Valentino Rossi signs two year contract with Ducati

Ducati and Valentino Rossi have signed a two year agreement for the nine-times World Champion to race with the "Rossa" of Borgo Panigale in the Ducati Marlboro Team from 2011.
The arrival of Valentino in Ducati opens a new and exciting chapter in the Italian factory's sporting history and, indeed, of the whole MotoGP Championship. The opportunity of lining-up such an extraordinary rider and character is considered by Ducati to be a huge value to the whole Ducati MotoGP project.


"We are delighted to announce that Valentino Rossi will be with us from 2011," commented Gabriele Del Torchio, President of Ducati Motor Holding. "He is a paragon of excellence in the world of motorcycling, coherent with our Italian company which is a standard-bearer for "made in Italy" excellence. These are key values for success in technology, design and sportsmanship. In addition to the strong and passionate intent of both parties, this agreement has been made possible by the committed support of our shareholder Investindustrial and all the sponsors associated with the Ducati Marlboro Team, sponsors which have believed in this opportunity and share and support our choices."

"Firstly, Valentino is a great fan of motorcycles and so it has always been a pleasure for me to listen his opinions," said Filippo Preziosi, Ducati Corse General Director. "Until the Valencia GP he will remain a competitor, one so great that he has always given a special value to our victories, but as soon as he rides the Ducati for the first time, we will work together on every single detail that will develop a bike capable of showing his huge talent. Working with Valentino is one of the most exciting things for every Engineer and it's good to know we will have this great opportunity next season."

Best Ducati 999 Ever

One of the most amazing uses of the 999 I've ever seen. Love to take that out to Big Bend!

Heads up display

A new heads-up display kit is now on the market from Motion Research. The display allows you to get your important bike information without having to look down at your gauges. The diplay shows RPM, gear, and speed, everything you need to know to perform as best as you can on those twisties.

the unit simply mounts to the top of your helmet and displays the info through your visor. No pricing info available yet, but I imagine you will see these things in your local dealer soon enough.

MV Agusta back to Castiglioni

Claudio Castiglioni reacquired MV Agusta earlier this week from Harley Davidson. Harley had acquired MV two years ago in order to get access to their European distribution channels. Harley announced earlier this year they were looking to sell the company to focus on their core brand.

Massimo Bordi will head up the new MV Agusta. Bordi was with Castiglioni when he owned Ducati and stayed on after Texas Pacific group acquired the Italian brand.

I'm certainly looking forward to new bikes coming from the Varese firm.

Hyde Harrier Cafe bike

Prototype testing of the Hyde Harrier Jubilee is now complete and kits are available to transform a modern Triumph Bonneville into the ultimate modern British cafe racer. Created to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the original Hyde Harrier and the 50th anniversary of the Triumph Bonneville, the Hyde Harrier Jubilee is the result of a 2-year project by Triumph specialist Norman Hyde and Harris Performance.



Designed to utilize a Triumph Bonneville (2000 onwards pre-EFI) as a donor vehicle, the Harrier Base Kit contains replacement frame & swinging arm, fuel tank, seat unit, rearset footrests, rear mudguard and prop stand, plus other necessary fittings. So the only major items retained from the donor bike will be the headlight and instruments, front forks, wheels, engine and exhaust system.

Customers may pick and mix a variety of exotic components from the Harrier Top Kit to add to the Base Kit, including a handmade Harris stainless steel race exhaust, Ohlins suspension front and rear, Hyde fairing with Cibie lights, lightweight PVM wheels and AP Lockheed radial brakes.

Norman Hyde also specializes in tuning, so Keihin smooth bore carburetors and Wiseco big bore piston kits are available too
Hyde Harrier Motorcycles.

Vyrus motorcycles

A company out of Rimini Italy, is producing some prety amazing motorcycles. The brand is called Vyrus virus.it. Based on Pierluigi Marconi's design of the Bimota Tesi, this new bike uses the latest Ducati twin technology. Giving you a bike with power ranging from stock 1198 160hp to mind blowing 1098R supercharged 215hp. The aluminum frame is a work of art, but can still be swapped out for carbon fiber air box frame like the one used on the Motogp bikes. All the employees came over from Bimota and you can tell in the design and craftsmanship of their work.

Motobi scooter

Came across this awesome Motobi scooter that a friend owns. Never seen one of these before. Looks very similar to a Lambretta LD, but with even more strange bodywork.