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First ever Dubai Motorcycle Film Festival kicks off with a roar

from https://www.euronews.com The inaugural Dubai Motorcycle Film Festival has taken place in the UAE. The three-day event featured bike builds, short character-driven films to full-length documentaries that reveal the spirit and soul of the motorcycling community. It is the brainchild of Festival Director, Ian Carless, who told Euronews that it was a challenging process choosing the films, “There’s a lot of content out there, as you can imagine, particularly for motorcycles. So choosing the films… the hardest part of that was actually which ones to leave out.” Over 30 films were screened including Song of Sosa from Director, Cam Elkins, who discussed the importance of these platforms. “These kinds of festivals just really give filmmakers, particularly motorcycle filmmakers, the opportunity to tell a whole diverse range of stories from different cultures and backgrounds”, he said. Getting the event off the ground was also a rewarding challenge. Rhett Maxwell the General Manager of Honda UAE said that he was thrilled to be part “of the beginnings” of what he expects to be a massive event in the future. “Stuff in Dubai starts small, but it never stays small”, he added. Highlights of the film festival included screenings of ‘Fast Eddie’, the story of a World War II veteran who still rides every day, and ‘Rebel Riders’, a film showcasing extreme Vespa Scooter subculture in Indonesia. Local filmmaker Michael Vosloo showcased ‘WhyWeRide’ – an uplifting short about women riders in the desert. “I think for many people that haven’t ridden and mainly also for females, if they think that biking is not for them, this is the film to watch. It’s very short, quick to the point. It’s a lot of fun” he told Euronews. The second edition of the festival hopes to build on this years’ success and has already been […]

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Crushing the Record for the World’s Longest Motorcycle the American Way

by Cristina Mircea from https://www.autoevolution.com The title for the longest motorcycle in the world belongs to an Indian who built one that measures 86 ft and 3 in (26.29m). Bharat Sinh Parmar holds the Guinness World Record since 2014. That didn’t sit well with the guys from Bikes and Beards, who decided to bring that record to the United States, using a vintage Japanese bike. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, Bikes and Beards is the YouTube channel of SRK Cycles, a bike dealer based in Pennsylvania. This isn’t their first unusual vlog, as the whole purpose of the channel is to redefine the way you use a motorcycle and push the boundaries of human creativity. In case you haven’t slept well at night wondering if you can run a motorcycle underwater for 10 minutes, do browse their channel and you’ll find out. The common approach for others who’ve tried to build a long motorcycle has been to place the engine and the drive train on the front, then add a long swingarm and then the wheel in the back. But there’s a simpler way to do things, which is to build two square tubes at both ends of the bike and have them welded on the motorcycle. The long frame would then get connected to those tubes. The guys’ bike, a 1980 Honda CB750 Custom motorcycle, ended up measuring 108 ft, which was a success, not to mention the fact that everything was accomplished within one week. In order to break the record, the motorcycle had to prove it can actually handle itself on the road, taking turns and everything. Bharat Sinh Parmar had to ride his for 308 ft (93.8 m) without putting his feet down, to break the previous record. But the Bikes and

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Piaggio, KTM, Honda and Yamaha set up swappable batteries consortium

by Reuters from https://www.investing.com MILAN (Reuters) – Italian scooter maker Piaggio said on Monday it had set up a consortium with Honda Motor Co., KTM AG and Yamaha Motor Co. to encourage the use of swappable batteries for electric motorcycles and light electric vehicles. The Swappable Batteries Motorcycle Consortium (SBMC) aims to broaden the use of light electric vehicles, such as scooters, mopeds and motorcycles, and support a more sustainable management of their batteries, a joint statement said. It will focus on issues such as battery life, recharging times, infrastructure and costs and will work on defining international standard technical specifications for swappable batteries. The companies in the consortium said they welcomed others joining them to extend standards to as many companies as possible. “Urban mobility is going through a delicate transition moment towards electrification. Thanks to this consortium, motorbikes will keep their key role,” Piaggio Chief of Strategy and Product Michele Colaninno said. Honda’s Motorcycle Operations Chief Officer Yoshishige Nomura said the consortium’s objectives aimed to make electric motorbikes more convenient for clients, as their “use on large scale can substantially contribute to the creation of a more sustainable society”. Piaggio Group owns iconic two-wheeler brands such as Vespa, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, among others.

