Yamaha RD350 Motorcycles in New Stanton, page #49

Moto blog

The short but sweet life of the Yamaha R7

I was reunited with an old friend recently, my 1999 Virgin Yamaha R7 Superbike. By the end of 1998 I had won three straight BSB titles with the Yamaha YZF750, when main sponsor Cadbury’s pulled out leaving zero funds for a title defence. Wanting desperately to ride the new R7 and thinking a replacement backer would instantly get on board I turned down quite a few offers including a juicy contract from Crescent Suzuki (Paul Denning always enjoys reminding me).

AMA Supercross: 2012 Phoenix Results

Ryan Dungey gave KTM its first ever AMA Supercross win, taking the holeshot and leading every lap in Phoenix, Ariz. With an audience of 49,236 watching at Chase Field, it was the field that had to chase Dungey during the main event. Dungey jumped out in front at the first corner followed by JGRMX Yamaha‘s Davi Millsaps and defending AMA Supercross Champion Ryan Villopoto of Kawasaki.

Dakar Rally 2012 Results – Despres Wins Fourth Dakar

Cyril Despres beat his teammate Marc Coma to win his fourth Dakar Rally, while KTM captured its 11th consecutive win in the 33rd running of the off-road race. Despres won three stages and finished the 5,214-mile race in South America in a total time of 43 hours, 28 minutes and 11 seconds. Despres crossed the finish in Lima, Peru, with a lead of 53 minutes and 20 seconds ahead of his fellow Red Bull KTM rider Coma.

Preliminary 2012 MotoGP Entry List Released

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) has released a preliminary entry list for the 2012 MotoGP World Championship. The provisional list includes 21 riders in the premiere class, including nine classified as Claiming Rule Team entries. Defending MotoGP Champion Casey Stoner will wear the #1 plate for the 2012 season, the first with both CRT entries and the new 1000cc engine displacement cap.

Happy 50th Hizzy

On the 11th January 1962, Steve Hislop was born in Hawick, Scotland. Today would have been his 50th birthday, but he was tragically killed in a helicopter accident in 2003. Hizzy was a genius on a motorbike and when he was happy with everything around him, he was amongst the best in the world.

AMA Supercross: 2012 Anaheim I Results

Ryan Villopoto picked up where he left off while Ryan Dungey gave KTM its first ever AMA Supercross podium as the season kicked off in Anaheim, Calif. Reigning champion and Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Villopoto took the holeshot and led all 20 laps to win the Anaheim I season opener by over 12 seconds ahead of Chad Reed‘s TwoTwo Motorsports Honda. “Villopoto made us look silly out here tonight,” says Reed.

New Delhi Auto Expo 2012 – Motorcycle Manufacturers Draw Battle Lines for World’s Second Largest Market

In past years, the biennial Auto Expo in India slipped under the radar while the industry was focused more on shows such as EICMA in Italy and Intermot in Germany. But with India’s middle class starting to flex its financial muscle while other markets continue to struggle, the New Delhi show is becoming much more prominent, with major OEMs positioning themselves to claim a piece of the India’s 13 million vehicles-a-year market. We’ve already looked at India-produced Royal Enfield’s new Thunderbird 500 and Hero Moto’s hybrid scooter concept which debuted at the Auto Expo, and today we’ll look at what the major international OEMs presented.

BSB 2012; Mystic Mac investigates

In my opinion, the smartest move in the BSB off season has to be Michael Laverty moving from Swan Yamaha to HM Plant Honda. With a ban on electronics for 2012, and in particular traction control, WFR's Graham Gowland has already proved to Laverty how competitive an EVO spec Fireblade can be - so I’m tipping both these riders to be bang on the money at the Brands Hatch season opener in April. Unlike BMW, Kawasaki and Yamaha, Honda have deliberately developed their road-going Superbike without electronics to give a user friendly feel with good mechanical traction, so it’ll be interesting to see how the opposition copes with their high-tech trickery stripped off.

Yamaha Factory MotoGP Team Loses Another Sponsor

Yamaha’s factory MotoGP team has lost a major sponsor for the second year in a row. Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas will not be extending its sponsorship agreement with the Yamaha team, ending a three-year relationship. Last year, the Yamaha team lost the title sponsorship of automobile manufacturer Fiat.

Yamaha Canada Cuts Prices to Move Closer to US Pricing

As a Canadian, I’ve gotten used to accepting a lot of differences between Canada and the United States. It’s colder up here. The taxes are higher.