New Yammies for the festive season

We told you in the September issue of the Motoroids2 e-mag that Yamaha is on the brink of launching the V-Max in India very soon. Well, here's the word from the horse's mouth! The Indian subsidy of Yamaha Motor has indeed put the V-Max up for grabs provided you have Rs. 20-lakh to spare for the torque monster. As for the colours, we are not sure whether its the 2009 or the 2010 liveries that will make their way into the peninsula, but since the engine remains unchanged for the upcoming year, rest assured that you are getting the same bang for the buck as the biking brotherhood outside India.

Also joining the V-Max on the Indian showroom floors are two new limited production colour schemes of the FZ16 and the Fazer. We have already posted pics of the LE FZ16 below this post. Stay tuned for pics of the Fazer LE...
In the meanwhile, feast your eyes on the hi-res wallpapers of the V-Max HERE.

2010 MotoGP season buzz

With half the MotoGP 2009 season already underway, its that time of the year now when the interesting buzz about the 2010 rider-shifts starts erupting. The first bit came in the form of the brave rumor indicating FIAT Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo's shift to the Repsol Honda factory team for 2010. But that seems to be over now, with Lorenzo most likely continuing alongside Valentino Rossi - making sure he has atleast the same (if not better) equipment levels as Rossi to continue their battle for supremacy.

The second bit of news comes in the form of Bautista's confirmed seat for the Rizla Suzuki team. The 250cc championship contender will take advantage of the fact that Suzuki have received a dispensation from the rookie rule which usually forces new entrants to sign with satellite teams. This will earn him a factory seat - something that he has been desiring for quite some time now. Since his current partners, Aspar, are trying in vain to convince him to join their MotoGP operations, it seems that their two bikes would find the reins under Tony Elias and Hector Barbera!

Tony Elias' Gresini seat on the other hand will be filled 250cc category's racing wonder Marco Simonchelli. His team mate will be none other than Macro Melandri - who will make a comeback to the Gresini team after having spent the last two years at Ducati and Kawasaki respectively. In spite of losing factory support this year, the Italian rider has proved his worth in almost each and every race he has participated in, and hence, looks forward to a successful comeback with the San Carlo Gresini outfit.

Stay tuned to the Motoroids Blog as we bring you more exciting news from around the paddock. For other interesting news, reviews and features, download the absolutely free Motoroids2 e-magazine for www.motoroids.com now!

Image Credits: MotoGP Press

The Yamaha Fazer 250 story - more information

The question that everyone's been asking after reading about the possible launch of the Fazer 250 on Motoroids is when exactly are they going to introduce it. Well, the 10th Auto Expo is just around the corner, and there cannot be a better platform for the Japanese company to launch the big bike. They'll also showcase what they have in store for the coming years for India.

The Fazer is selling well for Yamaha India with a waiting period of well over 30 days. If a well-styled 150, priced so optimistically can sell so well, we don't think the blokes at Yamaha will have much problem introducing a bigger engine in the same bike for a higher price. And a well styled half-faired bike, with a fuel injected 250cc torquey single, priced in the region of Rs 1 lakh sounds like the perfect offering for someone who wants an all-rounder. FI would mean that the bike won't go breathless, be it while scaling the altitudes of the Himalayas, or while cruising through the highways at sea level - a virtue that's perfect for touring. The well-sorted dynamics and wide rubber on the Fazer would mean that it'll be a great corner carver for the weekends as well.

Yamaha are also planning to increase sales in the 100cc segment as nothing below the Gladiator is moving out of the showrooms. Yamaha are looking very keenly at the scooter segment as well. We have a fair idea of what exactly they want to do in those two segments. Stay tuned for the updates..

Click here for the first part of the Yamaha story about the Fazer 250

Click here to read about Yamaha India's scooter strategy for India.

Visit www.motoroids.com to download India's first bike e-magazine, absolutely free!

