MX Sports Pro Racing Press Release:

MX Sports Pro Racing has announced the competition awards for the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. The Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award and the Oakley Bomb Fastest Lap Program will acknowledge riders at each of the 12 Nationals for their spectacular efforts.

The RC Hard Charger Award is entering its fourth season. Named after Ricky Carmichael, the winningest motocross rider of all time, the award recognizes the one competitor at each national who overtakes the highest number of his fellow racers in one of the four championship motos between the 250 and 450 Classes.

The award is a testament to “The Greatest of All Time” or “The GOAT” and his never-give-up attitude over the span of his career that warranted 10 Lucas Oil Motocross titles and 102 wins – two feats that will likely never be duplicated. All recipients of the RC Hard Charger Award are given a unique “RC4” trophy, which is handed out at the following event’s riders meeting to the acknowledgement of his peers.

The Oakley Bomb Fastest Lap Program is designed to present a unique challenge for the 2012 season. In years past, riders have been recognized for posting the fastest lap in a race, but the Oakley Bomb program will provide a different twist by recognizing the rider who sets the fastest practice lap in both the 250 and 450 Classes. The winning riders will receive an exclusive Oakley Bomb trophy, designed to reflect the brand’s irreverent personality, unrivaled design and hard-charging attitude of purpose beyond reason.

As the season wears on, the total number of Oakley Bomb awards a rider receives will be tallied into a final season total. The competitor with the most awards at season’s end will be presented with an Elite Oakley Time Bomb II Swiss Automatic Watch.

The 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship kicks off this Saturday, May 19, with the FMF Hangtown Motocross Classic in Sacramento. The world’s best riders will wage war over the course of 12 rounds of action on the most renowned motocross tracks in the country, visiting 10 states along the way.

For more information: www.allisports.com

National Motorcycle Museum Press Release:

If you are into vintage motorcycling, and who isn’t to some degree these days, Vintage Rally 2012 at the National Motorcycle Museum really has got it all. A bike show, swap meet, vintage motorcycling panel discussions, all set at one of America’s greatest motorcycle museums. And, it’s wrapped up with a Sunday morning ride in the hills of eastern Iowa & even a pro hill-climb competition!

The Bike Show is Saturday, June 2. Motorcycle Classics magazine is sponsoring awards to the owners of the best 1986 and earlier American, British, European and Japanese bikes in the show. ACE Cafe is sponsoring awards for the Cafe Racer class for bikes built through 2012.  New this year is a special class for drag bikes built through 2012. Ray Price Harley-Davidson Racing will park their 83 foot state-of-the-art race rig along with the team’s two fresh top fuel bikes. At 3:45 on Saturday we’ll invite any drag bike owners to rattle the Museum’s windows.

While the show bikes are lining up, walk the Swap Meet and see if you can find some good collectibles or a few parts for a project bike. Or plan ahead and reserve your own vendor space. Each 20 x 20 space is only $50 for the three day Vintage Rally event. Plus, you get two free admissions to the National Motorcycle Museum and can check out the Vintage Rally Bike Show as well.

Sunday morning June 3, activities kick off with a great bike ride through the rolling hills of central eastern Iowa. The ride is free, roads are great and bikes 1986 and earlier are welcome! Bikes will meet at the National Motorcycle Museum at 9:00am, the riders’ meeting is at 9:45 and riders depart at 10 am.

Rounding out the weekend Sunday afternoon is the 63rd annual Anamosa Hill-climb and Swap Meet with a special competition class for antique and vintage hill-climbers.

“Hill-climbing is just a great old sport. There’s really nothing else like it in motorsports, period,” Says National Motorcycle Museum President, John Parham.  “I’m sure a little prize money will help get out some of the old iron and add to the show, offer a live, thrilling history lesson. Anyone out there with an old hill-climber I hope will bring it to the  Vintage Rally and Anamosa Hill-climb, even just to show it.”

Of course most of the bikes  are thrilling, quick, high tech modern machines. But the National Motorcycle Museum and J&P Cycles are sponsoring the $500 purse for the Vintage Class at the Anamosa Hill-climb.

Inside the Museum, along with exhibits holding over 400 motorcycles and great memorabilia some great people will be on hand as well. Dick Klamfoth, Bobbie Hill, Bill Tuman. Famed Daytona Beach Racers. There’s something special about the racers and their machines in the 1950′s, 1960′s and 1970′s. Racing was different back then. The classic designs have held up, and the keen-eyed racers like to share their racing stories and show off their race bikes.

Tom Reiser and EJ Potter were a couple of speed freaks who stuffed Chevy V8s into Harley frames. The Michigan Madman’s first bike, Bloody Mary will be on display at  the Museum.  Tom Reiser will be on hand to talk about his V8 bike, be part of the drag racing panel discussion, even share some hillclimb stories. John Gregory, the double engined Norton, HOGSLAYER’s chief wrench will be there, too, and we’ll even screen the award winning motion picture HOGSLAYER, the story of TC Christenson and John Gregory’s valiant effort and success, beating the best Harleys at the drag strip.

Your 401K is just starting to shape up again, but if you’re still looking for alternatives, sit in on the Directions in Motorcycle Collecting Panel Discussion and listen to experts like Randy Baxter, Baxter Cycle and Jim Long, expert antique Harley restorer tell you what they know, and don’t know, about the really very interesting world of motorcycle collecting.

Ray Price at speed on his Funny Bike, A Sportster featured in the Quarter MileStones exhibit

Want to touch the first drag slick to turn a 250MPH quarter mile? Well, sorry, but you can look at it and about 20 great drag bikes in the Museum’s brand new Quarter MileStones exhibit. S&S Cycles is loaning for display some of their rare historic induction equipment, and several bikes and we’ll have Parasite, Stage Fright, Barn Job, Mountain Magic, Funny Bike and other great drag bikes on display, plus leathers, even some engine parts that didn’t make it down the quarter mile in one piece!

Like to hang out with authors? John Stein, guest curator for Quarter MileStones and author of Motorcycle Drag Racing; a History, and also Bob Kopp, I Just Want to Ride will personalize a copy of their books for you.

It’s all here at Vintage Rally 2012! The staff at the Museum invite you to make plans for this really outstanding weekend of vintage motorcycles and people at the National Motorcycle Museum, 102 Chamber Drive, Anamosa, Iowa, June 1, 2 and 3, 2012.

for more information: www.nationalmcmuseum.org

Some words only appear in print; you seldom hear people speak them. “Brandish” is one. Nobody ever says, “Is that a banana you’re brandishing?” or, “Don’t brandish that thing at me!” Another one is “harken.” I’ve only heard the word a couple of times, once at a Renaissance Fair and once at lunch with Hoyer, but Harley reviews are fairly littered with harken. Nothing harkens like a Harley. The original H-D Softail appeared in 1984, when the FXST harkened back to the old hardtails by looking like them but not feeling like them, thanks to a pair of lay-down shocks cleverly hidden beneath the gearbox to provide actual suspension movement. Just like now. The Softail (®) was a great idea then and it still is 29 years later.

Another word currently in vogue is iconic. Many things are lately said to be iconic, but a thing that really is, is Harley’s Fat Bob gas tank—whose halves are still squeezed out all these millennia later by the same huge machine in York, Pennsylvania. Then there’s that V-Twin engine, which is also iconic enough to have spawned a whole slew of imitators over the last 30 years or so. The latest counterbalanced Twin Cam 103B is a highly evolved unit, but it nearly takes a Harley enthusiast to immediately differentiate it from the Evolution engine that preceded it (and ran from 1984 to 2000). The similarity is no accident. That tank fits that engine like a U.S. Army helmet fits Gen. Patton smoking a cigar, like Marilyn Monroe’s legs fit a skirt blown up by a subway vent. Instant Americana.

The problem with all that harkening and iconicism, of course, is that you’re really not at liberty to change any of it. The mostly open-minded Ducati crowd still wants to flay Pierre Terblanche for designing a Ducati superbike (999) that didn’t look just like the 916. Try to imagine the uproar if Harley built a bike with a new fuel tank. They might as well include a free Communist Party membership with purchase and an Obama Birth Certificate. (To its credit, H-D did build the V-Rod, which many H-D people still refuse to acknowledge.)

