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Watch: The Unrideables

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If you missed the glory days of when Americans dominated Grand Prix motorcycle racing, or simply want to relive the moments from yesteryear, then we have the perfect treat for you this Monday afternoon. A television production by Britain’s ITV4, The Unrideables is a 45-minute trip down memory lane with Randy Mamola, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Gardner, Kevin Schwantz, and many others.

Focusing on the racing from the late-1980’s, we get to hear the riders and journalists of the time recount their victories and defeats on the 500cc two-strone monsters of that era. It is a really well done piece by ITV4, and it is really a shame we can’t get similar programming here in the United States. A big thanks to whomever put it up on YouTube, and thanks to all our tipsters who pointed it out to us.

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Bikes

2013 Honda CB500X – Eats Potholes on a Budget

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If you haven’t caught on yet, American Honda has announced a trio of 500cc machines, just ahead of the upcoming EICMA show. Featuring the fully-faired 2013 Honda CBR500R sport bike, and its fairing-less sibling the 2013 Honda CB500F, the slightly taller 2013 Honda CB500X completes the trifecta, and adds an adventure-esque dimension to Honda’s midrange options.

Like the Honda CBR500R & Honda CB500F, the Honda CB500X uses the same modest liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, DOHC, 180° crank, parallel-twin motor that will put down 54hp at the wheel for the US market (tiered-license countries will see a 47hp machine).

A slight variation on the chassis that is shared with the other 500cc machines, the CB500X has a bit more travel to its suspension (5.5″ on the front forks), and the seat height is a full inch higher (31.9″ to be precise). Visually the philosophically similar to the Honda NC700X, the Honda CB500X is also a tad heavier than its relatives, sporting 430 lbs of fully-fuel heft at the curb, which is likely due to its larger 4.5 gallon tank (4.1 gallons on the other models).

Building three motorcycles from one versatile core design, American Honda has some aggressive prices on the CBR500R & CB500F, but the American subsidiary of the Japanese brand has yet to release a price on the CB500x. We would expect something in the $5,000 range though when it hits dealer floors in July 2013, with the ABS version getting a $500 price increase over the base model. Full technical specifications are after the jump.

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Bikes

2013 Honda CB500F – The UJM Returns to America

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Where there is a full-faired 2013 Honda CBR500R, there must be a naked 2013 Honda CB500F — and thus the Universal Japanese Motorcycle (UJM) makes a proper return to American soil. Priced at a vey modest $5,499 ($5,999 with ABS brakes), the Honda CB500F is an affordable, dependable, and stylish street-naked or “standard” motorcycle for the masses.

Like the rest of Honda’s 500cc line, the CB500F is based around  a modest liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, DOHC, 180° crank, parallel-twin motor that will put down 54hp at the wheel for the US market (tiered-license countries will see a 47hp machine).

At 420 lbs ready to ride with a full tank of fuel, the 2013 Honda CB500F saves 8 lbs off its clothed sibling (click here to read our full description of the new CBR), with the lack of fairings being the real distinction between the two machines.

Available in either black or pearl white, expect the Honda CB500F to be at your local Honda dealer in April of 2013 (the ABS version is available only in black). Full technical specifications are after the jump.

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Bikes

2013 Honda CBR500R – Priced at $5,999 for the USA

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More news on the 2013 Honda CBR500R, as details about Honda’s 498cc paralle-twin budget sport bike continue to unfold. A part of a larger effort to saturate the markets with 500cc-class motorcycles for the price sensitive, we can now confirm that the Honda CBR500R is one of three bikes (checkout the Honda CB500F & Honda CB500X) in the genre that will be coming to the USA next year.

Based around  a modest liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, DOHC, 180° crank, 54 rwhp, parallel-twin motor for the US market (tiered-license countries will see a 47hp machine), the Honda CBR500R is a sporty-styled no thrills sort of motorcycle. A graduation step from the Honda CBR250R, it makes sense then that the CBR500R has twice the cylinders, and thus twice the displacement — but it doesn’t come with twice the price tag.

At $5,999 for the American market, the 2013 Honda CBR500R commands less than a $2,000 premium over the $4,199 CBR250R. That price will go up to $6,499  though if you want the optional ABS package (and we know you do). Click after the jump for full tech specs.

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Bikes

First Official Shots of the 2013 Honda CBR500

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We are still a few days away from the official unveiling of Honda’s 500cc line-up, which will include the 2013 Honda CBR500, 2013 Honda CB500R, and 2013 Honda CB500X motorcycles. Based around a 469cc parallel-twin motor, Honda’s new mid-range bikes are for the budget-oriented rider, and produced a modest 54 hp in their non-restricted state for tiered-licensed countries (47hp in restricted form).

