Motorcycle Blog: The Sidecar » Events

Friday the 13th in Port Dover Continues

Stew Lawson — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:23:31 +0000

After suffering through a summer of mostly mediocre weather, attendees of the Friday the 13th Bike gathering in Port Dover, Ontario this past weekend were treated to unseasonably pleasant temperatures. The event proved to be a huge hit as organizers estimate about 15,000 people flooded the streets for this surprisingly warm November rally.

Huge photo gallery link after the jump.

This was my first trip to the Port Dover rally and though I really didn’t know what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised by the whole event. As soon as I got within 30 minutes of Port Dover motorcyclists could be seen en masse and it was apparent there would be a solid turnout. Even when I left the rally hours later, people were still riding in.

Cruising around the rally you could see everything from stretched sport bikes to raked out choppers… even a few vintage Vespas! Of course, a few thousand Harley riders were on hand as well.

If you live close to this Lake Erie destination I think it would be worth your while to make the trip up for the next meet in August, 2010. I guarantee you there will be more than triple the turnout if we get typical summer riding temperatures.

See you in August!

Full Photo Gallery Link Here.

Friday the 13th in Port Dover history.

Electric Bike GP Coming to U.S.

Pete Brissette — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:57:38 +0000

On November 4, the same day that the Mavizen TTX02, the world’s first production electric superbike, was unveiled at the 2009 SEMA event in Las Vegas, TTXGP (Time Trial eXtreme Grand Prix) and Infineon Raceway of Sonoma, CA, announced a joint plan to run the “first-ever zero carbon motorcycle race in the United States.”

According to Infineon Raceway’s site, the TTXGP U.S. Championships will be held May 14-16, 2010, as part of the raceway’s AMA Motorcycle Sonoma Showdown weekend.

The first-ever electric race bike grand prix was held in conjunction with this year’s Isle of Man TT, and organized by TTXGP. The event was hailed a success, and TTXGP founder and producer of the Mavizen, Azhar Hussain, continues to ride the electric wave of support gained in the TT.

With the success of the TTXGP on the Isle of Man, we have shown that zero carbon technology is ready to deliver the thrills and passion for both spectators and riders, said Hussain.

Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway, echoed Hussain’s electric fervor:

When it comes to development of zero carbon motorcycles, Northern California is the center of the industry, so it makes perfect sense that Infineon Raceway should host the first event in this historic new series.

Deadline Looming for OCC Mobil 1 Motorcycle Contest

Lucas Cooney — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:36:19 +0000

The sweepstakes deadline for a chance to win a one-of-a-kind Mobil 1 bagger-style custom motorcycle designed and built by Orange County Choppers and a trip to Daytona Bike Week 2010 is fast approaching. The sweepstakes will end on November 30, 2009. Click here to enter the contest.

Bikes from Orange County Choppers are generally out of reach financially for most of us, so this is a great opportunity to take one home for free.

The grand-prize winner will be selected shortly after November 30. The winner will be presented with the Mobil 1 Orange County Choppers motorcycle during Daytona Bike Week, which runs from February 26 to March 7, 2010. Fifty runners-up will also win Mobil 1 Motorcycle Oil polo shirts and hats.

“I had a great time working with the team at Mobil 1 on the design of this bike, and I think the end result is something that riders will really appreciate,” says Paul Teutul, Sr. “You don’t see motorcycles like this one very often. Whoever wins it is probably going to make a lot of friends in Daytona in a hurry.”

The Mobil 1 Orange County Choppers motorcycle features an S&S Cycle V-Twin X-Wedge engine, dual rear exhaust, a six-speed Baker RSD transmission, HHI four-piston brakes, and Metzeler ME880 Marathon tires, as well as custom paint and a custom derby cover from Orange County Choppers.

Electric Superbike Unveiled at SEMA [video]

Lucas Cooney — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:27:40 +0000

Though it’s generally recognized as a car tuner’s paradise, this year’s SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas is not without two-wheel appeal.

The world’s first production electric superbike, the Mavizen TTX02, was unveiled on Tuesday. The bike has been nicknamed a ‘laptop on wheels’ and is being produced by TTXGP (Time Trial Xtreme Grand Prix) founder Azhar Hussain.

