Honda Electric Scooter

HONDA HAS unveiled the 2011 EV-Neo electric scooter, announcing plans to offer lease sales to businesses in the Japanese market from December.

Targeting companies that offer a delivery service, such as couriers and food businesses, Honda says the EV-Neo was designed to provide the durability for ongoing daily commercial use.

While the Japanese manufacturer has not revealed specific output figures for its electrified scooter, it has confirmed that the EV-Neo will offer a cruising range of 30km from a single charge. Honda says that its performance figures will be on par with petrol-powered scooters in the 50cc class.

source: http://www.themotorreport.com.au/50164/2011-honda-ev-neo-electric-scooter-unveiled-japanese-launch-this-year

“Stoner naar Honda is een schande!”

Taalbarrières zorgen vaak voor misverstanden, wat voor grote problemen kan zorgen. Dit ondervond Nicky Hayden ook toen hij door de Italiaanse pers gevraagd werd wat hij ervan vond dat Casey Stoner naar Honda gaat. Hayden vertelde dat Ducati veel voor Stoner heeft gedaan en andersom en dat hij het jammer vind dat Stoner weg gaat.

Dat lijkt op het eerste gezicht een prima antwoord, maar het was de woordkeuze die Hayden in problemen bracht. De Amerikaan zei letterlijk ‘it’s a shame he is leaving’ (het is jammer dat hij weggaat) maar de overenthousiaste Italianen vatten dit heel anders op. Zij dachten dat hij ‘it’s shameful he is leaving’ (schandalig dat hij weggaat) bedoelde.

Door deze verwarring werd Hayden tijdens het weekend van Laguna Seca overspoeld met Italiaanse reporters. Hayden is dit echter wel gewend, want hij loopt al heel wat jaartjes mee. Hij maakt zich geen zorgen over de roddel dat er onenigheid is tussen hem en Stoner. “Ik ken Stoner al een heel lang en we zijn goede vrienden. We gaan goed met elkaar om en hij weet dat ik zoiets nooit zou zeggen.”

Foto: ANP

bron: http://motor.nl/nieuws/13959-hayden-in-de-problemen-.html

Juni goede maand motorverkopen

Door een explosieve groei van het aantal verkochte nieuwe motorfietsen in de maand juni 2010 zit de verkoop weer op het niveau van 2009, zo blijkt uit cijfers van het VWE bureau voor voertuigdocumentatie en –informatie.

Was vorige maand het verkooppeil in Nederland nog zo’n 19% onder dat van 2009, voor juni is dit compleet recht getrokken en is met 1543 tenaamgestelde nieuwe motoren zelfs licht (1,31%) hoger dan vorig jaar. Feit blijft wel dat de opgelopen achterstand dit jaar niet meer in te halen is, ondanks de goede maand juni staat de verkoop in 2010 in totaal nog op -15,65%. In het eerste halfjaar is Suzuki (1381) marktleider, gevolgd door BMW (1296), Honda (1105) en Yamaha (997).

bron:  http://www.bikenet.nl/Content/MotorNieuws/NieuwsItem.cfm/26/47330/juni-goede-maand-motorverkopen/false

Jorge Lorenzo ‘curious’ to see Casey Stoner at Honda

MotoGP world championship leader Jorge Lorenzo says he’s curious to see how Aussie rival Casey Stoner will gel with Honda’s factory RC212V machine in 2011.

Stoner was the first of the big four to confirm his plans for next season when his move to HRC from Ducati was unveiled before the previous race in Germany.

Stoner, who won the 2007 world championship for Ducati, is expected to partner Spaniard Dani Pedrosa with plans for a three-rider ‘super-team’ to also feature Andrea Dovizioso under threat because of a lack of sponsorship.

Italian Dovizioso might have to move to the satellite Gresini squad but still get top factory support alongside Marco Simoncelli.

Lorenzo meanwhile, who has yet to pen a new deal with Yamaha, said it would be interesting to see whether Stoner can be as formidable an opponent for Honda as he has been for Ducati.

