Supermoto or Supermotard is a motorcycle race on a track that alternates between three kinds of racecourses: the hard packed dirt of flat track, the irregular ...
tags: breed of speed , supermoto , super moto racing , moto aslphalt , nathan finneman
During last week's Senior TT race, James Hillier pulled off an incredible save on the Snaefell Mountain's formidable Ballagarey Corner
tags: breed of speed , isle of man tt , motorcycle isle of man, nathan finneman , amazing race
Two-strokes are far simpler machines than four-stroke engines. They’re also lighter, easier to work on, and downright angrier, pumping out a lot more power per cubic centimeter of displacement, which has won them a lot of fans. But they’ve had a reputation for belching out a fair bit of smoke and unburned fuel, a situation that just couldn’t fly alongside tightening emissions regulations around the world, so they’ve fallen out of favour. But now there’s a glimmer of hope. Earlier this month, Honda submitted a patent application for a brand new two stroke motor that uses direct fuel injection for a cleaner burn and better piston cooling. We may yet see a resurrection of the ring-dingers.
Uncovered by eagle-eyed patent hawks at Morebikes, the new patent describes a new two-stroke engine with a fuel injection system mounted on the back of the cylinder, pointing upwards toward the back wall of the cylinder bore. The injector is set to spray the fuel when the piston is near top dead center, so that unburned fuel won’t get swept out with the exhaust gases, and the fuel is aimed such that the cylinder and piston can both be partially cooled as the fuel evaporates against them. Honda believes this design can help eliminate some of the complexity of other injected two-stroke designs, helping bring the production and maintenance costs down and potentially making them relevant for manufacture again. It’s widely believed that Husqvarna and KTM, among others, are sitting on injected two-stroke motor designs and waiting on the right time to debut something. But word is, KTM expects its injected two-strokes to be so complex that they’ll end up being as expensive and heavy as a four stroke engine, which could well kill demand. Perhaps with this design, Honda has managed to break down some of that complexity and find a package that can welcome the braappers back into the modern motorcycle landscape. But language in this Honda patent, as well as the design drawings, suggest that this might not be conceived as a motorcycle engine at all – at least, not in its current form. In the first background paragraph of the application, Honda states that “the two-stroke engine is often preferred over the four-stroke engine in the field of general purpose engines because of the simplicity in the structure.” Furthermore, that diagram would seem to show a long-stroke engine with a pushrod valve system and a thick mounting flange at the bottom. In addition, the patent wording states that “the liquid fuel may consist of diesel oil or any other fuel that is provided with a lubricating property.” All of which points toward an industrial generator-type machine rather than a high-performance motorcycle engine. Even so, it shows Honda is still looking to innovate and develop in the two-stroke world – and there is most certainly a market (including Gizmag’s own highly emotional Mike Hanlon) that would love to see efficient, clean two-strokes come into the modern era. Stay tuned. tags: breed of speed , two stroke comeback, nathan finneman, honda two stroke, new two stroke , fuel injected two stroke 
Numerous sources state that Harley-Davidson is lining up a takeover bid for Italian Ducati put up for sale by German carmaker Volkswagen, potentially bringing together two of the most famous names in motorcycling in a deal that could be worth up to 1.5 billion euros ($1.67 billion) Others are also preparing to bid: Bajaj Auto (BAJA.NS) and several buyout funds. Tentative bids are expected in July. VW hopes to raise between 1.4 and 1.5 billion euros from the sale of Ducati, valuing it at 14-15 times its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of about 100 million euros. A source close to VW said the sale of Ducati may not be finalized before the annual EICMA motorcycle show in Milan in mid-November as VW wants to find the right buyer and the sales process may take time. -
tags: ducati buy out , harley buys ducati , motorcycle, harley davidson , nathan finneman , breed of speed 
Motorcycle racer Nicky Hayden succumbed to injuries from a bicycle crash on Monday. He was 35.
