ALL THINGS MOTORCYCLE

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD BIKER ON LARRY KING LIVE; WAS COLOMBIAN REBEL CAPTIVE

Glen Heggstad is a "neighbor" of ours, a fellow resident of Southern California's Coachella Valley, where the Colorado Desert landscape reaches 118 degrees and more from Memorial Day weekend through mid-October. The weather between November and late April is some of the best in the world, and the Valley, home to Palm Springs and other well-known resorts, draws nearly 5 million visitors from around the world every year, many of them among the planet's wealthiest. (In this photo from the National Geographic special on his capture, captivity and release, Heggstad is held prisoner in Colombia).

Known locally as the Striking Viking, a name Heggstad coined to describe his appearance, his motorcycle trips around the world were fairly uneventful until he came to Colombia in 2001.

When the producers of CNN's Larry King Live show were planning their first program since three American hostages were returned to a military base in Texas following a complicated rescue operation called "impeccable" by one of those released, they tried, through e-mail, to contact Heggstad, and they found him in Mazatlan, Mexico. It was early on July 3rd, and after finding Heggstad near the US after getting his e-mail reply, CNN flew him to Phoenix to be a part of that first post-release show, guest-hosted by CNN White House correspondent John King. (In the middle of that group of camels you'll find Heggstad and his trusty BMW motorcycle).

Even in a Valley where General George Patton lived while training his over-100,000-strong WW II tank corps in the nearby desert, which has certainly had more than its share of interesting history and characters, with residents and visitors ranging from Walt Disney, Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, US Presidents Dwight David Eisenhower and Gerald Ford, Sidney Sheldon and Barry Manilow, all the Marx Brothers and their families, US Ambassadors Mr. and Mrs. Walter Annenberg, every great in women's and men's professional golf and tennis, Merv Griffin and President John F. Kennedy, who was greeted at Palm Springs Airport in 1961 by, among others, the town's first mayor, Frank Bogert, who, now in his 90s, still rides horseback every day, Glen Heggstad is a stand-out.

Heggstad was kidnapped and held captive for five weeks in Colombia shortly after the devastating and coordinated attacks on the US on 9-11-01. On the King show, during his segment, Heggstad first took a moment to congratulate Colombia's President Carlos Uribe and the forces which effected the release of 15 long-term hostages, including former Colombian presidential candidate and Colombian/French national Ingrid Betancourt, and three Americans, Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes. The Americans' small plane, reportedly being used for observation of coca fields, had crashed or may have been shot down by FARC forces over five years ago. Another American on the plane was shot dead by rebels after they found the crash site. All were "civilian contractors" for the US government, and according to the Los Angeles Times, they were directly employed by Northrop Grumman Corporation. (FARC stands for Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia).

When King asked Heggstad, "Did the kidnappers beat you, do anything physical, try to somehow intimidate you?" Heggstad answered, "All of the above." (Heggstad and Bimmer reached the Kremlin).

He told a chilling story of being stopped on a jungle road by rebel forces of the ELN, not FARC. Heggstad described being forces to stand in a circle twice a day for an hour at a time, while anti-American radio broadcasts were being played, and Heggstad was forced to "confess" to certain crimes while his young, armed captors surrounded him. He said he was chained to a tree every night to prevent him from escaping and said that never, in the course of his five-weeks of captivity, was he kept in the same place more than two nights in a row.

MV AGUSTA AND CITROËN ITALIA PRESENT THE NEW C2 1587 BRUTALE

In our "Everything Motorcycle" section, we wrote a few weeks ago about a new offering from MV Agusta, their Brutale 910 ... Now Citroen and Agusta have decided to embark on some pretty cool "cooperation". Everyone knows about the rugged and good-looking Ford F-series and Harley-Davidson "special editions" ... It was a smart match for America, a marriage made in marketing heaven. It appears that even with full-size pickup sales sliding because of the economy (including everything wrong with it right now, from the housing downturn to the price of gas), Ford and Harley are both intent on keeping their association together. By the way, if anyone can remember another marketing plan which matched a pickup (or any other vehicle, car or truck) with a motorcycle, please let us know! This "Harley/Ford" hook-up is just the sort of thing which smart car-makers and motorcycle-making outfits can do which can help perhaps, if only just a bit, prove to bring an increase in sales of either a car, truck and/or bike ... And that's good for everyone involved, from the people on the assembly lines making the four- and two-wheel vehicles to the folks in the showroom trying to make a living selling dreams at a time when it's become a pretty expensive proposition. Here's the latest from Europe (with all those fun little phrases and misspellings which, well, I enjoy .... and maybe you do, too):

MV AGUSTA AND CITROËN ITALIA PRESENT THE NEW C2 1587 BRUTALE

At the 6th edition of the My Special Car fair in Rimini (Italy), MV Agusta and Citroën Italia will present the  new C2 1587 Brutale, a show car destined to attract the attention of the qualified public at one of the most important Tuning Trade Fairs, where nothing is standard.

