Biker News - Regularly updated

Welcome to our News section, where articles are listed below and if relevant within the categories on the right, just to make it easier for you to find what you wish to read...

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  1.  A collection of unique photographs that tells the Ducati story through that attentiveness to style and design for which the Italian motorcycle brand has always been so renowned
    • Nineteen iconic motorcycles - which include the 916, the Monster and Panigale - illustrate the evolution of Ducati Design
    • Over 150 photos in one large-format, high quality, 336-page precious volume
    Proud to celebrate its 90th anniversary together with its fans, Ducati has decided to make this milestone a memorable one with a volume containing a photographic record of the company's history, illustrating that attention to style and design for which Ducati has always been so renowned.
     
    “Stile Ducati. A visual history of Ducati Design” published by Skira (Milan - Italy, 2016) is a true collector's volume, an evocative story told trough images, a sequence of unique shots that highlight the aesthetic value and the design of Ducati motorcycles.
    The volume traces the evolution of Ducati design through 19 steps: from the Cucciolo to the 916 and on to the 1299 Panigale S Anniversario. This unique book exalts the beauty, purity and sheer strength of Ducati style which, together with sophistication and performance, illustrate the brand's core values.
     
    Every one of our bikes must show it has a full share of Ducati DNA. It must have sports style; it has to ooze adrenalin, power, fluidity and technology. At the same time, its design must be pure and essential, capable of communicating lightness while ensuring high performance and off-the-scale riding fun. A design that sends an at-a-glance shiver down the spine, a taste of what's to come when you ride it” says Andrea Ferraresi, the Ducati Desing Center Director.
     
    All aspects of this book have been designed and developed internally, from the concept to the photographic style and narrative. It is a large-format, high quality book of 336 pages containing over 150 photos by Giovanni De Sandre, whose outstanding professionalism has captured the stunning allure of every Ducati-designed line. 
     
    The photos are close-ups of the selected bikes. A sequence of unique shots highlighting the captivating beauty of Ducati motorcycles, showcased like real works of art. At the end of each chapter there is a full photo of the motorcycle: irresistible images with a black backdrop to bring out the key lines and the sheer beauty of the bike's shape. Each chapter includes a brief description of the motorcycle, key aspects of its development and the relative historical context.
     
    Lastly, the photographic narrative is interspersed with statements showing how Ducati sees design. «Our bikes transmit the same tension, concentration and power that sculpt the body of a 100-metre sprinter on the starting blocks» and «Ducati style stands out because it's found in every single component, even the least visible» are just two of the citations included in the book.
     
    To close, the volume dedicates two pages to key moments in Ducati's history and has a descriptive index of the images.
     
    On sale in Ducati Dealerships and, as of 21 December, at shop.ducati.com. “Stile Ducati. A visual history of Ducati Design” will become available on the international book market in Spring 2017. Format 29x36.5 cm.
     
    Skira Editore, based in Milan (Italy), was founded in 1928. A publisher of high-end art volumes and the catalogues of major Italian and international fairs, Skira has been a long-standing partner of world-famous Made in Italy brands for many years.
  2. 2016 TT Privateer champion Dan Hegarty has joined forces with Top Gun Racing for the 2017 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy.

    Dan will be piloting the new Honda Fireblade SP2 and CBR 600 at the TT as well as the North West 200, Southern 100, Ulster Grand Prix and Oliver's Mount.  The team will have support from Honda Racing and will be working with Maxton suspension.

    Dan’s 2016 campaign saw him firmly make his mark at the TT as the leading privateer, with four top 20 finishes including 11th place in both the RL360 Quantum Superstock and PokerStars Senior TT Races, which are his highest placed finishes to date at the TT.  He has a fastest lap of 128.431mph, which he achieved in the RST Superbike Race in 2016, that makes him the 25th fastest rider of all time around the Mountain Course.

    He was also fastest newcomer at both the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix, achieved a podium in the Southern 100 and scored a win in the Bob Smith Spring Cup at the Oliver’s Mount Circuit at Scarborough and pole position at the International Gold Cup.

