Honda Transalp Motorcycles, page #83

Moto blog

Motorcycle.com Weekly Community Round-up!

Here are a few things going on around the Motorcycle.com Forum Network: What the heck is this? HomerSaurus of the 1000RR.net forums had a bit of an accident on his Honda and wound up with this extra part leftover after rebuilding his bike. So what the heck is it?

Rossi vs. Schumacher

When I was a kid, my friends and I would always have this debate on who would be fastest in a race, Superman or the Flash. I always felt that the Flash would be faster because speed’s his thing. He wears a lightning bolt on his chest because he’s as fast as lightning.

Another Cruiser?

In a county gone mad with cruisers, from outrageous T.V. customs to 250cc Honda Rebels, the cruiser is the largest segment of the American motorcycle market. Interesting then, that despite a seeming glut in the cruiser supply, and receding sales figures from major OEMs in the past year, that new cruiser models keep coming.

Motorcycle.com Weekly Community Round-up

Here are a few things going on around the Motorcycle.com Forum Network: Do you use your rear brake?? Another double question mark post. mrcubes2u on the Ducati Monster forums asks if you ever use your rear brakes.

Honda to produce V4 in 2010

Honda announced at EICMA that they intend to introduce a new V4 motorcycle in 2010. Very few details about the new bike have been released, only that it will be powered by Honda’s iconic V4 engine configuration. The Japanese manufacturer is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its V4 engine.

EICMA 2008: First Impressions

I have had a little walk around checking out the preparations for the show. I haven’t seen anything that I haven’t already seen or heard about previously, but here’s a selection from three of the halls. Yamaha are the only manufacturer to use an industrial crane to place some of its bikes up on high rise stands.

A Weighty Issue

For as long as I can remember, motorcycle manufacturers have been playing fast and loose with regard to what they claim for the weight of their bikes. The “dry weights” they foisted upon us had little basis in reality. The “dry” part of that claim meant that listed weights on a spec chart were the result of all fluids being MIA from the bike, including necessities like engine oil, coolant and fork fluid (not to mention fuel), but even that didn’t fully explain the overly optimistic specs.

OEMs Plug into Electric Bikes

KTM introduced its prototype electric motorcycle earlier this week, and electric bike manufacturer Zero Motorcycles almost immediately responded by opening sales on its 2009 Zero X dirt bike (look for our review of the 2008 model next week!). But these two companies aren’t the only ones exploring the possibilities of electric-powered motorcycles. In September, Japan’s largest industrial information journal Nikkei Business Daily reported that both Honda and Yamaha have set target dates for launching their own electric-powered motorcycles.

Honda Likes to Dress Up

Who doesn’t love Halloween? Well my neighbor down the street who turns off all his lights and flips the sprinklers on for Halloween night doesn’t, but he’s a jerk. Honda was in a Halloween spirit when they came up with this ad campaign consisting of some of their rides “dressed” in ridiculous outfits.

“The Retriever” is Swedish for Tow Bike

The Honda GL1800 Goldwing may be a versatile vehicle, but a Sweden based company has developed theirs to be something much different; a recovery vehicle. According to their site, the process takes less than 90 seconds with a single operator using the handheld remote control. The bike can allegedly be driven like any other motorcycle when you are not towing a car behind you.