Is Erik Buell ready to return to the streets once his contractual obligations are lifted and he's once again allowed to compete with Harley Davidson again?

If Internet rumor and a recently surfaced video are to believed, he may be readier than you might think.

A video showing a Buell 11900RR race bike fitted with indicators and cooling fan have been fueling rumors of a return of Erik Buell! I hope it happens!

Check out the video HERE.

We would like to say that the recent news which has appeared on the US website Cycle World and other websites has been misreported and must be attributed to the many rumors circulating lately.

Whether and when an agreement is reached, official press releases will be issued. 

Another spy photo of Ducati's "Project 0803" aka Vyper, or muscle crusier a la Yamaha VMax.  The bike is said to have some modern technology such as a Testastretta 11 degree engine, traction control, ride-by-wire throttle and Brembo Monoblock calipers. Oh, and a 240 rear tire.

Purists will argue that it's a departure from the core beliefs of Ducati which is focused on building performance motorcycles.  Anything with a 240 profile rear tire isn't a performance bike - right. If you want to be successful and gain market share sometimes you need to give people what they want, not force what you think they want upon them. Drawing similarities in the automotive world, look at Porsche and their Cayenne SUV. People say it goes against everything "Porsche" stands for.  It's Porsche's biggest seller now and they make lots of money selling it. Money that can be put back into R&D and building faster and better cars. Something I'm sure Porsche sportscar fans do like.

I'm not necessarily going to buy a muscle bike from Ducati but if they build it, I hope they sell a ton of them and it helps finance bikes that I am interested in buying.  I don't see it as a negative.  I see it as a big positive!

I found what is reportedly a statement by Ducati which seems to suggest that something big is on the way from Ducati.

Ducati's statement reads:

As many you may have noticed, there has been quite a bit of activity in the past few weeks surrounding a supposed new Ducati model. I wanted to take this opportunity and send you a note saying indeed we do have a surprise in store for this year's EICMA show. Our R&D department is working around the clock to complete development of this radical new motorcycle, for which time to complete final design and engineering elements will surely come down to the wire.

I'm sending this letter today in order to inform you of our communication plan. Since many details of the bike (big and small)  are still being sorted out; I have elected not to forward information or photography until the rolling prototypes come close to resembling what the final product will look like.

Stay tuned for further information from the Ducati Press Department; and I can assure you the final bike will impress all with the design, performance and technology everyone has come to expect from Ducati.
 
Photo via MotoSprint.it

Apparently, there have been some very recent Internet rumors that Ural would be shutting down as of March 1st. So today (Jan. 20th), the folks at Ural sent out a message that the rumor is untrue.

Ducati is going to be showing off a new bike in Milan Italy on the eve of the EICMA motorcycle show. No doubt they'll have their new Multistrada replacement.

It's said to be a 1200cc model and hopefully will allow the Italian company to compete with the likes of BMW and their 1200GS.

The email we received from Ducati suggests there 'might' be something else in the works too though...

"For 2010 Ducati will have a significant amount of new products, including several that have NOT been in the rumor mill as of late."

What could it be! We'll have to wait until 5.00 pm on Monday, 9th November. Ohhh, the suspense!

Word on the street is that National Motorsports (the Canadian distributor of Hyosung motorcycles) is planning on bringing the American made, "Fischer MRX" to Canada in 2010.

The MRX uses a fuel injected Hyosung 90° 650cc v-twin engine so that does seem to make National Motorsports a natural company to partner with to bring the bike to Canada.

The MRX will probably make it's Canadian debut at the Toronto Motorcycle show this December 11th, 2009. The MSRP is expected to be between $10,000-$11,000 Canadian.

Why buy a MRX for $10-11 grand when you can get an SV650S for about $9,300? Well, the MRX comes with much higher spec components such as:

- 43 mm inverted front suspension, inverted telescopic with compression and rebound adjustment
- Rear suspension is Ohlins single shock with adjustable ride height, compression damping, and spring preload
- Front brake is a dual semi-floating 310mm disc, Brembo master cylinder, Goodridge steel brake lines

It makes 80 horsepower at the crank @ 9,400 RPM and produces 52 ft/lbs of Torque @ 7500 RPM

For more details on Fischer check out their website HERE.

