North American Dealers scheduled to receive first shipment of 2012 Zero DS models in January. 

Zero motorcycles recently celebrated the start of production of its ground breaking 2012 model line with the rollout of its first new 2012 Zero DS. Management and staff greeted the arrival of the stunning new Zero DS motorcycle on Dec. 15, 2011 (it was an early Christmas present) with applause and excitement. Additionally, Zero Motorcycles announces that the entire product line is in full production and dealers and consumers alike can expect to see the motorcycles hitting the marketplace throughout the first quarter of 2012. Zero recently debuted the all-new 2012 product line to a very positive response this past November at the 2011 EICMA Motorcycle Show in Milan, Italy.

“It’s an amazing feeling to watch the fruition of so much hard work and effort as it comes into being and becomes something that is so special and unique,” said Scot Harden, Vice President of Global Marketing for Zero Motorcycles. “We are very proud of our dedicated team at Zero Motorcycles. Without their passion and dedication to building the very best electric motorcycle, we wouldn’t be in the position we are today. The progress being made is phenomenal, every model in the lineup goes faster, further and is more fun than ever before.”

The Zero S, a street fighter, and Zero DS, a dual sport, are both available in a 6 or 9 kWh configuration. As measured by the EPA UDDS, the Zero S is capable of respectively achieving 76 or 114 miles on a single charge. Both motorcycles offer a higher top speed, with the Zero DS hitting 80 mph and the Zero S topping out at 88 mph. Both motorcycles offer a broad torque band and stealthy acceleration from 0 rpm that makes them incredibly fun to ride. In addition, all the street models, including the Zero XU, feature new brushless motors and regenerative braking that allow riders to recoup energy during deceleration. The Zero XU, a motorcycle designed for inner city riding, now uses the same maintenance-free belt drive system as the Zero S and Zero DS. Brushless air-cooled motors, life of motorcycle power packs and belt drive systems make Zero’s lineup of street models just about the world’s easiest-to-own form of transportation.

Zero’s new Z-Force power pack uses a completely new battery cell chemistry and configuration that is up to 95 percent more energy dense and is rated to 3,000 complete charge cycles before hitting 80 percent capacity. This means that a Zero S could travel as much as 308,000 miles on its original power pack. All of Zero’s on and off-road motorcycles leverage the new technology, meaning that the power pack is designed to exceed the longevity expected of any conventional motorcycle. The result is a complete electric motorcycle line that offers owners exhilarating rides while saving on gas and virtually all-routine powertrain maintenance. The same is true for the all new Zero X and MX. Improvements in styling, performance and range make both of these off-road oriented models a dream to own and operate. With almost three times the range of previous Zero X and MX models, and with substantially more power on tap, these electric dirt motorcycles take off-road riding to an all new level.

Just in case you forgot or maybe you've never ridden a motocross bike - they're wicked fun.

Not sure? Watch this Husqvarna video and your mind will be made up.

I don't know about you but the sound of a two-stoke flips a switch in my brain that says "Hell Yeah!" Add a leg out turn through a berm, rooster tail of dirt, real wheel sliding out and well I'm wondering why I'm sitting here at a computer and not out riding.

Oh yeah, it's winter.  Arghhh.

Arai has a new video showing many of the design and safety features of their Axcess II motorcycle helmet. It's a pretty slippery looking helmet (aerodynamically speaking) and has all the comfort and safety features you've come to expect from a top brand like Arai.

This model doesn't appear to be on Arai's website yet.

Check it out:

Time to get your motorcycle ready for another season of racing!  Some exciting news for Canadian Enduro racing fans! The team at the Canadian Enduro Championship are very close to finalizing all the details for the 2012 Canadian Championship season.

Full details:

We are pleased welcome back many of our previous sponsors and some new ones – this series could not happen with out the strong support of companies like Royal Distributing, Yamaha, KTM, and Honda!

We look forward to the return of many of the fastest off road racers in Canada.  Lots of questions will be answered.  Will KTM’s Bobby Prochnau be able to continue his dominance now that he has a full plate of racing in the US?  Is this the year KTM’s Geoff Nelson or maybe Husaberg’s Ben Rego unseats him?  Will Honda’s Jason Schrage bounce back from his back luck in Quebec last season to regain the #1 plate he held last season? Is this the year that Yamaha’s Brian Wojnarowski moves to the top of the podium?  Which riders will move up from the amateur ranks to the Pro level?

