2005 Yamaha Roadstar Custom 1700 on 2040-motos

Moto blog

OEMs Plug into Electric Bikes

KTM introduced its prototype electric motorcycle earlier this week, and electric bike manufacturer Zero Motorcycles almost immediately responded by opening sales on its 2009 Zero X dirt bike (look for our review of the 2008 model next week!). But these two companies aren’t the only ones exploring the possibilities of electric-powered motorcycles. In September, Japan’s largest industrial information journal Nikkei Business Daily reported that both Honda and Yamaha have set target dates for launching their own electric-powered motorcycles.

Isle of Man TT 2013: Dainese Superbike Race Results

It was delayed by a day but the Isle of Man TT’s Dainese Superbike race finally went underway Sunday. Originally scheduled to open the 2013 Isle of Man TT, the race was pushed back a day because poor weather earlier in the week prevented proper practice and qualifying. Even then, the Superbike race was delayed 45 minutes from its rescheduled start time due to a traffic accident.

Yamaha Sketches out the Features on the New 2010 YZ450F [Video]

You’ll realize how cheesy that headline is after watching the pretty rad video that Yamaha has released. Yamaha’s new motocross bike has taken a radical new approach.  The engine is backwards. Yamaha’s reason for doing this is to shift the heavy end of the motor more to the center of the motorcycle to make it more agile and responsive.  Slanting the cylinder also made for a straighter pathway for the air intake at the front of the bike.