Yamaha YZ 1964 Motorcycles, page #61

Moto blog

An Island tour with a legend

What you are watching is a highlight of Mike Hailwood's segment from the racing documentary Take it to the Limit - A Motorcycle Odyssey. The Yamaha - built by the extraordinary Kel Carruthers - that Hailwood is riding in the clip featured a unique frame with the camera housed within. The voice-over recording provided by Hailwood was done by taping a small mic to the bottom of his lip so he could dictate his guide to the 37.73 mile route.

Niall Mackenzie Blog number 3

This picture of me chasing Foggy on the Daytona banking in 1991 brought back some bitter sweet memories recently. I did half a season as his team mate on the Silkolene RC30s before scurrying off to Japan to ride a factory Yamaha Superbike. I’ve never been a quitter but I felt the team that year was gear stretched running two riders so it was a case of last in first out.

You want a nice little car, you do.

We ran a couple of stories last week - both, coincidentally, about new Kawasakis. One was the first peek of the new ZX10R – hot stuff you’d imagine – the other, the new W800 retro parallel twin. I suppose it shouldn’t have shocked us, which story was most popular in terms of hits but it really does mark a seismic shifts in British biking attitudes that the W800 story doubled the hits of the ZX10 piece.

The horrendous reality of restoring a 'classic'

It was with much excitement – displaced or not – that my freshly rebuilt 1976 SR500 Yamaha fired into life at the second kick this weekend. I say second kick. It was actually the thirty second kick – thirty of those spent frothing up a heady sweat until I realised the main fuel pipe was kinked to buggery.

Yamaha 350LC ProAm, Mallory Park 1981

So Kenny Roberts Jnr think traction control is ruining racing? Having watched this 1981 ProAm race from Mallory Park, I'm forced to agree. Racing should be a spectacle.

And it's goodbye from him

THIS IS Valentino Rossi's farewell letter to his Fiat Yamaha team following the announcement the flambouyant Italian is to head to Ducati MotoGP in 2011.The hand-written letter, mistakes and all, is written in almost a 'my first romance' kinda way. It's touching, if a little bizarre. Some of the letter reads:“Unfortunately even the most beautiful love stories finish, but they leave a lot of wonderful memories, like when my M1 and I kissed for the first time on the grass at Welkom, when she looked straight in my eyes and told me ‘I love you!'"Somehow, we can't see Casey Stoner gushing quite as freely when he leaves Ducati for Repsol Honda.

Massive clearance sale, Sunday 15th August

WE KNOW IT'S last minute notice but Brackely Yamaha have gone bust and PB Motorsport Ltd have bought their entire stock and are having a one day sale tomorrow, Sunday 15 August 2010.   The address is:Brackley Yamaha LtdShires RoadBrackleyNorthamptonshireNN13 7EZ The sale will be on from 12.00pm - 2.00pm only. PBM are giving massive reductions to Visordown readers and members on all items in the sale.  We are offering 33% off everything in stock apart from Arai & Shoei Helmets which we are discounting by £100.00 off the RRP price. There are huge amounts of clothing, helmets and accessories from top brands such as  Arai, Shoei, Dainese, Spidi, Yamaha, Wolf, On Fire, Sidi, RGV, Rukka, RST, Schuberth, Draggin Jeans, Spada, Bering, Oxford Luggage and Motrax.Get along and pick up a bargain.

Scream if you want to go faster

FANCY AN ex-Carl Fogarty Harris Yamaha YZR500? A rare chance to acquire the machine ridden by King Carl in the 1992 British Grand Prix has come up on eBay. It's a V4 screamer, recently restored by 500cc guru Nigel Everett and features a host of top notch accessories, including Marchesini wheels, 320mm carbon discs and AP six-pot calipers, to name just a few.

Motogpnews.com. A blatant but worthwhile plug

This story was published by our friends on motogpnews.com. It's not supposed to be serious: Fiat Yamaha application form Now you can take Rossi's space The expected departure of Vale46 ™ "Fack"© Rossi from the Fiat Yamaha team at the end of the season leaves a dwarf star sized hole in the motogp stratosphere. Popular opinion places Ben Spies firmly in the saddle of the ex-yellow liveried M1, but MGPN can exclusively revel that Yamaha big bosses are worried that Ben doesn't possess the necessary character traits to step up into the role.

The Japanese oddity to naming teams

Whenever the calendar shifts to a major Japanese race, such as the Suzuka 8hr, one of the more amusing things to do is glance down the team sheet This years highlight for me has to be team Moto Bum, with other stand outs including aprilia D.D.BOYS, Team Etching Factory Yamaha and MITO MOTO & e'freaks Honda. Looking back through the ages some of the great Japanese team names have been Burning Blood Racing Team, Dog Fight Racing and Team Moto Space amongst others. Credit to a member of the Twitterati @temalive