On August 25th, we posted some details of Kawasaki reportedly moving some of their large motorcycle production to Thailand. The reports were featured in Bloomberg.

CMG Online are now reporting that they've heard from Kawasaki Canada whom are saying that these reports are false.

Source: CMG Online

Honda's EVO 6 concept bike is a high-output naked bike sporting a boxer configuration six -cylinder 1800cc engine, not to mention that single-sided swingarm. The bike was originally shown at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show and received plenty of positive reviews.

According to Spanish news site Solomoto it was reported that Honda was actually going to build it but latest reports are now saying that Honda have shelved it for now.

Too bad, it looks good to us.

All rumor of course but it's certainly an interesting looking design that would provide some competition to the V-Max. It's an expensive model to introduce in tough economic times though - perhaps the reason Honda won't be producing the model just yet.

We mentioned it to you before, but the Internet rumor mill is gaining some momentum and the rumor now is that Ducati may use the 848 engine, borrowed from the 848 superbike of course, to power their new scooter should they build it.

Interesting! That would easily make it the largest displacement and powerful scooter available in North America that we're aware of. It does make a bit of sense that Ducati would use this engine because it's already there and available and doesn't require any development. No doubt it would require some revamping and retuning but that would be entirely cheaper than developing a new scooter specific engine.

Oberan Bezzi Design has come out with a high quality rendering of their thoughts on what the Ducati Scooter could look like. Is it just Internet hype to keep Ducati in the news, or is it really something that Ducati is working on?

Image courtesy Oberdan Bezzi Design

Lovers of the Italian sportbike maker Ducati might be breathing a huge sigh of relief as it would seem that the rumored Ducati cruiser concept is not going to be made - Yet.

Ducati VP of Marketing, Diego Sgorbati, has confirmed that Ducati has no intentions of making a cruiser motorcycle just yet. It's something they're monitoring and considering apparently. Considering is a long way from building though and so that's where it stands at the moment.

It was rumored that Ducati's version of a modern, sporty cruiser was going to be displayed at the EICMA bike show in November.

There's a lot of rumor in this rumor post!

Not even this tricolore mock up conceived by the talented folks at Bar-Design was enough to convince Ducati that it should be built.

Image courtesy of Bar-Design

An interesting Internet rumor about Ducati has surfaced! It seems that Ducati might be thinking about entering the scooter market. Okay, it's possible I suppose but I'll believe it when I see it.

The scooter news comes by way of Warren Lee, CEO of Australian Ducati importer NF Importers in an interview with the Courier Mail, an Australian newspaper.

During an interview with the newspaper Lee said “Ducati is looking at a scooter, but a high-performance model, not a 50cc price driven thing. It’s on the backburner at the moment. Maybe after 2010. It’s just simmering at the moment.”

Maybe it'll look something like a cross between an 1198 and a scooter such as in this image?

Nice photoshop - I like the little 48 logo. Lee says it won't be a 50cc scooter so it won't be quite like this one if the rumor does prove true.

Image via TwoWheelsBlog

MCN has come up with some photo's that is claims are patent images of the new 2010 Honda ST1200 touring machine. It will feature the same engine and shaft drive train as the 2010 VFR which spy shots and official photos have been uncovered for.

According to French reports the Peugeot HYmotion; Peugeot's leaning 3 wheel scooter is set to start production before the end of 2010. We first brought you news and pictures of the HYmotion back in October, 2008. The production of the HYmotion will closely follow behind the Piaggio MP3 Hybrid. The HYmotion uses a similar two front wheel, one rear wheel design but the systems used to power the scooter differ substantially.

The HYmotion has electric motors powering each of the two front wheels and a 125cc internal combustion engine powering the rear. In the Piaggio MP3 Hybrid only the rear wheel is powered by both the electric motor and gas-powered engine.

Reports indicate the HYmotion should offer fuel economy in the 117 miles per gallon range. That's not quite as good as the 141 mpg estimate of the Piaggio MP3 Hybrid but the HYmotion incorporates a roof! So it will provide a lot more protection from the elements than any scooter currently on the market.

The protection that the roof offers from the elements might be just the thing that converts a lot of those people sitting on the fence about a making a two-wheeled purchase because let's face it, it does take some forethought and dedication to ride in inclement weather.

