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Taliban Magazine Condemns America but Praises Honda

Manufacturers are usually glad to hear positive reviews of their products, but we’ve got a feeling Honda is not happy about the ringing endorsement it received from the latest issue of the Taliban-published magazine “Azan“. The English-language magazine is a pro-Jihadist quarterly; pure propaganda designed to recruit impressionable and disillusioned Muslims in the West. It’s somewhat jarring then to find buried within the radical rhetoric a full page spread on a 125cc Honda as one of the Taliban’s “Steeds of War”.

Honda Zoomer X Prototype – New Ruckus Concept Revealed in Thailand

Honda Thailand unveiled a new prototype at the 2012 Bangkok International Motor Show showcasing the next generation of the Ruckus scooter. Known as the Zoomer in other markets, the Honda Ruckus is probably best known for its non-traditional scooter styling, with the usual tiny tires and wasp-like body replaced by a fat rubbers and exposed tube frame. The Honda Zoomer X maintains the original’s rugged-looking tires but instead of the exposed tubes, the Zoomer X has a boxy-looking structure, though like the original the space under the seat is exposed to the elements, so if you want to store something there you might have to break out the bungee cords.

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!