Check out this video of the last lap at the Oulton Park Supersport race in Britain. Yamaha vs Triumph. Great racing and just plain fun to watch. (Thanks Matt)

Today’s press release from BMW announced the availability of their new Boxer twin sport bike in the US. I don’t know about you, but for 25,000.00 there are a lot of options out there. In terms of sportbikes, you could buy a GSXR1000, 600 and a lot of upgrades for that kind of money. Or you could buy a Ducati 1098S and still have a few grand leftover for upgrades… No doubt the BMW will have a following, but it is hard to imagine it competing on the showroom floor at that price.

The Latest Sportiest Boxer Arrives at U.S. BMW Motorrad Retailers
Woodcliff Lake, NJ - May 9, 2008… Thrill seekers rejoice! The BMW HP2 Sport has arrived at U.S. BMW Motorrad retailers. The same high-performance sport bike that Richard Cooper and Brian Parriott rode to fifth and sixth place finishes in last month’s Daytona 200 is now available in limited supplies for serious motorcycle enthusiasts. The high-performance (HP) two (2)-cylinder Boxer — customized to meet the requirements of the ambitious sport rider — has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $25,375 (excluding taxes, license, options, and handling charge).

The sportiest, most powerful and lightest Boxer ever manufactured, the HP2 Sport features numerous exclusive details, previously restricted to racing, that were never before seen in series production vehicles. Technology such as the self-supporting and aerodynamically optimized fairings made completely of carbon fiber, the quick shifter, a dashboard similar to that used in the MotoGP, the forged aluminum wheels and brakes with radially bolted calipers make the HP2 unmistakably athletic on both country roads or the racing circuit.

The most striking difference between the BMW HP2 Sport from the earlier endurance racing Boxer is the brand new cylinder heads: each of the double overhead camshafts (DOHC) uses a drag lever to actuate the valves that are larger than those on the BMW R 1200 S. Further modifications, such as the flow-optimized intake and outlet, new forged pistons and adapted connecting rod, help the engine to achieve the necessary higher output compared to the basic engine. A new stainless steel exhaust system is placed below the engine for the first time, keeping the lower area of the motorcycle extremely slim for greater freedom of movement for a “hanging off” riding position. Although designed for racing prowess, the BMW HP2 Sport does not forego the safety benefits of ABS. A sophisticated anti-blocking system, specially adapted to the HP2 Sport, is available as an option and is configured so that it can be deactivated for the racetrack.

Following the BMW Motorrad Motorsport design, the HP2 Sport features white lacquering on the windshield, rear, mudguard and side cover. The engine spoiler carries the two-tone “HP2″ lettering; and the lattice frame and wheels are lacquered in the BMW Motorrad color of Motorsport Blue.

If you have ever wanted to see a classic high side crash in slow motion, check out the video of Jorge Lorenzo crashing in the China MotoGP race. That hurts just watching. Thanks Jerry!

Sounds crazy, but Gary Eagan is planning on doing it. He got the invite and chose a Ducati 1098S as the means of conveyance. Personally, I think I would have chosen something a little more comfortable (actually, I would have said NO!), but the 1098 has had a bunch of mods to enhance comfort as well as extend its range. With only one rider, the biggest challenge will be the 35+ hours required to make the cross country trip with no sleep. Doable, but surely a dangerous undertaking. OneWheelDrive.net has the whole article and it is worth the time to read it. (Thanks Jerry!)

Here’s the tricky part.  All the cars would have at least two drivers and loads of extra fuel, while as a moto jockey, I’d be a solo act with obvious limits on how much gasoline could be carried.

It took me at least a couple of seconds to swallow that hook. The table was set for fun ‘n games.

I ran the invitation past Steve Hicks, Ducati’s Canadian Service and Events Manager, and Jim McKenna, Ducati’s Sales and Marketing Manager for Canada. They looked at each other for a few seconds, and Hicks simply said; “This’ll be great. But you’re doing it on a 1098.”  McKenna grinned in agreement.

Hicks is a master mechanic, and knows only one way to do things…with perfection. At the Toronto Motorcycle Show, and Hicks walked over to a Multistrada, took off the saddlebags, then held them along side our show-display black 1098 S, adding; “This is what we’re going to do. I’ve actually been thinking about doing this for a while now.”

Fitting the make over into his brutal work schedule was difficult, but in March Steve e-mailed me a picture, introducing me to what he called the “1098 Bagger.” He’d welded the bag mounts from the Multistrada to the sub frame, and when he mounted the bags it looked more like a factory-designed machine than a one-off tossed together in a garage. At least to my eye, it was a masterpiece.

Next step was increasing the fuel capacity, so I contacted Fuel Safe near Bend, Oregon, a company specializing in making custom fuel bladders for NASCAR, F 1 machines and airplanes. I sent them the Multistrada bags, Hicks gave them the green light to cook up a workable solution, and a month later they sent back another masterpiece. Semi-rigid fuel bladders for each bag, exactly fitting the interior shape of the Multi’s bags, and each holding about five gallons of fuel. They designed and installed beautiful billet filler nozzles protruding through the top of the bags and quick-release caps, allowing quick refilling without opening the bags.