What made this synergy possible is the attention to detail that both brands reserve for their products, a guarantee of quality and reliability.

The car gets its name from the best selling naked bike produced by MV Agusta and inherits the sporty Pearl White/Black colour scheme.

The colour scheme of the concept car has been carefully studied directly by the MV Agusta Style Centre and replicates that of the Brutale 1078RR, possibly the highest performing naked on the market.

The interior underlines the sporty character of the show car; perforated alcantara seats, black leather detail trim with red stitching, Brutale logo on the seats and steering wheel in black alcantara with red stitching. The dashboard and foot plate are carbon fibre effect and complete the aggressive racing-style interior of the C2 1587 BRUTALE.

The C2 1587 BRUTALE is based on the top of the range C2, the VTS, featuring a 1.6 16 valve engine with 125 hp. The racing character is underlined by the Supersprint twin exhaust that gives this sporty car a racing sound that blends-in with its aggressive character.

Citroen
Paris, France

NEW APRILIA SCOOTERS FOR USA MARKET ARE HUGE GAS-SAVERS

With gasoline more expensive than ever, and even though some car-makers are working hard to  make a gallon go farther than before, motorcycles and motor scooters are naturally growing in popularity. They're fuel misers, and many of the smaller two-wheel machines can achieve 50 miles per gallon even on a bad day of going uphill at freeway speeds in a constant head- or cross-wind. The US is seeing an influx of scooters, especially those with under-500cc engines, the kind of machines which people in European and Asian countries have made use of for many decades but were not sold in the US because, frankly, Americans didn't want them, and the company's which made them didn't see a marketplace for their product in the US' 50 states. Now, with gas approaching $4 a gallon nationally, still below its price in most of the rest of the industrialized world, suddenly bikes of all displacements and horsepower are looking more and more attractive, especially in America's drier, warmer locales. (Photo - Aprilia helmet; Remember, April is Helmet Month! Wear it!).

Aprilia is one of motorcycling's best-known names throughout the world, even though the name is still not so easily-recognized in the US. Some Aprilia models have been sold in America under other names, but more and more the Aprilia name is becoming familiar; the company's emphasis on racing in various two-wheel series worldwide has gone a long way to educate American buyers to their many products, the same way many "foreign" cars were first introduced to the US in the 1950s and '60s.

We'll let Aprilia tell most of the "rest of the story," because these new machines, 100cc and 200cc four-stroke "automatic" scooters, usually work pretty well, are priced reasonably and you can't argue with their fuel mileage figures. In fact, these days, when Maseratis are called "the poor man's Ferrari", these Aprilia scooters might very well be the best and least-expensive way for the average American to own and personally enjoy Italian styling and sportiness. But I must admit --- My first bike was a Yamaha 175cc Enduro, and it cost about $500 brand-new in 1971. My second motorcycle, a Honda 550/4, purchased new in 1974, cost about $1,400. Seeing the prices of the following 100cc and 200cc machines still does sort-of catch me by surprise! But hey ... Allow me to complain about getting older! Now here's the latest from Aprilia:

2008 Aprilia 200 and 100 - An Authentic Italian Experience  
2008 Aprilia Scarabeo Scooters: An Authentic Italian Experience, Sized to Suit

Signature styling, big wheel safety, class leading features and unbeatable value distinguish Aprilia's Scarabeo 500 and – new for 2008 – the 200 and 100

With more than 750,000 Aprilia Scarabeo scooters sold during the last 15 years, this model line is a household word among style and value-conscious Europeans. Now, in addition to the Scarabeo 500, Aprilia has added two new Scarabeo models to its portfolio, the Scarabeo 100 and 200. Whether they have a taste for the "big bike" cruising qualities of a large 500cc scooter or prefer a smaller machine, American riders will find the right size within this popular Italian family. Ready for any challenge, whether it involves in-town errands, cross-town commutes or out-of-town distance rides, these "automatic motorcycles" are the definition of authentic style, performance, premium quality and unparalleled value.

The Scarabeo 200 is chock-full of great ideas. A flat platform provides added space for load carrying. A  windshield fixed to the steering head channels air flow over the rider, guaranteeing turbulence-free travel and surprising weather protection, even at high speed. Generous analog-digital instrumentation includes an on-board computer with handlebar controls. The system's many functions include outside air temperature display with ice warning for the hardiest of scooteristi. Even the center stand has been carefully designed to afford the best possible leverage-now every rider will find that lifting his or her Scarabeo on to its stand is a quick, strain-free experience.