The series will begin at an all new location in Vernon, BC on July 7 & 8 hosted by the Vernon Off Road Motorcycle Club.  Pre-registration is already open!

After BC the series moves to scenic Blairmore, AB on July 14 & 15th.  Clint’s Full Gas crew is planning some great new mountain trails to entertain and challenge everyone!  The event will be taking place on the same weekend as the Thunder in the valley fireworks show so hotel space is very limited.  I happen to know that as of today there are a few rooms at the Coleman & Blairmore Best Canadian Motor Inn so if your planning to attend and need a room CALL RIGHT away as the next closest hotel is 40 minutes away in Pincher Creek.  Coleman 403-563-5600 Blairmore 403-562-8851.

The series moves to the east in September.  Big news for 2012 is our partnership with the FMSQ who will be hosting the Quebec round at a new location!  We are working with the FMSQ and our Ontario crew to finalize the best dates and locations which will be announced in February.

Please keep an eye on our site  www.worldendurocanada.com for more details – we will be updating it regularly in the next few months with both our National and regional event news.

Canadian coffee icon Tim Hortons (Sudbury) will be Ben Young Racing / Fogi Racing’s Title Sponsor for the first race of the AMA Pro Road Racing 2012 season as well as the prestigious Daytona 200, which will be held at the legendary Daytona International Raceway, Daytona Beach. Florida, USA, March 15 - 17th 2012.

18 year old Ben Young from Thornbury ON, competing in the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike class under the Fogi Racing Development Team banner, is extremely proud to be partnered with Tim Hortons Sudbury franchisee Gilles Bolduc.

Bolduc, a former Canadian Superbike road racer himself, saw this as an opportunity to promote one of North America's largest quick service restaurant chains through a sport he personally has a passion for and a young Scottish-Canadian rider that he feels has a tremendous future ahead of him.

Bolduc missed out on his Daytona PRO Superbike racing debut at the celebrated Daytona 200 himself back in 1986 as a rule change in engine displacement was introduced.  Bolduc stated “I couldn’t believe I would be unable to compete when the displacement changed to 750cc.  Now I have been given the chance to live vicariously through Ben’s experience.”

Bolduc added “I’ve been watching Ben’s progress for some time now; from 125cc through to the 600s.  Ben is an excellent, consistence and clean racer. I’m so pleased to be able to assist in the progress in his career.”

Young, who’s moving up to the next level of his development programme - the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike class from the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport class in 2011 - was asked about the opportunity, “I can’t thank Tim Hortons (Sudbury) and Gilles enough for the support.  It will be a great honour to represent the Tim Hortons brand on the bike and in the paddock as Tim Hortons is such a huge part of mine and so many others’ day-to-day life.”

For more information about Tim Hortons please visit www.timhortons.com and to keep up-to-date on the Ben Young Racing and the Fogi Racing Development Team, please visit  www.fogi.us, facebook.com/BenYoungRacing and on Twitter @86BY.

Ben Young Racing and the Fogi Racing Development Team would also like to acknowledge the following companies for their support this season; Arai Helmets, Scot-build Developments, GPTech LLC, K&N Filters, EBC Brakes, Arlen Ness Racing boots, Armour Bodies, BCL Motorsports Pit Kit, Vortex Racing, RS Taichi Leathers and The North American International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW.

Yamaha Motor Canada is expanding its popular ‘Win a Factory Ride’ award to three of the biggest amateur motocross events in Canada!

At the 2011 Parts Canada Walton TransCan, RJ Marnoch accumulated the most points of any amateur Yamaha rider. For his efforts, RJ has been awarded the use of a YZ of his choice and a $2500 parts credit for the 2012 race season.

Bryan Hudgin, Yamaha’s Race Director commented, “I think RJ was a little surprised last year when he realized what he had won. The prize not only includes the use of a YZ, but also access to our great accessory and gear partners like AXO, One Industries, FMF, Matrix and our own Yamalube and GYTR brands, so there’s a lot of value!”

