HOBNDA

American Honda Motorcycles Press Release: 2014 is shaping up to be a banner year for Honda as more exciting new models bring new options to an expansive line of motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and Side-By-Sides. “Whether you’re a new rider or an experienced enthusiast, this announcement of new street models offers something exciting for you,” said Powersports Press Manager Bill Savino. “Over the course of the last two years, Honda has introduced many exciting new models across all segments, and we will continue to strengthen our model line-up as evidenced by this announcement. “First, there’s the all-new CTX1300, the next extension of the CTX series. This big-displacement V-4 CTX1300 carries the same family emphasis on class-leading comfort, new technology, easy-to-operate features and remarkable versatility as the 700s released earlier this year, but packs an extra dose of features and performance. “We’re also unveiling the CBR1000RR SP, which we know track riders will find very...

If you didn’t know who your father was, you might have a hard time knowing what you should aspire to be. Forty or so years after the Yamaha DT1 and the later BMW R80GS helped launch the “adventure” movement, their progeny are still at it, delivering the most versatile motorcycles available. Each is a masterful cross between dirtbike and luxury tourer, with plenty of “sport” sprinkled all over. The BMW R1200GS is 100-percent all-new but with trademark features strikingly similar to the previous rendition’s. Yamaha’s Ténéré is still riding high since it raised the bar in 2012, but the advantage often goes to the player latest into the game. To find out who’s boss, my wife, Heather, and I rode both on a multi-day adventure to and from twisty roads that may or may not take a turn for the worse (or into dirt); no plan, no destination, just riding light and free with a bit of mystery around the next turn. And plenty of timev to argue about the machines. And other things. The spec sheet...

Suzuki Hayabusa, also known as Suzuki GSX1300R is one of the most famous sport bikes around, if not the most famous one, period. It’s fame comes from the fact that, soon after entering the production line, in 1999, it was acclaimed as the fastest production motorcycle in the world, even this was not the goal of the engineers that created the bike in the first place. It’s main competitor was Honda CBR1100XX, also known as Super Blackbird. Right from the start, Hayabusa surpassed Honda CBR1100XX by more than 10 miles/hour (16 km/h) The hierarchy was set! One of the interesting stories here is linked to the name of this bike: Hayabusa, in Japanese means “peregrine falcon”, a bird of prey, well known for the high speeds reached when hunting (325 km/h) and for the free vertical dives, being the fastest bird in the world, often serving as a metaphor for speed. Well, Honda CBR 1100XX is also known as the Super Blackbird, while peregrine falcons are known to prey on blackbirds. So, even th...

First Look Review: 2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2R After much teasing by Kawasaki, the 2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2R has been released. As expected the new H2R has a supercharged motor designed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ Gas Turbine division. Utilizing all of the resources of KHI, the 2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2R features carbon-fiber bodywork from the Aerospace division, custom components from the Machinery division and the result is a striking motorcycle. The claimed horsepower of the 998cc H2R is “in the region of 300 horsepower.” The catch is that the H2R is a closed-course motorcycle, complete with racing slicks, and is not designed for public road use. More goodies include a trellis frame, wind-tunnel tested highly aerodynamic bodywork (called “Intense Force Design”), and the retro Kawasaki River Mark logo. According to Kawasaki, regarding the trellis frame, “Ordinarily, high-speed stability can be achieved with a long wheelbase. However, the engineers wanted a shorter wheelbase to ...

