The world's fastest motorcycles.

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Hang onto your hats; we're going for a ride. The Superbike sector which was created during the seventies, would allow mere mortals such as you and I to ride something akin to the machines that our heroes use on the track. Of course we all ride sensibly, but to have that spare capacity in hand is something wonderful. Nobody's had this much power between their legs since Marilyn Monroe died. I can hear you all screaming 'Hayabusa', but here are a few others that turn heads (quickly). To avoid favouritism, I've listed them in alphabetical order. You can make up your own mind.

Aprilia RSV1000R

The V-twin power unit is going to generate 143 HP and push you up to 175mph if you're that way inclined. Experience in top class racing has allowed designers to come up with a frame that weighs in at less than 10,000 grams. Introduced in 1998 this bike is not only quick, but has the looks to go with it.

BMW K1200S

If I said 'Zero to Sixty mph in 2.8 seconds' you'll know where I'm coming from, and after that it just keeps on accelerating. With a top speed of 167mph, you ain't going to be late very often. I've never had the pleasure of riding this shaft driven beauty myself, but they say that the comfort and handling are second to none.

Ducati 1098s

160 horsepower and 169mph apart, this is one sexy bike. The high tail section gives the impression of speed, even when the bike is standing still. The whole bike only weighs 173kg, giving the highest torque to weight ratio of any production sport bike ever.

Honda CBR 1100XX Super Blackbird

Production of this superb machine began 1997. The Blackbird gave high performance and touring comfort. At 178mph this bike won the title of 'The World's Fastest Production Bike', stealing the glory from Kawasaki. Some wag once said that the Blackbird cut through the air like a surgeon's scalpel and I can see where that analogy came from. To my eyes, this bike is just beautiful.

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14

Known as the ZZR1400 in Europe and Japan, this is Kawasaki's flagship model in the Sport bike sector. It takes just 2.5 seconds for this bike to reach 60mph and has a top speed of 186mph. It can cover a quarter mile from a standing start in less than ten seconds.

MTT Turbine Superbike Y2K

Created by Ted McIntyre of Marine Turbine Technologies Inc, this bike is only the world's second wheel driven motorcycle powered by a turbine engine, and doesn't it move; 227mph to be precise. It has a Rolls Royce Allison 250 series engine and is recognised by Guinness World Records as the 'Most Powerful Production Motorcycle'. If you want one, you'll have to find around $150,000.

MV Agusta F4 1000R

Released in 2006, this bike which could whizz you up to 185mph in rapid time set a world record at Bonneville Salt Flats and won the title of the 'Fastest Production Class 1000cc'. Massimo Tamburini, the designer had this to say about his creation 'The dream of every design engineer is to come up with the most beautiful sports motorcycle in the world, then turn it into the fastest, most exclusive sought after and powerful on the market. This was my dream too. I wanted to feel the reactions of a racing bike that could put every available ounce of power through to the ground beneath me'. You know, I think he may have cracked it.

Suzuki GSX1300R

Ah yes, the famous Hayabusa. Introduced in 1999, this bike is capable of reaching a speed of 190mph. 'Hayabusa' is Japanese for Peregrine Falcon, a bird known for its speed. The bird is also a predator of the blackbird, which also happens to be the name of the previously fastest production motorcycle. Makes you think doesn't it?

Yamaha YZF R1

Introduced in 1998, this machine brought the sector nearer to a true racing motorbike. Its 1000cc engine powers the bike up to 176mph. In June of 1997, Nick Sanders of the United Kingdom completed a circumnavigation of the globe riding a YZF R1. His time of 31 days, 20 hours set a record for the fastest motorcycle circumnavigation. He covered 19,930 miles in breaking the record.


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Honda isn't just a popular car company they are also one of the biggest motorcycle makers.

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Known for their relatively inexpensive, fuel efficient cars and trucks, Honda has far more to offer. You may not know that Honda is also one of the world's largest motorcycle manufacturers. Better yet, their motorcycles are some of the finest made.

As early as 1949, Honda began turning out high quality bikes. By the year 2005, there were manufacturing plants in more than twenty countries and more than 150 million bikes were sold to eager riders. As years passed, their bikes became better and better. Many of the best motorcycle models were created at the hands of Honda.

