The Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight, in the company’s Sportster segment, sits at a cross-cultural intersection in the cyclemaker’s lineup. It apparently represents the spot where bikers meet skateboarders. It seems that the stripped-down looks and functional-jewelry design of the Forty-Eight is well appreciated by skaters who don’t like their rides to make any extraneous fuss.

The bike is only one small part of what some call a larger trend, that of skateboarders increasingly moving into the world of bikes. It isn’t that skateboarders want to be bikers but, according to a skate shop owner, “We’re just wired a certain way. For some reason the death and danger are just a part of us.” And you don’t have to look any further than a motorcycle to find death and danger.

Harley has used the rendezvous to help market the Forty-Eight, including hiring skaters like Heath Kirchart and Matt Ball to appear in its promotional materials. The Milwaukee firm isn’t targeting skateboarders only with this bike, but they certainly want to welcome them to the family. Said a Harley rep, “There’s no question that there are huge parallels there between bikers and skateboarders.” Tip of the cap to Alex!

[Source:Autoblog]

BMW took the wraps off its upcoming S 1000 RR World Superbike contender as the Motorrad division showed the new bike in its official race colors at the Intermot show in Cologne, Germany. Taking a good look at the photos, we can see that the bike is indeed very compact. Look through the numerous cutouts and vents in the fairing and you’ll see how neat and tidy the new literbike is. Next year, new BMW factory riders Ruben Xaus and past Superbike champion Troy Corser will ride the 190-horsepower S 1000 RR in competition against the Big Four Japanese superbikes, the Ducati 1098 R and the new RSV4 from Aprilia. It should all be very exciting to watch.

Expect a street-going version shortly, with 1,000 units of the new model due for 2009. Unlike past Beamers, the S 1000 RR uses an inline four-cylinder engine mounted transversely in the frame with a standard chain drive. Suspension bits also follow the normal telescopic formula up front with a traditional coil-over out back, eschewing BMW’s past Telelever, Duolever and Paralever designs. Take a look in our gallery below.

[Source:Autoblog]

The age of the automatic motorcycle is upon us. Aprilia got the ball rolling with the 850 Mana and Honda is finally set to introduce its DN-01 in the U.S. Both of these bikes use a shift-free transmission like a scooter but have motorcycle-like controls and looks along with a riding position not found on any scooter, regardless of engine size. Still these machine blur the lines between the largest of the maxi-scooters and motorcycles even further. In any case, the DN-01 for 2009 is powered by a 680cc V-Twin engine with 61 horsepower and is available in Candy Dark Red or Black for a steep $14,599.

Big Red also has a new lightweight supermoto on hand for ‘09 called the CR230M that’s based on the successful CRF230L platform. Equipped with 17-inch wheels and grippy sportbike tires, the handling is likely to outdo the 232cc air-cooled single cylinder powerplant. That little mill, along with a wet weight of just 276 lbs, should provide for extremely good fuel economy. Get one for $4,749.

Rounding out the Honda cycle news for the new model year are the CBR sportbikes. We already looked at the technical side of the two new bikes, now featuring ABS brakes, and Honda has today released the U.S. color schemes for ‘09. Things are cool for the 1000RR, with Black, Pearl While and a Repsol Replica scheme plus an ABS-only Red model. For the 600RR, though, we’re left scratching our heads. Black, Red/Black and a patriotic Red, White and Blue are fine, but what’s with the Phoenix graphics and the Bright Green? Oh well, ABS models get either monochromatic Black or Red/Black options. See all the available U.S. CBR colors in our galleries after the break.

[Source:Autoblog]

Kawasaki has pulled the covers off its new motorcycle line for ‘09, and there’s lots to discuss. A revised, lithe ZX-6R sheds about 20 pounds, much of it from the engine itself. It also gets updated Showa Big Piston forks and a new look based on its big brother, the ZX-10R. Speaking of which, Kawi’s literbike sees only a few changes for ‘09, most notably a new green, white and black color scheme that looks excellent. Moving from the top of the performance ladder, the middleweight Ninja 650 gets a new fairing that brings it more in line with the rest of the Ninja line, plus a few engine mods to meet new emissions regulations. In a bit of really cool news, the U.S. finally gets the ER6-n, essentially a naked version of the popular Ninja 650 — we likey.

On another sporty note, Team Green has unveiled the KLX250SF, a supermoto bike with a 250cc four-stroke engine, grippy 17-inch tires and long suspension travel. The ‘moto is based on the KLX250S, a small-bore dual-sport bike that’s finally 50-state emissions legal for ‘09. On a surprising note, the venerable Super Sherpa is back, along with its 250cc engine and old-school looks. Cruisers are still big sellers in the U.S., so the new 1700 Vulcans are likely to be a hit with a new V-Twin engine derived from Vulcan 2000’s monster mill. The rest of the Vulcan line, along with the Versys, ZX-14 and Concours 14 see no real changes for ‘09 other than some new colors. And that about wraps it up. Look for the new Kawasakis in dealerships soon and check out our galleries of the new-for-’09 models below and after the jump.

[Source:Autoblog]

This may not be the first effort at creating a Ferrari motorcycle, but it may very well be the best. Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari, the departed son of company founder Enzo, was said to have raced specially-prepared motorcycles in the 1950s. In the 1970s, Kay Engineering crafted a racing bike, now said to be worth half a million dollars, with full factory backing to honor Enzo Ferrari. In the ’80s, legendary motorcycle designer Arlen Ness styled a one-off chopper on the Testarossa, while some guy named George crafted a pair of Ferrari-powered superbikes. Last year someone built a custom Scuderia Ferrari chopper for the retiring Michael Schumacher (who has since been trying his hand at motorbike racing), and earlier this year a collector crafted a model of what a Ferrari sportbike could look like. We’re sure some more will be brought to our attention in the comments below, but while some of these creations have been more convincing than others, this one has to be the slickest.

The concept motorbike is the work of Israeli designer Amir Glinik, who centered his design around the theoretical application of the Ferrari Enzo’s V12 engine, chopped down to four cylinders and modified to drive just one wheel in a motorcycle frame. Around the V4 engine, Glinik has designed a fluid shape that may appear more futuristic in its styling than inspired by current roadcar designs, but certainly catches your attention. Glinik has even planned out the theoretical controls, which blend elements from an F-16 fighter jet (more common in his home country than Ferraris, anyway) and the Scuderia’s high-tech Formula One steering wheel, supplemented by a weatherproof touch-screen LCD atop the fuel tank.

Onetime Ferrari designer Frank Stephenson, now at arch-rival McLaren, was quoted as saying that the closest the average person will get to owning a Ferrari would be a Ducati. True as that may be, what you see here may be the most well thought-out and enticing application of the Ferrari ethos to two-wheeled motoring we’ve seen yet. Follow the link for more information, and check out the images in the gallery below for a closer look.

[Source:Autoblog]

While the most exciting news coming from Subaru these days has to do with a certain all-wheel-drive turbocharged rally-car-for-the-street, the company also is making news headlines with a possible single cylinder motorcycle. If the rumors hold true, expect to see the bike with a 500cc engine from Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru’s parent company), a twin-spar aluminum frame, Showa USD forks and rear shock and Tokico radial mount brakes. Considering the expected output of 50 horsepower, the specifications otherwise seem rather high. The bike appears quite large despite being on the short end of the stick displacement-wise. The American market in particular has not been kind to machines in this size-class, but we’re still quite interested in knowing just how much truth there is to this one.

[Source: AutoBlog]