2008 Yamaha Xvs1100 V-star Classic (street, Md) on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Top Five Global Motorcycle Companies Ranked

- Honda Motor Company Limited - Yamaha Motor Company Limited - Hero MotoCorp Limited - Bajaj Auto Limited - Harley–Davidson Incorporation According to Research And Markets, who bill themselves as “The World’s Largest Market Research Store,” these are the top five companies of the global motorcycle industry, with data collected from 2006 – 2011. The study itself is several chapters deep and must be purchased (you can do so at the link above), but in short, Research And Markets have compiled a study observing the evolving global motorcycle industry, its competitive landscape, and the corporate and marketing strategies adopted by the motorcycle companies as some of the factors to have remarkably impacted the global motorcycle industry dynamics. Developing regions, such as Asia and Latin America, which perceive two-wheelers as a basic mode of transportation, are expected to remain the most promising markets for scooters, light motorcycles, and mopeds.

New: Venhill 888 fast-action twistgrips

CONTROL specialist Venhill has launched its new 888 range of bike-specific fast action twistgrips.  Supplied complete with the company's top of the range Featherlight cables, the kits are designed for a straightforward replacement of the factory-fitted equipment.  Bike-specific kits are now available for the Honda CBR600F, Kawasaki ZX-6R/ZX-10R, Suzuki GSX-R600/750, Triumph 675 Daytona and Yamaha R1/R6, among others, with prices from £105. Here's Venhill's description of the new product: "Manufactured with a robust CNC machined alloy body, the 888 fast action twistgrip provides a choice of two settings and is supplied with two rotors so that riders can select the throttle action that best suits the riding conditions.  Settings can be changed swiftly by undoing the two set screws securing the throttle body and changing the rotor. On the fastest setting there is 80° of rotation, (taking up 36mm of the cable), which is typically 45% faster than 'standard' throttles.

Motorcycle Live and a few of my favourite things for 2013

There is lots of shiny new metal on show at Motorcyclelive this year but for me it’s the new Triumph Daytona 675 that steals the show.  We’ve been starved of brand new models in the Supersports segment for years but for me the latest Trumpet has made the wait worthwhile. And if its performance matches its looks then I reckon the 2013 bike of the year is a foregone conclusion.  The sleek curvy nose contrasts perfectly with the more pointy angular rear end and new side mounted silencer. It is lighter, more powerful and revs harder with much work on on mass centralisation to further improve handling.  Few of us have a whole lot of spare cash these days but £8899 for the standard model seems a fair price for such an awesome bike. That said I’d have to consider selling the granny and granddad to find the extra £1700 for the 675R.  Available early next year, and surely the perfect all round track day tool, this beauty comes with upgraded suspension, brakes, ABS, a quickshifter and some nice carbon detailing. The white 675R on display at the show looked even better in the flesh than previous images I’d seen so be careful or you might find yourself handing over a deposit. With no money left from the Triumph stand you’ll need your six special numbers to come up for my second favourite show item the AGV Pista GP Project 46. Although road legal this extremely light, full carbon helmet is designed especially for racing with a huge field of vision, extensive ventilation and superb ergonomics. It also comes with earplugs which suggests there may be some compromise in the noise department but it is still an incredible piece of engineering. At £799, this special Pista is also an incredible price but there will only be one hundred available and Raceways Yamaha reckon they are going fast.