The heart of the Scarabeo 200 is an advanced single cylinder four stroke engine, designed by Aprilia exclusively for the Scarabeo. It is lightweight, eco-friendly and packs an impressive 19 hp at 8250 rpm, with generous torque (12.5 lb./ft at 7500 rpm). That makes the Scarabeo 200 the most powerful scooter in its class. All this power is available without sacrificing fuel consumption or low emissions, the Scarabeo runs both fast and clean. One of the ways Aprilia achieved this dynamic package is by optimizing valve timing in the same way engineers tune the company's high performance racing engines. As a result, engineers were able to combine high peak power and good midrange punch with low emissions.

The Scarabeo 200 is available at Aprilia dealerships nationwide for $3599. Color choices include Couture Blue and Shine Red.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON OPENS MUSEUM IN JULY

This July, the all-new Harley-Davidson Museum is opening in ... Where else? Downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Apart from all the celebrities like Jay Leno (almost a guaranteed attendee, if not the Master of Ceremonies) and many of the RUBBIES (Rich Urban Bikers) who got turned-on to Harley by Leno and a lot of other celebs, the crowd will mostly be made-up of us "regular" folks like us.

Celebrities have long been attracted to the full-throat burble of a Harley, going back to Marlon Brando in the 1953 flick, "The Wild One," (though serious film and bike buffs know that Brando rode a Triumph in that film, but Harleys were featured as the rides of some of the "gang of bikers" who terrorized a California town called Hollister. Inspiration for the movie came from a story in LIFE magazine, which was as popular as POPULAR MECHANICS and READERS' DIGEST in the "day," with a near full-page photo, which years later was admitted to have been "staged" for the photographer, which forever lent motorcycling its "criminal" and  "rebel" air.

"What are you rebelling against?" a member of the town asked Brando's character in "The Wild One", and, Brando replied, "What've ya got?"

There had been earlier "cycle" movies from the '20s and '30s which, if they didn't have much to say for themselves in the way of script, acting or directing ... If nothing else, they memorialized board track racing, a born-and-bred American style of racing which started in Los Angeles. Several miles of boards were attached in the shape of one of today's NASCAR "bullring" tracks, like Bristol, for instance, with fast straights and high-banked corners where speeds were even higher than on the straightaway. A fall almost always meant significant damage to the racer and bike, of course, but "splinters" from these tracks actually killed more than one contestant. The "Speedway" racing bikes of today are related to these "board-trackers"; no brakes, a single four-stroke cylinder of 500cc and fuel, "modified," with nitro-methane. No joke, these machines, now ... or then.

Of course, one of our other all-time favorite celebs, Robert Blake, added to Harley's mystique through his movie, "Electra-Glide in Blue". And we'll allow the Harley people to have their full say about their grand new museum:

In March of 2005 the city of Milwaukee and Harley-Davidson Motor Company signed formal agreements related to Harley-Davidson's purchase of the Museum site at Sixth and Canal Streets near downtown Milwaukee. In late February 2006, designs for the Museum were unveiled. On June 1, 2006, Harley-Davidson launched construction of the much-anticipated Harley-Davidson Museum with a groundbreaking ceremony. The event held on the future Museum grounds at Sixth and Canal Streets in Milwaukee was attended by hundreds of invited guests, including state and local government officials; representatives of Harley-Davidson riders, dealers, suppliers and employees; current and past company executives; and local business and community leaders.

MV AGUSTA, YAMAHA, BMW, HONDA ALL WITH NEW BIKES

Lots of new motorcycle news, including one bit which heralds the end of an era. Honda is ending the manufacture of motorcycles at their Ohio plant, and you can read more about that at the end of this posting. At the same time, Honda has just recently announced the sale of their DN-01 model in Japan, their all-new automatic transmission-equipped two-wheeler, a production model of a vehicle we first saw at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show (see, sometimes these things do make it into production). What follows are the photos and  PR releases made available to us by Honda, BMW, Yamaha and the legendary MV Agusta, all about their new bikes. Enjoy!

Remember now, we're posting most of this using the manufacturer-supplied copy ... So keep that in mind when things get a bit too "hypee".

BMW K1000R

It's been long-rumored that BMW is considering a campaign in the Superbike racing world with a machine inspired by the bikes from Japan. In fact, test mules have been seen lapping racing circuits with Yamaha R6 bodywork, meaning that the chassis and engine are quite compact for this class. BMW has made liter-bikes (1000cc and more) before, but none have used the industry-standard chassis layout placing the four-cylinder engine transversely between the frame rails with chain-drive and upside-down forks. It will be interesting to see what engineering details BMW chooses to utilizes, because they never do anything exactly like everybody else. In point of fact, they usually do it before anyone else! The bike should make 190 horsepower or more to do battle in Superbike racing if they want to be competitive. Like the Aprilia RSV-4, the BMW will give riders, racers and spectators a few interesting story-lines when World Superbike starts its 2009 season.