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Eight of the Fastest Street-Legal Motorcycles You Can Buy in America

by Todd Halterman from https://www.autoevolution.com It begins with the story of the legendary Suzuki Hayabusa. When that beast launched back in 1999, it triggered a hurricane of anxiety among various manufacturers – and it all came down to the top speed of the bike – a stunning 194 mph. The Hayabusa represented a quantum leap in speed and made it the fastest motorcycle you could buy and ride on the streets. In fact, it took the title away from the already insanely fast Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird, and it did it by a startling 14 mph. In answer, Kawasaki announced the creation of the Ninja ZX-12R, and it promised a top speed of more than 200 blistering miles per hour. That announcement led regulators to consider tamping down the lust for speed among manufacturers, and it also led to what’s come to be known as The Gentleman’s Agreement among the top motorcycle manufacturers across the globe. As the story goes, the “agreement” called on manufacturers to set the upper limit on motorcycle speed at 200 mph. Since then, that agreement has been violated to varying degrees, and here are some of the motorcycles that flirt with – and exceed – the barrier posited by The Gentlemen’s Agreement. The Yamaha YZF-R1M, which purports to achieve a top end of 185.7 mph, has itself become legendary for its on and off-track precision and power. The R1 line and the street legal R1 models achieve their punch following a power-and-less-bulk formula. Offering lightweight carbon-fiber construction and powered by an explosive 998cc, liquid-cooled “cross-plane” inline-four, the R1 creates 200 hp and offers 89.2 lb-ft torque. When that kind of juice moves through its 6-Speed manual, the R1M does 0-60 mph in a snot-loosening 2.3 seconds. One of these beasts will set you back just

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New Zealand Hoar Run 2021

by Graeme Lowen My fears of there being ice over the pass were unfounded and the road was dry. It was the stop at Tarras that provide us with chilly clues. I got talking to a lady who drove from Tekapo in the morning. She told us that the first club group ran into dense hoar frost and thick fog all the way from Tekapo to the Ohau turnoff. The guys who left 20 minutes later missed most of it. Click Here to Read this Photo Feature Travelogue only on Bikernet.com Join the Cantina for more – Subscribe Today. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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Custom Motorcycle turned into Production Model by Honda

by Sebastian Toma from https://www.autoevolution.com 2021 Honda CB1000R 5Four Turns Custom Bike Into Production Reality. Honda has opened the order books for the CB1000R 5Four, a performance-focused café racer bike inspired by the CB1000RS 5Four built by Guy Willison. The Japanese company teamed up with the builder for this limited-edition model, and it blends café racer styling with a factory-backed warranty. Honda’s flagship naked motorcycle received an update for the 2021 model year, and that was selected as the base for the CB1000R 5Four. Work started with the front, which received a cowl for the front headlight. The handlebar received a set of LSL dog-leg brake and clutch levers, as well as a set of mirrors. The gas tank has a hand-painted Honda logo, and the seat is hand-stitched in a diamond pattern, while the rear of the seat has the 5Four logo laser etched on it. The tail of this bike is also custom, as it has a slimmer LED rear light, while the license plate mount was moved up to allow a better view of the rear wheel. Customers will also get a titanium Growler-X exhaust from Racefit, which is supposed to only be used on the track. It comes with laser-etched 5Four and Racefit logos. It sounds nice, as you can observe in the video embedded below. Naturally, the bike had to get custom paintwork. In this case, we are writing about a candy red main color, along with blue and pearl white accents. The three colors are an inspiration from Honda’s racing efforts. Customers will also be able to order Guy Willison’s signature painted on the rear fender, right next to the seat. Each bike will get a signed certificate of authenticity. Honda will only sell this bike through its dealer network in the UK. However,

