You may remember MotoCorsa as the dealership behind the awfully funny “Manigale” photoshoot, featuring male employees in bathing suits and heels posing like female models on a Ducati 1199 Panigale. The Portland, Ore., dealership clearly knows how to have fun. MotoCorsa also knows Ducati‘s heritage, opening an exhibition of more than 30 significant Ducati motorcycles spanning seven decades.

The “Museo Ducati” exhibition runs through the month of January at the dealership and is open to the public free of charge. The motorcycles on display include several rare and landmark models from Ducati’s history, with some motorcycles being shown in public for the very first time. Continue Reading »

Polaris Industries offered the first preview of the next generation of Indian Motorcycle, releasing an audio clip of the new engine that will power an all-new model.

Indian is offering a a line of 2013 Chief models but all of them are continuations of  models offered by Indian’s owners. The new Polaris-era Indians are still a year away, but Polaris decided to start promoting the brand and teasing the new models ahead of a 2014 re-launch.

Unsurprisingly, the engine has a throaty V-Twin rumble; V-Twins have been powering Indian motorcycles since 1905, and the brand’s new owners Polaris have extensive experience with V-Twins as well, with Victory Motorcycles. Continue Reading »

Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities has granted official recognition to the Ducati Museum in Bologna, Italy, for it’s cultural significance.

The Museo Ducati‘s archives have been deemed to be of such cultural importance, they deserve to be part of Italy’s national archive.

First opened in June 1998, the museum houses documents form Ducati‘s technical archive as well as a vast collection of engines and motorcycles. The museum records Ducati’s history since 1946, when it emerged from the Second World War as a builder of motorized bicycles. Prior to the war, the company existed as Societa Scientifica Radio Brevetti Ducati, a manufacturer of vacuum tubes and other radio components.

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Construction has begun for a new museum for the German motorcycle manufacturer Horex.

Located just a few yards from the site of the original Horex factory in Bad Homburg, Germany, the museum will display exhibits about original Horex motorcycles as well as the newly reborn Horex and its upcoming VR6 Roadster.

The museum will also have a section about the Rex glassware company of the company belonging to the father of Horex’s founder Fritz Kleeman, which helped fund the startup capital for Horex (it also supplied the “REX” in “HOREX”. The “HO” is for Bad Homburg, where the company was founded).

The building itself could be considered an exhibit, as its design (pictured above) was inspired by a classic Horex single-cylinder engine. The ground floor represents the cylinder while the upper section represents a cylinder head. The window on the upper section is designed to represent the cooling fins of an air-cooled engine.

[Source: Horex]

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American motorcycle pioneer Norbert Schickel has been named to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame’s 2011 class.

Schickel founded Schickel Motor Co., in Stamford, Conn., in 1912, a year after exhibiting his first “two-cycle” motorcycle at the Chicago Motorcycle Show. Schickel Motor sold more than 1,000 motorcycles between 1912 and 1924 when the company filed for bankruptcy. Schickel’s designs included innovations such as twist grip transmission control, a rotating magneto spark advance, spring fork front wheel suspension and an integrated frame and fuel tank.

“It’s fitting for the Motorcycle Hall of Fame to reach back 100 years in time and honor one of the true pioneers of American motorcycling,” says Jeffrey V. Heininger, chairman of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, which raises money for the Hall of Fame. “The Hall of Fame honors and memorializes the men and women who have made motorcycling great. And without early pioneers like Norbert Schickel, there would be no American motorcycling.”

Schickel will be inducted into the Hall at a ceremony Nov. 18 in Las Vegas alongside Cycle editor Phil Schilling, Parts Unlimited founder Fred Fox and road racing World Champion Doug Polen.

Related Reading
Doug Polen Joins Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2011
Parts Unlimited FoundeParts Unlimited Founder Named to 2011 Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class
Schilling Headed to Motorcycle Hall of Fame

[Source: AMA, SchickelMotorcycle.com]

Suzuki kicked off the modern era of sportbikes when it introduced its lightweight and aluminum-framed GSX-R750 in 1985, and the Gixxer series of 600s, 750s, 1000s and 1100s have delivered unparalleled success in terms of racetrack and sales domination.

Over the past 25 years, Suzuki’s GSX-Rs have been the dominant force in America road racing, earning an incredible 33 AMA championships. In addition to 11 Superbike titles carded by Mat Mladin and Ben Spies, Gixxers have also logged a combined 15 Supersport titles in 600cc and 750cc classes. And let’s not forget three Formula Xtreme and four Superstock 1000 championships.

The evolution continues with the 2011 model year, as Suzuki has introduced the clean-sheet GSX-R600 we recently tested. And let’s not forget the one that started it all, the GSX-R750, also revised for 2011 and tested here.

The GSX-R series has been instrumental in shaping the sportbike landscape. The Suzuki-sourced video after the jump is a great look back at the evolution of the iconic sportbike line.

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Harley-Davidson has been building motorcycles for a long time. Over 105 years in fact, according to the summer celebration I attended in Milwaukee last summer. Who could have guessed over a century ago that the company would be alive and thriving today? Fortunately someone at the organization had the foresight to store examples of the bikes being manufactured over the years within the HD facility.

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Perhaps the most memorable helmet this season in MotoGP sat atop the head of the most memorable rider. Coincidence? The ‘Rossi Face’ helmet worn by Valentino Rossi at this year’s Mugello round is now for sale by AGV as a limited edition replica of the original helmet. Based on the range-topping GP-Tech, it benefits from the same safety features as Rossi’s, including the carbon/Kevlar shell. Rossi was recently named honorary president of AGV for his involvement in bringing worldwide attention to the long-time sponsor.