2008 YAMAHA YZ-F R6

Light, powerful and bristling with knowledge gained from years of racing, the YZF-R6 is the most advanced production 600cc motorcycle Yamaha—or anybody else—has ever built. The YZF-R6 was the first production motorcycle with a fly-by-wire throttle system—for flawless response under all conditions. YCC-I, Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake, introduced in 2007 on the R1, is now used on the R6 to vary intake tract length for excellent cylinder filling and a broader powerband. On the higher-revving R6, its benefits are even more pronounced. Slipper-type back torque-limiting clutch greatly facilitates braking/downshifting from high speed.

New for 2008:
Over 50 friction-reducing strategies have been employed inside the engine, including the use of wider crank  bearings. Upgraded fuel injection mapping for the YCC-T dual-injector system complements the higher compression ratio for great throttle response and reduced engine braking. A magnesium subframe removes weight from the rear of the motorcycle for increased mass centralization. All-new frame takes handling to the next level, allowing more precise turn-in, greater corner speed, and tighter exits. Thicker headpipe-headstock and swingarm pivot area walls, and elimination of the frame crossmember, help achieve perfect balance. New swingarm has internal ribs added, and extruded section is now forged to work with the new frame. Revised outer fork tubes, a new lower triple clamp, and increased fork offset provide highly tactile front-end feedback.

Moving the rider and bars forward and slightly lower enhances braking and turn-in performance. Clip-ons are also lower and re-angled. Front discs are 310 x 5mm instead of 4.5mm for increased cooling qualities. Increased fork height adjustability and rear ride-height adjustment range accommodate a greater range of riders and tires. Revised bodywork results in even greater aerodynamic efficiency.

"NAKED" KATANA-STYLE "SUZUKI STRATOSPHERE" CONCEPT AN OLDIE AND GOODIE

Remember "naked motorcycles"? The styling was developed to make motorcycles appear more purposeful, like "applied art with a practical purpose", as some people have said about race cars, which are recognizable as cars, but stripped down to their basics. You could also say the style helped motorcycles "look fast standing still", a statement used to describe some sporty cars and real sports cars. The style uncovered as much of a bike's frame and engine as possible, so it appeared as sort of a 'skeleton' with an engine in its low middle and a wheel at either end. A look at such a bike showed-off its individual parts, including even much of the swing arm and rear suspension set-up. The look was all the rage, especially with Japanese-made machines, back in the early part of this century. Now Suzuki is re-re-releasing photos and info on what must be one of their favorite motorcycle concepts of all time, the Stratosphere concept from the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, an 1100cc monster with an Inline 6-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission. (Photo - Cutaway of the Inline-6 which powered the Stratosphere).

Always one of the best exhibits at the Tokyo Motor Show is that of the motorcycles. If a journalist writes about the motorcycles displayed there, you know that he or she spent a lot of extra time and trouble in covering the show during the two press days, which works out to a total of about only 16 hours to see the entire show, shoot photos, do interviews and somehow be able to explain it all, vehicle-by-vehicle, when they get back home.

The building where the Tokyo planners put the motorcycles (and this past year, the 2007 show, also most of the busses and trucks which were on display again for the first time in about a decade) is a several hundred yard walk from the main building at Makuhari Messe, where the cars are on display. The walk is up and down some huge flights of "decorative concrete" stairs, and if you've saved the bikes for the last couple of hours on the final media day, one thing you don't feel at all like doing is walking on more hard surfaces. But hey, it's a job, and usually doesn't necessitate much heavy lifting, so who are we to complain, right? But patting ourselves on the back a bit, we do have on this site extensive Tokyo motorcycle coverage from both the 2005 and 2003 shows in the form of Photo Albums ... Check the left-hand margin for those albums (we had some digital tech troubles while covering the 2007 show, and didn't have the time to make the fixes we needed in time shoot the bikes, but we did take a slow walk through the gigantic hall, taking notes and creating some 'mental pictures' to help us get the facts straight when we got home).

BMW's HP2 BIKE; GRAND TRADITIONS OF ENGINEERING, STYLING AND HORSEPOWER IN SEVERAL MARKETPLACES COMBINED

BMW began as an aircraft engine and auto parts builder; motorcycles and then, complete cars, all came a bit later. In fact, following the use of various colors and images as a corporate logo, the blue and white BMW logo (or "roundel", which is also the name of the BMW Car Club of America magazine) is a representation of a plane's rotating propeller and was registered in December, 1917 (all of that info is always good for winning a bar bet). BMW counts for a lot of motorcycle 'firsts', perhaps the most-important of the modern age was being first to offer anti-lock brakes on a two-wheeler (in 1987 on the K100 Mark II), followed-up with ASC, Automatic Stability Control, in K- and R-series bikes in 2007. With all the excitement about the high-horsepower BMW 1-series coming into the US, a lot of people forget that, while the company makes, for the most part, truly fantastic, if heavily-priced, automobiles, they have often used their motorcycle division as a 'test bed' for engine and suspension parts which eventually found their way into the four-wheeled versions of BMW (the same can be said for Yamaha, whose "Genesis" cylinder heads have found their way in some form or another into Toyota and other engines, as well as Honda using their bike-developed engine tech in their automotive division). In fact, BMW spent many of its earliest years as a parts-maker for the then-new aircraft and automobile industries. One of the company's founders, Gustav Otto, was the son of Nikolaus August Otto, inventor of the four-stroke internal combustion engine. Let us remind you to 'double click' on the photos to really appreciate them. (Photo - 2008 BMW HP2).

