Kawasaki Vulcan Motorcycles in McDonough, page #24

Moto blog

Kawasaki Reports 2012-2013 Results

Kawasaki Heavy Industries reported a 7.1% increase in net sales from its Motorcycle and Engine business for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. The bump in sales resulted in the division’s first year-end profit since the 2007-2008 fiscal year. The Motorcycle and Engine division, which includes Kawasaki‘s ATVs, UTVs, personal watercraft and general purpose engines, generated 251.8 billion yen (US$2.462 billion) in sales revenue, up from 235.2 billion yen reported the previous fiscal year.

WSBK 2013: Monza Race Report

Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri split a pair of victories at Monza but the most biggest news from the World Superbike weekend was a strange series of appeals after Race Two that saw Tom Sykes finish third, relegated to fourth and then reinstated on the final step of the podium. The unusual mix-up occurred after Sykes, sitting in third place, ran off track and into the run off area on Turn 5 on his final lap. The Kawasaki rider returned to the track again in third place where he finished ahead of Aprilia‘s Sylvain Guintoli.

Brammo Earns Seventh Place Against Gas Bikes

This past weekend, Brammo arrived to Sonoma Raceway in Central California ready to do battle. Only this time the electric sportbike manufacturer would be trading blows not with other electric bikes, but with their ICE counterparts at the second round of the American Federation of Motorcyclists series — one of the oldest club racing organizations in the country. We recently mentioned Brammo’s eligibility with AFM, and this weekend was the first outing. Team Icon Brammo and its two riders Eric Bostrom and Steve Atlas competed on the Empulse RR machines while third rider, Shelina Moreda, rode the Team Parker Brammo Empulse TTX — a modified version of the road-legal Empulse.

WSBK 2013: Assen Race Report

Tom Sykes earned his first win of the 2013 season and came a hair short of a double victory at the World Superbike Championship round at Assen in the Netherlands. Traditionally a fast starter and qualifier, Sykes started on the pole once again at Assen and had strong starts in both races. But unlike the first two rounds where he started strong before fading, the Kawasaki factory rider was able to remain at the front in both races at Assen and earn some valuable championship points.

2013 AMA Supercross Salt Lake City Race Report

Monster Energy Kawasaki racer Ryan Villopoto demonstrated once again he is a the top of his sport, clinching his third-consecutive AMA Supercross championship. Villopoto cemented his title with a win in front of 43,149 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, his ninth main event victory of the season and 33rd in his career. Though he led every lap, Villopoto didn’t have as easy a time in Salt Lake City as he has had in some races this season.

ABS Option Coming for 2014 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Classic, Nomad and Vaquero

Anti-lock brake technology has become fairly commonplace for motorcycles now, and it sometimes comes as a bit of a surprise when a major manufacturer does not offer ABS as an option on certain models. The European Parliament making ABS mandatory by 2016 has helped push things along, as manufacturers work to equip their models with the technology ahead of the deadline, not just for the European market but also for other markets including the U.S. New documents released by the California Air Resources Board reveal Kawasaki will offer an ABS version for its 2014 Vulcan 1700 cruisers and tourers for American consumers.

2013 AMA Supercross Minneapolis Race Report

Hometown hero Ryan Dungey put a stop to Ryan Villopoto‘s winning streak, taking the victory before 48,846 supportive fans at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn. The Red Bull KTM rider from nearby Belle Plaine, Minn., stalked Monster Energy Kawasaki‘s Villopoto for most of the race before taking the lead and winning the 20-lap race by just 0.903 seconds. The win put Dungey into second place in the standings ahead of Rockstar Suzuki‘s Davi Millsaps and perhaps more importantly, cut away at Villopoto’s points lead.

WSBK 2013: Aragon Race Report

BMW Motorrad Goldbet racer Chaz Davies scored his first career World Superbike double victory, taking both races at Spain’s Aragon circuit. The wins were the second and third of Davies’ WSBK career (the first came last year at Nurburgring for the ParkinGo Aprilia team) and the second ever double in the series for BMW. The Welsh rider and former AMA Pro Racing competitor has had some success at Aragon, getting his first career WSBK podium at the Spanish track in 2012.

AMA Pro Racing Announces Basic Twins Flat Track Class for 2014 Season

AMA Pro Racing announced a new class for Flat Track racing designed to provide a new stepping stone for up-and-coming Pro-licensed racers, replacing the Pro Singles class in 2014. The new class, to be called Basic Twins, is more or less a revival of the Basic Expert Twins division that ran during the 2007 and 2008 seasons, but dropped when the Pro Singles class was introduced for 2009. The new class will give young racers a chance to showcase their skills on Twins, easing their transition to eventually enter the Grand National Expert Twins class.

Kawasaki a Winner at New York Festivals World’s Best Television & Film Awards

Kawasaki received four awards including gold medals for Best Venue and Best Cinematography at the New York Festivals International Television & Film Awards for ads featuring the Ninja ZX-6R (636) and the Z800. The New York Festivals have been celebrating the best in television and films for 55 years. This year’s awards, announced at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas, awarded 119 gold medals, 145 silver medals, 10 bronze medals and 327 finalist certificates for entries representing 50 different countries.