Latest Bike News

Royal Enfield Cafe Racer to be launched in India

November 30, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

First showcased at the 2012 Auto Expo the prototype cafe racer from Royal Enfield was quite the eye candy.

The cafe racer concept has been the talk of the town since quite some time now and if official sources are to be believed, come 2013 it might be a reality for India too. Royal Enfield have stated that this Royal Enfield Cafe Racer 535 motorcycle promises to be the lightest and fastest Enfield yet!

Surely, people in India usually don’t associate a Bullet being light and fast, something quite a bit poles apart from the ones we use in India. A Royal Enfield dealer in the United States have revealed that this could possibly be the best, fastest and coolest motorcycle from the ‘Madras legends’. With a kerb weight of 170kg, souped up with a 535cc UCE fuel injected engine this beast of a bike is all ready to change the way we look at the Royal Enfield. The cafe racer will sport an electric starter and a plastic front mudguard, a first for Royal Enfield.

Other tit-bits include alloy wheels, a longer seat (the pillion might have to get squeezed in), two different choice of exhausts and other add-on goodies. With the motorcycle all set to be unveiled at the 2012 Long Beach International Motorycycle Show next week, the cafe racer concept is all ready to take the world by storm.

2013 Honda CB500F and CBR500R prices announced

November 29, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Honda have just revealed pricing details for their international 2013 lineup at the Motorcycle Live event at NEC in Birmingham, London.

Honda have priced the all-new 500 series very competitively throughout the world in order to exapand their customer base as much as possible. The naked CB500F is priced at £ 4,650 (INR 4.10 lakh) while the CB500X and CBR500R both are priced at £ 4,950 (INR 4.37 lakh), undercutting the Ninja 300 ABS by £ 249 (INR 22,000).

Honda currently is the only major manufacturer offering 500cc street motorcycles. Internationally, the CBR500R’s only rival in the value-for-money stakes is the SV650S Street from Suzuki, priced at £ 4,975 (INR 4.39 lakh); which is, however, not A2-compliant in the UK. Honda’s NC700S however is A2-compliant and is available at a price of £ 5,450 (INR 4 lakh). Among higher capacity models, the CBR600RR has been priced at £ 9,500 (INR 8.38 lakh), while the retro CB1100 is available for £ 8,950 (INR 7.90 lakh). Prices for the sporty NS300 Forza scooter are yet to be revealed, but a figure of £ 5,000-5,500 (INR 4.41-4.85 lakh) expected, in order to bridge the gap between the SH300i which is priced at £ 4,700 (INR 4.14 lakh) and the Silver Wing which is priced at £ 6,600 (INR 5.82 lakh).

If all goes as well here in India next year, and the CBR 500R does undercut the Ninja 250R’s price, Honda have a surefire winner in their hands. Bring ’em on!

Harley Davidson & Bell & Ross bespoke motorcycle

November 28, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Bell & Ross, manufacturers of luxury watches, teamed up with UK-based Harley-Davidson customiser Shaw Harley-Davidson to create the Nascafe Racer motorbike, based on the Harley-Davidson FXSTB Softail Nightrain.

The bike is said to combine Bell & Ross’ precision, engineering and performance prowess with the work of Shaw Harley-Davidson’s master technicians. The bike was first completely stripped down, after which the Speed and Custom team at Shaw mounted a Bell & Ross BR01 custom timepiece in a machined aluminum based handcrafted center console. The bike was then painted with custom paint using a combination of carbon, anodized blue, and stealth-like matte black to reflect the design of the watch along with detailing of the Bell & Ross logo. The end result, as you can see here, is one hell of a stunner.

Rossi wins at Monza Rally Show

November 28, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Not many off you might be aware about Valentino Rossi’s prowess on four-wheels, but the fact is that The Doctor has always been as good with cars as he is with bikes.

At this year’s ‘Monza Rally Show’ which took place over the weekend and, Rossi came home victorious after taking part in this star studded event.

Driving a tricked out WRC-spec Ford Fiesta, Vale blazed his way past the likes of three-times LeMans winner Dindo Capello, two times Italian rally champion Piero Longhi and MotoGP stars like World Champion Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso.

Second place went to Dindo Capello who was just 2.8s behind after nine stages in a Citroen DS3 WRC. Capello had already won the Monza event four times before. In third place was Piero Longhi. Andrea Dovizioso, who is apparently replacing Rossi at Ducati next year, came home fifth in another Citroen DS3 while current MotoGP champ Jorge Lorenzo finished tenth.

Rossi also won the ‘Master Show’ event on Sunday afternoon at the Monza event, where he went head-to-head in a series of heats on the tracks main straight. The Italian got the better of Dovizioso in the semi finals and Capello in the final to cap off a phenomenal race weekend at Monza.

picture courtesy: motogp.com

Rossi Vs Biaggi: One last time

November 26, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Any sport without an epic rivalry is down right boring, because rivalry is such a thing which brings out the best in you.

Not so long ago two Italians changed the meaning of the term ‘competition’ for ever. Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi had been in the center of one of the most greatest rivalries ever seen in MotoGP. Of course Rossi is still very much a part of MotoGP, and Mad Max has called it a day after becoming the WSBK champion with Aprilia.

So, they stage is all set for a head-to-head between two of the most evergreen racers in the history of the sport. Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi will race one another at the Sic Supermoto Day, an event arranged in the memory of the late Marco Simoncelli. Top riders from Supermoto & roadracing disciplines will feature in exhibition races with the proceeds going to the Marco Simoncelli foundation.

The Sic Supermoto Day takes place on the 10th of December at the Sagittario International Circuit in Latina, Italy and will be a largely an Italian affair. The format of the competition is quite unusual, a team consisting of a Supermoto rider and a roadracing specialist will take alternate stints in an endurance race lasting 58 laps!

Racers like Rossi, Biaggi, Dovizioso, Fabrizio, Pasini, Iannone and Scassa will team up with top Supermoto riders like Lazzarini, Beltrami Ravaglia, Gozzini and Verderosa. With the Rossi and Biaggi duel sure to lit up old memories, spectators surely are in for a treat at this event.