New Website Aims to Help Make Riders Ride Safer

Though this does not make the same impact that a new, wild, high-tech concept motorcycle often does, the new YamahaChampions RidingSchool motorcycle safety website is an important new source of riding knowledge and should receive the same sort of attention. The instructors at the school led the effort - well-known rider, teacher, and writer Nick Ienatsch and AMA Superbike racer and teacher Ken Hill, specifically - with the simple idea being to "improve the performance of the motorcycle's weakest link, the rider." Every rider should at least have a look at what is contained there since riding is a life-long learning experience - or, at least, it should be!

PR: http://tinyurl.com/7rk89v6

The website: www.FasterSafer.com

BMW Canada Summerfest 2010

BMW will again bring the Canadian (and other) riding public the Summerfest event - for the fourth time - which will be held at Mosport International Raceway from 9 - 11 July 2010. As usual, there will be tons of vendors, stunt shows, several seminars with very knowledgeable speakers, training sessions, the Summerfest Feast and so much more. If you live nearby or are traveling towards the area, you really owe it to yourself to attend this incredible festival brought to you by BMW of Canada!


http://tinyurl.com/ydelama


http://tinyurl.com/ya4k9zt

Ducati NA Offers Class with Polen & New Ducati Ambassador Scott McGregor

Ducati North America is offering riders who purchase a 2009 or 2010 Ducati sportbike a chance to ride with World Superbike Champion Doug Polen at his Doug Polen 1-on-1 Riders School at one of twelve US circuits. It's a very good promotion as this will give you a chance to get the most out of your brand new Italian motorcycle. Plus, Polen is a very nice and down-to-earth guy who knows how to ride very, very well. If you pick the new 848 Dark, you also get a limited edition Swiss watch. For more, please take the link...

http://tinyurl.com/y9ybecr

In Australia, a rather popular male model and actor has become the next Ducati Ambassador. Scott McGregor went to Ducati City to pick up his 2010 Streetfighter on Monday, 15 March. He will ride the bike all over Melbourne and appear at many events with the motorcycle. Goof for him!

http://tinyurl.com/ybv2t6r

Wednesday Afternoon Moto News - Kawasaki for the Cure & 250 MX Shootout

The Kawasaki Moto Marathon for the Cure was run in conjunction with the Anaheim III round of the AMA Supercross event, which was also themed with Breast Cancer Awareness, last weekend. It was a 24-hour event where riders were trained on off-road skills of all kinds for as long as they needed or wanted instruction. Participants were offered the classes for free as long as they made a donation to the San Diego Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. 75 riders attended and more than US$2500 was raised from just their donations! It is a long story, so please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yjnx58d

MotorcycleUSA has just wrapped up a test of all the popular 250cc motocross bikes - minus the Suzuki RM-Z250, which was unavailable for the test. They did test the 2010 Honda CRF250R, Kawasaki KX250F, KTM 250 SX-F and Yamaha YZ250F and came home with some results. To find out who won what and which machine is the best for MX riding and racing, please read the article after the link. (It looks like Big Red has done it again...)

http://tinyurl.com/yzlovnf

Tuesday Evening Moto News - AMA Expands Think. Ride. Program

The AMA has really added some content to their Think.Ride. Program, which was launched last October. They have added videos, audio tracks and print advertisements - many featuring AMA Board of Directors member and well-known actor Perry King - all of which are available online. This is a huge program to help with rider safety and motorcycle awareness. It's good to know they are doing this and doing it right. All we need now is more media coverage.

http://tinyurl.com/yztwg9s

Friday Evening Moto News - Bikesafe London / MCN London Motorcycle Show

Making a welcome appearance at the MCN London Motorcycle Show this weekend at the Excel Center in London were the representatives of Bikesafe London. The sessions are designed to stress motorcycle safety through skills development, training and good old experience... and it reduces their insurance costs as well. Charley Boorman and Chris Walker were among the many rather interesting people who were at the show as well. If any more decent reports come through, they will be here...and there are previous entries as well.

