We barely finished writing about MCN’s rendering regarding the 2010 Honda VFR1200 and about the fact that this innovative late creation has recently been spotted testing and we now came across the leaked official pictures, that were originally obtained also by MCN.
Looking at the bike now and given the fact that it is expected to benefit of around 200bhp, we’re starting to consider it worthy for the battle with the Suzuki Hayabusa too, despite the fact that it features a comfier riding position and shaft drive.
Honda is expected to officially launch the 2010 VFR1200 this fall and start selling it next spring. We can’t wait until we see it for real.
MCN today published what’s most likely the year’s biggest leakage, the new 1200cc Honda V4 model, the bike that will replace the current VFR800 but also fill in the gap left by the disappearance of the CBR 1100 XX model.
Although Honda is in full process of probing potential buyers regarding the design and characteristics of this new concept, the British journalists unveil at least one of the final versions derived from it.
As seen, the new Honda sport tourer is built in strict accordance with the original V4 concept, which was unveiled at last year’s Intermot Show in Cologne.
While the technical details are yet to be revealed, the new engine is supposed to benefit of a revolutionary technology that is capable to stop the rear cylinders from working, allowing the V4 to run using only the front cylinders, dramatically reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
leftlanenews.com presents various spy shots of the new Honda model, which confirm MCN’s rendering. We can’t help noticing the more than decent wheelbase, the spacious seat, single-sided shaft drive and the unique shape of the headlight. Considering the powerful V4 motor, Honda’s latest creation stands all the chances to compete with the BMW K 1300 S.
It’s funny how a good looking chick can attract you attention and you end up writing a post about the bike that she’s sitting on. That’s the case here and, yes, you can put that blame on me!
This is actually a 2003 Ducati 749 that ended up in the right hands in 2004. The owner, which ’…can never leave anything stock’, then started to lower, lengthen and garnish the bike, leaving us wondering if we’d choose between it and the “other” attraction point in the pictures.
But let’s check out some details here. First of all, there’s the stretched swingarm, custom-built exhaust and the spoked wheels. These are features that we simply can’t get over, so we’ll leave the owner do the talking from here: ‘I wanted to go for an old school look, so we sprayed it hot rod black with solid red flake scallops, equipped with red and white pin stripes all around. I also designed a nice air ride kit for it, along with some carbon pieces and custom side-mount exhaust. For some this would be enough, but when things snowball around here, it never stops! I ended up making a one-off, 14 over aluminum tubular swingarm to house a custom fat spoked rim. We went with ‘Ride Wright Fat 50’ 18-inch wheels, with a 300 in the back, chrome spokes with black rims’.
By what we can see when we’re not looking at that hot chick (damn, these guys were inspired!) the riding position is similar to that of a drag bike, so let’s just hope that the adrenaline rush is similar too.
Ducati’s 2009 SportClassic lineup features what can be presented as a café racer fitted with a classic style half fairing. Still, the bike is as modern as Ducatis get nowadays and this makes it a modern classic on which we were eager to jump. We did so and came across the best power-to-weight ratio of the category as well as over the refreshed, but still unique riding characteristics of a café racer.
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Honda’s Senior Managing Director Shigeru Takagi told MCN that the much-awaited Honda V4 will be unveiled this autumn and see dealerships in spring 2010. Also, while celebrating Honda’s 50 years of racing at the Isle of Man TT, Honda boss referred to the bike as being a “new breed of Honda”.
Takagi said: “We really believe we can develop a new era starting with this V4-powered machine. It is just the beginning and represents a new breed of Honda which will define Honda’s own taste and styling.
“This bike will be the perfect road machine that Honda customers have called for. It will be an epoch-making machine and more bikes from the V4 platform are possible.
“We know people think this bike is going to be a replacement for the VFR800 and the Blackbird but we do not see this bike as a replacement for anything. We see it as an all-new breed of machine, something very special.”
“The finished V4-powered machine will be seen in autumn 2009. The bike will be on sale in spring 2010.
"The bike is different to the concept shown for the first time at Milan in 2009 but the link between them is very clear to see.”
This is a very plausible concept that could enlarge BMW’s middleweight lineup in the future.
Based on the 800cc parallel-twin engine powering both models in the F800 range (the F800GS and F800R), the BMW HP2-800S was sketched by industrial designer Roberto Redaelli in strict accordance with BMW’s demands.
Apart from the 90bhp engine, the HP2 800S would use a lightweight aluminum frame and carbon-fiber bodywork. Overall weight is supposed to be of 385.8 pounds.
We have to admit that this concept looks very interesting and it stands honest chances to become reality given the fact that the most important aspects prior to production have been realistically thought at.
When Ducati set out to built the sport-touring Multistrada 1100 model they did it with top notch engineering, refinement and, most of all, style. As a 2009 model year, this represents the Italian way of building a bike that would prove efficient on the way to and from work during the first five days of the week and great fun during weekend trips as well.
Not only that, but Ducati also offers the “S” Multistrada 1100 model, which is no more or less than an upgraded model with performance suspensions and even carbon fiber insertions.
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Last autumn in Paris Suzuki unveiled its latest entry-level motorcycle entitled the Gladius 650. Basically a refined SV650, but, for the European crowd, a whole new kind of riding excitement, the new bike sits on the thin line between impressive performance and awesome styling.
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If there’s one thing any law enforcement officer needs to know, abusing your power can sometimes lead to your victims fighting back.
That’s the predicament highway patrol officers in Upstate New York now find themselves in after a motorcyclist named Mitchell Proner – who also happens to be a personal injury attorney – sued the New York State Police and the New York State and county authorities over what he claims to be the "misuse of safety inspections to delay and harass motorcyclists without any reasonable belief that any laws are being broken."
We don’t exactly know how many times Proner himself has been pulled by the fuzz, but it must have been enough to light a hot enough fire under him to go after these guys.
Continued after the jump.
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Because Marines and militaries in general use public roads and motorcycles on which they don’t have much experience (sport bikes) to go in search of an adrenaline rush similar to that experienced as soldiers, the US Marine Corp has launched what is called “Semper Ride”, an educational program that consists in a very interesting film containing an overall responsible riding theme, instructional material, and mentoring from some of the motorcycle industry’s most talented riders.
We’ve added the promotional videos of the actual film because this last is for the moment watched in military bases only.
See the videos after the break.
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