Superbike Illustrated only had two issues before it ceased to exist. Oct. 1985 and this one – January 1986. Inside are many beautiful, large, detailed photographs of each featured motorcycle including:

1915 Pope – Preceding WWI, Pope motorcycles were some of the more innovative

A History of the Triumph Motorcycle Company – For decades, Triumph was the symbol of English motorcycling in America

New Wave – Exotics are built around the world, many based on production bikes

1985 Yamaha VMX12N – The current ultimate performance cruiser is the V-Max

1967 Bridgestone GTO – Besides tires, Bridgestone once manufactured performance bikes

Spanning a decade with the 1974 and 1984 Laverdas – Laverda has consistently delivered bikes that love high speed

Vincent Black Shadow – One of the world’s legendary motorcycles deserves its praise

Bicycles: Hutch Pro Star – For BMX riders, this super bike calls for a star

1986 January Superbike Illustrated Motorcycle Magazine – Rare available at www.DadsVintageAds.com in the “ Motorcycle Gifts & Collectibles” category

Search our Magazine Back Issue Index for old Motorcycle Magazine Back Issues for sale.

To search our full inventory of Vintage Motorcycle Advertisements, Articles, and Road Tests CLICK HERE.

Multistrada 1200 – Whats it all about? http://newsonfire.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/multistrada-1200/

Kawasaki Ninja 600

With a 6 speed transmission, and parallel twin-engine, what more could you want from a superbike?  In my opinion, this has everything you could ever possibly want from a superbike.

Now I’ve had one of these, admittedly, a few years ago now, but one thing I do remember, was getting motorbike insurance for myself at 26.

I guess I can see the reason why, especially in hindsight, having a powerful motorbike at that age is not something I would recommend, well, not unless you’ve been riding for a few years anyway.

I was a novice compared to many other bikers, as this was my second bike, I went from a Kawasaki AR80, straight up to Kawazaki Ninja 500, and have to admit, it scared the **** out of me.  I remember pulling away from the lights, and almost doing a backwards somersault as the front wheel would fly up to the sky.  Now if that’s not a reason to have a high motorbike insurance applied to me, then I don’t know what is.

After less than 9 months, I ended up putting it in the garage on straps, and their it stayed for over a year, although the remainder of my bike insurance was refunded,  so it’s not all bad.

O Autódromo Internacional do Algarve consagrou hoje os Campeões do Mundo de Superbike e Supersport na última ronda da temporada. Na categoria principal, o estreante Ben Spies (Yamaha) bateu o seu mais directo adversário, Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) e leva para os Estados Unidos o título de Campeão. Nas Supersport, Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) conseguiu sagrar-se campeão, na vitória da Parkalgar Honda e Eugene Laverty. Miguel Praia o único piloto português na categoria ambicionava um lugar no pódio, mas um mau arranque condicionou a sua prestação e foi obrigado a terminar no top 10.

As duas corridas de Superbike foram extremamente disputadas. Na primeira, Ben Spies largou da pole position e não deu tréguas aos seus adversários, conseguindo o triunfo. Noriyuki Haga lutava desesperadamente para chegar a um lugar no pódio, mas quando era o 5º classificado cometeu um erro e sofreu uma queda, que forçou o japonês a abandonar. No segundo lugar ficou Jonathan Rea (Honda) e a fechar o pódio, Max Biaggi (Aprilia). Na segunda manga, Ben Spies também partiu da pole position, mas a vantagem nas contas do Campeonato permitiu-lhe fazer uma gestão do seu andamento sem correr riscos, terminando (apenas) no quinto posto. O vencedor foi Michel Fabrizio, em Ducati, enquanto que Noriyuki Haga foi o 2º, resultado que, apesar de bom, foi insuficiente para bater Ben Spies. Em terceiro e a conseguir o segundo pódio do dia ficou Jonathan Rea.

Ben Sipes, que este ano se estreou na categoria, não escondeu a satisfação pelo título mundial: “Este foi um ano em que tudo foi novidade para mim mas ao mesmo tempo foi um ano repleto de coisas boas. Não poderia estar mais feliz com o desfecho do fim-de-semana. Em relação às corridas pouco há a dizer. Na primeira cumpri o objectivo de vencer e com a queda do Haga fiquei mais tranquilo para a segunda. Não havia necessidade de correr riscos. Tenho que agradecer à Yamaha que esteve sempre por trás a apoiar-me em tudo. Foi um ano brilhante para todos nós”. De referir que Ben Spies sucede a Troy Bayliss como campeão das Superbikes.