With fuel tank, engine and frame, then, pretty much set in stone, what’s left for the H-D stylist to style? Plenty! The Softail Slim gets a “new” handlebar (brought back from H-D’s past) called “Hollywood” because it has a curved, dirtbike-style crossbrace you can hang lights and kewpie dolls and things on (actually a great place for your iPhone or GPS mount today). Just below that and atop the tank, the Slim gets a “cat’s eye” tank console with a big speedometer and retro-design dial.

Speaking of retro, there’s a small, Pulsar watch-looking LCD rectangle set in the bottom of the face that serves as odometer, tripmeter, tachometer and gear selector as your left thumb sees fit. It would’ve been high-tech in ’84, which furthers the retro theme unless you think of 1984 as the recent past.

Moving downward, your dogs rest on “Half-Moon footboards,” whose rubber pads float on rubber donuts. Moving rearward, you can peek through the intentional gap left between the tuck-and-roll solo seat and gas tank to make sure the solid-mount engine’s still there. Yup. (A cool option your dealer can activate is Engine Idle Temperature Management Strategy, which cuts fuel and spark to the rear cylinder at idle to keep your crotch cooler.) And no, your passenger didn’t fall off, she was never there: You’ll have to add your own passenger carrying parts from the ample Parts & Accessories catalog.

Code name for the project was “Slimfast,” the “Slim” portion of the name coming mostly from the narrow, bobbed steel fenders, snugly fitted over chunky 16-inch Dunlop D402 biasply tires. The rear carries minimalist combo’d stop/turn/taillights and a sidemount license-plate bracket for a clean rear fender. (The Slim probably looks more stripped-down and minimalist in Black Denim. But with the contrast of the nice red paint on our test Hog, it sort of looks to me like somebody stole the trim off the back of your bike.)

Personalizing Harley-Davidson’s newest Softail, the FLS Slim, is as easy as thumbing through The Motor Company’s Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories Spring 2012 catalog supplement and placing an order with your local dealer. Among the additions seen here: Gloss Black Fork Cover Kit ($139.95) and Lower Fork Sliders ($389.95), Headlamp Trim Ring ($29.95), Solo Spring Saddle ($549.90), Bobber Style Round Air Cleaner Cover ($49.95), Screamin’ Eagle Fat Exhaust Shield Kit ($199.95) and Street Performance Slip-On Mufflers ($449.95). Bringing a friend along on an overnighter? Pick up a Passenger Pillion ($139.95) and Detachable Leather Saddlebags ($849.95). And don’t forget to visit the Color Shop, where you’ll discover a multitude of attractive options, including Vivid Black & Galaxy Black Denim ($2699.95).

Harley-Davidson Motor Co., Inc.
3700 W. Juneau Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53208
800/588-2743
www.harley-davidson.com/h-d1

Ride for Kids Press Release:

Miller Motorsports Park is offering Ride for Kids® supporters a great deal on a VIP Ticket package for World Superbike weekend, May 26-28. The package includes a SBK Grandstand weekend ticket, official program and event T-shirt.

Best of all, $5 of every package sold will go directly to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation®, home of Ride for Kids®.

The World Superbike BigM Weekend is Utah’s Memorial Day tradition, mixing motorcycles, music and military. The FIM Superbike World Championship returns for a fifth year, making its only visit in the Western Hemisphere at Miller Motorsports Park.

The production-based bullet bikes from Honda, Yamaha, Ducati, BMW, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Aprilia will battle at up to 200 mph with some of the world’s best riders dragging knees and banging elbows. The weekend will include thrilling onsite entertainment and a major military tribute.

Tickets for this incredible weekend are just $110. To get your VIP Experience package, go to the Miller Motorsports Park website and enter promo code RIDE4KIDS.

For more Information: www.pbtfus.org/rideforkids

WSBK Press Release:

A 48,500 strong crowd saw some astounding race action at Donington in two sun-blessed 23-lap races, which culminated in a moment of history for one of the world’s most important motorcycle manufacturers, some of the best SBK racing ever seen and changes near the top of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship table.

After Marco Melandri won the first race, the German manufacturer added its name to the list of race-winning makes for the very first time. In race two a classic multi-rider battle ended up in joy and heartbreak for some top riders, as Jonathan Rea came out on top after a final corner melee.

The end result of one of the best days of racing imaginable is that Max Biaggi leads the championship with 128.5 points, from double podium man Tom Sykes on 123, and Rea on 108. Carlos Checa is fourth on 105.5. The top four championship places are now covered by only 23 points, after five rounds and nine individual races.

Race 1

A truly historic 1-2 for BMW saw Melandri win the opening race with his team-mate Leon Haslam only 0.728 seconds behind. An eventual five rider fight for the podium places provided overtaking and personal duels aplenty as the race order changed multiple times. Tissot-Superpole winner Sykes won a tense battle to go third, with Rea making up places in the final laps to overhaul Biaggi and take fourth. The leading five were covered by only 2.102 seconds at the end of the race. Checa was sixth, four seconds from the win, making it five different manufacturers in the top six at the flag. Melandri’s win also means that six different riders have now won races this year, representing five different manufacturers – and all with nine rounds and 18 races left to go.

Marco Melandri: “It means a lot to me to win this for such a good factory like BMW, it’s history and something I could not dream about when I was young. I just want to say thanks to BMW in Germany, the team on track and everybody involved in the project. We have been working so hard and we never give up even when we found some difficulties. We are working still right now to stay at the top and I am so happy to be here. I had good race pace yesterday and today the tires have been working very good until the end. We managed the situation well but at the beginning I was not so fast, but fortunately Tom and Leon were fighting a lot so they lost a bit of time and we could catch them again. We are so happy for this win.”

Leon Haslam: “I found myself on the wrong side of Marco, on the right side of him into the Esses and I nearly went into the back off him so I had to let off the brakes and I am disappointed because I did feel quite good up to that point. Fair play to Marco and we got a BMW 1-2 which is fantastic. Hopefully we can make amends in the next one and not make that mistake. I want to dedicate this result to the late Robert Fearnall, who was a big, big friend of the family and Donington.”

Tom Sykes: “A fantastic race, I really enjoyed it and it certainly felt like a long, seemed to go on for many laps. Overall I think we had a very good show, lots of passing, and a little bit too much at some corners, especially at the Foggy Esses, which seemed to claim a few victims. Overall I am very happy to be on the podium and collecting some good solid points again with the Ninja ZX-10R. Unfortunately we seemed to struggle at one particular part of the track and that definitely affected our race performance, but hopefully we can improve on that very small sector and go better in race two. As for now a podium is good enough.”

Results:

1. Melandri M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR
2. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR
3. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R
4. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR
5. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory
6. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R
7. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R
8. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R
9. Camier L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000
10. Fabrizio M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR
11. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR
12. Davies C. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory
13. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R
14. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R
15. Laverty E. (IRL) Aprilia RSV4 Factory
16. Baz L. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R

Race 2

Rea took his second win of the season after an incident-strewn Race 2 at Donington. On the first corner Checa and Eugene Laverty touched and Checa went down, taking out Jakub Smrz and Checa’s team-mate Davide Giugliano. Then Laverty himself crashed heading down Craner Curves as eventual third place man Sykes led for most of race distance. He was finally overhauled by a warring faction which included eventual second place man Biaggi plus Haslam and Melandri. After a multitude of overtakes and riders running off track on occasion, Haslam looked to have it won until both he and Melandri ran wide as the Italian attempted a pass into the very last corner and Rea pushed inside as a gap opened up. He and Haslam collided and Haslam fell, knocking off Melandri with his stricken bike as he slid across the track. Rea held on to win by just over half a second from Biaggi, with Sykes two second back in third place. Leon Camier was an impressive fourth.

Jonathan Rea: “In the last corner there were five guys out there wanting to win a race, most of all Melandri came from a long way back on Leon to create a gap that I went for, me and Leon touched and I’m really sorry that he crashed. But more importantly we’ve won, taken 25 points and I’ve given my team a great reward for giving me a great bike this weekend.”

Max Biaggi: “In race 2 the bike was a little better, I could keep up and race with the guys more than before. When the tire went off I was struggling and then the last lap was simple, everyone tried to go inside and take my position: Melandri, Jonathan, everybody! I didn’t give up, stayed cool and second place came automatically. I cannot say I’m very happy but the result is OK.”

Tom Sykes: “Yet again we got the hole-shot and led for a number of laps, but I was missing a bit of feeling with the wind, which was unfortunate. I managed to stay out front but made one mistake and all the other guys came past at a rate of knots. We didn’t quite have the best setting this weekend but a pole position and two podiums is great for myself and the Kawasaki team. I had the best seat in the house for the last couple of laps, but for me five minus two equals a podium so I’m very happy!”

