Motorcycle Blog on 2040Motos

Naked Motorcycle Awareness AD from New Zealand [video]

Attracting attention while riding is not always an easy thing to do, but imagine if you could ride naked!  That’s the concept behind the AD that was created to promote motorcycle awareness in New Zealand, unfortunately its not an option (or fortunately depending on who it is) unless your looking to attract some negative attention from the police… Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Aerosmith is Going on Strike!

Steven Tyler, pictured above at the Pembroke Center Liquors in Massachusetts, is the first sighting of the Aerosmith’s lead singer a week after the fall at Sturgis. Aerosmith is not going to break up but instead will be on strike until their frontman, Steven Tyler, sobers up.  Tyler has fallen off the wagon and was partying way too hard during the 69th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally when he fell off the stage during their show ending the tour for the year. Everyone is very worried about him, all of this didn’t happen overnight.

Dirtbike Review by Steve McQueen

This photo is from a scanned article titled “Motorcycles: What I Like in a Bike and Why” from the November 1966 issue of Popular Science.  Steve McQueen reviews six (so called) dirtbikes, today some for the selections would be questionable but its still a great read. Hit the jump and click on each page to enlarge, enjoy! Source

$2.9 Million Reasons to Snitch on the Hells Angels

Sylvain Boulanger, a former Quebec chapter member of the Hells Angels signed a contract that will pay him $2.9 million CAD (currently that’s about $2.65 million USD), over the course of the agreement. The 19-page contract was signed on September 21, 2007 and so far, 156 people face charges in Operation SharQc so that works out to about $18,500 CAD per arrest, they are still looking for another 24 full-patch members. It takes something very special to infiltrate a group like the Hells Angels.

The solution to a pricey GPS mount

So you've gone out and bought your BMW R1200GS, you're ready to circumnavigate the globe's toughest roads - or ride over some potholes on your way to work - but you've got a dilemma: no way to mount your GPS device! So what you should do is exactly what this chap's done and use a spatula and a few rubber bands to mount-up your GPS for easy use. And the bonus is that when you get to where you're going, you can use the spatula with your BBQ and triple it up as a fly-swatter too.

SHARP ratings: who cares? These guys don't

Who needs SHARP ratings when you've got a bucket and a builder's hard hat? Not these guys, clearly. It's good to know they've got what looks like a proper lid protecting the bike's clocks - you don't want to damage those..

Suspension Set-Up for the Buell 1125R [video]

Jon Bunne, Buell’s Sr. Test Engineer, explains how to set-up your suspension on the Buell 1125R according to your riding style, preference and when riding with a passenger or heavy gear.  Bunne, recommends adjusting the suspension accordingly and demonstrates how to do just that by following the settings that are listed in the owner’s manual. Check it out after the jump.

2010 Honda V4 Teaser [video]

Based on the concept model unveiled last October at Intermot 2008, the new motorcycle is expected to be a sport-tourer powered by a 1200cc V-4 engine with variable cylinder technology which can allow it to run on only two cylinders to conserve fuel.  There are also rumors that the motorcycle will have a semi-auto gear box which will give the rider the option of going manual or automatic. Honda has a dedicated website for the V4 where you can enter for a chance to win a spot to be one of the first to test drive the new bike, unfortunately, the contest is only open to Europeans. Hit the jump to see the new promo video (you can hear what the motorcycle sounds like!) and an interview with design project leader, Teofilo Plaza.

Honda V4 video, hear the new Honda V4

Here's a new video from Honda, drumming up interest in their new V4. It's kinda nice, doesn't give much away but get to the end of the video (around 1m20secs in) and you'll hear Honda's new V4. So it's official, they've made it and it'll be out in 2010.

VIDEO: Bloodrunners - Part One

THIS IS the first episode of the classic 1980s video 'Bloodrunners' - the epic video that was a driving force behind the UK streetfighter/stunt scene. The film's based on a fictitous organ donor courier business and features stunts by Geordie legend Dave Coates. The soundtrack is by super-talented guitar wizard Jan Cyrka.

Kalex AV1 - the bespoke track-only toy

I thought you'd like to see this lovely bit of kit from Kalex, a German engineering company. It's been featured in other magazines over the past couple of years, but Kalex have risen to the surface again as they're concentrating their efforts on a Moto2 chassis, using the knowledge from this project, the AV1. The AV1 is a track-only bike, based around a 998cc Rotax engine, the same as used in the RSV-R.

