MotorcycleInsurance.com » Motorcycle Stunts

Riding Ten Up On A Custom Harley To Sturgis

Todd Halterman — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:56:19 +0000

Steve ‘Doc’ Hopkins on the smaller version of his Communal Rider Harley

When Steve “Doc” Hopkins takes his bike out for a spin, he can count on moving nine of his best friend with him. How? He takes his custom-made, 10-seat amalgam of Harley Davidson history. The bike is 24-feet-long and features seven different engines, a few of them which date back 100 years into the past.

“It’s like a rolling history of Harley Davidson’s engines — since 1909 to present,” said Hopkins. “In 1909, Harley Davidson came out with the first v-twin. And that’s what this bike reflects, is the first v-twin on up to through brand new twin cam.”

Creating wild Harleys is nothing new to Hopkins, he’s also built a five-seat (in the photo above), four-engine HD he rode in Harley Davidson’s 105th anniversary parade in Milwaukee.

Featuring a total of seven air-cooled Harley-Davidson Big-Twin engines manufactured from 1909 to the present, Doc’s bike seats 10 people and totals a whopping 538 cubic inches running along on two front wheels, two rear wheels and driven by an enormous 40 feet of chain.

I’m guessing that if that chain breaks, it might be hard to find one at the local dealer…

Custom Motorcycle Insurance

Custom motorcycles require the correct insurance coverage package to protect what is, after all, a significant investment on your part .

We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance for your custom bike…

Tips for buying motorcycle insurance for your custom:

Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
Towing / Pickup
Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.
Additional coverage to replace or repair accessories specific to your bike.

The Monday Motorcycle Chain Links – The Best of the Motorcycle Internet

Todd Halterman — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:30:01 +0000

It’s Monday once again, and following a weekend hanging out at the shop here in Michigan, it’s time to get back to the pixilated work. About once a week we take the time to put together a page of our favorite stuff from the Motorcycling Internet. If you dig motorcycles with the mad love I do, you’re sure to like what these dusty motorcycle journalists have on offer.Enjoy…and give them some link-clicky love. Website space don’t come cheap these days, pal…
Brutus Electric Motorcycle Well, as long as we’re on the subject of electrics, here’s a new one from Brutus Electric Motorcycles. This one has a lot less of the enviro-geek look we see too much of and instead appears to be a massaged and somewhat portly Ducati Monster. Read more…	The Kneeslider
Light and Elemental Zaeta One of the most exciting limited production bikes is the Zaeta 530 DT from Italy. So far, it’s been confined to the dirt track—but it will soon be available in road-legal scrambler and café racer configurations. Powered by a DOHC single built by TM, the Zaeta is nimble and fast, weighing around 250lbs… Read more…	Bike EXIF
Verona Motorcycle Show A Monster Hit The Italy Verona’s Motor Bike Expo (January 20-22) is always showcasing a very large contingent of some of the best custom motorcycles in the world. Usually, brand new creations coming from all over Europe and the rest of the world that later you will be able to admire in other US bike shows and print magazines. But this year, in terms of attendance by the public (120,000 visitors during the weekend) and participation of builders (50 builders received awards), the Expo was even bigger… Read more…	Cyril Huze Post
Italian Biker Hero Takes Charge Nice to know, when motorcyclists tend to be stereotyped as trouble-causers by the ‘popular’ press that the tables have been officially turned. Italy’s new hero, said by some to be the savior of Italian National pride, rides a motorbike. Coastguard Gregorio de Falco shot to fame last Friday when he ordered the captain of the stricken liner Costa Concordia to get back on board to oversee evacuation rather than escaping in a lifeboat… Read more…	Visor Down
Motorcycle Daredevils of India Stunning images from their annual event. These army motorcycle stuntmen sure put up an interesting parade… Read more… Photo by Associated Press	Bikes in the Fast Lane

Buying Your First Bike? The Women’s Guide to Motorcycle Insurance

Whether you ride a sport bike or an American cruiser, your insurance needs can get complicated.

