Motobykz.com Magazine	About Motobykz.	Bike Insurance	Used Model Price Guide	New Models and prices	Index

Motobykz.com's

Magazine News and Views for August 2001.

New electric start CG125

Picture©Honda

The doyen of the motorcycle riding schools, the Honda CG125 finally gets an electric start. Honda have also grabbed the 125cc learner market by the spuds by dropping the price of the new electric start Honda CG125 to just £1599 .
Without doubt, this now makes the new CG125, one of the top value 125cc motorcycles in the U.K. market: Compare the RRP of the Honda CG125 at £1599 against the Yamaha SR125 at £1999 and the Suzuki GN125 at £2199.This radical realignment also brings the Honda CG125 head to head with the Taiwan and Chinese 125cc copies.

Picture©Honda

In addition, there are also significant improvements in the specification of the new model. These include a new, smoother, more powerful 11.4PS engine. New graphics and logo and a new colour of black, which will run alongside the existing colours of red and blue.

Honda CBR600 offers from Honda.

Picture©Honda

1/3 off the price of a Ron Haslam race academy premier level course when you buy a CBR600F Sport between now and 31 August 2001, we are offering a third off the price of a premier level course at the Ron Haslam Race Academy.

Ron Haslam knows more about riding bikes and racing than any one else. Not only that, he has the ability to pass this knowledge onto others and improve their riding. He can do for you what he has done for his son, Leon.

Also 0% finance

As well as the promotion above on the Sport model, Honda are also offering you 0% and low rate finance on both the CBR600F and CBR600F Sport if you buy before September 30th 2001.

For information visit http://www.honda-motorcycle.co.uk/ or call Honda at their Contact Centre on 0845 200 8000

 

CB750F2 - end of an era for a motorcycle classic.

Picture©Honda

Honda UK has officially announced that it has stopped importing the CB750F2, bringing to an end over 30 years of biking history.The CB750 was originally launched in 1969 to the astonishment of the motorcycle world. Its in-line, four cylinder, 750cc four-stroke engine produced altogether new levels of power, performance, comfort and handling.

Generally acknowledged to be the worlds first 'superbike', the CB750 went on become one of the Japanese firms best selling machines, winning the hearts of biking enthusiasts the world over with its compelling blend of performance and handling.The modern CB750F2 has evolved directly from the original model, retaining that essence of no-nonsense motorcycling but incorporating the very latest technology to enhance the overall riding experience.
Honda UK's remaining stocks of the CB750F2 have now been delivered to the showrooms of its nationwide dealer network and it is anticipated that the last few versions of this timeless classic will soon be snapped up."It's sad in a way," said Honda UK's motorcycle marketing executive, Graham Hawkins, "because this truly is the end of a very special era for Honda.
In 1969, the CB750 spelled out Honda's modern motorcycling philosophy and spawned such classics as the RC30 and the FireBlade"."The original CB750 invented the word 'superbike'," he continued, "and its current descendent maintains that heritage and legacy. I'm sure the last few won't hang around in dealer showrooms for long."

MV Agusta and Piaggio agree terms.

Piaggio have this week ratified the agreement to increase its share holdings in MV Agusta to 20%.

Following on from the acquisition last month of the Spanish company Derby this will extend Piaggio,s scooter empire to include motorcycle manufactures MV Agusta, Husqvarna, and Cagiva and may lead to Piaggio taking total control at MV Agusta.
Neither company have issued any statement on how this will affect any future models like the proposed Suzuki GSX-R600 engined Gilera 600 .

Bikernews.co.uk links up with Motobykz.com

Bikernews editor Glenn Le Santo is off enjoying the World Superbike championship, (he's a race reporter for a number of magazines and websites), so Bikernews has been a little short of 'biker' news recently.

A deal was struck this week with Mike Howell, editor of Motobykz.com, to gather and post more non-racing news on the site. Glenn will still endeavor to bring you the best from racing, as it happens, while Mike seeks out the trade, model, club and industry news you're all hankering for!

