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Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli may soon belong to the Chinese as the state-owned China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina) is poised to buy out the 143-year-old company. According to a report by Reuters, Pirelli’s top shareholders have already agreed to the deal, estimated to be worth €7.1 billion (US$7.7 billion). Reuters reports the number excludes Pirelli’s net debt, which the company’s preliminary 2014 fiscal report lists at €980 million.   ChemChina’s tire producing division, China...

Life is short. It’s cruel. Unforgiving. Mysterious. It can anger you when it isn’t fair and amaze you when it is. There is no denying the privilege we have to experience life—to meet people, to love and cry, to sneak out of our parents house when we are 16 and to simply get on a bike and ride. Our time here is but a blip in the universal timeline that will long outlast any of us. We won’t be remembered. There will be no schools built in our memory. No streets bearing our last...

1. Put angled valve stems on wheels, especially fronts fitted with two big brake rotors. Unless you’re a left-handed spider monkey, reaching straight stems with most conventional tire gauges is a bitch. 2. Design seats that better fit the shapes of human butts. There is no excuse for a seat that makes your rear end ache in an hour or less. 3. Make all controls and contact points at least slightly adjustable. Car companies acknowledged the wide range of human sizes almost a hundred...

Honda unveiled the BULLDOG concept earlier today at the Osaka Motorcycle Show. The new moto is based on a CB400F, but with smaller diameter and wider off road tires. It's also part ATV.   The CB400F is the Japanese market version of the CB500F sold everywhere else, but with slightly less engine capacity The BULLDOG looks the face of Speed Triple was grafted on, and has a gas tank that looks like a combination between a BMW's and a Honda Rukus'. Yet, I totally love it. Two ideas come to...

Something I've learned as a noob - you don't need a whole lot of money to get into motorcycling. And while many experienced riders will tell you that your first bike should be a used beater, there's a lot to be said for the benefits of new technology and engineering - and a warranty. If you're looking to buy your first bike - or maybe you just want to add a cheap model to your stable - here's our list of this year's best bikes for under $5,000.   2015 HONDA CBR300R ABS - $4,899 There will...

There are rare instances in the realm of motorcycle design where an icon emerges. These are machines so radical that they serve as a clean break from the standards of the past, thereby setting a new template and pushing the high-water mark up the wall a few extra feet. To truly be an icon, they must influence subsequent processes and inspire a new thread in motorcycle design; one-off machines that immediately fade into obscurity won’t do. They can be new standards of beauty, of performance,...

Someone has been dumping oil across Glendora Mountain Road, in Southern California. With miles of twisties and limited driveways, it’s been a So-Cal destination for cyclists and motorcyclists alike.   It seems after our first report of this incident, commenters are strongly divided (original post titled: Video: Someone Is Dumping Oil On The Road And Putting Motorcyclists at Risk). Both want swift and firm justice, but both want it for the other party. Some want the person guilty of the...

Harley-Davidson is using the 74th Annual Daytona Bike Week to celebrate the start of the riding season. It’s doing so by hosting a number of events throughout bike week, March 7-14, from 9am – 5pm at Daytona International Speedway. The Speedway also serves as the only place to see the 2015 motorcycle line-up, and participate in product riding demos that include the Harley-Davidson Road Glide, Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited Low, Harley-Davidson Street, Harley-Davidson Freewheeler and 16...

Unlike the Harley-Davidson LiveWire, your choice for Best Electric, there’s nothing shocking about the Honda CRF450R, and yet its popularity is certainly understandable. Big Red’s sleek and slick big-bore moto thumper has been the model of consistency since its debut 15 years ago, and Honda has never strayed from the basic elements that make it a perennial contender.   For instance, the CRF450R’s Unicam (SOHC), four-valve, four-stroke Single continues to buck the double-overhead-cam trend...

Italy’s Misano circuit has begun their track modernisation with a full resurfacing of the 4.2km Grand Prix track. The tarmacking is only part of a host of upgrades designed to improve circuit facilities and safety.   The resurfacing uses a specially formulated tarmac to overcome the grip issues sometimes attributed to the salt air of the region, located on Italy’s Adriatic coast.   However, further work, being carried out under the stewardship of Italian design firm Studio Dromo and...