Nas Supersport, Cal Crutchlow chegou a Portimão com 19 pontos de vantagem para Eugene Laverty, o que permitia ao britânico gerir a vantagem. Foi exactamente isso que Cal Crutchlow fez, e ganhou o campeonato na festa da Parkalgar Honda, que conseguiu a sua primeira vitória em casa: Cal Crutchlow afirmou que “Foi uma época difícil mas a equipa fez um excelente trabalho. Não me agradou ter terminado em quarto a corrida mas esse resultado bastava”.

Eugene Laverty, da equipa portuguesa Parkalgar Honda não conseguiu o título, mas venceu a corrida em “casa” da sua equipa. Eugene Laverty referiu que “Fiz o que me competia que era vencer. Penso que toda a equipa está de Parabéns por mais esta vitória que tem um sabor especial por ter sido conquistada em casa”.

Miguel Praia, único piloto português neste Campeonato, estava algo desiludido: “Não era o resultado que esperava mas estou satisfeito por ter terminado mais uma vez no top 10″.

Terminou assim a temporada de 2009 do Campeonato do Mundo de Superbikes, que regressa em Janeiro com os testes oficiais para 2010.

fonte: http://autosport.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=stories&op=view&fokey=as.stories/78200

As the new  Yamaha VMAX 2009 hits the Indian shores, we travel 24 years back in time to the genesis of the legend….

A quarter of a century ago, when cubic capacity ruled – Yamaha captured the true spirit of the time and revealed what over 23 years later has become perhaps the most legendry bike ever built, the V-Max. A class of its own, a class of muscle bound image and brutal acceleration.

In 1983, Akira Araki was appointed as the project leader for developing a die-hard muscle bike . He and two of his team members spent almost a month in USA to understand the culture and the market for such an outrageous concept. Soon, a team consisting of Akira Araki (Project Leader), Yasushi Ashihara (Engine Designer), Makoto Kurachi (Chassis Designer), Kentaro Yamamoto (Styling Designer) and an American freelance artist, John Reed sat down to get the first sketches of this concept in place. Nobody including the designers who saw their final product could have imagined that Yamaha V-max would last over two decades, but the fact is it has.

The mad acceleration rush and the deep growl of the V4 motor together offered crazy levels of thrill and excitement to the adrenaline junkies of the world. The V-max was fast and violent. The bike had Hooliganism stamped on it from front to rear. With its massive 1,198cc V4, 4-stroke, 4-valve DOHC engine kicking out 140PS, this radically-styled muscle bike became an instant legend which established itself as the definitive cult-bike. With around 100,000 units sold during its production run that spanned three decades, the original VMAX made history by being included in the Guggenheim Museum’s ‘Art of the Motorcycle’.

The first generation V-Max unveiled in 1985 remained largely unchanged for next twenty years albeit with minor upgrades like better brakes and improved suspension components to aid its infamous handling characteristics. The second generation model, known as Yamaha VMAX, was showcased in June, 2008 with an all-new 1,679cc V4 engine and lightweight diamond shaped aluminium chassis. The new 2009 VMAX successfully carried forward the design philosophy of its predecessor but with a more mental powerplant and equally competent cycle parts to give the new bike respectable handling and dynamic ability.

From the hand-polished aluminium air intakes to the four black mufflers, the VMAX shouts power and adrenaline. The beast’s acceleration sensation intensified to the max thanks to Yamaha’s cutting-edge developed electronics technologies YCC-I (Yamaha Chipped Controlled Intake) and YCC-T (Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle).

There has never been anything to beat it since 1985…until now…by Yamaha V-max 2009. The rebirth of a legend , a mega-muscle bike with drag-strip acceleration for the biggest adrenaline kick on the street.

Launch of Yamaha V-Max

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Yamaha Motor India launches the Limited Edition of their naked bikes FZ-S, FZ-16 and Fazer as FZ-S limited Edition, FZ-16 Limited Edition and Fazer limited Edition.

Commenting on the occasion Mr. Yukimine Tsuji, CEO, Yamaha India Motor Pvt ltd.,  said,  today, Yamaha is offering innovative designs, sporty looks and premium features across models as part of its strategy to give consumers a new thrill in biking. The limited edition of high demand model Fazer & FZ series is in line with this strategy. Also with the festive season round the corner, we expect limited editions to be an instant hit amongst biking enthusiasts”.

