First production motorbike sells for £86,200


 The first production motorbike has sold for more than £80,000 in Stafford.


The 1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller was being sold by Bonhams auctioneers, at the Stafford County Showground. It was part of the Carole Nash International Classic Bike Show.

The final sale price of £86,200 was more than the estimate of between £40,000 and £60,000.

It was in the same auction as a Brough Superior, of the type ridden by Laurence of Arabia. That sold for £157,700 – it was estimated to go for between £110,000 and £130,000.

The Hildebrand and Wolfmüller was made by the Hildebrand brothers, Henry and Wilhelm, who developed the motorcycle in partnership with Alois Wolfmüller and his mechanic, Hans Geisenhof, in the late 1800’s.

Their design was powered by a twin-cylinder, water-cooled, four-stroke engine displacing 1,488cc, which until relatively recent times was the largest power unit ever fitted to a motorcycle. It only has a maximum power output 2.5bhp at 240rpm, but was capable of speeds approaching 30mph.

Bonhams auctioneers have over 500 lots for sale at the show, with bikes ranging from classics to modern day Ducatis and Hondas. The eventual total for the auction was £1,618,324.

Article from Staffs Live

Pixie Lott showcases her new fashion collection astride a yellow motorbike


Here's sexy Pixie, looking like she's got a Lott on her mind. And she has.

The Mama Do singer showcased her new fashion collection astride a yellow motorbike, wearing black bovver boots, knee-high socks and a gypsy-style headband.

The star, who is supporting Rihanna on tour, posed up to launch her own Lipsy collection which goes on sale next Wednesday.

We're told: "Pixie was really hands on with the designs so is really nervous about how the public will react. She's praying she's got another hit on her hands."

She probably has...

Article from the Mirror

Iveco sponsors MotoGP motorbike racing championship

Iveco sponsors MotoGP motorbike racing championship

Iveco has agreed a two-year deal with Dorna Sports, which runs the MotoGP motorbike racing championship, to be its official commercial vehicle supplier.

Under the deal, the truck manufacturer will supply 15 Stralis tractor units, as well as four EcoDaily vans to support the international race series.

Iveco is already the official sponsor of one of the MotoGP teams, Fiat Yamaha.

The Iveco vehicles will be responsible for transporting materials, equipment and personnel throughout the racing calendar, which runs from April, and journeys through 14 countries.

In recognition of the company's efforts, the Australian round of the championship is to be called the Iveco Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2010.

Iveco's involvement with MotoGP is part of its broader sports-based sponsorship initiative, which has linked Iveco to some of the most famous sporting teams in the world, including New Zealand's All Blacks and the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team. 


Article from transport engineer 


Honda Unveils Electric Motorbike

honda0413

With the EV-neo electric motorcycle, Honda, which sells the Insight and other gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, and the FCX Clarity hydrogen powered fuel-cell car, brings some of its latest green technology to motorbikes.

Associated Press
A woman rides Honda Motor Co.'s new electric scooter EV-neo at Honda's research facility in Wako, a Tokyo suburb, Japan, Tuesday, April 13, 2010.

Honda said it will begin leasing the bike in Japan in December, but has no plans to sell it at the moment.

"It is becoming important for companies to meet society's needs for CO2 reduction," said Toshiyuki Inuma, a general manager at Honda's motorcycle unit, at a test-drive event in Wako City, north of Tokyo.

Honda, Japan's second biggest car maker and the world's biggest motorcycle maker by volume, first leased electric motorcycles 16 years ago, albeit in small numbers, rolling out only 200 bikes over three years.

But in a sign of potentially deep demand in some emerging markets for such advanced electric motorbikes, Yamaha Motor Co., the world's second largest motorcycle maker, also plans to roll out its latest electric motorbike this summer.

Yamaha hasn't said whether it will sell or lease the bike.

Honda plans to lease its EV-neo scooter to businesses, such as pizza restaurant operators and others that run delivery services in Japan. It doesn't plan to lease it overseas. The leasing price hasn't been disclosed and Honda hasn't decided how many bikes it will lease.

The EV-neo uses a lithium-ion battery with double the power density of the nickel-cadmium battery used in the earlier electric motorbike.

The charging time for the new model is half the eight hours of the previous bike. Honda says rapid charging equipment gives the new battery an 80% charge in 20 minutes, and the bike can travel more than 30 kilometers on a single charge.

However, the company isn't certain if it can commercialize its electric motorbike operations on a large scale, Mr. Inuma said. Honda is still sizing up the potential market for such bikes, as demand will depend on costs.


To succeed with this product line Mr. Inuma said: "We have to differentiate our technology from others. Then, we'll see whether we can offer the price that customers would want."

One of the main challenges has been making the battery smaller and reducing the total vehicle cost.
The EV-neo's electric motor shares key parts with the Insight hybrid, and that cuts costs, said Koichiro Honda, an assistant chief engineer.

The company said it will use battery technology by major Japanese electronic equipment maker Toshiba Corp. Toshiba's lithium-ion batteries give nearly twice the power as those used in Honda's earlier electric bikes, so it was chosen over GS Yuasa Corp., with which Honda has a joint battery venture, said Mr. Honda, the engineer.

