Articles by Mike Ryan

Free WR250F 'White Lightning' kits. Yamaha's WR250F is lightning quick - just ask Team Ballards rider Chris Hollis who won his class and finished an incredible second outright on a quarter litre WRF in the gruelling 2007 Australian Four Day Event held at Coffs Harbour recently. In order to celebrate this latest of many achievements in the winning history of the WR250F, for a limited time, customers can receive free unique 'White Lightning' kits when they purchase selected WR250Fs.

Get ready to get to the Island! With the Phillip Island MotoGP coming up, NOW is the time to starting locking in some plans, tickets and travel arrangements for what's set to be a sensational three days of high-paced action!

Tens of thousands of man hours will go into constructing a breathtaking multi-million dollar showcase of motorcycles to be entered in the 2008/09 Australian Custom Bike Championships (ACBC). A popular feature of the Australian Motorcycle Expos and Sydney Motorcycle Show, the ACBC attracts bike builders from across the nation, all vying to take out the overall title.

With Gold Coast Bike Week kicking off just before this issue hit the stands, it was timely to run a hot gold chopper on the golden cover of JUST BIKES, and they don't get much hotter - or much golder -than 'Flashpoint', the creation of Melbourne custom bike builder, Danny Pellegrino, of Custom Valley Choppers (CVC). Victorian chopper fans, or those of you who were in Sydney for the Orange County Choppers tour last year, will likely be familiar with Flashpoint already, but if you're not, feast your eyes on this golden machine!

Keeping up with the Johnsons! Many of you enthusiasts out there in motorcycle land would have had dealings with Murray Johnson at some stage. During the last 28 years or so, he has built K&M Motorcycles from the ground up and in doing so, played a major role in the imported Classic Bike market, as well as servicing the Harley Davidson scene.

It has been six years since Honda's flagship naked bike - the Hornet 900 - first hit the scene, thus the time was right to wipe the slate and start anew for the next generation. The result is the astounding CB1000R, and Honda has confirmed it will arrive shortly. The new CB1000R features a dynamic, hard edged design that immediately grabs attention with its unmistakeable look of muscular performance and wild 'Bar Star' image.

The 2008 CBR1000RR Fireblade range has a new additional colour - an eyecatching Black/Silver combination. Debuting earlier this year, the new Fireblade has innovative developments such as a new underslung exhaust system and "Honda Assist Slipper Clutch" for smoother and quicker cornering control.

Another in the classic Honda super sports line-up is the CBR1100XX. The biggest styling change to come to the Super Blackbird is in the design of its instrument panel. It features a wide LCD instrument panel with multi-segment tachometer display and large digital speedometer.

Thanks to its modest size and weight, the CRF230L is able to fulfill an amazing variety of roles for beginning motorcyclists through to seasoned riding veterans. With a 223cc air-cooled engine including a two-valve head and a compression ratio of 9.0:1, the net result is a wide power band that offers plenty of grunt while remaining user friendly.

This fantastic looking bike is due for release shortly. With its astounding concept bike looks, long and low proportions, high-styled 17" wheels and powerful V-twin engine, Honda's new DN-01 is a motorcycle that provides all the exhilaration one would expect from the finest of its breed. But with one major difference... it has no clutch! Instead, the DN-01 introduces to motorcycling the most advanced fully automatic transmission ever developed for any two wheeled vehicle.

Thirty three years ago Honda created the GL1000 Gold Wing, and in a single stroke transformed what had been a niche - motorcycle touring - into a major market segment. Smooth, roomy, luxurious, the GL seemed custom made for long distance travel. The Gold Wing's role was not clearly defined at first with two different groups at Honda wanting to take the GL1000 in two directions. One group wanted to create a true Grand Touring machine, with a wide powerband and flat torque curve.

The Honda Motor Company was created by one man, Soichiro Honda, and has evolved as an expression of his personality, of his engineering knowledge and energy. He died in 1991 at the age of 84, 43 years after forming the Honda Motor Company with an investment of $3,200. Before his retirement in 1973, he went from department to department every working day, checking on progress, suggesting alternatives, making engineering the central preoccupation of his company and his people.