With the announcement that the award is available at the Raymond Western Canadian Amateur National (June 29 - July 2) and the Deschambault Eastern Canadian Amateur National (July 7 – 8) in addition to the Walton TransCan, Hudgin went on to talk about why Yamaha expanded the program, “The expansion now gives Yamaha riders from coast to coast a chance to earn this prize. It also shows our commitment to amateur racing and our appreciation for their business. We want our customers to know they’re always a part of the Yamaha family and hopefully this helps to do that.”

How Do You Win?

Of all the Yamaha riders at each event, the winning rider must attain the most cumulative points for their finishes. Enter as many classes as you can to increase your chances!

The Rules:

- Contest open only to amateur riders.
- You must be a resident of Canada.
- Your Yamaha must be a Canadian purchased unit.
- Rider cannot be an employee of Yamaha Motor Canada or one of its dealerships.
- Winner is only eligible for one prize. (Cannot win at multiple events)

On top of the ‘Factory Ride’ award, Yamaha will continue with their ‘Yamabucks For You’ campaign for the Walton, Raymond and Deschambault events. The top 3 Yamaha riders in each class will collect $75, $50 and $25 in Yamabucks, no matter their finishing position.

Hudgin concluded, “If you race Raymond, Deschambault or Walton, make sure you’re doing it on a Yamaha. You may ride for free in 2013 on a ‘Factory Ride’ or at least get a little extra money to spend at your dealer!”

Motomethod Community Motorcycle Repair Shop in Vancouver, BC is a full repair shop, for nearly all makes and models of motorcycles, old or new. Nothing too earth shattering in that news but there's more.

What's a little different about Motomethod is that they allow the rider to come in and ‘rent a bay’ and repair their own bike, or learn how. All their tools are available to those who come into the shop and if you need a hand fixing something - they're there to lend a hand. If you want them to do the work but keep a close eye on the work and perhaps learn a thing a two; you've got it. Get right in there and check it out.

The Zenga Bros. video does a fantastic job of building excitement for the idea and wanting to check out their shop. You couldn't get any better advertising than this in my opinion.

Nice idea. Wonder how expensive THAT insurance is?

 

The Motomethod Story from Zenga Bros on Vimeo.

US based inventor Peter Olt has been a motorcyclist for more than 30 years and he's come up with a pretty interesting invention that he refers to as the Banshee Horn.

Basically, the Banshee Horn gives you the option of giving people a blast of a 135 decibel alternating horn and high beam headlights. You can still use your normal horn but holding down the horn button for either 1/4 or 1/2 a second activates the Banshee Horn circuitry.

His invention is posted on KickStarter which is an online invention promotion and funding site. Based on the information there his product is a go! It can still be had at a discounted price for a few more days so watch the video below and if you think it's a good idea better get yourself one fast before the price goes up!

I know there's at least a few times when I wouldn't have minded having the extra conspicuity this horn and lighting combination would provide.

The Company Posted Six-Consecutive Quarters of Growth with Sales Increases in Every North American Region

Cupertino, Calif. (January 19, 2012) – Ducati North America today announced 2011 motorcycle sales growth of 43 percent compared to 2010 and a record market share in all of its territories: US, Canada and Mexico. This result established North America as Ducati’s number one market for the first time ever.

Ducati Performance line of apparel and accessories also recorded significant growth with a 50 percent annual increase.

Ducati’s growth was fueled by an expanding product line-up, including the award-winning Diavel and Multistrada. Voted “Best Cruiser of 2011” by several motorcycle magazines, the Diavel accomplishes its goal of capturing and attracting new customers to the brand. The Multistrada, voted “Best Open Street Bike” by Cycle World for the second year in a row, continues to prove its adventure touring capabilities with the successful completion of the historical La Carrera Panamericana race in Mexico along with its second win of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

“Growth in the North American market is a top priority for Ducati. North America’s outstanding performance significantly contributed to Ducati’s global success in 2011, which has been a record year for us in terms of global sales, market share and profitability,” said Cristiano Silei, Chief Executive Officer of Ducati North America. “This year the company made substantial investments in new product, key personnel and in the strength of our distribution network. These elements, combined with an array of extraordinary products, including our new Superbike, the 1199 Panigale, will continue to fuel our growth in 2012 and beyond.”

