Wooden Motorcycle Helmet? Yes, and a Quite Nice One!

Roof Helmets is not exactly a household name in the motorcycle apparel industry; those who do know them are often impressed with the small French company's ability to innovate and have no small number of compliments about the design aesthetic Roof applies to their helmets. Inside the lids Roof manufacturers, though, are the modern and thoroughly-researched safety features we have all come to expect. Their latest is an idea which was bandied about many years back but never seemed to actually materialize - a motorcycle helmet made from bamboo. The appropriately named Bamboo is made from the fast-growing, super-strong, lightweight wood and even manages to live up to ECE 22.05 certification. It is a 3/4-style lid with the 'Jet' look and even carries some e-cred with it. Take a look, but you cannot yet buy them in North America, unfortunately.

http://tinyurl.com/8xamzoq

Lamborghini Design 90 - Did You Know?

Did you know it existed? Very few did...probably one reason only six Lamborghini Design 90 motorcycles, a partnership between the ultra-car company and French motorcycle racing extraordinaire Boxer, were built. Enjoy that 1980s design aesthetic.

http://tinyurl.com/63rwbq6

Creative Marketing - SHARK and sak_art design

Shark, the world-renowned helmet maker based in France who built the very first carbon fiber lid, provided a helmet and sak_art design s.n.c. provided the paint. Out of that comes the helmet pictured here. If you do not have a smartphone, that is a QR (Quick Response) Code painted on that smooth looking lid. With a properly equipped smartphone, scanning the code will take you to the Shark website...nothing special, but it is new and it does have its own modern style.

http://tinyurl.com/4y77kmq

Gran Premio de Motociclismo regresa a la Argentina!

On Tuesday (Euro time) it was announced that Dorna had signed a three-year deal with the Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo will host the Grand Prix of Argentina beginning on 2013. That will make it a 14 year absence, so you can be sure that motorcycle racing fans there will be celebrating tonight...and anxiously awaiting ticket sales!

http://tinyurl.com/5w6ftqq

Wednesday Evening Moto News - Huntington Concours, Freddie Spencer & Paris Dainese Exhibit

Don't forget about the Huntington Beach Concours d'Elegance this coming weekend in California. I have been over it here before, so I don't want to bore you (just do not forget that Burt Munro's Indian will be on display). Just take the link to get the details and show up if you can make it - after all, the price is not that bad for what you get to see!

http://tinyurl.com/yl9sybs

Speaking of historic motorcycles, Freddie Spencer is selling two of his championship winning race bikes through dealers RMD Motors. It seems that there are some financial issues and he needs the money more than the historic motorcycles. The 1983 Honda NS500 triple and the 1985 Honda NSR250 twin are on offer, so take the link and learn more. If you have a seriously large bank account go ahead and buy them!

http://tinyurl.com/yzousyt

Dainese recently opened an exhibit at the Cite des Sciences in Paris, France, which shows the history of body protection. It is full of leathers and other protective gear from many of history's greatest motorcycle racers. It is not only about Dainese as they also have many displays focused on road safety. The exhibit is called 'A Toute Epreuve: New Technologies for Protecting the Human Form' and runs until 8 August 2010. Get yourself to Paris tout de suite!

http://tinyurl.com/y9nfyms

More Afternoon Moto News - Livia Lancelot & Euro Gossip

Livia Lancelot is a female motocross rider who has reached the highest level of competition - the World Championship Female Motocross and has the 2009 title as well! From France, Lancelot has been racing since 1992 and has competed in the USA and Europe before entering the WMX series in 2005. She is worth a look if you are trying to find the leaders of today's women racers...or just an awesome motorcycle rider!

http://tinyurl.com/ycptdqp

Yep, we have another 'Euro Gossip' column from our friends at MotorcycleUSA. There is some wrapping up of other stories we have seen floating around in the ether(net) and there are some new stories as well. Most of the information you will probably already know - if you have been paying attention to this blog. So, just take the link and scan around to find the information you want to read.

