Articles by Ivar Kvadsheim
News
Mandatory ABS coming to Europe
A few months ago the enthusiast press reported that the EU Commission's proposal to mandate ABS meant "the death of the dual sport motorcycle." Now, both manufacturers and consumers have accepted the proposal and there's no need to worry about the dual sport motorcycle. What's new? The basis for the panic in the press was a press release from FEMA (The Federation of European Motorcyclists' Asso...
07 February 2011
Honda Solo, the other Honda custom
Honda have pushed the Fury as their first factory "custom," indicating that even they have forgotten about Solo, their cheery, stylish, around-town leisure bike, pioneering the raw factory custom look and no less than 285 customization options. The moped bobber was launched in 2003, as the fourth model to come out of Honda's "N project," which was dedicated to developing products to appeal to n...
09 November 2010
Photos: 100 years of Benelli
In the spring of 1911, six brothers, acting with the support of their mother, founded a bicycle and motorcycle repair shop called the Benelli Garage. Nine years later, Benelli made its first engine, a 75cc two-stroke that they stuck in a bicycle frame. Just a year after that they made their first motorcycle and a year after that entered the first race. Next year, Benelli will turn 100, here’s a ...
08 November 2010
News
The facts behind Europe’s alleged ban on switchable ABS
The EU Commission has finally delivered its proposal for a new motorcycle framework regulation. The purpose of the new regulation is to put loads of existing directives concerning type approval of motorcycles into one new, less complex framework regulation for all L-category vehicles — two- or three-wheel powered cycles, mopeds, motorcycles with and without a side-car, tricycles, on-road quads a...
26 October 2010
Triumph Tiger 800 leakathon continues
Triumph's leaklaunch of the new Tiger 800 adventure bikes continued today with a misguided "preview" for the brand's hardcore fans visiting Triumph Live at England's Mallory Park. "Not only will we be previewing the 2011 range of bikes and clothing..." was the message to ticket buyers on the Triumph Live website. As it turned out, the preview consisted of the two Tiger 800 models hidden inside ...
18 September 2010
News
Yamaha FZ8 comes to America to fill a gap
The Yamaha FZ8 was launched in Europe earlier this year primarily to try to steal some sales away from the hugely popular Kawasaki Z750. That won't be needed in the the US, so its prime function will be to fill in "the gap for sport riders who feel a 600cc is too small and a 1000cc is too big". The FZ (and Fazer) series has been a huge success since Yamaha first married an YZF600R Thundercat de...
01 September 2010
News
TTXGP 2011: Specs class, more teams and races
Michael Barnes of Lightning Motorcycles had already won the championship before the final race at VIRginia International Raceway, but to TTXGP founder Azhar Hussain the increasingly tighter racing is one of the biggest achievements of the TTXGP North American championship's first season. - I think we've achieved a lot in our first season in North-America. To me the biggest achievment is how tigh...
19 August 2010
News
Steampunkish art deco is the new custom
Photos: Horst Roesler and Frank SanderIf these three islands of creativity in the sea of chromed-out Harley-customs that is the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building are representative of a new trend, then steampunkish art deco is the new custom. The BSA-based Beezerker is a hand made beauty looking like something from another time on another planet. Ch...
16 August 2010
News
Valentino Rossi: My work here at Yamaha is finished
"Now the moment has come to look for new challenges; my work here at Yamaha is finished. Unfortunately even the most beautiful love stories finish, but they leave a lot of wonderful memories, like when my M1 and I kissed for the first time on the grass at Welkom, when she looked straight in my eyes and told me 'I love you!'" - Valentino Rossi. Rejoice Ducati, Dorna, Italy, MotoGP, FIM, motorcycle ...
15 August 2010
News
Two-stroke racing ends in 2012
It's the weekend for confirming things we all know at the Czech Grand Prix. Before Valentino Rossi announces he is moving to Ducati next year, FIM have confirmed their own news-that's-not-really-news-at-all and announced 2011 will be the last season of two-stroke racing, with the 125 class being replaced by Moto3 from 2012. The Moto3 bikes will use a single cylinder 250cc four-stroke engine with ...
14 August 2010
News
MV Agusta: The Castiglioni years
Claudio Castiglioni (right) and his brother Giovanni are back in charge of MV Agusta. "MV Agusta is the crown jewel of Italian motorcycles, I am thrilled to have completed this transaction." No wonder Claudio Castiglioni is thrilled. Two years after selling MV Agusta to Harley-Davidson for 70 million euros, they pay him 20 million euros to take it back. Castiglioni immediately promises new models...
12 August 2010
News
How the FIM and TTXGP can fix electric motorcycle racing
Photo: Grant Ray"Racing improves the breed." That was Azhar Hussain's mantra when he launched TTXGP and the idea of electric motorcycle racing a couple of years ago. He's right, of course. If we want the best possible electric street bikes as soon as possible, the racetrack is the best place to breed them. But we also need the best possible breeding ground - one premier racing series. One. TTXGP a...
03 August 2010
News
North-Korea: open for motorcycle business
Need to get motorcycles made on the cheap? Usually, you'd just call China, India or Brazil. Now, there's a fourth option. There's not a lot of information about the North-Korean motorcycles now available for export, but according to the spec sheet at least half of them are 125cc single-cylinder 5-strokes - a technology previously unavailable in corrupt, decadent imperialist nations (or the rest of...
29 July 2010
News
Official: Stoner leaves Ducati to join three man Honda factory team
Honda confirms Casey Stoner will race for the HRC factory team next season. The biggest surprise is that they also state they hope to retain Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizio in a three man factory HRC team. Official words from Honda and Ducati after the jump. Oh, and we told you so! >HRC Vice President Shuhei Nakamoto said: "We are very pleased that Casey will join Honda again next year. Clearly ...
09 July 2010
News
2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R racer photo released
Here it is, the first photo of the 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R, unpainted and in race trim, ready for testing at Suzuka. Two numbers from Kawasaki: 190bhp, 198kg. Big numbers indeed, compare them to 188bhp and 179kg (dry) of the 2010 model or to the 193bhp and 204kg (wet) of the current king of the superbike hill, the BMW S1000RR.>Assuming that the 2011 ZX-10R's 198kg quoted weight is wet, that compares ...
06 July 2010
News
Honda to cut motorcycle prices by 10 years
Baby boomers seems to be in short supply in Japan too. Worried about declining interest in motorcycles among young Japanese, Honda Japan aims to cut domestic motorcycle prices to year 2000 levels in a bid to attract new customers. According to Honda, prices will drop by 10 to 30 percent. >The price cut will be implemented gradually as models are upgraded or new models rolled out and will be achiev...
05 July 2010