Volkswagen Owns Ducati - Bought for $1.12 Billion

It is now final and official; after months - nee years if you listened to VW fans and their chatter - of rumor and speculation, VW's Audi brand has officially purchased Ducati for the sum of €860 million (US$1.12 billion). Some are arguing over why they did this. One of the articles linked here gets close. Audi wanted Ducati for the same reason VW wanted Bugatti and Lamborghini - prestige, a nameplate to put on the stock and letterhead. And, why not? Really, what kind of idiot would not buy a company on the rocketship rise, as is Ducati, for what is essentially a few days of revenue for VW/Audi? Not this idiot! Check it out and lust after the Panigale (someone needs to tell the Wired author that Ducati has actually named this one; no, not a great name, but a real name) in the photo here.

First tiny blurb: http://tinyurl.com/7s5zloj

Wired piece (far more informative): http://tinyurl.com/cmllp7e

Casey Stoner's Wife Gives Birth - on Rossi's Birthday!

Yes, the news is all about Casey Stoner becoming a father, but it was his lovely wife, Adriana, who had the difficult part; Stoner's contribution was far more fun. Even so, his firstborn will share a birthday with MotoGP great, and current competitor, Valentino Rossi. This means very little in the long run, unless you are into astrology, but it will sure make Stoner's child's birthday easy to recall...and Rossi's easier for Stoner.

http://tinyurl.com/87prpgg

Polaris is Expanding - Buys into Brammo!

Brammo Empulse RR

Surely, you have already read this, but the news is still encouraging for the motorcycle industry and thus it must be brought to the attention of those involved in it. Polaris most recently took over the new Indian - which seems to be going well at this early stage - and now they have bought a minority share in Brammo. They do make a good bike, in my opinion, and seem to be walking a solid line with the business operations as well. Brammo, based here in Oregon, is on the path to real industry relevancy; soon, no one will laugh at electric motorcycles.

So, without further crap from me, here is the press release:
http://tinyurl.com/697mqj6

Well, it was not the revolutionary V-4 I was naively expecting, but it is a serious redesign even if the displacement remains unchanged. The new Ducati Panigale will run with a 1199 cc V-Twin (or L-Twin to Ducatisti) known as the Superquadro, and the most recent details can be found after the link.

http://tinyurl.com/6gacckb

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

WHEW! Indy Retains MotoGP Until 2014

That was a close one for many fans of the MotoGP event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They usually make these announcements during the event, but this one came during Misano. OK, people of Indiana (and those who travel there) you can stop holding your breath...relax and get to work on your hotel reservations!

http://www.tinyurl.com/3ze75oc

More News from JC Current...Please CLICK!

There has been an enormous amount of news coming from the world of two wheels lately. It is the end of the racing season, the musical chairs that are professional racing, the beginning of the 2011 models, new gear and accessories - and plenty of shows which bring much of this together in one place. EICMA is running in Milan, Ducati has released their 'fat-boy' Diavel, MV Agusta has shown their new F3 triple, Triumph's new Tiger 800XC and Daytona 675R, Yamaha's Super Tenere, and many more.

I have some stories here which may have slipped past you, or you may simply want to know more. Some are a bit old, but they are still current (pun intended)...please take a look.

2011 Master of the Mountains Schedule

The Middle Kindom Ride - China on BMWs

The New Brammo Enertia Plus

The 2010 Africa Concours d'Elegance in Kenya

The All-New Honda CBR250R Coming to US

The Renard Grand Tourer - Estonian Beauty

Honda's Moto3 Machine - NRS250

BMW R1200GS Triple Black

Chicago's Isle of Man

Gilera GP800 - World's Most Powerful Scooter

dediKato Auction (Ends 8 November 2010)

Nick Nichols Has Shed This Mortal Coil

Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show and Bonhams Auction

Suzuki GZ250 Price Dropped $1000!

Guy Martin to Ride Relentless by TAS Suzuki at 2011 Isle of Man TT

Scott Redding to Ride Suter/BMW MotoGP Machine

2011 FIM Speedway GP and Speedway Cup Schedule

Team Canada Heading to Latin American Championships

AMA Crowns Hillclimb Champions

Well, there are a few more, but that will do for this post. I am also working at the Portland Examiner as well and have at least one published article there...once I get that link, I will post it here too...Until then, please take the above links - every click helps!