http://tinyurl.com/y88w5qj

Thursday Morning Moto News - Gary Mason, Volunteers for WSBK & Monster Energy

MSS Colchester Kawasaki rider Gary Mason has been using some unusual techniques to get ready for the 2010 British Superbike Championship season. Mason took the Privateer crown last year, but this year he will be a full-on Superbike racer. He wants to be ready for it, so he is getting himself healthy. For more, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yad7tcl

This is just a short post as it is a request for volunteers to help out with the 2010 World Superbike round at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. Take the link for the contact information if you are willing to lend a hand!

http://tinyurl.com/ycvgcyk

Monster Energy - well known energy drink producer - has teamed up with Dorna, rights holder to MotoGP, to sponsor the Le Mans round of the MotoGP Championship. Monster will be the official naming rights holder to the French Grand Prix for the next two years now. For the details, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/ydrw929

More Morning Moto News - Ducati Concept Trike, BMW in AMA & CPSIA, again

This design - the one you will see when you take the link - is from a French designer who decided he wanted something a bit more stable from the Ducati Desmosedici. He grafted a two-wheel front end onto the machine, believe it or not, and has turned it into a sort of street-quad, except that it is more like the Spyder RS. It may never be built, but at least the kid is thinking...

http://tinyurl.com/yfsjfxf

Liberty Waves Racing will be the first team to take the new BMW S1000RR racing in the AMA Pro paddock. The team is sponsored by Dairyland Cycle Insurance and they have some solid resources behind them. Eric Pinson, team boss, simply cannot wait to get the BMW on the track in the American Superbike series.

http://tinyurl.com/yew927s

Two rather well-known motorcycle personalities - Ben Spies and Kevin Schwantz, along with Robbie Maddison - have come together to help the fight against the CPSIA and what it has done to youth motorcycles and ATVs. If you are not familiar with this, you really need to take this link and brush up. If you are, then you know that having more celebrity behind the move to allow our children to ride bikes and ATVs their size is something we can make good use of!

http://tinyurl.com/yknn53z

MORE Afternoon Moto News - BMW Fuel Cell & MotoGP Testing

Some design students at ISD Valenciennes in France have created a hydrogen fuel cell powered BMW concept motorcycle. It only exists in digital form, but it is well-engineered and designed to look quite nice sitting in a parking lot or at speed. For the video and more photos, please take the links.

http://tinyurl.com/yzghguy

http://tinyurl.com/yzu8nmf

The MotoGP teams are in Malaysia again testing at the Sepang IC. The fastest rider so far is the same as in the previous test - Valentino Rossi. Casey Stoner came in a close second, with Dovizioso, Capirossi and Spies rounding out the top five.

http://tinyurl.com/ykg4lvg

And, for some team reports from the practice, please take the link below and click on each team to see what the riders and engineers are saying about their experience in Malaysia.

http://tinyurl.com/yznyogq

More Afternoon Moto News - Pretty Buell, Harley 48 & Aspire

A builder and designer in the U.K. has actually managed to turn the Buell 1125R into something which has a far superior aesthetic value than the stock model. The bike is called the Magpul Ronin, and it just may be a model for future products. As it is now, it is merely a prototype, but the Buell owners will likely push them to produce some of the cool bits on this machine for the public to buy. If Magpul does not, they will be losing some serious money.

http://tinyurl.com/ykvge96

And, it is from the same source that we get the first real look at the new Harley-Davidson 48. It is based on a Sportster 1200 (the second most common H-D) and it has fatter tires and a single seat. Not sure what is supposed to be so special, but then I am not an obsessive H-D fan like some are...

http://tinyurl.com/ykljt9u

US review: http://tinyurl.com/y93gugm

And, here is some important news for U.K. residents; the Aspire charity group which does work for people with severe spinal injuries, allowing them to live normal lives. They will be having what they call a D-Day Ride Out, which will take place in France on 12 - 13 June 2010. Head on over to the website for more details.

