BMW motorcycle sales press release
BMW has been on a roll recently- lots of new models and their sales show it. 0.04.2012 11:36 Best first quarter of all time for BMW Motorrad. Husqvarna Motorcycles 36.2 percent up compared to last year. During the first three months of 2012, BMW Motorrad had its best 1st quarter to date, recording the company’s highest sales ever achieved at the start of a year. As of March, sales increased to 24,373 motorcycles (23,109 last year), this being... [Read More...]
Painting a CBR600RR Pearl Fire Orange
painted mid panel on original tank I just finished painting all of the panels- except the tank cover- on an 08 CBR600RR Pearl Fire Orange. This is an almost impossible color to match since it is a tri-coat with a base, mid and clear. Since I had no idea where to start, we decided to go ahead and spend the big money on ColorRite’s paint. The results are pretty good. The shade and brightness of the orange is very good, but the size and clarity... [Read More...]
New JD Powers Motorcycle Owner Satisfaction Survey is out…
Among the factors, satisfaction with the sales experience has improved most, increasing to 856 (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2011 from 838 in 2010. Satisfaction with the product and cost of ownership also improves significantly, compared with 2010. The study also finds that motorcycle build quality improves to 122 problems per 100 motorcycles (PP100) from an average of 133 PP100 in 2010. One-half of owners say they have experienced zero problems... [Read More...]
New Agusta 675 Brutale
All I can say is, wow. That is beautiful. I’m currently riding a Triumph 675 Street Triple R and I love it. The comparisons have already begun and the new Brutale isn’t even available yet but it should be a good fight. The Triumph is a great bike but a few years old now. If this new Agusta is everything it looks like it will be, I might have to sell the Triumph… Read the complete press release after the jump. 2010 Street Triple... [Read More...]
Some Pictures from the Barber Vintage Festival
It was a great weekend for vintage and custom motorcycle fanatics… Even the races were fun with big old time names like Schwantz, Springsteen and Ahern all racing. Some of the custom stuff was amazing and NCR Ducati had a bunch of exotic stuff there along with lots of vintage Ducs. Check out the gallery of photos… Schwantz's Norton #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top:... [Read More...]
Barber Vintage Festival starts today!
The yearly Vintage festival at Barber Motorsports Park starts today and runs through Sunday. I go every year and never tire of looking at the thousands of amazing bikes that show up. if you don’t already have plans for the weekend, you can’t go wrong here. If you need parts for an older bike, the swap meet will probably have it. Barber always puts on an excellent event and the weather is going to be outstanding, so don’t miss it! Vintage... [Read More...]
07 SV650 naked… ready for a new home
Well, the SV is done and it looks awesome. Really nice low mile (4600) bike with all the tasteful upgrades- Carbon exhaust, billet mirrors, matte black upper triple clamp and handlebars, paint matched headlight, and the wide wheel conversion that allows you to use a 180 tire. SV’s are still at the top of my all time favorites in the bang for the buck category. 07 SV side 07 SV front Read More →
07 SV650- continued
Here is a quick update on the SV. The headlight is reassembled and mounted. I painted the brackets matte black and used some mini turn signals to finish up. A new brake lever is on the work bench waiting to be installed. SV650 headlight- blue Read More →
SV650 Progress report
SV tank painted The 07 SV650 restoration project is coming along- slowly. But, the painting is done and it is a slightly darker shade with a touch of purple or magenta in it. Here a few pictures- the headlight bucket and rim look awesome when they are painted on an SV. It really gives the bike a custom look without spending much money at all. I have striped a bunch of these SV’s but I chose not to on this bike. I am sort of wishing I had done... [Read More...]
BMW developing Laser Headlights
This press release is from their auto division, but I’m sure you can see the possibilities for motorcycles- Munich. As a globally successful carmaker within the premium segment, the BMW Group attaches the utmost importance to advanced technology in all sectors of automotive manufacturing. Exclusive innovations and technological leaps secure BMW’s lead amongst the competition. In the field of exterior vehicle lights, BMW also leads the way... [Read More...]
2007 Suzuki SV650 paint and restoration
I picked this bike up at the auction a couple of months ago and I’m finally getting around to working on it. Mechanically, it was fine but it needed some cosmetics. I’m taking off the ill-fitting clip-ons and replacing them with the stock risers and some generic superbike bars. One cool addition is the CBR600 rear wheel which allows you to use a 180 rear tire. This doesn’t make much difference for street riding, but it makes a big... [Read More...]
New Moto Guzzi V7 Racer Now Available
Moto Guzzi has announced a very cool new model in a press release today. This genre of motorcycle is quickly gaining market share because the average age of riders continues to increase. But, even some younger riders are into the retro stuff or at least the naked bike/Streetfighter scene. This new Guzzi is a modern day rendition of their old race bikes and it is very well done with great colors and detail. I love the black on red frame… Press... [Read More...]
A Quick Look Inside the Dunlop Proving Grounds
I was over in the Huntsville, Alabama area last week and decided to stop in and see my good friend Danny Roberts who heads up the Dunlop Proving Grounds. We raced together back in the 80′s and have been friends for almost 30 years. This is the facility where they test all of the dirt bike, street bike and race tires for motorcycles. Very cool place for a motorcycle guy (or girl)! I’ll post a few pictures that I took with my phone over... [Read More...]
Yamaha R6 candy red project
This started out as a stock 04 R6 with some slight body work scratches and scrapes. The owner had already gotten the wheels powder coated in the candy red that he wanted the bike painted. So my job was to match the color that was already on the wheels. As you can see, the front and back wheels are not the same shade so I used the front as the guide and worked on the color until I had it nailed. The Yamaha strobe stripe kit is from Tapeworks. I had... [Read More...]
Suzuki SV1000 and SV650 high handlebar prototype- part 5
In this picture you can see the cable and hose routing. The throttle cables need to come up from under the tank and pass through the risers instead of around the front of the triple clamp as they are with the clip ons. Both the brake and clutch hoses need to have the banjo bolt cracked loose (just enough to rotate the hose a little) so you can move the hose to get the correct angles for the new bars. The handlebar switches have enough wire length... [Read More...]