The California "hands free" cell phone 'laws' take effect today - cagers aren't allowed to use a cell phone unless the driver is using a hands-free device.

Personally, I don't see this as having a major impact on safety. But it certainly will drive sales of Bluetooth and other wireless devices.

Now, if I want to use my cell phone while riding my sportbike through the twisties, I guess I'll have to upgrade to the latest cell phone technology - my old trusty Nokia isn't Bluetooth-compatible.

Nice to see the California legislature has all that time on their hands.

Traditional styling, traditional colors, traditional customers: But is tradition enough?As the Times Online newspaper points out, Harley-Davidson management thinks that the next generation (post-boomers, that is) is probably looking for something a little less, shall we say, traditional.

Lots of talk about the future here. Lots of conjecture. From the sound of it, Harley Davidson management is looking for new places to sell, and new people to sell to. A new generation of buyers...

Any changes will not happen quickly enough to compensate for the slide in domestic sales. The group is finding other ways to compete, splitting marketing into two, one concentrating on traditional, more mature Harley customers, as epitomised in last year’s Hollywood movie Wild Hogs, and the other aiming at young men and women riders.

The pages below provide information about the forthcoming 2009 motorcycle models. We'll collect rumors and verified information wherever possible.

If you have something to share, drop a comment here, or use our contact page - Come on, tell us all those juicy secrets!

New Motorcycle Models

New motorcycles - some riders are fascinated with rumors, speculation, and hard facts about upcoming models. We help pour gasoline on the fire -- when we find information about the upcoming new models, we add it to our collection for your speculative pleasure.

Please see the links section below - they contain our growing list of news, gossip, and rumors about new motorcycle models. If you have anything you'd like to see added, let us know and we'll check it out. If you have a suggestion for improvement, leave a comment or contact us.

Record Fuel Prices

As fuel prices soar, recent news reports describe increasing numbers of commuters showing a renewed interest in motorcycling as an alternative to travel by car. Motorcycles offer a number of advantages over cars -- if you are willing to ride a mid-displacement bike (600cc to 800cc) you can expect good fuel economy and reasonable power, comfort, and versatility.

According to various sources, it appears that Harley-Davidson is experiencing a significant downturn.

The Kansas City Business Journal reports:

In the wake of lower first-quarter earnings despite higher revenue compared with last year, Harley-Davidson Inc. said Thursday that it will temporarily close some plants, reduce daily production and cut about 730 jobs.

Forbes, BusinessWeek, and many other business journals are all reporting similar news. How will this affect the 2008 year sales, and what will this do to the 2009 model line-up?

† Limited color run, less than 500.
Prices are subject to change without notice.

Here's the scoop on the 2008 Honda CBR1000RR

It looks like Honda's gone all-out for 2008 in an attempt to remain competitive in the important sport class liter bike segment. The CBR1000RR has been given a thorough makeover:
2008 Honda CBR1000RR: The all new 2008 CBR1000RR with a new chassis, new engine and MotoGP inspired styling and exhaust.

Ok, this is about as strange as it gets. How do you lose your leg without knowing it? How do you shift (or brake, as the case may be?)

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese biker failed to notice his leg had been severed below the knee when he hit a safety barrier, and rode on for 2 km (1.2 miles), leaving a friend to pick up the missing limb.

Link