 

Picture © Honda

SILVERWING NOW AVAILABLE

You may have heard about the Honda Silverwing,the new Yamaha T-max rival .
Honda says it incorporates "some of their most advanced technology to offer the power and luxury expected in a touring vehicle, while still being a hassle-free means of getting to work"-(in otherwords it's a scooter!) .
The key feature of this scooter is its capacity as a touring vehicle, with a 600cc,parallel twin-injected engine providing excellent power and acceleration and a 16-litre fuel tank allowing long distance riding on a single tank. Honda say its "Designed to the mantra, Double the Fun, the comfortable, tandem seating means that couples can enjoy the experience of touring together." (Ed- does this mean that you've got to have a bird to buy one?)

The Silverwing is available this month at your local Honda dealer priced at £5,899.

If you must,find out more at http://www.honda-motorcycle.co.uk/

Visit Motobykz Honda page

 

Foggy's monster Monster

Only the greatest legends of motorcycle racing have had the privilege of limited-edition Ducati bikes dedicated to their past achievements: among them Mike Hailwood (MHR and MHe) and Renzo Pasolini (Paso 750/906/907).

Now Ducati have built the S4 Fogarty as a tribute to mark the retirement from active racing of an extraordinary champion who left an indelible and deep impression on the history of motorcycle racing and Ducati. Carl Fogarty, the Brit mad eyed rider whose personality and exciting wins with Ducati Corse in the World Superbike Championships captivated the hearts of scores of enthusiasts worldwide.

Click here for our full story

Yamaha Maxter introduced in UK..

Following the huge success of the R1 and R6 sportsbikes, Yamaha have started to feed the styling of the R series through to other products in its range.

The new four stroke 125 Maxter's headlights look as though they come straight from the R1 parts bin which coupled to the exposed Aluminium subframe and Dual pot brembo front brake, plus the usual scooter equipment (underseat storage, fuel gauge, clock), make for a stylish looking scooter.
The engine is a water cooled single , restricted to 12bhp for the UK learner market ( but there are plenty of GO FASTER goodies available to spice things up a little) .
Largish wheels for a scooter and plenty of ground clearance coupled to a good suspension system means that the Maxter is fine handling and quite chuckable just like its bigger brothers.

UK price is £2599 ( plus OTR) contact Yamaha Motor UK on 01932 358000.

The Plastic Pigs back!!!

Just when you thought it was safe to venture back on the road the news arrives : The Reliant Robins back!!!!

Five months after the last "Plastic Pig" rolled off the production line the Robin is making a comeback.
Les Collier, 59, a businessman based in Acton, Suffolk has bought the rights to the famous 3 wheeler from the original Staffordshire factory and plans to initially produce five cars a week in his Suffolk factory.

Les said "I want to get away from the Del Boy image, the only changes I've made are to the interior and to the paintwork which is now more compatible with a normal production car.".

The new basic model will cost just under £10.000.

The Robin is perhaps best remembered for its appearance in the BBC TV comedy series 'Only Fools and Horses' but it also enjoys a royal cachet:- Princess Anne paid £5,500 in 1999 for a customized Robin van to use on her personal estate.

Early versions had handlebars instead of steering wheels, and many Britons took to the tricycle car because they only needed a motorcycle license to drive one. Motorcycle licenses were once easier to obtain than car licenses but now tougher licensing rules have since eliminated this advantage, and today fewer young people are opting for a Robin. Few youngsters would bother taking the rigorous bike test to ride around in a Plastic Pig! "The owners are literally dying out," said the original company spokesman Noel Palmer.

We at Motobykz.com hope that some live long enough to buy the reborn Robin!!!!

The Plastic Pig does leave behind a wonderful selection of jokes:

Q: What do you call a Robin at the top of a hill?
A: A miracle.

Q: What do you call a Robin with two exhaust pipes?
A: A wheelbarrow.

