Honda’s Zoomer scooter is the choice of champions in the MotoGP paddock. With its no-frills look and ultra-reliability it’s the only way to get around.

All around the MotoGP paddock you will see the super-cool Zoomer - its bare and minimal looks may seem basic, but the machine is far from it, fitting in well with the hi-tech world of MotoGP. At its heart is an environmentally-friendly fuel-injected, liquid-cooled 50cc four-stroke motor which pumps out around 4bhp. Drum brakes front and rear haul the lightweight 84-kilo machine smartly, while the chunky balloon tyres give sure-footed handling.

Repsol Honda’s Nicky Hayden uses his 50cc Zoomer to get around the busy paddock in the 18-round World Championship. His machine is fully personalised and comes in a cool, military camouflage green, resplendent with Nicky Hayden stickers and Repsol Honda logos. With so many demands on his time, Nicky needs a scoot that will always be ready to go and the Zoomer fulfils that need. He said: You can just get on it and go, it never lets me down. I also think it looks kinda cool - especially mine. It’s just perfect for the paddock.

Konica Minolta Honda’s Shinya Nakano also uses a Zoomer. The 1998 All Japan 250cc champ and 2000, 250cc World Championship runner-up thinks there’s nothing better for getting around on. The 29-year-old Japanese star says: My Zoomer is fantastic! It’s perfect for going from A to B around the paddock and it looks so good. At the end of the year I’m signing my Zoomer and giving it away in a competition but I will be very sad to let it go!

The Zoomer isn’t just for the race paddock. Motorcycle journalist Bertie Simmonds bought one and commented: I love the stripped-down looks of the thing and the fact that there’s so many accessories you can really personalise the scooter. I use it for running around the village where I live. It’s perfect for that and also fuss-free and 100% reliable. You can’t beat it.

For more information on the Honda Zoomer go to honda.co.uk/motorcycles/ and click on scooters and then the Zoomer. The Honda Zoomer costs just £2007 on-the-road. To find your local Honda dealer, simply click on the link above and then click on the dealer search icon.

This article was taken from: easier motoring

The ISILON MSS Discovery Kawasaki team and Michael Rutter will be at the legendary Goodwood Festival of Speed event this weekend with one of the team’s Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R machines. Michael is currently convalescing after it was discovered that he had broken his left scaphoid in his wrist. An MRI scan on Tuesday revealed that he’s also suffered a break to his hamate bone in his hand. It is hoped that he will return in time for the Oulton Park round next month.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed has been a major event in the motorsports calendar for more than a decade. It is a hill-climb event that marries the current Earl of March’s love of motorsports on two and four wheels with a passion for the history of racing cars and motorcycles. It’s all set in the glorious grounds of Goodwood, near Chichester in West Sussex.

Michael Rutter, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R

I know I’m not fit to race at Knockhill which is obviously very disappointing news, but I’m sure that being at the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the whole weekend should cheer me up! From Friday through to the Sunday I’ll be there and I’m looking forward to being part of this legendary event. It will be nice to watch the hill-climb event and let fans of two and four-wheeled motorsport get up close and personal to my 200bhp ISILON MSS Discovery Kawasaki. It should be a good weekend.

Nick Morgan, Team Owner

It’s a shame for Michael not to be able to race at Knockhill, but this is the right decision to make. At the moment we’re something like 99.9% sure that we will be giving Stuart another run-out on the big bike at his home circuit, as he impressed me all weekend at Mondello Park. As for this weekend, it’s wonderful to be a part of such an established event on the motorsports calendar. The Festival of Speed marries all that’s best in the World of two and four-wheeled motorsport and we’re proud to be a part of that this year.

This article was taken from: londonbikers.com

Standing barely 5 feet tall in her polished leather boots, Gold Wing rider Nancy Epley smiles, proudly showing off her gleaming white motorcycle.

“It’s freedom,” she said.

For 37 years Epley, of Marion, northwest of Columbus, dutifully climbed on the back of her husband, Ken’s, motorcycle and the couple hit the highway. They both loved the open road and relished their time together. Life was good, but taking a “back seat” was getting a bit old for Nancy.

“I got tired of looking at the back of his head,” she said with a laugh. “I wanted to be in control.”

Five years ago Nancy Epley, 55, got her own Honda Gold Wing.

“I named it ‘Powder,’” she said proudly. “My mom calls it my little white car.”

Epley was among hundreds of Gold Wing riders who, under fair skies and brilliant sun, cruised into Marietta Friday and settled into the Washington County Fairgrounds for the weekend. Many of the visitors spent the weekend camping there. Others found a place in local hotels and motels.

