Motorcycle Blog on 2040Motos

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HPS have revealed money-saving deals on Nitron's range of shock absorbers kit ahead of the proposed changes to the VAT. The first is a half price offer on the Hydraulic Preload Adjuster (HPA) meaning it is possible to add the HPA to any new shock being bought for an additional cost of just £70.50 inc. VAT, instead of the current/2010 RRP of £141.00 inc.

£50 off tyres deal

Our friends at Moto Legends are offering a fantastic combo deal on exhausts and tyres. The deal offers £50.00 off any tyre purchase over £100.00 when you spend £300.00 or more on a GPR exhaust. The £50 doesn't have to be cashed immediately, you can save the offer as a voucher that will last for a six month period.

MotoGP 2010-2011 soon to be released

This just in from Capcom: Leading worldwide developer and publisher of videogames Capcom has announced that MotoGP 10/11 is now in development for the Playstation and Xbox 360 entertainment systems, with a scheduled release date of March 2011. The latest title in the series is being developed by Monumental Games and will deliver all the content from the 2010 MotoGP season, and offer downloadable updates for the 2011 MotoGP World Championship shortly after the season starts. An all new handling system, improved physics and brand new customisable player assists feature will deliver a level of authenticity never seen before in the MotoGP series.

Remember this? A three-wheel car that leans

IF YOU'VE EVER fancied one of these three-wheel wonders then now's your chance, as one has cropped up on eBay for a modest £29,975. The Carver is a cunning cross between a car and motorbike, which is capable of leaning around corners, much like a regular two-wheeler. Check out Richard Hammond's synopsis of the weird machine in the video.

Knievel bikes to go on show in Britain

THE MOTORCYCLES, leathers and personal memorabilia made famous by US stunt legend Evel Knievel are being exhibited on a world tour, with a UK date on the schedule. The True Evel tour will be at the Battistinis California Dreamin' Expo, 28th-29th May 2011 in Bournemouth, UK. Show-goers will get the chance to see Knievel's famous Harley-Davidson which crashed in a jump over a tank of sharks, the X-2 Sky Cycle from the ill-fated Snake River Canyon jump, the Wheelie Dragster Car, and of course the instantly recognisable blue and white leather suits.

Pulling the pin ...

WARNING: Not for the squeamish. You're looking at surgeons removing a pin from Ten Kate Honda man Jonathan Rea's wrist. The World Superbike frontrunner underwent surgery after sustaining fractures during a fall in qualifying at Imola, which hampered the Irish racer's end of season performance.

2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R – 170 hp At The Wheel!

A new, somewhat clandestine, video surfaced on YouTube just today revealing that Kawasaki’s new 2011 ZX-10R produces over 170 hp at the rear wheel in stock trim. Taking this at face value, that’s at least 17 hp more than the 2010 ZX-10R produced for us in our 2010 Literbike Shootout. This puts the new big Ninja within swinging distance of BMW’s S1000RR, that in the same shootout gave us just under 176 hp.

Tiger 800 concept sketches

It's a fairly common practice for manufacturers to retrospectively draw 'concept sketches' of their models, but never the less, these concept sketches of the Tiger 800 are interesting. You can also see the clay models of the original bike and the chassis being developed for the original test mule. Do you prefer any of them over the final version?

Rossi's new crib

Valentino Rossi may have a new team and bike but his paddock accommodation upgrade was also getting a fair amount of attention last weekend in Valencia. Looking more like an office block on wheels than the traditional forty foot American converted bus, this baby easily won the 2010 motorhome championship. Pulled by a tractor unit and sporting full length double slide out side sections, I can only guesstimate there would be a $500,000 + price tag but I don't suppose you can ever put a value on a good nights sleep. No one I met had any real info on the interior although there were rumours of dance floor size space with four bedrooms and a Jacuzzi for six. All very exciting stuff, however my favourite camper of the year is still the Bedford Rascal  belonging to BSB Evo Championship winner Steve Brogan; a true classic. From the Thursday before free practice there was fantastic atmosphere in Valencia, especially amongst the front running British riders.