Hayden was training on his bicycle on the Rimini coast in Italy on Wednesday when he was struck by a car. He was taken to a local hospital with chest and head trauma, and was then transferred to the Bufalini Hospital in Cesena. The hospital released a medical bulletin on Monday announcing the death, having said last week that Hayden had severe cerebral damage and multiple traumatic injuries. Hayden, who was in Italy following a race at nearby Imola, was transported to the Bufalini facility following the incident on the Rimini coast on Wednesday. Nicknamed the “Kentucky Kid,” Hayden had worked his way up to the premier class of MotoGP by 2003, when he was just 21 years old, teaming up with Valentino Rossi at Repsol Honda. Just three years later, Hayden would win the MotoGP World Championship after a season-long battle with Rossi. Hayden remained in MotoGP full-time until 2015 but was unable to make it back to the top step of the podium again. In 2016, Hayden switched to the Superbike World Championship where he took a race win in Malaysia. He was 13th in the points following his latest Superbike race at Imola this year. tags: nathan finneman , nicky hayden crash, hayden death, racing news , breed of speed , colorado 
What was once reserved for MotoGP experts is now available for hobby petrolheads and bike freaks alike. Thanks to the Icaros, fans of the sport can now experience what it’s like to ride at hair-raising speeds without the worry about suffering injuries.
After releasing Icaros Pro in April 2016, a prototype of the virtual reality computer game and sports equipment, the founders and designers Johannes Scholl and Michael Schmidt are now following up with a new and improved version. “We’ve developed the Icaros R to provide people with motorcycle track grip and racing feeling,” says Schmidt. “I’ve ridden my Ducati in extremely amateur fashion around some very big curves, and I can honestly say that the feeling you get using the ICAROS has much more to do with real bike riding than playing computer games with a controller.”
The playful approach is the key to ICAROS, although it is primarily intended to achieve an actual goal: movement.
“We see ourselves as a sports equipment manufacturer,” says Schmidt, who has sold over 200 ICAROS “Pro” devices with his company to fitness centres, event agencies, large companies and Arcades. “The gaming component, however, is a great motivator for people and helps to get more out of it than you normally would,” says Schmidt. This is why he and his team are currently working on an online multiplayer game where sporting competition is the focus. “The whole process will be global and by 2018, and it will be possible to take part in global contests on all Icaros products,” says Schmidt. “Users will be able to compete in qualifying sessions and finally to determine who is the best in a live final.” The Icaros R will be launched later this year. tags: virtual reality moto gp , virtual reality , nathan finneman colorado , breed of speed , vr future , cool 
 Once again, southern California has become host to an unauthorized off-road stunt around public roads. A little more than a year after a man ripped through San Diego in a buggy, we now have a man who jumped a freeway with his motorcycle. The video was originally posted by Instagram user kyle_katsandris. On the page, the user has posted other photos and video of, presumably, his motorcycle stunts. However, the other jumps seem to take place in an off-road park, rather than on or near public roads. tags: nathan finneman , breed of speed , motorcycle jump california highway , bos , drifto In the video, seen above, the rider powers up an embankment leading to the freeway, and sails over traffic on his way to a smooth landing on the opposing hills. In the video, no one was hurt, but we don't condone these unauthorized stunts that takes place in such close proximity to traffic. The stunt has attracted the attention of local law enforcement, too. According to CBS Los Angeles, both the California Highway Patrol and the Riverside County sheriff's department have launched investigations. We also reached out to the sheriff's department, and its media bureau told us the they haven't conclusively identified the rider but that "he or she could face county ordinance violations and possibly trespassing." At the time of publishing, we're waiting for additional details from the department. This rider might come out of this better than the driver of the buggy in San Diego. His significantly more dangerous exhibition netted him 26 misdemeanors, including counts of reckless driving and exhibition of speed.  