Honda CL Motorcycles in Illinois, page #58

Moto blog

Honda Tuner Mugen Motorsports to Enter 2012 TT Zero Electric Race at Isle of Man

Engine tuning company Mugen Motorsports announced it will compete in the TT Zero electric motorcycle race at the 2012 Isle of Man TT. Though not officially a Honda company,Mugen was founded by Hirotoshi Honda, son of Honda founder Soichiro Honda, and the company is best known for its work as an engine tuner and parts maker for Honda vehicles. The Mugen entry to the TT Zero represents possibly the closest connection so far between a traditional motorcycle OEM and the relatively new realm of electric motorcycle racing.

Tested: Mick Extance Trials School

When it’s minus nine outside, riding motorbikes should be the last thing on any sane person’s mind. Riding them off-road, nearly two thousand feet above sea level seems even more stoopid. But that’s where I was a week last Saturday.

AMA Supercross: 2012 San Diego Results

Ryan Villopoto captured his second straight victory, winning the San Diego round of the 2012 AMA Supercross championship. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider now has three wins on the season, two more than anyone else, but his hold on the championship points lead has only increased to six points. Villopoto took the lead on the second lap of the main event after overtaking Brett Metcalfe of Yoshimura Suzuki who took the holeshot, with Villopoto‘s teammate Jake Weimer also in the lead group.

The bike whisperer...

We've all been there. The frustration caused when your pride and joy isn't working can cause beautiful relationships to instantly turn frosty. I once spent half an hour in the rain trying to bump start my bike once, before actually checking the kill switch.

Help settle an argument

I'm happy to admit that I'm a little bit different; I believe that brown is an underused colour in motorcycling and we need to move on from custom café racers and introduce a dustbin fairing craze - you know I'm right. So, as Ben Cope - known around the Visordown office for being rather stubborn - and I were looking over various scooters on the 'net we uncovered the above machine, Honda's Big Ruckus 250. Instantly I thought that the Big Ruckus was absolutely cool, whereas Ben likened it to a 'mobility scooter'.

AMA Supercross: 2012 Anaheim II Results

The 2012 AMA Supercross season is shaping up to be a tight one, with four racers and former champions healthy and jockeying for position on top of the points standings. Ryan Villopoto, Chad Reed, Ryan Dungey and James Stewart have all claimed wins in the first four rounds. After the second Anaheim round, the four contenders, representing four different manufacturers, are separated by just 13 points.

Stoner Blows Away Competition on Final Day of MotoGP Sepang Test

To be the man, you have to beat the man, and after the final day of MotoGP’s pre-season test in Malaysia, Repsol Honda‘s Casey Stoner continues to be the man. The reigning MotoGP World Champion didn’t let lingering soreness from the back problems that sidelined him for the first day of testing at Sepang slow him down. On just his second of 21 laps on the final day, Stoner set a blistering lap time of 1:59.607, besting second-fastest rider Jorge Lorenzo by 0.591 seconds.While there’s still some room for improvement to be found his Honda RC213V, Stoner will turn things over to the engineers and fly back home to Switzerland to his wife Adriana for the birth of their first child.

Pit Biking; good clean fun for all the family

If you haven’t tried Pit Biking yet, you’re missing out on some incredible fun, and it won’t break the bank. The majority of pit bikes are of Chinese origin and I guess, are best described as modern day monkey bikes. Yes Chinese, and I’ve witnessed them being thrashed round all day long without missing a beat, so Jonny Wong and co. are finally getting there on quality and reliability!  Although Pit Bikes are designed for off road use, an extra few hundred quid spent on matching up wheels, fitting tarmac tyres and some crash protection will mean you’re track ready for a total of around £600.

Rossi Makes Progress but Hayden Suffers Shoulder Setback

Ducati continues to develop its Desmosedici GP12 MotoGP race bike, setting modest goals while trying to establish a good setup. Already trailing the other factory teams in development time for its race prototypes, Ducati continued to try to find good base settings for the GP12. Valentino Rossi achieved the team’s goal of lapping under two minutes and two seconds with a time of 2:01.886 while completing 44 laps on the second day of testing at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit.

Spies Second at Sepang Test Day Two; Lorenzo Third

Yamaha factory rider Ben Spies led for most to the second day of MotoGP testing at Sepang before settling for the second best lap the time sheets behind defending World Champion Casey Stoner. Spies rode 37 laps and recorded a time of 2:01.052, which stood as the fastest lap in the morning session. That time was surpassed later in the afternoon by Repsol Honda rider Stoner by 0.157 seconds.