Rat's Hole Custom Bike Show Review & Michelin Power Pure

Here we have a report from the 2010 Rat's Hole Custom Bike Show which took place at and during Daytona Bike Week about two weeks ago. They were much more ambitious this year as they scheduled five shows over the week and added some new categories. Many of the bikes are not to everyone's taste - often overdone and way too much chrome - but the ideas presented were worth attending for everyone. For the details, please take the link...

http://tinyurl.com/yl3bvx8

The new Michelin Power Pure motorcycle tire is being lauded as the lightest motorcycle tire ever produced. Of course, they are the ones making the claim, but they do back it up with evidence. We will also see for certain once they hit the streets - both figuratively and literally. They will use Michelin's Two-Compound Technology (2CT) and their Light Tire Technology (LTT) for better performance all around. Check out the press release for more information...

http://tinyurl.com/ykj8hax

Pro Stock Motorcycle NHRA Gatornationals Results

You have to look down about two-thirds of the way into the article to see the Pro Stock Motorcycle results, but if you do you will see that Eddie Krawiec managed to take the win on the weekend. Karen Stoffer did finally break the record time at the event, but later problems with holding the line cost her the win. Overall, the weekend was a good one for the drag racers and some new targets have been set for the next round. Take the links to learn more...

http://tinyurl.com/y8sfox7

http://tinyurl.com/yduhj3x

http://tinyurl.com/yese9op

Update from Saturday at the NHRA Gatornationals

Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying went well today - for some riders. Karen Stoffer (who burned the second-fastest run in the history of the event) is at the top of the sheets as of today, with Eddie Krawiec right behind her. In third sits David Hope and behind him is the very skilled Hector Arana. No word on Katie Sullivan, though...The weather was decent for today's runs, but tomorrow is another question. So, these positions could change drastically between today and the final runs tomorrow. It should make for great spectating!

http://tinyurl.com/yd2s6wy

http://tinyurl.com/ybjx9sf

http://tinyurl.com/y8sp46b

Sullivan Family Racing NHRA Pro Stock Results from Gainesville

Katie Sullivan did not fare too well in today's NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. She had a tough day in the first qualifying round. However, Sullivan and her team will be working to improve the shift action on their Suzuki for tomorrow's racing. I do hope she is able to jump into the running at the top - after all, it's a great story and one which we will remember...

http://tinyurl.com/y9o8qkr

More Afternoon Moto News - Super-Superbikes & Daytona Review

MotorcycleUSA has done a special motorcycle comparo between a non-modified Aprilia RSV-4, a well-modified Suzuki GSX-R1000 and a US$70K Ducati 1098R. The results were predictable with the Ducati being fastest, the Suzuki in second and the Aprilia at the back. However, you could buy three-and-a-half Aprilia RSV-4 bikes for the one of the Ducati machines, so imagine if you bought the RSV-4 and used the US$50K to turn it into a true SUPERbike. Read the article and have a look for yourself...

http://tinyurl.com/ycdpkry

Did you miss the Daytona Bike Week event this past week? If so, you might want to catch up on the events, happenings, racing and other parts of the experience when traveling to this annual rally. Simply take the link below and you can read about what went on and see some of the notable events of the Daytona Bike Week experience!

http://tinyurl.com/yd9cbvm

Some photos from the AMA: http://tinyurl.com/ybpe42a

Wednesday Morning Moto News - MV Agusta Buyer? & Gatornationals NHRA

MV Agusta seems to have a few suitors for its long-awaited sale from Harley-Davidson - at least long-awaited by me. BMW is one of the companies interested in the purchase - however, there has been little comment from the German company since the rumor spread. Next, there is a consortium of Italian businesspeople who may also be interested in the purchase. Whoever it is, I truly hope they do not force MV to compromise its designs in the name of short-term profits!

http://tinyurl.com/ydcxv46

The opening round of the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle drag racing series is this coming weekend in Gainesville, Florida. The event is well-known as the Gatornationals and it marks the 41st year of its run. With this article we get a closer look at one Craig Treble and his return to Don Schumacher racing. Take the link and have a preview of this weekend's coming attractions.

