Etc.
etc.
YAMAHA DIESELS GO ALLOY
Add two more newbies to the lighter-weight four-stroke world as Yamaha looks to be putting the YZ450F and 250F engines in aluminum frames for 2006. The two bikes were raced in the All-Japan National MX championship this past April, and sources say the new 450 at least is a lighter-feeling machine.
LA DUCATI DAY 2005
Ever wanted to rename your town in honor of your favorite motorcycle? On October 15, the village of La Honda, California, will be christened "La Ducati" for the day. Co-presented by Ducati North America, the Ducati MH900 Evoluzione Owners Club and famed Northern California riding instructor Doc Wong, the second~ annual La Ducati Day will offer attendees a full slate of activities. Admission is free, and proceeds from entry fees, auctions and raffles will benefit the La Honda Fire Brigade. For details, visit www.ducatiowners. com/LDD2005.
HARLEY CHILLS
For the first time in a long time the Harley-Davidson sales-growth juggernaut seems to be slowing. A recent H-D release said that it is "prudent to limit short-term production growth, maintaining demand in excess of supply." Target for bikes produced this year has been reduced by 10,000 units to 329,000. Despite the conservative rollback in sales goals, the first quarter of 2005 was another record period, with \ $1.24 billion in revenue, a 6 - percent increase over the previous year.
GSX-R PARTY
The Suzuki brand is anchored by the success of the GSX-R line-now in fts 20th year-and the upcoming GSX-R Owner Appreciation Celebration aims to, well, celebrate this fact Gixxer owners are invited to va~ous Suzukisponsored racing events around the country this summer. Included: preferred parking, Yoshimura-hosted tech seminars, autograph signings with Suzuki riders, a commemorative pin, gear check, on-track parade laps and more. For more information, log on to www.suzukicycles.com/gsxr20.
TOUR NEW ZEALAND
Headed to that picturesque pair of islands in the South Pacific? Then consider the fact that Texas-based motorcycle tour company Ayers Adventures (www.ayersadventures. com) and New Zealand Motorcycle Rentals have joined forces. AA-which also produces tours in many other parts of the world-has taken over tour operations "Down Down-Under," while NZMR provides a selection of more than 120 rental bikes from small-displacement Honda VTR5 to full-rig tourers such as the BMW K1 200LT.
SUZUKI VS. KAWASAKI
According to sources in Japan, the "alliance" between Suzuki and Kawasaki has dissolved, at least as far as motocross competition models are concerned. Apparently during development of the all-new 2006 KX25OF, Suzuki provided information to assist in development of the twinspar frame, but when Suzuki asked Kawasaki to respond in kind, it did not, causing the rift. Thus fat the 2005and-older KX25OF and RM-Z250, which were basically the same bike in green or yellow plastic, have been the only shared racing models. Playbikes and street-legal machines (cruisers and dual-sporters, for example) will continue to be shared.
