Suzuki is expected to launch its famed 1340cc Hayabusa, GSX-R 1000 and Bandit 1250 bikes in September, Honda will introduce two models — the CBR 1000 and the GLX 1 — in October.

“There was always a demand for superbikes, or high performance, costly motorcycles. With an increase in disposable income among the youth, companies are keen to tap this niche segment,” said automobile analyst Ranojoy Mukherji. “This is a trend. It may not yield much money but it is high on the image it gives to these companies.” » Read the rest of the entry..

The scooter’s image is evolving, and scooter numbers are rising: Scooter sales in the US have jumped dramatically in recent years, from roughly 20,000 units sold in 1999 to over 150,000 in 2006.

“People are migrating toward scooters for all the right reasons,” says Kevin Andrews, Piaggio/Vespa brand manager for Piaggio USA, which showed off several lines of classic and modern scooters at a motorcycle show in New York City in December. “They average about 70 miles per gallon; every time the price of gas goes up, people give us more consideration, which is great.”
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The 8th International Vintage & Classic Japanese Bike Show is a gathering of Clubs and Private Enthusiasts as well as Trade stands and bike jumble stands, where the public can go and buy parts for their Japanese bikes as well as having a chance to see the many fully restored classic bikes on display.

The Venue: The Exhibition Centre, Donington Park, is a well known local venue ideal for the display of classic bikes, with traders and autojumblers traveling from all over the British Isles to attend, as well as enthusiasts traveling from all over the County and indeed neighbouring counties to attend this event which is the largest of its type in England. The venue is situated 3 miles from Junction 23A or 24 of the M1, on the A453, past East Midlands airport.
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Normal members of the human race could be forgiven for thinking that lawmakers are an alien species intent on making our lives a misery. In the golden days of motorcycling you simply saddled up and rode away into the sunset without any licence. Then a proficiency test was brought in, but the neophyte rider still learned on the bike of his choice. This was too good to last and so a 250cc limit was introduced, allegedly to keep learners safe on dull, porcine, British plodders. » Read the rest of the entry..

Yamaha Motor Co.’s “Tesseract” four-wheeled motorcycle is displayed at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007 in Chiba City, Japan, on Oct. 25, 2007. Photographer: Toshiyuki Aizawa/Bloomberg News

Yamaha Motor Co., the world’s second- largest motorcycle maker, forecast the first drop in operating profit in eight years on a stronger yen and falling demand in the U.S. Shares plunged the most in 26 years.
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Vmax, which has turned into somewhat of a legend even when it still has not been confirmed when it will be launched.

The new Vmax is most likely to become a 2009 model now. In France everyone still have to settle for a pitiful 74,5 kW version. Can you imagine this? Yamaha will launch its most powerful production model ever, and the French motorcyclists have to settle with less than half of that power. » Read the rest of the entry..

Its 1300 engine is fairly powerful with a decent amount of torque and there is no denying it looks the part, just don’t try to go too fast on it. For cruising around town looking good the XJR is the business. The problem is that up the pace and it wobbles a bit around corners and other retros, such as Honda’s CB1300 and Kawasaki’s ZRX1200, handle better.
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Test Report The Fazer has all the ingredients to make a great stunt bike. An engine taken from the ’99 R1, an upright riding position with big wide bars and an equally wide balance point once the front wheel is lofted all make it hard to keep a good wheelie down.

For those who don’t want to act the stunt, it’s just as good at commuting and touring thanks to a sumptuous saddle and an effective fairing. The lightly de-tuned R1 motor is smoother than Tim’s head, and the handling isn’t bad either.
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Release the light-action clutch and the bike surges forward. A loss of some low-rev torque compared with the old model is countered by slightly lower gearing and the impressive loss of 12lb. Thanks to more of the mass being concentrated around the centre, the Fireblade turns with more eagerness and changes direction more willingly. This was especially noticeable at Qatar’s Losail circuit, where our ride took place. Through the track’s high-speed left-right flicks, the ‘08 machine responded faster to less handlebar effort.
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