Honda Shadow Motorcycles in Peoria, page #63

Moto blog

2012 Honda Fireblade and NC700X launch

I'm chucking a few essential items into my massive stuffa bag, ready to go to Portimao tomorrow for the International launch of not just the Honda NC700X but also the new Fireblade, too. You couldn't fathom two bikes at further ends of the scale. One all about performance and speed, the other about user-friendliness and thrift.

Remember push starts?

Alongside the most stunning collection of race and road bikes at their Motegi museum, next to some race bikes, Honda also has a step by step guide on most aspects of riding. I photographed the wonderful text on push starting but I also have lots of equally hilarious instructions on cornering braking and even what a riders goal should be. Watch this space...... oh, and hopefully see you at the NEC over the next ten days!  

San Carlo Gresini To Field CRT Entry with Honda CBR1000RR Engine

The San Carlo Gresini race team announced it will compete in the 2012 MotoGP World Championship as a Claiming Rules Team with a Honda CBR1000RR engine in an FTR prototype chassis. The move is a late, but unfortunately necessary change from the team’s original plan to run the factory-level Honda RC213V racebike. The late Marco Simoncelli was tabbed to ride the newest version of Honda’s MotoGP machine next season, but after his tragic death, Gresini had to find another option if it wanted to continue racing.

Top 10 EICMA Show Bikes You May Have Missed

Interesting motorcycles you probably didn't see1 of 11Next Last There’s no cave deep, mountain high or rock heavy enough to have thwarted news of Ducati’s 1199 Panigale superbike launch at the 2012 EICMA show in Milan, Italy. And a few models such as Honda’s NC700S and X, Kawasaki’s Versys 1000 and CRP’s Energica were unveiled without heavy prior fanfare, but gasps of surprise weren’t heard when the wraps were taken off Triumph’s Tiger 1200 Explorer, Husqvarna’s Nuda or MV Augusta’s F3 675 among others, whose existences were revealed months in advance of the show. What we’ve comprised below is our list Top 10 Bikes unveiled at EICMA that didn’t receive top billing but are certainly worthy of your attention.

The future. But we can't have it

It's no secret that we motorcyclists are getting older. We're ageing because less people are passing their bike test each year (roughly 30,000 last year compared to 50,000 for the 10 years before the new two-part test) and so not only is the pool not growing it's not even being replenished and so the average age isn't being diluted down by yoof. When the going gets tough in any situation, you really get to see who's got their shit-sorted and who's light enough on their feet to adapt to change.

Honda to Unveil Electric Sportbike Concept at Tokyo Motor Show

Honda is set to unveil seven electric-powered concept vehicles at the upcoming 42nd Tokyo Motor Show, including a sportbike that has piqued our interest. According to Honda, the RC-E concept is a version of a sportbike that “pursues the joy of riding.” Honda says the RC-E will offer a powerful and smooth ride unique to an EV model and features a 250cc-class compact body. We’ll provide more details of the RC-E concept as they become available.

Honda Recalls Small Number of the 2010 NT700 for Incorrect Tire Specs Label

  On October 27, 2011, Honda filed a recall campaign with the NHTSA (campaign ID number: 11V526000) involving the 2010 model-year NT700. The recall is for a swingarm-mounted label that displays incorrect tire size and inflation information. The 120 affected models were manufactured Nov.

How do 1000s compare to the 800s

Now MotoGP has completed its transformation from 800 to 1000cc, how do the lap times between the different bikes compare using Valencia and the post-season test as a benchmark.. Yesterday, Dani Pedrosa was the quickest 1000 on his Honda RC213V setting a time of 1:32.186. To find the quickest time from the outgoing 800 era you have to look at his current Repsol Honda team-mate, Casey Stoner, but it wasn't set on a Honda.

2012 Honda VFR1200F Returns With Some New Features

When Honda first introduced the VFR1200F late in 2009, Editor Duke was an instant believer in the machine’s capabilities. It blurred the line between sportbike and tourer, and the addition of a true dual-clutch transmission that actually works was truly a surprise. Honda is bringing the VFR back for 2012, much to our pleasure, and thankfully the company has spent the past two years developing some subtle but significant changes to it.

Honda Announces More New-Model Releases For 2012

Lost in all the hoopla surrounding the new models being released at EICMA this week, Honda has announced details about a few more models in its 2012 lineup: the CB1000R, CBR250R, Silver Wing scooter and the Ruckus, along with the cutting-edge VFR1200F that receives an infusion of impressive new technology for 2012 (which we’ll highlight in a separate blog entry). All of which are returning models from 2011. Pricing is yet to be determined.