http://tinyurl.com/yejqygm

http://tinyurl.com/yklr4dd

This piece is about Katie Sullivan's trip to this event: http://tinyurl.com/ygwu7hc

Sunday Afternoon Moto News - AMA Supercross & GNCC Results

At Daytona Bike Week, attendees have the chance to experience just about any form of motorcycling they wish to. Of course, the racing is one of the more important items on anyone's list, and the AMA Supercross race is always a good choice for entertaining racing with some of the world's best off-road racers. In this round, class rookie Ryan Villopoto. He led the race from start to finish on his Monster Kawasaki, dominating the proceedings. In the Supercross Lites East, Christophe Pourcel conquered the 250cc class.

http://tinyurl.com/ykcozj5

Well, you might get to read the article...it depends on whether you can load the page or not. However, at least we know that the winner of the recent AMA GNCC round is Josh Strang.

http://tinyurl.com/yhcwnlp

Friday Night Moto News - Daytona AMA Pro Racing Update

It was another close finish in the second race of the AMA Pro Racing American Superbike series at Daytona International Speedway. And, Jake Zemke pulled it off again! Two wins, two days. Two very close finishes again. I wish I would have been there...Please, take the link below to learn more about the race.

http://tinyurl.com/yhtkmdn

In the world famous Daytona 200 Yamaha notched their dominance of the class with Team Graves rider Josh Herrin taking the victory. I knew this would happen, and you likely did as well; this guy is good. Dane Westby pulled in second place and Ducati 848 rider Steve Rapp rounds out the podium. A past acquaintance, Ricky Orlando finished up in 14th...a solid accomplishment for a privateer effort. Take the link to see the full list of finishers - it is preliminary, so it could change slightly after verification.

http://tinyurl.com/yzs4rzt

More news: http://tinyurl.com/yhntt4s

Post-race press conference: http://tinyurl.com/ygdhase

More Afternoon Moto News - Husaberg Wins & Neil Freeman

Husaberg has won its first US National win for the 2010 National Enduro Series. Rider Mike Lafferty won the third round of the event held at Daytona Beach for Daytona Bike Week. His teammate, Nick Fahringer, placed third after pushing very hard to catch Russell Bobbit, who finished in second. The event was a bit of a struggle as there was plenty of mud, but the Husaberg factory team pulled off an impressive showing!

http://tinyurl.com/ye9bb3c

Neil Freeman (former crew chief for Jamie Hacking on the Monster Kawasaki AMA team) has joined forces with Spectrum Motorsports to offer customers access to a true speed shop. Out of this comes the Spectrum Speed Shop, which can take just about any motorcycle and make it more powerful and, of course, more powerful! For the details and how you can get your bike in for some work, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/ydplroe

Friday Morning Moto News - Jordan Team Colors, John Hopkins & Jake Zemke

The Michael Jordan Motorsports AMA Pro Racing team has revealed the livery they will be using for the 2010 season, which started at Daytona this week. Since it is the 25th anniversary of the Air Jordan franchise, they have gone with silver as the base color. Even riders will be running with special silver boots recognizing the achievement. For the details, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/ydn6lzb

John Hopkins and John Ulrich are back together for 2010. Well, if you were paying attention, we already knew this. However, many may have forgotten that it was Ulrich who helped turn Hopper into a world-class motorcycle racer. Now Ulrich is running the team which Hopkins is racing for...how has it been having these two back together?

http://tinyurl.com/ybveycn

And, why not another story on yesterday's racing. It is especially apt since it was a Jordan Motorsports team member, Jake Zemke, who won the American Superbike race yesterday...you know most of it, but take a look anyway...

http://tinyurl/ya693ww

Wednesday Night Moto News - Elena Myers Realizes a Dream

Elena Myers, who spends most of her time in Stockton, California, will make her professional racing debut this weekend at the Daytona International Speedway. She will be riding a Suzuki GSX-R600 in TWO AMA races this weekend - starting tomorrow. At 16-years-old, that will make Myers the youngest female to ever race as a pro in an AMA Pro Racing series. She has even had to battle back from a serious injury to get to this point...a true mark of a professional. Look for her to start showing up at a paddock near you!