It's uncertain whether this model will make it to Canada or even the US, or what it will cost (in Europe) but we'll let you know as soon as we find out more.

Some breaking Internet rumor is surfacing about Yamaha developing an inline 4 turbo-charged diesel motorcycle. Hell For Leather has come upon what are patents reportedly filed in July by Japanese motorcycle manufacturer, Yamaha.

In the patent drawings it appears that the intercooler is located above the engine or could be concealed in the frame; the turbocharger itself is mounted adjacent to the cylinder head. This placement provides some protection for these sensitive components.

If it gets the green light, Yamaha would be the only major manufacturer producing a diesel motorcycle.



More diesel related posts here.
More rumor related posts here.

Yesterday, MCN claimed to have scooped the industry and come out with the first photo's of Honda's new V4 bike, the VFR1200. Photo's and details are all rumor at this point and Honda hasn't commented specifically about the new VFR yet. Honda have have indicated a new V4 bike is on the way though.

The much anticipated, much blogged, and constant source of Internet rumor - VFR replacement - is due to arrive in the Spring of 2010 says Honda’s Senior Managing Director Shigeru Takagi.

Takagi said: “We really believe we can develop a new era starting with this V4-powered machine. It is just the beginning and represents a new breed of Honda which will define Honda’s own taste and styling.

“This bike will be the perfect road machine that Honda customers have called for. It will be an epoch-making machine and more bikes from the V4 platform are possible.

“We know people think this bike is going to be a replacement for the VFR800 and the Blackbird but we do not see this bike as a replacement for anything. We see it as an all-new breed of machine, something very special.”

Takagi would not reveal the price, but did confirm when it will be available. He said: “The finished V4-powered machine will be seen in autumn 2009. The bike will be on sale in spring 2010.

"The bike is different to the concept shown for the first time at Milan in 2009 but the link between them is very clear to see.”

And for some pure speculation; Vanjey Design Studio has come up with their idea of how the 2010 VFR might look. Some clear influences from the V4 sports bike concept at the Cologne Motorcycle Show and the current CBR 1000RR are visible.

There's still more rumor that the bike will feature a 1200cc engine to take on some of the bigger competition. That's an exciting prospect but some current VFR fans may be saddened by the larger displacement because they think the 800cc displacement offers the right blend of performance and size. You can't please everybody, and the displacement is purely rumor so we'll just have to watch this one as it continues to evolve.



* Image courtesy Vanjey Design.

If Spanish motorcycle website solomoto is to be believed, Yamaha is working on a rival machine to Honda's automatic scooter/motorcycle "crossover bike", the DN-01.

In the report on solomoto they indicate that three Yamaha engineers from the Janapese factory have patented a new motorcycle design that's similar to the DN-01. The engine for the Yamaha "crossover bike" will come from Yamaha's big T-Max scooter.

Patent drawings registered early in June seem to suggest that Yamaha is working on some sort of an automatic transmission similar to that on the DN-01.

Pure Internet speculation!

Via CMG Online.

Harley-Davidson (nyse: HOG) stock took northward ride last Friday on very questionable rumors that Honda (nyse: HMC) was ready to purchase the motorcycle maker.

Shares of Harley-Davidson initially rose 6.3% but settled to a 4.2% gain, or $2.51, to $62.63 by noon trading.

Chances are quite slim that Honda would follow through with a purchase of Harley Davidson because of regulatory hurdles. It's reported that if Honda and Harley combined, the union would control 65% of the U.S. motorcycle market. The next leading competitor, would be Yamaha at a distant 16%.

The US Federal Trade Commission would almost certainly put the kibosh on that deal, seeing as its has squashed other, more mundane mergers in the past.

Analysts have been quoted as saying it doesn't seem a great fit - Harley the American icon of motorcycles and a large Japanese corporation. Brilliant deduction!

Honda-Davidson anybody?

It wasn't long after we posted the news about a rumored BMW maxi-scooter that a rather good looking mock-up photo was published on the Internet from Oberdam Bezzi Design.

It's still just a mock-up at this point and strictly Internet rumor as to whether it'll be built but it's unlikely that BMW will ignore sales trends. Maxi-scooters are growing in popularity so a BMW model to fill the gap in their offerings doesn't seem far fetched.

