Honda wants to give Jonathan Rea a chance in MotoGP

When Jonathan Rea replaced Casey Stoner in 2012 at the Misano and Aragon rounds, the World Superbike rider with just three tests (Brno and Aragon) under his belt on a prototype machine he finished a very impressive 8th and 7th.

Rea has been a loyal Honda rider for almost six years in the Superbike championship, and also competed several times in the Suzuka 8 Hours and won the 2012 edition, and HRC would like repay that loyalty with a place in MotoGP according to Livio Suppo, who toldMCN.com, “Jonathan has proven to be very loyal with Honda and personally I would like to see him in MotoGP because last year he did a good job and I think he deserves a chance. When we speak to teams we need to understand which kind of riders they would like to put on the bike and Jonathan is always on the list.”

Unfortunately for Rea all the plum seats in Honda are already taken (we expect that LCR and Gresini will soon officially confirm Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista - now that Cal Crutchlow will be riding with Ducati in 2014), but the Northern Irishman has been linked to ride one of Honda’s new production racers, either with PBM, but it would be more likely with Fausto Gresini, who at Sachsenring confirmed that he bought one of the machines.

Rea told British website bikesportnews.com that he is in talks for a switch to MotoGP, but riding a Honda doesn’t seem his only option and confirmed that he is also talking to CRT teams, but also other teams in World Superbikes.

“There are a few opportunities out there that I’m waiting for and talking to. I don’t want to name who but some are really keen.”

from Twowheelsblog

a voir

TRIUMPH 675 DAYTONA CUSTOM

Kev Taggart and Tim Rogers are stuck in the past. They run the English workshop Spirit Of The Seventies, turning out exquisite resto-mods based on Japanese classics like the Kawasaki Z750 and the Yamaha XS650.

So this latest bike is a surprising change of direction. “Our client came to us with a rather delectable Triumph 675 Daytona,” says Kev. “The bike was in track trim—it was virtually race-ready, with Öhlins suspension, rear-sets and a 130bhp engine tuned by T3 Racing.”

The owner had a problem though: he was due to marry, and his wife-to-be insisted that he slowed down a little and stuck to the Queen’s highway. So rather than sell his beloved Triumph, he gave it to Spirit Of The Seventies for a thorough makeover.

“Being a nostalgic bunch, we thought we could restyle the bike with a blend of Retro-GP and modern Moto2 looks,” says Kev. The fairing and seat were designed in-house and handcrafted by Ian Pitney, a vintage car panel beater. This was the first bike that Ian has worked on, and Kev was pleased with the result. “Ian overcame plenty of challenges to produce something quite dramatic, hand-cutting the side vents and molding the aluminum panels around the frame and engine.”

The central air-intake on the original 675 Daytona fairing had to be reconsidered, so a slotted, circular funnel was fashioned around the new headlight. Once the fairing was completed, Skidmarx designed and fitted a one-off screen. A leather seat pad was carved and stitched by Glen Moger, and the bodywork was covered in matt paint by D-Luck’s Paintshop in Brighton.

The Triumph was then rewired and fitted with a keyless ignition system from Motogadget.Co-Built welded up a lovely low-level 3-into-1 stainless steel exhaust system, using headers originally made for a racer in the British Supersport series.

Various other additions such as Oberon bar-end indicators were added, and the bike was serviced and dyno’d before having its super-stiff suspension softened for road use. It should make a hell of a road bike—classic looks with truly modern performance.

Head over to the Spirit Of The Seventies website to see Kev and Tim’s more traditional work, including the concept bike renders they’re equally famous for.

Images courtesy of Grant Robinson.

from BIKEEXIF

12 O'Clock Boys - Exclusive Trailer

How many of these bikes are nicked? Why the fuk don’t they at least put on a helmet? Yea, I kind of want to hate this, but at the end of the day when you strip out everything else, these guys just love dirtbikes like I do so I can’t really hate or throw down judgement on them too much. As cool as being a 12 o’clock boy is and as fun as pulling wheelies is, I am not sure it’s the best career path, but whatever, well worth a watch I reckon.

“Pug, a wisecracking 13 year old living on a dangerous Westside block, has one goal in mind: to join The Twelve O’Clock Boys; the notorious urban dirt-bike gang of Baltimore. Converging from all parts of the inner city, they invade the streets and clash with police, who are forbidden to chase the bikes for fear of endangering the public. When Pug’s older brother dies suddenly, he looks to the pack for mentorship, spurred by their dangerous lifestyle.”