other about user-friendliness and thrift.

Remember push starts?

Alongside the most stunning collection of race and road bikes at their Motegi museum, next to some race bikes, Honda also has a step by step guide on most aspects of riding. I photographed the wonderful text on push starting but I also have lots of equally hilarious instructions on cornering braking and even what a riders goal should be. Watch this space...... oh, and hopefully see you at the NEC over the next ten days!  

San Carlo Gresini To Field CRT Entry with Honda CBR1000RR Engine

The San Carlo Gresini race team announced it will compete in the 2012 MotoGP World Championship as a Claiming Rules Team with a Honda CBR1000RR engine in an FTR prototype chassis. The move is a late, but unfortunately necessary change from the team’s original plan to run the factory-level Honda RC213V racebike. The late Marco Simoncelli was tabbed to ride the newest version of Honda’s MotoGP machine next season, but after his tragic death, Gresini had to find another option if it wanted to continue racing.

Top 10 EICMA Show Bikes You May Have Missed

Interesting motorcycles you probably didn't see1 of 11Next Last There’s no cave deep, mountain high or rock heavy enough to have thwarted news of Ducati’s 1199 Panigale superbike launch at the 2012 EICMA show in Milan, Italy. And a few models such as Honda’s NC700S and X, Kawasaki’s Versys 1000 and CRP’s Energica were unveiled without heavy prior fanfare, but gasps of surprise weren’t heard when the wraps were taken off Triumph’s Tiger 1200 Explorer, Husqvarna’s Nuda or MV Augusta’s F3 675 among others, whose existences were revealed months in advance of the show. What we’ve comprised below is our list Top 10 Bikes unveiled at EICMA that didn’t receive top billing but are certainly worthy of your attention.

The future. But we can't have it

It's no secret that we motorcyclists are getting older. We're ageing because less people are passing their bike test each year (roughly 30,000 last year compared to 50,000 for the 10 years before the new two-part test) and so not only is the pool not growing it's not even being replenished and so the average age isn't being diluted down by yoof. When the going gets tough in any situation, you really get to see who's got their shit-sorted and who's light enough on their feet to adapt to change.