T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, owned a 1929 Brough Superior SS-100 motorbike, nicknamed George VI. It was one of 10 motorbikes on display in Clouds Hill, Bovington to commemorate 100 years since Lawrence’s involvement in the Arab Revolt of World War I. It was customized to fit Lawrence’s height, with the top of the fuel tank cut away to allow for the lower saddle. That motorbike is still locally owned and ridden. Lawrence owned seven of the bikes manufactured by hand by George Brough of Nottingham. They were expensive machines, costing £100 to £185 – the equivalent of a year’s wages or the price of a small house in the 1920s  Lawrence came to Clouds Hill after enlisting in the Tank Corps in 1923. George VI was a gift from George Bernard Shaw and his wife Charlotte in 1929, after Lawrence returned from his duties in India. He was uncomfortable with such generosity, though, and insisted on paying for the bike himself.One of Lawrence’s first trips on George VI would have been to Clouds Hill; he often traveled between Plymouth and London as well. He could make the 235 mile trip in under 5 hours while traveling in excess of 90mph. Lady Nancy Astor was also seen riding pillion through Plymouth, where she was an MP. This was a source of bemusement to the locals. While riding George VII, Lawrence was fatally wounded on May 13, 1935, just a few hundred yards from his Clouds Hill home. tags: breed of speed , nathan finneman , bos , breedofspeed ,  That’s right, you’re looking at a 2575cc liquid cooled DOHC V8 monster that produces an insane 417 horsepower. Is it Australian? It’s a V8, so of course it is…While it’s certainly not the first V8 powered motorcycle that we’ve seen from ‘Straya, it’s definitely well worth having a closer look at. Designed and engineered by former Australia superbike and sidecar racer, Vincent Messina, and streamlined by Tim Cameron, the Hellfire OZ26 dubs it’s arrival as “the dawn of the ultrabike,” and with figures that boast 417 horsepower and 235 lb – ft worth of torque, perhaps the term “ultrabike” isn’t too far off…  The Aurora Hellfire OZ26 sports a Hossack style front end, and an Ohlin’s mono unit at the rear complete with a multi-link setup. We’ll talk about the engine in a second but first, it’s worth mentioning that the Hellfire comes with loads of on board goodies including ride-by-wire, special traction control and four preset riding modes (sport, touring, wet and a fully custom channel). The awesome five speed gearbox can be operated by foot controls or handlebar mounted buttons. The brakes are from Brembo, specifically GP4RX four piston calipers with carbon ceramic discs.The engine itself is nothing short of a beast, boasting a full 2,575cc of liquid cooled fun, with the V8 also sporting 4 valves per cylinder. Horsepower? 417 at 9,500 rpm. Torque? 235 lb –ft at 7000 rpm. Top speed? Somewhere north of 211 mph (that’s all we know at the moment). Acceleration? Again, we’re still in the dark about that one but since the bikes dry weight it only 585 lb, we’d imagine it’s pretty rapid.  At the moment, Vincent Messina is on the lookout for funds to build a limited run of these bad boys. If you’re looking for something truly unique to rip around on, you might want to give him a call. My advice though? Make sure he sorts out the back of the seat, it jars the ol’ eyes in my opinion. Apart from that, it’s a stunner! Here are a couple of videos to get you in the mood. Mute the first one though, unless you want to hear 80s style montage music, but turn the second one up. They’ve got the Hellfire on the dyno, and it sounds superb.  Ansty getting your hands on a motorcycle which is exceedingly rare, if you pardon this expression? Australia has one such machine for sale in Nerang, Queensland: an 1985 Yamaha RZ500N, new and in a crate. The bike is an Australian model, imported by a Yamaha dealership in Brisbane, back in 1984. It has never been even started and comes with keys, mirrors, belly pan, books and all, just as it has left Japan.  If the name alone doesn’t tell you too much about the bike, here are some interesting details. You’re looking at a V4-cylinder 2-stroke 499cc beast, apparently created as a streetable replica of Kenny Roberts’ YZR500 GP machine. The road bike was lighter than the race machine, but Yamaha detuned for safety reasons. The race bikes back in the day were already insanely hard to master, and putting such a bomb on the streets would only mean a sure way to having the bike thrashed and people injured or killed. Some younger guns are maybe raising an eyebrow when hearing about a half-liter machine that is so vicious. Maybe they are more used to the modern 600cc supersports that tap into the 130 horsepower zone, but believe us, a 500cc two-stroke bike is not the beast you want to fool with. For a glimpse of what GP bikes used to be, you can also watch The Unrideables GP500 racing documentary. tags: nathan finneman racing motorcycle bike in crate new moto gp vintage motorcycle crate colorado  The 1985 Yamaha RZ500N is awaiting its new owner in the crate, with a price tag of $38,490 (€22,265) at Trade Motorcycles. The price isn’t exactly sky-high, and we could expect to see someone picking the bike for actual track fun. We just hope the guy that does so knows his way around race bikes very well.
tags: nathan finneman racing motorcycle bike in crate new moto gp vintage motorcycle crate colorado |
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