Etc.
etc.
ULTIMATE STREETFIGHTER
It is not enough for Triumph to simply build our favorite hooligan bike. Witness the creation of the Special Edition Speed Triple 1050, equipped from the factory with an Arrow 3-into-1 exhaust system with MotoGP-inspired low-rise silencer, belly pan, seat cowl, five carbon-fiber bits including front fender, rear hugger and flyscreen, plus anodized axle covers. Fittingly, the only available color is black. Asking price is $11,999, a $2000 premium over the standard bike, but Triumph says the accessories, if purchased separately, would cost a grand more than that.
Only 50 will be produced, so if this bike is singing a dark song to your hooligan’s heart, get a move on.
ULTIMATE BIKE ACCESSORY?
Love KTMs and want to roll up to your favorite riding spot in style? Consider the Roush-modified Ford F-150, featuring custom graphics and KTM-branded leather interior. Chin-spoiler, hood scoop, billet grille and 20-inch wheels are a standard part of the $16,700 package (added to the cost of your choice of F-150), but performance enthusiasts will no doubt opt for the supercharged version (add $7000), that bumps the stock Ford 5.4-liter’s 300 horsepower and 365 ft.-lb. of torque up to a tie-down-stretching 445 hp and 500 ft.-lb.! Make sure you close the tailgate so you don’t lose your cooler...
MARKETING TO BIKERS
Virginia is no longer just for lovers; motorcyclists are welcome, too. In fact, the “Gateway to the South” is clamoring to be your next two-wheel destination. The Lexington & Rockbridge Area Tourism and Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau have even combined forces to create a brochure to attract bike riders: “Roanoke Valley & Rockbridge Rides in the Heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains.” Request your free copy by calling 504/342-6025 or by visiting www.lexingtonvirginia.com or www.visitroanokeva.com.
E-START TWO-STROKES
Adding “The Button” to some of its two-stroke off-roaders is just the beginning of the changes made to KTM’s 2008 model lineup. The cross-country XC and XCW (for wide-ratio) machines are being split into distinct lines, with the SX-derived XCs retaining their race-ready cross-country focus. The W versions, meanwhile, take up the enduro mantle with new chassis and the two-strokes getting e-start. The four-stroke engines will also be redesigned. Additionally, these frame and engine changes carry over to the street-legal four-stroke EXC models. If that’s not enough, KTM joins the major Japanese manufactures by introducing a raceready 450 and 525cc quad.
DOWN: To ,` Monster Energy Kawasaki riders, for being selfish and sweeping the 2007 AMA Supercross series. James Stewart is responsible for two of the four titles, clinching the AMA Supercross and FIM World Supercross championships, while Ryan Villopoto took the West Coast Region Lites crown. Like Stewart, Villopoto nabbed the title one round early, while Ben Townley snagged the East Coast Region Lites Championship in the final round.
UP: To Chris Ulrich, for finding an alternative method to raise aware ness about racetrack safety. Cognizant of how many racers use cycling as a training tool, Ulrich designed and had produced 60 jer seys emblazoned with the "Roadracing Wo~d Action Fund" logo. Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology, where Ulrich is employed as the racing editor, swallowed the manufacturing costs, so every penny received from each tax-deductible $150 donation goes directly to the fund, which subsidizes the purchase, transport and installa tion of energy-absorbing inflatable air barriers, commonly known as "air fence," at racetracks around the country. More than $500,000 has been raised since the fund's creation in 2001. To make a donation, point your browser to www.actionfund.roadracingworld.com.
UP: To the Meadow Brook Concours for recognizing the beauty and significance of motorcycles by adding them to the annual fund-rais ing automotive event, to be held on the Oakland University grounds in Rochester, Michigan, August 5. Dubled "Forty Fours," the motorcy cle class will celebrate pre-war four cylinder motorcycles, but also will include in the 40-bike entry limit his torically significant four-cylinder machines produced up to the 1970s. For more information, visit www.meadowbrookconcours.org.
