2006 Yamaha Road Star on 2040-motos

Moto blog

I can die happy!

As an eighteen year old Kenny Roberts was my bike racing God.  I loved Barry Sheene but as a Yamaha FS1E rider I always wanted the little American to win simply because his bike resembled mine.  The coverage of Grand Prix in the late seventies was sketchy but I clearly remember watching the epic Sheene/Roberts battle unfold at the Silverstone GP on my council estate telly.  The Dutchman, Wil Hartog was hanging in there for a while but as the laps unfolded it became a two way battle with Sheene looking favourite to win.  Sheene lost the most time as the pair lapped a certain George Fogarty so my hero Roberts eventually won by just three hundredths of a second.  I’m not sure what happened next but being a Sunday we would no doubt be skidding around later in the day at the Pines chippie pretending to be Roberts and Sheene.  Fast forward thirty four years and a boyhood fantasy came true as I headed out on Chris Wilson’s 1980 Roberts machine for the Barry Sheene tribute laps at last weekend’s Moto GP.  It crackled into life instantly and felt as sharp as any of the more modern 500s I used to race.  The temperature gauge had a maximum marker on 60 degrees so to begin with I was nervous as it didn’t move but being a hot day (although still keeping my hand on the clutch) I convinced myself it wasn’t working.    The bike felt tiny, not helped by the fact I only just squeezed into my 1989 Marlboro Yamaha leathers.  It still felt rapid though as I played out the 1979 classic in my head while getting tucked in down the Hanger straight.  Steve Parrish was also out there on one of Barry’s 500cc Heron Suzukis so we did our best to copy the famous last lap at Woodcote Corner where Sheene came so close to winning his home GP. As a lad I would have said the chances of me riding round Silverstone on a GP winning Kenny Roberts machine were zero, but in the words of Gabrielle, dreams can come true!

Haga Signs with Swan Yamaha to Race in 2012 British Superbike Championship

Noriyuki Haga is headed for the British Superbike Championship after signing on with the Swan Yamaha team to replace the injured Ian Hutchinson. Haga had been a mainstay on the World Superbike circuit for over a decade but after being unable to find a team for this season, the 36-year-old veteran will be plying his trade in the U.K. Haga will ride the Yamaha R1 alongside teammate and defending BSB Champion Tommy Hill.

Kenny Roberts Motorcycle Collection Up For Sale

Motorcycling legend Kenny Roberts has commissioned RMD Motors to auction off some rare and exclusive motorcycles from his collection, presumably to make room for more. The Japan-based company is known the world over for its collection of rare and classic motorcycles for sale, many of which are retired grand prix machines fortunate enough to escape the fate of most decommissioned racebikes: the crusher.  Headlining the Roberts collection is the 2004 Proton KRV5 originally ridden by Kurtis Roberts, King Kenny’s youngest son. The five-cylinder grand prix machine never achieved much success on the world stage, but will easily make you the center of attention at your local trackday.