The 23-year-old told MCN: “It will be interesting. Everybody is curious to see Casey with the Honda and what he is capable of doing with that bike. I think Ducati and Honda are also very competitive. Casey has talent so for sure he will be very fast with the Honda.”

Lorenzo starts this weekend’s American MotoGP race at Laguna Seca with a 47-point lead over fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa.

The pair have won seven out of the opening eight races of the 2010 campaign, though Valentino Rossi missed 50 per cent of the campaign with a broken right leg.

source:  http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/MotoGP/2010/July/jul2110-lorenzo-on-stoner-honda-move/

Stoner leaves Ducati to join Honda team

Australian MotoGP star Casey Stoner will leave Ducati at the end of the season to join Japanese manufacturer Honda.

The 24-year-old actually made his MotoGP debut with the satellite LCR Honda outfit in 2006 before moving to Ducati, where he won the world title in 2007.

“We are very pleased that Casey will join Honda again next year,” the factory-team’s vice president Shuhei Nakamoto told the official MotoGP website.

“Clearly he is one of the top riders in MotoGP and he will bring valuable speed and experience to our team.

“We already have two very strong and experienced riders in Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso who are performing very well and currently hold second and third positions in the 2010 World Championship.

“We hope to retain these two riders for next year — giving us what would be a truly formidable line-up.”

Stoner added: “I have decided to move on. I will have new challenges in the future and different obstacles to overcome, but I will not forget these years with Ducati and the people I have had the privilege to work with.”

World champion Valentino Rossi is now expected to leave Yamaha to link-up with his fellow-Italians at Ducati.

Rossi is currently recuperating from a broken leg suffered at the Italian Grand Prix last month but is expected to return before the end of the season.

source:  http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/motorsport/07/09/motorsport.motogp.stoner.honda/index.html?hpt=Sbin&fbid=9hnOo5EbRxh

2010 Honda CB1000R Review

Two years ago Honda introduced Europeans to the CB1000R, a slick naked bike with CBR1000RR blood flowing through its veins. Will it finally be coming to North America?

Peruse Honda’s 2010 lineup and you’ll notice a common theme. Unless you’re looking at cruisers, all of Honda’s sporting machines are dressed up. Maybe the folks at American Honda are a bit prudish, but it would seem they have an aversion to naked bikes. Naked is, after all, the new “standard,” evoking thoughts of simpler times when motorcycles were less focused and served multiple purposes.

Evolution has improved the breed, and modern standards are basically naked supersports. The CB1000R demonstrates this with firm ties to its sportier sibling, the CBR1000RR.

When Honda discontinued the 919 in 2007 (known as the Hornet 900 across the Atlantic), Europeans saw the gap filled with the higher-performance and futuristically styled CB1000R for the 2008 model year, but the machine failed to make it into North America.

We recently had a chance to sample the 2010 CB1000R at Roebling Road Raceway, as a teaser courtesy of Honda Canada, the distributor of Honda motorcycles north of the U.S. border. Lengthy Canadian winters prevent us Canuck journalists from riding until sometime in mid-April, so Honda Canada invited some of us to ride a slew of new Hondas (some of them Canadian-market only models like the CBF600 and CBF1000, which you’ll read about soon here on Motorcycle.com) in the more temperate climate of Savannah, Ga.

Honda Canada brought the CB1000R into the country for testing, with the possibility of offering it in its lineup in the not-too-distant future.

This sharply styled, liter-class naked bike is powered by a 998cc inline-Four sourced from the ’06-’07 CBR1000RR. Being a longer-stroke engine than the one available in the latest CBR, its potential for stronger midrange torque makes it better suited for naked-bike duties.

To emphasize a broader spread of torque, the CB uses 36mm throttle bodies as opposed to the ’07 CBR’s 44mm (the current CBR uses 46mm throttle bodies). Its compression ratio was reduced to 11.2:1 from 12.2:1.

