Yamaha 850 Special Motorcycles in North Carolina, page #63

Moto blog

You. Call. That. Lean

Jean Philippe Ruggia, 1988, Coppice at Donington Park, Sonauto-Yamaha 250. This is elbow lean action. There was a previous blog entry of Ben Spies and his elbow grazing the tarmac onboard the M1 Yamaha, I admit it is impressive but I find myself admiring the horizontal angles that Ruggia submitted his 250 Yamaha to, with the above image taken at Coppice as a prime example.

Riding in groups

Saturday morning was a stonker wasn’t it? A group of us ranging from neighbours, brothers, mates and girlfriends got up and headed down to the coast for a spot of bacon and eggs. We had a real diverse selection or bikes actually with a GSX1400, XJR1300, Triumph Speedmaster, MT01, A Yamaha R1 and my Triumph Speed Triple.

Live from the launch of the Yamaha FZ8

THAT, MY FRIENDS, is our test rider's transportation to the 2010 Yamaha FZ8 launch in Marseille. Today, Jon Urry will endure 700 miles in a bazzed-up Ford Transit with other UK bike journalists, thanks to the infamous cloud of volcanic ash that's turning our skies a worrying shade of crystal-clear blue. So check back later for Jon's updates on their progress to southern France.

Colin Edwards and Ben Spies Go on a Man-cation [Video]

The 2010 MotoGP season is less than a month away and Monster Yamaha Tech3′s Texas Twosome of Colin Edwards and Ben Spies decided to do some bonding with a little road trip man-cation in this video released by Yamaha Motor U.S.A. Okay, maybe Edwards was more into it than Spies was. Edwards is at his best in this video (“Ooh … it kinda tingles down below, you know?

Yamaha R1 rider lowsides on left-hander

THIS GUY'S lucky he doesn't get flicked over the top, after losing the back end of his Yamaha YZF-R1 on a twisty section of mountain road. He looks pretty miffed at the result; we think he got away lightly. It could have been soooo much worse if the rear tyre had gripped and lobbed the rider over the top.

Meet the 2010 Motorpoint Yamaha BSB squad

THE 2010 Motorpoint Yamaha unveil their new team riders and bikes to the public next Friday 26th March.From 6.30pm, Neil Hodgson and Dan Linfoot will pull the wraps of their new Motorpoint livered Yamaha YZF R1 Superbikes at the Motorpoint HQ in Derby.Come and meet both Neil and Dan, get close to the Motorpoint Yamahas and ask the boys about their chances for the 2010 British Superbike Championship.Visordown's Niall Mackenzie will unveil the Motorpoint Node 4 junior team, a two rider youth development programme competing in the 125 GP British Championships with two of the most exciting young prospects in the series and they are both called Mackenzie!Taylor and Tarran Mackenzie go head to head in the most competitive class in the series. Tarran starts the season as a series rookie at 14 yrs and Taylor at 17 a genuine championship contender.Rob Mac Team principal“We are the only team who open up the doors and welcome our fans to come and see our team launch. There is a real buzz about the team this year, a great winter testing programme.

World Champions Then & Now: Eddie Lawson and Ben Spies

Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A. produced a series of videos featuring past and present World Champions Eddie Lawson and Ben Spies.

Learn on track with Mackenzie and Whitham at Focused Events

Focused 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.

See Britain's land speed record hopeful at Race Retro 2010

SEE THE MACHINE that could propel Britain to a new motorcycle land speed world record at The Race Retro 2010 show, held at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry from 12th to 14th March. Almost a year has passed since Visordown broke the news of the planned UK assault on the land speed record - this coming August the Angelic Bulldog team travels to Bonneville, where it is hoping to smash the 400mph barrier and bring the motorcycle Land Speed Record back to the UK for the first time since 1937. The current record stands at 360.913mph over a kilometre.

1974: Onboard an MV racer with Phil Read

ANOTHER CRACKING BIT of vintage racing footage, this time featuring multiple motorcycle world champion Phil Read on the awesome-sounding MV Agusta 500-4.The footage is from the 1974 movie 'The Iron Horse' made by Frenchman Pierre-William Glenn.Read’s 1974 500cc World Championship victory was the last year a four-stroke won the world title before the advent of the MotoGP class in 2002. Giacomo Agostini won the crown from Yamaha in 1975, followed by Suzuki-mounted Barry Sheene in '76 and '77. The footage is bloody good, considering the camera technology of the day.