I can’t help loving the artwork of these Italian machines, they just keep making more and more of these beautiful machines. MV Agusta now has the Brutale 989R which produces 142 bhp at 185 Kg dry weight, this machine can fly. Now MV Agusta is coming out with the 1078R, I don’t even know how this machine is supposed to be. The last version of this machine has had its fuel delivery smooth out so that it isn’t choppy as it was before. I always love the way those Italian twins deliver power.
Link: fasterandfaster
Now this would be some interesting mix, it seems that Harley Davidson might buy a controlling share of MV Agusta and pumping some cash flow into them. As of recently I think that MV Agusta has been doing well and improving upon their line, and current owners wouldn’t mind having some cash on hand. Harley Davidson could use this type partnership to add to their arsenal of motorcycles, since Buell isn’t really that big compared to other brands of sports and touring motorcycles. I just have no idea what Harley is planning with this buy out and how exactly they want to benefit from it, I know one thing is that they can benefit from a little Italian ingenuity. As of right now this is just one very big rumor, but where there is smoke there is fire.
I’m keeping tabs on the Moto GP these days, but it seems that the Euro Cup 2008 is the main event around the globe. The one thing that I can appreciate for the Italians is their spirit and intentsity for the game. And for this event Valentino Rossi painted his motorcycle, helmet, and suit to match the Italian Football Team, and who can forget his supportive female members of the Yamaha Moto GP Team. I want that helmet!
Link: TopSpeed
Now this turns out to be interesting, they pitted three V-Twins against each other. The images themselves are beautiful but I wish they had an MV Agusta instead of the ugly Buell. I think Buell’s are not the best of motorcycles and are still sluggish so there was no reason to have it in this comparison, mentioned in the article that the Buell always feels outdated and doesn’t give you confidence when riding the machine on the road.
But I am extremely curious as to how the KTM and Ducati will be since they are in direct competition. I just love the color of both the Ducati and KTM, they both have character but very different intentions when building these machines. The Ducati is described a stiff and precise, a very race oriented machine. The KTM is described a more comfortable machine for long trips with an agile suspension such as the Ducati. The KTM and Ducati are very similar in lots of aspects yet different goals were mind when they were building these machines.
Link: faster&faster
I was looking for a good motorcycle back pack and their a few in mind. It would have to be extremely durable and can carry any weight comfortable on my back. After a little research I’m surprised to find this back pack to be ideal for my needs, and an added bonus to be a certified CE back protector, meaning if you fall it will not only protect the items in the back pack but your pack as well.
Price: 199 Euros
Link: Boblbe-e
I always look into the latest J.D. Power Associates study for helmets and other items. They have a very clear criteria when it comes to motorcycle helmets, its based on a 1000 point system and owners of these helmets are surveyed. 11 key areas which affect helmet scoring:
- quietness
- ventilation/air flow
- de-fogging
- face shield ability to keep wind out
- face shield ability to resist scratching
- ease of replacing face shield
- scratch resistance of shell
- color/graphic design
- weight
- ease of fastening the strap
- comfort/fit.
Arai has been the number one for the past 10 years in a row. I have to say that I am one of there very satisfied customers. Arai comes in first at 819 points, and Shoei in second with 816 points. I always recommend both Arai and Shoei, and I also recommend Scorpion as an alternative to the usual brands.
Ranking:
- Arai
- Shoei
- Icon
- Scorpion
- Harley-Davidson
- Nolan
- KBC
- Bell
- Fulmer
Link: Clutch&Chrome
Now this is one unique machine, if I’m not mistaken it is built with a Buell engine and pretty much everything else is custom made. The rims are from a V-Rod but the body parts are hand crafted meant for use in high speed tests. The look of this machine tickles my curiousity, I wonder how it handles and feels, wouldn’t mind getting my leg over one but since its custom there probably won’t be that many of them on the road.
Link: Krugger
I called up Tristar around 5 pm to tell them about the problem I was having with Robo, something was most probably wrong with the clutch. I was loosing pressure at the clutch so I wasn’t sure what was going on, but something was not working right. I missed riding Robo so I was annoyed that everything wasn’t in perfect running condition.
They said they would pick up the bike next morning to take to the shop, and see what is going on. I thought that would be fine, I would have my bike back in a day or two. Around 5:45pm I get call from the Tristar driver who was at the door of my house here to pick up Robo. Instead of the morning he arrived in less then one hour to my house which is great. They took the bike and I was just hoping to have the machine fixed as soon as possible. Then the next day around 1 pm I get a call telling me they fixed my bike and it is on its way to be delivered to my home, I don’t think there is anything possible they could have done better. The part was replaced under warranty, it was fixed in less then 24 hours and I will be able to ride Robo as he was before.
I haven’t been out on Robo for some time now, and around 6:20 pm I felt like going for a ride. It was still a bit sunny and not too warm, with dust clearing up. I knew that their might be some kinks in the K1200R, any time I park it for some time I know the clutch is going to be a little bit off. I started the bike, let it warm up for about 10 minutes. Got my gear on and went out, I wanted to drive down wide open spaces and enjoy myself.
As I was riding the gear felt a little stiff, and I knew it wasn’t the gear box since they just changed the gear box completely. I was having the same issue where it would get really stiff after a long ride and that would make it really difficult to change gears. That really knocked my confidence down when I was going around the corners because I couldn’t have it the gear I wanted around the corner. It got a little better after riding, and I was enjoying myself since I was getting some cool breeze. After some time the gear box would be stiff again so I took Robo back home and parked. I did enjoy riding but not as much as I would have liked, it was a nice change of pace. I’m going to look for a small tripod that I can carry with me so that I can take some decent night pictures, I had some nicer shots but the blur is just driving me nuts.
Around 11 am I got a phone call telling me that the school was packed with people so I decided to go vote later in the day expecting people to go eat lunch. Went around 12:30 pm met up with my father and brother, and we went it. There was very little presence of the candidates up front unlike in 2006. No tents, no ice cream, no buses, no huge banners, nobody running after you as much, it was different for sure.
Inside they were very organized breaking up rooms by letters. My brother and father were in one room, within 15 – 20 minutes they went in voted and were heading home. I was with a very long line, I didn’t up waiting about an hour and 5 minutes before finishing up voting. They shouted my name 3 times when they took my citizenship card. When I looked at the sheet it took me sometime to find the candidates I wanted to vote for, and I triple checked it to make sure I got it right.
I left after some time, and later in the day I took my mother so that she could vote. The police man said that I couldn’t approach the school but I ignored him knowing that she sometimes has difficulty walking and the police officer up front told me that I can not enter and he was polite about it, he said it was his orders. He was very polite about it so I told him I will wait on the road, its frustrating knowing that my mother might have difficulty I wouldn’t be able to be next to her. If it is a medical case then they should make an exception, but this is the case you just have to deal with it. After some time she came out a bit tired, but they let her through due to medical reasons. But this year it seemed very organized unlike last time which was a large fiasco.
I don’t know what exactly but there is this feeling of wanting to get over this. I think that we want to see the results of these candidates and what exactly they are going to do. I’m fed up with them running us around and not doing anything, so my spirits weren’t as high as it was in 2006 about the parliamentary elections.
Link: Flickr (Cajie)