In this detuned form the CB1000R’s engine produces a claimed 123 crankshaft horsepower at 10,000 rpm, a substantial reduction from the older CBR’s claimed 170 but still satisfying considering this isn’t a bike destined for the starting grid of a World Superbike race.

Torque peaks at 73 ft-lbs at 7750 rpm, and although the CB doesn’t have the brute bottom-end grunt of a Triumph Speed Triple, it does have a meaty midrange that gets progressively stronger as revs reach the 10,000 rpm redline. It has a satisfyingly flat powerband that won’t threaten to pop your shoulders when you twist the throttle to its stop. I saw about 150 mph on the digital speedo riding into a headwind along the front straight, and the bike was still pulling. The lack of bodywork, however, made holding on at that speed a real workout on the forearms and biceps.

Its six-speed gearbox operates so smoothly that it almost shifted at the mere thought of changing gears.

A single-backbone, gravity-cast aluminum frame uses a fully adjustable 43mm inverted fork, and a single-sided swingarm is suspended by a single shock adjustable for rebound damping and spring preload. Suspension settings as delivered were entirely up to the task of fast lapping of the mostly smooth, flowing racecourse, so occasional track-day aficionados won’t be disappointed with this machine.

Steering geometry is a bit less aggressive than on the latest CBR1000RR (25-degree rake, 3.9 inches trail vs. 23 degrees and 3.8 inches) and the wheelbase is stretched almost an inch and a half to 56.9 inches, but the bike still felt a bit twitchy through Roebling’s long, sweeping turns. That twitchiness was caused mostly by the leverage provided by the wide, 1980s superbike-bend handlebar. Despite lacking a steering damper, the bike gave no indication that it was prone to wobble.

Turn-in is quick enough to give the impression we were riding a middleweight roadster (claimed wet weight for the ABS model I rode is 489 pounds), and there is enough cornering clearance to ride to the edges of the Bridgestone BT-015 radials (same as on some U.S.-spec CBRs), with only the extra-long footpeg feelers bearing the brunt of hard lapping.

The seating position is typical of a naked bike, with footpegs mounted rearward, and somewhere between a supersport and sport-touring bike in height, and the handlebar places your body in a modest forward lean — in other words, just right for back-road blitzing. The bike feels relatively slender between the legs and its 32.5-inch seat height allows a flat-footed reach to the ground with a slight bend at the knees (I’m six feet tall).

A compact instrument panel is all LCD and includes the usual array of info including tripmeters, speed, clock and a bar tachometer. Despite its rather low placement it was easy to read, though I’d have preferred a round analog tach—call me old fashioned. The plus side of this dashboard is that it makes for a sleek nosepiece when viewed from the front.

Honda’s Combined ABS uses standard-mount three-piston front calipers squeezing 310mm rotors (radial-mount calipers are used on the non-ABS version) and a twin-piston rear caliper on a 256mm rotor. The brakes require higher lever effort to slow the bike hard than it would on a supersport machine, but effort is still well within sportbike standards and feedback is precise.

The CB1000R’s racetrack handling alone won me over, but where it will really shine is on the street. I decided to give the CB a break and rode one session at a sporting street pace and this naked roadster returned the favor by exhibiting a gentle demeanor and remaining nearly buzz-free at 65 mph.

A 4.5-gallon fuel tank should provide a decent range at legal speeds, and its Euro-inspired styling (the bike was designed by Honda’s R&D department in Rome) is stylishly futuristic without being an attack on the visual senses like Kawasaki’s new Z1000. To visually reinforce its CBR-RR lineage, it borrows styling cues from its sportier brother, including its low-slung angular exhaust and abbreviated tailpiece.

Where the CB1000R will feel most at home is in an urban setting or when blazing back roads with your riding buddies. Europeans know this, as the CB1000R has proven a popular mount across the pond.

