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This Sunday is the last “live” motorcycle roadrace to be broadcast by Speed this season. MotoGP will wrap-up it’s 18 race schedule at Valencia, Spain this Sunday (Nov 4). WSB and AMA have been done for weeks, so after this Sunday’s race, it’s reruns, internet and silly season rumors until February when World Superbikes kicks off the 2008 season.

 While it’s true this season was a bit of a yawner with Casey Stoner and Ducati wrapping up the title with 3 races left to run, the 250 class wasn’t decided until the penultimate round with the current Champion, Jorge Lorenzo taking his second title from Andre Divizioso. Both are moving up to MotoGp next year along with another 250 standout, Alex DeAngelis, so

Somehow the little Ducati eves have been able to keep the latest Ducati release for the US a secret.  I’ll admit it…I’m pretty damn curious.  Being in the sutomotive industry, I know for a fact that secrets are hard to keep.  My congratulations to those who kept their mouth shut.

Check it:
Ducati to let the bike out of the bag

Powersports Business
Friday October 26, 2007

Ducati, unlike the industry as a whole, has had growth in its 2007 U.S. sales and will uncover a new motorcycle model at the upcoming EICMA show in Milan, Italy.

Unlike in past years, the model has yet to be seen by U.S. dealers.

“Miraculously, we’ve managed to keep this bike secret,” said Ducati North America CEO Michael Lock.

I just returned from a visit to the local mega-dealership carrying everything from Harleys to Triumphs to the full Japanese line manufacturers.  I noticed that a good deal of their showroom floor was dedicated to the ‘utility vehicle’.  These things, only bigger in many cases:

These creatures are not only big SOB’s, they are expensive - to the tune of $11k for a base model stripped version.  Expensive enough to keep me out of the market for sure.  As for the used market, they do not depreciate very fast I am told (little enough that new seems to be a better buy).

In some ways, I find it rather surprising that the ‘utility vehicle’ is such a hot seller.  I have also

I recently took a dirt bike ride with some buddies from Lake Pleasant, AZ to Crown King.  The summer has ended and we have been blessed with a cooled off fall season.  The hook behind crown king is that you start at 1500 ft or so in the desert and ride up to a restaurant  at the top of the mountain at 5900ft.  It was actually a little chilly up there.

Its about a 60-mile round trip of which ascending up a rock and granite filled two-tracker.  Its difficult/technical going up and takes about an hour and a half or more.  Coming down is much faster (about 50 minutes) as you simply use the momentum to plow over obstacles. 

Almost at the

Not too long ago, the subject of motorcycle gangs came up at lunch.  I had heard of the story of someone infiltrating the Mongols, but didn’t know that the story was avaiable by book as an account from the actual agent.  This interest coupled with the fact tht I have been spending a good amount of time on airplanes was the motivation for me to buy the book.

Truth be told, I don’t really care for the true ‘biker’ lifestyle and/or Harley Davidsons in general.  While I respect the brotherhood an camaraderie that biker gangs have, I have no place for the thuggery.  Therefore, I wasn’t too sure of how much I could take.

William Queen served in Vietnam as a Special

A while ago I met Dennis Lid in the virtual world through his interest in contributing to this blog.  Dennis is an old-timer who no longer rides, but has a keen ability to share his love of the two-wheeled world.  This is demonstrated through his new book called First to Last (The Tale of a Biker).

The book is the chronicling of his life story from the perspective of how his life experiences and motorcycles influenced the outcome.  Dennis served as a Special Forces soldier in the Vietnam War.  After the war, he spent time at various military locations in the US, owning different motorcycles.  While abroad, Dennis met the woman of his life and they eventually settled down in Japan.

Dennis

I got this as a comment in the ‘SUBMIT AN ARTICLE’ comments the other day and I figured its worthy of a post…even though there is a little self-interest being served. I understand that there is a business advantage for Greg (the author) to keep his knowledge to himself, but it would be helpful to get a broader ‘Cleaning Your Bike 101′, with a focus on using various types of abrasives on paint. I am in Arizona and no matter what, it won’t be getting detailed in Connecticut.
By Greg Aldrich, owner Raven Cycle Works Coventry, CT

We all love nothing more than our machines. Weather you have a heavy weight cruiser, a lean, mean street bob or a full blown

Executive Summary:
Estimated Cost: $1000+ (about the same price as mid-priced off the rack leathers)
Good: Top notch protection, Durable suit that crashes well, Bill answering the phone and helping you out. Made in America, this is rare these days.
Bad: Measure and measure again, because bill makes the suit to your measurements so if you are wrong the suit will not be correct.
Ugly: Low on style points because durability and quality come first.
Buy again??? Yes I will be buying another suit after I wear this one out. That may be a long time from now.

The long story…..

Many times I am quick to review a product after a first fitting or

Despite a double win in the final round of the World Superbike Championship, Noriuki still came up just 2 points short. Even some pretty mediocre finishes by series leader James Toseland couldn’t change the Sultan of Slide’s luck. The perennial tuning fork pilot has finished second in the WSBK series once before (2000) and has finished 3rd or better for the last 5 years! So Haga appears to be the next Randy Mamola (take that, short-time race fans).

I had to wait until last night, Tuesday, to see Sunday’s finale from Magny-Cour, France. In it’s infinite wisdom and concern for it’s paying viewers, Speed decided a motorcycle World Championship series, where the outcome would most likely be decided in the final

Damn.  I have not had the urge or even the memory to sit down and watch MotoGP in about a month.  I’m not sure if that makes me a fair weather fan, but the points race is over.  It solidifies the fact of how special last season was for us spectators.

Sure, there are great moments of racing…but big deal.  They certainly aren’t racing for the championship…usually 5th or 6th place.  I hate to sound whiney, but I’ve pretty much lost interest.

Last season, I would not miss one race…under any circumstance.  When I travelled, I relied on the DVR.  When that didn’t work, I sought (ahem) ‘other’ means such as torrents and online sources.  As I sit here, I cannot tell