Fifty years ago Corradino D’Ascanio penned his final design for Vespa, the Vespina (little Vespa) 50. The Vespa 50 was popular among the Italian youth market, spawning future generations of Vespa enthusiasts.

To celebrate the anniversary of this influential scooter, Piaggio Americas is launching a five-week user-generated digital and social campaign highlighting the Vespa 50cc’s influence on the transportation and cultural landscape. Vespa owners and fans are encouraged to share their 50cc stories on Vespa’s digital lifestyle destination lavespavita.com and submit photos via Flickr, Twitter or Instagram by using the hashtag #VESPAVITA. Continue Reading »

Founded in 1963, Alpinestars marks a half-century of high performance apparel this year. Named after the Stella Alpina mountain flower, Alpinestars got its start manufacturing ski and hiking boots. The company’s first motorcycle footwear, introduced in 1965, were MX boots bedecked with innovations. With 5-time World Motocross champion Roger Decoster’s stamp of approval Alpinestars earned global recognition. From there Alpinestars diversified in to road racing and is now a recognized leader in a variety of sporting disciplines.

Although Alpinestars has not yet introduced any special 50th anniversary gear or apparel the company did give Motorcycle.com a preview of its 2013 spring collection. The collection includes new as well as updated products from casual riding sneakers to one-piece leather suits and everything in between. Here’s a few that caught our eye as well as a list of Alpinestars’ entire spring offering. Continue Reading »

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the ground-breaking Kawasaki Z1 which made its public debut in 1972, becoming what many would regard as the world’s first superbike.

Kawasaki’s first large-capacity four-stroke multi-cylinder motorcycle took center stage at the 1972  IFMA, the precursor to the INTERMOT show in Cologne, Germany. Together with the Honda CB750, the Kawasaki Z1 helped spearhead the popularity of the Japanese Inline-Four.

The Z1 trumped the CB750, which hit the market in 1969, by offering a larger engine (903cc vs 736cc) and double-overhead cams. Some of the Z1′s design elements such as the four-pipe exhaust layout carry on in today’s Kawasaki Z1000. Continue Reading »

Triumph revealed a limited edition model commemorating the brand’s 110th anniversary. Triumph has done a good job trading off of a history that traces back to 1902, so it’s fitting the English marque would recognize the anniversary with a special edition version of its classically-styled Bonneville T100.

We had an inkling the 2012 Triumph Bonneville T100 110th Anniversary Edition was on its way after we saw its CARB approval documents a few weeks ago. The limited edition version (only 1,000 will be produced worldwide including 250 for the U.S.) comes in a aluminum silver and khaki green paint scheme reminiscent of early Triumph motorcycles.

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Triumph will celebrate the 110th anniversary of the brand with a special edition version of the Bonneville T100.

The current Hinckley-based Triumph Motorcycle company has only been around since 1984 but the original Triumph Engineering Co. first began producing motorcycles in 1902.

For a company that proudly trumpets the brand’s heritage, an anniversary edition of the classically-styled Triumph Bonneville should come as no surprise.

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Harley-Davidson is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its V-Rod line with a few updates as well as a special edition model.

First introduced in the 2002 model year, the V-Rod marked a new era for Harley-Davidson, with the V-Rod’s 1130cc 60-degree  V-Twin Revolution engine, the Motor Company’s first production engine with liquid cooling and overhead camshafts.

The 2012 Harley-Davidson V-Rod line is equipped with the latest generation 1250cc Revolution engine with dual overhead camshafts,  four-valve cylinder heads and fuel injection.

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Documents released by the California Air Resources Board reveal two new models from Harley-Davidson’s 2012 lineup: a 10th anniversary edition V-Rod and a new member of the Dyna family.

The CARB documents list motorcycles that have received approval for the state of California.

The Motor Company has received approval for several 2012 models including the 2012 Harley-Davidson Night Rod Special Anniversary and the 2012 Harley-Davidson Switchback.

The special edition Night Rod marks the 10th anniversary of Harley-Davidson’s V-Rod family, and is expected to feature a unique color scheme and badging.

The Switchback will use Harley-Davidson’s 103 cubic-inch (1688cc) V-Twin engine, which will also be introduced to the Fat Bob and the Wide Glide, and it will likely share the Dyna chassis as well. It is rumored the Switchback will be a touring version of the Wide Glide but with removable bags and windscreen, thus allowing it to “switch back” to a cruiser.

Also notable from the CARB documents is the omission of three models, the Softail Cross Bones, Softail Rocker and Street Glide Trike.

[Source: CARB via Cyril Huze Blog]

Wow, Honda, that’s quite an achievement!

2009 marks Honda’s fiftieth year of operations in the U.S. Our success in the global marketplace is the result of our commitment to continued investment in America’s future. That’s been our philosophy since we opened our doors here in 1959. It’s what we believe in. It’s what you expect, and it’s why we will continue to grow in America.

We thank our customers for the support and trust they’ve shown us, and look forward to challenging ourselves to create new products and services that bring value to our customers and society during the next 50 years.

The official day was Thursday, June 11.

They have a pretty nice little historical time-line slide show on their website that is really quite interesting so go check it out.

Honda has also thrown together a bit of a “throw-back” documentary on itself and shoved it up on youtube.

Check the full post for the video and Honda’s announcement.

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