Maybe North Americans will be as receptive to this sporty roadster, should it finally reach our shores. And that just might happen. With the bike being currently tested in the land of the maple leaf, it’s certainly one step closer.

source:   http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/honda/2010-honda-cb1000r-review-89355.html

Honda betrouwbaarste motorfietsen merk

Honda scoort opnieuw in betrouwbaarheid. Dit blijkt uit een onderzoek onder 12.000 lezers van het Britse magazine Motor Cycle News. Maar liefst acht Honda’s staan in de top tien van betrouwbaarste motorfietsen.

De eerste vier plaatsen in de top tien zijn voor de toermachine NT700V Deauville, de supersporter CBR600RR, de groottoerist ST1300 Pan European en de ruige CBR1100XX Blackbird. Op de zevende tot en met de tiende plaats eindigden respectievelijk de ultrasportieve CBR1000RR Fireblade, de eigenzinnige VFR800, de technisch vernuftige VFR800 VTEC en de allroundmachine CBF1000.

Toonaangevend
Het onderzoek van Motor Cycle News in Groot-Brittannië behoort tot de meest toonaangevende polls op internet onder motorrijders. De respons is fors, wat al blijkt uit de 12.000 reacties. De deelnemers moeten er de tijd voor nemen, want het gaat om ongeveer honderd vragen per deelnemer. Die richten zich op comfort, afwerking, betrouwbaarheid, wegligging, styling en onderhoudskosten.

Honda ziet in het resultaat de bevestiging dat de continue aandacht voor kwaliteit loont. Veel respondenten gebruiken hun motor regelmatig. Sommigen leggen jaarlijks veel kilometers af en dan valt betrouwbaarheid als eerste op. Dit blijkt wel uit het feit dat de toermotor en woon-werkmotor pur sang, de NT700V Deauville, in Groot-Brittannië kampioen betrouwbaarheid is geworden. Ook de twee Honda supersport motorfietsen CBR600RR en CBR1000RR, motorfietsen met veelal zeer vlotte berijders, staan in de top tien.

source:   http://www.bikenet.nl/Content/MotorNieuws/NieuwsItem.cfm/26/45885/honda-betrouwbaarste-motorfietsen-merk/false

big bikes for rent at flamingo-motortour

Bikes only rented out incl. tour!!

This week we from Flamingo-motortours have bought  more motorcycles to rent out to our customers and to us in our upcoming movie “The Flamingo Family” in which you can play too.

And because most people like to drive on a cruiser bike instead of a sport bike we bought some real eye catching cruisers those bikes look really beautiful and will give you the optimal driving experience when you join one of the Flamingo motorcycle tours. Our bikes are in perfect condition so that you don’t have to worry about any mechanical problems during your exciting ride with us. When you are driving one of these bike you will feel like the King of the road, because of the amazing looks of the bikes and the incredible sound.

So don’t waste your money on a motorbike from one of the rental shops in the city with many miles on it but go for security, and rent one of our eye catching cruiser bikes.

Please take a look at our many different motorcycle tours and book now, before your favorite bike is booked already. Click here.

