Motorcycle Blog on 2040Motos

Bikes at Daytona Bike Week

Thousands of bikers from across the United States and around the world converged on Daytona Beach for the unofficial start of motorcycle season – Daytona Bike Week. Motorcycle.com was there with a camera in hand and we put together a photo gallery of all the interesting, crazy and cool machines on two, three and even four wheels! The link to our 170-picture gallery is after the jump.

World’s Most Effective Speed Trap

A total of $8,200 in speeding fines were issued in Australia in a single weekend earlier this month to 41 motorcycle riders. That doesn’t sound so remarkable until you learn the 41 riders were World Superbike and Supersport racers and the highly effective speed trap is located along pit lane on the Phillip Island Circuit in Victoria, Australia. Item 14 in section 1.22 of the official 2009 WSBK rulebook says a $200 fine will be issued to riders who exceed the 60 km/h (37.2 mph) speed limit in pit lane during race practice.

Fur Helmets in Fashion?

Fashion mogul Karl Lagerfeld, designer for Chanel and Fendi, noticed the popularity of scooters last year so he couldn’t resist adding the mink-covered helmet to his winter 2010 ready-to-wear collection. “Now everyone is on scooters, even chic women, so we had to do the helmet,” said Lagerfeld. The helmets are “road ready” and are even equipped with an iPod connection.

The Ride of a Lifetime by Paul Teutul Sr.

According to the New York Post, David Letterman is a big motorcycle fan and could watch the same bike being built all week long. One of Letterman’s bikes did appear in the September 2008 issue of American Iron Magazine and he also wrote the forward to Paul Teutul Sr.’s new book “The Ride of a Lifetime” so I guess he walks the walk and talks the talk. If you don’t already know who Paul Teutul Sr.

Springtime Riding Gear

For a motorcyclist, waiting for spring is as tedious and frustrating as watching paint dry. With all the anticipation of a kid waiting for Christmas in July, I have grown bored of the usual distractions that normally keep my attention away from the fact that I am not able to ride. Day dreaming of sunny days and future adventures for months now, I am determined to hop in the saddle the first time the roads are clear.

One Week

Get the Flash Player to see this player. Short Synopsis: When a young man is confronted with his mortality, he takes a cross-country road trip on a vintage motorcycle (a Norton Commando). One Week tells the story of Ben Tyler (Joshua Jackson), in his mid-twenties, who flees from the confines of his life—an impending marriage, a job he’s not entirely happy with and a recent diagnosis—in order to attempt to live more fully.

Wind Harnessing Helmet

Out of Malaysia, designer Wai Hoong Leng has come up with this interesting concept. The Wind-Helmet uses the wind while your riding to move the built-in propeller to charge the battery cell which in turn can charge your cell phone, iPod, GPS or whatever digital device you have onboard. Detailed diagrams after the jump.

Music and Motorcycles Exhibit

The four-day “Music and Motorcycles” exhibit, presented by the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (LIMHOF), will be on public display at the Lighthouse Harley-Davidson dealership in Huntington Station, NY. The exhibit will feature memorabilia and motorcycles from many inductees from the LIMHOF including, Joan Jett, Billy Joel, Dee Snider, The Ramones, Darryl McDaniel of Run DMC and more. Billy Joel will be supplying several custom bikes, Twisted Sister have agreed to loan one of their motorcycles and a gas tank signed by Jett, Snider, Peter Tork of The Monkees, Gary U.S.

Motorcycle Cancer?

Canadian author, Randall Dale Chipkar, has published a book that claims very high electromagnetic and radiation levels have been measured coming off motorcycle seats. “I have read up to 500 milliGauss of ELF EMF radiation above motorcycle seats. In contrast, many doctors raise cancer concerns involving 3 to 5 milliGauss of ELF EMF exposure from hydro power lines and other sources,” adds Chipkar.

Roger Hayden to miss Daytona 200

Roger Hayden will not compete in the 2009 Daytona 200 after being granted a leave of absence by the Monster Energy Kawasaki race team. Mike Preston, Kawasaki Road Racing manager, says the leave is due to personal reasons. “Roger is a valued member of the extended Kawasaki family, and the relationship is one of mutual respect and understanding.

Enertia Electric Motorcycle Available at Best Buy

According to greentechmedia.com, Best Buy and Brammo (the maker of the Enertia electric bike) have plans in place to sell the $12,000 Enertia electric motorcycle at five of the electronic chain’s West Coast stores in May. Back in September, Best Buy Venture Capital invested $10 million Brammo so this deal was the next logical step. If all goes well, the distribution will spread across the Best Buy chain of 1,200 stores in the U.S., some stores in Europe and China will also to get some supply.

Homemade Diesel V6 Motorcycle

Get the Flash Player to see this player. For as long as motorcycles have been around, so too has there been an interest in modifying them. While many people opt for pin striping or aftermarket exhaust pipes, Michael Sturtz decided to drop a diesel V6 engine into his motorcycle.

Rukka Mia Jacket

Rukka as a brand is known for quailty and this jacket doesn’t disappoint, the detail everywhere is great with a soft neoprene collar, well seated thermal liner, ability to attach to trousers, it does the lot. Compared to other brands this jacket is very light, something that is impressive considering how well it performs in wind, rain and cold. The high performance is reflected in the high price, but to justify in part it has a 5-year warranty, so split it down to £90 a year and it doesn’t sound so bad.

New: Ixon XN Witty Thermal top and bottom

Unsuprisingly these are warm, with wind stopper panels in all the right places. They surprised me being slightly baggier in style than other thermals, but stopping for a coffee and taking my jacket off I suddenly wasn’t self-concious of the rolls of tummy being exposed, excellent. The bottoms have a zip, so no holding of breath needed when putting them on, and a fairly good size waist elastic.