Ohio Gold Wing Road Rider Buckeye Rally 2007 is a state-riders sanctioned event. Events began Thursday with pre-registration, euchre and bingo for campers and ended with closing ceremonies Sunday at the Junior Fair Building.

Epley, with Gold Wing Road Riders Chapter W of Marion, predicted that up to 3,000 riders would be in town at some point over the weekend. There were riding proficiency contests, fun events on the bikes, safety demonstrations and various vendors.

It’s a big rally.

“You know you are with your best friends,” she said of the event. “All the Gold Wingers are my family.”

On Saturday, Epley was having a special “wing” painted on her trike in honor of her best friend, Gaye Rasey, also of Marion, who is battling cancer and missed the rally.

“I want her to always be with me,” Epley said.

When she first tested for her motorcycle license, this rider said she was scared. Since then, she is mellow on the road.

“I’ve made so many wonderful memories,” she said. “I love it.”

Nancy Epley is the advocate for motorcycle awareness in her chapter and her husband, Ken, is the chapter safety educator.

“You have to be defensive when you ride,” she said. “Car drivers need to be aware, but often, they are not.”

Ken Epley, 60, is a proponent of safety training for riders.

“The biggest mistake a new rider can make is not taking a new rider safety course,” he said. “Believe it or not, many new ones don’t take the course.”

And what does he think about his wife cruising around on her own Gold Wing?

“I’m proud of her,” Epley said. “But she’ll ride with me every once in awhile. A few years ago she rode on back on a trip we took south.”

Nancy Epley said that experience wasn’t without a bit of grumbling on her part. She missed her bike.

“I whined the whole time,” she said.

For this eager biker, there are still times for “girl” things.

“I like to sew, garden, and golf,” she said.

Linda Wise, 55, of Dayton, has been riding a motorcycle since 1973.

She rides to work, rides to shop, rides with friends, and rides for recreation and fun.

Her bike is part of her life.

“I love to ride,” Wise said.

She is one of an elite group of female riders, including Nancy Epley and others, who brought their own Gold Wing bikes to this weekend’s rally in Marietta.

“You meet cool people,” Wise said. “I love to ride. It gets you away. It’s a great weekend escape.”

Wise and her husband, David, spend much of the summer months at Gold Wing rally events throughout the state. In real life she is a machinist.

“It’s the fourth time we’ve had a rally in Marietta and I’ve been to every one,” Wise said. “I like to walk through the shops on Front Street. … This is my fourth rally here and it’s always fun.”

Wise’s bike is a two-wheel, traditional Honda Gold Wing SE 1998 motorcycle. It has 107,000 miles on it and it looks like brand new. In fact, all the Gold Wings look brand new.

There is a deep pride in keeping the bikes shining, Wise said.

About women riders, Wise doesn’t see what all the fuss is about.

“People don’t realize that there are a lot of us women who ride the two-wheelers,” she said. “Not just Gold Wings, but all types of motorcycles.”

This article was taken from: MariettaTimes.com

The London Motorcycle Museum have on display some of the finest examples of British motorcycles, to include prototypes and rarities, such as a 1902 Ormonde and a 1903 Cycle (with unique SIMS Magneto). There are racers and road bikes from ABC to Zenith to whet your appetite, not to mention the last Triumph T140 to pass through the gates of the Meriden Factory in 1983, through to ‘media stars’ that you will not see anywhere else!

One of the latest acquisitions is a 1985 Austell 1000cc superbike, designed and built by Chris Castell & Paul Woodley. Weighing in at 680 pounds, It has an automatic gearbox, and was hand-built to order…not in 2007, but 22 years ago! The machine is an outstanding example of the sort of special that British engineers and enthusiasts have put their hearts and minds into since powered two-wheelers hit the streets over a hundred years ago.

Officially opened in 1999, following lengthy negotiations and false starts, Ealing Borough Council eventually granted a ten year lease at Ravenor Farm. The museum has gone from strength to strength, and now houses in the region of 80 machines and other exhibits, with a further 50/60 machines in reserve, waiting to be displayed in the new barn extension. Work on the new barn is progressing well, with part of the wide frontage blocked in, awaiting the daunting task of hanging a pair of heavy 8ft wooden doors, sourced from a Nunnery in Ealing.

The first two fund-raising autograph boards are now full and three more have been ordered, so if you would like your name screwed to the barn wall, visit the museum and hand over a fiver - a small price to pay for our heritage and your motorcycling fame! You can also give that as a gift by either calling in and signing for the recipient or if it’s a birthday present, you can send £6 and they will write the name and date for you and send a photograph. All funds raised this way are used on the barn project.