Results:

1. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR
2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory
3. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R
4. Camier L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000
5. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R
6. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR
7. Davies C. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory
8. Baz L. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
9. Hickman P. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000
10. Aoyama H. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR
11. Canepa N. (ITA) Ducati 1098R
12. Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R
13. Fabrizio M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR
14. Aitchison M. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR
15. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR

Points (after 5 of 14 rounds):

1. Biaggi 128.5
2. Sykes 123.5
3. Rea 108
4. Checa 105.5
5. Melandri 97.5
6. Haslam 89
7. Guintoli 85
8. Laverty 65
9. Giugliano 50
10. Smrz 44.5

Manufacturers:

1. Ducati 161.5
2. Aprilia 139
3. BMW 131
4. Kawasaki 129.5
5. Honda 112
6. Suzuki 40.5

World Supersport

In winning his first ever WSS race British rider Sam Lowes became the fifth different winner in five races this season and the third in a row on a Honda machine. Having struggled on with a stomach bug of some kind since Friday, and suffering a serious finger injury in a fall on Saturday, Lowes had to work hard to resist a late push from eventual second place finisher, Kenan Sofuoglu. Lowes came within 0.003 seconds of setting a new lap record in his efforts to keep the Turkish rider behind him on the penultimate lap, and is now only six points from Sofuoglu in the championship. Third place today was taken by third ranked rider overall, Jules Cluzel. Broc Parkes was in the early fight for the podium places but dropped back to fourth, while Glen Richards finished fifth today and Sheridan Morais sixth.

Results:

1. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR
2. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Kawasaki ZX-6R;
3. Cluzel J. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR
4. Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR
5. Richards G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675
6. Morais S. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX-6R
7. Quarmby R. (RSA) Honda CBR600RR
8. Debise V. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR

Points (after 5 of 13 rounds):

1. Sofuoglu 81
2. Lowes 76
3. Cluzel 64
4. Foret 55
5. Parkes 42
6. Baldolini 38
7. Quarmby 34
8. Morais 27

Manufacturers:

1. Honda 111
2. Kawasaki 106
3. Triumph 51
4. Yamaha 43
5. Suzuki 6

For more information: www.worldsbk.com

When we first rode the 2011 TE630 in Italy (July, 2010), we knew that we wanted to add one to our long-term test fleet. The bike impressed us in stock form, but we had a totally different concept in mind for our evaluation: Make it a lightweight adventure-touring machine.

We figured that with its relatively low weight and powerful Single, the TE630 would run off-road circles around bikes like the BMW F800GS, Triumph Tiger 800XC, Kawasaki KLR650 and Honda XR650L yet perform quite well on the asphalt. A few bolt-on modifications were all it needed.

Husky’s revisions to the TE for 2011 focused on making the bike more versatile on the road and off. The engine received updates that increased power by a claimed 20 percent, including more displacement (576 to 600cc), a revised cylinder head, larger throttle body (up from 42 to 45mm) and a new dual-can exhaust system. A 45mm Marzocchi fork, Sachs shock and 21-inch front and 18-in. rear wheels position the TE more toward the off-road side of the dual-sport spectrum, which is exactly what we were after.

Despite having the TE in our fleet for a year and a half, we put only 3150 miles on the odometer after a series of setbacks kept the bike on a workstand in the Cycle World garage instead of out on the trail. As documented in previous updates, these setbacks were more our fault than the bike’s.

Still, we did get some high-quality seat time on several epic trips. To help us meet our nomadic goals, we went to the aftermarket. While support isn’t nearly as extensive for the TE as it is for some of the more popular adventure-touring bikes previously mentioned, some savvy choices helped us meet our needs perfectly.

After sidelining the TE by punching a hole in the magneto cover on not one but two occasions, we finally learned our lesson. One of the first pieces we added to protect the engine and frame rails was a full-coverage aluminum skidplate ($195) from Uptight Husqvarna (www.uptitehusky.com). A pair of Acerbis Rally II handguards ($90) was also mandatory to keep our levers intact and protect our paws on the tight trails we explored in California’s Sierra Mountains.

Our adventure aspirations required the ability to haul some gear while keeping the TE svelte, which jibed with the Touratec-made luggage rack ($198) and tailbag ($133) from Husqvarna’s accessory catalog. Combining these with a light backpack, we had enough capacity for our personal belongings on a four-day, 800-mile adventure ride in Baja California, Mexico.

Speaking of that tour south of the border, the 630 proved to be the class of the field. While other participants tip-toed cautiously through mud, sand and whoops on heavier KTM Adventures and KLRs in the Sierra de San Pedro Mountains and on the Baja 1000 race course, the TE may as well have been a “works” racer by comparison. The big Single also proved to be a great dual-sport bike, as the incredibly tight, twisty and fun paved road up the mountain to our overnight accommodations at Rancho Meling in the Parque Natural Sierra de San Pedro Martin proved.

For sure, the single biggest key to the TE630’s versatility and performance over the course of our test was tires. We tried multiple sets, including the stock Metzeler MCE Karoos, Michelin Desert TT Rallys ($238) and Dunlop Rally Raids ($507). But the best combination was a mismatched Pirelli MT 21 Rallycross ($70) front and Dunlop D606 ($89) rear, which provided really good off-road traction but also proved to have excellent on-road grip and stability, too.

Unfortunately, right as we were hitting our stride with the TE, Husqvarna asked for its bike back. So, not only did we fail to accumulate as many miles as we would have liked, we were unable to try some aftermarket solutions that we had our eyes on, including a larger-capacity fuel tank and tall windscreen.

Over the duration of the test, the TE proved reliable and never suffered a failure that wasn’t inflicted on it by us while also providing a great platform for our vision of a lightweight adventure-tourer. We were disappointed to learn that the 630 was discontinued for the 2012 model year; it filled a void that is now occupied by only the KTM 690 Enduro. Perhaps Husky will produce the Concept Baja. We’d like to take another swing at building a lightweight adventure bike.

That’s what the ad for Monza Junior 160 asked in 1966, years before the little factory in Bologna would turn out its first V-Twin. In those days, Ducati was already marketing itself against the Japanese onslaught with “quality craftsmanship,” the “skillful attention” it paid to every detail and bragging about its gear-driven overhead cam. In spite of all that, at just $229, the Monza Junior was less expensive than many of “the mass-produced jobs.” Forty-six years later, the base Panigale won’t set you back much more than your average non-Italian literbike, but the tariff on Editor-in-Chief Hoyer’s Panigale S would have bought you 100 Monza Juniors back in the day. Then again, you’d need that many to make the claimed 195 horsepower. Big power or not, thankfully, some things never change—like the steely eyed, glad-banana-in-mypocket machismo that drives the CW crew ever onward. Ride like the wind, Signore Hoyer!

The technological path from the Wrights’ powered flight in 1903 to Neil Armstrong hopping off the ladder onto the powdery surface of the moon in 1969 was anything but easy. It would take to the end of the Wright decade before powered flight was beyond purely experimental and World War I to give developers impetus and money to make the airplane practical. It was an often tortured and controversial road from Kill Devil Hills to the Sea of Tranquility.

It’s much the same deal with electric motorcycles. Pushed ahead by the specter of ever-rising gas prices and drawn by important developments in battery and motor technology, electric bikes represent an opportunity for two-wheel growth and a greener image. Yet the product remains in its infancy. We’re at about the Glenn Curtiss/June Bug point in the timeline.

The 2012 Zero S packs significant improvements over the last Zero we tested in 2010, ushering in such upgrades as a toothed-belt direct drive (to replace the previous, much noisier chain); and a new brushless, permanent-magnet AC motor that has a higher maximum rpm (6300 vs. 3350) is said to provide smoother response and promises no maintenance compared to the previous brush-type motor.

Styling alterations make the S and DS (its dual-sporty stablemate) look more like genuine small motorcycles and less like the shotgun marriage of a mountain bike and an electric golf cart. Some of that new styling, hung upon a familiar perimeter frame with a full cradle, is there to hide and help cool the big upgrade for 2012: a 9-kilowatt-hour battery pack. Two packs are offered for S and DS this year, a 6 kW-h and the 9. They make up the whole difference in price, and there is a 44-pound weight penalty for the larger battery. The 6 kW-h S is $11,495; $2500 more gets you the big pack, which provides no more acceleration but boosts range.