Super Scoop! India-spec Ninja 250's production pics revealed

Tired of waiting for the Ninja? Done reading the speculations about the naked/street/modified versions of the Kawasaki pocket rocket? Well, here's the real deal! Motoroids have the latest pictures of the production ready, India-spec Ninja 250.

Seen here for the first time in India, are the pics of Bajaj's production ready version of the Kawasaki quarter litre motorcycle! And as you can see, the Indian authorities have once again managed to degrade the beauty of this Japanese machine by forcing the loud front number plate in the most ungainly position ever. Yet to come is the all-so-important saree guard which will deteriotate its sporty stance further.

The headlights of the new bike won't probably be as functional as the superb projection-beam headlamp of the Pulsar 220, but do the job of endowing the front with oodles of style rather well. The blinker lamps as well as some other body panels will be locally manufactured, making sure you don't have to pay through your nose if ever you drop this Kwacker. We love the angular, chiselled styling of the RVMs and the big wave rotors up front add a lot of oomph to the visuals apart from promising great stopping power for the Ninja. From whatever little we can decipher from these low-res images, the fit and finish of the bike seems to be top notch. Bajaj have done the right thing by not tinkering with the styling of this machine, and it'll be one of the sportiest and the most well-proportioned machines on Indian streets when it makes its debut.

Motoroids have many more pictures and much more dope on the Ninja 250. Stay tuned for more more insights on probably the most awaited bike in India. We'll be back as soon as we are done analysing the pictures and have found out where those high-performance components are coming from.

Visit www.motoroids.com to download India's first bike e-magazine - absolutely free!

Valentino Rossi rides at the IOM:TT!

Valentino Rossi! The demigod of motorcycle racing gets his dose of the holy tarmac at the Isle Of Man TT! Check this video as Valentino Rossi rides alongside the legendary Giacomo Agostini...



And here's MCN's (Motorcycle News) take on the same lap:

MOTOGP: Stoner to go underground!

Casey Stoner - one of the vital contenders for this year's MotoGP Championship, has been diagnosed of a secret illness which has been leading to his chronic fatigue for the past few races. The Australian will hence take a break from the MotoGP championship for at least the next three races.

While addressing the media, Ducati Boss Livio Suppo said: “Casey is very sorry that he is not able to race, especially as he feels the bike is very competitive. But he said he needs to fix this problem and come back at full strength for Estoril. It is one thing to stop if you are struggling but even more difficult when you know you are capable of winning.”

With Stoner's temporary retirement, Ducati satellite rider Mika Kallio will be promoted to race for the factory team, alongside Nicky Hayden for the next three races of Brno, Indianapolis and Misano. His current team mate Niccolo Canepa on the other hand will be joined by Ducati's WSBK rider Micheal Fabrizio.

Image Credits: Motogp.com

VDO: Ken Block and Travis Pastrana on the sal flats

This time around, the duo go around doing their thang on the salt flats

VDO: Burnout gone bad

Here's a clip of a long burnout going bad as one of the bikes - a Yamaha Thunderace 1000 EXUP bursts into flames. The other machine, a Gixxer, feels some of the heat too! Kids - DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME OR OUTDOORS OR WHERE EVER!

2010 models coming thru: Yamaha Vmax

The 2010 Vmax has no technical upgrades what so ever. So the only difference comes in the form of a new paint scheme - a combination of Silver and metallic red. Click on the image below for more wallpapers of the 2010 Yamaha Vmax:

VDO: BMW Power

BMW's F1 operations might be on hold now, but that hasn't stopped the Bavarian giant from showcasing some of its prowess. Featured here are Nick Heidfeld and Troy Corser swapping their world championship machinery and racing against each other around the Nurburgring circuit. Enjoy!

2010 models coming thru: BMW S1000RR

Its been hardly a few months since the controversial looking BMW S1000RR litre-class bike has made its public appearance. However, the German bike maker has already unveiled its new color scheme for 2010 - the Bavarian white-with-red-and-blue-stripes!

