Ducati built in 2007 on motorcycle pilot Hofmann

Bochum's motorcycle-pilot Alex Hofmann will continue for the team d'Antin / Pramac Ducati on to World Cup points in the MotoGP class travel. Der 26-Jährige unterschrieb eine Vertragsverlängerung für die kommenden Saison. The 26-year-old signed a contract extension for the coming season.

The team d'Antin / Pramac Ducati familiar to continue the services of motorcycle-pilot Alex Hofmann. In the upcoming season will again Bochum in the MotoGP class to ride World Cup points. The 26-year-olds on Thursday received a contract extension with the Spanish team for which he is the first time this year was begun.

Next season with "good package of bike and tires" on takeoff


"I would like to thank Luis d'Antin and Paolo Campinoti and Ducati for this opportunity to thank. In this season we have worked very hard, and I've always tried to the best of the opportunities to make. I am now very happy that we next season with a good package of bike and tires at the start, "said Hofmann on his homepage. Beim WM-Start 2007 im Januar in Malaysia wird Hofmanns Team mit Bridgestone- statt wie bisher Dunlop-Reifen antreten. When you start 2007 World Cup in Malaysia in January Hofmann will team with Bridgestone instead of Dunlop Tire muster.

Zunächst muss er sich jedoch einer Operation unterziehen. First, however, he must have surgery. Ihm werden am Freitag im Münchner Orthozentrum zwei Titan-Platten und 16 Schrauben aus seinem linken Fußgelenk entfernt, die ihm nach einem Sturz im vergangenen Jahr eingefügt worden waren. He will be on Friday in the city center Ortho two titanium plates and 16 screws from his left ankle removed him after a fall last year had been inserted.

Hofmann has since 1997 committed in the World Cup, but at 94 operations for Yamaha (1997-2002), Honda (1998), TSR (1999), Aprilia (2000-2001), Kawasaki (2003-2005) and now never had a Ducati Podium finish achieved. In der abgelaufenen MotoGP-Saison belegte er nach vereinzelten Einsätzen den 16. In the past MotoGP season after he isolated operations, the 16th Platz in der Gesamtwertung. Place in the overall standings.

BSA Motorcycles

BSA Motorcycles
Chopper refers to a particular type of motorcycle that was radically customized to meet the owner's design needs and desires, archetypical examples of which are the Harley-Davidsons as seen in the 1969 movie Easy Rider.

In post-WWII United States, tazzi-ruled motorcycle enthusiasts coming home from the war started to remove all parts which were deemed too big, too heavy, too ugly or not absolutely essential to the basic functionality of the machine. Typical elements fitting these criteria included fenders, turn indicators, and even front brakes. As well, the large, spring-suspended saddle was removed in order to sit as low as possible on the motorcycle's frame. These machines were modified to lose weight for dirt track racing advantages. (See the origin of the "Hell’s Angels" for more on dirt track racing.)

James "Wild Child" Greene of the now world famous Wild Child's Custom Shop is heretofore recognized as the pioneer of the modern chopper design. Wild Child’s jumpstarted an American institution with its famous "It's a

BSA Motorcycles

BSA Motorcycles
Chopper refers to a particular type of motorcycle that was radically customized to meet the owner's design needs and desires, archetypical examples of which are the Harley-Davidsons as seen in the 1969 movie Easy Rider.

In post-WWII United States, tazzi-ruled motorcycle enthusiasts coming home from the war started to remove all parts which were deemed too big, too heavy, too ugly or not absolutely essential to the basic functionality of the machine. Typical elements fitting these criteria included fenders, turn indicators, and even front brakes. As well, the large, spring-suspended saddle was removed in order to sit as low as possible on the motorcycle's frame. These machines were modified to lose weight for dirt track racing advantages. (See the origin of the "Hell’s Angels" for more on dirt track racing.)

