Motorcycles

Super-small video camera at a reasonable price takes decent video and still photos.

Laconia Harley-Davidson and New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) have teamed up to make the 90th Anniversary of Laconia Motorcycle Week even more historic through an effort to raise over $76,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of New Hampshire and set a new Guinness Worlds Record. Laconia Motorcycle Week attendees and New Hampshire residents will play a key role in this endeavor by purchasing tickets for a Community Appreciation Parade at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on the final Saturday of Bike Week, June 15th. Participants will have the unique opportunity to ride around the New Hampshire Motor Speedway track, continue on a police escorted, scenic 32-mile ride around the Lakes Region, set a new Guinness World Record and most importantly, raise significant funds for the Boys & Girls Clubs of New Hampshire. Non-riders can also contribute to this effort by making a donation at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 15th. Reserve your space for this historic event at www.NewHampshire.speedwaycharities.org. “The Boys and Girls Clubs, more than any other organization, are working to put all children on a path to meaningful and productive lives. Their programs have a positive impact on the lives of young people and in some cases, have been credited with saving them,” said Anne Deli, owner of Laconia Harley-Davidson. “There is no better way to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of Laconia Motorcycle Week than attempting a philanthropic act of historic proportion. Motorcycle riders from across the globe and those here in New Hampshire can take part in a once-in-a-lifetime riding opportunity, but more importantly, make a difference by supporting this remarkable organization.” Laconia Harley, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the Boys & Girls Clubs of New Hampshire are calling on the public to help break an existing record for “most money raised for a charity in 24 hours by a motorcycle parade.” The current record is $76,036. Riders can pre-register online, in-person at the Laconia Harley-Davidson dealership at 239 Daniel Webster Highway in Meredith or sign up the day of the event on June 15th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Tickets are $35 per bike and $15 for an additional rider. Only 50 VIP tickets will be available for $150, which will enable a rider and passenger to get priority spot in the first 50 spaces behind the pace car. Participants will also receive one free ticket to the Loudon Classic Weekend that evening at NHMS. Individuals and businesses can also contribute to the effort by making a donation of any amount between 7-10 a.m. June 15th at NHMS. The New Hampshire Chapter of the Speedway Children’s Charities began in 2009, and since has worked to care for children in educational, financial, social and medical need in order to help them lead productive lives. Support the Boys & Girls Clubs of New Hampshire by pre-registering online at www.NewHampshire.peedwaycharities.org, or in person Laconia Harley-Davidson in Meredith, NH. Attend the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD official attempt June 15th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, 1122 New Hampshire 106, in Loudon, NH! About Laconia Harley-Davidson American Road Group owns and operates Harley-Davidson dealerships and merchandise stores nationwide. Its Laconia Harley-Davidson is home to America’s Original Motorcycle Week and is now one of the largest dealerships in the country. Its iconic destination dealership is located in Meredith, New Hampshire; and also includes White Mountain Harley-Davidson in North Conway, NH. Orlando Harley-Davidson is the premier Harley-Davidson dealership in the United States. Its Harley merchandise stores at major airports and visitor locations include Walt Disney World, and airport and tourist locations in Orlando, Chicago’s O’Hare airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul airport and also in Key West and Miami, Florida, at the huge Mall of America in Minneapolis, at National Harbor in Washington, D.C., and Indianapolis airport. The Company is led by Steven F. Deli, Chief Execut

