Motorcycle Blog on 2040Motos

Firefighting Motorcycle

Ever had an officer ask you “where’s the fire?” after being pulled over for speeding?  Well now you have a good excuse. This converted BMW R1200RT has two 20 or 25 liter tanks (contain a premix of water and foam) mounted on either side that is connected to a 6.8 liter compressed air tank on the back of the bike that has a 20 to 30 meter hose. They are currently being used in the U.K.

Cool Motorcycle Photos

Looking at this shot makes me feel a little nervous, Scott Pommier is the Vancouver based photographer who took this photo and the others after the jump, check out many more on his website. He doesn’t mention anything about being a motorcycle enthusiast in his bio but it does say that he works for an international skateboarding magazine, either way its great work.

2010 Honda SH150i

The Honda SH150i has been a big seller in Europe for years and will finally be coming to the U.S. in May. Honda might be arriving a year late, missing the huge demand from last years gas spike and is a little pricey at $4,499 considering you can get a Kawasaki Ninja 250R for $500 less.

U.S. Military Setup Track Day Events to Combat Rising Motorcycle Fatalities

The United States Military have seen a drastic increase in motorcycle crash fatalities amongst their personnel in the last year. In 2008, the U.S. Army saw a 24% increase in motorcycle accident deaths.  To try and curb this trend, the military are setting up experimental “Track Day” events to try and help educate motorcycle riders about safety and give riders an area for them to let loose on their bikes and become more comfortable with them.

2009 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Review – First Ride!

UPDATE: Review is now on motorcycle.com Coming to you live from the U.S. press launch of the 2009 Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, CA! In many ways you can call the Gixxer Thou “all-new.” The venerable AMA Superbike multi-time championship-winning machine has received numerous updates to the engine, chassis, brakes, bodywork, etc, etc.

Create Your Own Vale-Esque “Face” Helmet

MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi is known for his flamboyant personality, but he may never have been more “in your face” than he was in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix at the Mugello Circuit. Rossi won that race, his third in a nine-win championship season, and the rest of the MotoGP paddock at Mugello was treated to the sight of Rossi’s face plastered across his helmet. Designed by Aldo Drudi, the “face” helmet was immediately popular and a limited edition version by manufacturer AGV sold out in a matter of days.

Zero S Officially Announced

With its lithium-ion power pack and handmade aircraft grade aluminum frame, it claims to be the fastest, lightest, cleanest and most fun electric motorcycle. You can read over all of the listed specs and features from their website, just too many to list here! Check out the video of the Zero S on the track after the jump.

ATV, Snowmobile, and PWC Classifieds

I’m sure you’ve seen Motorcycle.com‘s own classified section for selling new and used motorcycles, but now you can buy and sell more powersport toys easily and cheaply! Motorcycle.com‘s sister sites: ATV.com, Snowmobile.com, and Personal Watercraft.com, have launched their own classified sections and want to help you find or sell some motorized madness. As a private seller you get a free posting to try out the service which allows you to upload photos and write a description for your vehicle.

Lightning Storm on a Motorcycle…at Night….in the Rain… (and also Goats)

Want to see what it’s like riding a motorcycle at night through a thunderstorm across some of the flattest parts of Canada?  VRIDETV has brought you this experience, and it is something to behold. And I must say, I’ve been through Saskatchewan and it is FLAT.  Sitting on a metal bike while driving across this flat terrain with few buildings or even other cars near you makes you a mobile lightning rod. VRIDETV caught the storm while touring across Canada with an HD camera mounted onto the handlebars of their motorcycle and it seems they’ve run into a few other interesting situations.  I’ve tacked on a bonus video of VRIDETV running into a herd of mountain goats in the Canadian Rockies who seem to be enjoying the salt on the roads.  Awwww!

Aprilia RSV4 Factory

Get the Flash Player to see this player. Update: Read the review now on motorcycle.com Perhaps only Ducati’s street-legal MotoGP carbon-copy Desmosedici has received as much anticipation as Aprilia’s all-new RSV4 Factory. A four cylinder Vee from Aprilia is significant largely because the Italian bike maker has dealt almost exclusively with V-Twins.