On our dyno, the direct-drive, clutchless Zero’s air-cooled motor put 25.7 horsepower to the rear wheel in the Sport mode and 3.4 fewer in the fun-sapping (but longer-range) Eco mode. Torque in Sport is just over 40 foot-pounds from about 10 mph to 60, just below 30 ft.-lb. over that same speed range in Eco. By comparison, a Honda CBR250R makes 23.7 hp and 12.7 ft.-lb. and a Kawasaki Ninja 250R makes 25.5/13.5.

Despite the decent peak numbers on the Zero, sometimes it feels like less. “In power terms, my single greatest complaint is that the Zero launches so gently,” says EIC Mark Hoyer, who also spent time on the Zero S in 2010. “It is very soft off the line and really doesn’t give you a strong sense of acceleration until you get past 35. Then it drives great through the next 40 mph.”

In Sport mode, the Zero unleashes a bit more power but the response remains aggravatingly gentle. Explains Zero’s chief technical officer, Abe Askenazi (ex-Buell), “Even though we are delivering near-constant torque to the rear wheel from 3 to 60 mph, the off-the-line sensation is not as strong as on an internal-combustion-engine bike with a very low first gear. Since most of the acceleration events in people’s rides take place within mid-to-high speeds, we do believe that the extensive benefits of not carrying around a transmission far outweigh the limited benefits of doing so.” Seasoned motorcycle riders will chafe at the lazy throttle response while the fresh-from-the-MSF types will find it comforting.

With a quarter-mile time of 17.64 seconds at 76.96 mph (add almost 3 seconds to that in Eco mode), the Zero trails the aforementioned CBR250R (16.15 sec. at 77 mph) and Ninja 250 (15.62 at 81). Top speed is 84 mph, 3 mph slower than the CBR and 9 mph under the Ninja. Before you scoff, consider that the top-gear roll-on for the Ninja in our full test (June, 2008) was 7.5 seconds 40-60 mph and 9.3 for 60-80. The single-speed

Zero exercises its advantage in the 40-60 range by being in its torque sweet spot, ripping off a 3.4-second time, just a tenth slower than the 191.7-hp Kawasaki ZX-14R. It takes 10.5 seconds to do the 60-80 run, by which time the 14R has broken the sound barrier…

While we poke fun at some aspects of the Zero’s straight-line performance, bear in mind that it’s a whole lot quicker and faster than the previous model and handily beats the Brammo Enertia we tested in April, 2010. Further, it genuinely feels quick once it’s allowed to be on its electric pipe, so to speak. Running between 30 and 70 mph is fun, it’s easy to pass in normal traffic and the bike rides like a “real” motorcycle. Just a whole lot quieter and smoother.

Shoei’s new DOT-approved modular helmet, the Neotec ($648.99 to $662.99; XS-XXL), picks up where the still-available Multitec left off. A 360-degree Pivot Locking System secures the EPS-lined chinbar in the down position, while a large, front-of-helmet release offers smooth, single-handed up/down action, even while wearing gloves. Same goes for the QSV-1 sun shield, which provides instant relief from sun glare with one quick motion. A large slider located on the left side of the Advanced Integrated Matrix shell moves the non-locking, tinted inner shield up and down. Air comes in through chin and three-position-adjustable forehead vents and rushes out through the back-of-lid exhaust vent. The 3D liner is removable and washable; center crown and multilayer cheek pads are available in different thicknesses for a custom fit. Changing the newly wider, taller CNS-1 faceshield is a snap with the Neotec-exclusive QR-N baseplate. An anti-fog Pinlock insert is included.

Shoei Safety Helmet Corp.
3002 Dow Ave. #128
Tustin, CA 92780
714/730-0941
www.shoei-helmets.com

Red Bull Press release:

American Todd Potter was the king of the hills at the second stop of the $1 million 2012 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour on Saturday, mastering the biggest and most challenging course in the history of the sport in front of an enthusiastic Southern California crowd in Glen Helen.

Todd Potter was the master of the 60-foot high step-up that scared half of the field away from the biggest hill jump ever included in a X-Fighters course. Potter, hailing from Temecula, California, an hour from Glen Helen, beat Frenchman Thomas Pagès in a thrilling duel of fearless aerial specialists under the blazing heat of Southern California. American Wes Agee also thrived on the hill-filled freeride-influenced track, getting a superb third place in his first-ever competition and winning the Swatch Best Move.

Potter, Pagès and Agee dazzled the afternoon crowd of 15,000 with their breathtaking flips and back flips up what all the riders agreed was the most intimidating step-up jump ever. Many of the favorites, including defending champion Dany Torres of Spain and 2012 championship leader Levi Sherwood of New Zealand, opted to skip the awe-inspiring step-up and paid a heavy price for that with the judges, getting knocked out in early rounds against the bolder riders who were not afraid to tackle the beast.  It was a risky leap more than 60 feet up to the top of a cliff – and anyone falling mere inches short of the landing on the rim could end up tumbling straight back down the steep hill.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Potter, who clearly had the crowd on his side throughout the three knock-out rounds with his flashy riding style and charismatic flirtations with the spectators. Potter said the courage paid off for the top-three in Glen Helen and challenged his rivals to learn how to jump on big step-ups if they want to win on tracks like Glen Helen: “I think they need to suck it up and do it, that’s the bottom line. You can’t just circle and hit a ramp and come back and hit another ramp. This takes you out of your element and puts you into the real world of FMX and its roots.”

Pagès had thrilled the crowd with body varial moves in the quarter-finals and semi-finals but made a mistake on the jump in the final and had to abort it. “I was getting tired and just missed it,” he said.

Torres ended up in eighth place and Sherwood was seventh after the two pre-event favorites bowed out in early rounds without attempting the step-up. Potter now leads the tour with 135 points ahead of Sherwood (120), who won the opening round in Dubai (UAE). Chile’s Javier Villegas, riding with a separated shoulder, just missed the podium with fourth place and is in third overall with 120 points heading into the third 2012 stop in Istanbul, Turkey on June 16. The tour continues in Madrid on July 20, Munich on Aug. 11 and Sydney on Oct. 6th.

Results:

1. Todd Potter (USA)
2. Thomas Pagès (FRA)
3. Wes Agee (USA)
4. Javier Villegas (CHL)
5. Eigo Sato (JAP)
6. Rob Adelberg (AUS)
7. Levi Sherwood (NZL)
8. Dany Torres (ESP)
9. Maikel Melero (ESP)
10. Nick Dunne (USA)
11. Martin Koren (CZE)

The event will be televised nationally on Saturday, May 12 on NBC Sports Network at 9 p.m. PT/midnight ET and on Saturday, May 26 on NBC at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.redbullsignatureseries.com

WSBK Press Release:

Tom Sykes went over 0.3 seconds faster than the existing track best in the third Superpole run, with a 1 minute 27.716 second lap that gave him his fourth Tissot-Superpole win of 2012. Close behind was his fellow Englishman Leon Haslam , the only other rider inside the 1’27 bracket.

Haslam’s team-mate Marco Melandri was third and the front row for tomorrow’s races was completed by Max Biaggi who came good after some challenging times in earlier practice sessions. Sylvain Guintoli  earned a top five place on the grid, with Jonathan Rea sixth.

Tom Sykes: “It’s always nice to tick these things like Superpole wins off my check list, but having said that I wasn’t expecting to be so fast. I was missing a bit of feeling with the ZX-10R but we kept working in Superpole 1 and 2, making some very small changes and finally in Superpole 3 those changes made all the difference. I’m confident with the race set-up, and hopefully we can have some good consistent weather and put on a good show for spectators. It was also nice to get the pole award from Roger Burnett, the first-ever WSB poleman; 25 years on it’s happened to me!”

Leon Haslam: “We had similar problems to Marco, the race tires were working really good and the Qs were struggling with a bit of chatter but had a lot of grip. We decided to use a Q right at the end, but I made a big mistake and it was really close between me and Tom. He keeps getting these pole positions, but I’m very happy to be on the front row and I’m sure it’ll be a close race tomorrow.”

Marco Melandri: “I’m very happy because the team and the BMW factory have made a good job and to be on the front row in dry qualifying here after Monza is very important for us. I was happy about my race pace but wasn’t sure about my qualifying lap, but right from Superpole 1 I got a very good feeling. I was able to keep two qualifying tires for the last Superpole but unfortunately had a bit of chattering with the first and the second didn’t work so well. Now I hope to be with Leon on the podium.”