We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance, whatever you ride…

Tips for buying your motorcycle insurance, coverage you need:

Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
Towing / Pickup
Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.

Motorcycle Hillclimb History and AMA Pro Hillclimb Events for 2012

Todd Halterman — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:57:56 +0000

Here in the Midwest, we’re in the deepest ‘Heart of Darkness’ part of winter and while there’s lots to do in the garage, one can’t help but yearn for warmer times and the motorcycle events that come with their arrival.

Here in Michigan, we love motorcycles. We have a long tradition of events, some of which, like the Mt. Garfield Hillclimb and Muskegon Bike Time, which enjoy some national renown.

Hillclimbing pits riders against the clock – and each other’s times – to complete what are generally vicious uphill courses. One of the oldest forms of motor racing, the first known relatively organized hillclimb event took place at La Turbie near Nice, France back in January of 1897 shortly after the invention of the motorcycle.

While the popularity of the sport continues to wax and wane, the appeal to riders and serious motorcyclists has endured.

A hillclimb held at Shelsley Walsh, in Worcestershire, England currently stands as the world’s oldest continuously staged motor racing event still held on its original course. First run in 1905, the Shelsley Walsh event draws huge crowds. The longest permanent hillclimb in the United Kingdom is located at Harewood in West Yorkshire, and the track runs a brutal and astonishing total of nearly nine-tenths of a mile.

Apart from the classic “hillclimb” event as it is generally arranged in the US, there are road-based hillclimb events which also include classes for cars like the annual Pike’s Peak run.

Date	Promoter/Location	Promoter’s Link
June 3	White Rose MC Club, Jefferson (York Co), PA	www.whiterosemc.org
June 10	Bushkill Valley MC Club, Freemansburg, PA	www.bikehillclimb.com
June 13 Wednesday	Ridge Runner Prommotions, Canaan, NH Note, this is the- Shawn P. Farnsworth Memorial Hillclimb and it is the Wednesday event of the annual Laconia Bike Week.	www.ridgerunnerpromotions.com
June 23 Saturday Night	Devil’s Staircase, Oregonia, OH 6 pm start, No Pro Sport Class	www.daytonmc.com
July 15	Ogemaw Hills Bike Week, West Branch, MI	www.ogemawhillsbikeweek.com
August 5	Muskegon MC Club, Muskegon, MI (All Star Challenge)	www.muskegonmotorcycleclub.com
August 19	Poags Hole Productions, Dansville, NY (This hillclimbis NOT part of the AMA Pro Hillclimb Series. It is being billed as the “US Unlimited Championship.” It will feature professional riders on Unlimited and Open Class bikes only, with a maximum number of 40 riders. Also a 16-man HillCross Exhibition will be included.)	www.poagshole.com
September 9	Bushkill Valley MC Club, Freemansburg, PA	www.bikehillclimb.com
September 30	White Rose MC Club, Jefferson (York Co), PA	www.whiterosemc.org
October 14	Devil’s Staircase, Oregonia, OH	www.daytonmc.com

Whether you ride a sport bike or an American cruiser, your insurance needs can get complicated.

We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance, whatever you ride…

Tips for buying your motorcycle insurance, coverage you need:

Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
Towing / Pickup
Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.

No, no, no…Video Of A Lunatic Mountain Motorcycle Ride

Todd Halterman — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:32:51 +0000

I’m always blown away by what some people will do on a motorcycle.

Riders will climb the highest mountain, ride across the top of a stadium, make bone-jarring jumps over impossibly long gaps, rip across the desert with nary a soul within a hundred miles of them and take their sport bikes out on the public roads at blinding speeds.

It takes guts and skill and the intestinal fortitude to try something that’s right on the edge of your capabilities. You have to know your machine, and to know your machine is to know your self.

