Motorcycle Blog on 2040Motos

2014 KTM Adventure Rally Open For Registration + Video

Mark your calendars for the KTM Adventure Rally, happening Friday – Sunday, September 19-21 in Taos, New Mexico. Suitable for enduro and adventure riders of all levels, the KTM Adventure Rally will tour the Taos ski valley area, but more importantly, it will allow riders to put themselves and their machines through their paces in some spectacular off-road environments. Professional KTM riders and racers will be on hand to offer tips and assistance to those who want it, and demo rides on both the KTM 1190 Adventure and 1190 Adventure R will be available.

Ducati Spotted In Madagascar! + Video

As a motorcycle manufacturer, you know you’ve made it big when animated animals want to ride your products. Such is the case with Ducati and its cameo appearance in the movie Madagascar 3. Admittedly, I have yet to see the third installment of the hugely popular movie series in which the gang of zoo animals gets stuck on an island, but I suppose the cameo will appeal to those moto-parents who were dragged to the theater by their kids.

AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Riders Gearing Up For Road America

The AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike class makes its much-anticipated return to Road America this weekend. The four-mile Wisconsin circuit is a particularly exciting place to watch the middleweight bikes because its long straights and braking zones make passing and lead changes commonplace. More than just a test of man and machine, the races often develop into a strategic battle leading up to the all-important last lap and run up the hill to the checkered flag.

Jeremy Toye To Compete In 2014 Pikes Peak Hill Climb Aboard Kawasaki ZX-10R

Jeremy Toye from San Diego, California is no rookie to professional road racing. His accomplishments include setting the fastest lap for a newcomer at the Isle of Man TT in 2006, a third place at the Macau GP, and multiple top-five finishes in AMA Pro Racing competition. Race veteran Toye will compete in the Open Class Division on a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, which will be modified to meet the extreme demands of racing a 12.42-mile course ending at the mountain-top finish.

A Dizzying Lap Of Donington Park + Video

Donington Park in the United Kingdom is one of the most unique racetracks on the World Superbike calendar. With wide, fast, sweeping corners combined with tight chicanes and road undulations, the track is challenging for many riders. Here, climb on board with Giuliano Rovelli as he pilots a Suzuki GSX-R1000 around the track with several Nilox cameras mounted for a bevy of different angles.

2015 Ducati Monster 821 Revealed

Just over six months after Ducati revealed its Monster 1200 at EICMA, the Italian manufacturer announced another new liquid-cooled member to its naked roadster line. Sharing the same 90° V-Twin engine as the Hyperstrada and Hypermotard, the new Monster 821 shares many design cues with its 1198cc sibling. The 821cc Testastretta 11° engine, claiming 112 hp and 65.9 ft-lb., is housed in a steel trellis frame similar to that on the Monster 1200.

BMW C650GT and C600 Sport Recalled for Faulty Timing Chain Tensioner

BMW has initiated a recall on 2012-2014 C600 Sport and C650GT scooters because of a problem with their timing chain tensioners. As of this writing, recalls have been announced in Canada and Germany but not for the U.S., though we expect the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will announce a similar recall shortly.

2014 AMA Flat Track: Springfield Mile I Results

Bryan Smith edged out Kenny Coolbeth Jr. by a mere 0.041 seconds to win the AMA Pro Flat Track Experts Twins race at the Springfield Mile. The ten laps of the race saw Smith and his Kawasaki battling for the lead with Coolbeth and Jake Johnson and Jared Mees sitting close behind waiting for an opening.

2014 WSBK – Donington Results

Tom Sykes and Loris Baz captured a pair of one-two finishes for Kawasaki at England’s Donington Park. The first race saw the reigning World Superbike champion fight his way up from 11th place for the win while Race 2 offered a three-way battle between the two Kawasaki riders and Aprilia‘s Sylvain Guintoli. Race One #493744055 / gettyimages.com Normally a strong starter, Sykes had a nearly disastrous beginning in Race One, while up front, Suzuki‘s Alex Lowes battled with Guintoli and Baz.

BMW Concept Roadster Revealed

BMW seems to be on a role lately with naked roadsters. All in the span of a year, BMW has revealed the S1000R, the R nineT. If recent spy photos offer a real indication, we also expect BMW to release a new R1200R using its new liquid-cooled boxer engine.