Leon Camier scored seventh place on the grid and will be joined on the second row by Jakub Smrz. 2011 world champion Carlos Checa will start Sunday’s race from the third row, in ninth place.

Ayrton Badovini fell earlier today but bounced back to finish tenth, alongside his team-mate Michel Fabrizio, who was 11th. A difficult weekend of qualifying for Eugene Laverty culminated in 12th place in Superpole. Another Aprilia rider, Chaz Davies, went 16th in qualifying, while new Kawasaki Racing Team rider Loris Baz was 18th.

Results:

1. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R
2. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR
3. Melandri M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR
4. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory
5. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R
6. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR
7. Camier L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000
8. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R
9. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R
10. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR
11. Fabrizio M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR
12. Laverty E. (IRL) Aprilia RSV4 Factory
13. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R
14. Canepa N. (ITA) Ducati 1098R
15. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R
16. Davies C. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory

World Supersport

Monza winner Jules Cluzel posted the fastest time in the second qualifying session to head the combined time sheets and take his first ever WSS pole with a 1 minute 30.931 seconds lap. This is the new best lap time in this class. Sam Lowes fell early in the session and was unable to improve on his first day best and thus he finishes second in the overall rankings. Broc Parkes made it a 1-2-3 for Honda riders, with Kenan Sofuoglu going fourth. Wildcard Glen Richards was a strong top five rider, while Sheridan Morais posted a top six place. Fabien Foret suffered a bang on the head in a practice crash but still went out and improved his best lap to go tenth on the grid.

Results:

1. Cluzel J. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR
2. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR
3. Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR
4. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Kawasaki ZX-6R
5. Richards G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675
6. Morais S. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX-6R
7. McConnell B. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675
8. Roccoli M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6

For more information: www.worldsbk.com

Red Bull Press release:

Beach-goers left their towels on the sand to watch Dany Torres, Ronnie Renner and more of the world’s best freestyle motocross riders take to the air in Venice Beach for the first time ever at a special Red Bull X-Fighters exhibition ahead of Saturday’s main event at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif. The crowd’s reaction could be heard up and down the world famous beach where the motorcycles drew a spontaneous crowd of more than 1,000 curious onlookers as soon as they fired up.

Torres, the defending Red Bull X-Fighters world champion, admitted with a smile that it was fun to see so many fans watching the midday display which was set up in the plaza just off the beach, basketball courts & skate park, and just yards away from Muscle Beach. He was joined by fellow competitor & Spanish countryman Maikel Melero, Renner, an icon in the sport, along with pro riders Keith Sayers & Rich Kearns. The riders gave everyone a taste of what’s to come on the biggest FMX course ever built.

“It’s amazing,” said Torres. “This is the first time I’ve ever jumped on a beach like this. It’s great to see so many people here. It’s different from an arena.”

GLEN HELEN, HERE THEY COME!

Twelve of the world’s best freestyle motocross riders are gearing up to take on the biggest FMX playground ever created at Red Bull X-Fighters Glen Helen. Taking place on Saturday, May 12 at 2 p.m. PT at Glen Helen Raceway, the event, part of the Red Bull Signature Series marks the U.S. return of the planet’s premier freestyle motocross competition after two years of globetrotting.

The 2012 season kicked off its six stop world tour on April 13 in Dubai, and following this weekend’s stop in Glen Helen, the riders will travel to:

Istanbul (June 16)
Madrid (July 20)
Munich (August 11)
Sydney (October 6)

Riders competing at Glen Helen include:

Rob Adelberg (AUS)
Wes Agee (USA)
Nick Dunne (USA)
Martin Koren (CZE)
Maikel Melero (ESP)
Tom Pages (FRA)
Todd Potter (USA)
Eigo Sato (JPN)
Levi Sherwood (NZL)
Dany Torres (ESP)
Andre Villa (NOR)
Javier Villegas (CHL)

Red Bull X-Fighters Glen Helen is opening the gates at 9 a.m. on Saturday for all spectators to come early and enjoy all of the excitement before the event begins. Activities include the chance to meet Red Bull X-Fighters riders at 11 a.m., Geoff Aaron motorcycle trials demos, vendor row featuring top industry brands with demos, giveaways, the Red Bull HUB, merchandise, food, drinks and even a Circle K Convenience Store to purchase anything fans may have forgotten for the day. As a special bonus, fans will have the opportunity to purchase a special ticket to ride package, allowing them to share the Glen Helen motocross track with superstar James Stewart on Saturday, from 8-10 a.m.

As part of the Red Bull Signature Series, the event will be televised nationally on Saturday, May 12 on NBC Sports Network at 9 p.m. PT/midnight ET and on Saturday, May 26 on NBC at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.

For tickets and more information visit: www.redbullxfighters.com

Call them what you will—show bikes, concept bikes, future bikes, whatever—they’ve been around for a long time. Sometimes they point the way to the future, most of the time they should wear a sign that says DEAD END. But the fun part is that nobody knows for sure at the time.

The first memorable concept bike of the modern era may have been the Suzuki Falcorustyco (gyrfalcon in Latin – pictured above), which appeared at the 1985 Tokyo Motor Show. Suzuki can deny it all they want, but it seems like the similarity between the Falco and the light cycles in Tron (1982) are a little too coincidental. Powered by a supposed square-Four four-stroke with three cams and packed with “hydraulic drive,” hub-center steering, etc., all of it was “so advanced in its development that it could be produced almost immediately,” said Suzuki. In January, 1986, CW bet “you won’t have to wait a decade to see its like on the street.” In retrospect, the Falco looks like it might have been a simple corporate diversion to throw curious types off the GSX-R trail—a conspiracy theory that unravels when you factor in that the GSX-R had already been introduced earlier that year. Maybe the ’rustyco was just an internal diversion to keep the troublemaker engineers away from the GSX-R?

Another Suzuki that had already been introduced, three years before the Falcorustyco, was the 1982 GSX1000 Katana. Penned by ex-BMW chief designer Hans Muth for the German market, where high-speed stability and aerodynamics are important, the Katana’s shape is not difficult to see in the concept bikes that came after it (right down to the suede seat).

Possibly still happily bemused at the reception the Falcorustyco had received, Suzuki was back at the 1986 Tokyoshow with the Nuda. This one, they said, is functional—not that anybody actually got to see it function. To keep it real, Suzuki said the Nuda contained a GSX-R750 engine, and then it was off to Tomorrowland again and babbling on about two-wheel shaft drive, hub-center steering and the “Suzuki Total Engine Control System”—a computer-controlled fuel-injection system regulated by air/fuel sensors, throttle-position sensor and engine-rpm sensor. Yeah, right! In any case, it all paid off in the form of the GSX1300R Hayabusa in 1999.

As with every show bike come to fruition, the stylists got a lot of what they wanted, and the technicians with the hub-steered dreams and three-cam square-Fours woke up alone on the couch yet again. Not that it mattered in the case of the Hayabusa: Its boring old inline-Four, telescopic fork and singleshock rear end provided more than enough kinesthetic stimulation.

Not to be outdone at the ’85 Cologne show, Harley-Davidson was, as usual, way ahead of its time with this Sportster-powered, Katana-inspired Café Racer, which shared the limelight with the new GSX-R750, Bimota Tesi, et al. Even H-D’s visions of the future share parts with the past: Bend that rear pipe up a little, Bob. Perfect!

Back in the U.S.A., meanwhile, we really were busy rolling our own. Having made quite a nice chunk of change by selling a Windjammer fairing to everybody in America with a motorcycle, Craig Vetter began cranking out his futuristic, modified KZ1000 Mystery Ship. Stylistically, the Mystery Ship looks like a sort of dead end, but thematically, Craig Vetter knew exactly where motorcycles were headed. And now that it had occurred to somebody that wind protection and styling were good ideas and didn’t have to be mutually exclusive, the floodgates were open.

The Bates Clipper (see ad above) fairing makes your bike look like it’s doing a constant cartoon double-take. What the?! Nice storage, though. And when the GL1100 Aspencade got its first factory fairing in 1982, the basic difference was that Honda moved the trunk to the back of the motorcycle.