BMW motorcycles have always been highly-appreciated by customers who value reliability, top-end horsepower mated with big low-end torque, liquid-cooling, interesting and even, lately, outrageous styling, and aficionados aren't afraid to reach deep into their pockets (and pocketbooks) to bring one home. For instance, BMW was the first motorcycle manufacturer to offer a cockpit fairing as standard equipment in 1973 on the R 90 S, today considered a revolutionary sport bike. In 1976, BMW's R 100 RS was the first production motorcycle fitted with a wind tunnel developed fairing. That worldwide BMW bike audience enjoys the theory and the reality of a "Boxer" horizontally-opposed engine; used by BMW (in their motorcycles, only), Porsche and Subaru cars, the engines have proven tough and extremely dependable.

2008 SUZUKI GSX-R MACHINES; UK DETAILS, AVAILABILITY AND PRICING

There are reasons to appreciate PR releases from every country, as they all have something special, something found in their use of English, sometimes tortured (check the releases from Chinese car companies, which are almost as bad as the early releases from Japan) and they are sometimes veddy, veddy British. We love getting press releases from UK-based outfits. We're happy to share them in their entirety with all our English-language visitors because there's something about the Brit's use of the language, the "Queen's English", I think they call it, which, frankly, makes whatever they're writing or saying sound much more interesting than it would be if it had been written or said by some American PR squid in, say, Torrance, California ... Which is home to both American Honda and Toyota Motor Sales, USA.

Triumph 2008 Sprint ST --- Updated Tourer With "Superb Handling, Powerful Engine and Unrivalled (sic) Reliability"

One of the great names in motorcycling, Triumph, might have occasionally gone out of production,  and its factory was shut down completely in 1983, until resurrected by construction magnate John Bloor (he bought the name and whatever else was left for $100,000), but Triumph never went out of style. For the past several years they've even begun to flourish, with the company paying attention to trends worldwide and, much like Harley-Davidson, realizing, understanding and capitalizing on and exploiting the value of nostalgia, building machines which in appearance and even sound hearken back to an earlier time, to 1959 perhaps, which was the best year in history of British motorcycling, but with modern mechanicals and electronics which makes bikes like Triumph dependable, along with already being good-looking, in that retro sense, and, of course, fun to ride. (Logo above - Triumph's current logo, beginning in 2005; Photo below - 2008 Triumph Sprint ST).

Many of us of a certain age, who grew up in a time when the machines from a particular Asian nation were just getting started with very serious sales in the US, which continue to this day, had our very first rides on a bike with either an American or British pedigree. These were, for the most part, and looking back with our perfect 20/20 hindsight, truly horrendous machines to use to learn how to ride a motorcycle. Heavy, unreliable and with poor handling, Harley-Davidson and Triumph, BSA and Norton bikes allowed the student to perfect a riding technique which out of necessity included the "best way to pick up a bike once it had been dropped while waiting at a traffic light", as well as the proper way to, using foot pressure, get one of the two pistons into its TDC (top dead center) position, the better to make the beast start using the kick start method. They machines were almost always twins (with the occasional single-cylinder thrown in for good measure and even more torture for the rider).

When kick-starting a bike, the rider is trying to start the "flame propagation" procedure in just one cylinder, no matter how many cylinders total. So, with a 500cc machine, for example, in a twin configuration, the rider was kicking 250cc's at a time; when Japan's four-bangers came out, they were easier to kick-start, as the rider was kicking only 125cc's worth of the engine. Triumph's unique use of three cylinders (Triples, they were called, and demons they were and still are continues to this day. Japan's Kawasaki brought out their own triples in the mid to late '70s, and they were some of the meanest, nastiest bikes ever built. So ill-handling were they that Kawasaki eventually put steering dampers on them). (Logo - Triumph's 100 year anniversary logo, 1902 to 2002).

2008 DUCATI 1098 R - 180hp, TRACTION CONTROL, DESMO VALVETRAIN, 364 POUNDS, $45,000+

When but a mere youth, living in So Cal and riding my 1974 Honda 550/4, which I'd bought for $1,400 brand-new, the best medium-size machine on the market then ... and perhaps even now ... A good friend of mine who lived in upstate New York had connections to the family and the company which imported MV Agusta motorcycles, then, and even now, considered among the best, if not the single best, performance and racing motorcycle brand on earth.

