M/C News (16)
Motorcycle News
CruiserCustomizing Makes buying easier for Kiwis
Written by N.Z.C.G AdministrationWith christmas on the horizon its an opportune time for you to check out the premier website Cruiser Customizing dot com, CC has a huge range of products for all makes of bikes and they have now also found some better rates for freight to NZ, as well as having their products priced in NZ dollars to help make sense of your purchace.
Check them out http://www.cruisercustomizing.com
Have a peep at this engineering marvel for 2012,
Motorway demo over restrictive EU rules (could nz be next)
Written by N.Z.C.G Administration
A Motorcycle lobby group is planning to bring disruption to motorways across the UK in protest over restrictive new legislation from Europe for bikes.
The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) asks bikers to meet at service stations all over the UK before holding up traffic in 45mph motorway rides on September 25. The group is opposing a raft of European Commission proposals including compulsory ABS and measures to stop us modifying our bikes.
This demo aims to send a "warning" to expect more of the same.
Tuning could become impossible and even home servicing severely hampered under European Commission plans.
All new bikes could get so-called on-board diagnostic (OBD) systems capable of detecting non-standard parts and triggering a warning light until the ‘fault’ is rectified by a dealer.
One aim is to prevent any modifications to the 'powertrain' which rider groups fear could include anything from the throttle to rear tyre.
SEE THE FULL STORY http://www.mag-uk.org/
How long before they try to instigate these changes in the south pacific ????
The 2011 Harley-Davidson Softail Blackline FXS is a modern long custom motorbike with a minimalist, low profile and plenty of vintage Harley-Davidson parts. The FXS Blackline features a rigid "hardtail" rear suspension and narrow rear profile. This contemporary custom bike is slung low with an aggressive riding position that is both cool and comfortable. The Harley Blackline is reminiscent of the glory days of Harley-Davidson motorcycling—the black headlight, slammed speedo mounted on the triple clamp, round air cleaner cover and black horseshoe oil tank are reminiscent of pre-war H-D parts and accessories; the fuel tank with small tank graphics are inspired by the 1977 Low Rider motorcycle; and the black cylinders with gray heads and black rocker covers is a look you'd find on the Panheads and Shovelheads of the 1950's and 60's.
Accident Research identifies some areas of Concern
Written by N.Z.C.G Administration
Rider / Driver error or reaction are behind the top three causes of fatal and serious crashes, new research from the IAM reveals today. Bikes don’t lose control; riders do.
Licensed to skill: Contributory factors in accidents, launched today at the RAC Club, Pall Mall, presents the analysis of five years worth of accident data, recorded by the police between 2005 and 2009.
Factors including ‘failed to look properly’ ‘loss of control’ and ‘poor turn or manoeuvre’, accounted for 65.3 per cent of fatal, 61.8 per cent of serious and 68.6 per cent of slight accidents. Injudicious action - illegal or unwise judgements – such as exceeding the speed limit, following too close, or making an illegal turn, was the second biggest factor, accounting for another 31.4 per cent of accidents. Alcohol was a relatively minor factor, listed in only ten per cent of fatal accidents.
Behaviour or inexperience came a close third, being a factor in 28.0 per cent of accidents. In contrast, physical circumstances such as road environment, factors affecting vision, and vehicle defects are listed as issues in very few accidents.
The smaller end motorcycles built in India are growing in strength and Bajaj is now considered the fourth largest manufacturer of two and three wheelers.2-3 million and growing each year, another competitor for the chinese & japanese
With rising petrol & rego costs. toll rates to travel into our cities, is this the future :-) 
Hop on the saddle and it seems to have nothing between your legs or under the seat. Turn the key and it turns on without a sound.
Push one of the three buttons in the multifunction display, turn the knob to the right and … wooosh, its off, without a sound, its something akin to flying cars that many of us have seen in Scifi.
And above all that, not a single gram of CO2. the first 100% electric scooters sold by Yamaha in Europe. Only 56 pounds, agile and city to the bone,
Of course, there will be a huge power, 9.6 Nm, (about two and a half times that of a fifty cc gas model and with its original appearance, can make driving in traffic more chaotic experience much less stressful than usual.
The credit goes to a solid chassis, a brake drum and an amazing turning radius that allows you to turn on its own in less than 2 meters.
Simple and light the EC-03 is designed in the name of efficiency. So the engine is mounted directly on the wheel, which eliminates the need of a transmission, with consequent benefits in terms of weight savings and reduction of power losses.