http://tinyurl.com/yjgk2s3

And, More Morning Moto News - Scott Redding and California Superbike School

Scott Redding and his Marc VDS Racing Moto2 have scored a real coup - they now have Pete Benson as their crew chief. Apparently, Nicky Hayden's Ducati team only wanted Benson to handle suspension tuning, so he went with the better position and one which he knows very well. There is probably something behind this, but all we know now is that Redding now has a great crew chief!

http://tinyurl.com/yfjhxlx

Keith Code has increased the number of students his California Superbike School can teach again; this time it is in Chennai, India. Yes, over in the Subcontinent, they now have a world class motorcycle racing school which they can attend. It is a huge step and a very forward-thinking plan given that nation's new found ability to purchase full-sized sportbikes. This could be the beginning of an Indian invasion in the upper levels of worldwide motorcycle racing!

http://tinyurl.com/ykt3zp9

Sunday Evening Moto News - Wayne Gardner & SA Historic Racing

Seventeen years after he retired from professional motorcycle racing, Australian Wayne Gardner is now taking the reins at the National Road Safety Council - also in Australia. He plans on working very hard to reduce the number of fatalities and accidents among motorcyclists on the roads of his home country. Gardner was also a Honda safety Ambassador previously, which helped him in landing his new job. Let's hope the World Champion can win again and again in his new office! Give him a good luck toast at the end of your next ride.

http://tinyurl.com/ylghnvs

At Killarney, a circuit in Cape Town (South Africa), the annual International Historic - a leg of the local Springbok Series - some very well known and rather notable racers took some exceptional machines around the track. There are too many to list here and too much to cover without doing a full story about it. So, please take what the very good author who published the article after the link says and you will feel that you were there.

http://tinyurl.com/yhhurwd

More Afternoon Moto News - Rossi in India & Yamaha Motor Japan and Australia

Valentino Rossi was in India a few weeks ago to attend a local show and tour around the Indian Yamaha dealers to spur more interest in their machines. While he was there, he took time to speak with John Abraham - a HUGE Indian celebrity - and even signed a book for him. The two spoke with each other about motorcycle safety and how to improve it in India. With the momentum provided by the high-profile meeting, they may actually get a message through to the Indian riding public!

http://tinyurl.com/ykvujv5

Some more from Rossi about the test and a bit about his future plans: http://tinyurl.com/y9d9zym

Yamaha Motor Company is asking some 800 employees to voluntarily retire - thus removing some 7% of their workforce in Japan. This comes on the heels of several reports of financial issues at the company. Hopefully, they will do right by the workers they are asking to retire and give them an excellent severance package!

http://tinyurl.com/ycfyy56

Even with the financial issues, Yamaha in Australia knows that you have to spend some money to make alot of money. The manufacturer will continue to support the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) and has signed again, but with some help from Motorcycling Australia. The AORC series is growing year over year and this will only help its stability.

http://tinyurl.com/y8tvlsj

Friday Night Moto News - Monash University and HART & Jake Zemke

From the southern side of the globe - the relaxed and cool part - we hear that Australia's Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) and Honda Australia Rider Training (HART) are looking for riders (in Oz, obviously) who have been away from riding for five or more years and are just now returning to the sport. They are conducting motorcycle safety research and they will pay you AUS$70 for one hour of your time. Not only do you help your fellow riders, you get money to take another safety course...since you have been away for a while. There are qualifications, so please click the link to learn more...

http://tinyurl.com/yj478q8

As most of you probably know, Jake Zemke just recently wrapped up testing at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Well, there is much to tell about his time on the National Guard Suzuki GSX-R1000 race weapon. All went rather well, but there is more to do; just take it from the man himself and take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yc9gsta