Calling the Agusta "the two-wheel Ferrari" was even considered something of an insult ... to Ferrari. Ridden by Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood to I-forget-how-many-World-Championships, MV Agusta was legendary, even mythical, in those days when two-stroke multi-cylinder machines from Japan were taking over the championship titles from the old guard like Ducati, MV Agusta, Triumph, BMW, Harley-Davidson and all the other traditional four-strokers. But the four-strokes would make their way back into road racing, a they have today, as environmental concerns began doing away with the noisy, oil-burning two-strokes. I say all this about MV Agusta because that machine was my introduction to Italian motorcycles. Just how serious are the people who make these machines? Well, MV Agusta makes a machine named "Brutale", and Ducati has their "Monster". Serious names for serious bikes. Ducati's all-new 1098 R is a racing motorcycle which incidentally also happens to be street-legal, offering 180 horsepower in a 364 pound machine. Now that's serious, too.

And now, once again, Ducati says they have raised the bar and set a world standard for sport bikes, while turning the heads and racing the hearts of enthusiasts throughout the world. The 'R' is a race bike, says Ducati, pure and simple, combining competition specifications and superior components together with advanced electronics and race-proven chassis technology delivering a level of performance that empowers riders with confidence and capability.

State Motorcycle Requirements

If you're new to motorcycles, you should know that every state has its own set of rules and riding requirements.  Check out this guide we found at the  online and download the handy state-by-state riding guide.  And ... Happy Riding!

Cool Internet Motorcycle Website!

If you're a motorcycle enthusiast, here's a cool web site you might want to check out... it's the Motorcycle Industry Council's web site.  Download the Motorcycle Industry's 10 Step Guide to Motorcycle, which includes information on buying the right motorcycle for you, how to buy a helmet, and planning your next ride, great for a new motorcycle owner too. 

HARLEY TO SPONSOR "ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP"

It's a marriage made in Hell, these two deserve each other, no man shall tear this asunder (unless some checks start to bounce) ... A true world icon, Harley-Davidson, is now a major sponsor of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. And who, as we like to say, can argue (dare argue?) with that?

Harley-Davidson has enjoyed amazing success by appealing to two very different segments of society in the USA; the first group we'll call the "hardliners", those people who may have spent time on the fringes of society and are truly "rebels", people who didn't belong to "motorcycle groups", they belonged to "clubs" with names like "Hessians" and "Hell's Angels". These are the hardcore Harley owners, and the company was brilliant in co-opting that lifestyle as their own. The second group of Harley owners are newer, wealthier, younger and more likely to add sound-baffling to their bikes because the noise bothers their wives. These people are generally known as "Rubbies", the shortened version of a derisive term, "rich, urban bikers". There is another, third important group of Harley buyers, those riders in other countries who feel that Harley is the epitome of the "American lifestyle". There are many Harley clubs in Japan, for instance, which may have hundreds of members, and they all might be over 65 years old; not too bad in a country where the average new Harley costs $30,000 and above. And the Harley exhibit is always one of the best-attended (and among the largest) at the Tokyo Motor Show. A visit to the Harley website offers visitors a choice of some 25 different countries from which to get sales information. Click on this line to visit "Harley World" in Japan. Worldwide, their "Harley Owners' Groups" (HOGs), have been a tremendous success in organizing Harley owners and bringing new buyers "into the fold". Harley has just made another tremendous business decision in deciding to become the first major international product sponsor for the "Ultimate Fighting Championship".

MOTORCYCLE BUILDER "JESSE JAMES" IS NOW AN ENVIRONMENTALIST ... RIGHT

Just because he regularly and proudly co-opts Nazi insignia for his corporate logos, stands accused of stealing a union's logo for his own, was fined $275,000 by the California Air Resources Board for selling motorcycles with engines not approved by the state and has to go 2,000 miles from his home in So Cal to find a group which might listen to him, all that doesn't make motorcycle customizer "Jesse James" a bad person. No, because now he's an environmentalist, too.

Speaking (or whatever it is he does) to a so-called "design forum" sponsored by Autoweek magazine two days before the 2008 Detroit Auto Show opened to the public, James said, according to news accounts, "Ten years ago, I didn't care about the environment, now I'm wondering, am I turning soft or is it real?"

Apparently, James was speaking about the environment and not some aspect of his personal life "turning soft", but someone should tell James that most of the people in the world who know about these things say yes, "it" is real.

"I see Al Gore --- he's a dork. I see these people on the Internet, and it's like they just want to take away all the Camaros. Is it just hype or is it real and there will be no gas? I know I don't want to go to an electric Formula One race," James said. "At the track it would be like, 'I think they're coming, but I can't hear them.' "

Now, who can argue with that? Frankly, we're kind of amazed James knows about something as sophisticated as F1 racing, but when James gets his own Nobel Prize, I'm sure Al Gore will send him a note of congratulations.