Perhaps the greatest of all Honda models, the Valkyrie offered a six cylinder, inline engine. Liquid cooled with a 1520cc boxer, the bike soon became a top selling model. There was no V Twin design here. Instead, Honda went for power by using six different carburetors and lining the cylinders up in opposite directions instead of at angles.

Unfortunately, the great engine noises and smooth idle was not enough. In 2004, the final Valkyrie model, the limited edition "Rune" was sold. Only used Valkyrie's remain on the market, otherwise you must choose from other excellent bikes.

Honda offers both large and small motorcycles. Their bikes are also suited for both street or off road biking. The CR85R, with its 85cc engine, is an excellent starter bike for a teen. Off road models like the CRF50 or XR650L also deliver strong performance and a powerful ride. Meanwhile, the Interceptor is a dream bike for handling daily traffic. If a larger bike is more to your liking, the Goldwing is the man?s bike with plenty of size and power.

Beginners are probably best on the CRF50. The 49cc engine and automatic transmission offer a great bike for honing skills. With three speeds, a 21 inch seat, and a weight of around 100 pounds, youth riders will soon have the training they need to tackle larger motorcycles.

XR650L is a much larger off road bike. It is a single cylinder model that delivers plenty of torque and a low rpm. No bike can beat the XR650L at hill climbing and hairpin turn performance.

The aforementioned Interceptor is an award winning bike and has not lost its title for eleven years. It is one of Honda's motorcycles that are currently on display in New York?s Guggenheim Museum. Even without awards, that does not stop millions of riders from relying on Honda for their riding pleasures.

Regardless of your needs, big or small, on road or off, Honda is sure to have a model that suits your fancy. You are guaranteed many years of top notch performance at a price you cannot resist. With a Honda, you know you are in for a real treat.
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Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach Florida. Find more about this as well as Honda motorcycle parts at http://www.motorcycleaccessoriesplus.com

Take a vacation like this on your motorcycle.

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Are you an adventurer? Do you have the spirit of a wanderer? If so, then the hottest new trend in vacation travel, a motorcycle vacation, may be just the ticket for you. Whatever countryside you enjoy, and whatever bike you ride, a motorcycle vacation promises great fun and entertainment.

Imagine a history buff that uses a motorcycle to explore old Civil War battlefields. Wilson's Creek in southwest Missouri, Pea Ridge in Northwest Arkansas, and the site of the battle of West Port near the Plaza in modern day Kansas City are all easily accessible by bike. Or, if exploring the west is more your thing, take a trek out west, starting in Sedalia, the scene of the first recorded cattle drive in history. Then on your bike trace the other cattle towns of the old west like Wichita, Parsons and Dodge City in Kansas. Then keep heading west to Colorado the mile high state and visit Estes Park. Go a little south and visit Colorado Springs, park your bike for a day and take a tour of the Air Force Academy and look at the grounds of Cheyenne Mountain, home of Norad.

Still yearning for more western adventure, then you can ride your motorcycle to New Mexico and visit Lincoln County where Billy the Kid and his Regulators raised a ruckus in the 1880's. New Mexico has great camping in the mountains near Cloudcroft, so be sure to take the opportunity to visit and if you feel up to it, sleep under the stars, with your trusty motorcycle near you, like a cowboy's horse.

While in New Mexico the Apache reservation at Riodosa offers a chance to try your luck at slot machines and the wheel of fortune. Then a visit to a great Mexican restaurant and on to the town of Roswell, site of the 1947 UFO crash that some people say made history. When you get to Roswell you can either take your bike to a campground, or park it at a nice reasonably priced motor hotel so that you can spend some time in the UFO Museum and Research Center on Main Street. While there you can visit with some witnesses to the crash and hear some fascinating stories, and take a side trip out to the ranch outside of town where debris was found, and some say small alien bodies were recovered. When you've seen all the UFO sites you feel like seeing, you can visit the Robert Goddard Museum next door to the Town's convention center. Goddard is the father of modern rocket science. He performed many of his experiments in the desert near Roswell and the museum is great fun. When you get done in Roswell, then hop on the bike and go to Albuquerque near Holloman Air Force Base, and then on down to White Sands rocket test ground. New Mexico is full of interesting sites. If you head up north, be sure to his Santa Fe and appreciate the Native American arts and crafts on display.

Next stop on your bike tour should be Las Vegas, Nevada. The most exciting town on earth is just a hop, skip and bike ride away. Here's a chance to really gamble, or if you don't like to bet, then just stop in at one of the casinos to try a very low priced, delicious buffet. It seems like all the casinos have great buffets and try to outdo each other. You'll enjoy them all. Remember too that this is a town made for entertainment. Try one of the shows on the strip, or a comedy club or magic act.

Now, after visiting Las Vegas, it may be time to go on to the one place that no motorcycle vacation can be complete without visiting, Sturgis. The town of Sturgis, North Dakota is legendary among those who ride motorcycles, and the town people know how to make a biker welcome. Stop in for a root beer and buy a T-shirt as a souvenir of your trip. You'll be glad you did, and you'll remember your motorcycle vacation for years to come. Hop on your biike, be it hog or Honda, and enjoy the ride.

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Gregg Hall is a consultant for online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida. Get motorcycle gear and accessories at http://www.motorcyclegearandaccessories.com

Harley davidson,king of motorcycles.

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Harley Davidson. The name means motorcycles. In business for over a hundred years, the company is universally acknowledged as the manufacturer of some of the world's finest motorcycles, and justly so.

Beginning in the mind of William Harley and the backyard of his friend, Arthur Davidson, the pair created a 'motorized bicycle' that has evolved into the standard for fine two-wheeled transportation.

Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, their first bike didn't even have enough power to make it up the small hills of the town without pedal assistance. The pair were undaunted. Within a few years they were producing vehicles for the military fighting WWI and it's been the standard for military and police bikes ever since.

From 50 motorcycles produced at the original factory in 1906, the company has grown to produce millions that are sold around the world.

'Harley', 'Choppers', 'Hogs' and other nicknames became attached over the years. Choppers are bikes that have a front fork angle extended, moving the handlebars back. 'Hogs' came into being when live pigs were ridden around on the back seat after winning a race. But whatever you call them, Harley Davidson motorcycles - with the exception of a short-lived hiccup in the 1970s - have always been the gold standard of bikes.

Their large, powerful engines and distinctive pipe sounds make them recognizable before they even round the corner. Seeing one cements the impression that the viewer is watching greatness drive by.

They figure prominently in the major rallies, the Daytona in Florida in March, the Laconia in New Hampshire in June and the Sturgis in South Dakota in August. Thousands of Harley owners attend and there are inevitably a few dropped jaws at the sight of some of the customized versions.

The Harley Owners Group, H.O.G., founded in 1983, now has over 1,000 chapters with over a million members worldwide. Many don't even own a bike. But the passion for this exemplar of motorcycle engineering is the same, even so. You don't have to own a Rolls Royce to appreciate one as an example of excellence in motoring design.

Beyond the bikes themselves, there are co-branded jackets, helmets and hundreds more items carrying the Harley Davidson winged emblem recognized the world over. Though they contribute a modest percentage to the over $5 billion in annual revenue, the advertising is priceless. As if anyone needed to be told that Harley Davidson makes motorcycles!

There are thousands of Harley Davidson forums online - three times as many as there are for Yamaha. One of the few serious competitors for the crown of motorcycle design. BMW, Victory, Honda... many strive - some come close - but Harley Davidson remains the champion. A title they are unlikely to relinquish anytime soon.

After all, there's only room for one at the summit of the tallest peak.

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Motorcycle group rides for ringtown woman.

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Motorcycles with names like Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and more were lined up along Main Street in Shenandoah on Sunday for a good cause -- helping a young woman and her family deal with current and future medical bills.