James "Wild Child" Greene of the now world famous Wild Child's Custom Shop is heretofore recognized as the pioneer of the modern chopper design. Wild Child’s jumpstarted an American institution with its famous "It's a What?" magazine debut marking the beginning of an era at the same time as other friends later becoming "Kustom Kulture" celebraties of their own. Examples being, Sam/George Barris, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Ray Fharner and others of the era. Based out of Kansas City, Missouri Wild Child’s captured the imaginations of what‘s become five decades of prominent American motorcycle culture.

Forward-mounted foot pegs replaced the standard large 'floorboard' foot rests. Also, the standard larger front tire, headlight and fuel tank were replaced with much smaller ones. Many choppers were painted preferably all in either flat black or in shiny metallic “metal flake” colors. Common, were many chromed parts (either one off fabricated replacements or manually chromed stock parts). According to the taste and purse of the owner, later “chop shops” would build high handle bars, or later “Big Daddy” Roth Wild Child’s designed stretched, narrowed, and raked front forks. Also were custom built exhaust pipes, many of the “aftermarket kits“ followed in the late 1960s into the 1970s. Laws required (and in many locales still do) a retention fixture for the passenger, so vertical backrests called sissy bars were a popular installation, often sticking up higher than the rider's head.

While the decreased weight and lower seat position improved handling and performance, the main reason to build an evil looking chopper was more likely to show off and provoke others by riding a machine that was stripped and almost nude compared to the softer-styled stock Harley-Davidsons, let alone the oversized automobiles of that time.

Many of todays bikes are mistakenly called choppers when they are not choppers at all but custom built motorcycles. Custom built bikes have additional (usually chrome) accessories and billet parts added on to the bike for aesthetic pleasure.

Choppers enjoyed a large resurgence in popularity in the late 1990s with companies like Jesse G. James West Coast Choppers producing extremely expensive traditional one off chopper style bikes and a wide range of chopper themed brands merchandise such as clothing, automobile accessories and stickers.

A distinction should be noted between true chopper (or chopper-style) motorcycles, and custom motorcycles, or 'custom cruisers'. Despite the name, a large percentage of the motorcycles produced by popular companies such as Orange County Choppers, Indian Larry and Von Dutch Kustom Cycles are better described as 'custom'.

On this same subject a distinction should be made between choppers and bobbers. While both tried to improve performance by removing any part that didn't make the motorcycle perform better, they differed in an important way. Bobbers kept the original factory frame, while choppers have a modified from the factory frame.

When individuals were stripping their stock motorcycles and bobbing their fenders, the term "bobber" was born. When individuals started cutting (or chopping) and welding their frames thereby repositioning/restyling them, the term "chopper" was born. Chopping was the next phase in the evolution that followed dirt track bobbing. While people assume that the chopper style motorcycles were built purely for aesthetics, there is a real performance advantage to the raked front end on these choppers. These motorcycles have a much more stable feel at high speeds and in a straight line than motorcycles with original factory front suspensions. However, like any other modification, there's a downside: the raked front end feels heavier and less responsive at slow speeds or in curves & turns. This is due to the longer trail measurement associated with increased rake.

Raked trees are designed so the lower tree sticks out further than the upper tree, thus increasing the rake of the forks in relation to the steering head rake. What this does, for those still following along all the imaginary lines, is position the axle closer to the frame rake measurement line, or shortening the trail. Thus, when adding raked trees to a raked frame (which sports a longer trail), the trail is shortened to a more manageable level. However, be warned that adding raked trees to a frame with short rake and trail can be hazardous, as shortening an already short trail measurement can lead to an unstable situation as speed increases. Misuse of raked trees can be quite dangerous, so a bit of research is in order before turning the first wrench on any chopper project. Just remember that because it looks good in a magazine doesn't automatically mean it will work on your bike.

