2007 Honda Shadow Spirit (north County) on 2040-motos

Moto blog

The Honda Collection Halls in Motegi

I thought you may have to be from a certain era to enjoy the Honda Collection Halls in Motegi but I was wrong. This immaculate museum has hundreds of race and road bikes on display starting with the first ever (wooden) motorcycle built right up to the amazing machines Pedrosa and co are campaigning this year. Being part of the Honda owned Motegi Twin Ring circuit complex, I was expecting it to be a Honda only zone so was amazed to see lots of iconic bikes from other manufacturers also on display.

2013 Dakar Rally Results

Cyril Despres won his fifth career Dakar Rally while helping KTM win for the 12th consecutive time, in taking the motorcycle class in the 2013 edition of the famed off-road race. KTM was again the dominant manufacturer with the top five finishers in the motorcycle class riding motorcycles from the Austrian manufacturer. Despres finished with an overall time of 43:24:22 for the win, including a 15-minute penalty for swapping an engine after the one he was using in his KTM 450 Rallye failed.

A Weighty Issue

For as long as I can remember, motorcycle manufacturers have been playing fast and loose with regard to what they claim for the weight of their bikes. The “dry weights” they foisted upon us had little basis in reality. The “dry” part of that claim meant that listed weights on a spec chart were the result of all fluids being MIA from the bike, including necessities like engine oil, coolant and fork fluid (not to mention fuel), but even that didn’t fully explain the overly optimistic specs.