Ducati revealed the Desmosedici GP11 race bike yesterday, und today, we have a video of the event. Ducati likes to do things in style, that’s for sure. The press conference was held at Madonna di Campiglio, Trento, Italy. Rossi’s bike features luminous yellow painting and number 46. Rossi and Hayden are cheduled to test the GP11 at Sepang from the 1st to the 3rd February. Until then, check out Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden snowmobiling. Read the full article »

The return to Argentine territory of the Personal Dakar Argentina-Chile 2011 turned out to be very complicated for the challengers. Despite setting off behind Cyril Despres, his main rival for the bike title, Marc Coma took advantage of a major mistake by the Frenchman to put one hand on the trophy. On completion of the 10th stage, the Catalan now has a lead of 19' over Despres as well as a third special stage victory. Read the full article »

Chip Yates is an AMA Pro Racer who decided in 2009 that he will build an electric superbike that beats gas bikes. Well, the time has come, Chip and the SWIGZ.com Pro Racing Team made history yesterday, finishing second and third against gas-powered competitors in the WERA Heavyweight Twins classes at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. In the race, the electric machine did gasoline bike lap times, and reached 154 mph top speed. Read the full article »

After Yamaha released Valentino Rossi, the Italian driver can officially begin his work at Ducati Corse this week, and Ducati didn’t waste any time and they released a set of photos of their 2011 race bike. For a real Ducati fan, probably these are the most anticipated photos of the year. The Desmosedici GP11 was unveiled at a joint event with Ferrari in the Dolomite mountains. The colourful styling of the new race bike comes from Aldo Drudi. Read the full article »

With the winter weather settling in, now is the perfect time to look at purchasing some motorcycle accessories. Z1R Helmets introduced two new helmets, the Phantom Monsoon & Solids. The Phantom line of helmets is available in a variety of colors and graphics, but one that stands out is the Phantom Monsoon. The Phantom Monsoon combines a unique and stylish graphic with all the comfort and safety features demanded from a quality helmet. Read the full article »

The bikers on the Dakar experienced an unusual day in the region of Copiapo, which began with an atypical grouped start and involved climbing of dunes separated by large valleys. However, even in this type of landscape, the best of riders can still lose their bearings and leave themselves open to setbacks. The first wave of ten riders got the stage going assuredly, but after twenty kilometres, nine of them were over-confident and chose the wrong direction, making a mistake that they were unable to repair. Read the full article »

Akrapovic announced a new racing exhaust sytem for the Kawasaki Z1000 / Z1000 SX. The system is designed for riders who demand maximum performance from their motorcycle and is almost 10 kg lighter than the stock exhaust. The pipe features hi-tech materials, such as titanium or carbon-fiber mufflers. The system is not street legal and is designed for racing purpose. The power increase with the Akrapovic system is substantial, and can be seen from 5000 rpm right to the top of the range. Read the full article »

Rajputana Customs is a family-run company in Rajasthan that builds handmade, unique custom-designed bikes. Their latest creation is practically a wedding gift. A guy, Subhayou Nayak wanted to buy himself a little present before the big day, so he sommissioned Rajputana Customs. The company built an old-school looking, stunning Royal Enfield with a 300mm rear tyre. The bike is powered by a 500cc Royal Enfield twinspark engine. Read the full article »

Husqvarna unveiled the Mille 3 Concept at the 2010 EICMA show, which, according to Visordown, was the first sign that the Swedish company is planning road bikes. The British magazine reports that the manufacturer will launch the first of a whole range of road bikes in late 2011 as part of a new strategic plan. The first road machine of Husqvarna will use a 900cc parallel twin engine based on the BMW F800 models. Husqvarna could use the experience and resources of their parent company, BMW. Read the full article »

The initial cull is now over. Unless there is an epidemic of insurmountable mechanical problems, the battle for overall victory should be the business of Marc Coma, Cyril Despres and Francisco Lopez. So far, the kilometres travelled have been favourable to the Spaniard, who first and foremost must be on his guard and protect the lead he possesses. Between Antofagasta and Copiapo, he even endeavoured to improve it, skilfully benefitting from his starting position. Read the full article »