Q: How do you execute a handbrake turn in a Robin?
A: Stick your arm out the window and grab a lamppost.

Q: What do you call a convertible Robin?
A: A Skip.

The Dark.

In Februarys Rant on Dark visors we said that they could soon be legalised, hopes of this are fading rapidly as the whole idea is tangled in red tape. A British Standards Report ( BSI ) report , predicted to find dark visors save has been delayed.

The British Motorcycle Federation (BMF) has been lobbying hard to keep the issue moving, but it seems to have ground to halt thanks to the Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions (DETR) dragging their feet.
Richard Olliffe of the BMF says: " We are extremely frustrated in regard to the intransigence of the DETR,but we remain optimistic that dark visors will eventually be legalised ."
It's believed that independent optical experts have found that dark visors, which let around 25 per cent of light through, are not dangerous in daylight conditions and that they should be made legal. If the Government agrees then the BSI can alter the BS4110 standard without resorting to the lengthy process of going before parliament.
According to Richard Olliffe of the BMF, dark visors are not an issue in the United States, nor any of the other countries within the EU, even though dark visors are technically not legal in EU members states either.

 

So you thought the Honda Valkyrie was a bit O.T.T, maybe you thought that the new Honda Leadwing 1800 was pushing the limits?

Meet The Boss Hoss Millennium, 8200cc 502bhp and WAY OVER THE TOP STYLE , wanna get your arms wrenched off at 200mph? wanna power to weight ratio better than a formula 1 car, wanna get stared at ,wanna get asked every 5 minutes " WHAT the f*ckinghellsthat!"

Contact us at webmaster@motobykz.com with any ideas or comments

Car drivers will have to pay £5 ($7) a day to bring their cars into congested central London as part of a plan aimed at reducing weekday traffic by 15 percent in the British capital but motorcycles are to be exempt. The fee, announced Tuesday, goes into effect in January 2003. Mayor Ken Livingstone, who has made the toll a priority, said the millions it is expected to bring in annually will be used to improve the city's ailing public transportation system

BMW C1 200

BMW'S unique town scooter with a roof the C1 has gained a bigger 200cc engine to compliment the current 125cc models.
Labeled the C1 200, the new model ia available in the European markets now.
Boasting a 3 bhp (to 18 bhp) increase over the 125cc model this will help to answer the criticism of a low power to weight ratio that has dogged the 125cc model.

BMW at the movies.

BMW North America is involved in a new project to produce 5 films for broadcast over the net. The films are produced by David Fincher of Se7en and Fight Club fame. The first can be seen at www.bmwfilms.com.

Titan cruises to a halt

Titan Motorcycle Co. of America has lost spark and sputtered for the last time. The six-year-old company converted its January bankruptcy filing from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 yesterday.
All company assets will be liquidated.

Honda ramps up production in Brazil

Honda Motor plans to boost motorcycle production at its Brazilian unit Moto Honda da Amazonia Ltda (HDA) to 800,000 in 2003 from about 570,000 in 2000, a Honda spokesman said. The move is a response to rising motorcycle demand in Brazil. HDA plans to increase its output to 700,000 in 2001 and 800,000 in 2003 through improving existing facilities.

Triumph unveiled a new version of their popular Daytona at the London Motorcycle show. The Daytona 955i has been the flagship of the Triumph range ever since the original fuel-injected triple (then called the T595 Daytona) was launched in 1997. The T595 was the first Hinckley-built Triumph designed to compete directly with high performance machines from Japan and Italy. It was a hit both with testers and the market, it has been one of Hinckley's best-selling models ever since.

Motobykz.coms Report

Motorcycle insurance premiums rise by up to 250% in Naples

And we thought we had it bad with bike insurance
Istituto per La Vigilanza sulle Assicurazioni private e di Interesse Collettivo (ISVAP), the Italian insurance industry watchdog, has revealed that in Naples insurance rates for motorcycles range from L203,000 (£65)to L3,734,000 (£1,195), with increases of up to 250.77 per cent. Phew!

