December

Year: ALL

Road-going Castrol rep CBR and Blade to go on sale

09 December 2001

The Castrol Honda race squad is adding a 2002 British superbike-spec road-going FireBlade to its previously announced CBR600 supersport racer rep, and is planning to put it on sale in road legal...

The super tourer rider

09 December 2001

Super Blackbird rider Smith likens the Bulldog to ” a great commuter bike, but with style, ” and thinks Yamaha has copied elements from a Buell and Monster. He says: ” I’m impressed with how it...

Ohlins/Yamaha’s system is light and so simple it can be fitted to virtually any bike with minimal modifications to the standard suspension and transmission. It uses hydraulic pressure to transmit the power to the front. A small hydraulic pump is attached to the engine, and driven by an extra chain running from the front sprocket of the stock gearbox. It uses six or more tiny pistons to pump...

The Superbike rider

09 December 2001

” LOOK at those nasty alloy fork seal protectors, they’re horrible! ” Brown’s initial impression of the Bulldog isn’t favourable as he wanders over, doing up his race rep lid. Fortunately, things...

BMW launches slower bike for cops

09 December 2001

BMW has launched yet another new bike. It’s a smaller capacity, lighter but slower version of its R1150RT and it’s only available to the police. The R850RT has the addition of a sixth ” cruising ” ...

The Harley rider

09 December 2001

YAMAHA is pitching the Bulldog at people exactly like Smith. She steers away from sports bikes and likes a more relaxed ride. But can this pooch tempt her away from her beloved Hog? She says the...

Video: Track action at Estoril

02 December 2001

Click the links in the download videos box, right, titled RM (if you use Real Player) or MOV (for Quicktime users) to see a clip of MCN’s Keith Farr lapping Estoril at the FireBlade launch.

2002 FireBlade first test – now with video and audio

02 December 2001

MCN had the first test of the heavily-revised 2002 Honda FireBlade in Estoril, Portugal earlier this week. Read Keith Farr’s first impression of the bike below or click the video and audio links in...

Two new Aprilias unveiled

02 December 2001

APRILIA has revealed a brand new contender in the naked bike market for 2002 – the Tuono – as well as a close-to-production prototype for a hybrid multipurpose machine, called the Mana. The Tuono,...

Audio: Blade designer Tadao Baba speaks

02 December 2001

Click the links in the download videos box, right, titled RM (if you use Real Player) or MOV (for Quicktime users) to hear FireBlade project Chief Engineer Tadao Baba answering questions about future...

Main changes to the 2002 FireBlade

02 December 2001

HONDA has opted to update the Blade rather than reinvent it. Its move into 2002 is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. On paper, at least. It isn’t until you ride it that you realise the changes are actually very significant ones, each with a dramatic effect on the bike’s overall character and capabilities. This is the sixth generation of FireBlade and the changes are as follows: * 1mm...