A lot was expected of the GSX-R1000. She was the general favorite but in the end she had to be content with just the fourth position her category. Finding an explanation to this result Is complicated since the 1-litre class bike has won a couple of times in the past and with all the new changes we did expect her to do far better. However what is also a good sign is that the competition has got so much better, posting such excellent results.

Her great quality put paid to all our doubts and she is the only bike after the Kawasaki ZX-10R that feels manageable and stable during the race with very precise directional control around the corners. The Gixxer is small but moves well, has powerful brakes with a very progressive feel and an excellent aerodynamic design, which make her one of the best in her category.
The GSX-R has astounding acceleration and you have to quite literally feather the throttle when coming out of a corner. One look at the acceleration figures and you must see to believe how quick she is, a trait that where she is far more superior to her rivals. But like we said you have to punch the gas very gently especially when cornering lest you swing the rear far out of line, hairy but exciting. Superb suspension bits are ideally tuned for track action and help compensate and build confidence to generate sufficient acceleration to zip past rivals.
However she may have fared, the GSX-R 1000 is an exotic fiery dish which can fire up your taste buds leaving you craving for so much more. So don’t give up hope yet 2006 is another year to look forward to.

The Icon A5 is user-friendly plane made for land, air, water—and your driveway

It’s not quite a flying car, but after landing, you can tow the Icon A5 home and park it in a garage. It’s one of the first civilian flyers to feature automated folding wings, which slim down the mini seaplane so it can fit on a custom trailer. (An amphibious version offsets the extra weight of landing gear by trading the motorized wings for a manually folding set.)

The A5 belongs to the FAA’s new “light-sport aircraft” class, whose planes don’t have to go through the same lengthy certification process that discourages bold design in larger planes. That classification freed Icon to develop the folding wings and to install a modern engine that burns unleaded gasoline, whereas most private planes use decades-old, lead-spewing powerplants.

You can fly the A5 with a simple sport-pilot certification, which requires half the training time of a standard license. A cockpit designed with input from carmakers such as Nissan has minimal instrumentation and a GPS navigation system, making the plane easier to pilot.

The wings are designed to minimize the danger of stalling, where they lose lift because the plane is traveling too slowly or its nose is pointed up too high. With the A5, stalling occurs gradually, providing plenty of warning for the pilot.

The plane makes its debut this summer, and Icon has begun taking orders. It expects the first models to touch down in late 2010.

The plane is priced at $139000. But to register yourself, u have to pay $5000 and ur name wil be in the lot. For more information log onto www.iconaircraft.com

ALL Italian bikes seem similar, as if they were all made with similar molds. In fact the MV looks like it is hand made4 with lot of care, much in the same vein such as the Aprilia or the Ducati. These were the words of Randy Mamola moments before immortalizing the MV photographically. Each and every section of the 2005 MV feels special. From design to the care taken in the detail and excellent components, everything feels special.
On the track, the MV Agusta left no doubt that it is more than just a pretty face. Many of the riders in fact, six of them, did their best times on her, more than with the ZX-10.
Her forward inclined riding position complements the rider. Add to that the hard seat and you are able to feel every nuance of the suspensions reacting to the track surface, making her one of the best track-day tools.
On the other hand the rigidness of chassis and front fork invite you to attack each corner, with each lap getting more intense and faster and the lap times go down.
She is also equipped with a very aggressive engine that invites you to extract the maximum out of it. You have to be careful while exiting corners to avoid unnecessary scares since it transmits power to the back wheel with such fluidity and speed that it becomes quite simple to powerslide her out of the corner.
At high revolutions it transmits some vibrations to the handlebars. However it is tolerable. Also its brakes are good, especially due to the anti-locking system, which retards speed without the bike feeling jittery. You can feel the engine raring to go, increasing stress on the front forks. But this is not a problem; you just have to get used to it.

Yamaha YZF-R6 was tipped as the favorite according to the impressions of ht eiders. Only the Kawasaki ZX-6R had a serious chance of stealing victory in the supersport category and that’s exactly what happened.
The impact of the R6 has been excellent, with the performance from an improved engine, with more means to pull close to the red line, and for its cycle aspect. The new inverted front fork favors entrance while braking into a corner, while agility is without doubt one of the best in this category. On the other hand caution is advisable on the outside of corners where if you accelerate too hard the front loses its contact patch disrupting direction of motion. The gear and brakes are the best.
This four-cylinder engine has improved response from 6000 to 7000rpm . Through the rev limit has been brought down. This is an aspect highly appreciated on the circuit making it a delight to extract maximum power from an engine with the characteristic of the R6.
So despite having a slight disadvantage to the ZX-6R in the stakes for power the R6 more than makes up for it with a confidence inspiring ride even through at the controls the R6 feels less aggressive. The short seat gives it just the right riding position while also protecting the rider.

Almost two decades ago the American government banned the sale of Indian mangoes in the US, on account of the ‘excess pesticides’ Indian farmers use.

But since the ban has now been lifted, and Indian mangoes are now readily exported to the US, India in return has reversed the ban on importing two wheelers that are more than 800cc to the Indian market. So that means the monstrous engines of the Harley Davidson are ready to storm to India.

On Thursday the official website of Harley Davidson announced that its cruiser motorbikes will arrive in the fast-emerging and promising Indian market, however no word yet on how much the bikes will cost in India. Our guess is that they will be priced upwards of Rs 15 lakhs, especially since the lowest end Harley in the US costs about $12,000. Although to gain a profit, the Indian goevernment is forced to impose excise duties on 800cc+ motorcycles. Japanese bike giant Yamaha also had a tough time launching the saucy YZF-R1 and the MT-01 in India as it had to overcome the import trade policy. Honda and Suzuki also have made their foray by bringing some of their international bikes to India.

The Harley Davidson range of bikes remain to be the most popular cruiser bikes in the world and the deep pocketed Indian junta will be more than happy to snap up a Harley or two. Check back this space for more on the Harley Davidson bikes in India.

THE R1 has acquitted herself in a very outstanding manner to reach second position in its category effortlessly. She has achieved this thanks to her superb abilities which haven’t changed much since the last model.
Among the four Japanese superbikes, she is the one that exudes the most distinct character in the propulsion and cycle part aspects. The R1 has a very purpose built engine, a whirlwind when it has surpassed the 900rpm mark. The R1 however lacks punch in the mid-range. This is instantly evident when you ride the R1 immediately after having ridden her rivals. You have to in fact keep her revved hard to extract the most from her short stroke motor, it’s powerband getting meaty only high up the rev range.
You also need to adapt certain riding techniques if you want to keep the engine running in the power band. But once it’s there inside the power band the R1 is an absolute delight. The R1 is also the only other bike in Master Bike to cross the 26kmph mark, the other being the ZX-10R which clocked 264kmph.
The gears are not very precise, like the R6 in the supersport category and she has an anti-lock system on the back wheel that is activated when you pull in the clutch when braking strongly.
Her riding position is exemplary with her low seat and elevated handlebars. It feels similar to the Ducati 999s and once you adapt yourself to it, it allows you splendid control.
Her stability is rock solid and leaves you speechless. The suspension bits work wonderfully well and endow the R1 with fantastic handling.