Motorcycle Stolen Over a Five Year Period

Zhang, a Chinese factory worker admitted that he started stealing parts back in 2003 and assembling them at home over a five-year period. When the motorcycle was finally completed, the worker was pulled over almost immediately when police noticed he had no license for the bike. Zhang, was ordered to return the motorcycle, fined $725 and put on one-year probation.

2010 Yamaha YZ250F Preview [video]

Brought to you by YamaTube, here is a demo video of the redesigned 2010 Yamaha YZ250F.  With a plethora of new features and improvements, the highlight has to be the new bi-lateral aluminum chassis.  The 2010 Yamaha YZ250F is much improved out of the corners and overall handling, Yamaha has also improved power over the entire powerband.  MSRP to be announced Fall 2009. Hit the jump to see the the bike in action and another video that explains all of the new goodies. Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Hit-Air airbag jacket - just arrived, not yet deployed

This Hit-Air jacket just got dropped off by a courier twenty minutes ago and I thought you'd like to see what it was all about. The one in the pic is a short-sleeve waistcoat designed to go over your jacket or leathers and it retails for £259. On the front is a gas cannister which is triggered by the cable you attach to your bike which, given a hard tug, will deploy.

"It's up for auction but I want £48,500, no offers"

THIS 142-MILE BEAUTY'S up for auction on eBay right now, with the bidding standing at £20,000. The road-going MotoGP replica comes with additional extras including: a full factory Termignoni hand made Titanium System with carbon undertray, rear seat cowl and dECU upgrade (rear exit and side exit pipes), factory Ducati carbon hugger, Ducati Double Race Screen, factory fitted Digital Quickshifter, factory race quick release fuel cap and comes with a two-year warranty. The owner has a Ducati-related number plate which can be negotiated into the deal.

Visordown mag, issue 2 just landed

The latest issue of Visordown mag just arrvied in the office, fresh from the printers. And it's looking great! This month we've got the new KTM 990SMT up against Suzuki's Kayabusa, Honda's VFR800 and BMW's K1300GT - which one is the daddy for sports touring?

Intorducing The eniCycle… [video]

Aleksander Polutnik, an inventor from Slovenia has created the eniCycle, which is an electric unicycle that operates with an electronic gyroscope to help balance and stabilize this one-wheeled wonder.  Just like a Segway or the Uno, leaning forward or backward will put the eniCycle in motion and the shifting foot pegs will steer it depending on which direction you want to go. The top speed is 10 mph and will work for three hours on a full charge, Polutnik, claims that the average user will learn how to ride it in less than 30 minutes, unlike the most frustrating traditional unicycle… Watch it in full action after the jump. Get the Flash Player to see this player.

James Cameron’s New Movie “Avatar” to use “Motorcycle Riding Badass” template?

James Cameron, the genius behind such movies as Aliens, Terminator 1 and 2, True Lies, and The Abyss, has a new movie coming out this fall. “Avatar”, a sci-fi action movie, stars Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Lang and Michelle Rodriguez, all of whom can be seen in the new pictures released yesterday by the studio. In one of the images we see Sam Worthington wearing a Harley-Davidson shirt and sitting in a bar.  Is this the story of an average tough guy who rides motorcycles and plays pool in bars, turned action hero who saves mankind?  Does Sam’s character, “Jake Sully”, ever get on a motorcycle in the movie or just shows his Harley support by wearing the T-shirt?

New QLINK Scooters for Fast Coffee Breaks!

Scooters have exploded in major cities all over North America.  I remember seeing them long long ago and thinking “that’s adorable”. Well no more! Scooters are the “new cool” for downtown workers.  I see business men and women jetting around on these things everyday and I can’t help but be a little envious (as I walk to the congested subway station).

Meet Foggy at Hein Gericke this weekend

You can meet Foggy at the Hein Gericke Glasgow store this Saturday from 1-5pm. The World Superbike legend will be launching an X-lite 801 replica of his famous lid. Although, we thought the one he wore when riding was made by Shark, but anyway, that's not important..

Three-Year-Old Motorcycle Prodigy?

Even though Tiger woods started paying golf at age two, this story of a three-year-old boy from New Delhi, India is probably just as impressive, maybe more.  Azeem Khan, photographed on the Royal Enfield Bullet above, has been granted a special license by judges in India allowing him to ride his motorcycle on side roads but is not allowed out on the main roads by himself. Khan’s father had to customize the bike so that the young boy could reach the controls and prove that he could handle the motorcycle on his own. I used to sit him on my bike and he would always grab at the controls.

