The YAMAHA XT500 Revival - Part II

3 posts back, I made a post on the YAMAHA XT500 revival, with a special presentation by YAMAHA Motoclub XT500 at the Exchange Exhibition of Novegro. Having been a fan of this bike for being the first motocross bike and also having seen it 'For Your Eyes Only', I really wanted to follow the presentation hoping to see some radical customized XTs.

Well, although there were no customized bikes, but the entire fleet of XT was exhibitioned on February 20th to 22nd including (as mentioned in the related post) the 14 (actually 15) perfectly preserved XT500s. The show also featured the Paris -Dakar winners (YAMAHA won the first 2 Paris Dakar rally with the XT500 driven by Cyril Neveau. Source: Wiki), the model used in the James Bond film, the special series, TT500 and HL500.

From the first model in 1976 to the last 1990 model, although it has very few changes from the existing model, each version was present nonetheless. The last model actually came out in 1989 as an Anniversary model to celebrate the 10 years since the first victory at the Paris / Dakar rally.

Source of info and pics: Repubblica Italy

You can know more of this legendary single cylinder engine in YAMAHA THUMPERS.

Visual Gratification - VESPA - Now & Then

We have all driven a VESPA, and all have owned many of them. I remember my dad's first 2 wheeler was a Vespa, he owned probably 2 or 3 of them. I learned my 2 wheeler skills on a Vespa. Such a nice scooter and then most of us graduated into 'bigger' machines a.k.a bikes. Nostalgia got the better of me when I found my neighbour restoring a Vespa to such a pristine condition that right now I am in the look out for my very own adult life Vespa. Well, I haven't got the pictures of my neighbour's scooter, but I sat hunting for pics of restored and classic Vespas on the net cause I am definitely going to restore one pretty soon and I am eyeing the one below to get 'inspired'. All these images of classic Vespa are sourced from a single site, CLASSIC SCOOTERS U.K. they have all these and a lots of LAMBRETTAs too. Enjoy the nostalgia!

Of course, VESPA is very much alive and kicking all over the world. They are very very beautiful, has always been. Engine capacities range from 50cc to 278cc, the biggest is the Vespa GTS 300. Visit the VESPA world site and you will know it is available in every corner of the world. The images below are from VESPA USA. Didn't I say, they still look so amazingly beautiful, how they have changed with time and beneath those mild looking engines, you will get all the latest gizmos available from Liquid Cooled engine to Fuel Injected engines.

D66 - A DUCATI Chopper

Well, its true! Maybe not from the DUCATI production factory, but nonetheless, how many of us would have really thought of a DUCATI Chopper? And, its rivalling the V-Rod from HARLEY DAVIDSON in the open! See the pic below.
This is the Ducati D66, a custom chopper made by Luca Bar from Italy. Come to think about it, how many European Bike manufacturers (except for TRIUMPH) has production cruisers or choppers? Certainly not Ducati or MV or Laverda. But then, come to think about it, if you want to make them, Luca Bar has just shown it how it should be done.

Stunning! Of course, Choppers are definitely the flavour of the Americans while it has not really made any mark in Europe. But now, if you always wanted a chopper and has written various requests to Ducati for giving it a thought, well, somebody heard you!

Choppers have been clearly a HD thing and only this year Honda unveiled the 2010 Fury. The comparo picture clearly shows that the D66 resembles the V-Rod in many cycle parts especially at the front.

The D66 has an original 1098 (which also does duty on the new Streetfighter) is fitted with rear wheels of size 240 inches. With that kind of a ratio and looking at the stance, it really wont be surprising if it makes its way to the drag racesAccording to source, this bike is also being targetted primarily for the U.S market and with a brand name like Ducati, it wont be a surprise if the D66 find a lot of immediate supporters. And if Honda (the king of market research) knows its time for the FURY is here, well, Ducati, you should start thinking too!
Source: INFOMOTORI through Motorcycle Specs

The YAMAHA XT500 Revival

In 1976, YAMAHA officially released its Endoro/ Off-Roader XT 500 which was also known as the YAMAHA THUMPER. Its single engine found many fans all over the world for its practical and easy to use nature. Now, Yamaha XT500 is back in the spotlight, thanks to a special exhibition organized by the club official Yamaha "Motoclub XT500", an official and registered Italian fan base of this classic which started out twentu years ago in 1979. The club has 14 genuine bikes perfectly preserved and will be on display from 20 to 22 February 2009. The entire product range of the XT500 with its evolution will be exhibited. Yamaha XT500 was the forerunner of the class all-road enduro and in a way is the father of the now off-road/ enduro legacy. There were a total of 7 versions in its evolution stage which started out in 1976 and ended in 1990. See all the versions here. The famous XS and SR 500 models were variations on the same engine and chassis.

Pics Source YAMAHA MOTOR EUROPE News Source - MOTOBLOG

Know more about this classic in in the YAMAHA THUMPER website.

Specifications:

499cc, OHC, air-cooled, 4 stroke, single cylinder, 2 valves
Power: 27.00 HP @ 5900 RPMm, Top speed: 132.0 km/h (82.0 mph)
Bore x stroke: 87.0 x 84.0 mm & Compression: 9.0:1
Final Chain drive, 5-speed Gearbox, Expanding Front & Rear brakes
Front & Rear tyre: 3.25-21 & 4.00-18

Fuel capacity: 9.00 litres, Weight: 155.0 kg (341.7 pounds)

R1 vs Fireblade! And the Winner Is...