Taking outrageous risks on the back of a two-wheeled machine just seems to be part of the pact you sign when you buy your first bike, and it stays with you until the time you come to the end your last ride. It’s surely about adrenaline and the feeling you get when you’re fully aware that this life we live is finite. There are precious few times you feel that more comprehensively than those you spend on the back of a motorcycle.

From the quest to conquer the Dakar Rally to the rush of track day on the back of your FZR, the need for speed knows no bounds, and with the advent of small digital video cameras, we all share the thrills with anyone willing to take a couple of minutes to watch as the drama unfolds.

So why am I going on about all this? Well, today, it’s because I took the time to watch this awesome little GoPro gem of a rider tearing along a snowy hogsback at the top of what can only be described as a mountain ridge.

Buying Your First Bike? The Guide to Motorcycle Insurance

You’re going to take it to the limit when you head out to ride. Across deserts, up the sides of mountains and down the highway to feel the thrill of the open road as it stretches out in front of you. When you do, you need to make sure that both you and your machine are covered by the right insurance protection.
We’re here to help you that correct motorcycle insurance package, whatever, and however, you ride…

Tips for buying your motorcycle insurance, coverage you need:

Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.
Towing / Pickup

British Motocross Community Mourns Death of Rider Tom Smith In Racing Accident

Todd Halterman — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:37:55 +0000

Tributes have been paid to a talented motocross biker who died in a crash at a racetrack in Cambridgeshire, England over the weekend.

Tom Smith, 32, was riding at the Mepal Motopark in Block Fen, Mepal, when the crash which took his life occurred on Sunday.

Emergency personnel were on hand at the time, including a helicopter ambulance, but Smith was pronounced dead at the scene of his injuries.

British Rider Tom Smith and his Facebook tribute.

Andrew Villis, the owner of the racetrack, said some 180 riders were competing at the time as part of an event. Nearly 3,000 fellow riders and friends have joined a group on Facebook set up in memory of Smith. Family, friends and fellow motocross riders from around the world have been paying tribute to the fallen rider.

“Motocrossers around the world are in shock at this news, ” said Smith’s friend, Paul Crossland. “God bless all Tom’s family and friends. We’re thinking of you.”

Buying Your First Bike? The Guide to Motorcycle Insurance

Whether you ride a sport bike or an American cruiser, your insurance needs can get complicated.
We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance, whatever you ride…

Tips for buying your motorcycle insurance, coverage you need:

Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
Towing / Pickup
Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.

Awesome V12 Lincoln Motorcycle

Todd Halterman — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:17:20 +0000

If you’re into auctions, and strange but excellent motorcycles, then this might just be the ticket.

Mid America Auctions is offered a 1948 Lincoln Zephyr-driven V12 custom motorcycle, one of two made by Olson’s V8 in Illinois.

Featuring a flathead motor derived from the classic Ford Flathead V8 – only with the addition of four extra cylinders – Dale Olson created this monster bike.

Probably a little problematic in a lot of ways and surely boasting the turning radius of a cruise ship, it’s still cool as an exercise in what a man can do if he has a dream and a lot of time on his hands.

It may not be the most practical motorcycle in the world, but man, that engine would make all the issues seem trivial once you got it out on the road and heard the sound.

Buying Your First Bike? The Guide to Motorcycle Insurance

Whether you ride a sport bike or an American cruiser, your insurance needs can get complicated.
We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance, whatever you ride…

Tips for buying your motorcycle insurance, coverage you need:

Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
Towing / Pickup
Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.

Live Fast, Ride Slow – Bad Bikers on Baby Machines

Todd Halterman — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:08:40 +0000

Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Carlos Puga spent three months’ hanging with The Hell’s Satans moped gang in Richmond, Virginia.

Wha? A moped gang?

Puga cranked out and edited together enough files to make his wild, and apparently satirical, jab at the process of documentary film-making and “motorcycle gang” life entitled Satan Since 2003.