Moto Morini Dead? Looks Possible Now...

Yep, the bad news is that it seems the deal between Paolo Berlusconi, his New Garelli company, and Moto Morini has fallen apart. The interested parties are blaming the labor unions for this situation, but we will not know the whole truth until we hear from both sides. As it is now, though, there seems to be little hope that Moto Morini will be able to survive as it is. What will likely happen is a bankruptcy, selling of assets and then someone, possibly Berlusconi, will purchase the rights to the name and start all over again...All we can do is hope that Moto Morini will survive somehow...

http://tinyurl.com/23g72f7

Another Human Sacrifice for the Isle of Man TT

It is simply part of racing at this time; that is often used to explain a death on any motorcycle race circuit, but the Isle of Man TT has a special place for the people who give their lives to race in this prestigious annual event. The truth of the matter is that those who race motorcycles are risking their lives. Modern safety equipment and even better track design has noticeably reduced the numbers in recent decades - and that is a very good thing for all of us! The TT, however, will always be this way. It is a real roads race which demands the best of the people moving at high speed over its course on motorcycles. Ask anyone out there, though, and you will find not one individual with a 'death wish'. To them, this is life and it sometimes takes that from you. They know the risks and try to be as safe as they can be, but pushing the limit puts you on a fine edge between stable and unstable. This time the price was a 29-year-old man from the U.K. named Matthew Alexander Evans. He crashed while piloting his Honda Fireblade at high speed in the left-hand curves near the Mountain Box. Please see the link for more...

Big Bad News from Moto Morini - Buyout Rejected by Unions

The trade unions working for Moto Morini have voted against the buyout offer presented by Paolo Berlusconi, which essentially kills the deal for now. Most familiar with the proceedings believe that Berlusconi will tender another offer within weeks. For everyone who wishes this marque a win for a change, let's hope a deal is reached very soon. It will be nice to see something good come from all the suffering...

http://tinyurl.com/23rr2jo

BMW Recalls 122,000 Motorcycles for Brake Issues

The model at the center of the recall is the K1200GT and the problem is with leaks in the front braking systems. BMW issued the recall today and has already worked with dealers to get a solution in place for current owners. If you have one of these, or a derivative model, you should check with your local BMW shop to see if your bike is one of those which needs the service. Do not wait - this is a huge issue which could result in serious injury or death! For the details, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/2bov6jb

MotoGP Japan Grand Prix at Motegi is POSTPONED

Dorna and the FIM announced last night that the Motegi round of the 2010 MotoGP Championship - the Japanese Grand Prix - has been postponed due to the ash covering the European airspace. The race weekend was to be 23 - 25 April 2010, but it will held 1 - 3 October instead. The large Icelandic eruption has caused most flights to be cancelled in Europe for safety reasons and it has now pushed the MotoGP management to push the Japan Grand Prix back to later in the year when the teams will be on a fly-away trip to Malaysia and Australia. Be glad you are not in F1, though, as they seem to be trapped in China for the time being - at least the MotoGP teams are close to home in Europe!

http://tinyurl.com/y3ml538

HOPE! Hope for Moto Morini - Berlusconi Buys!

Brother to Italian Prime Minister Silvio, Paolo Berlusconi has purchased Moto Morini and may have just saved it from becoming history. This is great news if Mr. Berlusconi is a fan of the marque's heritage and its desire to build its own engines. The word is that a new business plan - and, hopefully, an emergence from bankruptcy - should be in place by the 2010 EICMA show in Milan. Berlusconi also owns Italian marque Garelli and is in serious talks to take over MV Agusta...the plot thickens...

http://tinyurl.com/y3ykd27

Harley Acts Like Any Corporation & Danny Magoo Will Get His Van

It turns out that Harley-Davidson is paying their CEO just like many other ethically-challenged multi-national corporations. Given that The Motor Company has been shutting down production lines and laying off workers, you would think that they could save some of that money by paying the CEO who has presided over the most dramatic losses that the company has ever had would take a pay cut to keep the company running. Well, this is what you get when a motorcycle company goes corporate - their only concern is with their shareholders' value in the stock and the executive pay - they are Wall Street slaves. It's all about the $$$ for them. If I were a loyal H-D rider, I would begin a campaign to stop this sort of behavior...but, I am not one...

