Wheelers Blog & News

BMW Motorrad Press Release: BMW Motorrad and Alpinestars announce that they are starting an exclusive cooperation in innovative motorcycle safety clothing systems. The first product to be launched under this cooperation will be a BMW Motorrad jacket jointly developed by BMW Motorrad and Alpinestars, combined with an airbag waistcoat developed using Alpinestars technology. The new BMW Motorrad jacket, being branded by both makers, will be available in both male and female versions and the...

Any day at a track day is a good day. There is but glory and joy in spending hour after hour strafing apexes. One recent day, I popped up at 4:30 a.m., necked a pot of coffee, and crawled out to the CW pickup that was loaded with an EBR 1190RX and Yamaha FZ-09, hoping the caffeine would take effect before any major decision-making points were foisted upon me in traffic. Three hours later I was east of Indio at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, an oasis of twisting tarmac in the great rocky desert...

Here's everything you need to know about Huntley Nash's LTD Racing Ducati Panigale Superbike: forget everything you thought you knew about big v-twins.   Well, almost everything. The 1199cc Superquadro powerplant does make monstrous, gut-compressing torque. Rolling on the throttle in third gear seems less to rocket you forward, and more to spin the planet on its foundations beneath you. The bike doesn't care what gear it's in; the torque is everywhere, from idle to redline, and it never...

Mottos seem to gain extra strength when they are in Latin. Just think of the United States Marine Corps’ “Semper Fidelis,” which means “always faithful.” Or the United States Coast Guard’s “Semper Paratus” which means “always ready.” And then, of course, there’s “E pluribus unum,” which means “out of many, one.” The moment you hear them, you immediately stand at attention. In all its years, Ducati has never added a motto in Latin to its desmo badge. Now, however, it has: “Fortitudo mea in...

POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team Press Release: After an exotic tour of Qatar, Texas and Argentina to visit three circuits (Losail, COTA and Termas de Río Hondo) with completely different characteristics, the MotoGP World Championship returns to more familiar territory this weekend as the series embarks on a European road trip that takes in the next six rounds. The Gran Premio de España is the first of four races that will take place in Spain during the 2015 season, as Jerez plays host to the...

Fancy yourself a proper motorbike rider? Good on ya, mate. That’s why your trackday screamer has electronic suspension dialed in by Flamenco B. Crouch. Carbon bodywork. A quickshifter. Traction control, wheelie control, and 10 power modes. Tire warmers. And datalogging that streams to Facebook via smartphone from Brass Balls Raceway. Well, this New Zealand-built 1962 Norton Manx replica can’t boast any of that. It has one archaic air-cooled cylinder. Granddad’s drum brakes instead of...

The other weekend, I decided to venture out and explore some of the wonders of California. As someone that lives in the Mission District of San Francisco, I often times feel a bit claustrophobic and overwhelmed by the number of people, scents, and scenes that I have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. From time to time, it's necessary to get out and see something truly beautiful. For the past year or so the method of choice for this has been the KTM Adventure 990 S. It's such an amazing...

We all know there's nothing like open air on the open road, but bad things happen to good bikes. When your motorcycle encounters mechanical or other troubles that prevent you from riding, having some good bike tools on hand can make all the difference between being stranded or continuing to eat up mile after gorgeous mile.   On a motorcycle, you don't have the advantage of a car's trunk to store a slew of tools. You might be lucky enough to have saddle bags or hard cases, or maybe you only...

ArenaCross Media Press Release: AMSOIL Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross, made its lone visit to California on Saturday, hosting the second to last round of the 2015 season from Save Mart Center. The fifth round of the Race to the Championship featured a competitive evening of competition that saw Team Kawasaki‘s Jacob Hayes take his second consecutive overall win on the heels of a pair of consistent Arenacross Class Main Events. In the Western Regional Arenacross...

Polaris Industries has issued a new report showing sales in its motorcycle divisions, Indian, Victory and Slingshot have increased 74 percent in the first quarter of 2015 compared to the first quarter of 2014.   “I am pleased to report record sales and earnings for our 2015 first quarter, with sales up 16 percent, operating income up 19 percent and net income up nine percent, our 22nd consecutive quarter of record earnings performance,” commented Scott Wine, Polaris’ chairman and chief...