And, More Morning News - Loris Capirossi & Superbike-Coach

Loris Capirrossi is hoping for a good practice run at the Sepang Cricuit in Malaysia, where the MotoGP teams will be this coming weekend for some long practice work. He is sure that his Suzuki is getting there as the Suzuki factory and the team have worked very hard over the winter to get the bike ready to race. It is looking good for the Italian in 2010; let's all hope that he is right and he will be a real threat to the top four guys...

http://tinyurl.com/yjkgvsu

Superbike-Coach is a California-based and run motorcycle training school. They will teach you everything from better street riding skills on up to their 'Knee Down' course, which helps you preform much better cornering at the track. For the details and the scheduled dates, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yzzv99r

Even More Morning News - Suzuki All-Star, British Supercross & Gresini Honda

The Suzuki All-Star events have now been scheduled all over the U.K. Anyone with any model of Suzuki GSX-R is invited to come out and tackle the track with their machine. The track day events will be held after the British Superbike rounds at Brands Hatch, Snetterton and Cadwell Park. For more information, please take the link...

http://tinyurl.com/yh989od

Paul Bird Kawasaki man Gordon Crockard has won the British Supercross Championship on a Kawasaki KX250. He actually had a hard fought race which he finished in fourth position to achieve his overall victory. In the International Supercross event, he carried home a second place finish. As usual, take the link for more details.

http://tinyurl.com/yh6w9rl

Gresini Honda has picked up another sponsor for their MotoGP team - Airdale Group. Airdale is a business which provides all sorts of services for buildings of all sorts throughout the United Kingdom. For more on the arrangement, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/ykbquxp

Monday Afternoon - Yamaha TT-R110E and Suzuki Gladius

From the tuning fork company comes the 2010 TT-R110E, a great off-road machine for the young ones. It is solidly built, well laid out and an incredible amount of fun. It has electric start and an automatic transmission to make living with and using it a snap. It is a trail bike, but you can use it for just about any junior off-road riding you want to do.

http://tinyurl.com/y9lbjqn

The Suzuki Gladius has won Japan's Good Design Award in the motorcycle category. This is a prestigious award which many companies in Japan respect a great deal. The Gladius is a sweet looking machine, but they really could have done with many fewer plastic covers.

http://tinyurl.com/yb99xe2

Friday Evening News from the Moto World - AMA and Safety

The American Motorcyclist Association has announced the class distinctions and dates for the brand-new 2010 AMA Racing Vintage National Dirt Track Championship Series. This will hopefully be a very successful series throughout the US. The only limitation may be that all of the dates are in the East with the exception of two rounds in Texas. There is good reason for it to head to California or at least team up with the West Coast Flat Track Series to host events. It is very tempting to get out there and join in the fun!

http://tinyurl.com/yjp8qbs

Some people still do not get it - helmets save lives. I have seen racers high-side and land on their head and then walk away - on their own power - because the helmet did its job. I need no more evidence. Riding a motorcycle without a helmet is not accepting your risk. Even if you are the best rider in the entire planet Earth, you cannot control the actions of the cagers sharing the road around you. So, this new study has shown that fatalities have gone up in the seven years since Texas repealed its mandatory helmet laws. D'oh! Of course...the good news is that overall fatalities were likely down in 2009 - but that is simply due to fewer people riding due to the economy and the fact that Americans still consider motorcycles to be 'recreational vehicles.' No helmet = Organ donor

http://tinyurl.com/y9joplj

Friday Afternoon Moto News of a New Sort

Well, we already knew this as well, but it a new study has confirmed it further - riding a motorcycle is good for your brain in many ways. Not only does it help to improve hand-to-eye coordination and bring serious levels of dopamine and other chemicals derived from the excitement of riding, it also builds new brain pathways and improves knowledge absorption. Just have a read about the study and you will know why you are smarter than your cage-bound friends and family.

http://tinyurl.com/ycyh3so

American Honda has also commemorated Mike Traynor by planting a tree - as a living memorial - and placing a plaque honoring him on the campus of their Torrance, California, HQ. Traynor worked very closely with the people in that office while managing his Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation's Ride for Kids.

