Yamaha RD350 Motorcycles in Naples, page #43

Moto blog

Casey Stoner to Retire After 2012 MotoGP Season

Two-time MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner has announced he will retire following the end of the 2012 season. Rumors of Stoner’s impending retirement plans have been floating around for weeks with the 26-year-old Repsol Honda racer saying he will continue racing until he no longer enjoyed it. That seems to be the case now as the 2007 and 2011 MotoGP Champion announced he will retire at a press conference ahead of this weekend’s French Grand Prix at Le Mans.

Yamaha Reports Q1 2012 Results

Yamaha reported a 5.3% decrease in worldwide motorcycle sales over the first quarter of 2012 despite a 25% increase in North American sales. In the quarter ended March 31, 2012, Yamaha sold 1.599 million motorcycles worldwide, down from 1.689 million motorcycles sold over the same quarter in 2011. Most of the decline was due to Yamaha’s performance in the Asian market.

Yamaha Building New Factory in India

Yamaha has received approval from the government of India to build a new factory in Chennai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Joining an existing factory near New Delhi, the new Chennai plant is expected to increase Yamaha‘s production capabilities in India to 2.8 million units a year by 2018. The new factory will be built on a 109-acre lot in Vallam Vadagal on the outskirts of Chennai.

AMA Supercross: 2012 Las Vegas Results

Ryan Dungey scored his fourth win of the season but it was not enough to take second place in the points race behind champion Ryan Villopoto. That honor went to JGRMX Yamaha‘s Davi Millsaps who placed second to Dungey in the season-ending race at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. Dungey took the holeshot and led every lap to take the win for Red Bull KTM.

Motorcyclist Nabbed For Going 166 MPH on NY Thruway

McCarthy’s wit isn’t as quick as his motorcycle. “A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.” (Proverbs 12:23 KJV)   According to reports, New York State Police arrested Nikkolaus McCarthy, 25, of Charlton, N.Y., this past Wednesday afternoon after he was “clocked” riding his motorcycle at 166 mph on the New York State Thruway in Ravena, N.Y. But it seems McCarthy needs to learn the simple concept of avoiding self-incrimination.

Cardboard Yamaha R1

I'm partial to a bit of origami and have been frustratingly screwing up paper trying to master Yamaha's paper craft series for a while now. Jack Chen from Australia has not only made a mockery of my model making failures, but he also made this version which is 40% smaller than a full-size Yamaha YZF-R1, out of cardboard.

AMA Supercross: 2012 Salt Lake City Results

Ryan Dungey returned to the top of the podium for the first time since late February with a victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. With the injured Ryan Villopoto already crowned the 2012 AMA Supercross Champion, the win put Dungey back in contention for second overall. The Red Bull KTM last tasted victory Feb.

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.

R1 noise, bike porn and a quick lap

Trawling the internet for a sound clip of the Crossplane Crank Yamaha R1 on full chatter, I came across this: a few fast laps on board with New Zealand Superbike racer Tony Rees as he works the CABS Throttle Blipper on his 2011 R1. (Skip to 7:35 for the fast ones.) CABS is a system used by Superbike teams that makes use of the R1’s digitally controlled throttle. When you change up a gear, the bike blips in the perfect amount of revs to save time on track and make downshifts as quick and easy as clutch-less upshifts.

Schwantz Headlines 2012 Isle of Man TT Parade Lap

Former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz headlines a star-studded group of racers taking part in a parade lap during the 2012 Isle of Man TT. Schwantz leads the group of six racers, past and present, selected by helmet-maker Arai to take part in the parade lap of the Isle of Man’s Mountain Course. Schwantz has visited the Isle of Man before, but this will mark his first closed lap of the circuit.