It strikes me always about how small these V7s are, and this is good thing as they handle pretty well. While all the V7s really catch your eye, 2012 Moto Guzzi V7 particularly stands out. Finish here is extraordinary, & the fuel tank that is chromed is now of metal (instead of the nylon) like other V7s of 2012.

It holds around 5.8 gallons-1.3 full gallons more as compared to V7 2008 Classic along with plastic tank. The manufacturer says that it has range of 300 miles. Fuel metallic tanks makes your life very easier for plenty of the prospective owners of V7, because it lets choice for using tank magnetic bag while touring. Moto Guzzi too claims of new figures of dry weight of 11 lbs lighter as compared to earlier models, landing all 3 V7s @ 395 lbs.

V7 2012 Moto Guzzi Racer fuel tank

All the 2012 V7’s come equipped along with fuel metal tanks which hold almost 6 gallons! This V7 Racer takes one step further & gives chrome treatment. Transverse air-cooled ninety-degrees V-Twin is real gem & in spite of being quite compact, it sounds just like Twin liter-class. 2012 model of classic V-Twin 744cc is improved heavily, and hence should be called new. The new heads of cylinder, light weight pistons, new cylinders, new manifolds intake, new selectors of gearshift, new air box & new plugs of spark too! Benefits here are now better with low-rpm response of torque & top smoother end.

These changes have led to power boost from about of hp of 48.8 @ 6800 rpm to about hp of 50.0 @ 6200 rpm, & torque boost from about 40.3 ft.-lb. @ 3600 rpm to about 44.3 ft.-lb. @ low rpm of 2800. The new figures are impressive only when you look at rpm lowered range which the engine achieves now. The engine is now more responsive from word go. The compression has increased by point (now it is 10.6:1) courtesy of new parts of engine & combustion too is more efficient here. Due to this, you get 12 percent lower value of emissions.

Around the Lake Como V7s ride along with excellent ease, which isn’t unexpected as these are the roads used by Moto Guzzi for the testing grounds. Steering is a bit slower on Racer as compared to V7 Special & V7 Stone, but that is to give you more stability for cornering at the higher speeds.

My six-foot frame actually is a bit too tall for V7s, but because they are nimble motorcycles, things weren’t really bothersome for. The suspension is improved and it feels plush and is also pretty good compromise for sport & comfort. V7 Racer does not fail in either of the departments, but naturally it is not really comfortable as the siblings, V7 Special & V7 Stone.

Keeping V7 Racer amidst 2500-3000 rpm and you will feel that things are really smooth. Bring revs over 3 K rpm & you will see some vibrations for going with the smooth acceleration. Still, 44.3 ft.-lb., instead of out right horse power, really motivates the Guzzi.

V7 Special & V7 Stone almost have identical positions of riding which are pretty upright & quite comfortable too. They steer along with more of ease as compared V7 Racer which is courtesy of more conventional handle bar. Differences between V7 bad-boy Stone & V7 Special are the main in department of styling.

Whilst V7 Special spoked sports wheels on the aluminum rims, this V7 Stone has more of cast-aluminum modern-looking wheels. The V7 Special test bikes had fitted along with the aftermarket saddlebags which fit Stone, making these bikes quite practical. The shaft-drive is offered standard for all the 3 models, which adds to the practicality.

Gearbox selector is new for providing you smoother up shifts. It really works, as I did not experience trouble in hitting the false neutrals or any gremlins. Suspension is been upgraded for all the models for getting ride that is more comfortable, & 2012 Moto Guzzi V7 comes with new rear twin shocks. All range of V7 has Pirelli Demon Speed tires in 100/90-18 on front & 130/80-17 rear.

While riding V7 Special along with pillion, I adjusted rear suspension for set-up that is harder. I saw decent padding in seat but the leg room wasn’t enough. Also, because of pannier mount I could not hold to grab rails where I’d liked.  Little 744 cc Twin struggles along with pillion aboard, needing more of revs for keeping up with group. V7s are good solo bikes but a bit under powered for plenty of riding of pillion.

Conclusion:

V7s are both modern and retro to different degrees. 2012 Moto Guzzi V7 is obvious retro bling ride & it can very easily get you amongst racers of cafe of’70s. It is around the price tag of $2200 more than V7 Special & V7 Stone, and hence definitely premium V7 for enthusiast & collectors.