http://tinyurl.com/yf5kvbw

Does anyone remember when we heard the news that Bob Hannah was setting up a fund to purchase a full-mobility van for motocross legend Danny "Magoo" Chandler? Well, it has achieved its goal! Magoo will be getting his van very soon now. It was new Hall of Fame inductee brothers Bob and Geoff Fox who donated the final US$15K to the project. Everyone is labeling the Fox brothers as amazing at this point, and there is good reason for this! For all the details, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/ykkyrnn

Rumor: Ducati and Piaggio May Merge!

With the economy still in the toilet, Ducati and Piaggio both are still feeling the sting of lower sales of both bikes and licensed accessories - few people have enough money to buy anything. Add that to the rumors of a possible sale of the Piaggio Group of motorcycle and scooter manufacturers and you get this rumor: Ducati and Piaggio to merge. It is nowhere near confirmed, but it could mark a point where the Italian motorcycle industry can grow and may actually be able to compete with the Japanese (and British and American) on their terms. So, stay tuned and we will see if this comes to fruition or is forgotten by history.

http://tinyurl.com/ylaa5lv

http://tinyurl.com/yfc6oho

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

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

And, More Morning Moto News - Yamaha & ASBK & Social Media in Canada

Apparently, Yamaha will also be leaving the Australian Superbike Championship to pursue a title in the 2010 Australian Formula Xtreme Championship. They will be taking some of their riders with them, but not all. This leaves on Suzuki as a full factory effort in the series, with others being 'supported by' some manufacturers. It is getting very thin there, but I bet the racing is much more interesting now that it is mostly a privateer effort. Still, the lack of money will not be good for ASBK.

http://tinyurl.com/yk8yjlr

Yes, this is a post about Twitter, Facebook and the rest of the 'social media' world. But, this is specifically geared towards the motorcycle industry and everyone involved. In fact, this article will even help you figure out the best way for you to exploit the social media world. By exploit, I mean use to your heart's content to keep yourself up to date on the latest happenings in the industry and beyond, in many cases. You will likely find enough to create your own account, if you do not already have one.

http://tinyurl.com/ye5vgjb

2010 Motorcycle Reviews - Aprilia, KTM and Triumph from Cycle World

This is a huge collection of articles with which you can waste many hours. Of course, you may actually be in the market for a new motorcycle; if that is the case, this could be called due diligence.

Cycle World has put together their entire reviews for each of the following marques' 2010 models which are sold in the US (and some others which might make it there). Each and every model has its own page which links out from the main article linked below. They even include MSRP!

Aprilia: http://tinyurl.com/ygdt4o3

KTM: http://tinyurl.com/yfj4mch

Triumph: http://tinyurl.com/yjjusst

All in all a great resource which should not be missed.

Wednesday Afternoon Roundup of Moto News - Supercross and Yamaha

Looking for more information on the 2010 AMA Supercross season? Well, look no further than the linked article - at least for now. This is a great summary of what has changed since 2009, and how those changes have been implemented. Some of the biggest changes are the teams and riders for 2010. But, the fact that almost every racer in the series is at 100% or better health is probably some of the best news to come out of the article. How often does that happen?

http://tinyurl.com/yc42h2k

Yamaha Motors in Japan is in the midst of yet another change in their management structure. This has been an ongoing process since the third quarter of 2009, so it is not totally unexpected. President Tsuneji Togamiis being replaced by Hiroyuki Yanagi, but Togamiis will be back in the spring if his medical situation allows it - though, in what capacity remains a mystery.

http://tinyurl.com/ye2rrxj

Since this is all over the Ducati motorcycle news I figure that I should post it here as well. For a New Year celebration in Los Angeles, Ducati put together a band - known as the 'Ducati All Stars' and consisting of many members of past musical super-groups who also ride Ducati motorcycles (whether they actually pay for them is a very good question to ask) - and held a huge concert at the Roxy. They are also planning more such shows around North America.

http://tinyurl.com/yjsv7qa

Very sarcastic and funny opinion piece on this event: http://tinyurl.com/yby2gfo