New: Ixon Pro Glitter HP Gloves

This hardy winter glove, moulded with a soft shell and concealed knuckle guards, makes for an elegant winter glove. They’re as warm as toast and the chunkiness doesn’t impare flexibility due to the soft shell outer layer, but I find it hard to ride with winter gloves, to such an extent that I’ll compromise my warmth for feeling on the levers. But if I had to choose, these would be up there, even though the fingers come out around 1cm too long on me.

Daytona Bike Week 2009

UPDATE: 2009 Daytona Bike Week Report and the Daytona Girls Photo Gallery. The 68th Daytona Beach Bike Week officially kicks off today and will run until Sunday, March 8th. The event has become the unofficial start of the motorcycle season and claims to be the world’s largest motorcycle event.

Carbon Fiber Ducati 999S For Sale

This is defiantly not a good time to sell such a bike but if your interested and you have around $150,000 to burn then head on over to JamesList.com and check it out. The bike weights in at 315 lbs, with 170 hp, has a top speed over 180 mph and goes 0-60 in less than 3 seconds. The Ducati was tuned by the famous tuning specialist BeFaster in Hannover, Germany and has way too many additions and upgrades to mention here.

Yamaha to Cut Motorcycle Production in 2009

With mounting inventories coupled with a drop in demand, Yamaha will be cutting its motorcycle production in Japan by 24 percent this year or to about 260,000 total units; one newspaper reported this would be a 40-year low for the manufacture. Yamaha plans to cut production for motorcycles and other products by 30 percent in the Americas, 20 percent in Europe but will maintain production levels in Asia where demand has not dropped off. The company is forecasting its group sales to fall 22 percent with an operating loss of about $300 million.

Zen and Now: Book Review

Nearly every motorcyclist I have had the good fortune of meeting suffers from the same condition, albeit with varying levels of severity. This condition, which mystifies and frustrates our families, and unites us as brothers, is the inexplicable, often all-encompassing wanderlust. For some, it can be treated with a weekly Sunday afternoon ride, while others can never truly get it out of their system no matter how far or how often they ride.

Honda Fury and BMW S1000RR Forums

You might not be able to find them at your dealer yet, but BMW’s S1000RR and Honda’s Fury already have dedicated on-line forums. If you’re looking to get all the latest dirt on the new Beemer, just head over to the BMW S1000RR FORUM. Likewise, if you want to discuss anything about the yet to be released Fury, just head over to the HONDA FURY FORUM.

Tax Credits for Electric Bikes

Two major players in electric motorcycles, Vectrix and Zero Motorcycles, are eligible for a 10% Federal tax credit for plug-in vehicles. Zero Motorcycles, already known for its electric dirt bikes, is launching a new street legal version, the Zero S coming sometime this spring. As for Vectrix, you can still get a tax credit on its scooters but as for its street bike concept there has been no confirmation from the company if it’s in production or even will be produced at all.

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned Review

The Lost and Damned is the highly anticipated Xbox360-exclusive add-on game to GTA IV. To sum it up, the game is good. It’s as simple as that.

Dealer Expo 2009 Photo Gallery

Our photo gallery is now up on motorcycle.com, there are 80+ photos for you to checkout. Pictured above is the Vectrix concept bike that was displayed at the show, along with all of the bikes that were on display, we saw some cool products, famous faces and of course all the booth babes. Photo Gallery

Michael Jackson’s Harley For Sale

This 2001 Harley-Davidson Touring Motorcycle could be yours, currently owned (I would safely assume never ridden) by the cash strapped, mega pop star Michael Jackson. In April It will be up for auction along with more than 2000 other items from the Neverland ranch in Santa Maria, CA. Julien’s Auction in Beverly Hills estimates a price range of $6,000 – $8,000.

The Hubless Monster

Besides looking cool, other advantages to hubless rims are more accurate steering, lower center of gravity, increased braking leverage and less vibration. Get the Flash Player to see this player. Amen Design and Engineering Inc.

Underwater Motorcycle

No, this isn’t one of Q’s creations for 007 agent James Bond, this is the Russian-built Aqua Star. Combining elements of an atmosphere diving suit from days of old and water propeller toys that your kids use in the pool, the Aqua Star is something of a motorcycle that allows its user to ride underwater without scuba equipment. Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Booth Babes at Dealer Expo 2009

What would a motorcycle show be without beautiful women? Fortunately for us, we didn’t have to find out when we went to the 2009 Dealer Expo in Indianapolis, Ind. Scantily clad women could be found in abundance at the Indianapolis Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium during the Dealer Expo.

Cool Products From Dealer Expo 2009

The best place to see the latest and greatest motorcycle gadgets and goodies before they hit the shelves of your local dealer is at the Indianapolis Dealer Expo. Unfortunately, you have to be an exhibitor, dealer or member of the media to attend. Luckily, we fall into the latter category.

GM Gets a Spark of Inspiration From Motorcycles

The Spark will make its official launch at the Geneva Auto Show in March and will be available in Europe in 2010, it will make its way to the U.S. in 2011. I don’t think this new look gage will inspire bikers to buy one but GM certainly hopes so, click here see the exterior of the car and get more information.

NASCAR Truck Star Rides Indian Chief

Three-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion Ron Hornaday recently took delivery of his 2009 Indian Chief Vintage at Indian Motorcycle Charlotte. Hornaday’s top-of-the-line black & burgundy Vintage was built to his specifications and features optional painted rims, black leather saddlebags and seat with fringed leather. Hornaday mentioned that one of his favorite photos is of his father, a racing legend himself, seated on an Indian Chief, just before he sold it to go into the Army.