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Schwantz and Mackenzie on the Nurburgring box

A 500GP bike never fails to stop me in my tracks and that’s exactly what happened when I spotted this Schwantz example from the early nineties, proudly displayed on the Arai stand at the recent Motorcyclelive show.  On loan from Crescent Suzuki and accompanied by a rostrum publicity shot from the 1990 German GP at the Nurburgring, I felt the urge to write a few words on that special weekend. I started the year running my own 250 GP team with fairly standard TZ Yamahas but was drafted in as Kevin Schwantz’s team mate after Kevin Magee suffered a serious head injury at the second Grand Prix in Laguna Seca.  With no testing and some major Spanish food poisoning I finished 8th at the next round in Jerez then followed that up with a 5th place in Misano. Next up was the Nurburgring and after qualifying on the second row of the grid, my crew chief Geoff Crust informed me he had a premonition of a race day rostrum finish. He also told me I better make it come true as he was already looking forward to a few post race celebratory refreshments. While I hoped Crusty was the new mystic meg, the truth was I would have been more than happy to buy the beers if I made it to the flag inside the top five. I had an outside chance of catching one major scalp as Wayne Rainey was riding with a nasty hand injury but I suspected adrenalin would see him through the day. I also followed Mick Doohan a fair bit in practice but he was beginning to find his feet on the Rothmans Honda so was going to be another problem.  When the lights went out Schwantz and Rainey went straight to the front I while I hung in behind Doohan and Pier Francesco Chilli, and then it happened. Coming out of the bottom right hand hairpin, Doohan and Chilli simultaneously high sided in one of the most spectacular crashes of the season. I never liked seeing any fellow riders crash but I made the most of this early race gift and rode my 160bhp/115kg RGV hard to the flag, claiming my first podium of the season.  We partied hard (win or lose we always did) that night and I went on to have my best ever season finishing fourth overall in the championship. After the last round in Australia, I finished second to Kevin at Sugo in Japan then won in Malaysia at another international race that KS didn’t attend. I also tested at Eastern Creek for the following season but then was flicked from the team for reasons that still remain a mystery. Hey Ho!       

EICMA 2013: 2014 Honda CBR1000RR First Impressions – Video

It may not have a fancy electronics suite like many of its rivals, but the Honda CBR1000RR has long been one of our favorite literbikes due to its light and nimble handling combined with strong, accessible torque. For 2014, Honda is upping the ante with the CBR1000RR SP edition. No, it still doesn’t have any electronic aids, but it does have a bevy of top shelf suspension components.

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.