While I'm a little more partial to the K1300S or a F800GS the practicality of a vehicle like this can't be ignored. To BMW I'd say - "Build it and they will come."

Photo from Oberdam Bezzi Design.

We love Internet rumor! There's some new gossip spreading around that BMW is currently working on a scooter for 2010. Maxi scooters are big sellers, particularly in Europe, where they're some of the best selling machines. It seems that BMW may want a piece of that action.

The new scooter will be throughly BMW'esque, some hint it may even feature paralever suspension. Hmmm, that would surely give a pretty hefty price tag. I'd be surprised to see them use this system.

It's said that BMW will use the Rotax v-twins with 500cc, 650cc, and the big one - the 800cc. Power will range from a sedate 33hp all the way up to 800cc. They're liquid-cooled, fuel-injected four-strokes that make use of counter-rotating crankshafts to reduce vibrations. Transmissions would almost certainly be continuously variable.

Reworking the engines so that they'll work for a scooter configuration on the swingarm will take considerable effort.

There doesn't seem to be any pictures to show at this point but we'll keep looking.

Internet rumor is growing about a new model for Triumph. Rumor has it that Triumph is working on a new 1050cc Triumph Daytona! Please say it's true! There are pictures of said rumored bike floating around too. Word is the pictures are photoshopped but if Triumph makes this bike I can see them selling a lot of them.

We're not one to quote Paris Hilton, but this thing is hot!

That passenger seat doesn't look very comfortable, but hey, you won't be riding on the back now will you?

Clearly if Triumph were thinking of producing such a bike they'd have to make some changes. Namely, those impossibly small headlights. Performance/luxury automotive companies such as Porsche and Audi are using similar styled lights but (correct me if I'm wrong - or comment below) they're just used as daytime running lights and/or turn signals on those models. Still, even if they did have to update the lights it'd still look great.

*If you know the official source of the photos let us know. They do have a watermark but we can't read it. Plus, they may have been added later.

Well, there's rumor going around on a substantial number of sites that the Kawasaki factory team is back in MotoGP for 2009. After officially withdrawing factory support from the series on January 9th, the CEO of Dorna - the organization running MotoGP - said that Kawasaki must run the 2009 series or he'll sue them.

Apparently, Kawasaki is under contract to compete in the MotoGP series until the end of 2011 but Dorna is willing to let them out of the contract for 2010 and 2011 but race in 2009 they must!

Further rumor indicates that Kawasaki is indicating they've only got engines built for 25% of the championship and don't want to develop the rest. Dorna CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta, has started working on a solution for that problem too - he's supposedly found an engineering facility in France willing to take on the work from Kawasaki, build the engines, and continue development of the ZX-RR.

The catch with that is that Kawasaki would have to accept the conditions and agree to turn the bikes over to the French firm. Oh my, how the plot thickens!

Ducati's popular Multistrada is reportedly up for a major redesign. The Multistrada is a popular model because it's a little more upright but features sportbike like handling. It's a bike "designed for everyday-use versatility" according to Ducati.

Well, to add to the rumor, the folks at Motociclismo Spain have come up with a spy shot of the new Multistrada. It's difficult to tell the extent of the redesign because the picture is from the back and the angle obscures almost all of the details! Darn!

The bike is apparently well into development and some dealers have already been shown the sporty new model. It will be a complete replacement of the old model and will reportedly feature the sweet 1098 engine. Insiders say it also features the Ducati DTC traction control system.

The pictures do show a road biased, wide rear sport tire and a big single sided swingarm.

You'll have to wait awhile to see the official photo's (unless they leak before hand). It's said the bike will be shown at the Milan Motorcycle show in November!

Some patent images have surfaced courtesy of Spanish magazine Solo Moto Treinta,that are suggested to be a sign the Honda Fury (the chopper coming from Honda) will not feature an electric drive system or a CVT transmission.

It appears to be what is a fairly conventional chopper style motorcycle. It's rumored that the Honda Fury will be officially unveiled at the New York round of the International Motorcycle Show on January 16th.

It'll likely feature a hidden underseat radiator, a hidden rear shock, and a fuel injected v-twin engine somewhere in the neighborhood of 1300cc.

There has been some Internet rumor going around that Kawasaki is going to withdraw from MotoGP competition. That would be bad news for the sport of motorcycling - indeed!