http://tinyurl.com/yerwhxr

And, the last part of this post will be a video of Ducati engineer Massimo Capanna. In the video he explains the importance of motorcycle ergonomics to a race bike. He was the person responsible for converting the Troy Bayliss Ducati 1098Rs to Larry Pegram for his 2009 AMA Pro Racing effort. It's a good watch.

http://tinyurl.com/y8p8rqn

Thursday Evening Is Here and So Is More Moto News

A North Carolina law firm, Hardison & Cochran, has joined with a nationwide motorcycle safety promotion and education program known as the Road Guardians, a project of Accident Scene Management Inc. (ASMI). The Road Guardians promote motorcycle safety through many avenues including the road and online. The partnership will increase the reach of the Road Guardians program, which we all hope will continue to do very well at what they do.

http://tinyurl.com/ydrbv5u

This next one was going to be a link directly to the AMA website, but the blog post linked below actually sums things up much better - and it has direct links for the AMA. This is the 2010 AMA Motocross Rider Classifications for the 2010 AMA Amateur Motocross Season. Plus, there are some rule explanations regarding the classification.

http://tinyurl.com/ye63qnd

http://tinyurl.com/yayeenf - Direct AMA link

We also have another way to take action towards reforming the CPSIA to keep the CPSC from eliminating youth motorcycles and ATVs. Go there, read it, and take action!

http://tinyurl.com/ybvc5h9

Even More Wednesday Moto News - Jeremy McGrath and AMA Arenacross

The Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and Jeremy McGrath are continuing their relationship with the MMI/Jeremy McGrath Scholarship program. Applications are now being accepted for a chance to get at the scholarship - three will be given out of a US$20,000 fund. The winner will be announced at the Las Vegas finale of the AMA Supercross series on 8 May 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/y93zlfj

Speaking of off-road motorcycle racing, the AMA Arenacross series kicked off in Michigan last weekend and it will be heading to Maryland at Baltimore’s 1st Mariner Arena during 16 - 17 January. To get your head wrapped around how the series is shaping up this season so far, take the link...

http://tinyurl.com/yhjl9lu

Motorcycle Safety News from the MSF and German IVM

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation and Germany's Industrie-Verband Motorrad Deutschland e.V. (IVM) are calling for paper submissions for the 8th ifz-International Motorcycle Safety Conference, which will be held 4 - 5 October 2010 in Cologne, Germany. There are specific areas of interest for these papers and the ones selected will be presented at the meeting. It is all supported by the motorcycle industry and is designed to improve the world of motorcycling through ideas and programs worldwide.

http://tinyurl.com/ycb55w4

Motorcycle Safety - ELF EMF Radiation & Your Private Bits

No matter male or female, we all have important organs between our legs - some just have outdoor plumbing - and even our hearts, breasts or entire torso could be in danger here (just look at the list of ailments!). According to some experts in the field, we often get hit hard with Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Field radiation while riding our favorite motorcycles irrespective of marque. These days, even the rankest looking piece of junk on two wheels may well have fuel-injection or a high-tech ECU; OK, only a few, but with modern motorcycles you know this is true. This article highlights some of the dangers related to it, proven and potential. Though it is directed at Californians, in many ways it applies to all of us riders. And, now that you know, do something about it!

http://tinyurl.com/y87fjf5

Tuesday Afternoon Moto News from Around the World

Not much going on this afternoon, so I only have one to place here.

A blog which I have linked to many times in the past few months, Luxist, had some of the authors of the site take a ride at the BMW Performace Center in Spartanburg - outside of Greenville, South Carolina. They had one hell of a time, as you might expect. They also provided us with a look into the school and the BMW machines they use to train their students. There are even several quality photos of the time which was spent there. Take a look as you may one day attend this school as well...

http://tinyurl.com/ylctnrp