Laguna Seca Superbike race: 1979

Got to apologise for the mogadon-inspired soundtrack but this 1979 Kawasaki promo vid' is worth watching just for the footage of Freddie Spencer and Wes Cooley. Watch the slo-mo of Cooley's GS1000 Suzuki on the brakes. It's horrendous.

Muffs!

My winter biking wardrobe consists of not very waterproof waterproof boots & gloves, Textile thermal lines trousers, a Knox long sleeved base layer, Gerbins heated vest, Textile jacket, a thermal neck tube and of course my trusty helmet. To be honest riding through the winter with that lot on is pretty manageable. Things are generally warm and dry with the exception of my hands and feet.

Golden helmet wars. Jorge: 1, Vale: 6

Jorge Lorenzo may be grabbing the headlines this morning but there's a better MotoGP golden helmet story. While the microscopic Majorcan MotoGP Champion streaked to a home win at Valencia yesterday wearing a gold-chrome and semi-precious stone X-Lite helmet, his arch-nemesis Valentino 'Midas Touch' Rossi has gone six times better already. As his win bonus, the Italian rider receives a solid gold AGV helmet every time he claims a four-stroke premier class title.

Moto3. Recession racers?

I've sat through enough manufacturer' presentations recently to know that we're in trouble. Ignoring the still booming Asian markets, the rest of the motorcycle World is in free-fall. Even looking at the figures optimistically we're still only selling half the volumes we were in pre-crash 2006.

How well does a Triumph Tiger 800 crash?

I've just come back to the hotel after our first day riding the Tiger 800 with the other Brit journos. One of the journos (who shall remain nameless, but alas, it wasn't me) crashed at low speed. Pictured here is his bike.

You're bloody lucky to witness this. Right?

A RATHER OPTIMISTIC eBayer in Australia is asking a jaw-dropping £4,300 for a Mick Doohan Arai RX-7RR. Signed by the 500cc legend and complete with wooden and glass showcase, the helmet is in unused condition and comes complete with a certificate of authenticity. See the Mick Doohan helmet auction on eBay.

Oh yes. You can win this Rizla Suzuki beanie

I dug this beanie out of the Visordown storage room and it could be yours. It is a one-owner model first registered in 2007, only a few miles on the clock but could do with a service (wash). It'll go the one lucky randomly selected person who reviews their GSX-R in our Motorcycle Reviews section.

MF's Milan Show Blog: no1

There's a lot going on at the Milan EICMA show. So much so, that it would be impossible to give you a true flavour without showing you some of the snaps we took. These are the kind of pics that don't have real news content but are interesting (only to us, obviously) all the same.

Milan Show: KTM 125 Duke... M/C Saviour

Of the bikes that we saw at the EICMA show it wasn’t an electronically supported sports bike or a unique and genre-defining muscle machine that were impressive, but the host of learner friendly 125 singles and in particular the KTM 125 Duke. On first glance the 125 Duke looks wild with the token angular bodywork that befits the company’s overall styling cues and the bike was swamped with enamoured gazes from all ages – in particular an Italian father and son who spent well over 10 minutes looking over every inch of the lil’ Duke with mouth-watering anticipation. The three colour options are ideal for the teenage crowd that KTM are trying to attract with this bike.

Haslam endorsement for Bridgestone BT-023

Legendary racer and sideburn'ed riding mentor Ron Haslam has given his stamp of approval to Bridgestone's BT-023 tyres. Haslam gave the BT-023 a shake-down on the track, his verdict: "The BT-023 is a touring tyre with the performance of a sports tyre. For a sports touring tyre the performance is incredible.

EICMA 2010: Ducati Diavel and Monster EVO Unveiling

Motorcycle.com’s European correspondent Tor Sagen was fortunate enough to be on hand for Ducati’s pre-EICMA press conference and the official unveiling of the new Diavel power cruiser. Below are his impressions from the event. Carcano Theatre, Milan, November 1.