2012 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer, 2012 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer Review, New Moto Guzzi V7 Racer

It is fitting that Aprilia had chosen to launch new Dorsoduro @ Sicily, as tight & twisty roads suits  new personality of the bike too. It happens that the arrival coincided along with eruption of Mount Etna, covering this mountain in morning & smoke mist.

At start of the ride @ Sicily, some considerable ash amounts had covered this road. If you have not ridden with ash before, just say straight away that it is quite slippery. So ABS & traction control are really some welcome features.

Aprilia’s 1197cc V-Twin (106×67.8mm) engine makes some similar horse power as the V-Twin super bikes from ten years ago but is not almost as the high strung. Aprilia says that 130 hp @ 8700 rpm & 85 ft.-lb. @ 7200 rpm. This sound of engine while accelerating along with full throttle from corners is quite overpowering & it can go from nice Twin tootle to a full on super bike sound in one second. Acceleration is pretty violent, & if you come straight from inline-4 600 cc sport bike, then you need to practice some caution.

Apart from traction control, usual Aprilia modes riding are employed for helping rider tame all the power of V-Twin. The mode sport riding is quite fierce & it gives you instant access @ all bike’s power & throttle beastly response. This mode should have been really called the unadulterated pure fun difficult mode.

There is also the Touring mode, which is where the Sports mode should have been. You get smooth & predictable response of throttle with or with out the traction control. The power is pretty subdued & lower rpm & it is released fully at the higher rpms so that rear wheel does not spin out very fast or very early.

The rain mode is for the severe weather & max output gets reduced to around 100 hp. I got really irritated every time I wanted to change the riding modes because it is really impossible for doing it while riding as the throttle should get off & it takes a lot of time for system for obeying my orders on starter button.

Traction control too is adjustable in 3 levels (4 if you the off is included), however in the Touring mode, which is the mode which I prefer, I found level 1 or off as the most useful one. Unlike riding modes, the settings of traction control can be changed easily but just when Dorsoduro is @ standstill. It is quite better as compared to selection of riding mode and changing the procedure.

I rode big part of this test along with all the aids of rider turned off apart from engine map of Touring. I liked 2012 Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 the best in this way, & in spite of going from the great lean in to hard & early acceleration, rear wheel had hardly spun enough to give any wish for the traction control. If the riding modes were easier for changing on go or I had more of breaks for splitting up riding, I’d have explored the Sport mode along with traction control set at level 1 for a lot more of time.

Seat is a bit spartan but a bit more comfortable as compared to supermotard full-on. My bum hurt @ end of test & my knees too were a little raw from the movement leather suit post moving off-road heavy boots up & down through riding supermoto style.

It is easy for sliding further forward as compared to that on conventional motorcycle & it is also easy for sliding backwards to get some wind high-speed protection, adopting clam-like position of seating. Handlebar is a bit wide along with hand guards & gives good control while riding through the corners of hairpin.

Sachs 43 mm inverted fork takes good care of front suspension, & horizontally mounted shock is on the back. Both are adjustable fully. There is 6.3 inches travel on front & 6.1 inches at back which is quite enough for maxi motard road.

Brake set up is four-pot double radial Brembo along with 320 mm of discs front & 240 mm single disc @ rear along with ABS separate channels. ABS may be turned off & it is lot more of fun for riding the Dorso in this way, but it is good that ABS is still available if there is a need for it.

This new Aprilia wheels is responsible for the 5.9 lbs of this bike’s 6.6 lbs. weight reduction. It reduces the inertia by about 15.4% @ front & 22.2 % @ back as compared to previous model. It allows for more responsive & easier package of handling through the tight corners where the change for direction has to be quick while going fast. This new Dorsoduro 1200 weighs in at about 441-lbs. mark, and this is still really heavy, but it seems that Aprilia has reduced weight in places where it matters the most.

Remaining reduction of weight comes courtesy of front redesigned mudguard & new holder of license-plate. Tires of Pirelli Diablo Rosso II were fitted in my test ride & it proved to be good match for the maxi-motard that is capable of the speeds above 120 mph. These tires & Dunlop Qualifiers will be made available as the standard equipment.

What we’ve got 2012 Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 is maxi-motard fairly heavy that is tuned for plenty of road fun. 2012 Dorso is better motorcycle as compared to model of last year just after the minor update. Engine here is smoother, this bike is much lighter, & there is a lot of fun too.