The term “moped” now applies to low-displacement bicycles with motors, but pedals were fitted to lots of early motorcycles. Better transmissions with wider ranges, better clutches and better engine performance made pedals obsolete on most motorcycles by the late 1900′s, but the pedals on mopeds remained on moped models into the 1990s. The earliest mopeds were bicycles with tiny front wheel mounted motors like the VéloSoleX which used s simple roller to drive the wheel. The Whizzer and the Cyclemaster had powered rear wheels and chain drives.

And who knew that from those humble beginnings would spring turf battles among rival gangs of “Moped Toughs?”

Remarkably quasi-violent teens with Star Wars tattoos getting exceptional gas mileage. The horror…

“You can get 125 miles per gallon,” says the leader of the Hell’s Satans. “But the faster you go, the worse the gas mileage gets.”

Satan Since 2003 purports to be an inside glimpse of a hard-ass moped gang willing to fire up Molotov cocktails and torch any tiny bike that gets in their way to protect their hardscrabble turf.

Puga, an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker responsible for this tongue-in-cheek masterwork, once worked as a field producer for MTV’s documentary series “True Life.” His “moped mockumentary” and homage to the 1970s moped is a hoot.

“The point of the film was to use real footage of the gang and within that be able to infuse a believable fictional plot line by using small amounts of ‘faked’ footage and scenes,” Puga said.

To do that, Puga created an ersatz turf war among moped gangs – that don’t actually exist - and then portrays the Hell’s Satans as outrageous, business-unfriendly ruffians.

The club’s 1%-er like motto?

Live fast, ride slow…

As for Puga’s take on his creation, he once said he hopes people who watch Satan Since 2003 “learn to trust a little less in things that are fed to us as ‘real’ and figure out that once something has been filmed, edited and presented, it has inherently been manipulated in some way.”

Mad Bastard Scooter Rally 2011

Marauding Hell’s Satans ruling the road and getting exceptional gas mileage

Out there on the dusty highways of America you can come across some perilous hazards and riders with nothing to lose. To protect yourself and your investment in your ride, you’ll need some wise council on how to buy the best possible motorcycle insurance.

Have no fear, citizen, we’ve got your back.

We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance, whatever you face on the road…

Be Like This Guy In 2012 – A Good Samaritan

Todd Halterman — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:17:37 +0000

It’s a dangerous and dusty road out there, and along your way, do something good for the world.

This enduro rider was taking part in the Amageza Qualifier in South Africa. He spots a calf drowning, and then takes the kind of action that can never happen often enough.

South African rider Johan Gray shot this video and earns hero status in my book. It may not seem like a huge thing, bu taking the time to give something back to a world in need should Gray with a nice little deposit in the Karma Bank.

It’s not only a damned impressive thing for him to do as he jumps into the water to save the calf, but riding along off-road with a wet calf draped across the bike’s tank was mighty cool as well..

Leap of Faith – Snowmobile vs Motorcycle Jump Over San Diego Bay

Todd Halterman — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:41:40 +0000

Robbie Maddison and Levi Lavallee will be making history tonight during Red Bull: New Year. No Limits.

Maddison and Lavallee will attempt to set new world records; Maddison aims to jump his motorcycle close to 400 feet, and Lavallee will use a snowmobile for his end of the record breaking attempt.

The pair have been training for this bit of madness for months.

According to Maddison:

“Jumping long distances is a passion of mine, and I’m excited to come back for New Year’s Eve and sail over San Diego Harbor. Four-hundred feet is my goal. It’s not all about getting the world record to me, it’s more about understanding this feat and the commitment ahead to achieving what most would consider an impossible jump.”

Check out the final preparations Robbie Maddison and Levi Lavallee are making for tonight’s jump.

You can watch the jump live on ESPN, ESPN HD, and EPSN3.