2010 Honda Shadow RS Review

When manufacturers throw a never-ending stream of bigger-badder-better at us, it’s frequently easy to overlook the simple pleasures of riding that drew us into the hobby in the first place. But cruising along California’s Pacific Coast Highway on a sunny day aboard Honda’s easy-to-ride new Shadow RS, we were reminded of the elemental experience of simply piloting a motorized two-wheeler that brings a smile to the face of all riders. The new Shadow RS is an honest engine-and-two-wheels motorcycle, without some of the pretense of its new cruiser brother, the Shadow Phantom that shares the RS’s 745cc V-Twin. Rather than the Phantom’s stretched-and-blacked persona, the Shadow RS apes the appearance of the seminal Harley-Davidson 883, complete with a Honda version of Harley’s famous peanut tank. The Shadowster also take a cue from the original Sportster by the placement of its handlebars and footpegs, which are located as close to a “standard” riding position as is possible with a cruiser. Honda engineers wanted the handlebars placed where a rider’s hands would naturally fall, and their goal was accomplished by a comfortably neutral reach. Footpegs are set much more rearward than almost any cruiser, which is actually a more intuitive and controllable position for a rider. Adequate legroom is provided by a much taller seat height than is typical of modern cruisers. At 29.4 inches, the RS’s seat is 3.7 inches higher than the Phantom, but it’s still easily scalable for most. The shifted riding position allows for greater ground clearance than many other cruisers. Stylewise, the Shadow RS looks tidy and svelte. A chrome air cleaner and shotgun exhaust pipes are set off against blacked-out engine cases and cylinder barrels. An unsightly tank seam gives away the Shadow’s budget origins, as do the plastic fenders. The RS rolls on spoked wheels with chrome rims and nice alloy hubs for an authentic vintage appearance. Also vintage-esque are the brakes: a 298mm single disc and twin-piston caliper up front, and a low-tech drum brake for the rear. Despite their old-school looks, they do a decent job of slowing the Shadow within its humble performance limits. As with the Phantom, the Shadow RS also receives a Keihin fuel-injection system new to Honda’s 745cc V-Twin. Although no gain is power is claimed, the injected mill is efficient enough to earn an EPA rating of 56 mpg. So, despite the modestly sized 2.8-gallon fuel tank, the RS should be able to easily stretch more than 130 miles between fill-ups. Rumbling Around The EFI motor fires up easily, settling in to a loping cadence typical of narrow-angle V-Twins (52 degrees vs Harley’s iconic 45 degrees) with single-pin crankshafts. Cylinder fins and a small radiator nestled between the frame’s front downtubes help disguise the Shadow engine’s liquid cooling. Each cylinder is equipped with three valves and two spark plugs. The effort required to pull the Shadow’s clutch lever is exceedingly light, which is a boon for running around town. Shift effort from the 5-speed gearbox is just as light, making this one of the crispest cruiser trannies in production. Low-speed handling is also exemplary for a cruiser, undoubtedly aided by a fairly short 61.5-inch wheelbase, 3 inches tighter than the long and low Phantom. A 19-inch front wheel leads the way in front of a 16-inch rear, contributing to the steeper 32.5-degree rake of the RS compared to the Phantom’s 34.0 degrees and the significantly shorter trail (134mm vs 161mm, respectively). When the RS’s sportier chassis geometry is combined with less weight to carry around than the Phantom, the Shadowster is a much more agile machine. Honda claims a fuelled-up curb weight of 507 pounds, lopping off 36 lbs from the Phantom due mostly to the adoption of chain drive instead of the Phantom’s shaft. Its 100/90-19 front tire responds relatively quickly to steering inputs, unhindered by a fashionable yet cumbersome wide rear tire. Instead, a narrowish 150/80-16 Dunlop provides all the grip the Shadow’s mild V-Twin requires. Although the RS won’t win many bike-to-bike dragraces, its rider is rarely looking for more power. It excels when using its decent torque to easily outrun normal road traffic. The RS is very friendly when dialing on power, and together with its cooperative drivetrain, it’s a peach for newer riders and those not in a hurry. Acceleration is reasonably quick but nowhere near arm-stretching, and the motor reveals some vibration and gets a bit thrashy when it is revved out at full throttle. Best to slow down and enjoy its pleasingly burly exhaust note, which is louder than expected from an unassuming little Honda. Indeed, the Shadow RS was perfectly in its element cruising down PCH on a sunny day, its rider enjoying the fresh sea air derestricted by his rare use of a half helmet. No wheelies or rolling burnouts, just a man and machine unhurriedly slicing through the air. The newest Shadow has a springy, lightly damped suspension that provides a reasonably plush ride via a 41mm fork and traditional dual shocks, the latter offering 5-position preload adjustability as the only means to tweak the suspension. A thickly padded seat makes up for what the suspension lacks in sophistication. “The Shadow RS was perfectly in its element cruising down PCH on a sunny day.” A wide array of rider sizes were present on our ride, and the Shadow’s ergonomics seemed to please everyone. My 32-inch inseam legs are comfortably bent when at a stop, and the rear-set-for-a-cruiser footpegs allow a rider to take some weight through the legs for an active riding position. Even friend-of-MO Barry Winfield said his 6-foot-5 body fit without issues on the RS. A minor niggle is a pronounced lip for the pilot’s seat that prevents much repositioning and rubs the tailbone. A static test fit of the passenger seat revealed a rearward-sloping profile that would require a tight grip from your pillion to avoid being offloaded when accelerating. As is typical of cruisers, instrumentation is sparse. A large analog speedometer sits in a rider’s line of sight above the handlebar, and the only display options are for the twin tripmeters and clock. Self-canceling signals would be appreciated on a bike like this – or any motorcycle. Mirrors offer an unobstructed view rearward, and metal hooks hanging from the rear fender under the passenger seat area provide a couple of tie-down locations Trivia tidbit: Despite the distinctly American theme of the Shadow RS, it was actually styled and developed in Japan for the domestic home market. When reps from American Honda saw it, they decided to import it to our shores. Europe wants it, too. Still in production are the Shadow Aero and Shadow Spirit 750, both with a smaller MSRP of $6,999 but without the RS/Phantom’s fuel injection that vault their MSRPs to $7,799 and $7,999, respectively. Of the four 745cc Shadows, this new RS holds the most appeal in our eyes. It’s a real “knees in the breeze” motorcycle, one that needs no apologies for what it is and what it isn’t. Its style ethos, although derivative, is classic and will endure longer than the cruiser flavor du jour. “It’s a real “knees in the breeze” motorcycle, one that needs no apologies for what it is and what it isn’t.” We’re not the only ones smitten by this cruiser roadster. Honda dealer pre-orders were very strong, so the Shadow RS is set to add to the 250,000-plus Shadows sold since the original 750 debuted in 1983. Prior to our ride, American Honda’s assistant manager of motorcycle press, Jon Seidel, said, “It just puts a grin on your face,” to which I remained skeptical. However, just a few miles into our ride, the smile I was wearing demonstrated my agreement with Seidel’s succinct assertion. source: http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/honda/2010-honda-shadow-rs-review-89540.html