Well, I was driving around Buckhead in Atlanta this afternoon and I saw a red 848 pulling out into traffic. Such a pretty bike… I am really torn between the red and white bikes. Both look awesome.  So here is the 848 press launch for your viewing enjoyment. It is 9 min long, so go get some popcorn.

These bikes were sick fast for their day and the level of tire/suspension/frame technology that they had or didn’t have. They still have a reputation and a rabid following. So it’s no wonder that Motorcyclist is doing a retro issue next month with the H1 and the Honda CB750 featured. I can almost smell the 2 stroke exhaust- thanks Jerry, for the link…

Update-”Curt,the photo shoot was for a whole new magazine published by Motocyclist available mid-May.Not next month’s issue of Motorcyclist.”

COOL, we get another magazine to read every month!

Yep, 11 days until the AMA doubleheader (April 18-20) at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. It should be another Mat Mladin show… You can get all the detail at their website as well as order tickets. A couple of years ago, Ducati had their Monster Challenge at this event and it was great. Usually, the weather is excellent this time of year so make plans to come to one of the nicest tracks in the US.

MCN has a nice little video of the Desmosedici riding around the city (not sure which city…) but it is worth watching just to listen to the engine. Lust is a bad thing.

Check out this video of Colin Edwards picking his bike up from a low side “crash”… except he never really crashed, he just picked the bike back up mid-corner at speed. Crazy. Thanks Jerry for the link!

And they like it… a lot. Well, who wouldn’t. I mean sick horsepower and the resultant speed are really, really addicting. Motive rides and lives to write about it.The flamed out bike they chose is a little gaudy, but hey, they usually have better taste- at least with cars. BTW, they have one of the slickest, well done websites around. The car articles are worth reading too!

We were headed for the hills, but had a few freeway exits to roll past first. Riding in a legal/normal fashion, the ZX-14 is plush, comfortable, and quiet. The ergonomics are just right and I could easily see rolling up a 500-mile day on this bike without needing ibuprofen with my dinner. We turned left to head up the mountain toward Lake Arrowhead and the road soon turned curvy. Funny thing about this road: I didn’t remember hearing that someone had removed all the straightaways. Even at partial throttle at anything above 5 grand I found myself giggling and thinking, “Damn! This thing is crazy fast.” Twisting the throttle at corner exits is like bringing a howitzer to a barfight. Sure you’ll win, but who’s gonna clean up the mess? So I pictured my children, decided I wanted to see them again, and short-shifted. This is how I learned to love the revised midrange and the long, completely linear and predictable ramp of torque. The bike is just as thrilling as last year’s model, but is now easier to ride and therefore safer. Speaking of which, slowing down is sometimes necessary and it’s nice that the petal-style brake rotors shed heat so you won’t boil your Dot-5 when doing repeated downhill stoppies.

This is some really cool old footage from the Triumph factory showing how the bikes and engines were produced. When they said “hand-built”, they were not kidding. I noticed that when they were building the engines, there was not a single torque wrench used. Every bolt was just “snugged up”. No wonder those old engines
leaked so bad! Here is part 1-there are 3 parts, so follow the links for parts 2 and 3.

Part 2 http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ipiD6nm7Iy0

Part 3 http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mahAoNvH2pQ

Zero Motorcycles has the distinction of being the only electric dirtbike company that makes a viable alternative to the traditional gas powered dirtbikes we all know and love. Because they are electric, they are zero emissions and that makes the green crowd very happy. But lets face it, dirtbikes and ATV’s don’t really use much gas or spew much pollution. Certainly no more than all the lawnmowers and chainsaws that are out there. So I really wonder how viable this is for anything more than a small niche market. Anyways, check out their website and read some of the reviews. I’m all for anything new in the motorcycle industry that pushes the limits of technology.

One of the biggest problems for motorcyclists is that people in cars just don’t see them. Thus they run into them on a regular basis. The reason is simple- they aren’t looking for them and they are distracted by lots of other things like cell phones, ipods and the food they are eating. So watch this very cool video and pass the link along to all you family and friends along with a picture of you on your bike.

If you’ve never taken the time to check out Jay Leno’s Garage, you are missing some cool stuff- and not just bikes either. He has some of the best cars in the world as well. Today, we are looking at his S&S custom built power cruiser. You know you have money when you call a manufacturer and tell them to build you a bike to meet your specs. And it really is a cool bike… an excellent blend of cruiser and sport with a huge V-twin and lots of nice euro suspension stuff. It is sort of Buell-like but with more of a Harley XR750 flavor. Check out the video here…

Good post over at Hemmings Auto Blog with some classic Harley ads from the Evel Knievel era. Cool stuff especially if you grew up in that time period. If you like the stunt/show stuff, check out illconduct.com for the Buell Stunt team.