The Honda NSS300 Forza scooter has received approval from the California Air Resources Board. The 279cc scooter was first announced at the 2012 EICMA show for the European market and Canada, and it looks like it will be available for sale in the U.S. The Forza still needs to get a certificate of conformity from the Environmental Protection Agency, but that should not be difficult after getting the O.K. from CARB.

The Forza is powered by a liquid-cooled fuel-injected 279cc single-cylinder engine based on the engine used in the SH300i. According to Honda, the Forza’s engine produces 25.5 hp at 7500 rpm and 19.2 ft-lb. at 5000 rpm. Honda also claims fuel economy of 72.4 mpg which, with a 3.06-gallon fuel tank, should translate to a range of about 222 miles between fill-ups.

The chassis consists of a steel underbone frame with a lower floating link for the engine mount to improve rigidity balance and reduce vibrations. The Forza has a tw0-level seat with separate fold-out footpegs for passengers. The rider’s seat is positioned at a fairly low 28.2 inches above the ground and lifts up to reveal a compartment Honda claims will hold two full-faced helmets. Continue Reading »

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it is voiding its approval of up to 74,000 motorcycles and ATVs imported from China because of incomplete or falsified certification information. The vehicles were imported by Ohio-based Snyder Technology, Inc. and Snyder Computer Systems, Inc. and sold under the brand Wildfire Motors Corporation.

The EPA says it issued certificates of conformity to Wildfire Motors for numerous on- and off-road motorcycles and ATVs from 2006 to 2012. These certificates, issued to all vehicles before they can be imported or sold in the U.S., are issued to manufacturers and importers after they submit emission testing data showing their products meet federal emission standards. Of particular concern are emission levels for pollutants such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and total hydrocarbons (HC) which contribute to smog and soot. Continue Reading »

The KTM Freeride 350 has cleared emission certification testing in the U.S. including the state of California, getting approval from both the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board. A leaked powerpoint slide from KTM’s North American dealer meeting in 2011, listed the Freeride 350 for 2013 and they may still happen.

The lightweight entry-level off-road model has been certified by both bodies for the 2013 model year though the Freeride 350 has yet to be officially announced by KTM for the U.S. An announcement may soon come now that the Freeride 350 has completed testing.

Unveiled at the 2011 EICMA show in Milan, the KTM Freeride has been available in Europe since April 2012. One of its most notable features is the claimed weight of 222 pounds, without fuel. The fuel-injected engine is based on the powerplant of the KTM 350 EXC-F, but ditches the kickstarter and adds a new lightweight die-cast aluminum engine case. The exhaust and airbox have also been modified to provide more torque. Both the EPA and CARB list the KTM Freeride 350 as producing 22.8 hp at 7500 rpm. The electronic engine management system offers multiple mappings, allow riders to choose to optimize fuel economy or performance. Continue Reading »

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is backing off requiring all consumers buy at least four gallons when purchasing gasoline at pumps dispensing E15 ethanol blend fuel, reports the American Motorcyclist Association.

Earlier this year, the AMA raised concerns with the EPA about E15 fuel, pointing out the blend, which contains 15% ethanol, may be harmful to motorcycles and ATVs. The AMA was concerned fuel pumps providing both E15 and the safer E10 blend, which consists of up to 10% ethanol, may mistakenly cause riders to refuel their motorcycles with the higher concentration of ethanol because of potential residual E15 fuel in the gas pump hoses.

The EPA responded, saying it will require gas stations provide separate hoses for dispensing E15 and E10,  ethanol and safer for motorcycle engines. For stations that cannot provide dedicated hoses for E10 and E15, the EPA said it would require all consumers purchase more than 4 gallons of fuel in order to dilute the amount of ethanol left in the hoses.

This, of course, posed an even bigger problem as many motorcycles have fuel tanks smaller than 4 gallons. Continue Reading »

American Suzuki has agreed to a number of sanctions including an $885,000 penalty for importing ATVs and off-road motorcycles that do not meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‘s emission control standards.

The EPA and Suzuki negotiated the monetary penalty as well as other sanctions for the 25,396 units of the 2006-2009 LT-R450 ATV and the 62 units of the 2010 RMX450Z. While the models in question were tested and certified by the EPA, the testing was done on the electronic engine control module’s standard map.

What Suzuki did not disclose in the certification process was the RMX450Z and LT-R450 also had a racing map that would push emissions outside the accepted control standards. These racing map were only accessible from a third-party aftermarket product known as the “Cherry Bomb“, but because the map was pre-programmed into the stock machine, Suzuki was required to disclose the ability to adjust the air-fuel mixture through engine mapping when filing for the certificate of conformity. Continue Reading »

Join our new Kawasaki Ninja 300 forum community to learn more about the new Ninjette and chat with other owners. Visit KawasakiNinja300.com and register today!

Kawasaki Europe has pulled the wraps off a new Ninja 300, a larger-displacement version of its popular entry-level Ninja 250.

We first broke the news of an new Kawasaki Ninja 300 last week when the model was included in a list of 2013 motorcycles released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As we reported, the new model is powered by a fuel-injected 296cc four-valve twin-cylinder engine claiming 39 hp.

The 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300 will also be available with anti-lock brakes. The ABS components are built by Nissin and are said to be 40% smaller than previous Nissin ABS systems. The Ninja 300 also features a slipper clutch and a back-torque limiter developed from Kawasaki’s racing program. According to Kawasaki, the new FCC Assist and slipper clutch allows for a lighter clutch lever pull. Continue Reading »

Documents released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board confirm the existence of a new member of BMW‘s F800 lineup, the F800GT.

The 2013 BMW F800GT will likely be a more touring-oriented replacement for the F800ST (pictured above) which was conspicuously absent from the CARB document. The new model is likely the same bike that appeared in spy photos published in the U.K.’s MCN in January.

The F800GT will be powered by the same Rotax-produced engine as the F800R, F800GS and F700GS. According to the EPA’s documents, the 798cc parallel-twin engine produces 62.5 kW (83.8 hp) at 8000 rpm. Continue Reading »

Join our new Kawasaki Ninja 300 forum community to learn more about the new Ninjette and chat with other owners. Visit KawasakiNinja300.com and register today!

A spreadsheet from the United States Environmental Protection Agency listing 2013 motorcycle certification data includes information about new an all-new Kawasaki Ninja 300 and the Ninja 400R, while also confirming reports the new ZX-6R will return to a 636cc engine displacement.

Appearing on the EPA’s spreadsheet doesn’t necessarily mean these models will be introduced to the U.S. market however. The Kawasaki Ninja 400R was included in a similar document for 2012 but was never introduced. The 2013 document does not include a Ninja 250 (pictured above) which was recently updated for other markets, so it is likely to be replaced by the new Ninja 300.

According to the EPA document, the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300 will be powered by a fuel-injected 296cc four-valve twin-cylinder engine. Power is listed at 29 kW (which translates to 39hp) at 11,000 rpm.The documents lists both an ABS and a non-ABS version. Continue Reading »

Current New York state law and Federal law prohibit motorcycles from emitting exhaust noise in excess of 80 decibels. In a move to enhance the enforceability of laws governing exhaust noise specific to motorcycles, the New York City city council has drafted a proposed law, No. 416-A, to aid various law enforcement agencies in what would effectively be elimination of many motorcycles from the City of New York.

Continue Reading »