http://www.aspire.org.uk/bikers/

Sunday Morning Moto News - Gowland and Andrews

Over in the U.K., an old hand is returning to race in the show - Graeme Gowland. He will be running in the British Supersport Championship with Parkalgar Honda on the same CBR600RR which took Eugene Laverty to second in the World Supersport Championship. He was hoping to move up elsewhere, but it all comes down to money...

http://tinyurl.com/ya53qkw

MSS Colchster Kawasaki rider Simon Andrews is in France doing high-altitude training. He will be competing in the British Superbike Championship in 2010, and he wants to be in his best shape. It makes sense to train in the thin air as it will make you even better at near sea-level altitudes. He has also been working on recovering from injury, but all seems to be going well so far.

http://tinyurl.com/yc4vgej

Very Busy Monday Morning - Terrot HSS and Aprilias for Sale

Builder Jean Claude Barrois has built a modern 1926-ish Terrot HSS clubman-type race machine. It is what the author calls an enthusiast's restoration as Barrois built the machine with common race modifications which would have been made in the late 1920's to early 1930's. This machine dates back to that time, a time when the French manufacturer Terrot was the largest motorcycle producer in that nation. They made use of J.A.P. engines and this one is a prime example of the 'gold standard' 350c.c. OHV produced by them. You really should take a close look - this is a beautiful machine!

http://tinyurl.com/yfc6km2


This post is actually about 4 rare motorcycles for sale. They are not rare by production standards, but are full-equipped race machines from KWS, the company who supported the Aprilia AMA PRo Racing effort. The first three must be seen by taking a link on the linked page below - they are Aprilia RSV1000R Factory race bikes direct from the racing team. All of them have been re-built and should last just as long as if new. But, they are very much race-prepped, so prepare for some mind-blowing power, but at a very reasonable price. The first one you will see after the link is the 2008 KWS RSV1060R Factory. It is not brand new, but it has been given the 1060 big-bore kit and several modifications on its own. The price on this one is also amazing given the technology included. Get yours fast or you will miss them...

http://tinyurl.com/yfdc8o5

Thursday Afternoon and the Moto News Keeps Coming

Freddie Spencer will be returning to racing at Mallory Park in the U.K. He is not going back to it full time, though. Spencer is the first big name to be announced by the Vintage Motorcycle Club to attend their Festival of 1000 Bikes which takes place in July 2010. More names are expected to be announces soon, and Fast Freddie and his fellow greats will not be the only feature of the show. Take the link to be informed.

http://tinyurl.com/yavt294

And, now for you young couples out there living in the same nation as Mallory Park, Honda has a special sweepstakes for you. Honda calls it 'Start Something Special' and will be premiering the 2010 model line at various dealers throughout the country. During the weekend of Valentine's Day, 12 - 14 February 2010, you can win one of six romantic getaways to Paris, France. It's a great excuse to take your spouse with you to your local Honda dealer.

http://tinyurl.com/yecsv9n

Thursday Morning Moto News - MV Agusta + Silent Snow Bike

Well, it is a bit early out here - at least for posting - but there is always news...

The article linked here is about a motorcycle enthusiast - with a bent towards Italian machines - who decided to let his imagination produce the forthcoming 675c.c. triple from MV Agusta. Now, MV is currently testing this machine (in secret), but they have produced no official vision of the bike. So, our moto enthusiast did that for us and he actually put together a sweet looking design!

http://tinyurl.com/ykaarpp - translated from original French

From the Swiss company Quantya, electric motor masters, comes an electric snow motorcycle. Yes, you read that right. They have taken the frame of a motorcycle, placed in it an electric motor as one would making a street bike, but then they replaced the front end with skis and the rear with a tread. This could become one of the hottest selling vehicles in the northern latitudes! It's pure genius and I want one!

http://tinyurl.com/ykqo5rf

More Monday Morning Moto News - Next Kawasaki ZX-10R?

