Newsgroup: it.hobby.motociclismo
Titolo: New Bike News

New Bike News
Sales Snag
Pause for breath or beginning of a fall from grace? Overall UK bike
sales and visitors to the Bike Show in Birmingham were down a marginal
amount over last year. The best seller so far, this year, the
Thai-manufactured CBR125, despite costing more than two and a half
times what the better CBR150 (from which it is derived) retails for in
Thailand. The GSXR1000 ain't far behind, followed by the CBR1000RR...
perhaps the most depressing detail, the horrible Honda 100 Lead in
number seven position - a machine totally inferior to the 125 Wave
which needs to be imported in huge quantities at half its current
price! Hard to tell what the market is going to do next... Meanwhile,
UK trail-riders are likely to be banned from most of the countryside
although exactly how the plod are going to enforce the law remains to
be seen - as it will obviously be equally illegal for the police to
speed across the countryside on off-roaders. Oh well, another
ten-percent on bike prices to pay for the helicopters and SWAT squads?
Talk about taking a sledge-hammer to crack a very, very minor problem
- another case of too many politicians having too little to do to
justify their existence. And I say this as someone who actually prefers
to walk in the countryside rather than risk breaking limbs on a
motorcycle... And, the UK's Motorcycle Sport magazine was much improved
in its Jan '06 issue, as the new editor gets into his stride; just hope
someone gives him a big red pencil for Xmas which he'll maybe have the
guts to apply to the PR-speak in a couple of the road tests. Getting
there and now, once again, worth a look.
Books & Mags
Knowing only too well how tough things are for small scale publishers,
I am always happy to give a free plug to anyone who sends me details of
their new motorcycle books or magazines (unless they have seriously
pissed me off in the past!)... Jeff Meeham has a couple here - Ray's
Rides - Circular tours of Cheshire and North Wales - and Profile of
a Scott Owner.
Fickle Fame
The American Motorcycle Museum's Hall of Fame well worth a look,
featuring bikes right back to the nineteenth century as well as much
more recent stuff. Some of the choices a touch bizarre, such as the
1966 Honda CB450 Police Special, the 1985 Honda VF1000R and the 1976
Suzuki RE5 Rotary... but I suppose there was some oddity value to the
last two.
Back 2 Front
Fanaticism is fine and extremism is okay, but when it all strays into
mindless ideology and repetition of the same old thing over and over
again it becomes, what? Well, boring for a start. Time was when the
acquisition of certain motorcycles drove me to distraction but these
days I enjoy the ride for the ride's sake and all I really ask is that
the motorcycle beneath me neither fails, explodes nor disintegrates,
within the context of a certain power to weight equation. What makes me
smile, these days: blues skies; a bright sun, open snaking roads with
little traffic and an Oriental babe (who makes a teenage Kate Moss look
rather plain, thank you very much) clinging on for dear life - and no
need to wear a bloody crash-helmet, dismal, useless, blood-sucking
politicians please note. Bottom line... just say no!.
JRD Jag
JRD a large Malaysian industrial company with factories all over Asia
(including Thailand) but not exactly yet focused heavily on motorcycles
- the JRD 110RS the kind of low end step-thru that has little going
for it other than its sub four hundred quid ex-factory price. They are
of note, though, as they have developed a 125cc off-road version of the
eternal if not infernal step-thru that is rather more useful than it
sounds and likely to retail in Asia for as little as five hundred
sterling. Worth keeping an eye out for future, larger capacity, models
including a neat 200cc thumper roadster that could make it into Western
markets for half what the Jap's charge for their rather joyless 125
singles such as the Honda CG125.
Vincent Variations
Phil Cotton Classics in Cumbria are selling brand new, upgraded Vincent
engines that even have electric starters. These are available for
fitment into either Egli or cut-down Norton frames, with variations in
cycle parts although there doesn't seem to be an option for those who
require proper handlebars... most likely needed for anyone old enough
to front up the 25-30k sterling cost. Not convinced, though, that the
engine is placed far enough forward for sublime handling.
Just a small part of: 
http://net-motorcycles.com

 New Bike News
what about a nice gasoline tank of shut the fuck up?
-- 
Camillo, piu o meno di Bergamo
Aprilia RS125 "thanatos" in coma
"legions of tiara clad virgins are sifting
my fairytales, morbidly possessing my crayons,
and it truly fucking hurts" EOB