Soon, the fiberglass resin was flowing like Gallo Burgundy; unfortunately, much of it flowed into molds that could’ve used a little more time in the barrel. One example was the creation of British designer John Mockett for the new Yamaha XS11 and available Over There as a dealer option; it never crossed the Pond. Just as well: It looks like a boating accident.

One word: plastics. DuPont showed its version of the future at the Design Engineering show in Chicago, circa 1984. We’re told there’s a V-Four Honda and associated running gear under the DOX-designed plastic bodywork. In the real world, you’d be able to appreciate the silver paint and orange wheels and trim.

Meanwhile, in Bavaria… The BMW Futuro first appeared in 1973, powered by a turbocharged Boxer Twin in a wrapper reminiscent of the classic dustbin, but with hints of shapes yet to appear—including a nearly auto-motive trunk Honda would put to good use in its Pacific Coast 16 years later.

And 17 years after the Futuro, in 1990, that trunk reappeared wrapped around BMW’s inline “flying brick” K100, labeled (literally) K1 and, for the first time, marketed to compete directly with the Japanese superbikes. Heavy, slow, buzzy, hot, uncomfortable and also with some characteristics that did not appeal to BMW devotees, about 650 of a total run of 2400 bikes were reportedly sold in the U.S. Combine BMW-guy devotion with weird-bike fanaticism, and it’s not hard to imagine the loyalty of the current K1 cult.

Haven’t dropped your iPhone 4 or 4S? You will—someday, somewhere, somehow. In the event that you’re holding, er, were holding a new 4S, all-knowing Siri won’t be able to save the day. Better, then, to trust your device to Alpinestars. Or, more specifically, its new Incipio-made cases: Bionic ($34.99; black/black, black/white, white/red, orange/black, blue/white, green/black, OD Green/Coyote Brown or Hi Vis Yellow/black) or Tech 10 ($24.99; black, white, blue, green, KTM Orange or Suzuki Yellow). The former is a two-piece design with a contrasting-color snap-on plastic shell, while the latter relies solely on durable, shock-absorbing silicone. Both styles have an anti-static coating, cutouts for inputs and include a cleaning cloth and surface protector with a “smoothie card” applicator.

Alpinestars USA
2780 W. 237th St.
Torrance, CA 90505
310/891-0222
www.alpinestars.com

Headed to the racetrack? VP Racing Fuels T4 is a direct pour-in replacement for premium pump gas. Designed specifically for modern four-stroke engines, oxygenated 100-octane T4 is said to offer 2-3 percent power gains and better throttle response across your engine’s entire rpm range. Unlike pump gas, T4 contains no ethanol, so it won’t clog fuel injectors or go bad when stored for long periods of time. A 5-gallon pail of yellow-in-color T4 retails for $68.34.

VP Racing Fuels
P.O. Box 47878
San Antonio, TX 78265
210/635-7744
www.vpracingfuels.com

Any time I start riding a Moto Guzzi, I feel like my beard starts to grow faster. It’s a phenomenon familiar to anybody who’s been around Guzzis since, oh, the late 1970s, when the reputation of the bikes began changing from that of sporting Italian exotics like Ferraris to durable touring rigs for oddballs.

Guzzis never lost the sporting gene completely (not even with the California cruisers, which did the backroad shred better than most kicked-back bikes), but big bushy beards and B.O. became far more prevalent than dashing, clean-shaven Italians who look like they just stepped off their bike at Monza.

It’s all the more amazing to consider Guzzi’s current lineup when laid against the 1950s-era, dripping-with magnesium 500cc V8 Grand Prix racer the factory produced.

But Ingenere Giulio Carcano, designer of that eight-cylinder wonder, also was responsible for development of the longitudinally mounted V-Twin that has become Guzzi’s trademark, the latest version of which powers the Norge GT 8V sport-tourer.

The Norge has come a long way since my first ride on one in 2006. Power and refinement from the eight-valve, 1151cc air/oil-cooled engine is mightily improved, as is overall running quality, thanks to new cams, higher compression and increased cooling capacity. Torque flows thick and full-bodied like an Amarone at a Veronese wedding. Claimed output is 102 horsepower and 77 foot-pounds of torque, these peak numbers not giving a hint of how smoothly and ably the engine pulls from near-idle rpm. The 6.1-gallon fuel capacity makes it easy to surpass 200 miles on a tank. A good-shifting six-speed transmission (with shaft final drive) makes top-gear cruise a serene experience.

The chassis is a bigger improvement than the engine. A new, stiffer fork and shock lend this bike improved cornering poise while maintaining a pleasantly smooth ride quality. From the comfortable, 31.9-inch-high saddle, the weight feels low and the bike is quite manageable at parking lot speed. In fact, one of the bike’s most attractive elements is its approachable size.

Flaws? Well, the electrically adjustable windscreen wasn’t particularly effective in changing wind protection, and the buttons to control it were an afterthought. The up button is on the left switchpod, the down button on the right switchpod, neither one within thumb’s reach with hands on grips. The fairing was redesigned to reduce noise and heat flow from the engine. Aside from the odd high-and-forward footpeg placement (not very comfortable for me as a 6-foot-2 rider), the overall experience of riding the Norge is one of pleasant, competent comfort with strong undercurrents of Guzzi character.

After many days riding the Norge, what comes through most powerfully is the charming way it goes about its sport-toury business. It is far from being the fastest, best handling or most powerful bike in the class, particularly for its $15,990 MSRP. But it is a solid, personality-rich machine with a lot of utility and style. I’ll skip the B.O., but maybe it’s time to let the beard grow.

If you do any kind of work with your hands, you sooner or later will get a splinter of some sort—wood, metal, fiberglass, carbon fiber, plastic, whatever—in a finger or palm. Sometimes, splinters are big enough or protrude far enough above the skin that you can easily grab them with tweezers; but splinters often are so small or close to the skin that you need a magnifying glass to see them clearly and pluck them out. And therein lies the problem: You have to hold the tweezers in one hand while trying to grab the splinter in the other, thus leaving you with no way to hold a magnifying glass.

You could, of course, expose your torso to high levels of radiation in the hope of soon growing a third hand, but Griot’s Garage (www.griotsgarage.com) offers a quicker and less-lethal solution: the Stainless Tweezers With Magnifier (part #36758; $16.99). This clever, “How come I never thought of that?” tool is simply a pair of high-quality tweezers with a 5X magnifier attached. The magnifier arm pivots at the base of the tweezers, allowing complete adjustability for clear focus on the affected area of the finger or palm. The tweezers have precision-ground tips that converge perfectly to grasp even the tiniest splinter. When not in use, the tool folds flat to store in an included plastic pouch.

Maybe I’m just clumsy or careless—or both—but I frequently get splinters when working on motorcycles, cars and just about anything that could poke a sliver of its material into my skin. To deal with that likelihood, I keep these tweezers close at hand everywhere I go.

Yoshimura Suzuki Racing is proud to announce the signing of famed Supercross and Motocross Champion, James Stewart, to a multi-year contract effective immediately. Stewart will compete in both AMA Pro Motocross and Supercross aboard the Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 beginning with the first round of the 2012 AMA Pro Motocross Championship in Sacramento, CA on May 19th, 2012.

Stewart, often called the “fastest man on the planet”, comes to Yoshimura Suzuki with a long list of accomplishments. The 26-year old, native Floridian has amassed 6 AMA Championships, including two AMA Supercross titles and a perfect season, AMA Pro Motocross Championship. He also has a FIM World Supercross Championship as well as two Motocross des Nations titles to his credit.

“I’m really looking forward to joining the team,” said Stewart. ”It’s been a pleasure to get to test with these guys and meet the team. I’m very excited – I love the bike – Ever since I rode it from day one I knew it was a great opportunity for me to come out and showcase my talent. With Mike Webb as the team manager and Don (Sakakura), the President of Yoshimura Racing – It’s been great what they’ve been doing – The whole team is phenomenal. We’re all excited to get the ball rolling and see what we can do over the next few years. I just want to thank everyone at Yoshimura and American Suzuki for giving me this opportunity.”

“James is a great addition to our team,” said President of Yoshimura Racing, Don Sakakura. “He is an amazing rider and gifted athlete and we feel very fortunate to have him join Yoshimura Suzuki. We will do everything possible to help ensure his and the team’s success. Our company has been built on racing and winning championships and we intend to keep that tradition alive with James and his incredible skill on a motorcycle.”

Team Manager, Mike Webb, as well as long-time Team Suzuki mechanic, Lee McCollum, and the rest of the Yoshimura Suzuki squad, will support Stewart in his run for the 2012 AMA Motocross Championship and beyond.

