New Year’s Eve may not only be ushering in the year 2009, but also closing the door on two generations of American stunt jumping. Robbie Knievel, son of famed stunter Evel Knievel, says that his upcoming big jump over an artificial volcano is likely to be his last jump in the USA.
The Knievel has been studying the $25 million volcano newly refurbished outside the Mirage in Las Vegas for his next last stunt. Robbie will make the jump as part of a television special on New Year’s Eve.
It’s easy to make Polish motorcycle jokes, and we could easily make a few more here if we were so inclined to pick-apart every little mistake a bike builder inevitably makes along the way, but we won’t. Read for more to see how the lastest version of this 4 cylinder, X-pattern motor is coming along.
Chances are you probably didn’t go all the way to the UK to see the NEC show this past week. Which means, you also probably didn’t see Roger Allmond’s Triumph Rocket III concept bike commisioned by Bennetts Insurance. This 2.3L Triumph 3-cylinder powered bike borrows the Triumph Rocket III’s motor, but that’s pretty much where the similarities stop. Click for more after to see the 50 or so pictures and description about that jaw-dropping bike.
Cartoonist Harry Partridge has done up a quick video that encapsulates what Akira, a Japanese Animation movie, would look like if it were made in the USA. The timing surely has something to do with the fact that Waner Brothers is in the process of making a live-action version of the 1988 anime cult-classic.
Described as:
A kinetic, dystopian vision where young motorcycle gangs roam Neo-Tokyo. Post-nuclear war and all hell breaks loose when one is exposed to a government experiment, thus gaining menacing powers.
The live-action version will be developed into two parts with the first installment tentatively scheduled for a summer February 2010 release. Warner Brothers and Appian Way will adapt the two movies from the manga, with each movie covering three volumes of the original comic. Leonardo DiCaprio is slated as one of the films producers, but there is no official word yet on who the cast will be, although speculation puts DiCaprio as Kaneda and Joseph Gordon Levitt as Tetsuo.
Source:
Triumph is recalling 87 2008 and 2009 Thruxton motorcycles for problems with the bolts that hold the front brake calipers onto the fork bottoms. Triumph is replacing the bolts in a recall that is supposed to occur during the month of December. Thruxton owners can contact Triumph at 1-678-539-8782. For more information the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 or visit safecar.gov.
Harley-Davidson is recalling 349 Dyan series motorcycles for problems in their fuel-venting system. The defect in the construction can cause fuel to leak when the bike is tipped-over, which could lead to horrible, horrible, horrible burning. The affected models are the:
2009 Harley-Davidson Dyna Street Bob (FXDB)
2009 Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide Custom (FXDC)
2009 Harley-Davidson Dyna Fat Bob (FXDF)
2009 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider (FXDL)
Owners of these year and model bikes should take their hog into the dealer for an inspection of the fuel vent tube assembly, where the dealer will replace it if necessary. Owner may also contact the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 or visit safecar.gov for more information.
At 32 years of age, Leslie Porterfield is officially the fastest female motorcyclist in America. During this summer at the International Speed Trials, Porterfield broke the top mark for women with a record pass of 234.197mph on a 2000cc Suzuki Hayabusa. Read more about Poterfield’s other two records after the jump.
On December 31st, Massimo Tamburini will be retiring from his position of design chief at MV Agusta. With this news it will be interesting to see who at MV (or should we speculate Harley-Davidson?) will step in to fill possibly the most important role to MV’s future.
Massimo Tamburini has been the hand behind some of the most cosmetically important motorcycles in the industry’s history, those are some big shoes to fill, and it will be the first test of Harley-Davidson’s management of their new brand. Read more for MV Agusta’s official press release.
In the off-season, we have the luxury of looking back on the little things we over-looked during the past season, and in this case it is Alstare’s Suzuki rider Yukio Kagayama who is “over-looking” his leggy umbrella girl. Whoops.
Source:
Portimao (Portugal), has been added to the World Superbike Championship testing schedule. The testing sessions will be held from January 23rd until January 25th. All Superbike and Supersport teams, factory and privateers alike, will travel to the new circuit for their first time out on the newly added circuit to WSBK racing. With the first race at Phillip Island only a month after the testing, teams will have only a short amount of time to dissect their information and come up with a winning bike setup.
With specs for the road-going 2009 Aprilia RSV4 already out, and details about the WSBK prepped bike still coming, all has been too quiet on the Western Front in regards to if when the Aprilia Tuono will get the same V4 treatment as its more clothed cousin.
If Aprilia follows the previous formula for the Tuono, we can expect a literally naked version of the RSV4, in which case the above “rendered” speculation is likely a pretty close estimate, with maybe only some changes to the headlight, and “chin” fairing.
With already a plethora of naked bikes in its stable (Mana, Shiver, Dorsoduro) the Tuono can only exist if it differentiates itself from these bikes in some way (which would mean it has to adopt the V4 platform to continue on). Still, it would be nice to see Aprilia think a little bit outside of the box with the styling options.
Instead of just dressing down an RSV4, maybe the Tuono would become more than just a small market bike if it had its own legs to stand on, without looking like the Emperor in new clothes.
Wow us Aprilia. Wow us.