“We are living in a click culture and connectivity is the key, across the board,” says Hussain. “Our approach was to find how we could make a laptop go racing. We think electric vehicles have more in common with consumer electronics than traditional automotive.”

What should make IT people everywhere wet their pants, the TTX02 is the first factory production vehicle to be delivered with a dedicated IP access and connectivity to the network. Each bike can be connected from any browser through an on-board web server and WiFi.

“By building on the open standards of the internet and the PC, we unlock the creativity and lower the costs of innovation for teams, enthusiasts and riders,” says Hussain. “

Azhar Hussain founded TTXGP, the world’s first zero carbon, zero emission motorcycle race which took place at the Isle of Man TT in June this year. The TTX02 is inspired by the winning bike, the Agni X01.

“The limited production bike, the Mavizen TTX02, gives potential participants a chance to acquire a bike that they can develop themselves to make it competitive and unique to them,” says Hussain.

The Mavizen TTX02 uses the rolling chassis of an FIM homologated and road legal bike – the KTM RC8. The bike will be available for delivery in Q1/2010 with a limited production of 50 units. For more information visit Mavizen.com.

2010 Aprilia RSV4R Engine Failure Delays Press Launch [video]

Dennis Chung — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:19:59 +0000

Aprilia cut short its launch event for the new RSV4R at Italy’s Mugello circuit as not one, not two, not three, not even four but FIVE pre-production models suffered engine failure.

Motorcycle.com contributor Tor Sagen was at Mugello in Tuscany and was scheduled to do a few laps on the world-class circuit on the RSV4R, a lower-spec version of the Aprilia RSV4 Factory. Tor reports the engine problems were being attributed to the conrods from the first batch of 50 pre-production engines.

The faulty engines broke down five times as they were being ridden by international motojournalists. Thankfully, none of them crashed or were injured during the incidents. Tor interviewed a motojournalist from the Netherlands who was on the fifth bike that blew.

Here’s his take:

Tor also reports that the problem was isolated to a single, newly produced batch of conrods. The RSV4R uses the same engine configuration as the RSV4 Factory, but the conrods from the faulty batch are not being used in any production models. Aprilia’s quality control team will be extra diligent on any new batches and the final production bikes should be damn near bullet proof.

Thanks for the report, Tor. And we hope you don’t have swine flu.

Official Aprilia RSV4R video:

Monsters Of Motocross

Press Release — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:26:23 +0000

Join the legends of motocross as they pay tribute to Tony DiStefano.

Hosted by Bob “Hurricane” Hannah and attended by David Bailey, Mark “The Bomber” Barnett, Rick Johnson, Gary & Dwayne Jones, “Bad” Brad Lackey, John “The Flyin Hawaiian” DeSoto, Danny LaPorte, Warren Reid, Malcolm Smith, Steve Stackable, “Rocket” Rex Staten, Chuck Sun, Larry “Supermouth” Huffman and a host of others who will howl at the moon… and each other!

The legends tell tall tales and other horror stories about life on the motocross circuit.

All the details after the jump.

Tom White presents Tony D with the Edison Dye Motocross Lifetime Achievement Award
SNEAK PEEK at Pipeline Digital Media’s newest film project: “The Carlsbad USGP: 1980″.

Sturges Center for the Fine Arts in San Bernardino, CA. Doors open 5:00 pm – Showtime 7:30 pm – Tickets $30 each, 2 for $50

Buy your tickets NOW at Cycle Gear Stores, Malcolm Smith Motorsports or Glen Helen Raceway
or buy them online at www.ClicknPrint.com or call 1-888-695-0888.

Monsters of Motocross is a creation of Todd Huffman, producer of the Motocross Files.
Keep up on the latest event news: Monsters of Motocross or Facebook. Proceeds benefit the Reeve-Irvine Center for Spinal Cord Injury Research.