“We’re extremely pleased with the announcement of James joining the Yoshimura Suzuki team,” added Team Manager, Mike Webb. ”We all look forward to working with James and a rider of his caliber. We feel very confident we can provide him with the equipment that he needs to ride to his capability. We’re working hard right now, though we don’t have a lot of time, but we’re very focused on getting ready for Hangtown and we’re definitely looking forward to the opener.”Stewart will join Yoshimura Suzuki Racing teammate, Brett Metcalfe, at the first round of the 2012 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Hangtown in Sacramento, CA on Saturday, May 19th.

For More information: www.suzukicycles.com.

Mxsprotracing Press Release:

The Women’s Motocross Championship, (WMX) returns for another eight-race schedule for the 2012 season of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. Perennial rivals Ashley Fiolek and Jessica Patterson have won the past four WMX Class titles and will once again lead the world’s fastest women into action for what is sure to be a highly-competitive summer.

The WMX Class will be showcased as the first set of motos at each of the eight rounds of the championship. As in years past, the women will engage in a pair of 15-minute moto’s to determine an overall winner. The gate will drop on the WMX Class’ opening moto to kick-start the day’s festivities, with the second moto following just prior to intermission.

“The WMX Class is always an exciting battle and you can expect that to continue this summer,” said MX Sports Pro Racing President Davey Coombs. “Over the last four years, the quality of racing has gotten better and better thanks to a continued increase in the depth of talent. The championship has clearly emerged as the world’s premier series for female riders and the WMX Championship boasts more factory-supported riders than ever before.”

The 2012 season will also mark the WMX Class’ return to television. Each round of the championship will be featured in the weekly Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Highlight Show on NBC Sports, recapping the captivating moments and story-lines of all eight Nationals.

The WMX season kicks off on May 21 from the Hangtown Motocross Classic in Sacramento, Calif. Fiolek and Patterson will be challenged throughout the summer by veterans Tarah Gieger & Mariana Balbi, in addition to up-and-coming riders like Jacqueline Strong, Vicki Golden and Sayaka Kaneshiro.

Following Hangtown, the schedule will take the women to staple racetracks – Freestone, Thunder Valley, RedBud, Spring Creek, Moto-X 338, and Steel City – before joining their male counterparts in the 250 and 450 Classes at the inaugural race at Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park, the 2012 season finale.

2012 Women’s Motocross Championship Schedule:

May 19:     FMF Hangtown Motocross Classic     Sacramento, Calif.
May 26:     Freestone National     Wortham, Texas
June 2:     Toyota Thunder Valley National     Lakewood, Colo.
July 7:     Red Bull RedBud National     Buchanan, Mich.
July 14:     Spring Creek National     Millville, Minn.
August 11:     Moto-X 338 National     Southwick, Mass.
September 1:     Steel City National     Delmont, Pa.
September 8:     Lake Elsinore National     Lake Elsinore, Calif.

For additional information please visit www.AlliSports.com

By the time our Can-Am “touring roadster” racked up 10,000 miles, we’d been riding it for almost 18 months, and we’d learned a lot about the $26,499 three-wheeler from Bombardier Recreational Products. In addition to riding it in all weathers and climes from desert to high mountains, we put it on the track to test its straight-line performance as well as how it worked in slalom and skid-pad testing.

Along the way, the Spyder was recalled three times, for replacement of its Dynamic Power Steering unit, to inspect its rear suspension, and to replace the semi-automatic transmission’s centrifugal clutch. Off-schedule maintenance included replacing the throttle body assembly, the rear shock (warranty items) and the rear tire, the latter two close to the 10K mark. The replacement clutch was also showing signs of slippage when we reached the end of the test.

Given that the RT-S was a new model in a lineup itself still new to the market, the recalls didn’t surprise us, and the worn-out rear tire, shock and clutch could be attributed to the pounding we gave the machine. In fact, we would have been even harder on the chassis had not the “nanny” software of the Bosch Vehicle Stability System inhibited the attempt to attack corners as a sportbike might. The software prohibits oversteer drifts, and it effectively thwarts tipping antics via automated power cut and brake application.

We pitted the RT-S against our long-term BMW K1600GTL touring bike in a dry-surface handling test. The 797-lb. (fully fueled) two-wheeler’s .72g skidpad and 90-mph slalom performance ran circles around the .56g and 52-mph results posted by the Spyder. The nearly 1000-pound RT-S posted a 14.92 sec.@ 88.85 mph pass through the quarter-mile taking 6.5 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph. Mashing the foot pedal, the anti-lock brake system produced a respectable stopping distance of 130 feet from 60 mph.

Designed more for touring fun than sporting performance, the RT-S impressed us with its cavernous and cleverly designed cargo areas, superbly effective fairing and electrically adjustable windshield, heated rider and passenger handgrips, and crystal-clear and vibration-free mirrors. Publisher Andy Leisner put more than 800 miles on the RT-S and noted that the seat was “very comfortable, even on six-plus-hour rides,” though the self-canceling turnsignal switch, he added, was “the worst in history” because it proved to be extremely finicky, demanding a precise push to manually cancel. Another common complaint was a momentary delay and slow shift action when upshifting with the paddle.

Contributing Editor Steve Thompson put most of the miles on the RT-S, running errands with it as well as doing long-haul tours with his wife. Being disabled with an inoperative left leg and therefore unable to ride any two-wheeler, Thompson found it easy to agree with Leisner’s realization that “I had to stop trying to compare it to a motorcycle and respect it for what it did well, and the fun that it could provide.”

That was seemingly most obvious to non-riders like the man who approached Thompson on the RT-S in a parking lot and asked, “Is that thing nearly as much fun as it looks?” Trying to be objective, Thompson replied, “It depends,” and explained to the man that because the Spyder can’t lean as a motorcycle does to turn, whether or not a rider translates its dynamics as fun depends on how addicted one might be to leaning as the primary enjoyment of motorcycling.

He’s not alone: In the few years since its debut, the Spyder has become a success story for Bombardier. Kregg Williams, owner of California Speed-Sports in Livermore, California, whose shop set up and took care of the CW RT-S, says that some 25 percent of his Spyders are sold to women. Can-Am’s ad agency says the Spyder “reinvents” riding. That’s overstating it, but there is no question that the three-wheelers are bringing many new people into the “riding” as opposed to the “driving” world. Our experience with the 2010 RT-S showed us why.

Evidently, there’s a standard method of creating a naked sportbike and then there’s the Italian way. Most manufacturers have done it by producing minimalistic, significantly detuned sportbikes that are just as well-suited to urban commuting as they are to the occasional weekend romp. But the original Tuono, introduced a decade ago, changed the naked-bike landscape. Aprilia essentially took its RSV Mille superbike, stripped it of its bodywork and bolted on a wide, motocross-style tubular handlebar—and instantly put our driver’s licenses in jeopardy. The Tuono thus redefined the modern naked “superbike,” making all other hooligan bikes of the era seem meek by comparison.

Tuono—“thunder” in Italian—is a fitting name for this bike, considering the reverberation of influence it’s had on this category, an impact clearly evident in the Ducati Streetfighter and MV Agusta Brutale. Like the Tuono, those sassy-’n’-sexy Italian nakeds have delivered mile after mile of race-derived performance and backroad bliss without the backaches.

Every editor who took our V4 testbike for a ride returned Tuonostruck (sorry!) with excitement and awe. “Aprilia has once again done a great job of taking one of its pure sportbikes and transforming it into a naked,” noted Senior Editor Blake Conner. “By leaving the engine alone for the most part and giving the bike a great chassis with quality suspension, brakes and handling, Aprilia has created one of the most gnarly streetfighters ever mass-produced.”

The new Tuono V4 retains the best features of the RSV4 repli-racer, including its Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC) electronics. That lends it a fair degree of street civility without neutering its performance in the process—although a few alterations to the 1000cc, 65-degree RSV4 engine do help make it a better road bike. Revised valve timing and 20mm-longer, fixed-length intake stacks have improved low-end and midrange power. Additional crankshaft inertia and shorter ratios in the bottom three gears provide smoother running, better shift action and easier acceleration away from stops.

Runs on the CW dyno validated that street-savvy tuning. Compared with the 2011 RSV4 Factory SE we last tested, the Tuono showed a measurable increase in torque throughout the rev range below 10,000 rpm. It also made just 2 fewer peak ponies, even though the 12,500-rpm rev limit is 1000 rpm below that of its superbike sibling.