This could be the look of the next Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, or it could just be a fanciful design exercise to see what could be done with the liter-class killer motorcycle from Kawasaki. The ZX-10R is one of the most beloved sportbikes on the planet, and Kawasaki likes to design forward-looking machines these days. They love to take on aggressive stances with their bikes and the public loves them for it. They were one of the first to integrate turn signals into the bodywork eliminating the usual desire to replace them as soon as you could. This design comes from French magazine Motorevue and it is their idea of where Kawasaki might go with the styling. Personally, I say that Kawasaki should build this bike!

http://tinyurl.com/yzfaayf

Sunday Afternoon Diversions - City Trials Video

Parkour may or may not be known to you - it is the freestyle sport of jumping up and over various urban structures (you saw it at the beginning of "Casino Royale", the recent James Bond film) and moving across the city at surprising speeds. Well, now Frenchman Julien Dupont has taken another definition for that word (it is used to describe trials riding in France as well) and done on a motorcycle what most street punks do with their bodies alone. This is an incredible video and is well worth any time you get to spend watching it!

http://tinyurl.com/yd7o6d6

Welcome to Wednesday! More Rally Dakar News for All of Us

It is a rather news-filled morning, so not all of it will make it into the first post - there will be more news in the next one or two.

Starting out, of course, you will probably want to get updated on the Rally Dakar. They have entered Chile now. First of all, let's look at the raw results:

http://tinyurl.com/yfq2cke

Next, on the same site, we have a story about the Aprilia contingent, Team Aprilia Giofil. Apparently, they are starting to get some good results - at least with Francisco Contardo Lopez, who sits in seventh overall. But, they keep running out of fuel - not good in the Dakar.

http://tinyurl.com/yb7f5ro

And, of course, KTM's Marc Coma has finally won his first stage of the event by beating out Sherco's David Casteu.

http://tinyurl.com/y853nzw

That's about it for the Dakar information for today. If there are more stories which come in during the day, I will add them here.

Christmas Day Moto News - A Little Something for You

Yep, it is Christmas Day and people are stuffing themselves and getting gifts, but some of us are still paying attention to the news of the day - not everyone celebrates this day. And, even those who are having a great day will still be checking their blogs and newsletters.

With that in mind, we start with a rather beautiful machine from French designers Frank Charriaut and VincentPrat. They visited the Legend of the Motorcycle International Concours d’Elegance in June 2008 and decided to build a machine for themselves. They took a featherbed frame and a Norton 750 engine and turned it into the bike you see pictured here, the CP Project One. It is an incredible design exercise which would look perfect in my garage!

http://tinyurl.com/y98mnya

Now we have a 'Best of 2009' from MotorcycleUSA which brings us their picks for the best machines and best companies in the motorcycle industry from 2009. They have some controversial choices, but they do back them up with good reporting and good information. Take a look and see if you agree with them...

http://tinyurl.com/yekovwg

Lastly, for this post, comes some news on the Czech Dakar Team - one of the best European entries - is getting ready to head out for the Rally Dakar in South America. They have 36 team members total across all class entries, and they will be riding a Yamaha WR450F in the motorcycle competition. They have a quality team and good support, which only makes the racing more interesting!

http://tinyurl.com/y8gsadu

The Wakan 100 Roadster - A French Beauty

The Wakan 100 Roadster has been in the works for decades; well, not exactly, but it has been in creator Joël Domergue's mind ever since he learned about Carroll Shelby. You should do yourself a favor and take a long and close look at this machine. It is powered by a 100-cubic-inch S&S V-twin engine, which is displayed on the motorcycle like it's a jewel, and built very light to handle corners like a sportbike. If only...

http://tinyurl.com/ykt48xc

No Yamaha Satellite Team in 2010 World Superbike?

That is the way it looks now. The satellite team for Yamaha in 2009 was the GMT 94 team. They have indicated that they will focus entirely on endurance racing for the 2010 season. That leaves no satellite World Superbike team for Yamaha. Even after winning the championship in 2009, only the factory Yamaha team will compete in 2010...how strange...

http://tinyurl.com/ye7hmuf