Motorcycleparts News

Assen MotoGP results

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 10:49:07 +0100

Today's Assen MotoGP saw a battle between Nicky Hayden (Honda) and Colin Edwards (Yamaha) end in victory for Hayden and tragedy for Edwards - a dramatic off-track excursion by Edwards in the final corner handed the win to Hayden, who had himself run off-track on the same lap. Second place went to Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano, while Dani Pedrosa (Honda) took third. Defending champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) finished eighth, still riding with a broken bone in his hand - but Rossi was topped by another injured rider, Marco Melandri (Honda), who took seventh barely a week after his horrific crash at Catalunya. Hayden's win extends his lead in the championship points race to 42 points over second-place Pedrosa.

For more info, results, and points, check out the Official MotoGP site. Next race Donnington Park, I will be there!

650 cc motorcyles the future?

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 10:41:15 +0100

According to a paper highlighted by the British Motorcycle Federation called "Reduction of Energy Use in Transport',this is the way the European comission are thinking. Their ideas are to restrict the size of motorcycle engines to 650cc, single cylinder and automatic transmission. We are clearly talking about Planet Brussles here, whee everyone is a beaurocrat, sitting around thinking up stupid studies to do. As far as the the automatic transmission is concerned, cars with automatic transmission are far less fuel efficient than normal cars, so why would it be different with motorcycles? The report states that motorcycles emit a lot of pollution and are inefficient on fuel . Being able to get where you want to go in a reasonable time frame through rush hour traffic was clearly not one of their considerations; they also do not take into account the strict Euro 3 emission standards imposed on motorcycles. Read more about the report here

Hopkins takes pole for Assen MotoGP

Sat, 24 Jun 2006 10:30:22 +0100

Hopkins gets pole 'out of the way', podium next.

After five years of trying, John Hopkins got his debut MotoGP pole position 'out of the way' on Friday at Assen - then promptly turned his attention to securing a debut podium in Saturday's race. The Rizla Suzuki rider had secured six front row starts during his MotoGP career, three of which came in the first eight races of this season, before finally taking his first pole position - which he took by edging out Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano by just 0.013secs in the dying moments of the one hour session. read the full report here

Big displacement Honda in the pipeline?

Sat, 24 Jun 2006 07:50:18 +0100

There is a rumour in the motorcycle industry that the guys at honda have finally dcided to do something about their big bike range. When Honda introduced the VTX1800 several years ago, it was the biggest bike around. at the time, a v-twin motorcycle this size in production at such a large volume was unheard of. Since the Kawasaki Vulcan 2000, and then the Triumph Rocket III (displacing roughly 2,300cc) has changed the playing field, cruiser enthusiasts no longer think of 1800cc cruisersas "big" Is Honda planning to do more than just catch up and introduce an even larger cruiser? The rumor is that this could happen . Honda supposedly has a range of new models ready for autumn launch. If there is such a bike being developed, and if it is intended as a 2007 model, we may see something as early as this September. Keep watching this space...

Kawasaki and women in motorcycling

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 15:44:31 +0100

If you are into Kawasaki motorcycles, you're a woman and can get to Athens Georgia next week, check out this conference from Kawasaki...

Join Kawasaki June 30 - July 2 in Athens, Georgia for the AMA/FIM International Women & Motorcycling Conference. As a participating sponsor and leader in motorcycle sales to women, Kawasaki is proud to support America’s women riders, with “confidence inspiring” products such as the Ninja 250 and the all-new critically acclaimed Ninja 650R. Demo Rides Escorted demo rides will be provided daily on a selection of Kawasaki streetbikes. Demo rides tend to fill up fast, so be sure to come early to sign-up! * All riders must have a valid motorcycle license, helmet and appropriate apparel for demo rides. Seminars Don’t miss “Inspire Me”, a seminar on turning your passion for motorcycling into a career path. Learn from the women who have done just that, including Kawasaki’s Public Relations Manager Jan Plessner. Please check your conference schedule for all seminar times and locations.

June 30 - July 2, 2006 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Event
Location: The Classic Center 300 N. Thomas Street Athens, Georgia
To register for the AMA/FIM International Women Motorcycling Conference please visit womenandmotorcycling.com For more information, please visit: kawasaki.com

Kawasaki are one of the sponsors, but whatever bike you are into it should be an enjoyable informative conference.