http://tinyurl.com/y8quhpz

Wednesday Afternoon Moto News - Racing Insider, GNCC Results & Royal Enfield Demos

We couldn't leave Alex Gobert and his 'Racing Insider' column out of the posting, now could we? In this issue, he looks closely into the Australian and World Superbike Championships and talks about the Phillip Island round. It is a very useful round-up of important bits of news which may have been missed by the big media outlets. Take the link and you will enjoy!

http://tinyurl.com/yak4zw8

The first round of the 2010 Grand National Cross Country Series went off this past weekend at the Westgate River Ranch in Florida. Makita Suzuki's Josh Strang took the victory. Almost 1200 rider from eight different nations arrived for the event. It was an incredible struggle for the participants, so please take the link and read about the proceedings...

http://tinyurl.com/yan7gr9

And, speaking of Florida, Daytona Bike Week is in full swing and you will also have a chance to demo some of the new models from the Royal Enfield line of motorcycles. As the world's oldest motorcycle brand, you should expect to see the history represented in the bike models, but you will also notice all of the modern technology included. For a taste of a marque who has been making motorcycles for more than a century - and still sticks to the simple-is-best mentality - get yourself to a "Royal Enfield Experience" near you!

http://tinyurl.com/y8qpbwm

Even MORE News - Father and Son AHRMA Effort & Two Auctions!

Art Delor and his son, Alex, will be competing in the Daytona Bike Week AHRMA races in Florida this week (starting today, actually). Delor races a historic Indian and even takes it as far as wearing an authentic Indian racing uniform and keeping his 1939-40 Indian logbook. His 17-year-old son Alex is his pit crew, and he has over 9 years of experience with helping his father race. There is more after the links.

http://tinyurl.com/ycgtgh2

http://tinyurl.com/y9eea2b

With results from Monday: http://tinyurl.com/yd649ee

Bonhams managed to clean out the RAF Museum in Hendon, UK. However, they were selling motorcycles from history, not British aerial warfare artifacts. The Pampalona Collection was up for auction with over 100 machines, mostly pre-1950, and 88% of the items offered were sold. For some details about the event, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/y9gdoxu

The Daytona Antique and Classic Motorcycle Auction will be held on Saturday 6 March 2010 at Stetson University in Deland, Florida. There is not much detail beyond that after the link, but at least you can get the address.

http://tinyurl.com/yfzeub4

Early photos from the event: http://tinyurl.com/y8qj4zh

Friday Afternoon Moto News - Zero Motorcycle to Display 2010 Models & Zero Hires Former Buell Engineer

First up is the news that the long-awaited models from Zero Motorcycles will be premiering at Daytona Bike Week next month. Zero will have all four of their electric motorcycle models at the event - and there will be demo rides available! This is big news as Zero is the only electric bike manufacturer with four different models available to the public now.

http://tinyurl.com/ycb8m2l


Next, we get news that Zero Motorcycles has hired a former Buell engineer to be their Vice President of Engineering. Abe Askenazi has a wealth of experience and several higher education degrees (which somehow qualify him above people with more experience) and will be running their engineering and design groups. Given Askenazi's past, though, we can expect things to hum along at Zero for the foreseeable future.

http://tinyurl.com/y8mclxd

Thursday Evening Moto News - Leslie Porterfield in Daytona & Mist Suzuki Needs Sponsors!

Leslie Porterfield, the world's fastest woman, will be interviewing both Chris Carr and Dennis Manning - rider and owner of the world's fastest motorcycle - at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Breakfast during Daytona Bike Week in Florida. Porterfield is perhaps the best person to take on this position as she knows speed very well and she has a great way with words. Tickets are still available to the 5 March 2010 event, so grab them while you can!


http://tinyurl.com/ygtulyb

A small Isle of Dogs team - Mist Suzuki - is facing a terrible issue as their main sponsor is 'reviewing' the contract. That means no money for the British Superbike Championship season opener at Brands Hatch in early April, and he may not see any at all. The team is short due to the economy and needs help. If you know someone local to them or in the UK looking to sponsor - at least a little - a BSB team - which gets a huge audience - then give them a quick call!