"One of the reasons is the durability," he said.

 Article from the wall street journal

Britten Electric Motorbike Concept

Britten Electric 
Motorbike Concept

Hub-less rims seem to be gaining popularity in concept designs nowadays, not that we’re complaining. Next up we’ve got the Britten V1000E that is designed by Selwyn Shadbolt, featuring a compact and light design. Power is drawn from a single large capacity electric engine. For some reason, we can’t seem to be able to find any handles on the design though. Strange.

Article from Ubergizmo


Thrive Concept Motorbike Adds Green to Good Looks



The concept is actually a hybrid, running off electric motors for small distances, and relying on gasoline when the batteries run out. It could run entirely off electricity for shorter commutes, like intra-city travel, making it go low on emissions.



The Thrive Motorbike concept from designer Michael Luzar adds a touch of green to performance motorcycles. There was once a time when clean, green motorcycles were impractical and ugly. Thankfully, the notion has long been sent to the gallows by the likes of Zero and Mission Motorcycles, and the Thrive Concept delves into the same idea of making green look good.

Thrive has been designed as a single seater, and its bodywork is mostly aluminum and carbon fiber to keep the weight low. Bodywork of the motorbike is cleverly arranged to hide its internal mechanism and batteries, and give it a sleek, clean look. The concept motorbike is proposed for 2015.

Dannii Minogue - Sexy Motorbike Photoshoot

 Voted the most beautiful person by "WHO" magazine and she likes bikes!

Check out her photo shoot on a Aprillia RSV and a Yamaha Fazer



Prince Harry splashes out on bespoke 166mph Ducati superbike.

Speed-loving Prince Harry has just splashed out on a bespoke 166mph Ducati superbike to add to his growing collection.

The 25-year-old-royal, who inherited several million pounds from his late mother's estate last year, bought the 848cc model at a cost of around £11,500.

He then paid to have the bike re-sprayed black with a distinctive Italian-inspired stripe in red, white and green down the side.

The Ducati 848 is described by enthusiasts as a 'sexy, sexy bike' and can reach 0-60mph in little more than three seconds.

Third in line to the throne Harry already owns a couple of trail bikes which he driven since the age of eight on his father's country estate.

Eighteen months ago he bought himself an  £8,000 Triumph to celebrate passing his test and taking part in a marathon 1,000 mile motorbike charity trek across South Africa with his brother.

William already has a £15,000 Ducati 1198, however, and hasn't been able to resist teasing his younger brother - telling him he wasn't eligible  'to play with the big boys yet'.

So after being given the chance to ride pillion on a Ducati during a secret visit to the MotoGP British Grand Prix at Donnington last summer, Harry made his mind up that he would get one at any cost.

Although the young prince's bike is still not quite as powerful as his brothers 185 mph model, Harry is cock-a-hoop at his prize new purchase.

Harry is a huge fan of motorbikes. During his tour of duty in 
Afghanistan, he even found an abandoned motorcyle and drove it past a 
Spartan armoured vehicle in the desert in the Helmand province
Harry is a huge fan of motorbikes. During his tour of duty in Afghanistan, he even found an abandoned motorcyle and drove it past a Spartan armoured vehicle in the desert in the Helmand province.

A friend told the Mail: 'Harry loves his motorbikes and has absolutely no fear - which may, or may not, be a good thing! William has been winding him up for months so he was the first person he told about his new 'baby' and he heartily approves.

'Both William and Harry enjoy the anonymity that putting on their leathers and taking to the road gives them. 
'No-one knows who they are and in the biking world people just treat them as one of the lads, which they love.'

THE DUCATI 848

The Ducati 848 is described as the lightest, fastest stopping, quickest lapping superbike in history.
The Ducati 848cc model costs around £11,500. Harry has had his 
resprayed black with Italian red, green and white stripes
Weight: 168kg (369lb)
Engine: L-Twin cylinder, 4 valve per cylinder Desmodromic, liquid cooled
Horse power: 134hp
Top speed: 166 mph
Fuel consumption: 44mpg
Made: Bologna, Italy
Insurance: Up to £5,000 a year for a rider of Harry's age and occupation
Unfortunately Harry's father is slightly less enthusiastic about his youngest son's latest purchase.
Like any loving father, Prince Charles worries about his safety on such a powerful bike.

But Harry has reassured his 'papa' that he is a perfectly safe rider and pointed out that both he and William are followed at all times by a police officer on a similarly high-powered machines.

'The way Charles worries about his sons is rather sweet, really. His reaction when Harry told him was like that of any father whose child has just announced they have bought themselves a motorbike,' said a source.
'But he knows that his sons are old enough to make their own decisions about things like that and he would never dream of stopping them.

He just limits himself to asking them to be careful.'Italian-made Ducati bikes are considered the 'ultimate' high performance bike around today.

A spokesman for the firm said: 'We consider ourselves a very aspirational brand - the Ferrari of the motorbike world.'

Harry is currently training with the Army Air Corps to become a helicopter pilot and is due to find out within days whether he has been selected to fly their Apache or Lynx models.

Either way, he hopes to be able to return to the frontline in Afghanistan - and could see active service there in as little as 18 months time.