Talking about Yamaha’s association with John Abraham as its brand ambassador Mr. Tsuji added, “John is a passionate biker himself and fits the brand Yamaha. We are upbeat about John’s association with Yamaha and confident that it will catapult the concept of biking in India to a new level.”

The main visible change of the new Limited Edition bike is new white shade in combination of black with all new silver finish alloy wheels. These  Available in special paint scheme with white alloys and a dash of blue, only 3000 models of these special editions bikes will be produced. The Special edition FZ-16 is priced at Rs. 66,500, while the FZ-S and the Fazer special edition models are priced Rs. 68,500 and Rs. 73,500, respectively. (Ex-showroom, New Delhi).

official site  FZ-S  White Version

official site FZ-16  White Version

official site FAZER  White Version

Fazer Limited Edition

FZ-S Limited Edition

FZ-16 Limited Edition

SOURCE :- Yamaha

In the whirl of wheels streaming by- spectators, cheers and late summer blue skies…The Race is on

Historic downtown Basking Ridge, NJ was once again the setting for the 18th annual Olde Mill Inn – Tour of Basking Ridge. The Labor Day race is always an eventful contest near the end of the road cycling season. The  event features 8 separate races accommodating all abilities- from pros to amateurs. Presenting Sponsor, Liberty Cycle puts on a great community event each year.

The 1.12 mile sweeping course features six turns around the bucolic borough. The Start/Finish line located on South Finley Ave and Lewis St., which is the front stretch of the short circuit- that rises and falls into turn 1-  a fast left onto on Henry St that leads to Turn 2- a quick left onto Rankin.

Turn 3 is a sweeping right/left combo onto Dyckman then a slight rise towards the left hander onto Colonial. The final corner, turn 6 is another left onto S Finley to the Finish line.

The final sprint race of the day was the  category 5 event. The competition was a short 5 laps that saw 36 riders line up for the start. Atop my Hutchinson-shod, Pro-Lite carbon frame, I lined up at the start line on the left, about midpack so I would have an inside line into T-1. Local guy Doug Ernst, Joseph Meyer-Fuchs of Oakland and Nick David from Hoboken were among the top favorites and all quickly went to the front at the drop of the starters flag.

Not being a true “racer” (this was the my first race of the season, and really had no training in my legs to speak of- read: I am slow) I planned my strategy around the design of the tight course. I knew that attacking the corners was the only chance I had of a top 20 finish.

As the pack tore off into T-1 I was mired somewhere in between the chaos of lap 1. Immediately I powered through 1, and 2 the left handers, closing up on the guys in front of me. As we headed onto the back part of the course I would lose a bit of ground. But dive bombing the turns would bring me onto the wheels just ahead of me.

I have found that some riders are a bit hesitant and stiff when cornering. I have found that I can exploit that weakness by not slowing and going as fast as I can through the turns- whenever possible. Eight seasons of motorcycle roadracing has its advantages.

The gap to the front grew as I watched the leaders quickly pull away. I settled into a sort of frantic rhythm dicing it out with 4 other riders- who kept the pace at about a 23 – 24 mph average. (good thing this race was only 5 laps!)

Doug, Nick and Joe were picking off riders at the front and waiting for their opportunity to take command. Yours truly was hanging on for dear life in 26th spot with 2 laps to go. The four guys in front of me would gap me on the straights and I would suck right back up in turn 1- a fast sweeping left, which I took at full speed, about 28+ mph.

More riders fell off the lead as Nick and Joe were moving up to the top spots. Lap 4- out of T-2 our pack of 5 pass two guys who seemed like they were standing still. So far I’m thinking- “This is cool, I haven’t been lapped and I actually passed a couple of riders” But I’m sucking wind hard, and my legs are burning with lactic acid.  This was it, the crux of race, gotta hold on one more lap….

Past the start/finish we begin the “bell lap” the final circuit…

The imperfect and often awkward synergy of Man and Machine…merge for a fleeting chance of perceived glory…fore now the battle is between heart and mind

I can hear the crowd but its muffled. My vision is tunneled as I flick the bars and lean the bike in for the hard left. The gap of nearly 50 feet quickly disappears as I close up. I’m sitting last in our group of 5, trying to draft and save any energy I may have left. I’m watching to see if anyone is going to try and jump- as we bend into the right/left combo T-3 & 4- so far nothing.

I wait for turn 5. I swing slight right of the pack and square off the corner. Arc it wide and keep pedaling through the corner, as this gives me the momentum I was looking for. I swoop up on the four riders in front of me and jump out of the saddle to add some power to the pedals- I move right and pass all four.