The gathering of motorcycles was sponsored by Thunder Road for "New Lungs for Brittany" as part of a number of events to benefit Brittany Zelinsky, 18, of Ringtown, who is in need of a bilateral (double) lung transplant. Zelinsky and her parents, Gina Hart and Len Margaritondo of Ringtown, are waiting for the phone call that compatible lungs have been found for the transplant.
When she was three years old, Zelinsky was diagnosed with a rare lung disease called primary pulmonary hypertension. At the time, the doctors told her parents that she only had a few months to live. However, thanks to a medical research program at Presbyterian/ Columbia University Medical Center in New York, Zelinsky far exceeded the predicted life expectancy so that Zelinsky was graduated earlier this month from North Schuylkill Junior-Senior High School. She will study medical office technology at McCann School of Business and Technology.

Time is taking its toll, and Zelinsky's lungs are malfunctioning to the point where they are causing her heart to enlarge, requiring the lung transplant as soon as possible. As the condition worsens, the heart itself can be damaged.

The motorcycle run idea began with the help of Tammey Piekarsky, Shenandoah Heights, who is Zelinsky's cousin. She approached Thunder Road owners Bob and Ang Babarsky about a fundraiser.

"She (Zelinsky) took sick in January, but she started doing a lot better and went back in March for a checkup," said Piekarsky. "They thought she might be able to come off the transplant list, but they decided to bump her up on the list because her heart started to swell and her aorta started to stiffen."

After the change on the transplant list, Piekarsky approached the Babarskys for some help. "I just wanted to come up with some kind of benefit, and there are so many bike runs around, and I thought it would be a good idea. I talked to Bob and he was very interested."

There was no monetary goal set for the fundraiser, said Piekarsky. "We're just trying to raise anything we can to help out," Piekarsky explained. "Once the transplant happens, she's be in six weeks of intense therapy afterward, and the family will have to stay in Philadelphia. The money raised with help with the financial burden.

The transplant will be performed at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"They (parents) have the pager and everyone is on standby," said Piekarsky. "They did two sets of lungs, but they were rejected by the hospital because they weren't strong enough."

Piekarsky thanked the Babarskys for their generous help in this instance

"Thunder Road burned down and the community came together to help him," said Piekarsky. "And when I did come to Bob, he was more than willing to help with something like this. I can't thank him enough."

The motorcycle run began at 1 p.m., with more than 30 motorcyles leaving Shenandoah along state Route 54 to go through Girardville and Ashland on the way to Lavelle, then to Pitman, Hegins and into Pine Grove, where there was a short break at Buddy's Log Cabin. The next stop was Sweet Arrow Lake Road, took the back roads into Cressona, and head back to Shenandoah. The riders returned to Shenandoah about 4 p.m.

Zelinsky, her parents and family were on hand to greet the returning riders, many who stayed for a fundraising party with live music by four bands -- Syre, Nemesis, The Beaten Path and Root 54.

Financial donations can be made directly to "New Lungs for Brittany" fund at M&T Bank, Ringtown.

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Bikers roar into new territory.

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The popularity of Bob Minion's bank holiday motorcycle tours of Northern France shows no sign of diminishing with the latest trip's clientele, comprising 36 bikers, being the largest for many years.
"Around 70% of the bikers were repeat customers," said Mark Minion, sales director of the Derby Honda dealership, which has been organising continental tours for more than 10 years.
"The reason our trips are so popular is quite simple - no worries. We take care of everything, including the ferry, good quality accommodation, escort to the base in France and a choice of pre-planned interesting routes in the region to enjoy with the benefit of an experienced guide.
"This means there are no hassles and the bikers can relax and fully enjoy the pleasure of riding through the beautiful French countryside.
The fact that you are with a bunch of friendly bikers is another big plus."
On this occasion the group was based in Dinan, an enchanting, medieval town and an ideal location for exploring the north-west region of Brittany. From here the bikers enjoyed ride-outs over three days to the historic U-boat pens at St Nazaire, the famous port of St Malo, attractive seaside towns, the bustling cathedral city of Rennes, the cosmopolitan coastal resort of Dinard, parts of Normandy, and the surrounding area. Despite having previously visited France on Bob Minion trips, Bill Cove and his wife Vivian can never get over how beautiful the countryside is, the low volume of traffic and how considerate car drivers tend to be.

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