We think it looks stunning as compared to the metallic green that we have seen so far. No technical changes ofcourse, the new paint scheme can be seen in action in the video posted in the earlier blog entry. For more images of the new paint scheme, click on the image below:

2010 models coming thru: Harley Davidson

If you are an avid biker and follow new launches every year, then you must be very well aware that such models are generally unveiled/previewed between the months of October and November, before they go on sale by February of the following year. This year however, the trend seems to be changing, with the first of the 2010 unveiling already under way.

Enter the 2010 model range of the Harley-Davidson motorcycles! For the next calendar year, the American bike maker will have as much as 9 new models on sale to cater to the young generation. All the models will benefit from HD's new 'Midnight Pearl' plating technology which gives a novel finish to all the metal parts like the headlight, clutch and derby covers etc.. Other upgrades include slimmer exhaust pipes, slammed suspension, optional larger front wheel, new tail light assembly and the oh-so-popular flame paint jobs.

The company seems to have blown in a lot of dough in these new models to try and save the sales from depleting further, but we guess it would need much more than that to cope with the Japanese competition. If HD's plans of entering India bear fruit, then these would well be the models you could spend some valuable rupees on.

Click on the image above for HD's 2010 model gallery

VDO: Terminator Salvation Trailer

Terminator 4 is about to hit theatre screens soon. The latest version of the movie features even more advanced machines as the last movie, Terminator 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES signified. One of these machines is an advanced motorcycle called the MotoTerminator with the trademark Red Eyes of the Terminator as its headlights. Sony Japan recently showed the teaser of the upcoming movie and features glimpses of the MotoTerminator. Just push play:

Suzuki unveils its imports...

Suzuki joins the CBU bandwagon following Yamaha and Ducati and now becomes the third bike maker to launch its high capacity bikes in India. The Japanase manufacturer has today launched its flagship model - the Hayabusa along with the much hyped cruiser, the Boulevard M190R (also known as Intruder M1800R in some markets). The bikes are priced at an ex-showroom price of 12.5 lakhs Rs. (2 lakh more than the YZF-R1).
On sale? NOW!

VDO: 2009 ZX6-R Commercial

VDO: 2009 Honda CBRs

CBR600RR:

CBR1000RR:

Ducati unveils new logo and the Street Fighter!

The ultimate Italian marquee has unveiled a new logo on the eve of the EICMA show.
The new logo for their street exotics continues the evolution of the historic brand and now unites the word 'Ducati' and the 'Ducati Corse Shield' - seen first time for their street bikes. The logo will be officially unveiled at the EICMA along with the new 'Street Fighter' motorcycle (below).

More info HERE.

Hero Honda's new launches

Every manufacturer likes to bank upon the festive season in India i.e. Diwali for new product launches and increased sales. HH is no different. The Gurgaon based company has launched fpur new models - Passion Pro Start, new Pleasure, new Splendor NXG and a new CBZ Xtreme. 

The new Passion gets new stickers and an electric starter. The Pleasure and NXG get new graphics (yawn). The Xtreme gets an orange rear wheel, two-tone colours and clear-type indicators.

Suzuki's 150.....

We scooped you on some more news regarding the upcoming Suzuki 150cc motorcycle a few posts back. Well, some of our sources have told us that the bike will be called the 'GS150' and not 'GSR'. 

Suzuki's 150 to be unwrapped soon...

Suzuki India will soon unwrap their 'new 150cc contender. The bike is said to be using the same 150cc enigne which revved under the Fiero F2. Since the licensing for the engine from TVS is now said to be expired, Suzuki will incorporate the mill in the new bike. And dont expect it to run for the R15 either, as the company is looking forward to a mass production commuter bike and not a performace machine. There is a word that the name 'Lanza' may also be dropped and 'GSR150' would be the new one - following Yamaha's footsteps for building on a known 'brand' like they did with the YZF series. The bike is said to be unveiled by the end of October (probably the 23rd) and will be slightly lesser in price than the TVS RTR carb.