Meanwhile Joe and Nick had control of the last lap, sprinting towards the finish, as Nick popped up and made his move for the lead and the win. Across the line it was Joe who took the victory followed by Nick and Doug garnering the last podium spot in third.

As I set up for T-6 I glance back to see what- if any gap I might have. I tuck my chin into my left shoulder and see a substantial space between us. As I crest the rise on S Finley I spot another rider just ahead of me. I’m in the drops and keep my head down- but eyes up. I can see he is as tired as me-

Shoulders rocking, cadence faultering…”I have to get this guy, I have to.” I put every last ounce of breath and energy into the my weakening legs and watch the distance between us shrink. The finish line is in sight as I’m closing in on his rear wheel…once again, I swing right and pass the lonely rider- with a familiar grimace on his face.

I fly pass the finish, totally spent. Sitting up I try to catch an elusive breath and give a thumbs up to the guys around me- I make a feeble attempt to say “good race” but not much comes out as I am somewhat oxygen deprived. The guys at the front are not even breathing hard, while me and some of my similar competitors are shagged.

My post race thoughts were a combination of satisfaction and disappointment- after finishing 19th of 36 riders. Sure that was a good result for my first race of 2009, but as a ‘competitior’ I wanted better. But what my mind wanted and what my body gave were just not equal- Yet still the moment was good, the day fulfilled.

And in the end, on dreams we will depend…

Machine Specs

Frame/Fork: Pro-Lite Carbon  | 53cm

Drivetrain: Ultegra 10 | 53/39 | 12/27

Wheels: Neuvation | M28 Aero 3

Tyres: Huchinson Equinox (slick rear) | Quartz (intermediate front)

A question on a recent forum debate got me thinking on a certain subject close to my heart. Why are people so interested in old sports bikes?

The question was framed around a love of performance bikes and why people who profess such a love will go to great lengths to acquire, restore and ride old performance machines. And in many cases, this is not ride around on sunny days, this is to a level of track readiness to be used in anger as their designers intended. The interlocutor was asking why did such people who professed a love of performance not drop outdated machinery as soon as the latest and greatest emerged, eclipsing anything already in the public domain?

The answer, I suppose, is a subjective one and could be different for many people, but to me, outright performance and a performance bike are not necessarily the same thing. However, the character that a machine is endowed with as a result of it being that manufacturer’s efforts at that time to produce the best performing bike in category is what makes it a performance bike, not the cold statistics of what it could do, especially when compared with later generations. It is this resultant character, often hard to define and, again, different for different people, that woos many into the rose-tinted view of owning, restoring and riding a performance bike.

Take, for example, one of the most iconic of such machines, the 1988 Honda RC30, or the VFR750R as it was also known. Today a hundred horses combined with under 200Kgs is not the heady mix it was back then – it is easily outgunned. Brakes, suspension and tyres have developed a long way too, however, the essential character of that bike, being the most you could wring from that particular mix of design, manufacture and tweaking, is as compelling today as it was 21 years ago. It is hard, focused, uncompromising and feels fast. The same could be said for an OWO1, ZXR750R-K, GSX-RR, R7, ZX-7RR or even today’s RSV4-R Factory or the S1000R.

That character of the slightly raw and unrefined is what makes us giddy and inspires us to seek out these old machines and lavish upon them more attention, money and aftermarket parts than they might deserve. But what they deliver is the fleeting impression of a thoroughbred machine, race derived, focused and extreme, once3 in a while when you tip into a bend and it remains composed and stable enough to inspire you to power out harder than you had before, urging you on to try harder.

It is this impression, I think, more than any performance stat, that makes a performance bike and consequently makes us want performance bikes, however old. It applies as much to a Brough Superior as it does to an RVF750, or a ZX-10R. Or my 1991 ZXR750J.

