Articles by Mike Ryan

Ducati honours an iconic classic with a modern classic

Round 5 of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship was 'home territory' for Yamaha Factory Racing's Jorge Lorenzo, Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa and others. Come race time, the star Spaniards didn't disappoint the local crowd, putting on an emphatic display that saw Lorenzo finish ahead of Pedrosa, while Stoner finished off the podium for the first time in more than a year.

If you've ever wanted to throw your leg over a BMW and find just what the respected Bavarian marque has got to offer, you'll get your opportunity in the second half of 2012, as the BMW Motorrad Demo Days are about to kick off.

This year's Australasian Safari, scheduled for September 21 - 29, will break with tradition by featuring a new course with a new host of challenges for the 100+ competitors when Australia's toughest off-road adventure hits the coast instead of the hinterland.

Honda has revealed a brand new addition to the CRF family - the CRF 110F. Featuring a brand new engine with electric start, a new chassis\nplus CRF 450R motocross styling, the CRF 110F is sure to be an appealing package for riders in the 8 - 10 age bracket.

If you know the name Wild Bill Gelbke, you'll know he's the man behind 'Roadog', the mammoth creation generally regarded as the World's largest motorcycle. On June 1, another of Gelbke's behemoth, car-engined machines will go to auction in the US.

Honda Australia has revealed initial information on the 2013-spec CRF 450R motocrosser, which thanks to help from former AMA Supercross champion, Jeremy McGrath, is expected to take competition to new heights.

The new element to the 2012 Moto GP championship has been the inclusion of the Claiming Rule Team (CRT) machines. Distinct from the factory prototypes, the CRT machines run production engines in race-spec chassis from a variety of manufacturers.

A Harley-Davidson motorcycle recovered on the coast of British Columbia after drifting for more than a year and 4,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean following the March 2011 Japanese Tsunami will be preserved by the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee as a memorial to the tragedy that claimed more than 15,000 lives, in accordance with the wishes of its owner, Ikuo Yokoyama.

Round 6 of the 2012 World Superbike Championship was one of mixed fortunes for the series frontrunners, but the overall round victory went the way of BMW Motorrad's Marco Melandri, as the S1000 RR continues to improve.

The motorcycle-engined Morgan three-wheelers have inspired a host of imitators, both faithful and otherwise, but one of the more unique takes on the bike-engined car was recently auctioned in the UK through Bonhams.

Scheduled for Monday, June 4, Shannons Melbourne Winter Classic Auction will feature a number of desirable classic British motorcycles.