Motorcycle Twits Worth Following on Twitter

Todd Halterman — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:13:46 +0000

Motorcycle Insurance.com, of course. https://twitter.com/#!/ToddHalterman

We keep at it and try to give you a commercial-free motorcycle Twitting panorama…

Edmunds https://twitter.com/#!/@edmunds

Edmunds.com is a leading resource for motorcycle and car reviews, news and pricing, tweeting its deals on wheels. You can also interact with editor-in-chief @karlbrauer – ask him about his 100-mile daily commute!

Top Gear https://twitter.com/#!/@topgear_america

Not enough motorcycles, but too good to pass up anyway for the best motoring photography…in the world.

Ewan McGregor https://twitter.com/#!/@EwanMcGregor

The king of motorcycling actors, McGregor is the real deal. And if you’re a fan of his riding adventure movie series, The Long Way Round and The Long Way Down, you can keep up with him here.

Charley Boorman https://twitter.com/#!/@charleyboorman

McGregor’s partner in crime on the Long Way trips. Cool and very active on Twitter. You can also check out his adventures on http://www.charleyboorman.com/ to keep up with all things Boorman.

Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman

Whether you ride a sport bike or an American cruiser, your insurance needs can get complicated.

We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance, whatever you ride…

Tips for buying your motorcycle insurance, coverage you need:

Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
Towing / Pickup
Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.

Riding on Air

Todd Halterman — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:25:53 +0000

What makes a motorcycle a Motorcycle?

Is it grease? Chains? Chrome? Well, if not those, then it must be gasoline and noise.

But then again, how about one with no gearbox, no exhaust system and no gas tank?

Design student Edwin Yi Yuan is one of the men behind what could be a work of inspirational genius, or maybe just a conceptual exercise doomed to the dustbin of history.

Yuan and his instructor at RMIT in Melbourne have the dream of setting a world land speed record in South Australia on what is essentially a stripped-down Suzuki motorcycle driven by a rotary air engine and pushed along by high-pressure air tanks.

The motorcycle, known as the Green Speed Air Powered Motorcycle, is built around an old Suzuki GP100 from the 1970s which was then stripped down to a rolling chassis that left only the frame of the bike, the wheels and brakes.

The engine? It’s a rotary air engine developed by Angelo Di Pietro which generates up to 3,000 RPM. Compressed air stored in the bike’s on-board carbon fiber tanks.

Di Pietro qualified as Congegniatore Meccanico in Avellino and moved to Stuttgart, Germany to work on the Wankel rotary engine at the Mercedes Benz research laboratories 1969 and 1970. In 1971 he migrated to Australia where he established a construction engineering company. But it was from his early experience with Wankel rotary engines that Di Pietro became obsessed with developing a more efficient engine to replace traditional reciprocating internal combustion engine technology.

He’s been at it on and off for the last 30 years.

Back in 1999, Di Pietro says he made the major design breakthrough which would allow the realization of his invention and decided to fully focus on the development of his new motor concept.

But Yuan is hardly the only designer and motorcycle freak to think “air” when is comes to bikes.

The “Pursuit” – the work of industrial designer Dean Benstead – also uses Di Pietro’s “air mill.”

Benstead’s “air hammer” is a motocross bike wrought from aluminum components which weighs in at a positively svelte 221 lbs. This sucker is capable of somewhere around 62 mph top speed .

“The bike is running a standard scuba tank which runs air compressed up to 200 bar. With further developments, we would be looking at running a tank at 400 bar with increased capacity to also increase the range,” Benstead said.

If you had the earth-friendly constitution, refinement and pocketbook to buy a Brammo electric bike, your insurance needs can get complicated. We’re here to help you find the right insurance for your brand new electric or hydrogen-powered motorcyle…

Look Ma, No Hands! Phil Comar Rides His Harley For Charity

Todd Halterman — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:29:00 +0000

It’s pretty clear that Phil Comar, of Adrian, MI, knows how to handle his bike.