2015 Yamaha MT-09X  Regular  readers of Cycle World know that we are smitten by the lively 847cc triple in the Yamaha FZ-09 streetfighter. They also know that we thoroughly enjoy the Yamaha Super Tenere ADV bike. Problem is, for many potential customers, the Super T and its 1200cc engine are a bit too big and heavy for some off-road riding situations. Here’s one possible solution, as seen in the photo-illustration above provided by our friends at Young Machine magazine in Japan. We’ll call it the MT-09X, and this motorcycle appears to be just what Yamaha needs—an ADV machine that can gobble up lots of miles on the highway while being lighter and easier to handle in the dirt. And while this illustration shows the bike outfitted with tarmac wheels and tires in a more Ducati Multistrada vein, who’s to say that Yamaha won’t step up and fit the MT-09 Tenere with DOT knobbies on a proper 18/21 setup? A lot of customers could be covered by a pair of models like this. ...

 krugger motorcycles : Today we are taking a look at one of his earlier work, from 2009 called ‘Overmile’. Also a competitor at the AMD World Championships, Overmile finished a respectable third place in the 2009 Freestyle Class. krugger motorcycles Built as a tribute bike to the XR 750 which Fred Krugger says, is his favorite bike. Overmile is powered by a 103’ S&S engine and a flipped Baker 6 speed Powerbox, air ride shocks, Beringer In board braking and a twin scrambler styled stainless steel exhaust system. krugger motorcycles Overmile is a retro looking motorbike packed with modern technology. The Gasoline is on the back fairing (2 gallons), oil tank is on the left side cover (0.8 gallons), air compressor, 25 amp battery and some electricals on the right side. krugger motorcycles Krugger MotorcyclesThe frame and the swingarm are in-house fabricated by Fred Krugger. The bike’s suspension is helped by Fournales airride with integrated compressor. At the front Over...

We jump on, turn the key and the instruments spring to life. A rapid push of the starter button and also the motor fires by having an odd resonance - somewhere between an over-cammed small-block and a fighter jet. It's a lumpy-sounding idle though the engine spins smoothly under our chest. The kickstand's still down, therefore the fellow from Yamaha who is trusting us together with his bike gets inside a quick warning. "Spend playtime with it; just do not kill yourself, Fine?" he says. He has justified reason to be worried. We're planning to ride away on the 2010 Yamaha YZF-R1, the business's top-of-the-line sport bike. It includes a 998cc, inline four-cylinder engine that puts out 180 horsepower. Not much of a massively outstanding number in a car world perhaps, however consider that the engine only has to move 454 pounds of bike. That is only 2.5 pounds per hp. The Bugatti Veyron is stuck with 4.2 kilos for each hp. Even more shocking is how a R1's ...

The R6 is known to be as Yamaha's top street bike. It is Yamaha's monster that competes with Honda's CBR series, Suzuki GSX, and Kawasaki ZX. There are a lot of interesting features that the R6 possesses that would surely bewilder anyone who rides it in a positive way. Squeezing the throttle would let you ask yourself if you will just stop to save your dear life or take the beast into its limit to experience that one of a kind thrill and riding adventure. The Yamaha motorcycle manual for the R6 provides that a fuel injection 600cc engine is mounted on the bike which could provide monstrous torque at 17,500 rpm redline. Such redline is 2000rpm higher than the previous model. It's Yamaha motorcycle repair manual even stated that the R6 has the highest tachometer redline of any four stroke motorcycle engine manufactured in 2006. It is also very comfortable to ride and won't strain you in your long driving because the foot peg is 5mm forward that allows for grea...

Oh, the lifestyle of the financially affluent motorhead, the one-percenter with a passion for the finest in all things performance-related. While it’s a trend to demonize the wealthy, I say smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em, especially if that involves, say, dusting off the Bugatti with some fliers around the new Circuit of The Americas. While most of us will never have an experience even remotely approaching that, we motorcyclists are a lucky bunch because bike manufacturers deliver amazing performance to the people. The BMW HP4 and Ducati 1199 Panigale R, the two hottest production sportbikes, are prime examples of this, so off we went to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for a midweek day of testing. I felt like a lotto winner unloading the exclusive yet relatively reasonably priced HP4 out of CW’s high-mileage Chevy van. Then the scene ramped up an entire tax bracket when the guys from Ducati North America dropped off the much pricier and more exclusive Panigale R. With this wealth of exoti...