EVEL KNIEVEL RESTORED! HIS BIKE, NOT HIM

Think of the phrase "Evel Knievel's motorcycle", and what bike comes to mind? For me, it's the "All-American" Harley-Davidson. Knievel was often photographed astride his trusty Harley, and it kind of "went without saying" that Harley was the only bike that this American icon would ride, direct from Harley's home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But the truth is that Knievel played no favorites; he put the Harley name on his bikes as long as Harley was supplying the machines and kicking-in a goodly sum of dollars ... American dollars, to be exact. But there were other machines in Knievel's large stable, and one of them in particular still carries with it the hopes and aspirations of anyone who has ever ridden a "Made-in-the-UK" Triumph motorcycle. Now, a well-known motorcycle parts and service hard site and Website presence in the UK is turning out what they call "Knievel Commemorative Editions" of modern Triumphs. Triumph motorcycles are designed, developed, and built at the factory in Hinckley, England.

Originally intended as a tribute to the 40th anniversary of Evel Knievel's unforgettable Caesar's Palace jump, UK bike dealer Jack Lilley has created a special edition of Triumph's on-and-off-road Scrambler. The choice of motorcycle makes sense because that original jump some 40 years ago was done aboard a Triumph T120 Bonneville. Although the project was started before Knievel's recent death, it has taken on new meaning now that the legendary stunt-man has passed and is a tribute to more than just that one jump.

According to the Jack Lilley company, the bike "is based on a Scrambler and has a superb paint job along with short front mudguard, Thruxton seat and hump, chrome engine cases, red cam cover and other small details." The one-off tribute bike will be sold with a signed picture of the man himself in mid-jump and will command a few thousand extra over the base price of the Scrambler.

The bike sells for UK8,250-pounds, which translates into USD$12,068.26. But who's counting, right?

SUPERCHARGED 500cc-SINGLE DUE FROM THE UK's ARIEL

Motorcycle News (motorcyclenews.com) is a wonderful place to get the latest on Euro machines, as well as many other bikes from other countries which we never see in the US. That's where we found the info on this machine; Motorcycle News readers were challenged by the magazine (and its website, natch) to come up with the best new idea for Ariel, and the supercharged model sketch seen below won the set, game and match ... And Ariel says they will indeed build it! (Photo Above --- The man who controls the Ariel name and company, Simon Saunders, also builds the "Ariel Atom 3" street-legal race car ... sounds a bit of the ol' oxymoron, don't it? But we've seen the Ariel Atom 3, at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas and can verify --- It looks very capable and is reasonably priced, too --- About 30,000 Brit pounds ... Which is somewhere around US$59,585.88 --- But who's counting, right? And don't forget --- The Ariel Atom is a two-seat sports car).

Many of you old far ...uh, old-TIMERS (yes, me included) will remember Ariel motorcycles from the UK. Most- famously, the name  "Square Four" comes to mind ... And many of those models were produced, as Ariel built them from 1937 through 1958. It's fun to think about and remember these machines today, but readers should keep in mind that the Ariel Square Four made in 1958 was probably not very different in most ways from the original 1937 models, sort of the way Harley-Davidson had been with some of their machines, making nothing but money from them, as the styling and engineering needs were necessary only once, and the machines and tooling necessary to make a new model was probably paid-off in two years, at most. (Art Sketch --- A concept draft drawing for a new Ariel motorcycle, from the UK, a 500cc single-cylinder machine with a supercharger --- All we have to say is, "Where do we line up?").

ELECTRIC VECTRIX, SEGWAY, OTHER SCOOTERS TESTED BY NYPD

The New York Police Department will begin road testing four plug-in Vectrix two-wheel all-electric scooters in early January, 2008 -- just a part of what NYPD says is a broad campaign to make the nation's largest police department a greener one as well. The 36,000-officer NYPD say they have been looking for ways to retool its massive motor fleet to guzzle less gas and inflict less harm on the environment. A handful of NYPD hybrid cars and so-called flex-fuel vehicles are already on the road. But obviously, bigger changes need to be made, changes to entire structure of the traditional "motor pool thinking" which has permeated the force for more than 50 years. NYPD does seem to be making solid and constructive research on a variety of "green" vehicles to aid their officers in the many, many diverse challenges which make-up their jobs on a daily basis. Vectrix recently approached several big city police departments with the sleek, two-wheel scooters, but the NYPD was the first to take a serious look. Vectrix also says their scooters, assembled in Poland, are the first all-electric vehicles to be government-certified to travel on any highway, street or road. (Remember to click on any photo to enlarge).