    A former front runner in the British Superstock and Virgin Mobile R6 Cup Championships, Dan made his TT Mountain Course debut in 2011 with his best results being the two 11th place finishes achieved in last year’s Superstock and Senior races. In 2013, he rode as part of the factory Norton team and now has six silver and 11 bronze replicas to his name.

    The team will begin testing in February with their first outing planned for the Spring Cup at Oliver’s Mount at the end of April.

    Adrian ‘Wurz’ Cox, Top Gun Team Owner, said:
    “Dan was our number one choice for 2017 as his ability and his desire to win are unquestionable.  We believe that in Dan and the new Honda Fireblade we have a winning combination.”

    Dan Hegarty commented:
    “I am so happy to be riding with Wurz and the Top Gun team in 2017.  Wurz is not a salesman – he’s a hands on team manager and a very genuine guy. Already he has underpromised and over delivered in many ways – my kind of guy! How he has grown the Top Gun team over the last few years is a great story and it will be a real team effort to achieve good results.”

  3. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, December 29th 2016 – Following the September 2015 IRISS Mission during which Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen first tested SkinSuit, Dainese is returning to space protecting Thomas Pesquet, who has been on the Proxima Mission since November 17th.

    The result of a partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Dainese Science and Research Center, and developed to be worn inside the International Space Station, SkinSuit provides “loading” in the head-to-foot direction, in effect recreating gravity’s load on Earth, but in a weightless environment. SkinSuit aims to counteract the stretching of the spine in space, producing large amounts of vertical load without compromising comfort and movement. SkinSuit is completely made-to-measure by Dainese, requiring that over 150 measurements of the astronaut’s body to be taken.

    Dainese, which has always made protection in dynamic sports its mission, confirms its commitment to researching innovative solutions for the protection of humans and constantly looks to the future by exploring possible evolutions of the relationship between nature, art and science.

    Dainese has in fact recently supported SACI, Studio Arts College International, in the symposium “From Galileo to Mars: Renaissance of the Artsciences.” The exclusive event took place November 12 in Florence, Italy, with distinguished guests including NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman; NASA astronaut, engineer and artist Nicole Stott; Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli; architect and designer Guillermo Trotti and artist and professor Lia Halloran. At the event, Dainese showcased its two space suits: SkinSuit and BioSuit. More specifically, BioSuit is a space suit intended for the first human journey to the Red Planet expected around 2030 that applies the “lines of non-extension” concept, being able to apply the necessary mechanic pressure to the astronaut’s body, although without compromising movement.

    The Dainese design approach has always been inspired by nature and its structures, recognising the importance that innovation works at the intersection of design, engineering and science, aiming for the ideal balance between effectiveness, weight and ergonomics. The latest technology resulting from this approach is called D-air®, the wearable airbag that today protects the human body in sports and which is being prepared for the mobility of tomorrow, toward Mars.

  4. From the moment eight-year-old Henry Cole was welcomed into his great-great-uncle’s shed and ran his fingers through the dust on the tanks of the assembled old BSAs and Triumphs, he had a mission.

    As he pauses between the latest round of filming for one of the trio of television programmes hosted in his unobtrusive ‘guy next door’ style, he can still smell the musty cocktail of grease, oil and sweat.

    “It was very evocative, and to this day still makes me quiver at the memory of anticipation at what that stable of half-built British bikes might one day become when they were fully restored,” he says.

    The bolt-hole shed was old Uncle Dick Redbeard’s laboratory, a mystical place where magic happened. But with Henry’s father being far less enamoured by the lure of two wheels, motorcycles were put on the back burner.

    In his rebellious teens, when not confronting authority at English public school Eton, the self-confessed ‘black sheep of the family’ professed his love for bikes. The rest is well-documented and increasingly popular television history.

    Now a writer, adventurer and presenter of World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides (Travel Channel Worldwide) and The Motorbike Show (ITV4), he takes a schoolboy-type thrill in the fact that his mission born that day in the dusty shed has been achieved.

    And it’s that self-effacing manner, passion for riding and, above all, appeal to riders and non-riders alike that has seen viewer figures surge towards the million mark in the 21st series of World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides.