Expected to be the big new thing from Honda at EICMA, we have seen quite a bit already on the Honda CBR500 and its siblings ahead of their debut at the trade show in Milan, Italy. The Honda CBR500 is the logical progression of the Honda CBR250R, which is a budget-focused single-cylinder sport bike that’s available worldwide, including the US.

We’ll have to wait and see which of the 500cc machines American Honda brings to the USA, but the CBR500 is heavily expected to come to both the American and Canadian markets. Time will tell as to whether the Honda CB500R (not likely) and Honda CB500X (more likely) come to North America as well. Photos after the jump.

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Bikes

Spotted: Honda CBR500, Honda CB500R & Honda CB500X

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Honda is set to debut a number of 500cc machines at EICMA next month, two of which we have already glimpsed: the Honda CBR500 & Honda CB500R. Joining the smaller sport bike and street-naked is is the Honda CB500X, a 500cc version of the Honda NC700X.

Spotted all together at an Italian commercial shoot, all three models are said to share a 500cc parallel-twin motor that makes 45hp, as well as the same basic chassis.

Fitted with “traditional” telescopic forks, single brake discs up front, and all three models sharing a bevy of major parts, Honda should be able to be very aggressive with its pricing structure on the new 500cc model line.

Looking at the components as well, it is clear that Honda intends its new CBR500, CB500R, and CB500X motorcycles to be priced at the lower end of the pricing spectrum, making them attractive to newer and price-sensitive motorcyclists — especially our friends across the pond who are riding with an A2 license.

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Bikes

Suter 500 Factory V4 – Thank You for Smoking

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Asphalt & Rubber is based out of California, so that means smoking is akin to a cardinal sin out here, and on the hierarchy of egregious crimes against humanity, it ranks just slightly under torturing babies with hot pincers (heaven forbid you cause a baby to start smoking).

Smoking indoors in outright verboten virtually everywhere, while puffing some nicotine anywhere outside that is near a restaurant, bar, club, ATM, hospital, pre-school, or tobacco shop is liable to cause a citizen to go murder-death-kill on you John Spartan.

The issue is so pervasive here, that it has even extended beyond cigarettes and into the realm of motorcycling, with The Golden State leading the charge on the banning of two-stroke motorcycles.

We are now purely a “suck, squeeze, bang, blow” society, and while that suits many motorists just fine, there are some who enjoy the smell of pre-mix in the morning — you know who you are.

You enjoy the sound of angry bees following you from apex to off-camber. You think a displacement for “serious riders” starts at around 250cc. You like your engine compression low, and your powerbands narrow. You sir (or madam), are a two-stroke junky, and we have just the fix you need.

Just as MotoGP replaced 500GP, we know see Moto2 & Moto3 replacing the lower two-stroke classes that remained in Grand Prix racing. Leading the charge on this mechanical front are a slew of new companies, most notably the chassis manufacturers, of which Suter is perhaps the most well-regarded.

Making the weapon of choice for Marc Marquez in Moto2 this year, the Swiss company already had a sterling reputation before it went racing at an international level, but the firm’s success in the 2010 Championship exposed it to a whole new world of tw0-wheel performance.

Having a bevy of intriguing two-wheeled projects within its walls, the Swiss bike that catches our eye today is the Suter 500 Factory V4: a two-stroke, 500cc, V4, track weapon that puts out over 200 hp and weighs 284 lbs ready to race — no, that is not a typo.

We’ll let you take a moment before continuing past the jump for more.

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Racing

What MotoGP Racing at Laguna Seca Would Look Like Without Electronic Rider Aids

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Back when men were men…yada yada yada, and all that. You know, the real interesting thing about watching this footage from 1985 is, well…how interesting the racing is to watch, even with the commentary being in Japanese. Front wheels several feet in the air on acceleration, plenty of rider-on-rider corner stuffing, and the only traction control coming from the rider’s right wrist.

Perhaps making this 26-year-old clip such a keeper is how cool racing at Seca used to be is the recurrent wheelies the riders are popping coming down the corkscrew. Jaws dropped when

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Banter

Ben Spies and Eddie Lawson Talk About Training, Teamwork, 500cc Bikes, & Pissing Off the Japanese

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For the third and final installment of its One on One series with Ben Spies and Eddie Lawson, Yamaha asks the riders about their competitive nature both in training and on the track, the teams that supported them in their endeavors, what its like to ride the 500GP bikes, and Eddie leaves us with a closing story about some of his old antics. Like the second part of this series, this video is a nine minute insight into a top-level racer’s mindset, and speaks to the hard work that goes into being a champion. Watch it after the jump.

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