http://tinyurl.com/yaru26y

More Night Moto News - Burmuda's Antoine Richards

This racer hails from a place used by huge American and multinational corporations to keep from paying taxes anywhere, the island nation of Bermuda. It is also a well-known, but a bit expensive, Caribbean getaway. His name is Antoine Richards and he will be competing in the AMA Pro Racing Daytona 200 event for the very first time. He says that he isn't intimidated...well, wait until near mile 160 when your tire starts to slide to and fro...At least he will get some good practice in at the coming weekend's CCS races at the same location. Stand with me, though, and wish him Good Luck! May you reach the podium because it would be a very interesting story and, of course, you will have the historic win!

http://tinyurl.com/yjonfde

MORE Evening Moto News - Honda 3R-C EV & River Ranch GNCC

Honda has released information on their new three-wheeled electric vehicle. It sits somewhere between a motorcycle and a car, but it certainly looks closer to the two-wheeled machines given the way it leans and how you ride the thing. It is supposed to be all-electric but there are few other details; it is a concept vehicle, after all. It looks rather fun to me!

http://tinyurl.com/yfcy6mk

The River Ranch GNCC round is coming up on 2 March 2010 in the town of Lake Wales, Florida. It is part of the 2010 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country motorcycle racing series. It is a special time for New Zealander Paul Whibley, who is also the defending champion, as he prepares to defend his title. This year he rides with the Am-Pro Yamaha team this season...and he is ready to ride...

http://tinyurl.com/ykh5ch5

Monday NIgth Moto News - CCS Florida & Danny Eslick

The 2010 CCS Florida started this season at Homestead-Miami Speedway last weekend. The three big winners were Jeff Wood, Andres Londono and Kevin Mendez. The racing started off with a couple of nasty red flag events, but it did get underway and all else went well. For all the details, you need to take the link; there really is a great deal of information located there.

http://tinyurl.com/yzl7fw7

Danny Eslick will be riding a Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600 in the 2010 AMA Pro Racing Daytona SportBike Championship, defending his title in the inaugural season. Most of this we already knew, but it is a good round-up, so take the link and enjoy.

http://tinyurl.com/yb4opw4

More Evening Moto News - Boca Concours & Gas Gas EC250

The Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance will take place 19 to 21 February 2010 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. There will be some absolutely lovely classic and vintage motorcycles on display. Though it does look like just a gig for the rich and obnoxious (Dennis Miller is the guest of honor this year), you may be able to see some fabulously rare machines in that rare air. It does cost US$50 per person for the Concours itself (which is only on Sunday, 21 February), so bring your credit card!

http://tinyurl.com/yhhcggq

The 2010 Gas Gas EC250 Six Days is a tremendous piece of machinery - I mean to say that it is tremendously capable. This off-road bike was built for competition, not for fooling around at your local park. If you do not race in truly competitive Six Days-type events, you will not like this motorcycle; it is rough, likes to ride high in the rev range and pulls like a supercharged tractor. Be careful, but go very fast to stay safe.

http://tinyurl.com/yf3m85j

Friday Evening Moto News - Daytona Bike Week

First up under this category is the AMA's call to all AMA motorcycle racers to be getting ready for Daytona Bike Week. At the event, one of the largest in the world, there will be plenty of racing in almost every class excepting ice-racing, there will be bike shows, custom bike shows, partying, music, dance...just about anything you can find to entertain you. However, if you are there to race, you had better begin focusing on the work ahead - Daytona International Speedway is nasty to tires, so be ready!

http://tinyurl.com/yj84jsq

Also, it seems that the less-than-stellar powers-that-be at the Daytona Motorsports Group \ AMA Pro Racing have come to some sort of sense and are increasing the purses for the various series participating at Daytona Bike Week. Honestly, I think that they just do not want to look like idiots if only some 25 racers or so show up for the events; thus, they are buying some participation. The sad part, though, is that the payouts are still relatively low compared to many other similar series...and probably always will be at a for-profit race company.

http://tinyurl.com/ygj9fol

Remember that the festivities will run 27 February (my birthday, also Colin Edwards) through 7 March 2010.