Husaberg may soon be no more, but that hasn’t stopped the Austria-based Swedish brand from unveiling its 2014 lineup of seven models. News broke last week of plans to reunite Husaberg with Husqvarna, to be known as Husqvarna Sportmotorcycle GmbH as of October 2013, making lineup of of seven off-road bikes including both two- and four-stroke models the final traces of the Husaberg as an independent brand. These 2014 models will also give us some indication of what to expect from the new Husqvarna models. They’ll also share some similarities with the recently announced 2014 off-road lineup from Husaberg’s parent company, KTM. Husqvarna will introduce its new off-road lineup with Husaberg technology in November at the 2013 EICMA show in Milan, Italy. Ironically, this final year of Husaberg motorcycles also marks the brand’s 25th anniversary. As such, all 2014 Husaberg models will have 25th anniversary graphics. The 2014 Husaberg lineup will consist of the four-stroke FE 250, FE 350, FE 450 and FE 501 and the two-stroke TE 125, TE 250 and TE 300. All 2014 Husaberg models received updated suspension settings designed to improve traction and offer a more comfortable ride while also making them easy to maintain. The 4CS closed cartridge upside-down forks from WP have been revised, making it easier to bleed the forks of air or change springs. The PDS rear shock has also been updated with simplified seal changing and preload adjustment. As with the 2014 KTM 250 SX-F, the FE 250′s engine is all new, with a 2.7mm shorter stroke, lighter piston, new cylinder head, new crankshaft, new crankcase, update ECU, a heavier flywheel and a Damped Diaphragm Steel clutch. The FE 250 also gets a new exhaust system with a new header pipe and dual-cone silencer. Husaberg claims the updates increase torque and optimizes power for enduro riding. The FE 250 and FE 350 also get new frames with thinner-walled down tubes and revised cylinder head braces. According to Husaberg, the new frames are lighter and more able to absorb energy from rear wheel impacts while improving high-speed stability and cornering. As with KTM’s 2014 lineup, the two-stroke Husabergs have been updated to use Boyesen reeds and updated carburetor settings. The TE 250 and TE 300 also received new cylinder heads, modified ignition mapping, stronger batteries and refined DDS clutches. [Source: Husaberg] The post 2014 Husaberg Lineup Announced – Final Edition Before Husqvarna Merger appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

A handful of home track favorites took part in some good-natured -- if unconventional -- competition today at Donington Park.

The Isle of Man government has launched a new app for the 2013 edition of its famous Tourist Trophy races. Available for free for iOS devices at the Apple App store (and soon to be available for Android on the Google Play store), the Isle of Man TT 2013 app offers racing fans a new way to interact with the world famous event. The app offers a rolling news feed for the Isle of Man TT and its social media outlets as well as a live audio link to Manx Radio TT’s broadcast of interviews and commentary of qualifying sessions and races for this year’s event. The Isle of Man TT 2013 app also offers profiles of the leading competitors and an interactive map of the fame Mountain Course with video voiced by a TT rider liason officer and race winner Richard “Milky” Quayle giving his tips on how to approach different sections of the course. The app itself is free, but for a fee of £1.49 (US$2.25) users can access the live timing service and racers along six sector points on the course. [Source: IOMTT.com] The post Isle of Man TT Launches Official App for iOS and Android appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