With the upgrade, 1 feels as if Aprilia might have had half of idea for perhaps labeling this as 2012 Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 Factory. However, upgrades were not enough for justifying this label. It is good upgrade anyways, & who would not want shaving off about 6 pounds in terms of unsprung weight?

Ducati line up of apparel & accessories too recorded big growth with more than Q1 98% increase. Cristiano Silei, the Chief Executive Officer at Ducati in North America says that it is really exciting to see this level of the sustained retail growth of sales, continuing momentum of the record year for 2011. They are expecting this growth to get more strength all through out this year, courtesy of imminent introduction for new products for several of the Ducati’s categories of motorcycle.

Growth of Ducati will continue courtesy of expanding line-up of products, including 2 models that are highly-anticipated which are shortly getting available for the customer deliveries: new Streetfighter 848, which synonymous along with precision, control, & pure fun, & Superbike that is category-defining, 1199 Panigale. Both these models will come at the dealerships in April month.

Latest addition to Diavel lineup, Diavel powerful Cromo, too will arrive to dealerships of Ducati in coming weeks. Diavel motorcycles family will transcend the traditional categories motorcycle, and attract some new customers through the Ducati’s engaging programs of test ride. Opportunity for swinging one leg over unique design of Ducati inspires the riders for appreciating state-of-art technology & innovative design which is blended masterfully along with comfort for rider & unforgettable horse power.

But for building inexpensive bikes in the way that he wants— most of the models cost around $3,200 — he want to start inside China. Colosimo says that he always wanted to make some bikes in here. It started shipping the bikes in the year 2009, and CycleWerks has sold about 9,000 them, all made by Colosimo & his company but were built by the contract manufacturers at China.

He tries building bikes at Cleveland but he couldn’t do that and he is trying again now. He bought closed, sixty thousand square foot factory at West 65th Street at Cleveland for serving as firm’s U.S. headquarters & plant. It is uncharacteristic investment from Mr. Colosimo.

Cleveland CycleWerks doesn’t make plenty of motorcycles as compared to Harley-Davidson, which had sold around 40,000 motor cycles in 4th quarter of the year 2011 alone. However,  company of Colosimo’s does not have a lot of things that Harley has, just like big network of dealer, engineering department, legal staff, marketing department, etc. Indeed, Cleveland CycleWerks did not hire the full-time first employee till the end of this year.

Average age for the motorcyclists in Britain are about mid-40s and for this age, the situation would certainly improve of the premiums were lower. It will be interesting to see how the insurance industry reacts to this piece of news. They should certainly lower their asking price in order to attract a lot of buyers.

This report, which is based on the media coverage from the year 2011, found that the quad bikes had out ranked the tractors by rate of around 2:1.
Dr Tony Lower, the director of the center has said that all the people who use quad bike should be reading the report as it is pretty sobering reminder that the automobiles are associated along with a lot of deaths & also permanent injuries.

There were around 23 fatalities related to quad bike & about 56 big injuries identified in this report, a lot of them were life-changing. Dr Lower said that there might be cases which aren’t reported and they aren’t included in the report. There will be more info coming in the time but for the deaths that are identified about 18 cases (or 78 percent) happened on the farms & four (18 percent) had involved with children who were below16 years.

Bigger wheels intended help the riders rolling for more obstacle faster & with some ease. At same time, they give more of grip along with trail & fit the taller riders in better way.

While the drawbacks are weight & maneuverability, the companies & shops of local bike report 3-digit growth in the sales of 29er, & a lot of bike shops can not keep it in the stock. 29ers lead charge in the technology of mountain bike from the professional racers to the shops of local bikes. Sales of the 29ers surged up in the last year, up by 75 percent in terms of units & 55% in terms of dollars, but the 26-inches bikes too shared in terms of growth, rising about three percent in terms of dollars in spite of three percent decline for the units that are sold, say our sources.

This jump from standard 26 inches to 29 inches bikes is pretty sharp. By end of the year 2011, the 29ers had accounted for about 23% of all the mountain bikes that were sold in the month of December, as compared to ten percent in the year 2010.

Greg Shoenfeld, the manager of retail relations @ Leisure Trends, firm of marketing research which specializes for outdoor recreation said that in the last year, the retailers did have some trouble in keeping the 29ers stocked and it seems like they are starting this season with stronger position for fulfilling the demand of 29ers.