In 2012, Ducati will refocus its efforts in the sportbike category with the first customer deliveries of the brand’s newest flagship Superbike, the Ducati 1199 Panigale and the 848EVO Corse Special Edition. New additions to the Ducati line-up also include the Diavel AMG, the recently announced Diavel Cromo, as well as the highly anticipatedStreetfighter 848.

Ducati North America also announced the launch of a new retail identity initiative aimed at enhancing the Ducati customer experience.

“The introduction of the retail identity program demonstrates Ducati’s commitment to its core brand values, wll, while building a complete and seamless shopping experience for customers,” said Dominique Cheraki, General Manager of Ducati North America. “We are dedicated to a continual investment in the functional and emotional quality of our products, as well as the premium retail experience.”

For more information about Ducati North America and Ducati’s line of performance motorcycles, please visit www.ducatiusa.com or your local Ducati dealer.

The BMW K 1600 GT is voted "International Bike Of The Year 2011”. The BMW K 1600 GT gets the top vote of the international motorcycle press jury at the Brussels Motor Show.

The BMW K 1600 GT has won the vote for the “International Bike Of The Year 2011 (IBOTY)" award. This was announced at a press conference given by the Belgian motorcycle magazine Motor Wereld at the Brussels Motor Show. The award for the K 1600 GT comes from an international jury representing 25 motorcycle magazines.

The K 1600 GT convinced the motorcycle journalists with its unique combination of comfort, performance and use of innovative technologies. The powerful in-line 6-cylinder engine was said to offer power, refinement and lots of fun. The bike's sophisticated technology - in addition to ABS, traction control and navigation system, an adaptive headlight and electronically controlled suspension with various modes increase active riding safety - makes the K 1600 GT an incomparable touring motorcycle. On the road, the outstanding qualities of the K 1600 GT are its agile chassis and unusually light handling. All this gives the rider a unique riding experience, according to the jury, impressing the most demanding touring and sports motorcyclists.

The K 1600 GTL was rated separately and also convinced the jury, finishing fourth, while the S 1000 RR followed it in fifth place alongside the Kawasaki ZX-10R. With three models in the top five places, the BMW Motorrad put in a highly impressive showing overall.

BMW Motorrad also won the highest rating in 2010 with the S 1000 RR.

The following magazines took part in the IBOTY 2011: Australian Motorcycle News (Australia), Auto By (Japan), Autocar India (India), Bike (Scandinavia), Bike (UK), Cycle World (USA), Der Reitwagen (Austria), Inmoto (Italy), KicXstart (Netherlands), Kiwi Rider (New Zealand), La Moto (Spain), Maximoto (France), Moto Kultur Asia (Malaysia and Singapore), Moto (Greece), Moto Journal (Canada), Moto & Loisirs (Belgium), Moto Mag (Israel), Motoraj (Czech Republic), Motoron (Turkey), MotoSi (Slovenia), MotorWereld (Belgium), PS Magazin (Germany), Revista Moto (Mexico), SuperBike (South Africa), Swiat Motocykli (Poland).

The results of the IBOTY 2011
1)    BMW K 1600 GT (41 points)
2)    Ducati Diavel (32 points)
3)    Aprilia Tuono V4 APRC (22 points)
4)    BMW K 1600 GTL (18 points)
5)    BMW S 1000 RR and Kawasaki ZX 10R (16 points each)

Italian motorcycle magazine Motociclismo apparently scored an opportunity to dyno a pre-production Ducati 1199 Panigale.

Unfortunately there's no horsepower numbers to accompany it.  That information won't likely come out until the bikes launch in February. For now though it's enough just to hear the Panigale at full throttle.

It sounds pretty impressive to say the least and damn it's a fine looking bike too!



Video uploaded to YouTube by HellForLeatherMag

Canadian motorcycle parts and accessories distributor Motovan has made its 2012 Fashion Catalog available online.

There's 584 pages of all kinds of helmets, jackets, gloves, boots, saddle bags & luggage, and much more for you to check out while you're waiting for all that snow to go away outside.

Canadian suggested retail pricing and parts numbers are listed so if you see something you like you can go to your local dealership and ask them to order it in if you don't see it on the shelf.

Check it out HERE.