2009 Harley-Davidson Iron 883 Pics and Video!

Harley-Davidson has added a new bike to their Sportster Dark Custom roster.  The Harley-Davidson Iron 883 and it’s under $8,000!  Not a bad price for the Harley-Davidson experience. Here’s a few pics to wet your appetite.  Hit the jump to see more and a video promo from Harley-Davidson themselves. More Pictures are Here!

Aprilia MXV450 Enters Motocross Arena

Aprilia has recently jumped into the motocross category with both feet by launching the new 2009 MXV450.  A first for the company and the only V-Twin-equipped motocross bike in the world, the MXV 450 promises to combine a high-performance engine with authentic Italian style, light weight and advanced technology. Equipped with Aprilia’s 452cc electronic-fuel injected 77-degree V-Twin engine, the 450 MXV allows riders to choose between two ignition settings – a factory default setting that favors rideability, control and traction, thanks to the closed firing gap between the two cylinders, and  the “Screamer” setting that modifies the firing gap, allowing for maximum engine performance up to the 12,500 rpm limit. The Dell’Orto fuel injection system is managed by a programmable electronic control unit (ECU) that allows riders to switch between hard/soft mappings at the touch of a button on the handlebars.

Record Setting Lambretta Up for Auction

Get the Flash Player to see this player. The terms ‘high-performance’ and ‘scooter’ usually fit together about as well as pickles and peanut butter but Stuart Owen has customized his 1970 Lambretta to be among the fastest in the world. Owen, a former fish wholesaler who now runs a scooter customizing business, currently holds the fastest speed achieved by a Lambretta on British soil at 117.3 mph.

Jim DeChamp Lands Frontflip

Get the Flash Player to see this player. Jim DeChamp attempted the frontflip at the X Games in the Staples Center on August 31, 2008 with some painful results that makes DeChamp either extremely brave or insane, maybe both. Check out the attempt from last year after the jump.

Henry Rollins to Appear on Sons of Anarchy

You likely know the name Henry Rollins. What you may not recall initially is exactly where you know him from. Taking over for Dez Cadena as the front man of hardcore 80’s rock band Black Flag, musician turned actor Rollins has been a magazine columnist, radio and television host, started his own record label, won a Grammy for one of his many spoken word albums and been an outspoken activist for gay and human rights.

Givi Baby Ride

The Baby Ride S650 from Givi is made for children ages 5 to 8 and is suppose to fit most scooters. I can’t see this being legal in your state but its obviously legal in Italy where they are sold, I know for sure the helmet that kid is wearing would not pass any inspection in the U.S., those Europeans sure know how to live on the edge! Source

MV Agusta F4CC

Developed by heavyweight designer Massimo Tamburini and Claudio Castiglioni, the director of MV Augusta, the F4CC will be the most expensive and limited sportbikes made so far. Parts for the bike will be 90% hand crafted out of titanium and carbon fiber, only 100 vehicles will be produced which will feature a 200 hp, 1078 cc engine with a top speed of 195 mph and a Curb weight of 412 lbs. For 100,000 Euro (about $135,00 US), if you order now, not only will you get the bike of your dreams but they will also throw in a Girard-Perregaux Swiss watch and a limited edition leather jacket by Italian fashion house Trussardi, operators are standing by… Source

The Steve McQueen Desert Racer

There are few motorcycle icons within pop culture that have endured as vividly as that of the late, great Steve McQueen. A man who was at one time the highest paid actor in Hollywood, he avoided the limelight in favor of immersing himself within his passion for motorcycles. Never afraid of getting dirty, McQueen was at his happiest flogging a bike around the track with fellow racers or tinkering with the machines himself.

Body-Connected Bike

Innovation and experimentation will probably be some of the major factors in helping us out of the current economic meltdown but desperate times don’t always need desperate measures. You have to respect the effort and thought that goes into creating something from nothing (note the water bottle: they even thought about keeping hydrated!) but I am afraid this idea will most likely not see the light of day, I guess you just never know for sure, anyone want to invest? Source

Gymnast on a Harley….Wow.