It is anticipated that the new extension, complete with air-conditioning, will be finished and filled with enticing new exhibits by 2nd September. The Museum has recently been given Charitable Trust status (Charity No. 1118119), and is currently hunting down grants and donations, so check out the capitals friendly focus on Britain’s biking history and heritage.

This article was taken from: londonbikers.com

Honda Motor Co.’s fully owned Indian two-wheeler making unit will spend Rs100 crore on upgrading its factory and introduce two new products next year, in addition to a previously announced Rs300 crore expansion plan, as it seeks to improve market share.

It has, however, put off plans to build a second plant, announced a few months ago, because it doesn’t anticipate to sell enough from the unit to warrant a new factory.

Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI) will spend the money on expanding production in its factory at Manesar, Haryana to 12 lakh units in 2010 from nine lakh now and plans to introduce a new scooter and a 125-cc motorcycle model next year, said Shinji Aoyama, president and chief executive officer. HMSI, which has an 11% market share of two-wheelers, is also planning to develop a niche 100-cc motorcycle, which it plans to make in the Manesar factory.

Despite a slowdown in motorcycle sales this year due to higher lending rates, companies such as Hero Honda Motors Ltd, the nation’s largest two-wheeler maker, and its nearest rival, Bajaj Auto Ltd, are building new plants and developing products in anticipation of future demand. Motorcycles are the nation’s main mode of transport and two-wheeler sales are predicted to cross 10 million units a year in 2012, from 7.8 million now, according to the National Council for Applied and Economic Research.

The new bike will be made in the current factory. We are going to build flexible (manufacturing) lines,” said Aoyama. This method would help the company produce different categories of bikes, using the same machines.
Honda expects the new bike to target a niche audience such as off-road bikes, but Aoyama wasn’t willing to clarify which exact segment the company was looking at. We may not expect too much volumes from this bike, he said.

Every eight of 10 motorcycles sold in the country are powered by 100-cc engines, a a segment dominated by Hero Honda and Bajaj, that sell the bikes for Rs32,000.

This article was taken from: LiveMint.com

Superbikes are great for those who want to emulate their MotoGP heroes over weekends, just as cruisers are perfect for relaxing rides on Sunday mornings, and adventure bikes suit those who’d rather explore unfamiliar dirt roads than mow the lawn.

Many riders, however, just want to ride their motorcycles every day - sometimes briskly, sometimes sedately.

Kawasaki says its 2007 Z750 is made for those riders; it shares what the factory calls “true street performance” with its bigger brother, the Z1000 but with a different design approach: the Z1000 kicks out serious power but the 750 is more subtle, it says, with crisp, quick-revving power and sharp handling.

The 2007 model’s steering head has been moved 10mm forward to extend the wheelbase for improved stability and handling, while the chassis’ rigidity has been revised, says Kawasaki, to improve feedback.

A new cast-aluminium engine sub-frame allows the front engine mounts to be repositioned closer to the centre of gravity, behind the cylinder head rather than in front, while a combination of rigid and rubber mounts reduces engine vibration, particularly through the handlebars.

The bike has new, upside-down 41mm front forks, with smooth initial action giving way to firmer damping as the forks compress; the nitrogen-charged rear shock absorber also has longer travel than the previous model.

Petal-shaped brake discs improve heat dissipation and reduce unsprung weight; the front pair are 300mm in diameter as on the earlier model but the rear disc has been increased in size from 220 to 250mm.

Kawasaki says feedback from owners of the earlier earlier Z750 showed riders preferred a slightly more upright riding position for better manoeuvrability around town, so the handlebars have been moved slightly closer to the rider.

The frame has been narrowed 40mm below the nose of the saddle, it says, the fuel tank is narrower and the footpeg hangers have been moved slightly inboard to create a slimmer riding position, enabling shorter riders to reach the ground comfortably with both feet.

The 2007 Z750 has new, instrumentation with an analogue rev-counter and a liquid crystal display that includes a digital speedometer, odometer, trip meter, water temperature and fuel gauges and a clock.

The ignition key includes an electronic immobiliser.

Comprehensively retuned

The engine has been comprehensively retuned, according to Kawasaki, for better acceleration and overtaking with re-profiled inlet and exhaust ports, new cam profiles and a new exhaust system.