Easy Rider 40th Anniversary

Joe Magro — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:13:47 +0000

Peter Fonda, who played Wyatt in the 1969 cult classic, Easy Rider, was in Glendale, CA on Friday to help promote the Blu-Ray release of the film which marks the 40th anniversary. The movie was scheduled to be shown at the Love Ride event that was canceled this year, instead the film screened at a local Harley-Davidson dealer.

One of the film’s main objective was to expose violence and racism in the U.S. in a negative light but instead it seems that it was taken the wrong way with most, glorifying the lifestyle that was portrayed in the film.

In the end of the film, Wyatt tells his buddy Billy, “We blew it.”, which has been translated many different ways over the years but Fonda, the co-writer and producer of the film, makes it clear in his phone interview with Reuters.

People often ask me, ‘Do I still feel the movie is relevant?’ And my answer to them is, when … I say, ‘We blew it,’ if you look out the window today and you say we haven’t blown it, (then) I don’t want to take whatever drug you’re on,” states Fonda.

Easy Rider was included in the U.S. National Film Registry in 1998, and was ranked at #84 on the greatest movies of all time list by the American Film Institute.

2009 Tokyo Motor Show [video]

Joe Magro — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:58:09 +0000

Here is a collection of videos from the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. Based on this year’s show, it’s inevitable that we’ll see a continued emphasis on clean and green two-wheelers as time marches on, to read the full report from Kevin Duke, visit motorcycle.com for all the details.

2009 Tokyo Motor Show report.

Chinese Motorcycle Show: Babes and Bikes

Kevin Duke — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:18:44 +0000

We were in Chongqing, China, last week to peruse the latest offerings from the Chinese motorcycle market at the China International Motorcycle Trade Exhibition. Known as the 2009 CIMA Motor Show, this is China’s sole national-level bike show.

We’ve got a couple of interesting articles on the show and the Chinese motorcycle market starting with the first installment and now the second installment that are live on motorcycle.com but here is a selection of pictures that demonstrate the globally universal link between bikes and babes.

Some more photos and a gallery link after the jump.

FULL PHOTO GALLERY HERE!

Motorcycles at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show

Dennis Chung — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:01:27 +0000

Two weeks ago, I took a break from my regular duties gathering news for Motorcycle.com to fly to Germany to cover the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show for our sister site AutoGuide.com.

For two hectic days, AutoGuide editor Colum Wood and I scrambled across the massive 6.2 million square foot Messe Frankfurt trade fair compound, running from press conference to press conference to get the latest on exotic sport cars, futuristic concept models and international unveilings from the automotive world.

It was heaven for car lovers, but for me, it meant fighting my way through hordes of photogs, auto-journalists and car show models to get the first photos of four-wheeled goodies from MINI, Ferrari and Lotus. Okay, I didn’t mind the car show models that much.

But I didn’t forget my day job with MO. Through this Cagers’ Paradise, I managed to find some gems for the loyal Motorcycle.com Readers.

Check out the photo gallery after the jump.

BMW, Suzuki and Can-Am displayed some of their latest two-wheeled (or in Can-Am’s case, three-wheeled) vehicles. The Big Red was a no-show unfortunately, but it wasn’t a surprise as Honda seems to be pulling out of everything lately. But I did manage to find a customized Harley-Davidson V-Rod at one of the vendor booths.

But a picture is worth a thousand words, so I think I’ll let the photos do most of the talking.

BMW displayed their new S1000RR Superbike as well as the K1300S.

BRP Germany had an exhibit for the European introduction of the Can-Am Spyder RT. A BRP rep told me the new trailer hasn’t been homologated for Europe yet. BRP also had a Spyder hanging from the rafters, and thankfully, its “webbing” was strong enough to provide a rare view of the three-wheeler’s underbelly.

Suzuki had the largest display of motorcycles. The highlights include MotoGP racer Loris Capirossi’s GSVR and World Superbike racer Max Neukirchner’s GSXR.

Suzuki also had some of their Euro-only models such as the 2010 GSX1250F and the Bandit GSF1250.

Check out the gold details on this white Harley-Davidson V-Rod.

For more pictures, visit the Gallery page. And if you are into cars, don’t forget to stop by AutoGuide.com for our coverage of the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show.