In this way the little Yamaha electric, lithium battery pack, despite being quite small, can travel at least 30 actual miles before stopping for a refill, plugging into any normal socket
Since the cable sticks are about 7 hours to fully charge, but only 4 for about 80% of charging and 2 for up to 50%. And the operation may be performed 900 times before the batteries need a change (make about 27,000 km).
And do not worry if the charging indicator goes down before you reach your destination, the EC-03 knows when the battery drops below 50% and automatically goes to work saving mode, The price? around 2390 €.
YikeBike won first place in the I“Urban Sustainable Design” category and has been included in the Guinness Book of World records as the most compact electric bike in the world. It has also won a 2011 iF product design award.
The judges of the 2010 Best Design Awards, led by Professor Tony Parker, Head of Massey University’s Institute of Design for Industry and the Environment, said, “This radical piece of design has attracted a great deal of global attention, and no wonder. It takes typical urban commuting solutions, and turns them inside out. This contemporary penny-farthing is a game-changing idea and one where every component and detail has been designed from a single-minded perspective.”
“It’s great to see the YikeBike receiving such high quality awards given the years of design and thought that have gone into it,” says YikeBike founder and CEO Grant Ryan. “The YikeBike has ended up a beautifully engineered product that we are very proud of and it is great to be able to send them out to our first customers.” Click on the link above for full story or the READMORE link below
The Shift-It range of products are designed to look after that essential part of any motorcyclist’s kit – the helmet.
Shift-It is employed by the technicians working on the Arai British Superbike Race Service team and is also used and recommended by the Ron Haslam Race School to keep all of the Arai Chaser helmets used by students there in brand new condition. Further recognition has recently been bestowed on the brand when it took a ‘Ride Recommendation’ in the magazine’s April issue.
New for 2011 is Shift-It Helmet Re-fresh. Formulated to eliminate odours and bacteria caused by body moisture, one application of Helmet Re-fresh (simply spray the interior and leave to dry in a well ventilated area) leaves a clean, spring fresh fragrance ready for the next ride. Available in 50ml bottles, Shift It Helmet Re-fresh has an RRP of £2.99.
A hog in Japan takes a hit
For 2011, they step into the casual-touring scene with the Vulcan Vaquero, a dark bagger that joins the Vulcan 1700 line of cruisers. Kawasaki gave the Vaquero a sleek custom stance (similar to the Street Glide), while also giving it a trendy blacked-out treatment. read more
Exhaust: Chromed stainless steel 2-1-2
Final Drive: Belt
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate
Transmission: Six-speed, helical cut 2nd-6th
Fuel capacity: 5.8 gallons
Frame: Tubular steel, twin spine
Front suspension: 47mm Showa fork w/ 4.7 in. travel
Rear suspension: Steel swingarm, pre-load adjustable dual Showa shocks with 3.7 in. travel
Front brakes: Twin 310mm disc, four-piston Nissin calipers
Rear brakes: Single 310mm disc, two-piston Brembo calipers
Wheels/Tires: 120/70 19-in. front
200/50 17-in. rear
Seat height: 27.5 in.
Length: 92.1mm
Width (handlebars): 34.6 in.
Wheelbase: 63.5 in.
Rake/Trail: 32-degree/151mm
Fuel Tank Capacity: 5.8 gal
Weight (claimed wet): 746 lb.
Colors: Jet Black, Matte Black
Price: USD$13,899
Two-Year Unlimited Mileage Warranty
Two motorcycle riders are dead after separate collisions yesterday. A truck and motorcycle collided at the intersection of the Papakura offramp northbound and Hingaia Rd about 8am, killing the rider. The second fatal accident occurred just after midday in a remote part of southern Hawkes Bay. Dannevirke police, said a 56-year-old Upper Hutt man died at the scene when he lost control after rounding a corner. He crashed through a fence and over a bank into trees.
The serious crash unit was investigating.
Great views on a bike adventure in steep MacKenzie Country.
The view from Mt Nessing's stone-strewn peak is breathtaking, with the sun-baked MacKenzie Country hills rolling into the hazy distance.
The challenge adds extra spice to the million-dollar view; few people ever make it this far, and not just because the track is steep and tricky - but because it's on private land.
& because this is an organised ride, the Yamaha Lakes and Mountains Safari is just one of several "adventure rides" run by Mike Britton and his wife, Angela.
Read Full item CLICK HERE
Home Injuries Far Outweigh Road Injuries
Written by N.Z.C.G Administration
Accidental injuries and deaths at home cost New Zealanders three and a half times more than road injuries, a new report says.
The research, by the University of Otago in Wellington, found the social cost of injury in the home cost about $13 billion a year, while estimates by the Ministry of Transport put road injury costs at nearly $4 billion.