It's a sign of the times though, and just shortly after Honda announced it's withdrawal from F1, and Suzuki and Subaru leaving the World Rally Championship. It seems that the global economic crisis is taking a heavy toll on motorsports of every kind. Motorcycle sports, it would appear, aren't immune to shrinking budgets.

Spanish Motorcycle magazine, Motorciclismo.es is reporting that it's official, and that Kawasaki is going to leave MotoGP. Tuttosport, another motorcycle magazine has also said that Kawasaki has already decided to leave MotoGP as well.

So, that's a few sources who've been seemingly well informed in the past saying it'll happen very soon. Official word may come as soon as this Thursday.

CycleNews has apparently spoken with John Hopkins who (according to them) confirmed reports that Kawasaki may be on the verge of pulling out of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship, though he hadn't heard anything official.

"I heard it’s up in the air, but I haven’t heard anything confirmed yet,” Hopkins said from his home in Rancho Santa Fe, California, today. “I got some calls from the team manager [Michael Bartholemy] and he said that everything could be up in the air as to whether they run it or not, but nothing has been confirmed. I don’t know what it would do to me. I’m really not sure. I’ve been talking to my managers and seeing what the plan is and they’ve been on the phone to Japan trying to figure it out as well. Right now I’m still contracted to them so I’m not sure what the plan is.”"

There's quite of bit of contradicting information out there but many signs are indicating that this may happen.

Update: See the comments below - Helena Jaczek has sent email responses after the publishing of this "reported" information which seem to indicate that Bill 117 is NOT dead.
__________

We've received news that Bill 117 has been squashed. Reports are that the folks at Motorcycle Mojo have been contacted by Federal Member of Parliament, David Sweet MP with the news. We haven't seen anything official posted yet though so keep signing petitions if you're so inclined.

It was indicated that he has had discussions with a Government Member of the Ontario Provincial Legislature and was advised that Bill 117 is dead following the prorogation of the last session at Queens Park.

Bill 117 would have banned motorcycle passengers under 14 years old in Ontario. There has been a huge outcry from motorcyclists against this Bill with numerous petitions and campaigns against it.

It would appear that if this is true that all the efforts have been successful!

Internet rumors! Oh, how we love them. French motorcycle magazine Motorevue is reporting that Ducati is going to be coming out with a new Multistrada in 2010 that's aimed squarely at taking some market share from the BMW R1200GS.

It's said that Ducati announced to select dealers at the Milan Show last month that they had big plans for the multi-purpose Multi-Strada.

The new bike is reportedly more than just some cosmetics though, it's said it'll be a redesign with a new engine too. Rumors suggest that it'll get a 1098 or 1198 engine, and take fairing and headlight styling cues from the new 1198.

photo courtesty of visordown. The picture is clearly a Photoshop piece of fiction but may give hope to some who may want a bike that performs like the Multi-Strada does now but with a little less of the "ugly-duckling" styling.

This redesign, if true, could put the Multi-Strada on the shopping list for a lot of people who may not have considered it before because of the unorthodox styling.

There's some Internet rumors going around that Honda hosted an online US dealer event this past Monday and confirmed a new model - the Honda "Fury."

It's reportedly a 1300cc raked chopper that will be introduced to the US market next spring as an early '10 model.

Word is that Dealers will receive more information later in December. The pictures sent to dealers had the bottom-half of the bike intentionally blurred. Folks are speculating what this means of course and most of the buzz is that that the bike might be a hybrid with a gas and electric motor.

If they do produce an electric/gas hybrid system how long will it be before Honda puts the technology into their Goldwing? It might be a useful addition to that platform.

Volkswagen is said to be coming out with it's very first motorcycle. The motorcycle will be reportedly produced with the assistance of Austrian motorcycle maker KTM.

The two companies have a history of successful collaboration. KTM had some help from the engineers at VW when they wanted to build a track based car (the X-Bow). The X-Bow, was developed with help from VW’s engineers, uses the 2.0-litre turbo from the Audi TT.

Don't hold your breath waiting to pick up one of these at your local VW dealership. Chances are it'll be a long time coming, if it even does come.

Clearly these two companies have a history of working together though so it doesn't seem like it would be too much of a stretch that the two could work together to produce a motorcycle. With the dealership network VW has it could make KTM more of a household name if plans proceed. It could be a big move for KTM and for VW.

