“Fujin (green: god of wind) and Raijin (red: god of thunder and lightening) are often portrayed as demons in pop culture but they are actually two of the earliest/oldest gods of Shinto religion and are sworn to protect Japan and it’s supreme god, the god of the Sun,” explains Canadian expat Mike Wyckoff. He built this custom Honda Forza as a tribute to Japan’s resilience post-earthquake. :continue:
Everyone’s favorite scooter/moped/pit bike/mini moto/bicycle race is returning to Detroit’s re-discovered Dorais Velodrome with two dates this year. Thunderdrome will race on 30 June and 15 September, 2012. Make sure you visit the Thunderdrome site for full details, there’s changes to the registration process and homologation rules this year which mean you have to sign up ahead of time. You should, it’s the most accessible, laid back, fun motorcycle race you’ll ever participate in.
With 9kWh in its battery pack, nearly twice the capacity of the Toyota Prius, the 2012 Zero DS is the fastest, longest-range electric motorcycle to ever enter production. 84mph top speed, 112-mile range. Is that enough to make it practical, useful transportation? More importantly, can a bike that slow be fun to ride? :continue:
Unveiled at the Bangkok Motor Show this morning, this Zoomer X is Honda Thailand’s take on a replacement for the popular 50cc scooter known as the Ruckus in the US. In production for a decade now, the current Zoomer still looks fresh, largely thanks to its elemental design; exposed frame tubes aren’t covered in any bodywork and two round headlights are as close to “styling” as it gets. This concept ditches that simplicity for plastic cladding around a similar exposed underseat area. :continue:
Piaggio officially cut the ribbon on its new engine assembly plant in Vietnam today, a move which will see it ramp up scooter production to 300,000 units annually in that country. Piaggio Vietnam produces both Vespa and Piaggio scooters for the Asian market and this plant is part of a massive expansion on that continent. By 2014, Piaggio forecasts that its annual volume will exceed 1,000,000 vehicles a year, with 50 percent of its revenue coming from asia. In comparison, the entire on-road market in the US was just 565,000 motorcycles. :continue:
Composed from 10,000 still images, this day-in-the-life of Ho Chi Minh City traffic paints a telling portrait of two-wheeled life in a two-wheeled city. Rather than the chaos you’d expect, everything seems to flow harmoniously. :continue:
The Vespa Quarantasei (46 in Italian) is a concept inspired by the 1945 MP6 prototype and it’s more wasp-like than ever. Times have changed though and engine technology has made significant advances in the last 65 years. While the Quarantasei is a styling concept, its engine is the real deal. :continue:
These are probably the two most significant bikes being unveiled at EICMA, but also two of the least appealing here in the colonies. The BMW C 600 Sport and C 650 GT may look like slick, yet conventional maxi scoots, but that basic big scooter prinicipal has been utterly refined to a ridiculous degree by BMW’s lab-coated Germans. :continue:
While other manufacturers are busy sticking motorcycle engines in maxi-scooters and maxi-scooter engines in motorcycles to create odd new breeds of hybrid, Yamaha is continuing its domination of that world with continual refinements to the basic concept. This new 2012 Yamaha TMAX looks to be essentially the perfect take on the large scooter concept, combining immense practicality, total comfort and frugality with minimal weight, sharp styling, practical features and yes, a lesson or two learned from real bikes. :continue:
What the hell is this new Honda Integra anyways? It’s feet-forward, doesn’t have foot controls, has room for a 3/4 helmet under the seat and is twist-and-go, just like a scooter. But, that transmission isn’t a CVT, it’s a dual-clutch arrangement that’s actually more advanced than that used by the VFR1200. The 670cc engine is located between the rider’s legs in a steel tube frame, both of which will also be shared by future Honda motorcycles. The forks are beefy 41mm items which hold a 17-inch wheel. Same diameter at the rear too, where there’s also a Pro-Link shock. It makes more power than a 1,200cc Harley, yet returns over 65mpg. Can something be both a motorcycle and a scooter? And, does such a combination even make sense? :continue:
