Motorcycle
World Superbike Championships Rd 6: Ducati fights back
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June 27, 2005 A splendid double win for Regis Laconi thrilled a large Santamonica crowd yesterday to rejuventate the Ducati Xerox Team’s manufacturers championship ambitions but title leader Troy Corser appears safely in control of the riders championship. In a sweltering Misano (air temperature hovering around 32 degrees and track temperature at around 53 degrees), the French rider scored two dominant wins, finishing twice on the top of the podium together with Australians Chris Vermeulen (Honda) and Corser (Suzuki) in that order. Team-mate James Toseland also rode two determined races but had to settle for two fourth places. Read More
MotoGP: Dutch TT to Rossi and Yamaha
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June 26, 2005 Valentino Rossi claimed another win, another record and staked another claim to being the greatest ever when he won the 75th anniversary Gauloises Dutch TT at the famous Assen circuit on Saturday afternoon. In doing so, he became the first Yamaha rider ever to win five consecutive premier-class races and fought off a new challenger to his crown in the form of an ever-improving Marco Melandri. Rossi has always had the ability to find something extra when it counts, but he seems to be regularly performing remarkable feats this year, coming up with several stunners on the weekend to increase his points lead in the 2005 title to 63 points – a buffer of more than two race wins. Read More
KTM 950 SUPERMOTO: the international Press raves!
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June 25, 2005 The launch of the new KTM 950 SUPERMOTO was one of KTM’s biggest gambles yet. The Austrian marque has been undergoing the transition from niche purveyor of premium off-road competition machinery to fully-fledged motorcycle manufacturer and has its eyes set firmly on the road bike market with a 990 Supersport motorcycle set to spearhead its road machinery charge and successful forays into (125 and soon 250cc) Grand Prix racing set to give it credibility. So why it would choose to release such an oddball motorcycle as the 950cc supermotard to such great fanfare was a complete mystery … until the press rode the bike, which turned out to be a sensation. Our favourite quote on the KTM comes from Two Wheels Only: “The motorcycling equivalent of a man with a 1000 yard stare, a disturbing twitch and an unhealthy interest in firearms ...” Read More
Suzuki GSX-R/4 Concept update for Tokyo?
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June 22, 2005 Rumours emanating from Japan suggest Suzuki might be ready to put the GSX-R/4 concept machine it first showed four years ago into production with an announcement due that this year’s Tokyo Motor Show. The multi-featured GSX-R/4 concept car combined Suzuki's automotive and motorcycle technologies to create a one-of-a-kind high-performance vehicle using the 1.3-liter 173 horsepower engine of the GSX1300R Hayabusa motorcycle to create a high-tech, aluminium-framed, light weight 640 kilogram two-seater sportscar capable of 140 mph and motorcycle-like acceleration. With the rumours already strong that a production version of the outrageous B-King concept motorcycle will be announced at the show with a 1500cc motor, use of the same motor would see the GSX-R/4 with more than 200 horses plus the same array of intelligent electronics that adjust the car to the driver’s style. Read More
Futuristic BMW off-road helmet and body armour
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June 21, 2005 With the forthcoming release of the new cross-country BMW HP2 motorcycle, BMW has put together some fancy new off-road gear, and the pick of the bunch is carbon fibre, Kevlar and fibreglass off-road helmet that’s also aerodynamic and aesthetic enough to be seen anywhere. Indeed, we’re predicting that when the helmet becomes available it will be a best seller, particularly if the company decides to fit its Bluetooth and noise cancellation technologies which will enable it to work with a mobile phone and eventually with other Bluetooth devices such as MP3 players and the like. Now there’s a promising thought – imagine trail riding whilst listening to crystal-clear classical music. The new off-road helmet is reconfigurable, and can be used with or without both the visor or the screen and adds to an impressive BMW helmet line-up which also includes the featherweight SportIntegral carbon fibre helmet that weighs just 999 grams. Read More
BMW HP2 wins on debut at Erzberg Rodeo
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June 15, 2005 The new high performance BMW HP2 off road machine got off to a dream start when it won its first competition start at the legendary Erzberg Rodeo in Styria, Austria. The heavenly peace and glorious panorama of Erzberg erupted as more than 1500 riders on all matter of machinery were cheered on by thousands of on-lookers as amateurs and weekend riders battled it out with the likes of enduro world champions, Dakar racers and even freestyle motocrossers! The Iron Road, as it is known, is one of the most prestigious and highly contended enduro-sports events in the European racing calendar. Read More
MotoGP: The Yamaha M1 wins its fifth race from six starts
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June 12, 2005 Less than two years ago the Yamaha M1 factory prototype racing machine was not considered competitive – indeed, it was considered by most to be a dog. It struggled throughout the 2003 Moto Grand Prix racing year, and in the hands of two of the finest professional motorcycle racers in the world, Spaniard Carlos Checa and Brazilian Alex Barros, it finished an entire season with just one third place as its sole podium from 32 starts. In 2004, Yamaha was fortunate to be able to obtain a rare and frightfully expensive throttle controller for one of its machines (also known as Valentino Rossi), making the machine far more competitive – from 16 starts in 2004, the Rossi-fitted machine won nine times and placed second twice and won the world championship. It’s win, with Rossi aboard this afternoon, is its fifth win from six starts this season and Rossi is now 58 points clear of his nearest rival. A look back at the results makes interesting reading – though the bike is reportedly far better than it was, no-one else is making it go fast enough to be competitive. Read More
MotoGP engine capacity to be reduced to 800cc in 2007
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June 6, 2005 The biggest news of recent years in motorcycle racing broke over the weekend at the Italian GP when it was announced that the engine capacity for MotoGP would be reduced from 990cc to 800cc from 2007. The aim of the rule change is to slow the machines down, though in effect, it is unlikely to slow the bikes down much, and it will certainly make them more difficult to ride, though not nearly to the degree of the 500cc two-strokes which could only be mastered by a handful of riders in the world. If anything, the rule changes are likely to make it more rather than less difficult for the smaller manufacturers to compete with the engineering prowess and financial power of Honda. Honda promoted the rule change, and had a large say in having it passed, as it provides seven of the 21 bikes on the grid each race. Read More
Italian MotoGP - Italian tour de force
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June 5, 2005 World Champion and Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi produced one of the best performances of his career today as he outwitted a trio of Italian compatriots to take a stunning home victory at Mugello. Starting from pole position, Rossi was in turn passed by a handful of riders, despatching each in turn until he was left to battle for the victory with his old arch-rival Max Biaggi, eventually finding enough to greet the chequered flag four tenths of a second ahead of his main adversary. Biaggi was Rossi’s main protagonist and antagonist for the early part of his career in the premier class, but had faded from the spotlight in recent years and Rossi’s new arch rival Sete Gibernau crashed out early in the race after fading from the front of the pack to fourth and looking like he was going to finish much further down the points. Read More
World Superbike Champs - Ducati fights back
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May 29, 2005 Regis Laconi and James Toseland took a win apiece for the Ducati Xerox Team in the fifth round of the World Superbike championship in front of a 70,000 strong crowd at the Silverstone circuit. Frenchman Laconi scored his ninth career triumph and Ducati’s first win of the year when he took the chequered flag in race one, but it was Toseland who really set the home fans alight with a controlled but aggressive display of riding in race 2 to seal the reigning champion’s first win of the year. In the pointscore though, runaway championship leader Troy Corser on the Suzuki GSXR1000R finished second in both races, extending his lead to 78 points – more than three clear race wins. Read More
World Supersport Rd 5, Ten Kate Honda again
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May 29, 2005 Winston Ten Kate Honda’s Sebastien Charpentier (CBR600RR) roared to his third win of the season with another front running display, this time not from team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara but from Yamaha Motor Germany rider Kevin Curtain (R6), who recorded his third podium finish of the season at Silverstone. Curtain shadowed Charpentier for two thirds of the 28 lap race before a lack of grip forced him to settle for second in the closing stages. Even despite this easing of pace, Curtain finished a huge 18 seconds ahead of third placed finisher Fabien Foret (Honda) to close in on Katsuaki Fujiwara (Honda) for second place in the championship. Read More
The coming of the electric motorcycle
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UPDATED May 31, 2005 Electric motorcycles are in their infancy but there’s a realistic promise of electric motor performance that is more suited for the racetrack than that of internal combustion engines and infinitely better suited for the road. As the first electric bikes find their way onto racetracks and begin mixing it with two and four strokes, it appears you need three times the horsepower in a gas-powered motor to get a bike as fast as an electric bike. And then there’s the new 500bhp 67 Kg Symetron electric motor which should really kickstart performance electric automobiles and bikes. Read More
Tyre Down: a smarter, more secure alternative to motorcycle tie-downs
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May 23, 2005 Anybody who has ever transported motorcycles knows the problem. The traditional tie-downs used to secure motorcycles on a trailer are a pain-in-the-bum. To make the bikes secure, you need to compress the forks to such an extent that you’re forever damaging the fork seals and the system is far from foolproof as many an expensive toy has jumped off a trailer with no prompting. It was a major problem awaiting a solution and we can honestly say we have seen the solution. Hallelujah brothers and sisters, let us present the TYRE DOWN. Read More
MotoGP Rd 4: Gibernau close but Rossi again
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May 15, 2005 World Champion Valentino Rossi extended his lead at the top of the MotoGP World Championship with a victory from pole position at the French Grand Prix this afternoon. The Italian World Champion recorded the fastest ever motorcycle lap of Le Mans in qualifying yesterday and followed it up with a new lap record on the very last lap of the today's 28-lap race in order to hold out fast-finishing rival Sete Gibernau. Rossi’s win makes it three wins and a second from four starts so far this season, and particularly heartening for Yamaha was the competitiveness of Rossi’s team-mate Colin Edwards who started from second place on the grid, led the race until the final laps when he was mown down by the Rossi/Gibernau juggernaut but easily finished ahead of the field to make up the podium. Read More
World Superbikes Rd 4: Suzuki & Honda share spoils
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May 8, 2005 Team Alstare Suzuki Corona rider Troy Corser (GSXR1000) took a win and a third place in the fourth round of the World Superbike Championships at Monza today extending his lead to 52 points over team mate Yukio Kagayama. Honda’s Chris Vermeulen (CBR1000RR) scored a second race win to revive Honda’s chances in the series and Ducati showed a return to form with podiums in both races. Read More
MotoGP Rd 3 - Rossi wins rain-swept Chinese GP
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May 1, 2005 Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi made history once again today, becoming the first rider to take a MotoGP victory at Shanghai, with a stunning performance in torrentially wet conditions at the inaugural Grand Prix of China. Despite starting from sixth place on the grid Rossi took control of the race on the fifth lap, taking over from early leader Kenny Roberts (Suzuki) and opening up a clear gap over the chasing pack.
It was an advantage the reigning World Champion would never let slip, holding his concentration for the next 17 laps despite the attentions of surprise challenger Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki), riding in place of the injured Alex Hofmann. Jacque passed Sete Gibernau (Honda) for second place with seven laps to go and closed in on Rossi at the front, but was unable to seriously threaten the Italian's second victory from the opening three rounds of the championship. Read More
BMW's 1200GS gets (very) serious!
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It’s now a quarter of a century since BMW released the R 80 G/S and in so doing created a new class of motorcycle – the large capacity off-roader. An ideal off-road tourer with great manners on a dirt road ithas not really had much more sporting pretence than that. Yes, it did win the Paris-Dakar Rally at different times but only through superhuman riders and massive machine development. Though the showroom machine has evolved through massive engine redesigns and a capacity increase to 1200cc, no-one in their right mind would seriously contemplate going into a harsh off-road environment on a BMW GS model for fun until now. The new BMW HP2 is a genuine large capacity, lightweight boxer-engined high performance off-road machine. How lightweight? VERY - try 175 kg dry!!!! Read More
World Superbike Championships: Suzuki Dominates again
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April 24, 2005 World Superbike Championship leader Troy Corser raced his Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra GSX-R1000 to a double race victory at the third round in Valencia today as his main rivals dropped away in the championship chase. Only Honda CBR1000RR-mounted Chris Vermeulen and Corser’s Suzuki team-mate Yukio Kagayama now look to stand any chance of remaining in touch with the runaway points leader. In the World SuperSport race, Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR team again streeted the field. Read More
MotoGP Rd 2: Gibernau crashes, Barros/Honda win, Rossi extends title lead
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April 17, 2005 A Honda won the Portugeuse Grand Prix today with World Champion Valentino Rossi second, but it was the Honda of Alex Barros that greeted the chequered flag first not the expected Honda of Sete Gibernau. Gibernau crashed out in light rain while leading the race at mid distance in the first MotoGP race run under the new rain rules which do not allow for race restarts due to rain during the race. Barros’ win was not entirely unexpected. He was the fastest rider in all sessions throughout the weekend, fastest qualifier and appears to have regained the form he last showed at the end of 2002 when he beat Valentino Rossi several times on equal machinery. Read More
MotoGP Rd1: Rossi takes dramatic last gasp win
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April 10, 2005 Valentino Rossi put the gloss on a perfect start to his defence of the MotoGP World Championship at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez today, smashing the lap record by over two seconds and gaining a significant psychological edge over his main rival for the championship, taking a victory on the last corner from a seemingly impossible position. Riding a completely new smaller, lighter and faster Yamaha M1 for the first time in race conditions, Rossi spent almost the entire race stalking Gibernau who led from within a few corners of the start … 27 laps later, the race ended in one of the most controversial incidents for many years. Read More
Suzuki dominates World Superbike Championships
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With four races completed in the 2005 World Superbike Championships, the good news is that the race that was known by many as the Ducati Cup over the last few seasons is now a thriving series once more with six competitive manufacturers fielding two three and four cylinder machinery – the bad news is that the podium for 2005 may be dominated by Suzuki as much as it was by Ducati in 2004. From a possible 180 points so far, Suzuki has scored 176 points – and although the prospects for Yamaha, Honda and Ducati look brighter as the year progresses, 1996 Superbike champion Troy Corser looks already like the 2005 champion. Read More
MotoGP Season Preview
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The MotoGP season starts again next weekend with Valentino Rossi and his Yamaha YZR M1 a raging hot favourite to take the title again. Rossi appears likely to face increased competition this year though, with at least ten riders looking capable of taking a race win during the season and with his most likely rival, Honda-mounted Sete Gibernau, already in fine form. Read our extensive 2005 season preview with in-dpeth coverage of the pre-season testing, bookies odds, links and background. Read More
BMW K1200R for MotoGP Power-Cup
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March 24, 2005 BMW Motorrad hasn't wasted any time in getting its performance-oriented K1200R at the forefront of motorcycle competition, and is replacing the popular BMW BoxerCup that is run in conjunction with each European MotoGP round with a series based on K1200R racers. Powering the new one-make championship is a race honed version of the K 1200 R with some added carbon fibre aerodynamic enahncements and an even warmer version of the bike producing 175 bhp (129 kW). Read More
BMW's K1200R - a radical new direction for the once conservative Motorrad brand
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March 20, 2005 This was the first the world saw of BMW’s new K1200R roadster muscle bike when the machine made its world debut at the Intermot motorcycle show late last year – almost certainly the first time the image-savvy BMW brand managers have ever condoned one of their roadgoing vehicles to be displayed in such vulgar hoon-like behaviour. When the smoke cleared, we could see why. Using the same donk built for the K1200S ultra high performance sports machine, the K1200R is quite unlike anything we’ve ever seen from the normally understated German marque. The aggressively-styled unfaired street bike has 163 bhp and an uncompromising “street fighter” attitude. Read More
700 Horsepower from Suzuki Hayabusa
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March 11, 2005 Perhaps the most insane news we've posted on Gizmag this week comes from the inaugural DynoJet Horsepower Challenge held last weekend in Valdosta, Georgia, USA. Basically, DynoJet make motorcycle dynamometers and they provided a bunch oif them and anybody could roll up and the guy whose bike made the most horsepower won. The winning fellow was Hank Booth of Great Falls, Montana, whose highly modified 1999 Suzuki 1300GSXR Hayabusa motorcycle with an NLR turbocharger cranked out an incredible 701.32 horsepower. Read More
Ducati Multistrada 620 launched internationally
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March 8, 2005 The new Ducati Multistrada 620 was introduced to the international press last week at a Sicilian fishing village in the province of Trapani. The model is new for 2005, one of three new models introduced by Ducati to the Multistrada family range, including the higher specification 1000 S DS and the 620 and Dark entry level Multistrada models. Read More
AUD$77,000 Limited Edition MV Agusta set for Superbike Debut
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March 8, 2005 Well, not quite. The $77,000 limited-edition MV Agusta F4 1000 Tamburini will be displayed to the Australian public for the first at round two of the 2005 World Superbike Championship from April 1-3. The machine inspired by legendary designer Massimo Tamburini produces 127kW (173 horsepower), compared to 122kW (166 horsepower) from the standard MV Agusta F4 1000, which sells for AUD$32,990. The MV Agusta will indeed be rerpresented at most of the rounds of the World Superbikes this year as the 2005 Superstock FIM Cup is held in conjunction with the European rounds of the championship and four MV Agustas will be among the 33 starters in the championship this year. Read More
