The Pagani Zonda has earned a reputation as one of the most exotic supercars on the planet, and with that designation, it has likewise given birth to some pretty amazing special edition models.
One Zonda model that has captured our attention in the past is the Zonda Cinque, a powerhouse of a supercar that comes with an AMG-sourced 7.3-iter V12 engine that produces north of 680 horsepower with a 0-62 mph time of 3.4 seconds and a 0-124 mph time of just 9.6 seconds.
As it turns out, there’s plenty more about the Zonda Cinque than we previously thought. Here, ladies and gentlemen, is arguably one of the rarest motorcycles on the planet, a custom-built Pagani Zonda Cinque bike.
You read that right, the Zonda Cinque has a two-wheeled offspring. We don’t have details as to what kind of drivetrain this special edition bike has, but we do know that there are only five of these bad boys in existence, which adds to the exclusivity since there’s no word as to whether the other are still around.
Motorcycle fans are just about whetting their appetites now and we certainly can’t blame them. If e saw one of these babies out on the streets, we’d be reaching for some napkins too.
Honda UK has announced the special Sports Package for the 2011 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade. The new package will be available until the end of 2011 and will be offered for both standard and ABS-equipped versions. It will be priced at £599 for the ABS pack and £699 for the standard pack.
The Sport Pack includes a higher screen, seat cowl, Akrapovic exhaust, a bike cover, and a rear tire hugger for the non ABS model. The model will be available with a new HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) tricolor version that includes a stunning gold trim, white wheels, front and rear fenders, and HRC stickers on the middle and upper front cowl. Customers interested can also order a special Graphite Black version with black wheels.
The company has described the new model as follows: "It places a firm emphasis on the clean lines of the bodywork which contrast strongly with the silver colored frame."
Husqvarna finally broke the covers off of the highly-anticipated Nuda 900R streetbike, giving us the first glimpse of the machine that will go toe-to-toe with the likes of the Yamaha FZ8, the Suzuki GSR 750, and the Kawasaki Z750R.
Aesthetically speaking, the 900R has been designed with a red-black-white scheme that also features an angular design that is then complemented by a streamlined tail. Despite the impressive look of the bike, it seems that the product is still far from finished with further improvements set to be done before the final product rolls out of the plant.
As for the powertrain, the Nuda 900R will be powered by a modified version of the BMW 900cc parallel twin-cylinder engine, which is light enough to not compromise the bike’s 175 kg weight. Husqvarna left out the official output figures for the 900R, but word has it that it will be well north of 100 horsepower, giving it enough juice to take on some of the industry’s sportsbike heavyweights.
Pricing for the bike is also still unknown, but expect it to be revealed in the coming months, with the most likely setting being the EICMA Show this November in Milan.
There’s a saying that records are always meant to be broken and Bill Warner recently proved that in scintillating fashion.
With a high-powered Suzuki motorcycle, the resident of Wimauma, Florida used the Loring Timing Association Land Speed Race as the site of his record-breaking run, becoming the fastest man on a motorcycle with a top speed of 311.945 mph.
What’s more impressive than Warner breaking the record at such a sprightly age is the fact that he completely blew away the existing record of 273.356 mph with relative ease.
The event was organized to host a number of record-setting attempts, but none came in a more convincing fashion than the way Warner blew past the existing mark, even if the attempt brought some certifiable danger to it. It certainly goes without saying that breaking 300 mph on a motorcycle presents certain dangers, including the ability to keep the bike in control at such high speeds. "The bike was bouncing, hopping, skipping and sliding," Warner said. "Needless to say, I got it stopped safely. It was a little scary."
Congratulations to Warner for his record-setting achievement. Just goes to show that with a lot of hard work, coupled with some luck, any record can be broken on any given day.
The Aprilia RSV4 has raced and been compared to a number of different things over the years so it’s a little refreshing that for a change, Aprilia USA is taking its competitive juices aside to pay tribute to the the of man’s greatest technological achievement: the space shuttle.
When the first shuttle mission launched back in 1981, it opened the gates for a golden age in technological advancements that coursed through various industries, including the automotive and motorcycle segments. The space shuttle program made so many things possible in this world and opened our eyes to a world full of never-before-though-of possibilities.
Now that the space shuttle is nearing its end, the folks over at Aprilia USA have released a pretty cool video paying tribute to the space shuttle program and all the men and women responsible for designing, building, and operating the very machine that made space travel possible.
As part of the video, Aprilia uses facts from both the space shuttle and their very own RSV4 superbike to note how the former set the precedent - in more ways than one - for the latter, and so many other machines, to become the technological marvels that they are in their own right.
It’s not so much a comparison video this time around for the RSV4, but more of Aprilia tipping their helmets off to one of mankind’s finest achievements as it makes its final voyage into the cosmos.
