Second place at Portugal for Casey Stoner on his comeback after a three race absence due to illness has been followed up by two brilliant successive wins from the factory Ducati rider at Phillip Island and Sepang in the space of seven days – as he puts his mid-season difficulties behind him. Stoner adapted most efficiently to the wet weather at the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon to take a remarkable 15 second victory over the rest of the field, before humbly stating, “The conditions were the same for everyone today and none of us had tested at this ...Read more.

Brad Pitt clipped a parked car while riding his motorcycle in Los Angeles and took a spill - but don't worry ladies, he's fine. The "Inglourious Basterds" star tried to maneuver between a parked car and another car stopped at a red light when his handlebars hit the parked car, causing him and the heavy bike to fall over, witnesses said. After he fell, Pitt got up, moved the motorcycle to the side of the road and ran into an apartment building. Someone picked him up a short time later, sources said, and a tow truck picked up the bike. Previous reports that a paparazzo was ...Read more.

Haga vs. Spies. Spies vs. Haga. It's really all that matters this weekend in the final round of the World Superbike Championship. With that being the case, chalk one up for Ducati Xerox's Noriyuki Haga in the first battle as he emerged from today's free practice session at the Portimao Circuit in Portugal ahead of his championship rival. But neither of them were at the very top. That spot was taken by Czech Jakob Smrz and his privateer Ducati. In the war for the title, however, it was Haga by .2 of a second over Yamaha's Ben Spies, with Haga ending up second while Spies was dropped ...Read more.

Northwesterners have a pragmatic approach to the outdoors that goes something like this: There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear. It's an attitude that allows us to enjoy our favorite pastimes no matter what the conditions. There's one activity, however, where that mantra doesn't apply -- because there's far more at stake than soggy boots or an uncomfortable night's sleep. When it comes to riding a motorcycle in inclement weather, the right equipment is critical, but good judgment and safe riding skills are just as important. Here are a few tips for fall and winter riding ...Read more.

Tiny Italian firm Vyrus will launch a new hub-centre-steered superbike in November which in its ultimate form offers 211bhp. That makes it easily the most powerful street bike in the world – eclipsing Ducati’s MotoGP replica Desmosedici by more than 10bhp. The 987 C3 4V is the latest evolution of Vyrus’s radical Ducati-engined superbike, replacing the 985’s 999R engine with the latest homologation-special 1198cc motor. An all-new electronics package – as well the 987’s inherently stable chassis, which doesn’t dive or squat – makes the bike’s monstrous power controllable, ...Read more.

Confederate could have just cut to the chase with the Wraith and called it "The Question". Taking the Confederate B120 Wraith out in public is both an act of exhibitionism and an invitation to nearly endless interrogation. If you are the type of motorcyclist who likes to ride under the radar, look elsewhere-this motorcycle sets off alarms. Never before in my motorcycling life have I had a stranger take my photograph while I was cruising down the freeway. It's almost dangerous-drivers constantly jockey for position to get next to the bike for a closer look. It is not simply that they don't ...Read more.

Casey Stoner’s dominance of his home circuit continued on Sunday as the Australian won at Phillip Island for the third year in a row, leading Valentino Rossi over the finish line by a margin of 1.935s. In his second Grand Prix back after a three-race absence, the 24 year-old celebrated his birthday weekend with an impressive win from pole position, his third race victory of the season, which took him to third in the championship standings. A frustrating weekend for Jorge Lorenzo was compounded when the Spaniard crashed out at turn one of the first lap after touching bikes with ...Read more.

Harley-Davidson announced today that it is discontinuing its Buell product line and will cease production of Buell motorcycles permanently by Oct. 30. According to Harley-Davidson spokesman Paul James, the discontinuation of the 26-year-old Buell brand, which has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the Milwaukee-based manufacturer since 1998, "is part of Harley-Davidson's go-forward business strategy. The new long-term strategy aims to drive company growth through a focus of efforts and resources on the Harley-Davidson brand." James said, "The fact is, a dollar invested into ...Read more.