MAVTV to Air 1st Motos of 2014 AMA Motocross Season Live

After a couple of weeks off following the conclusion of the Supercross season, the 2014 AMA Motocross season is ready to begin this weekend at Glen Helen. Lucas Oil-owned television network MAVTV will offer live broadcasts of the first motos of all 12 rounds for both the 450 and 250 classes. Jason Weigandt will provide play-by-play alongside analyst and two-time AMA Pro Motocross Champion Grant Langston while Georgia Lindsay reports from the pits.

Michelin Replacing Bridgestone as New MotoGP Tire Supplier

French tire maker Michelin has been named the new sole tire supplier for the MotoGP World Championship, replacing current supplier Bridgestone in the 2016 season. MotoGP promoter Dorna selected Michelin after opening a tender for applications from multiple tire manufacturers after Bridgestone announced it would leave the series after the 2015 season. Interested manufacturers were asked to submit technical specifications to Dorna’s Managing Director, Javier Alonso.

Yamaha Names Olivier Pain and Michael Metge to 2015 Dakar Team

Yamaha has retained Olivier Pain and Michael Metge to race for its official factory team in the 2015 Dakar Rally. Pain and Metge will ride a new WR450F Rally currently being developed for the 2015 rally. Both riders raced for the Yamaha team in this year’s rally; Pain finished third overall behind KTM Red Bull team’s Marc Coma and Jordi Viladoms while Metge rode as a support rider for fourth-place finisher Cyril Despres.

2014 Royal Enfield Continental GT Review

Return of the single-cylinder cafe racer Credit: Photos by Brian J. Nelson & Kevin Wing In a world of increasing electronic complexity, Royal Enfield’s Continental GT is a bastion of motorcycling simplicity. And that’s just how Enfield’s CEO, Siddhartha Lal, likes it.

MV Agusta Explains Loss of California License

Earlier this month, the Occupational Licensing division of the California Department of Motor Vehicles caused a bit of a kerfuffle in the motorcycle world when the agency’s monthly newsletter announced that MV Agusta had lost its license to sell motorcycles in the state of California. This is not the sort of announcement you’d expect about a well-known, premium brand of motorcycle. The ruling essentially forbids any of MV’s dealers from selling any new motorcycles.

MotoGP Braking Infographic From Le Mans, Provided By Brembo

Each MotoGP round, Brembo interesting information regarding each track’s braking characteristics, based on data received from all of their riders. This week, following the French round of the series, the topic is the Le Mans circuit. Famous for its 24-hour car race, a shortened version of the track hosts MotoGP machines and provides many challenges to the riders.

Nigerian King’s Rudge Multi, Plus Many Other Rare Motorcycles, For Sale At Bonhams Auction

The upcoming Bonhams Banbury Run Sale is set to be a motorcycle enthusiast’s dream, with 102 lots of iconic bikes available to the highest bidder. Within the sale, an intriguing duo of Brough Superiors will be offered for auction from a family synonymous with motorcycles for generations – Myerscough. The motoring history behind the Myerscough family began in 1893 when Leonard Myerscough opened a business repairing and selling bicycles, followed by motorcycles and automobiles. At the peak of this business, five locations serviced the Liverpool area under the banner L Myerscough & Sons Ltd. Encouraged by his father, the eldest son, Len Jr, took up dirt track racing in the late 1920s, enjoying success as a contracted team rider for both the Belle Vue Aces and Preston teams from 1928 to 1931.

Red Bull Glen Helen National Media Day Thursday, May 22

With the Supercross season over, and Motocross season now beginning, Thursday, May 22, will be a media day leading up to the Red Bull Glen Helen National. This event is open to all journalists — no credential necessary.  The day kicks off at 1pm, with a press conference featuring former 450 Class Champions: Ryan Dungey, James Stewart and Chad Reed. The floor will be open for media Q&A.

Hesketh 24 to Make Public Debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Hesketh, a British motorcycle manufacturer best known for its Formula 1 racing success in the ’70s. Now under new ownership, the brand announced late last year it would relaunch with a new limited-edition model called the Hesketh 24. At the time, Hesketh said it planned to launch the V-Twin model in February, but the company ran into some delays.

Former Vance And Hines Members Launch New Aftermarket Products Company

John Peck and Leigh Crawford, industry veterans with over 30 combined years of experience working behind the scenes at some of the most successful motorcycle aftermarket product companies in the world, have partnered  to launch Firebrand Design, LLC. Firebrand manufactures and designs aftermarket products for motorcycles. Focusing at launch on exhausts for Harley-Davidsons, they plan on expanding to other products and manufacturers.