Oxford Barrier - solid looking lock

I know that in the past Oxford came under fire for the security of their locks. And I bet it's a bit of a hangover for them to this day. But the locks that caused a backlash used a different type of mechanism to the type used in this Oxford Barrier lock.

First Look: Alpinestars Bionic Neck Support

I'm predominantly a road rider, so I haven't had much to do with neck braces, until now. I'm heading on the launch of the new Triumph Tiger 800 and there will be a session of light off-roading so I thought this would be a chance to try the Alpinestars Bionic Neck Support, mainly to see what it was like for day-to-day use. I hope I don't crash hard enough to test its protection qualities and I don't expect to be clearing any table tops either, but I'm curious to know how I get on with the BNS and whether it feels claustrophobic.

Milan show: Ducati Diavel latest

Just got back from Ducati's stand in hall 18 and it's swamped. People are literally scuffling to get a sit on the new Diavel. I managed to scuffle my way to the front and even though the handlebar grips were dripping with other people's excited hand secretions, it was a pleasant experience.

Milan Show: Moto2 tried and tested

The insanity of Moto2 doesn't seem like the right home for the elegance of the Rizoma brand. But the Rizoma ProGuard system has helped secure the levers of Toni Elias on his road to championship success in the inaugural Moto2 season. The example above was on an attractive Rizoma-enhanced BMW S1000RR, but the lever guards are not limited to sports bikes, they were also visible on Yamaha's FZ8.  The patented design can tilt up to 10 degrees providing full lever coverage and can be added by simply replacing the bike's existing bar-ends.

R&G do heated grips

The cold is here and you can’t beat a pair of heated grips to get you through the dark, freezing depths of winter. R&G are expanding their product range and now manufacture heated grips. A set of these will cost you just £29 and for that you get five levels of temperature control and everything you need to fit them to your bike.

Milan Show: Cute little Ducati

Amongst the grand new models at the Milan show is this adorable Ducati Cucciolo, or as translated, Ducati Little Puppy. The Little Puppy was born out of a project for a small 48cc pushrod clip-on engine to be added to bicycles. The name Cucciolo is derived from the yapping note from the stubby exhaust.

2011 Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC: First Ride

UPDATE: Read the full on Motorcycle.com Motorcycle.com’s European correspondent, Tor Sagen, recently had a chance to run some laps on the brand new Aprilia RSVR Factory APRC. We’ll be getting a full review soon, but here’s a quick taste test. Wow!

DogCamSport motorcycle mount - it sucks hard

Here at Visordown we're still getting to grips with the world of video, and this new mount should help us grip that bit harder. We use a GoPro camera, with mixed results. The problem the GoPro it is - if you do manage to get out of pit lane without it switching off - there's no screen so it's hard to get the perfect shot lined up.

Mobiwasher V-17 - portable jet wash

Up until a few weeks ago, I hadn't heard of Mobiwasher, the only pressure washers I really knew about were the ones from Karcher. I googled for Karcher rivals and came up with this Mobiwasher V-17, so I thought I'd get one in to check it out. I've just unboxed it and it looks perfect for my needs; I keep my bike in a lock-up around the corner and don't have power there, the Mobiwasher V-17 can be charged up and powered by its battery and it carries 17 litres of water.

Cardo Scala Rider Goes Hollywood

It’s not often one of Motorcycle.com’s faithful servants makes it to the big time, so we were giddy with excitement to learn that a member of our editorial team has made an appearance in a major Hollywood blockbuster. No, MO Editor in Chief Kevin Duke isn’t chasing bad guys in the latest action flick, but his Bluetooth headset is now a star. Cardo Systems, Inc., the world’s market leader in wireless Bluetooth communications for motorcycle helmet headsets, has its scala rider Bluetooth headset featured in the movie, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.