A number of cities nationwide already utilize the somewhat-familiar Segway scooter (seen in photo), an all-electric one- person vehicle which has the driver "riding" in a standing position, their hands at home on a familiar set of "handlebars", and allows control of the Segway through the driver leaning to one side or the other, and also allows the driver some control by "pushing" to go forward and achieve some braking by "pulling back" while standing. Segway also uses more conventional motorcycle-style controls. One is most likely to find Segways and similar vehicles being used by police and also private companies, ranging from security firms to delivery services of all manner to warehouse work being made much easier and efficient and to golf resorts and hotels including those at Walt Disney World and Las Vegas' "New York New York" hotel and casino. Segway was developed by Dean Kamen, an American inventor responsible for many life-saving and life-changing medical devices. Segway's website says that, "Our inspiration for the name Segway came from the word segue, which is defined as, "to transition smoothly from one state to another." A Segway PT transforms a person into an empowered pedestrian, allowing him/her to go farther, move more quickly and carry more." (Photo --- Vectrix scooter on display in Milan, Italy).

VMAX SCULPTURE FROM TOKYO MOTOR SHOW VISITS LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA

Thanks to the folks at "Star VMax" for bringing us this news: A few weeks ago, Yamaha brought the "V-Max Awakenings" sculpture, originally on display at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show, into the US. The model went on display at the recent International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, CA. We missed seeing this sculpture at the Tokyo Motor Show just two months ago, so we're happy to bring it to our visitors now. "Better late ... Than never!"

For a few days, the "V-Max Awakenings" art sculpture was able to be seen by the public. For Yamaha to bring this several hundred pound piece of metal to the US presents a major commitment to the new VMax. In fact during an interview with the media, Bob Starr, General Manager for Marketing of Yamaha US, made some bold statements: He promised to deliver a Next Generation VMax within the very near future, and offline he also pointed out the usage patterns of the rear tire coming off of one of the test motorcycles. Yamaha is clearly taking the new VMax through its paces. Someone once called cars, trucks and bikes whose design was meant to be appreciated in museums rather then on the road, "Applied art with a practical purpose". If this "V-Max Awakenings" doesn't meet that standard, then we're all in the wrong business ...

BIKE SALES UP; BUT SO ARE ACCIDENTS, INJURIES AND DEATHS INVOLVING RIDERS

William Welch of USA TODAY wrote the following for the national newspaper's June 6, 2006 edition. USA TODAY seems to have taken on the mantle of closely following the nation's gas price rises and "our" reactions to them. This means millions of businesspeople staying in lesser American hotels and some upscale motels found this article slid under their fire-proof doors that morning...
(all photos  by Steve Parker; from TOKYO MOTOR SHOW MOTORCYCLES section of this website).

High gasoline prices are helping boost nationwide sales of motorcycles as commuters look for a fuel-saving alternative to four-wheeled travel.

The Motorcycle Industry Council, a manufacturers' trade group headquartered here, reports that sales of motorcycles and scooters rose 8% in the first three months of this year compared with 2005. Council spokesman Ty van Hooydonk and other industry leaders expect second-quarter reports, due in July, to show another jump in sales.

Vincent Stone, 36, of Los Angeles, shopping at L.A. Cycle Sports in Inglewood, is among those switching. He garaged his van and bought a 25-year-old motorcycle. "It cost me $85 to fill up the van. Man, it's been killing me," he says. "My motorcycle only costs $13 to fill up."

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation says 350,000 people will take its new-rider course this year, up 10% in a year. There are so many newcomers the foundation can't find spots for 40% of applicants.

"The wait time in some states can be months," says Tim Buche, president of the foundation.

PRESIDENTIAL MOTORCYCLE ESCORT CRASHES; ANOTHER OFFICER DIES

A police officer in President Bush's motorcade crashed his motorcycle and died Monday, August 27th. This story, though it happened on August 27th, deserves memorializing. Why? Because this is the second time in a year that this type of incident has occurred. A Honolulu police officer, Steve Favela, died in November when he and two other motorcycle officers crashed while part of a presidential motorcade traveling across Hickam Air Force Base. (Photo --- A Rio Rancho, New Mexico motorcycle officer receives emergency medical attention from two unidentified officers at the scene of a crash). 

We can only ask: How can a similar accident occur in such a short period of time? We know that wet roadways and rain were involved in the Honolulu accident, and that wreck involved three police motorcycles which collided. This accident appears to have been a one-vehicle accident. Rio Rancho Officer Germaine Casey, 40, crashed at the Albuquerque airport at a point where a road enters an underground parking garage, said Trish Hoffman, a spokeswoman for the Albuquerque Police Department. He was pronounced dead at an Albuquerque hospital. Bush had been headed to the airport after attending a fundraiser for Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. The officer had been with the Rio Rancho Police Department since 2005 and worked with campus police at the University of New Mexico before that.