A new survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center finds BMW and Harley-Davidson  owners are much more likely to report major problems with their motorcycles than owners of Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha motorcycles.

The survey, which will appear on the April 2013 issue of Consumer Reports, says one in three BMW owners reported experiencing a major problem with their bikes in the last four years. Harley-Davidson owners were slightly better, with one in four reporting serious issues. By contrast, only one in 10 Yamaha owners reported serious issues with Honda and Kawasaki owners having similar numbers.

And yet despite the issues, BMW and Harley-Davidson owners are more likely to buy their motorcycles again, if given the chance to do it over. According to the report, 75% of Harley-Davidson owners say they would definitely buy still their motorcycles if given the chance to make the decision again. BMW owners were nearly as loyal with 74% saying they would repeat their purchases, all things considered. Continue Reading »

Ryan Villopoto continues to be in championship form, taking his third consecutive victory and sixth of the season with a win at Lucas Oil Stadium for the Indianapolis round of the 2013 AMA Supercross Championship.

The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider had a calculated, methodical race to take the win and expand his championship lead to nine points ahead of Davi Millsaps.

Millsaps took the holeshot in a chaotic start to the main event that saw several riders go down at the opening corner. Millsaps’ lead was shortlived, as the Rockstar Suzuki rider went too far wide on a turn, allowing Yoshimura Suzuki‘s James Stewart to take the lead. Millsaps managed to stay ahead of Villopoto with Red Bull KTM‘s Ryan Dungey also in the mix. Continue Reading »

The first-ever green flag for MotoGP at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, TX drops on April 19-21, and Honda fans can play an important role in this history-making event.

With exclusive VIP packages, Honda is offering a memory-making experience that gives fans full-frontal access with select company — a crowd of pure Honda enthusiasts. Sign up, and together everyone can cheer Repsol Honda Team stars Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez on to victory aboard the RC213V. Continue Reading »

Honda will display a number of new motorcycles at the upcoming Osaka Motorcycle Show and Tokyo Motorcycle Show in addition to a new 400cc version of its 500-series models. Honda describes the new motorcycles as exhibition models or models planned for production.

The new models include the previously announced-for-North America CTX700 and CTX700N, and the Thailand-bound CRF250M motard (pictured above). The CTX700N and the cowled CTX700 will launch first in the U.S. The CRF250M has not been confirmed for the U.S. however, though it wouldn’t be a surprise if Honda did introduce this motard version of the CRF250L.

Other announced models are less likely to arrive in the U.S. Read more about them after the jump. Continue Reading »

Honda confirmed it will produce a 399cc version of its new 500-series motorcycles for the Japanese market. The Honda CBR400R, CB400F and 400X will be offered in Japan instead of their respective 500 versions, as they are a better fit to the country’s tiered licensing system than the CBR500R, CB500F and CB500X.

The new 400 models should come as no surprise after Honda announced in February it would produce a smaller version of the 471cc engine used in the 500 series. Like the larger engine, the new powerplant is a liquid-cooled DOHC parallel Twin engine. The smaller engine has the same 67mm bore as the 500 engine, but at 56.6mm, it has a smaller stroke than the 500 engine’s 66.8mm. Continue Reading »

Ryan Villopoto won his fifth main event race of the year at Daytona to take over the lead in the 2013 AMA Supercross championship standings.

The win is the third at Daytona in the Monster Energy Kawasaki racer’s career, matching the totals set by Bob Hannah, Mike Kiedrowski, Jeremy McGrath and Chad Reed. Only Ricky Carmichael, who designed the sand-based Daytona track, holds more Supercross wins at Daytona with five victories.