Comar , now 62, has been riding motorcycles almost 50 years, and his last ventures were nothing short of amazing for their audacity and for their concern for his fellow man.

You see, Comar rides no-hands.

He’s been practicing the “no-hands” technique for going on 20 years and he steers the bike with his legs and by leaning to aim the bike.

So why does he do it?

He does it for dad. His father, Robert Comar, was a car buff who, due to his struggle with Parkinsons Disease later in life, could no longer hold wrenches steady to work on his beloved cars. The elder Comar passed on in 2008, and it was that event which led Comar the younger to take on his series of stunts to raise funds to fight the debilitating disease.

Comar made a 500-mile-plus “Bridge to the Border Ride” to begin his quest, and then took on a nonstop ride from the Mackinac Bridge to Covington, Ky. The first ride raised nearly $4,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research last October, and the ride he made earlier this year covered 525 miles, proceeds of which also went to the foundation actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson’s disease, started to develop better treatments for Parkinson’s patients and to find a cure for Parkinson’s.

“My father died from Parkinson’s disease and I wanted to do something personal to further the foundation’s work,” Comar said of his rides.

Though the rides are over for now, you can still help the cause by making your donation at the fundraising page Comar set up at www.teamfox.org. Just click on the “Support a Member” button and type in “Phil Comar.”

You can also check out all the details of his epic journey on Facebook at No Hand Man.

According to Comar, current treatments for Parkinson’s temporarily mask symptoms of the disease, but the negative effects continue to progress.

There is currently no “cure” for Parkinson’s, and some 5 million people worldwide are living with the chronic degenerative neurological disorder. Symptoms typically progress from mild tremors to complete physical incapacitation.

“Even if it’s just the cost of a pack of cigarettes, or a beer or a gallon of milk, if 100 people donate $3, that’s $300 and a good start,” Comar said. “We’re not looking for somebody to stick their whole paycheck in.”

Comar cruising for second world motorcycle record: foxtoledo.com

Whether you ride a sport bike or an American cruiser, your insurance needs can get complicated.

We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance, whatever you ride…

Tips for buying your motorcycle insurance, coverage you need:

Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
Towing / Pickup
Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.

Wow, Riding Motorcycles With Elan and Precision

Todd Halterman — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:07:19 +0000

I know you’ve seen elite motorcycle cops move their machines around like they were bicycles, but this is a whole ‘nother story, my friend.

It’s hard to believe that people spend so much time on their bikes that they develop this kind of perfect balance, throttle and braking control. This rider blitzed the course during the Motor Cycle Gymkhana Games.

A motorcycle gymkhana is a competition during which motorcycles are driven around a twisting course and execute certain specified maneuvers, and the riders are timed against the clock.

Description	gymkhana \jim-ˈkä-nə, -ˈka-\: a meet featuring sports contests or athletic skills: as a: competitive games on horseback b: a timed contest for automobiles featuring a series of events designed to test driving skill (from www.m-w.com)

Website	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymkhana_(m…

Anyone know who this guy (or gal) is, because I’d sure like to know…

http://amgrass.com/

If you had the exceptional taste, refinement and pocketbook to buy an MV Agusta, your insurance needs can get complicated. We’re here to help you find the right insurance for your Italian superbike…

A Quarter Million Plus Seems Like A Lot Of Money For A Bike to Haul Firewood

Todd Halterman — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:43:44 +0000

This sort of hype is starting to get on my nerves, and I believe I need to point out what seems like a simple conceptual truth to manufacturers of various “motorcycle-like” vehicles: a “motorcycle” uses but two wheels to get from point A to point B, and no more.

A “trike” is not, as my wife likes to scornfully point out whenever she sees one go by, a “motorcycle.” To use her carefully chosen and oh-so-apt description of such conveyances, a “trike” is a “motorcycle with training wheels.”

Neither is a “quad bike” a motorcycle as it clearly does not meet the simplest definition of the machine in question.

