News

Deluges and DNFs\nRd.13 - Misano\nA deluge of rain on the Friday practice session was almost followed by a deluge of tears at the San Marino circuit when Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) dropped out of the race after only five laps.

Return of the King!\nRd.14 - Estoril\nSpeculation coming into this round of the championship was whether Casey Stoner (Marlboro Ducati) could secure the 2008 title. Stoner needed to win the race, with Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) finishing sixth or worse in order for the Aussie to be the 2007 MotoGP champion.\n

The Panther Trike is a spectacular piece of engineering that is making a big impact in the three-wheeled market.\nPanther is the creation of Josef Furrer and built through his company, Panther Engineering (Aust) Pty Ltd, located at 379 Manns Road, West Gosford in New South Wales.

Get ready for the Island!\nWith this year's Phillip Island MotoGP round set to be the biggest ever, you will need to move quick to be there!\nAs this issue goes to press, the finishing touches are being applied to the expansion of user and spectator facilities at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit, part of an $11 million upgrade that will not only cement the Island as the preferred host of the Australian MotoGP round, but also attract new events to the\npicturesque Island circuit.

Australian racing history preserved

Suzuki Australia has launched a sensational free GIVI luggage offer with the purchase of selected Suzuki touring models, available for a limited time.\nEvery purchase of a new V-Strom 650, V-Strom 1000 enduro tourer or Bandit 1250S sports tourer before 31 October 2007, will include a bonus GIVI luggage set.

New from National Cycle is the 'Switchblade' range of 2-up lexan polycarbonate screens to suit a broad range of late model cruisers. "Just another screen", you may say, but you'd be wrong if you did!\nNot only do the SwitchBlade screens feature a quick release system, but they also feature exclusive Quantum_ treatment against surface abrasion for improved clarity.

Make way gym junkies, the original muscle bike is back for 2007 after a full work out - but at a slimmer price.\nYamaha's XJR1300 now comes with a host of modern updates that lurk seemingly un-noticed beneath the traditional exterior. Which means that while the classic look is retained, performance is thoroughly modern.\nFor example, fuel injection has been introduced for 2007.

FLHT ELECTRA GLIDE STANDARD\nThe FLHT Electra Glide Standard offers key touring features, including locking hard saddlebags, fork-mounted touring fair\ning with instrumentation, and auxiliary lamps, in an economical package that can also serve as a canvas for customisation.\n

A recent release from Tower Books, "Pinstripe Planet" is a visual celebration of the art of pinstriping - and some of its best practitioners - from all over the World.

Intersections present potentially high risk situations for motorcyclists and scooter riders. The increased volume of traffic activity places extra pressure on all drivers and riders. Accordingly, the chances of a crash are much greater, too.\nRiders who use a systematic risk management strategy can reduce the likelihood of a problem provided they apply serious concentration and three simple mental skills.

Sydney-based scooter specialists, Scooter Central, are inviting all Sydney scooter aficionados to attend the 'Spring Has Sprung Scooter Run' this September 16.\nHeld in conjunction with the Northern Beaches Scooter Club, the ride will kick off from Scooter Central's showroom at 551 Pittwater Rd, Brookvale at approximately 9:15am.

OZ Trikes. When it comes to trikes, OZ Trikes are Australia's number one manufacturer. They design and manufacture all their models and, of course, all are fully compliance approved.

Through a potent combination of performance DNA extracted from the Daytona 675 and aggressive street fighter styling drawn from the Speed Triple, Triumph have created the most desirable naked middleweight motorcycle in the market. The younger brother of the Speed Triple, the Street Triple is a rebel with plenty of cause - lean, light, agile and dripping with attitude.

If you love all things Vespa, you'll love the new Vespa shopping website\nwww.vespashopping.com

Borders bookstores are offering the ultimate gift for the scooter-loving dad - or even yourself - in the form of this LX50 Vespa, as part of their special Father's Day promotion.

In a bold anti theft initiative, Yamaha Motor Australia is currently supplying all motor-cycles, scooters and ATVs with DataDotDNA theft protection.\nDataDotDNA is a unique theft protection system consisting of tiny microdots bearing identifying code numbers. These dots have been sprayed onto all Yamahas since 1 February 2007 enabling units and their component parts to be easily identified.

In celebration of the factory Yamaha Racing Team's dominance of Australian Superbike and Supersport competition this year, Yamaha Motor Australia have extended their $1,000 'Yamadollar' promotion from the YZF-R1 to also include new sales of the increasingly popular YZF-R6 sportsbike.

The 'littlest' motorcycling icon, Honda's Z50 Monkey bike is making a return to the Australian market in the form a special 40th Anniversary model that is sure to become a hit with big and little kids alike. \n

In an ode to the great Grand Prix racers of the late 80's and early 90's including Mick Doohan, Wayne Gardner and Eddie Lawson, Honda is releasing a limited edition tri colour VFR800.\nPainted up in the same livery as the all mighty NSR500 of the day, the tri colour model features all of the standard benefits that sport touring customers have come to expect from their Honda.

Reardon dominates Pro\nOpen MX in season '07\nThe Australian MX landscape was painted a distinct shade of green this year. No, we're not talking about the breaking of the drought, but the performance of Team Kawasaki's Daniel Reardon in the Pro Open class. Here's how he did it.\nStrong performances and a runner up finish in the championship last season were backed up with another Australian Supercross title (in SX Open) at the start of 2007, which proved to be a taste of things to come for this year's Australian MX Championship.

The Australian motorcycle market is on target for another record year after achieving sales of more than 60,000 for the first half of 2007. Official retail sales figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) show that 60,192 motorcycles, scooters and ATVs were sold to June 30 - an increase of 7,818 or 14.9% over the same period in 2006.

The Piaggio Beverley 250 is now on sale at $7,490 + ORC.

Undoubtedly Scooters are riding the crest of a wave, as urban dwellers recognise the benefits scooters offer for short commuting around town, to say nothing of reduced running costs! These environmentally friendly credentials have been strengthened further with the release of the first hybrid scooter. Piaggio, the maker of Vespa, has launched the hybrid scooter by mechanically and electronically linking a traditional combustion engine with an electric motor.