30317 2007 Yamaha Stratoliner S Xv1900 on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Bruce Willis Auctioning Motorcycles to Benefit Active and Retired Military

Actor Bruce Willis is auctioning five motorcycles from his personal collection to benefit the Boot Campaign, a Texas-based non-profit organization supporting active and retired members of the U.S. military. The motorcycles will be auctioned off every two months, starting from December 2012 to August 2013, with each auction running for up to 30 days at CharityBuzz.com.

2014 Yamaha MT-09 Three-Cylinder Street Bike Announced for Europe – to be Named FZ-09 in US

A couple of weeks ago, Yamaha Europe released a video called “Dark Side of Japan” teasing a new street bike it claimed would “change the sport motorcycle world.” Today, the company revealed its new model, introducing a new naked sportbike powered by a “Crossplane” three-cylinder engine called the MT-09. (EDIT: and we can now reveal that the North American version will be known as the Yamaha FZ-09.) The 2014 Yamaha MT-09 is powered by a new 847cc three-cylinder engine first teased at Intermot last year. According to Yamaha, the MT-09′s engine produces 113.4 hp at 10,000 rpm and 64.5 ft-lb.

Filling a void with an RD350LC

Last winter I managed to fill a void in my life when I stumbled on a very reasonably priced Yamaha RD350LC.  It was a tad scruffy, had the wrong exhausts but most importantly it was blue and white with all numbers matching.  I had the usual euphoria when the deal was done but I underestimated how much pleasure this particular purchase would continue to deliver another eight months down the line. The difference with this old bike is, instead of just taking it for the occasional ride I was talked into doing a full nut and bolt restoration.  Having never taking a bike apart completely before, initially it was quite daunting but I soon found the RD is easy to work on so it turned into a truly satisfying experience.  I’ve had some help from LC enthusiasts with the rebuild, however, the stripping, sourcing and organising was a total labour of love.  And call me sad but it has made me bond with this bike like no other which only adds to the feel good factor.  The bike cost £1800 and I’ve spent around £1000 but I reckon my mint Elsie is now worth a fair bit more.   I fancy rejuvenating a Fizzy  next time but there’s lots of other cheap 70’s and 80’s winter projects  out there so why not have a go yourself?