Villopoto took the holeshot in the main event, trailed by Red Bull KTM‘s Ken Roczen, the current 250 West points leader making a rare start in the 450 class. Not far behind Roczen were Team Honda Muscle Milk‘s Justin Barcia and Roczen’s teammate Ryan Dungey. Villopoto looked to expand his early lead but made a mistake rounding one of the track’s many hairpin turns, dropping him down to third. Continue Reading »

Honda is serious about showing off the racing prowess of the CBR500R. Sharing much of the same components as its siblings the CB500X and CB500F, it’s easy for critics to question whether the CBR500R is worthy of the CBR designation. The first thing Honda did to try to dispel those worries is to secure the CBR500R as the spec race bike for the 2013 European Junior Cup, a racing series for youths held at select rounds of the World Superbike Championship.

But Honda also wants to show the CBR500R isn’t just for beginners. That’s why Honda factory rider John McGuinness will ride the new Honda CBR500R in the Lightweight TT class at the 2013 Isle of Man TT. McGuinness is second in all-time Isle of Man TT victories with 19, so his involvement gives the 500R instant credibility. Continue Reading »

Ryan Villopoto captured his series-leading fourth win of the season in a red-flagged main event before a record crowd of 60,178 at St. Louis’ Edwards Jones Dome, as the 2013 AMA Supercross season reaches its midway point.

The race started with MotoConcepts Suzuki rider Mike Alessi taking the holeshot with Muscle Milk Honda‘s Justin Barcia and Yoshimura Suzuki‘s James Stewart on his tail. Last week’s winner Stewart later quickly moved into the lead but the race was soon halted on Lap 3 after JGRMX Yamaha‘s Kyle Chisholm and BTO Sports KTM‘s Matt Goerke collided on a jump.

The race was halted so a medical crew could attend to Chisholm. While the red flag was out however, Villopoto performed a double jump instead of rolling through it as required, forcing officials to penalize him on the restart. After Chisholm was carted off the track, the riders lined up in a staggered formation in the order they were in the previous lap, except for Villopoto who was penalized three positions, dropping him to sixth from third place. Continue Reading »

Are you tired of the Harlem Shake yet? The Internet meme has been around for a couple of weeks now with what seems like everyone and their third cousin producing their own take on the theme.

For those lucky few who have no idea what the Harlem Shake is, it’s a new fad based around a track by the same name produced by Brooklyn DJ Baauer. The concept is simple. The videos usually begin with a room full of people, with one of them (usually masked) dancing to the Harlem Shake song. Everyone else goes about their business ignoring the lone dancer. After about 15 seconds however, the music changes and then everyone in the video is now dancing – perhaps “flailing” would be a better term for it – usually dressed in different costumes or holding various props.

It’s a simple concept and fun at first, but it’s already getting to the point of annoyance. There’s already the makings of a backlash against the Harlem Shake, perhaps enough to make a meme of its own. Yes, it’s silly and somewhat stupid, but there’s no denying the viral appeal. The song itself makes its debut this week on the Billboard Hot 100 holding the very top spot, just the 21st time since 1958 that a song has debuted number 1 on the weekly chart.

To mark the occasion, we’ve compiled a list of the five best motorcycle-themed Harlem Shake videos. To be honest, most of the Harlem Shake videos out there are horrible, but then again, that’s probably part of the fun. These five videos were a bit more interesting. Enjoy. Continue Reading »

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) has released an updated list of motorcycles homologated for the 2013 Superbike, Supersport, and Superstock racing season. Notable additions include the new BMW S1000RR HP4, the MV Agusta F3 and the Superbike-spec Ducati 1199 Panigale R.

To qualify a production-based racebike for FIM homologations, manufacturers have to meet certain production thresholds. Manufacturers must first produce 125 units ahead of a homologation inspection. After that, manufacturers have to produce a minimum of 500 units by June 30 and 1000 units by December 31 of the current year, and a minimum of 2000 units by the December 31 of the following year.

Production counts include both ABS and non-ABS versions of the same model, and at least 250 units of each version have to be produced. Production models must also be available for sale in either the U.S., Europe or Japan by the end of April of the current year to qualify. Continue Reading »