The members of BPSA or Bicycle Products Suppliers Association, had shipped about 100,000 more of 29ers at shops as compared to the numbers of 2010, representing $50.4 million of increase in the sales, which is more than about 90 percent of the last year gain of sales, say our sources.

There isn’t any doubt the 29ers displaced the 26ers. This is seen in each month in the Specialized figures of sales. Right now, the 29ers are about 49 percent of the total sales of the mountain bikes. This isn’t a surprise according to Bob Margevicius, who is executive VP or vice president @ bike group @ Specialized Bicycle Components for San Francisco Bay area.

Los Angeles people will get new riders of around 4,000 bikes which are located @ around 400 kiosks through out metropolis. Stations will get installed over 2 years & they will get located in the bike-friendly neighbor hoods just like the downtown LA, Playa del Rey, Hollywood, Westwood & Venice Beach, according to Los Angeles Times.

Antonio Villaraigosa who is Mayor recently made an announcement on Sunday morning in which he said that they know it is what the LA requires. They have seen it along with the CicLAvia & ‘Carmaheaven,’ Angeles people yearn for one day with out car.

This initiative is spearheaded & funded by firm called Bike Nation, it is Southern California company of bike shares which will assemble bicycles @ factory of Los Angeles. This implementation of program of bike share will be costing more than $16 million (there won’t be public funds used), & Bike Nation commitment for this program is for about 10 years.

But if the makers had to offer 1 bike from the line up that best called beginner’s bike model, I bet Honda will say just 1 word: Rebel.

This isn’t continuously in stable of Honda’s of the steel horses each year since the introduction in 1985 but Rebel is one of the cult motorcycling symbols. It has been around for a long time and this has not changed a lot in all the time. It is a motorcycle which everyone knows of even if they have not driven it.

Fav work horse of the motorcycle training & safety race courses over years, the mini-cruiser here weighs in @ 331 pounds along with all the fluids & tank full which is ultra-manageable. The power source here is 234 cc (53mm by 53mm), 4-valve, SOHC, parallel-Twin air-cooled fed by CV (constant-velocity) carburetor.

2012 Honda Rebel, isn’t a speed bike, as you may have imagined. All it needs is blink of eye for clicking through Rebel’s five speed gear box, yet this tiny Twin is not too wheezy. Modest engine is quite especially at the lower speeds at a place where most of the riders spend majority of the time. The vibrations smooth out eventually when the speeds reach vicinity of about 65 mph, but at this point, there is not a lot of room left for power reserves of Rebel.

This motor bike dutifully cruises @ about 70mph and still she is good for more 5 mph at WFO. Depending on grade of incline that you are ascending, yell of Rebel gets bit weak, but doesn’t warrant any frantic down shifts for the sprinting power. You should stay in throttle & this bike will be soldiering on. Rebel’s engine, isn’t too underpowered for using on interstate but it is suited better for zipping along the surface streets & secondary roads.

Having capacity of fuel of about 2.6 gallons (& 0.7-gallons reserves) this Rebel needs more of frequent trips for gas station as compared to other big-bikes. That said, I was still glad about the 56.6 mpg observed economy of fuel, which I got while keeping pace along with traffic at Los Angeles’ freeway sprawling system.

Honda says that this bike gives 84 mpg which is optimistic and it is very easy for anticipating that this Rebel will eclipse above fuel economy by about 10mpg or more while majority of miles are on the surface streets instead of high-speed free way.

Spindly is good description for look of Rebel’s Showa 33 mm fork, but the quality of ride in the front is very good through the good travel of 4.6 inches. I was pretty impressed by the way in which the damped fork was the budget suspension, even though it succumbs for big joints of expansion & pot holes which would give most bikes some fits.

Spring dual coil-over shocks along with five position pre load adjustment offers less of suspension travel @ 2.9 inches, and the Rebel’s low-tech suspension had performed quite admirably. I had rode along with shocks set at preload position two which didn’t feel under-sprung for the 160-pounds frame. & with 3 more of positions available for firming up this ride, this lil’ Rebel will give heavier riders good comfort too.

