Like the Moriwaki 600GP Prototype, this AguÌ GP6, hailing from 1997, provides an excellent idea of what we can expect from the four-stroke 600cc prototypes that will race in Moto2. It houses a tuned version of a CBR600 engine in a prototype frame fitted with common period racing components. Wait, that doesn't sound like a GP bike, what gives?

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When we first saw Jason Tiedeken's Lockheed Lounge it was little more than a frame and some pretty cool ideas. Now, with the addition of bodywork, Jason's ultimate vision is starting to take shape. The custom uses a turbocharged 360cc single parallel-twin Honda engine and four-link front suspension.

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The depressingly mediocre Triumph Thunderbird 1600 will start at $12,999 when it hits showroom floors later this year. That brings it in a little more expensive than the Harley Dyna Super Glide, which at 1573cc is, as near as we can tell, the closest American competition. Of course, making around 100bhp, the Triumph clearly justifies its price premium over the 68bhp Harley.

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Photos: Christian Pondella/Red Bull Photofiles

As part of the Red Bull No Limits New Year's Eve 2009 spectacular, Robbie Maddison jumped from ground level onto the 96-foot high Arc de Triomphe replica in Las Vegas. That's pretty impressive, but wait till you see him jump back down. HD video follows the jump.

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These images, from a patent application filed by American Honda, reveal the Honda Fury factory chopper in all its played-out glory. Only coming half a decade or more after the chopper trend was in full swing, it's expected that the Fury will be officially unveiled at the New York round of the International Motorcycle Show on January 16th.

Update: Thanks to the VTXOA we've found the Fury's complete patent filing, check it out in the gallery above. It looks like the Fury is getting a front-mounted radiator tucked neatly between the frame rails and not an underseat unit as we initially believed. Remember, you can click the images for larger versions.

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Photo: Alex Conley Thanks to: TT Motorcyles

For many, the Ducati Monster 696 is an ideal first street bike. It combines low power and low weight in an easily manageable package with enough image to make it desirable and enough performance to guarantee not only that the rider won't become bored with it for many years, but also that they're learning how to use real suspension, real brakes and real tires. We dispatched beginner rider Andrew Didorosi into Detroit's frigid, early winter depths to find out more.

Kawasaki has just notified MotoGP's owner Dorna Sports that it is pulling out of the series, effective immediately. The move is likely prompted by a combination of Great Depression 2.0 and the team's lack of success in motorcycle racing's premier class. Marco Melandri is likely to be hardest hit, he'd hoped the 2009 season with Kawasaki would revive a career left in tatters after his disastrous experience with Ducati. "I can only hope that when I wake up on January 1st it is all a nightmare," Melandri told Autosport. Kawasaki is expected to make a public announcement on January 5.

via Motociclismo and Autosport

We're excited to announce Hell For Leather's first event, Function Through Form: Motorcycles in the Age of Artistic Production. We'll be bringing together iconic designers JT Nesbitt and Roland Sands, along with two of their bikes, in Roland's case, a surprise machine. Roland and JT have pretty big personalities, so it should be interesting to see them interacting to create art based on their motorcycle designs live at RARE Gallery in Chelsea. Grant and I are also putting together a small selection of classic and custom bikes to accompany the two designers' work.

Update: the official invite's above. Make sure you RSVP.

Thanks go out to Function Through Form's sponsor: Discover Today's Motorcycling.

"We thought that the Pursang should keep the essence from the golden era of the Spanish motorcycles brands and the dynamic qualities similar to those bikes." Jim Palau-Ribes and Roger Gubert envision a new motorcycle brand combining modern performance with a classic design sensibility.

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Photo: Grant Ray

Included in a new set of rules issued by the FIM Motocross/Supermoto Grand Prix Commission is the following new regulation: "Long hair must be contained within the helmet." In one fell swoop this, combined with a lack of talent, squashes my dream of becoming a world champion supermoto racer.

via Crash.net

The biggest advantage of electric motorcycles isn't their lack of pollution, but rather their lack of noise. This applies both off-road and on, eliminating in one fell swoop the biggest objection Joe Average and Nancy Normal have to motorcycles. Recognizing this, the designers at MOTOrepublic have created the Beta and imagined a future of inner city racetracks.

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