Piaggio introduce the new X9-00.

Piaggio have raised the stakes in the super scooter market with the introduction of a 500cc twin scooter to rival Yamaha's TMAX and Honda's Silverwing.

For the rest of Piaggio's Model Range click here

Motorcycle Sales.

The UK motorcycle sales figures for 2000 show a 10% increase on last year.

See our full report

Cat and fiddle p/h.

The famous biking venue The Cat and Fiddle public house in the Peak District has changed hands - and the new owner claims to be even more biker-friendly, The pub is on the A537 Buxton to Macclesfield Rd.

Brands Hatch Superbike Round

Due to a clash in dates with the prestigious Suzuka 8 hour endurance race in Japan the date for the Brands Hatch round of the World Superbike Series has been moved forward from August 5th to July 29th 2001. The Dodington Park round is still on the 29th of May.

Hear'say Zip to the top of the charts

Manufactured pop sensations hear'say celebrated the success of their first number one single by taking delivery of a fleet of Piaggio scooters at the British Airways London Eye.
The five Piaggio Zip 125s are the first of this new model to arrive in the UK and will help to ensure that Britain's busiest band keep up with the pace of life at the top of the charts.

Clean dirt bikes

Denali Industries of Ashland, Oregon, USA is introducing a radical twist to observed trials---------battery power.

The 140 pound machines share the sensibilities and geometry of Spanish and Italian trials bikes-steep steering angle, light weight and very crisp throttle response.

The "TorkAtak" has a runtime of 30 to 60 minutes and can be recharged in 20 minutes. Gone are the noise, smoke and related land-use limitations.

Yamaha Motor , the world's second-largest motorcycle maker, announced it aims to reduce costs by 30 percent by the end of the 2004/05 business year to improve its global competitiveness.
Yamaha Managing Director Takashi Kajikawa said "We will need to lower costs by 30 percent to raise competitiveness," .Yamaha's motorcycle business has seen a steep decline in profitability in the past two years due in part to sluggish demand in Japan and the rest of Asia, as well as the yen's appreciation against the dollar.

White Helmets & CCM

The Royal Signals White Helmets display team have taken delivery of 2 new CCM bikes.Blackburns big singles are just the thing for trick riding it seems!

Harley Davidson's next piece of chrome marketing.

Harley Davidsons name appears on another piece of chrome. This time its a Harley chromed plastic credit card.
When will the marketing opportunities stop for the Milwalkee bunch.
Call 0800 731 2239 and quote ref. OHWF if you want more information

Joey Dunlop commemorative coin.

Joey Dunlop is to be commemorated on a 1 crown coin produced produced by the IoM govt and Pobjoy Mint with some of the proceeds going to charity.
The coin will have Joey on his TT winning Honda SP-1 with the wording "In commemoration of Joey Dunlop MBE OBE 1952-2000" on one side and HRH on the other.
The coin comes in 2 types, cupro nickel at £14.95 or stirling silver at £39.95.

After 5 eventful years Suzuki have dropped the TL1000S from its range.
Troubled by a bad reputation for tankslapping due to big V-twin power and a dodgy rotary rear damper the TL1000s never sold well. ( Which is a shame as its a bloody good bike).
The fantastic V-twin engine will live on to power the likes of the Cagiva's and the WSB contender Bimota SB8R.

Aimed at the people returning to biking or someone with a 33bhp licence restriction the Euro 350 is according to Raja Narayan of Beta UK " A sports cruiser ".
Priced at £4015 think of this midsized single as a Buell that shrunk in the wash!

P45, And finally.

You can no longer be fired in South Carolina just because you ride a motorcycle or wear bikers clothing as the General assembly has amended the 1976 State employment laws.

For all Racing news

visit www.bikernews.co.uk

Http://www.bikernews.co.uk/

Old Stories

Old stories are no longer deleted just moved to a new page, so if its old news you want click the link!