Motorcycle Daily reviews the Avon Viper Sport Motorcycle Tire

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 07:47:09 +0100

Sportbike tires from Avon have been almost absent from the mindset of the U.S. sportbike tire buyer's range of choices; I think if you asked most motorcycle riders, the company's image would be more with sport touring and touring motorcycles.
This reaction is to be expected, when you consider successful foray Avonmotorcycle tires had;in the world of motorcycle competition was 1963 a bit before my time, snd most other ridersI suspect! You can read more about Avon motorcycle tires on my web pages, but basically Avon has been churning out car tires since 1885, and motorcycle tires since 1911. In 1997, Avon was acquired by Cooper Tire & Rubber, which gave Avon access to new, high tech design and development facilities. In 2000, Avon brought out the Azaro series, a radial tire meant to combine high grip and low wear characteristics, but it never quite captured the imagination of U.S. sportbike riders. Will things change with the brand new Viper Sport? Check out this excellent review by Willy Ivins here

Motorcycle Tires Manufacturer taks a slice of humble pie...

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 09:17:19 +0100

This is old news, but I had to include it in here as I thought it was quite funny.
Michelin apologises to Rossi, Yamaha.
"After conducting a detailed analysis of the front tyre problem that forced MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi to retire from the Chinese Grand Prix on May 14, Michelin has publicly apologised to the Italian and his Camel Yamaha team.Rossi had charged from 13th on the Shanghai grid to fifth - and looked set to take a podium finish - when a chunk of rubber was suddenly thrown from the front tyre of his YZR-M1 on lap 16 of 22, destroying the fender and leaving The Doctor with a severe vibration. The #46 rode on for another lap before being forced to pit for a tyre change. Unfortunately, both Rossi and his team assumed it was the rear tyre which needed replacing and the error was only spotted when Valentino exited the pits. Rossi was thus forced to retire, but even if the correct tyre had been changed, the Italian would have been lucky to score points."
So you gget millions in sponsorship from one of the leading motorcycle tires companies in the world, pay thousands to pit mechanics to cater for your every whim, but you cant find anyone who knows the difference between a front motorcycle tire and a back motorcycle tire? I have a little aide memoire I like to use to help remind me which is which - the front motorcycle tire is usually the one underneath the handlebars....
...now dont ask me to explain what the handlebars do....

Triumph motorcycles boss honoured

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 21:00:05 +0100

Honour for Triumph boss Triumph owner John Bloor will be awarded an honorary degree by the University of Leicester on July 13, 2006. Bloor will be awarded the honarary degree of Doctor of Laws for his contributions and achievements in resurrecting the Triumph motocycle brand, based at Hinckley in Leicestershire.
The degree will be awarded in a ceremony at De Montfort Hall, Leicester. Alongside Bloor will be Lord Attenborough and Sir David Attenborough, who will both be awarded the title of Distinguished Honorary Fellow. Read the original article.

BMW Entering MotoGP?

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 22:45:15 +0100

There have been some spy shots of Jeremy McWilliams riding a prototype BMW roadracer. These have fueled speculation that BMW will enter MotoGP. Now, some clear photos have emerged showing an FIM-spec transmitter antenna on the back of a finished, BMW bike in racing livery piloted by McWilliams in Spain. BMW is ready! When will we see BMW on the MotoGP grid first? All the indicators suggest it will be happening this year, and perhaps as early as BMW's home race in Germany on July 16. Its too much to expect race wins (or even podiums) right away. If BMW do race, they will most likely use this year for development, and would hire a top rider or two for a serious push at titles in 2007.

Rossi finishes top of leaderboard in second round practice in Barcelona.

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 18:09:47 +0100

MotoGP: Rossi fastest Valentino Rossi has gone fastest in the second free practice session for the Catalunya GP, with a time of 1:42.837 on his Yamaha.

The reigning champion pushed the leader of the first practice, Kenny Roberts, to second on the time sheet as the American couldn't improve on his earlier time. Dani Pedrosa stayed third fastest on the Honda, but the biggest improvement was Chris Vermeulen who moved to fourth quickest on his Suzuki. Britain's James Ellison also improved, lapping faster than the two Ducati riders Alex Hoffman and Jose Luis Cardoso.