2010 Honda Motorcycles VT1300 series Introduction The Sabre, Stateline and Interstate.

Honda Motorcycles gave us the first look at its new 1300cc class lineup with the release of the factory-chopper Fury last year. Now Big Red has released the rest of the new generation VT1300 line, with three fresh models: the Sabre, Stateline and Interstate.

These new middleweights represent a departure from the previous-generation VTXs, showing more custom styling influences like streamlined fuel tanks, open frames and stronger overall lines. Like the Fury, the newbies also house a 1312cc, liquid-cooled, SOHC, 3-valve-per-cylinder, single-pin crank, 52-degree V-Twin (just like the VTX models did, too). Instead of CV-style carburetors though, the VT engine gets EFI, with 38mm throttle bodies.

A 5-speed gearbox and shaft final drive deliver power to the back wheel, (again, similar to the VTX models), though Honda has done a much better job at disguising and integrating the shaft this time around.

In the new lineup, the Sabre brings a muscular pro-street style with a low, long look, tall 21 inch front tire one-piece seat and raked out front end.

The Stateline is the more classic machine, bringing traditional looks plus progressive styling elements. The deeply valanced fenders arc downward in classic retro style, a wide handlebar provides leverage and the tires are a more standard 17 inch front and 15 inch rear.

The Interstate takes the Stateline and heaps on a pile of touring amenities, like stylish hard leather bags, pullback handlebar, floorboards and a large touring windshield.

source:         http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/newsandupdates/1004_crup_2010_honda_motorcycles_vt1300/index.html

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