Smaller throttle bodies (32mm diameter rather than 34) with oval sub-throttles are fitted, it says, for a much more refined response at all throttle openings, while new ignition mapping improves power delivery where it’s most needed - in the mid-range.

The Z750’s transmission has also been revised for 2007 with a revised shift drum and ball bearing-mounted selector shaft which, says Kawasaki, gives a crisper feel and cleaner shifting than that of the previous model.

The Kawasaki Z750 is available in lime green or black with a two-year, unlimited distance warranty, for R69 995.

This article was taken from: Motoring.co.za

The Suzuki WRC Challenge continues to move ahead, and Nino Frison has entered a new chapter of his racing career at Suzuki as he now holds the title of Chief Designer in charge of chassis.

He has tremendous engineering experience stretching more than two decades in Formula One, World Rally Championship, German Touring Car Championship (DTM), and also International Touring Car Championship (ITC). His knowledge and expertise will surely give the engineering department a go.

What is your impression of Suzuki?

“Suzuki has their own long and strong history in motorcycles. And to be honest with you, I have known this part of Suzuki motorsport activities more than the rally activity. Nevertheless, my first impression is very positive. We have a lot of facilities ranging from wind tunnel to test track plus the ability of designing, engineering and manufacturing our own engines here in house completely. Additionally, we have the fabrication department and other important facilities within the team, which sounds good for me.”

What impression did you have when you first saw the SX4 WRC?

“Basically, the car looks quite good. It is compact, which should be an advantage for a rally car. In terms of weight properties, it is quite well distributed around in the shape. Also, there are some technical items that are quite positive. It is a bit high and a bit square. Though that does not help very much in aerodynamics, for the rally car aero performance is not everything.”

What is your major role in the team? What is the Chief Designer’s job?

“The Chief Designer should mainly coordinate all the design works carried out around the car. For me, the major field of working is chassis. I am not in charge of the overall design operations. And I will tell you what is the coordination, which is a kind of job to design all the components and parts according to the basic idea and bring them down to the details to realize the idea we have in mind. Today it is very important to work on details in order to ensure good performance of any small component.”

Can you tell us more about the advantages the SX4?

“Talking about the advantages of our car does not necessarily mean anything. Other cars have their own pluses, don’t they? Nevertheless, I would like to draw your attention to the compactness of the Suzuki. As I said before, compactness is beautiful. Also, the SX4 is a well-constructed car, I mean the basic structure is engineered superbly. The suspension is also good, which offers technical leeway within the framework of the WRC technical regulations. I don’t think, however, there would be much performance gain against the competitors because all the teams develop the cars in accordance with identical rules. Another important technical criteria that we have to think seriously is an engine. We will modify the base engine drastically but a successful development of the WRC power unit requires a good foundation especially in terms of basic design and construction.”

What advantages will the SX4 offer?

“As I said before, the first thing I am happy to tell you is its compactness. I believe that the compact car should be a good and honest basis for the WRC development project. Then, it depends on the work we will do day by day as to how to evolve the car into a successful contender. Based upon what we do, we’ll be able to move into different steps of evolutions on the car. Our basic plan is to have two evolutionary versions from now on to January 2008.”

Can you tell us about the disadvantages found so far, if any?

“I do not think there are any particular issues with the SX4. It is quite natural for a car to have its good points and bad points. So the name of the game is just to know how to deal with them.”

How will you gain competitiveness?

“There are many things that we should improve, but as I said, they are all very small items. In the rally program, the manufacturer first determines which car should be the base car. We have to make the car win, which is not always very easy. But I always do my best. Judging from my experience, there is no easy way to achieve the goal. You have to do your best day by day in order to get improved. But I am convinced that you can do it because the SX4 provides us with a good basis.”

How do you evaluate the current situation in the WRC?

“All the professionals working in the most professional way to achieve the best possible result. There is no secret but one: to have a creative mind in whatever you do. Don’t try to copy the others because every time you do so, you just get to do the same at best.”

What do you have to say about working for a Japanese company?

“There are a few points of concern in terms of mental difference, or natural difference in way of thinking. Also, there is a difference in point of view and the experiences are different. In some areas Europeans like me are leading and in other areas Japanese are leading. So it is always possible to find the best solutions.”

Do you have any messages for the rally enthusiasts, especially for Suzuki supporters?

“I would like to say to the fans that they need to be a bit patient because 2007 is just a testing year for Suzuki Sport. The true challenge will begin in 2008. So, they need to be at least one year patient. For sure we are working very hard to make them enjoy watching us. But in any case, it will take a little bit of time, I should say.”

This article was taken from: Yahoo Sport