Book Review: Bonneville: World’s Fastest Motorcycles

  Motorcycles and the Bonneville Salt Flats go back a long time. It’s a history rich with amazing stories, famous photographs, and, most importantly, lots of records. Speed records, that is.

Maybe you’ve known and heard about the Bonneville Salt Flats for years and had the desire to go. Maybe you saw The World’s Fastest Indian and it got you thinking. Whatever the case, if you’ve never had a chance to see the flats and some of the great motorcycles that run there, consider Horst Rösler’s new book, Bonneville, World’s Fastest Motorcycles (published by Wolfgang Publications Inc.) a really cheap vacation. If you’ve never been to the salt, here’s a great way to tide yourself over until you get the chance.

Never have we seen so many great real-life photos of the salt, the competitors, and the machines all in one place. Rösler made three separate trips to the salt, in 2004, 2005 and 2006, each time for the BUB Speed trials, the seminal week for motorcycles at the flats, taking photos, talking with racers, mechanics, officials and the like. The result is as close to immersion in the spirit, the fun and the challenge of the salt as one can get without visiting the hallowed ground.

Stories of racers, from everyday riders who rode in from Pennsylvania for a chance to go flat out on their street machines, only to ride them back home again, to Dennis Manning, Chris Carr, and the story of the record-breaking Seven streamliner, can be found here, with a variety of big and small-time racers in between.

Thought the book tells an intriguing story, it’s the photos that make it worth the dough. If you want the full history of Bonneville and bikes, this isn’t you’re book, but if you want to see what’s running there today, along with glimpses into the world of racing at the flats, it’s a great place to start.

Check it out from the Motorcycle Classics Vintage Shop at:

http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/shopping/home.aspx

The CB1100F returns!

Photos courtesy Ben Wojdyla for Jalopnik.com

By now you’ve probably seen photos of the prototypes Honda debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show in late 2007.

If not, check them out here

Two were of interest to retro fanatics like us: the CB1100F (seen here at Honda’s stand at the show), a modern air-cooled standard that looks like a newer, bigger, meaner version of a 1975 Honda CB400F, and the CB1100R, an endurance-racer-inspired ride that’s got us chomping at the bit for a production model already.

While we’re still waiting to hear if the CB1100R will ever see production, according to Motorcycle News in the UK, the suits at Honda have announced that the CB1100F will be produced and will be coming to the U.S.

While details are still sketchy, plan to see it on showroom floors in late 2008 as a 2009 model. While there’s been no word on pricing just yet, we’re all hoping it is $10,000 or under (preferably under).

While the styling is mildly blocky (and reminiscent of many of the late 1970s and early 1980s Honda Supersports), it keeps the chrome fenders of some of the earlier CB’s. Many have already commented on their desires for spoked wheels (which most of the other retro bikes now being sold, including the Triumph Bonneville and the Ducati SportClassics, now feature).

While this great looking standard trades on style and history more than as innovation, there are reports of a new engine block design that allows air to pass between the two middle cylinders, along with speculation that it will fuel injected and that ABS brakes will either be standard or optional.

Welcome to the retro game Honda! Glad you finally made it!

To see a walk-around video of the CB1100F, click here

For more photos, visit Jalopnik.

2007 Centenary Isle of Man TT DVD now available!

The official review of the 2007 Isle of Man TT is an action-packed record of an amazing year of thrilling road racing around the legendary 37.73 mile Mountain Circuit.

It was one of the biggest sporting events of the year, and now every thrilling moment of the Centenary Isle of Man TT is yours to own. An estimated 60,000 fans travelled to the Isle of Man to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the very first Tourist Trophy, and were treated to some of the best racing seen anywhere­ – the sort of high-speed, record-breaking competition that has made the TT such an enduring success.

The Official TT 2007 DVD Review features four hours of awesome action from the world-famous TT Mountain Circuit, as the best motorcycle road racers take on the daunting 37.73-miles of public highways. There was so much fast and furious racing, the Official Review, from Duke, has had to be released as a two-disc set for the first time!

Putting the review together was a tough task – the Centenary TT had so many highlights it was hard to know where to start!

Morecambe’s John McGuinness cemented his TT legend status by claiming his 12^th and 13^th wins – making him the third most successful competitor in the event’s history. Not to be outdone, Manx sidecar ace Dave Molyneux equaled that tally, despite numerous dramas. Kiwi Bruce Anstey claimed yet another Superstock win, while Yorkshire’s Ian Hutchinson made up for disqualification during TT 2006 to take his first victory.

Lap records tumbled as huge crowds enjoyed the summer sun and blistering on-track racing. For many the most unforgettable moment will be when McGuinness crossed the line in the final race on the final day to set a new outright lap record, bursting through the 130mph barrier for the first time. That figure becomes even more breathtaking when you remember it is a 130mph average. At some points on the course the bikes are reaching almost 200mph!

The official DVD Review has coverage of all six races and every history-making moment, featuring footage from on-bike, aerial and curbside cameras, including an array of new-for-2007 vantage points.

There’s also profiles of some of  the biggest names, a taste of Mad Sunday and TT on the Prom, plus a chance to enjoy some of the special events organized to mark the Centenary – including the re-enactment of the very first TT in 1907 and the Parade of Champions, which featured legends including Carl Fogarty and John Surtees.

You can also experience the thrill of going on board with Steve Plater, Ian Armstrong, Conor Cummins and sidecar ace Nick Crowe, and enjoy a special feature about MV Agusta, which made a long-awaited return to the TT, a history of the event, interviews with Phillip McCallen and Fogarty and profiles of sidecar legend Molyneux and the ever-popular Purple Helmets display team --  a favorite which has to be seen to be believed!

Whether you were one of the 60,000 fans who made the pilgrimage to the Centenary TT, or one of the many thousands more who wish they had, the Official TT 2007 DVD Review is an essential record of a historic event.

Visit http://www.dukevideousa.com/Motorcycles/DVD/TT%20Isle%20of%20Man/TT%20Review%202007%20NTSC.aspx and get your copy today!

For more Isle of Man and other motorsport videos, visit www.dukevideo.com