Bombardier Recreational Products announced an initial public opening price of CN$21.50 per share when the company goes public. At that price ($20.83 in U.S. dollars) for 12,200,000 shares, the IPO would generate proceeds of CN$262.4 million (US$254.8 million) for BRP, the company behind Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft, Evinrude & Johnson outboard engines, and Can-Am‘s ATVs, side-by-sides and Spyder three-wheeled roadsters. BRP’s stock will be listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “DOO”. The IPO closes May 29. As previously announced, the IPO will offer subordinate voting shares, while the company’s current owners, a consortium of the Bombardier and Beaudoin families, Bain Capital and the Québec government’s public pension plan manager Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, will hold on to 90% of the company’s equity. At $262.4 million, this would represent the largest IPO in Canada this year. BRP plans to use the proceeds from the IPO to pay down the company’s debt. The IPO is underwritten by BMO Capital Markets, RBC Capital Markets, UBS Securities Canada Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Canada Inc., acting as joint bookrunners, and including Wells Fargo Securities LLC, CIBC World Markets Inc., Desjardins Securities Inc., Scotia Capital Inc., National Bank Financial Inc. and Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated. [Source: BRP] The post BRP to Raise CN$262.3 Million with Initial Public Opening appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about KTM‘s 2014 off-road lineup for Europe highlighted by an updated 250 EXC-F and other updates across the model lineup. KTM has now released information about its U.S.-spec models which include the same updates while keeping some differences from the European versions. For off-road riders in the U.S., KTM is offering the street-legal four-stroke 350 EXC-F and 500 EXC and their solely off-road XCF-W and XC-W, the four-stroke 250 XCF-W and the two-stroke 200, 250, 300 and 450 XC-W models. American motocross riders will have the choice of the four-stroke 250,  350 and 450 SX-F as well as the two-stroke 125, 150 and 250 SX models. Cross-country riders can opt for the four-stroke 250, 350 and 450 XC-F equivalents as well as the 150, 250 and 300 XC two-strokes. KTM USA will also offer four youth models, the 50 SX Mini and the 50, 65 and 85 SX. The 2014 KTM 250 XC-F receives revised engines, now sharing many features with the 350 engine including thinner cylinder walls and a balancer shaft that also drives the timing chain and the water pump. The 250 XCF-W also gets a new header pipe and Damped Diaphragm Steel (DDS) clutch. Both the 250 and 350 EXC-F/XCF-W also get a new heavier crankshaft than their respective SX-F motocross versions, a change KTM says increases gyrating mass to provide more uniform power development and improve traction. All 2014 EXC and XC models get a new frames, front fenders, airbox covers, master cylinders, hand guards, and fuel tank filler caps. The street legal EXCs also get a new headlight design. The two stroke models will also all come with new Boyesan reeds. On the motocross and cross-country side, the 2014 models get new, lighter chain guides and revised swingarms. The 250 SX-F has a new transmission with five gears instead of six to reduce weight. The 250 and 350 SX-F also get new Brembo master clutch cylinders and and revised wiring harnesses. The U.S.-spec 450 SX-F will continue to use a five-speed transmission while the European versions get a four-speed gearbox. [Source: KTM] The post US-Spec 2014 KTM Off-Road Models Revealed appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

Facts and figures heading into this weekend's second round of the '13 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross series in Lakewood, CO.

Notes and quotes heading into this weekend's Superbike World Championship doubleheader at Donington Park.

If you’ve never seen a sidecar race, you’d be amazed at how different it is from motorcycle racing. Not only do you have some entirely different physics at work with the third wheel, you also have a passenger sprawled over the chassis behind the rider, sticking his body out to either side at lean angles that would make Marc Marquez break a sweat. Take a look under the fairing of a sidecar racer and you’ll see how radically different it is from most other forms of motorcycle racing. KTM’s official blog posted a feature on German IDM racers Josef Sattler and Stefan Trautner who are racing the 2013 season in a sidecar powered by a V-Twin engine from a KTM RC8 R. The post offers a rare look at the chassis and engine of their sidecar racer. Last season, Sattler and Trautner raced with a Suzuki GSX-R1000 inline-four engine, by far the most popular powerplant in the series, used by more than 70% of the field. This season, the team decided to switch to the RC8 R engine as the lone KTM-powered sidecar team in the series. Upgraded with parts from KTM’s superstock kit, the engine claims an output of 168hp, which KTM says should push the 533-pound sidecar to a top speed of between 155 mph and 168 mph depending on the track and gearing. The V-Twin engine is mounted in a riveted and bonded aluminum chassis from German firm RSR Sidecars (most other teams use the LCR chassis). Stripped of its fairing, Sattler and Trautner’s racer looks like a cross between a streamliner motorcycle and an open wheel racecar. The thick Formula 3 tires only heighten that impression. All of the other sidecar teams use inline four engines but Sattler says switching to a Twin wasn’t as difficult as originally thought. One benefit is the broader useable rev range from 4000-17000  rpm compared to 8000-13000 rpm with the GSX-R engine, though the team does lose a bit off the top end. “Actually, the twin fits even better than a four. The swap was done pretty quickly and we are totally satisfied with the performance,” says Sattler. “The power character of the engine is great and suits us very well; we are enjoying a bit of an advantage with acceleration! Although at the end of very long straights we bite off a bit … then you wish to have 10 to 15hp more.” Last season, Sattler and Trautner finished fifth in the IDM Sidecar Championship with a single podium in eight races in just their second year of competition. This season, the team is hoping to finish in the top three. [Source: Official KTM Blog] The post Under the Skin of a KTM RC8 R-Powered Sidecar Racer appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.