Wheelers Blog & News

HJC Helmets Press Release: HJC is extremely pleased to announce that 4 time World Champion and 2 time Moto GP Champion Jorge Lorenzo has renewed his sponsorship agreement with HJC helmets, the best selling motorcycle helmet in the world, for year 2015 and 2016 MotoGP Season. Jorge Lorenzo: “It is a pleasure signing for two more years with HJC and keep improving the RPHA 10 Plus. I am grateful and I want to thank HJC for the confidence they have placed in me, I am sure that we will keep...

The sun never set on the British Empire, until, of course, it did. We must face the fact that the United States is no longer the gravitating force in the motorcycle industry. Is it India? Perhaps. Royal Enfield is the oldest motorcycle manufacturer on the planet. It is currently owned by the India-based Eicher Group (since 1994). India-based Hero is the world’s largest manufacturer, which bought a 49% interest in Erik Buell Racing a few years ago. Hero is looking to come to America with a...

  Time tested: Six weeks/3000 miles What's good? I’ve always thought flip-front lids were a bit naff and should be preserved for couriers and police riders, but having bitten the bullet and started to wear one I actually am a convert. With the front down it’s as good as any other full-face lid I’ve worn but where it comes into its own is when I’m off the bike. I’ve always removed my lid at fuel stations, because in a previous job as a bank clerk I was subjected to an armed robbery so I’m...

KTM Racing Press Release:   Factory FMF/KTM rider Taylor Robert earned 2nd overall to mark his third time on the podium this season at the seventh round of the AMA EnduroCross Series. His teammate, Red Bull KTM’s Taddy Blazusiak, finished just shy of the podium in 4th place. It was Blazusiak who was placed in the first heat of the evening. The polish rider started in 2nd position and remained there until lap three when he took over the lead after Mike Brown crashed. Cody Webb was able to...

You know your bike is fast when it derives its name from its tested top speed, 218 mph.  Unlike Kawasaki, who've been a bit coy about the H2's top speed, Lightning is literally hanging that number on their new bike like a badge of honor. On November 12, the company delivered the first purchased model to new owner Troy Helming - who had placed his order about a year ago. While there’s some debate as to whether or not the LS-218 is the world’s fastest electric bike (builders like Chip Yates...

You know that you get the best braking performance by getting as close to skidding as possible without skidding. This is called 'threshold braking' by most riders (though a much healthier definition would be decelerating at any rate higher than you would if skidding). You also know that if you skid the front tire you are almost certainly going to crash, at least if you are not traveling in a straight line. So clearly practicing in an effort to learn how to achieve the best possible braking...

Suzuki’s last MotoGP podium was at the 2008 U.S. Grand Prix with Chris Vermeulen at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. At Valencia, a tough wild-card race weekend with test rider Randy De Puniet exposed engine-reliability and top-speed problems for the new GSX-RR. “It was important to understand the level of our bike in race conditions,” Team Manager Davide Brivio said. “We have problems on track different from the dyno. Because of durability issues, we are using the engine ‘underpowered.’” After...

MotoAmerica and KTM North America announced a new spec racing series built around theRC390 that will compete at select rounds of the 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship. The new KTM RC Cup will pit riders aged 18 to 22 on identical RC390 race bikes for a shot at an AMA National Championship and contingency money. The series fits into MotoAmerica’s plans for developing homegrown racing talent for the international stage. “One of our main goals in creating...

Honda Racing Press Release: American Honda today officially presented its 2015 Team Honda lineup to the media during a press event held at the Castillo Ranch supercross track. Factory riders Trey Canard and Cole Seely were the stars for this overview of the race program as the team approaches the highly anticipated 2015 AMA Supercross season. The day opened with an introduction from Honda Team Manager Dan Betley, who reviewed the successful end to the 2014 season and discussed the changes...

Question: On several occasions, you’ve mentioned the handicap Ducati has with regard to weight bias and engine placement. The engine is heavy in back, where the crank and transmission are. So why not turn the engine around? Crankshaft toward the front, one cylinder pointing up, the other back. Admittedly, not trivial to do, but Ducati has plenty of resources. Answer: In the early 1990s, a major motorcycle-handling problem was “squat and push.” During off-corner acceleration, if the back of...