Alpinestars launch new 2010 Tech Heated Vest

Alpinestars have launched their first item of heated clothing just in time for our lovely winter. The Tech Heated Vest offers riders excellent body temperature management, using custom flat panel heating elements. The Vest is designed for comfort and ease of use to meet the most demanding of riding conditions.

Google Street View Drives Laguna Seca Raceway

Ever wonder what it’s like to drive the world famous Laguna Seca race track?  Apparently the folks at Google were curious and so they sent out one of the Google street view cars onto the track. For some reason the Google street view doesn’t include a whole lap of the track, just from around turn five to turn 10.  That portion does include the famous Corkscrew but the Google street view car doesn’t seem to capture it, which does make sense to anyone who’s taken the corkscrew before.  One of the things that makes the Corkscrew so challenging is the fact that it’s so steep you don’t even know where the road is until you’re going down it (or, if you’re unlucky, driving down the dirt).  Likely the Google street view camera was filming the sky at that point. The filming appears to have been done during a practice session at last year’s ALMS race, as you can see the black and yellow GT1 Corvette and one of the Flying Lizzard Motorsports Porsches.  Ride along with the Google street view car at Laguna Seca here: Google Streetview Drives Laguna Seca

10% discount on Cartagena trackday

BSB Eurotracks are running a two-day track event at Cartagena on the 5th and 6th of November. If you mention Visordown when booking you'll get 10% off the booking price. Here's what BSB Eurotracks have to say about the event: Our aim is to offer up to 6 European track events during the times when it becomes that bit cooler over here.All the trackdays will be run on a FULL OPEN PITLANE basis; which means there will be absolutely NO RESTRICTION on track time for our customers.

Custom Electric Motorcycle [video]

Paul Teutul Sr. from OCC, once again finds himself in the spotlight, this time it’s for building the worlds first totally green custom motorcycle that was commissioned by Siemens.  Some features of the bike include: a clutch-less transmission, 27-horsepower engine and a top speed of 100 mph.  You can plug the bike into a standard 110-volt plug, takes 5 hours to fully charge and has a 60 mile range on a full charge. The Siemens Smart Chopper will go on tour this year to help promote green technology and will be auctioned off for charity at some point next year.

Would you pay £50,000 for this?

  YOU'RE LOOKING at possibly the last unused Ducati Supermono racer in existence, which is up for sale on eBay right now.  The bike's the 14th Supermono to roll off Ducati's production line and was manufactured in 1995, making this model one of just 25 of the 572cc versions produced.  In its day the Supermono was one of the most desirable bikes around. Weighing just 269lbs and producing in excess of 81hp, the race-ready single is renowned for its surprising turn of speed and pin-sharp cornering ability. The starting price?

2009 TT review now on Blu-Ray

The Isle of Man TT – the world’s greatest road race – has entered a new era with the launch of the Official Review on Blu-ray. For the first time, the exceptional race action from the legendary 37.73-mile Mountain Circuit can be experienced in crystal clear High Definition. The TT on Blu-ray offers an unrivalled viewing experience, fully demonstrating the extreme bravery and skill of the racers as well as the extraordinary natural beauty of the Isle of Man.

The Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Giveaway

FX Networks, the producer of the TV show The Sons of Anarchy, are giving away a 2009 Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna Superglide motorcycle that has been customized by Eagles Nest Harley-Davidson where there will be a special autograph signing with some cast members this Sunday, August 16th between 2pm and 4pm. The new season is set to premiere on Tuesday, September 8th at 10pm. Hit the jump for more details on the contest.

Who is Winning the Motorcycle Babe Race?

As you may or may not know, Motorcycle.com has a motorcycle babes section full of scantily clad women on or around motorcycles (the motorcycle may not be pictured… ).  This babes section also allows you, the babe viewer, to vote on your favorite babe that’s up for the “Motorcycle.com Babe” title. It’s been a heated race and I am happy to fill you in on the standings so far.  If your favorite babe is losing, get your friends to vote! See the rest of the post to see the rankings so far!  Check out the Motorcycle.com babes section for way more girls.

Pro-Bolt launch new website

Pro-Bolt purveyors of fine, tiny, shiny bolts and parts, have lauinched a brand new website. Now listing over 20,000 nuts, bolts, filler caps, plugs, fastners and more, the site is easy to navigate and the new secure ordering system allows you to track your order. So check it out at www.tastynuts.com