UPDATE: 2009 Daytona Bike Week Report and the Daytona Girls Photo Gallery.

The 68th Daytona Beach Bike Week officially kicks off today and will run until Sunday, March 8th. The event has become the unofficial start of the motorcycle season and claims to be the world’s largest motorcycle event. Go to the Official Bike Week site to get all the info for accommodations, restaurants and a calendar of events.

This is defiantly not a good time to sell such a bike but if your interested and you have around $150,000 to burn then head on over to JamesList.com and check it out. The bike weights in at 315 lbs, with 170 hp, has a top speed over 180 mph and goes 0-60 in less than 3 seconds.

With mounting inventories coupled with a drop in demand, Yamaha will be cutting its motorcycle production in Japan by 24 percent this year or to about 260,000 total units; one newspaper reported this would be a 40-year low for the manufacture.

Yamaha plans to cut production for motorcycles and other products by 30 percent in the Americas, 20 percent in Europe but will maintain production levels in Asia where demand has not dropped off. The company is forecasting its group sales to fall 22 percent with an operating loss of about $300 million.

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Nearly every motorcyclist I have had the good fortune of meeting suffers from the same condition, albeit with varying levels of severity. This condition, which mystifies and frustrates our families, and unites us as brothers, is the inexplicable, often all-encompassing wanderlust. For some, it can be treated with a weekly Sunday afternoon ride, while others can never truly get it out of their system no matter how far or how often they ride. For those who long for meaning and significance in their lives, they forever dream that the call of the highway will provide them with the much needed answers to their existence they crave.

Journalist Mark Richardson embarked on a journey, both physical and spiritual as he followed the route chronicled by Robert Pirsig in his famous story, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values. The trek, which begins in Minneapolis, MN and ends in San Francisco, CA was the backdrop for a novel that went much deeper than your average roadtrip tales.  In addition to inspiring generations of motorcyclists with his book, Pirsig is responsible for writing the most widely read book on philosophy, ever. The 1974 novel, which was originally rejected by 121 publishers eventually found a widespread audience and has sold over four million copies in 27 countries.

You might not be able to find them at your dealer yet, but BMW’s S1000RR and Honda’s Fury already have dedicated on-line forums.

If you’re looking to get all the latest dirt on the new Beemer, just head over to the BMW S1000RR FORUM. Likewise, if you want to discuss anything about the yet to be released Fury, just head over to the HONDA FURY FORUM.

It’s nice to know that Motorcycle-addicted surfers have a place to nitpick over every detail or endlessly fawn over these two new bikes. C’mon, who needs a fix?

Two major players in electric motorcycles, Vectrix and Zero Motorcycles, are eligible for a 10% Federal tax credit for plug-in vehicles. Zero Motorcycles, already known for its electric dirt bikes, is launching a new street legal version, the Zero S coming sometime this spring. As for Vectrix, you can still get a tax credit on its scooters but as for its street bike concept there has been no confirmation from the company if it’s in production or even will be produced at all.

The Lost and Damned is the highly anticipated Xbox360-exclusive add-on game to GTA IV. To sum it up, the game is good. It’s as simple as that. Sure, it’s not as deep as Niko’s adventures and some parts are a little too familiar, but there is just too much content to deny it from being a success.

Our photo gallery is now up on motorcycle.com, there are 80+ photos for you to checkout. Pictured above is the Vectrix concept bike that was displayed at the show, along with all of the bikes that were on display, we saw some cool products, famous faces and of course all the booth babes.

Photo Gallery

Motorcycle engineer, Alfred Boning, created the BMW R7 in 1934 as a prototype. Before World War II, the bike was put aside due to its heaviness and high production cost. In 2005 it was discovered in a box, restored back to its former glory and is now in working order.

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This 2001 Harley-Davidson Touring Motorcycle could be yours, currently owned (I would safely assume never ridden) by the cash strapped, mega pop star Michael Jackson. In April It will be up for auction along with more than 2000 other items from the Neverland ranch in Santa Maria, CA.

Julien’s Auction in Beverly Hills estimates a price range of $6,000 – $8,000.

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