News

Fans of vintage Harley-Davidsons were spoiled for choice at Shannons' Melbourne Summer Classic Auction, their final auction for 2011. Of the eleven motorcycles consigned, five were Harleys, with a 1923 Harley-Davidson 1000cc F Model the top seller at $28,000.

When it comes to sport/sport touring motorcycles, Suzuki has a broad range. Some are a lot more sporty than others, some are LAMS approved bikes, some are just fun to ride, while the latest GSR750 has a definite sporting edge. Suzuki officially lists 18 bikes in the category, virtually offering a bike for every rider.

The 'Monza Rally Show' is an annual event held at the historic Italian circuit, where the stars of World and European rallying join drivers - and riders - from other motorsport disciplines to have fun over three-days of rallying-inspired challenges. This year's event, held from November 25 to 27, featured close to 100 drivers, including WRC, European Rally and Le Mans 24 Hour winners amongst the talent, but arguably the most impressive performance came from long time rally enthusiast and part time rally driver, Valentino Rossi.

One of the more intriguing entries for this weekend's Insure My Ride Phillip Island 8 Hour endurance race will be Jason Akermanis. The former AFL premier player and Brownlow medallist will launch his first serious bike racing effort at the Island this weekend, campaigning a Honda CBR600RR in the Superstock class.

On Friday, November 25th, the newest addition to the World Superbike calendar was officially launched, with a Moscow hotel hosting the press conference announcing the addition of a Russian round to the World Superbike calendar for 2012. World Superbike's visit to the 'Moscow Raceway' circuit is also significant in that it will mark the first world-level motorsport series to include a round in Russia.

The 2012 Australian Motocross Championship will be expanded to a 10-round series, according to a provisional calendar released by series promoters, Williams Event Management.

When it comes to off-road bikes Yamaha has a massive portfolio that includes MX competition models, enduro and trail bikes, fun bikes, adventure and agricultural models. All up there are some 23 models to chose from, across six categories.

Nine times World Champion in Speedway and Long Track, Ivan Mauger OBE MBE, will be back in the saddle for the 2012 Honda Broadford Bike Bonanza.

The 2012 Suzuki GSR750 is now available in Australia, bringing technology-packed performance and aggressive street styling in striking black.

BMW Motorrad's tough new go-anywhere single-cylinder offering, the BMW G 650 GS Sert__o will go on sale in Australia in March 2012 priced at $12,700.*

Paggio's successful sports styled scooter, the Typhoon returns to Australia from early December in its latest iteration, the new Piaggio Typhoon 125.

Motorcycle racers, riders and celebrities will ramp up the thrills along with the latest and greatest motorcycles from tomorrow at the Sydney Motorcycle & Scooter Show. Opening this Friday at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, the show will also feature an exciting JUST Bikes special event, the JUST Bikes Build Off 2011.

The 2011 Phillip Island 8 Hour Australian Endurance Championship is just under two weeks away. One of the newest teams to sign up for the revitalised endurance event is 'Team FNQ Lager', who recently announced their entry.

The 2012 model Suzuki Hayabusa is here, and it's resplendent in Candy Red.

The new Vespa S 150, with sports styling and improved performance, will be available from early December.

Ural motorcycles, famous for their rugged and retro-inspired sidecar outfits, have released a special, limited-edition model celebrating 70 years of production at their Irbit factory on the edge of Russia's Ural mountains. The new 'M70' model is a tribute to its famous forebear, the M72.

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R pilots Matt Walters, Scott Yates, Bryce Van Hoof, Ben Nicolson and Phil Lovett combined their efforts at the final round of the 2011 Australian Superbike Championship at Phillip Island to win Kawasaki the coveted Australian ProStock Manufacturers Championship.

Take one of Kawasaki's "forgotten" models, add some determination, a bunch of custom parts, an eye for detail and a dash of style and you've got Lee Moore's slick KZ 750-based cafe racer. It was a project that took some time to get rolling, and turning this ugly duckling into a swan certainly had its moments, as Lee explains.

After making an impression on its local debut in late 2010, the latest version of the LAMS approved Daelim VJF 250 is set to turn heads again when the 2012 model of the Korean-made sports road bike is revealed. The VJF 250 will join the retro-styled 'Besbi' scooter in being officially unveiled at the 2011 Sydney Motorcycle & Scooter Show, at the Darling Harbour Convention & Exhibition Centre this weekend.

With victory in the 2011 Monster Energy Super X championship, Jay Marmont and the CDR Rockstar Yamaha team capped off a remarkable year that included the 2011 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals title. Marmont's Super X championship win was also the first for an Australian-based racer in the Open class since the inception of the series in 2008.

In warm, dry conditions at North Ipswich stadium in Queensland, the final round of the 2011 Monster Energy Super X Australian Supercross Championship saw three champions crowned. There was non-stop action across all classes, but the battle for the Open championship was the one to watch. In the Lites, JDR Motorex KTM's Matt Moss wrapped up his third Super X Lites title in convincing fashion, while Raceline Pirelli Suzuki's Errol Willis did enough to win the Under 19s title, despite not winning the final at Ipswich.

Emerging from the mess of AMF ownership and following on from the progressive, but unfortunately unsuccessful XLCR, the XR1000 was Harley-Davidson's next effort at creating a performance special.

The 2011 Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy saw motorcycles from the 1960s do battle on the Goodwood Motor Circuit at the annual September Goodwood Revival in the UK.

The battle is on - the grand finale of the 2011 Monster Energy Super X Championship will take place this weekend in Ipswich, Queensland, and Yamaha Australia's factory supported riders and teams are gearing up for some hot action.