The FZ-16 racing kit consists of two sub kits.
1) Muffler Kit
2) Body Kit

The ex- showroom price of Muffler Kit is Rs. 16,000 /- . This kit includes
a) Racing Exhaust System
b) Exhaust Pipe
c) Bracket Kit Exhaust

The ex-showroom price of Body kit is Rs. 20,000/- . This kit includes
a) Brake Caliper Bracket
b) Brake Disc
c) Brake Hose Front
d) Front Brake Master Cylinder

Fz-16 Daytona kit

The R-15 racing kit consists of three sub kits.
1) Muffler Kit
2) Body Kit
3) Engine Kit

The ex- showroom price of Muffler Kit is Rs. 16,000 /- . This kit includes
a) Racing Exhaust System
b) Exhaust Pipe
c) Bracket Kit Exhaust

The ex- showroom price of Engine Kit is Rs. 31,000 /- . This kit includes
a) ECU
b) Cam Shift
c) Muffler Kit

The ex-showroom price of Body kit is Rs. 20,000/- . This kit includes
a) Brake Caliper Bracket
b) Brake Disc
c) Brake Hose Front
d) Brake Hose Rear
e) Front Brake Master Cylinder
f) Step Plate

R-15 kit

Source:- Kit Price

Official Site :- Yamaha Daytona Kit

In two days the Indian “Alphonso” mangoes will hit the U.S. supermarket shelves for the first time in 18 years!

I’m reminded of that Jimmy Buffett song “Last Mango in…”

I went down to Captain Tony’s to get out of the heat

When I hear a voice call out to me, “Son, come have a seat”

The “seat” in this case is attached to a Harley-Davidson.  In exchange for importing mangoes, H-D will be allowed to launch its 883 Sportster and Fatboy in the “land of a billion people” (a.k.a. India) on August 27th as long they comply with Euro-III emission norms. In a country that snaps up more than 6 million new motorcycles a year, H-D is a bit late to the party, but they have to be optimistic given the successes of Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda and Ducati “superbikes” (anything over 800cc are referred to superbike in India).  The bikes will be shipped to India and available as a CBUs (Completely Built Units).  Previously the Indian government had not specified emission standards for motorcycles over 500cc which effectively prohibited the import of H-D motorcycles who could not meet the standards set for scooters.

Speaking of standards…  I’m talking about a country that after more than six decades of independence, over 55% of the population (~660Million) defecate in the open! Given these statistics it’s no surprise the government was slow to specify emission standards on 500cc motorcycles when they clearly are busy with sanitation issues.

New Deli Traffic

Until this week Royal Enfield (owned by Eicher Group) was the only motorcycle maker to offer cruisers in India.  Consistently large orders from the Indian government led to establishing a factory back in 1955 in the town of Chennai, India.  Even after production stopped in England they continued in Chennai.  Here is a 5 min video of them building a motorcycle.  There seems to be a fondness of following the old British tradition and use of a mallet to assist in the precision parts fitting!

Anyone who has visited India knows that the large cities of New Deli, Bangalore, Hyderabad, or Mumbai have traffic that defies amazing.  It’s extremely densely packed roads with stop-n-go vehicles and engines idling most all of the time.  Then there are the rickshaws (phat-phatis), bicycles, jay-walkers, street-car peddlers, cows, donkey carts and at any given time each traffic lane supporting triple the number of vehicles that it should so, what you end up with is pure chaos.  Even with astronomically high traffic-death rates, scooters and motorcycles are the more practical method of getting around on these packed roads.

Matt Levatich, President and COO of Harley-Davison reportedly will be on hand at the launch and annual Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) to welcome back H-D to India for the first time since World War II.  At that time thousands of motorcycles were shipped to the eastern Assam state of India with the intention of transporting men and deliver mail.

India is a prime target given the sheer market size and I want to wish them success as they work to diversify their revenue base.

Photo courtesy of H-D India and Flickr.

All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog

Got this on my mobile @ 6.52-m, 12th Aug “Alhamdulillah. cbr1krr 08 dah ada kat umah, baru smpai.”

Short and sweet.

Nizam's New Ride... exactly like this one!

Update:  09/09/09

Nizam’s ride is now fitted with Two Brothers can…. here’s pictures of his sweet new ride

its black.. its white... !!!

...hmmm... need to get rid of the tail!!!

The weekly and fortnightly winners for the Yamaha Photo-contest are out. Well looking at the photo graphs there is none that looks like it doesnt deserved to be picked. They are truly innovative and creative.

Check out below the winners, the selected photos.

Fortnightly Winners

1) Best Background and Yamaha :- Sony Ericsson F305 Motion Sensor as prize

By Subramanyam :-

enjoying d ride

2) Me & my Yamaha :- IPod Nano as prize

By Sandesh:-

togather the unbeatable

3) Yamaha at world heritage :- Sony cybershot as prize

By Pramod:-

Yamaha and the great charminar

For checking out the Ist weekly  winners click  here

For checking out the IInd weekly winners click  here

For participating in Photo-Contest please click here

LATEST ADDITION

Check out the third week winners here

Check out the fourth week winners here