Yesterday I made a post where I wrote its difficult to debate about the Ninja 250R being the Best 250cc Bike in the World. Probably the only bike in a capacity category unlike the litre bikes where its debatable between the R1 and the Fireblade. I was really thinking where can I get a nice video of these 2 super heavyweights. Today when I purchagedthe Bike India magazine (March 2009) issue, again I saw both these metals albeit in different write ups, well actually the CBR was the 600 version, but it got me thinking to search for that elusive video. And hey! as I regular visit MCN, I was pleasently surprised that on the home page was the video featuring these giants!

Motorcycle News has done the ultimate fantasy of bikers! they have raced the YAMAHA R1 (YZF-R1) vs the HONDA FIREBLADE (CBR 1000RR). Only MCN can do that! So, who is the winner... Well, why waste time, find out!

Source of Video - (Of course!) Motorcycle News (where else!). You would also probably like to read the reviews in MCN of both the HONDA CBR1000RR and the YAMAHA R1 (in case if you haven't already!)

The Little Devil - KAWASAKI Ninja 250R

The Best 250 in The World. This is becoming more and more common for the Ninja 250R. Every magazine, every critic lauds its every aspect and why not, the Ninja 250R IS the Best 250 cc bike in the world. And thats saying a lot. Just think how many bikes can debate to be the best in their class, for every YZFR1, there is a CBR1000RR, for every Goldwing or Rune, there is a Vulcan or Electra Glide. And you what what, the Ninja 250R 2008 is only superceded by the 2009 edition as it only gets better.

The Ninja 250R has been KAWASAKI's best selling bike for quite some time now. The obvious selling points are definitely the price at $4000 for the 2009 model (while the 2008 model was for $3500), the nimble handling and the oh-some look of a proper SBK. Add to it, a rider friendly engine with real world performance and the best part is, from a entry level player to a big time player, no one will feel out of the bike. It will happily let the newbie keep his derriere in the seat and will also equally bring that smile to the professional with its wheelie skills.

The heart of the Ninja 250 has a twin-cylinder engine that loves to be revved hard. The engine has been tuned to be peppy enough and it is. But the power is very predictable and that is the high point of the bike. The bike will always stay at your command, it will never overpower you even if you are a newbie. the engine is gutsy but very smooth, you wont feel threatened. If you area newbie, the Ninja 250R IS the bike for you. If you occasionally drive and also love to coomute on 2 wheelers sometimes, this is the bike for you and if you are a pro, hey! nice second bike you got there! And of couse, its very economical too for daily use as the engine is very frugal thanks to those fine-tuned twin Keihin CVK30 carburetors. Sorry, no FI till probably thenext upgrade.

As I said, it loves to be revved hard and so Kawasaki has done a brilliant thing by keeping a friendly low and mid range torque through its dual overhead camshafts and 2-into-1 exhaust system. While the six-speed transmission will lets riders exploit the 250R’s powerband without fanfare from that low-end grunt to the top-end rush. The bike looks great from any angle and although I am not a big fan of 'covered' bikes, the 2009 does look great with the dual colour fairing which also compliments the windscreen.

But one thing that just might bug you are the instrument consoles. They are still non-digital. I mean the round analog odometers looks great on a Cafe Racer and Street bikes, but it somehow doesn't compliment the SBK styling. Not that its is a rule, but we have always associated SBK with digital meters and most of us really thought that the 2009 version would surely feature digital consoles. Anyway... even these looks great on the Ninja 250R. They are big, easy to read and you also have the nuetral indicator along with the trip meter, fuel gauge and warning lights.

So how do you seat on a Sports bike? Well, although its a Sportsbike, but the sitting position is very comfortable like a street/road bike, that is you will have a natural riding position with slightly forward-slanting seat and wide, raised handlebars. Great handling and stability thanks to the 17-inch wheels, great ergonomics and great throttle response makes this a boon for urban riding. Then those UNI-TRAK® rear suspension featuring 5-way adjustable preload, and those beautiful petal shaped 290mm front and 220mm rear rotors gripped by two-piston hydraulic calipers will also surely boost your confidence even in stop and go traffic. The chassis is sturdy and durable diamond-style frame of thick-walled steel tubing and beefy swingarm bracket contributes to its frame’s rigidity and the square-tube swingarm with a 60 x 30mm cross-section further adds to its rigidity. Other features that you will be interested are the Liquid Cooling system with latest generation Denso radiator and the fins on the lower side of the crankcase will further helps cool the engine. An aggressive looking dual-lamp headlight design, slim tail cowl and separate seats further enhance the supersport look.

Specifications
Engine: Liquid Cooled, 249cc, 4S, liquid-cooled, DOHC, parallel twin
Bore & Stroke : 62.0 x 41.2mm
Maximum Torque
22 Nm @9,500 rpm
Compression Ratio: 11.6:1
Carburetor & Ignition: Keihin CVK30 x 2 & Digital
Transmission & Final Drive: 6-Speed & O-Ring Chain
Frame: Semi-double cradle, high-tensile steel
Rake/Trail & Wheelbase: 26 degrees / 3.2 in. & 55.1 in.
Front & Rear Tire Size: 110/70-17 & 130/70-17
Front & Rear Suspension: 37mm hydraulic telescopic fork & Uni-Trak® with 5-way adjustable preload
Front & Rear Brake: Single 290mm hydraulic disc & Single 220mm petal disc (both with two-piston caliper)
Fuel Tank Capacity & Curb Weight: 4.8 gal. & 170 kgs.
Source of information, photos and videos: KAWASAKI USA & KAWASAKI ITALY