AIMExpo Earns AMA Endorsement, Surpasses 300th Exhibitor

The American International Motorcycle Expo (AIMExpo) has been officially endorsed by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) following an announcement by AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman in the latest issue of American Motorcyclist. In his American Motorcyclist column, Dingman acknowledges the incredible effort by AIMExpo to create an infrastructure that has the ability to accommodate the various interests of a very diverse group of motorcycle enthusiasts. He pointed out the impressive amount of legwork AIMExpo put in to making a true all-encompassing platform that welcomes motorcyclists from every corner of the sport, it became an obvious choice that AIMExpo also serve as the ideal venue for the AMA to pursue a longstanding goal of bringing its members together.

Americade 2014 Begins June 2nd

Billed as “the world’s largest multi-brand motorcycle touring rally,” Americade is a true rider’s rally. While some motorcycle events provide opportunities to stand around, eye expensive custom machines and talk about how much you love riding motorcycles, Americade offers a seemingly endless list of both organized and self-led rides through some of the most beautiful scenery the northeast has to offer. This year, after the experiment of a weeklong Saturday-to-Saturday rally in 2013, the event will begin on Monday June 2nd and end on Saturday June 7th.

Aprilia Caponord Demo Tour To Reach 43 Cities

Aprilia has announced a coast-to-coast tour to showcase the capabilities of the new Caponord 1200 ABS Travel Pack. Beginning this Thursday, May 22, and running through through July 5, at one of Aprilia USA’s 43 participating dealerships, licensed riders can throw a leg over the Caponord and experience all that Aprilia’s latest adventure-tourer has to offer. The tour kicks off its west coast leg at GP Bikes in San Diego, CA and east coast leg in Belleville, New Jersey at Motorcycle Mall. You can find all the tour dates below, with full routing and additional information available at http://www.apriliausa.com/demotour.

2015 Yamaha FZ-07 Certified by California Air Resources Board

Although Yamaha has yet to announce the FZ-07 for American consumption, new documents from the California Air Resources Board lead us to believe it’s on its way to U.S. dealers. The FZ-07 was first revealed last fall at EICMA as the MT-07, which is the name it is being sold under in Europe, Japan and other markets.

“On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter” To Film At Springfield Mile This Weekend + Video

For many people involved in or familiar with the sport of motorcycle racing, the 1971 film On Any Sunday ignited passion across the globe as it became one of the most iconic motorsports films ever produced.  On April 19, 2013, Red Bull Media House, in association with Freeride Entertainment, began production on its follow up called, On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas. This coming weekend, Director Dana Brown will film parts of the highly anticipated documentary at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill.

Tom Pages Taking Motorcycle Flips Up A Notch + Video

The world of freestyle motocross is one in which there’s never a dull moment. Everyday, someone, somewhere is thinking of the next big trick. On this day, it’s Frenchman Tom Pages.

New AMA Pro SuperBike Final Qualifying Procedure To Be Implemented At Road America

AMA Pro Racing is taking a page out of the playbook of the top racing series’ in the world and changing the qualifying format for AMA Pro SuperBike and breaking it up into three stages. This new format will debut later this month when AMA Pro Road Racing takes to the 4.05-mile track at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., for the Subway SuperBike Doubleheader on May 30 – June 1, 2014. All AMA Pro SuperBike competitors will participate in Qualifying 1 and 2.

HeliBars Installation Service Will Be Half Price At The Americade Rally

HeliBars, one of the leaders in replacement motorcycle handlebars and riser systems, is pleased to announce that installation labor of its innovative, patented products will be just $100–half price–during the Americade rally, in Lake George, New York from June 2nd to 6th. Americade attendees will have their new HeliBars installed and custom-tailored during the rally by factory certified HeliBars installer, Sportline Power Products, in nearby Queensbury. The shop will have on hand a wide selection of Heli comfort kits, headlined by the just-released Luxury Sport Touring Horizon handlebars for Honda Goldwings and F6Bs.

2015 Yamaha YZF-R25 Revealed for Indonesian Market

Yamaha revealed the production version of its 250 sportbike, the two-cylinder YZF-R25. Manufactured in Indonesia, the R25 will first be offered in that market before being exported to other markets including other Asian countries as well as developed markets in the west. The production model stays close to the prototype R25 revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show last fall.

Simon Andrews Dies in North West 200 Crash

British racer Simon Andrews succumbed to injuries suffered in a high-speed crash during 2014 North West 200 street race in Northern Ireland. The Penz13.com BMW racer passed away May 19 at the age of 29. “In such moments I have no words.