2007 Honda Shadow Spirit on 2040-motos

Moto blog

2012 Honda Gold Wing Tour: Part 4

Yesterday aboard the 2012 Honda Gold Wing was quite an eye opener. I had shared my impressions of some of the upgrades to the new Wing in blog posts earlier in the week (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), but these focused mostly on some comfort and convenience updates and the bike’s ability to eat up open stretches of pavement. But on this day we put the Wing to a completely different test: the Tail of the Dragon, US 129 in North Carolina.

475cc NS400R. Marquez and Spencer.

Winter may be here but I seem to be as busier than ever, maybe the economy is finally turning around. At my last UK track day of the year I had some fun testing this little beauty.  It’s a late eighties NS400 triple bored out to 475cc and it felt sweet as I zinged round the GP Arena track at Silverstone.   Being stripped bare to reduce weight gives it a very respectable power to weight ratio which means it could live with 600s (on the twisty bits at least).

Pedrosa: most wins, least successful

Should Dani Pedrosa win at Le Mans this coming weekend he will become the most successful rider In the premier-class not to win the coveted title. After his triumph in Estoril the Repsol Honda rider currently finds himself on 13 wins and in joint first and a win, at a circuit that sees him rank as one of riders with the most victories in all classes, would make him a clear leader. Joining Pedrosa at the top of the ranking is Max Biaggi and Randy Mamola, two riders who became associated with the number two.