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Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP Races its Superbike Counterpart

by Sebastian Toma from https://www.autoevolution.com Honda has pitted the new CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP against its racing version on a track to prove how fast it can be in the right hands. With slick tires, the sport bike is as close to a street-legal MotoGP racer as possible. The resemblance between the two is normal, as British Superbike rules mandate that the race bike must be developed from the homologated production motorcycle. Therefore, the chassis and the engine are identical, but the race bike has a few tweaks within regulations to allow it to be even faster. According to the rulebook, the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP’s racing version must have a spec ECU, which allows it to rev even higher than its street-legal brother. The gearing can also be changed according to various necessities, depending on the track and rider preference, along with a minimum weight of 168 kg (370.37 lbs.). To prove just how fast the street-legal version of this bike can be, Honda Racing UK British Super Bike racer Glen Irwin took both bikes on the same day at Oulton Park International Circuit. We are talking about a 2.69-mile (4.33 km) track in the UK and identical riding conditions. Honda even fitted both bikes with the Pirelli Diablo Racing slicks (SC0 compound) to allow a direct comparison between the two bikes. The street bike was still fitted with the stock mirrors, standard toolkit, and everything else one gets when buying a new Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. The slick tires were the only change from the stock condition, and the team did not alter any settings on the bike. Glenn Irwin rode each bike for six laps, and he managed to set a time of 1’39.054 on the production CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, which is just 2.872 seconds more than what

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Dream E-Type: Early days of the Honda 4-Stroke

from https://www.thesundaily.my Mr Honda’s disdain for two-stroke engines fuelled the relentless pursuit of perfection for his little four-strokers. It was March 1951 when Soichiro Honda summoned engineer Kiyoshi Kawashima from Hamamatsu. “‘Kawashima, would you mind coming over for a moment?’ It was the beginning of a two-month stint in the capital as I worked on the design of the E-Type 4-stroke engine in a corner of the Tokyo Plant,” recalls Kawashima. “When the plans were at last ready the Old Man dashed in to see it, bringing Fujisawa, with him.” (Takeo Fujisawa was Honda Motor Co Ltd’s co-founder.) Kawashima can remember clearly that day in May 1951. “As he showed the plans to Fujisawa, Mr. Honda gave us an enthusiastic commentary: ‘Ah, I see. You have this kind of valve and the cam goes like that. This is what I call an engine, it isn’t just a two-stroke machine that looks as though it’s been cut from a bamboo tube with holes drilled. This will sell. Honda will do well with this!’ Mr. Fujisawa didn’t have any understanding of the plans, he didn’t know anything about mechanical things at all, so he just said things like ‘Hm, yes, that’s great,’” said Kawashima, laughing. The now-legendary test crossing of the Hakone Pass took place on July 15. In those days the Hakone Pass was considered the ultimate test for a motor vehicle. Even lorries could only get over it if they stopped for a rest every now and then. So it was certainly a challenge for a small 150cc motorcycle. Kawashima acted as both the engine designer and on that occasion, as test rider. “Actually we’d been using the Hakone Pass as a test track for quite some time by then. I was sure we could climb it, but I was

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Honda CB200 Modified Into An Electric Motorcycle

by Arun Prakash from https://www.rushlane.com The electric powertrain of the modified Honda CB200 has fitted onto a stylish aluminum enclosure Manufacturing EVs from scratch is an uphill task in itself but it is a whole new level of challenge when one has to convert a vehicle already fitted with an IC engine. We have earlier witnessed such projects being undertaken in four-wheelers such as Land Rovers and VW Beetles but this time an electric powertrain has been fitted into a motorcycle. An aftermarket workshop named Omega Motors, based out of San Francisco in USA, has converted a 1975 Honda CB200 into an electric motorcycle. The donor model back in 1970s and 80s was a hot-selling retro-style motorcycle with a cafe racer design. The makers of this modified prototype haven’t tried to alter the design of the motorcycle in any way. Updated Styling Rechristened as Omega EV200, it still retains a part-scrambler and part-cafe racer design with round headlamps, single-piece ripped seat and wire-spoke wheels lending it a retro appeal. The electric CB200 gets refurbished front forks, wheels and brakes while retaining the cable-actuated front brake and rear drum brake. Subtle modifications have been made to the chassis in order to incorporate a battery and electric motor setup. The frame has been shortened and the welded-in rear fender has been chopped off. The pillion footpegs have also been removed while a small part of its spine has also been cut in order to weld a mounting plate for the controller. Interestingly, the motor mounts from the original bike have been left intact while the new battery pack and electric motor are attached via a set of custom mounting plates. Specs & Features Speaking of specifications, the motorcycle has been fitted with an electric motor sourced from Golden Motor and raed to

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