Legendary motorcycle Designer, Umberto Todero Has Passed Away
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March 2, 2005 Umberto Todero , one of the best known and most respected designers on the world motorcycling scene has passed away at the age of 82. Todero spent 66 years in the employment of Moto Guzzi, originally as a race mechanic on the World Championship winning single cylinder Grand prix bikes of the fifties, and from there onwards, he worked with the likes of Carlo Guzzi, Cesare Carcano, Enrico Cantoni, Lino Tonti, and Dr. John Wittner and played a hand in the design of every Moto Guzzi from the legendary 500cc V8 racer of the fifties through to the transverse V-twin engines that have become the marque's unmistakable signature. Read More
2005 World Superbike & Supersport Championships - Round 1
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February 28, 2005 The 2005 World Superbike Championship is shaping as the most exciting in years, with at least a dozen riders with a realistic chance of taking the title and four marques competing for each race win after the first round was held at the Losail circuit in Qatar on the weekend - a distinct change from the Ducati processions of the last few years. The surprise winner of the first of twelve rounds of the World Superbike Championship was Yukio Kagayama, indicating that the new Suzuki GSX-R1000 is likely to be as competitive on the racetrack in superbike form as it is on the road, and the Suzuki quinella has installed former World Superbike Champion Troy Corser as favourite for the title after one round. Bookmakers have installed the 1996 world champion as a firm favourite for the title ahead of Regis Laconi (Ducati 999), 2004 Champion James Toseland (Ducati 999), Chris Vermeulen (Honda CBR 1000RR) and hard-charging crowd favourite Nori Haga (Yamaha R1). Read More
V-REX - Tim Cameron's next big design
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February 22, 2005 Motorcycle designer and 3D artist Tim Cameron caused a sensation in the motorcycle industry two years ago when he released computer generated images of his DREAMBIKE design - magazines around the world clamoured to obtain images of the radical design and ever since, Tim has been one of the in-vogue designers for the motorcycle industry. Now here's a world exclusive - Tim's next big design, the V-REX. Read More
Supercharged Harley V-Rod to debut in Melbourne
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February 26, 2005 UPDATED IMAGES A supercharged Harley-Davidson V-Rod will be a two-wheeled star among the four-wheeled majority at the 2005 Melbourne International Motor Show next week. The production-ready prototype is a collaboration between Vee Two Australia and Sprintex Superchargers and with only a few visual clues as to what lurks beneath the standard exterior, it's a real sleeper - with 140 horsepower. Read More
Harley-Davidson Street Rod - redesigned V-ROD
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January 25, 2005 Harley has reworked a new version of its V-ROD cruiser to make a significantly different motorcycle - the Street Rod. The Street Rod is restyled, but there's much more than just a facelift - it also has much more ground clearance during cornering, much better sports suspension including inverted forks, more horsepower and a new steering geometry designed for quicker turning and a more nimble ride. The riding position is now upright and ideal for around town, and the fuel capacity has been increased from 15 to 19 litres. The new model shows that Harley is listening - it addresses all of the criticisms made by the motorcycle press of the VRSCA and VRSCB models. Read More
Ducati unveils 2005 Desmosedici GP5 MotoGP machine
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21 January, 2005 Ducati’s MotoGP season got under yesterday on the Grostè glacier (at an altitude of 2470 metres) as the Desmosedici GP5 appeared in its 2005 livery for the first time amidst the spectacular Dolomite mountains in northern Italy. “The bike that Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa will race this season is the result of an evolution, not a revolution of the GP4” explained Ducati Corse CEO Claudio Domenicali yesterday during the press conference. "We learnt from the mistakes we made last year, when we arrived at the first Sepang tests with a completely different bike from the previous version and with no chance of turning back. Read More
ORANGE COUNTY CHOPPERS PUTS THE LINCOLN MARK LT ON TWO WHEELS
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January 12, 2005 Mike Seate, author of the book "Choppers: Heavy Metal Art" describes choppers as "1,000 watt ghetto blasters for white people.'' For the last fifty years the art and science of chopping bikes has had a cult following, and an even smaller participation rate. But an unlikely alliance of testosterone, science and art in a reality TV show has seen the cult reach the mainstream audience and business is booming. Read More
The Hellbender - 145 horsepower Buell XB
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November 14, 2004 The Buell is one of the sweetest-handling motorcycles available, but with its motive force provided by a decidedly outdated Harley Davidson pushrod motor it's easy to yearn for a few more horses. Enter the Hellbender, arguably the ultimate answer in Buell XB customising. Read More