Considering the way this Rebel changes the direction, I had suspected that it had weighed less as compared to 330-pounds weight. The fast inputs steering are not thwarted by chassis that is wallowing, but instead this bike is stable & at track through out the turns & the pint-sized cruiser gives some clearance of cornering.

In spite of the limited rear travel suspension & lowly 26.6 inches height of seat, Rebel leans along with something that feels more of clearance as compared to other cruisers which I have ridden. Rebel’s Dunlop bias ply tires (18 inches on front, 15 inches on rear) too contribute for good handling, & I’d never questioned the grip for darting along the curvy roads. Fortunately narrowness of front tires along with the tread pattern, didn’t caused front-end for feeling like it was looking on a L.A. freeways rain-grooved like the other budget motor bikes having tires of bias-ply.

The brake components, just like other things on the fundamental bike, are quite basic: single disc that is squeezed by hydraulically dual-piston actuated sliding-pin caliper at front, & drum brake for rear. Front brake gives reeling task for this bike, and there is envious combo of good feel and power, and this makes it very easy for modulation. Rear brake is, average & it has some qualities that are opposite of front: the stopping force & feel are quite uninspiring.

You will never look @ Rebel & mistake for big, ungainly cruiser, and still it does not look like ¾ scaled motor cycle, too. But in few seconds of 1st seating, & many times after that, one thought which routinely came in mind was that this motorcycle is really small.

Along with 30 inches of inseam & height of around five feet eight inches I am in ballpark of median sized rider which most of the manufacturers are using while drafting ergonomic lay out of motorcycle. But this Rebel relationship of seat-peg-handle bar doesn’t feel cramped. I felt as if my elbows were getting tucked in to the ribcage & my knees got squeezed in the tank.

Fit here was that I sat on bigger cruiser, then I pulled bar, the fuel tank & foot pegs were inward too close, towards my torso. I have seen a lot of riders of my size riding Rebel 250 gleefully, and hence some of the folks of physical fit is not deal breaker. The small riders would appreciate the easy-to-manage and compact size.

When I said that Rebel has not changed for long time, this comment also included the price of the bike. From our review of 1996 Rebel I learnt that the testers had felt @ $3999 this Rebel was a bit costly. Wondering what they would say now if they knew that the Rebel’s cost increased by about $200 in the past 16 years.

The motorcycles which are comparable to $4190 Rebel are 2012 V Star 250 from Yamaha/Star, along with V-Twin Star price matching Honda dollar. Suzuki GZ250 cruiser (which is classified as standard from Suzuki) gives good cost savings along with $2999 price. But there is just 1-cylinder engine & most of the current model version available says Suzuki consumer web site. This it not really bad, it is just saying.

In spite of willingness of Honda for keeping Rebel’s cost effectively stuck for 90s, this Rebel & the price creates some kinda dilemma for rider that is wavering about which street type of the motorcycle to buy – cruiser or some thing that is sportier.

Last year Honda entered 250 cc sport bike class along with CBR250R. Newest & tiniest CBR generally was well-received, & in the 250 cc Beginner Bike Shoot out CBR250R had managed for beating Kawasaki Ninja 250R which was long-running – this motorcycle dominated 250cc sports bike class for a long time. When you’d consider CBR250R $4099 cost is about $91 less as compared to unchanged Rebel, then there is a problem.

The factor in offered optional for $500 ABS in CBR, & performance-oriented, thoroughly modern CBR250R seems as if it would cost thousands of dollars while putting close to aging Rebel. CBR has single-cylinder engine made at Thailand, but I wonder why twin-cylinder long-serving Rebel has a cost that is more than the stablemate. I would lower MSRP at ol’ Rebel, but the presence at Honda’s line up implies plenty of the riders see the motor cycle as heck of a bargain.

The traffic is some weeks ahead of the schedule @ Fond du Lac Cyclery, in 209 S. Main St.  John Bartow, owner said that the mostly do not show en masse till April, when the weather usually starts the warm up at Wisconsin. Bartow says that he rode in January & February as the conditions were quite favorable for the bikers in this year.

He says that the influx of the customers not just to days of sixty and seventy degrees but also warmer winter. This has left a lot of places along with inadequate of snow cover & ice to snowboard, ski, & ice fish.

He says that winter was lackluster but the people are still suffering from some kinda cabin fever as they could not get out for doing the regular activities of winter.  Sales of snowboard and ski weren’t good but they are being made up by repairs and sales of bikes.