Despite the personalized nature of choppers, and the wide availability of alternative designs, chopper builders overwhelmingly choose fat rear tires, original or recreated air-cooled, pushrod v-twin engine, and rigid-looking frame, even for a softail. As a result, the once unique looking custom chopper design starts to lose its uniqueness. Modern bobber builders tend to distinguish themselves from chopper builders with bikes styled before the chopper era.

Three wheeled choppers, most often referred to as Trikes are also a common configuration that is now regaining popularit

Kawasaki Motorcycles

Kawasaki Motorcycles
Sport bikes usually have a more streamlined, aerodynamic design compared to other motorcycle types. The footpegs are located further back than conventional motorcycles, which enables the rider to position himself in a lower, more aerodynamic stance.

Another typical characteristic is the ability to travel at extreme speeds with explosive acceleration. A typical sport bike can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) about or under 3 seconds. Some sports bikes can top out at approximately 260 km/h (160 mph).

Superbikes, which are another type of sports bike, can have top speeds well above 200 mph but recently have been limited through the use of a rev limiter to the speed of 186mph (around 300 km/h) in accordance to a Gentlemen's agreement between the main sport bike manufacturers.

Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Ducati, Aprilia, and Buell are the main manufacturers of sport bikes, although Buell are yet to produce a sports bike. In 1999 Suzuki produced a GSX-1300R Hayabusa capable of reaching 100 mph in first gear, and 190 mph (310 km/h)off the production line. The Kawasaki ZX-10R, for example, is a 1000 cc sportbike capable of exceeding 100 mph in first gear, as well as a top speed at or above 186 mph without any modifications. These bikes can do a quarter mile at or under 10 sec. The 2006 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 (stock) can reach 100 km/h under 2.5 seconds and does a quarter mile in a little over 9 second.

Scooters & Mopeds

Scooters & Mopeds
Most modern motor scooters have smaller wheels than motorcycles, between eight and 12 inches (20-28 cm) in diameter (though maxi- and big-wheel scooters may have larger wheels).


Scooters & Mopeds

The scooter engine is usually found under the seat with a continuously variable transmission transferring power to the rear wheel, often in a front-hinged arrangement that allows the rear of the engine to swing vertically in conjunction with the motion of the rear wheel. Older Vespas, most vintage scooters, and some newer retro models have a manual transmission with the gear shift and clutch built into the left handlebar.

In contrast to most motorcycles, scooters generally feature bodywork, including a front leg shield and body that conceals all or most of the mechanicals. The classic scooter design features a step-thru frame and a flat floorboard for the rider's feet and often includes some integral storage space, either under the seat, built into the front leg shield, or both.

Most scooters have smaller engines than motorcycles (between 30 cc and 250 cc with a single cylinder, though some models have twin cylinder motors). Most jurisdictions have no legal definition for "scooter". In general, 50 cc and under scooters are classified in most states and countries as a moped and are subject to reduced safety restrictions and licensing fees. Scooters above 50 cc are generally legally considered motorcycles, though some states have an in-between definition for motorized bike for scooters and motorcycles between 50 and 150 cc.

Until recently, most modern motor scooters came with air cooled two-stroke cycle engines with automatic two-stroke oil injection although some of the higher spec small ones and large ones are water cooled such as the Honda FC50 or the 2002 Yamaha YQ50s. Scooters increasingly have four-stroke engines to meet stricter emissions controls. Trends world-wide have seen new variations on the classic scooter. A common variation, the 'big-wheel' or commuter-style scooter features wheels as large as a motorcycle. Popular models of the commuter-style bike include the Aprilia Scarabeo models, the Piaggio Liberty/LT models, and the Taiwanese Kymco People models.

High-end scooter models now include comprehensive technological features including cast aluminum frames, engines with integral counter-balancing, and cross-linked brake systems. Some of these modern high-end scooters also come with comfort features such as windshields, heated hand grips and full instrumentation (including clock or outside temperature gauge.)

High-powered electric road scooters are on the horizon now that small electric motorcycles like the e-max and the eGO have been released.