What happens when you take away a smokin’ hot gymnast’s balance beam and replace it with a Harley-Davidson Fat Bob? It’s only 30 seconds but who’s to stop you from playing it over and over again? Now what would be even more amazing is if there was a dude riding that bike on the highway while she did that.  What would be a million times more amazing would be if that dude was me.

Bombardier Designs Alternative-Fuel Unicycle

Not only has Bombardier designed and built snowmobiles, planes, trains and the Can-Am Spyder, the privately held Quebec-based company also tinkers with prototypes like the Embrio – the French Canadian answer to the Segway Human Transporter and resembles closely to the “Uno”. Unlikely to ever see actual production, this one-wheeled concept uses gyroscopic technology to balance its rider. The vehicle was allegedly designed to demonstrate what we bipedal humanoids might be using for transportation in the year 2025.

World’s First Motorcycle

Here at Motorcycle.com, we spend an awful lot of time searching out and covering stories about the motorcycles that will shape the future of the industry. Sometimes it is also a good idea to turn around and look back at just how far we’ve come. The first known motorcycle in existence was constructed back in 1885 by German inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach near Stuttgart.

Ducati Monster is Kids Play

My parents never indulged my fascination and passion for motorcycles as a kid, hoping it was merely a passing phase that I would grow out of like wetting the bed. Well nearly 30 years later, I no longer sleep on plastic sheets, but I am just as crazy about motorcycles as ever. If you don’t want to make the same mistake with your kids, Peg Perego has developed a Streetfighter for little ones.

Private Racetrack Plan Divides Neighborhood

Alan Wilzig, heir to a banking empire, began planning a racetrack at his country estate in Columbia County several years ago but the issue really started to heat up once his neighbors discovered the scope of the project. The mile-long track would be a “recreational sporting course” where he could drive his collection of 60-plus motorcycles with reckless abandon. While town officials are adamant that any commercial use would be illegal, a rather spirited and outspoken group of residents are determined to wave the black flag on Wilzig’s plans.

Motorcycle Garage Design

This apartment was designed and built in Tokyo, Japan by three architects, Yuji Nakae, Akiyoshi Takagi and Hiroshi Ohno. The mini garages for motorcycles or scooters on the ground level have direct access to the apartments above, cool concept and a great design. Look for more images after the jump.

D1200R Demonstrates Innovative Design

What do you get when you combine a BMW R1200R and a Buell XB12? The D1200R! A former employee of Lamborghini by the name of Pablo González de Chaves Fernández has turned his attention from four wheels to two and has begun creating innovative design improvements to existing motorcycles with the help of Juan Elizalde Bertrand.

2009 Daytona Bike Week Recap and Video

If you couldn’t make it to Daytona Bike Week, don’t worry. Motorcycle.com was there, video camera in hand.  If you were there, watch the video below and sigh, wishing that every week was Daytona Bike Week. If you are looking for more then a video montage, check out our coverage linked below: Girls at Daytona Bike Week Kick back and enjoy the show!

Marble Motorcycle

One of the great things about cheap production costs in China (other than cheap products for us) is they can create products that the rest of the world could only joke about. This marble motorcycle out of China is a good example; even the wheels are made of marble. I guess we will have to live vicariously through China.

Honda CG150 TITAN MIX

While there are certain countries around the globe that are known for their significant contribution to technological innovation within the motorcycle industry, Brazil has never been one of them. Until now, it seems. Brazilian Honda subsidiary Moto Honda da Amazonia Ltda., recently began sales of the CG150 TITAN MIX, a 150cc bike with the world’s first production flexible-fuel technology.

Girls at Daytona Bike Week

Daytona Bike Week would be not nearly as fun if the girls stayed in hibernation, Daytona Beach is famous for gorgeous girls from Bike Week to Spring Break to all summer long. We have set up a photo gallery of all the babes we saw at Daytona for you after the jump, enjoy! Girls at Daytona Bike Week – Photo Gallery