    Read more here

    Henry Cole on facebook

  5. On THE BIKER GUIDE facebook group people have been voting for their favourite Motorcycle event they attended in 2016. The winner is MT Heads Rally with 102 votes! And the winner is - Oscar award

    In 2nd place is You've Been Nabbed 25 with 90 votes | 3rd place - Caveman Bash with 59 votes

    Here follows the rest of the results...

    The Underworld Rally - Avernus MCC - 54 votes
    Rally with a Chalet - 41 votes
    Tiger MCC Soggy Moggy Rally - 41 votes
    One Aim Rally - 37 votes
    Tees Riders Rusty Nut Rally - 36 votes
    Perverts in Leather Rally - 26 votes
    Drink Drop and Doss - 20 votes
    Kamikaze Run Rally - Mobile Chaos MCC - 19 votes
    Cumbria Custom Show - 18 votes
    Stormin' the Castle - 18 votes
    Big Barn Rally - 18 votes
    Raganock - 17 votes
    OGRI - 16 votes


    Roughleys Bike Show - 15 votes

    Bulldog Bash - 15 votes

    Twisted Sprockets - 13 votes

    Farmyard Bikers Party Helmsley - 13 votes

    Woz Wolf - 10 votes

    Isle of Man TT - 10 votes

    Chase the Ace rally - 9 votes

    Dead End Rally - 9 votes

    Adventure before Dementia - 8 votes

    Kent Chrome & Cruisers - 6 votes

    The North Manchester Custom & Classic Bike Show - 6 votes

    Bum in the Mud Rally - 6 votes

    Rat & Survival Rally - 5 votes

    Buttstock - 5 votes

    Classic TT - 5 votes

    Moddey Dhoo Mcc Xmas Party Isle of Man - 5 votes

    Calne Bike Day - 5 votes

    Dragon Rally - 5 votes

    GPO Rally (Barrel Bikers Mcc) - 5 votes

    Oddballs - 4 votes

    Rat Pack Rally - Bridgerats MCC- 4 votes

    Reading Toy Run - 4 votes

    NW 200 - 4 votes

    Prescott Bike Festival - 4 votes

    Over The Edge Rally - 4 votes

    Motorcycle Live - 4 votes

    St Ives Festival of Motorcycles - 3 votes

    Cernunnus MCC Mabon Rally - 3 votes

    Oxleathers Summer nulls up - 3 votes

    Pheasant plucker - 3 votes

    Cowpat Rally - 3 votes

    East Leeds Lions - 3 votes

    Rock & Blues Custom Rally - 3 votes

    Manchester Bike Show - 3 votes

    Yorkshire Rock and Bike Show - 3 votes

    Copdock Bike Show - 2 votes

    Redskin Rally - 2 votes

    Calstock Bike Show - 2 votes

    End of the Road Rally - 2 votes

    No Bull - 2 votes

    Into the Valley - 2 votes

    Barfly Rally - 2 votes

    Billy Goat Rally - 2 votes

    Kent Custom Bike Show - 2 votes

    Matlock Bath Protest Ride - 2 votes

    Twats Rally - 2 votes

    Thunder in the Glens - 2 votes

    Distinguished Gentlemans Ride - 2 votes

    Also
    Twister Iron The Happening
    Scottish Road Rally (Ariel Owners Club)
    Snowjoke
    Fat Skeleton Blues and Bikes
    The Archers Rally
    Rorkes Drift rally
    Norsemen mcc one day bike show
    Medway Natives MCC Broken Arrow
    Drove t drink
    Cock Out Rally
    Heart and Soul Rally
    The Lee Rigby memorial ride
    Firebird Rally
    Blackpool mag rally
    Penmarlam Caravan & Camping Park - Bike Weekend!
    Wsm show bikers/trike
    The Kilt Ride
    TRF ICENI weekend
    Wakinyan Rally
    Ace Cafe Reunion, Brighton

    Thanks to all that voted. 

    The above results are from a poll ran during November and December on THE BIKER GUIDE facebook group