One of the biggest legends in motorcycle history is Arlene Ness. Ness started off by painting motorcycles as a way to make more money. It didn’t take long for Ness to grow attached to the bikes that he worked on and to study how they worked. Over time he had the knowledge and the reputation to begin his own parts company for bikes and he grew to be one of the best.
BMW has finally revealed their new S 1000 RR race bike - which will be released next year. Hendrik von Kenney - General Director of BMW Motored - has stated that they will be building 1,000 units of the new model.
We have seen many different types of motorcycles in our lifetime. Some of them have been full of power and the design that exudes toughness. Then there are others that we wish could have stayed in the concept stage. Many of us have probably wondered what it would be like if one of the top automakers were to create their very own bike?
Honda is closing down their manufacturing plant in Marysville, Ohio and will be relocating it and the Hamamatsu plant in Japan to the brand new motorcycle plant in Kumamoto. This will cease all production of Honda motorcycles in the U.S. – which will begin next year.
The Marysville plant produced 44,000 Gold Wing and VTX models. Usually with a change like this we would expect to see hundreds of layoffs. However, Honda is providing for their employees and will be relocating them to the different Honda businesses located around the entire state of Ohio.
Airstream is known for hiring the infamous Orange County Choppers to customize their bikes. It seems though that they are switching sides and have hired out Jesse James and his crew from the West Coast Choppers.
Airstream wants the custom bike ready to debut at the 2008 Legend of the Motorcycle Show – which will be on May 3rd. This will be Jesse’s second time at releasing a new bike at this particular show.
Honda has decided that the best way to create a unique and attractive motorcycle is to make it ‘retro’ Honda has designed the new CB1100F is based on the CB motorcycle from the 1970’s. They are hoping that this new design will ‘revolutionize the sporting bike game’ and take people by storm.
The CB1100F’s air-cooled engine, skinny “right-side-up” fork and dual shocks are carry-over pieces from the original design. Of course, that’s why it looks retro and why many people would likely run to their nearest Honda dealership to place their orders.
Ducati has unleashed their new KTM RC8 – which being dubbed a Superbike by anyone who rides it and even looks at it. The new RC8 has V-twin engines of around 150 horsepower (can we say power).
This bike has a tough exterior with sharp edged styling – which is common of most KTM’s sportbikes. The RC8 features a new 75 degree V-Twin engine displacing 1148cc’s, making 155 horsepower. That’s class-competitive, although the bike is a bit of a porker at 414 lbs.
If there is one thing that we are looking forward to this year it would be the debut of the all-electric superbike from Vectrix, which is said to come to us November 6th in Milan at the 2007 Eicma show. If the technology used in the bike is the same as what was used in the Vectrix scooter than you can expect to see regenerative braking by simply rolling the throttle backwards.
The Suzuki GSX 1400 is a true bike that is a pleasure to drive and is by far not lightweight. The best things that this bike offers to its riders are the well-suspended package that has good brakes, a unique look, and great up-right riding position.
BMW Motorrad is constantly thinking of different ways of protecting its riders. They have introduced its new neck Brace System, which is designed to help protect the spinal cord from injury in the event of an accident. It’s usable with any helmet, and the way it works is quite simple and easy for anyone to use. The rider places the carbon fiber, Kevlar, and fiberglass brace around his or her neck and then secures it using a pair of fasteners mounted to its side.