From the preview this bike seems to offer styling that has been popular in the UK for several years now - a naked/streetfighter look. We're seeing more of this type of styling trickle into the Canadian market too. Suzuki is coming out with the Gladius, Kawasaki is bringing the ER-6N. Both these bikes are 650cc models.

We've seen no details on the displacement of the VW but if they're working with KTM it might make sense to pluck an existing engine out of the KTM product bin. That would suggest that a 690cc engine could be used. That would give it a bit of a size advantage over some of it's near competition but it's a big single rather than a twin that the Suzuki and Kawasaki use. This is all speculation of course!

Photo from Auto Express.

According to leaked reports from Ducati insiders, Ducati has some bigger plans for 2009.

A company insider has reportedly revealed that Ducati will be upping the 1098’s capacity to 1198cc for 2009. To match the 1200cc World Superbike v-twin capacity limit, the Ducati 1098R already displaces 1198cc, so it is expected that a version of that same engine will be used in the 2009 Ducati 1198, but in a lower state of tune and using less exotic parts.

Reports are that the 1198 will have 170bhp. The base 1198 receives a $500 USD price bump (to $16,495 in the US), the 1198S remains at $20,995 (US). The 1198 will be lighter than the outgoing 1098 and may receive a facelift.

The $500 USD price increase will likely be carried over to most bikes in Ducati's range, including the 848, which receives no other significant changes.

It is also said to expect two versions of the 2009 Ducati Monster 1100, the regular 1100 and an S with Öhlins suspension. There's also an all-new model that, “is a cross between a Tuono, Brutale and fits between Monster and Hypermotard.” It will be powered by the outgoing water-cooled 1099cc engine from the 1098, but with a smaller airbox that means less power and shotgun-style dual exhausts mounted on one side.

It looks like 2009 will be another very exciting year for the Italian motorcycle maker!

Here's a tasty new Internet rumor for you folks. Potential spoilers for the new upcoming Transformers 2 - Revenge of the Fallen. So stop reading now and close your eyes if you don't want to know anything about it! There's going to be a motorcycle Transformer in the new Transformer movie scheduled for release in June 2009 according to the folks at IMDB.com

A leaked call sheet for the upcoming Transformers 2 movie indicates that there is a going to be a Buell Firebolt that transforms into a female robot, Arcee.

I'm no expert but from what I can tell Arcee is a character from the original cartoon series and this character achieved some popularity.

She was even supposed to be in the first movie but was dropped because there wasn't enough time to explain why there would be females in a robotic race. Guess that means it'll be explained in this one.

Some pictures have leaked too. I wonder if Buell will come out with a new special edition paint scheme.

The President of MV Agusta, Claudio Castiglioni, has said there is no truth in rumours that his firm is being bought out by Harley-Davidson.

Castiglioni told MCN that "there are no negotiations in progress with Harley-Davidson" following reports in Italian newspaper Il Messaggero that a buyout was imminent.

Rumors about potential financial partners, or new owners have been rampant lately and MV Agusta have been said to be in talks with Indian car makers Tata and Mahindra. Nothing has been confirmed so far though.

The largest stake in the firm is owned by investment firm GEVI SpA, while Castiglioni retains around 20 percent of the firm. Last year the firm sold the Husqvarna subsidiary to BMW, but MV Agusta is now believed to be actively looking for a major new investor to ensure its security in the future.

The daily Messaggero (an Italian newspaper) has reported, without citing any sources, that U.S. motorbike manufacturer Harley-Davidson is in advanced talks to buy Italy's MV Agusta.

Details according to Messaggero:

The deal would see Harley-Davidson (nyse: HOG - news - people ) buy out most of the debt of MV Agusta, currently at around 200 million euros -- 130 million euros held by banks and 70 million euros held by suppliers.

The operation would envisage a write off of part of the debt.

Harley-Davidson wants to write off about 35 percent of the debt but the banks and suppliers want that amount reduced to at least 30 percent.

Harley-Davidson could buy 80-85 percent of MV Agusta's capital, leaving businessman Claudio Castiglioni with 15-20 percent.

Castiglioni currently owns 29.6 percent of MV Agusta while 65.4 percent is owned by finance company Gevi.