“Sounds like Darrell Waltrip pulling out of the Daytona pits,” declared Feature Editor John Burns following a spirited weekend flaunt. “This one takes over from the Triumph Street Triple as my favorite-sounding bike.” Paul Dean, our more-senior Senior Editor, weighed in, as well. “It’s really fun to ride anyplace where you can open it up. It squirts from corner to corner in a rush, making awesome noises along the way, and you can flick it into and out of turns almost like a big dirtbike.”

No argument from me. The bike feels light and comfortably compact, and the saddle is lower and narrower up near the tank than the tallish one on the previous Tuono. That allows improved footing at stops, which is welcome due to the stingy steering lock that can make tight-space maneuvers a chore. The engine is mounted lower in the frame than on the RSV4, a change that Aprilia says helps improve handling by adjusting the center of gravity to partially offset the Tuono’s more-upright riding position. This, combined with the leverage provided by the wide, tapered handlebar, lends the Aprilia a much lighter feel than you would expect on a 480-pound (fully fueled) motorcycle.

Aprilia’s familiar tri-map throttle-by-wire system, which offers three modes labeled as Track, Sport and Road, has been reprogrammed (as has APRC) for the Tuono package. The modes can be toggled on the fly and offer a choice between Track’s full power and response; Sport’s full power with slightly softer response in the first 15 percent of throttle opening; and Road mode’s reduced output above 6500 rpm and further taming of throttle response. Regardless of the selected mode, a momentary softness below 2500 rpm hampers linear delivery when easing away from a stop. Just a hint of aggressive acceleration smoothes things out when you have the luxury of nothing impeding your path.

There is, however, a fair amount of lash in the driveline that’s mostly felt in the lower three gears when jockeying the throttle through traffic. The slipper clutch appears to be a major contributor of that freeplay, and exceptionally sensitive throttle response at very small twistgrip openings makes matters worse.

Building a custom, updating a sportbike or just eager to have some cool instrumentation on your bike? KOSO could be your one-stop shopping center. For more than 20 years, this Canadian company has been an OEM supplier of instruments for a number of car, ATV, snowmobile and motorcycle manufacturers and has now moved into the U.S. aftermarket with an impressively wide range of gauges and meters in various shapes, sizes and configurations. Among the offerings in KOSO’s 72-page catalog are the $379.95 RX-2 GP-style tach/speedo that also displays several other functions, and the $239.95 DB-02R Digital LCD Meter that includes an adjustable-range bar-graph tach. KOSO also makes smaller round and rectangular digital gauges for everything from speed and rpm to engine temperature and even air/fuel ratios.

KOSO North America
877/777-0604
www.kosonorthamerica.com

Kevin Cameron could write a book about how racing helps funnel technology to production motorcycles. That book would be very informative, but he hasn’t written it, so we can’t read it. Luckily, all that motocross racers have to do is just look at KTM’s new 450 SX-F Factory Edition and see that it’s purposely built for professional racing but available for the eager consumer. Only 400 are being sold in the U.S., though, so if you don’t already have one, you may be too late.

You probably want to know about the Factory anyway, because it is nothing like the standard 2012 450 SX-F; in fact, it more closely resembles an XC-W off-roader. The basic engine was robbed from the 450 XC-W to make full use of that motor’s new die-cast cases. (KTM previously used sand-cast cases on all off-road models and continues to do so on a majority of them.)

Despite boasting the luxury of electric starting, the engine is 4.4 pounds lighter than the standard 450 MXer’s. It also has 1.8 lb. less rotating valvetrain mass due to the use of one overhead cam instead of two; a single shaft drives both the counterbalancer and the water pump. The gearbox is all-new, and the clutch cush drive has been moved from the outer basket to the inner basket for increased oil capacity and less force needed at the lever. There’s also a new Keihin EFI system that injects fuel at the bottom of the 44mm throttle body instead of at the top; KTM says that improves throttle response and overall power.

On the track, fueling is spot-on and the spread of power is exceptionally wide—enough so to let you run either one gear high or one gear low. The delivery is smooth off the bottom, but if you’re not careful with the throttle, the rear tire will spin out of control. I preferred to ride the Factory a gear high, going through the turns smoothly using barely any throttle.

Overall, the FE is 5 lb. lighter than the standard SX-F, but in certain aspects, it carries its weight the same. Soft corners take some work to get the beast turned, so you have to be very intentional in your corner execution. But in harder-packed sections, the FE nails the turns and is able to change direction quickly no matter how the corner is shaped or angled. The engine’s massive power helps for steering with the rear end.

The chassis is a bit on the stiff side, which is good for going fast, but the WP fork lacks the plushness of the high-end KYB or Showa suspensions. Neither was the front-to-rear balance perfect, though I only had a few hours to ride the bike and didn’t have enough time to dial it in. But there is nothing unpredictable about the handling; it’s a solid overall package.

Compared to typical KTM ergonomics, the Factory’s riding position is slightly changed. The seat is flat and firm with a good width. The frame now has a cross brace on the steering head to improve lateral rigidity, thinner cradle tubes and a new engine mounting arrangement. There also are new radiator shrouds that give the rider’s legs a larger contact area for a better sense of control.

The factory graphics are a nice touch, including Dungey’s number 5 on the plate. Not a bad way to show up at the track, even with a bike that, at $9599, cost more than my truck. But if this Factory Edition is any indication of KTM’s next generation of motorcycles—and the company insists that it is—there should be some impressive orange years ahead.

Helmet fit is such an intensely personal thing that many riders find a brand and model they’re comfortable with and stick with it through thick and thin—garish colors, incomprehensible graphics and the inevitable price hikes be damned. Those with affection for the Arai Signet were less than sanguine when the company discontinued it for the Profile in 2008. Imagine Levi Strauss discontinuing the 501!

Arai heard the noise, and now you’ll find the Signet-Q in the catalog replacing the Profile outright. The key feature here is shape: Arai has replicated the Signet’s “long-oval” form in the new Q, which is approximately 5mm larger, front to back, than the similar street-oriented RX-Q. But that’s not all. While Arai was tinkering with both the shell dimensions and shape—so much so that you will probably move down one size from what you’ve been wearing—it took the opportunity to greatly upgrade the helmet’s interior.

First, the fit. Our tester, who slid into the old Signet in Medium like it was made for his head, switched to a Small in the Signet-Q. From the start, the smaller shell fit much more snugly but not uncomfortably. After a few hundred miles of street use, the Q’s removable, washable liner broke in enough to become all-day accommodating, snug enough to resist lifting and shaking even on a bike with, um, less than ideal aerodynamics. He found the pressure distribution front-to-back and side-to-side was just right, but if he didn’t, a solution awaits. The Q offers a set of “peel-away” pads in the temple area that can help tailor fit. What’s more, new cheek pads have slightly hollowed channels to increase support of the lower jawbone without pushing too aggressively on the cheeks. Gum chewers rejoice. Those pads also have clearly marked orange tabs that emergency responders can pull to ease removal of the helmet after a crash.

Arai converted the Signet-Q to a wide-eyeport configuration similar to that of the RX-Q’s, which provides an additional 5mm of portal on each side. Doesn’t seem like much, but swapping the Q for a Profile shows how effective a mere 5mm can be at the right angle. A lane check requiring a slight tilt of the head in the Profile is but a flick of the eyes in the Signet-Q. Yes, really.

A MAX-Vision Pin Lock Brow Vent shield comes standard on the Q. It uses soft inserts in a range of colors, separated from the main shield by a thin silicone bead. The system has strong antifog qualities, but you must be careful of the inserts; they scratch easily. The shields and inserts, together, are more expensive than a standard shield.

Overall, though, the Signet-Q (Small-XXL; 10 graphics, 10 solids) is an excellent helmet in the grand Arai tradition and, most important for those long in the skull, a welcome return to a shell shape as comfortable as an old pair of blue jeans.

Arai Americas, Inc.
P.O. Box 787
Fogelsville, PA 18051
www.araiamericas.com
Price…$589.95 to $729.95

Ups

• Relief for long-oval heads
• Wider eyeport a real boon on the street
• New custom-fit flexibility

Downs

• You may end up between sizes
• Standard Pin Lock shields more expensive, inserts fragile
• Not as flashy as your buddy’s Corsair-V