That said, I wouldn’t return this back to the factory without riding it should they decide to send me one for ride testing.

Put together this year by a firm called Lazareth, the Wazuma W8 is billed as an ‘atypical three-wheel vehicle’ which features two linked rear wheels – and it’s driven along by a Ferrari mill. It tips the scales at a relatively porky 1400 pounds and looks, well, sort of ungainly.

According to the French maker of this thing, Lazareth, the mighty 550bhp engine pushes this “couch on wheels” to 150pmh. And as an added bonus ‘the engine management can be modified and monitored with a computer.’ This monstrosity sports a high-performance gearbox, and mighty Brembo brakes whacked on to a bespoke suspension.

“The Wazuma offers matchless driving sensations with a unique design,” said a spokesperson for the company by way of extolling the virtues of this machine. “It’s designed to be simple, aggressive and high-performance. It is, first of all, a masterpiece of engineering; a sculpture.”

The price for all this art and engineering?

A sort of staggering $266,000 dollars of American Cash Money, which makes it, at least in my estimation, the most expensive couch for hauling firewood the world has ever seen…

WAZUMA W8′s VITAL STATISTICS

Engine: Ferrari – 550 bhp
Top speed: 150+ mph
Wheels and tires: 18 inch 285‐30ZR18 front and 315‐30ZR18 rear
Weight: 1400 pounds
Suspension system: Four horizontal shock absorbers from EMC
Gearbox: Six speed made for the BMX M3 roadster

Buying Your First Bike? The Guide to Motorcycle Insurance

Whether you ride a sport bike or an American cruiser, your insurance needs can get complicated.
We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance, whatever you ride…

Tips for buying your motorcycle insurance, coverage you need:

Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
Towing / Pickup
Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.

Why Are the Wheels On This Motorcycle Turned Sideways

Todd Halterman — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:25:12 +0000

Why are the wheels on sideways?

Because it’s not really a motorcycle, at least in theory, but more like a flying variation of motorcycle.

Inventor Chris Malloy of Australia put together every kid’s dream vehicle – a “hoverbike” – from motorcycle parts. Malloy says it can rip through the sky at up to 170 mph and achieve an altitude of up to 10,000 feet.

Malloy has set a high bar for his creation and says he thinks his solo flying machine could replace conventional helicopters when it comes to taking on work like aerial surveys, search-and-rescue missions and rounding up the cattle.

Featuring a pair of oak propellers, at 240 pounds, the “hoverbike” climbs into the sky (or will at some point) powered by a 1,170cc 4-stroke engine which drives the propellers using a carbon-fiber shaft drive.

How does one drive, or ride or fly this thing? At liftoff, the “pilot” cranks on the loud with the right hand via a throttle grip ala a motorcycle.

And it’s not just cool, it’s also efficient. Getting somewhere around 22 miles per gallon, the “hoverbike” can cover just over 90 miles on a full tank of gas.

But how safe is it, you ask? Well, not that safe at all. Malloy says his final version of the machine will need a pair of explosive parachutes to provide a ‘fallback’ position should the engine fail. Malloy says the final version of the ‘bike-o-copter’ will feature propeller housings covered with mesh, and that ought to come in handy to prevent the family cat from being pulled into the rotors and summarily diced.

While it’s not quite complete yet (the inventor says the bike will need gyroscopic sensors to prevent it from tipping over) once safety tests on the hoverbike are completed, Malloy thinks he can sell them for around $40,000 a piece. Malloy and his business partners are in the process of raising $1.1 million precious Australian dollars to get the project ‘off the ground’ as it were, and so far he’s managed to collected about $70,000 of that total…

Hoverbike inventor Chris Malloy

Hoverbike website

I’m thinking that if you get your hands on a “hoverbike,” your insurance needs will get complicated in short order.

We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance, whatever you ride…

Tips for buying your motorcycle insurance, coverage you need:

Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
Towing / Pickup
Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.