In the street of San Gregorio Armeno in Naples you can find the traditional “mercatino dei pastori” (shepherds’ market) where detailed models of creche figures have been handcrafted by skillful artists to the delight of Italians and visitors from around the world.

The statuettes aren’t restricted to the classical figures of the Nativity scene, but also includes tributes to contemporary figures, which can range from famous politicians (Berlusconi, Sarkozy, Merkel, Obama, even Bin Laden and Gaddafi have their own figurines), British royalty, sport stars, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and the late Steve Jobs have also been crafted and now the late Marco Simoncelli has also been added to the long list.

This 28cm high terracotta figurine was created by Genni Di Virgilio, whose family has been making nativity statuettes and ornate creches since 1830. “It’s a tribute to this great champion, not only on the track but also in his private life. We will miss his smile most of all, his desire to live and win,” said Di Virgilio.

The Diablo Super Biker is an iPhone App developed by Pirelli and we get the feeling this will really take off. The application can monitor a motorcycle road trip or track laps via GPS, and then registers various data which gets saved. While not for every motorcyclist, the app records some handy information which can be used later.

The Diablo Super Biker can tell you the maximum lean on any one corner which was achieved during a trip, to the distance run, top speed and average speed achieved and can then produce a report complete with speed diagrams and cornering angles. More interesting for track riders is the chance to compare two different runs on the same course.

The Diablo Super Biker App is already available at the iTunes App Store and as of us writing this, it’s free. If anyone does download this and use it, drop us a line and let us know how it goes!

Diablo Super Biker Pirelli iPhone app

Source | Motoblog.it

Hardcore Ducati fans are in for a treat, because if you’ve got one of their motorcycles, their clothing, their perfume, their Satellite U500 Ducati Toshiba laptop, or any other Ducati branded items, you can now get ringtones for your cell phone to match the sound of your own Italian dream bike.

Just hit the the Ducati website to download or play that unmistakable Desmosound.

Don’t think this is a novelty, because Honda made available to fans the ringtone of Freddie Spencer’s 1985 NSR 500 two years ago.

This is a little off-topic for us but I thought the ultimate frisbee image just clicked so well with KTM that I had to post it. This KTM frisbee is a competition frisbee that weighs 175 g. Perhaps KTM could consider expanding its vision and diving into the alternative world of ultimate frisbee? Surely it’s not that big a jump from dirt bikes to another niche sport.

Meanwhile, if you’re interested, we’ve found the KTM frisbee on sale at Gear4 Direct for £12.31, and Technicmoto for 15 euros. We don’t guarantee any of these are legitimate or that you’ll get your frisbee, but we’ll say that this is probably the cheapest KTM accessory around.

Source | Bikes in the Fast Lane

Do you have a beloved scooter that doesn’t have a haven in a maze of city apartment blocks with no parking? Hate to leave it out in the rain, or to be peed on by dogs or dirty washed by disrespectful cars wading through city puddles? If the answer is yes, this nifty Protect 486 scooter armour is for you.

It’s designed as a portable plastic scooter cover by Marc Graells Ballve and can keep off the sun and rain. It even has an inbuilt alarm system against would-be theives. It can easily be attached to the foot platform of your scooter and while it’s not the most attractive thing we’ve ever seen, it’s practicality can’t be denied. For more information, see TheMarcsWork website.

Source | TopSpeed

What can an iPad offer a die-hard motorcycle fan? The chance to get full MotoGP coverage, GPS imagery and live circuit maps all in real time. As the guys at Bonadjalins doing the iPad review from a biker’s perspective say, the 2010 Official MotoGP Live Timing iPad application is “basically a live timing application on steroids”.

I’ll admit, I’m still a paper sort of girl. Hell, I can’t even get my new wireless printer to install properly so when I say I’ll wait to be in the midst of the iPad revolution before I believe it, I mean it. But the iPad intrigues and impresses even me. To see what it can offer you as a Superbike or MotoGP fan, check out Bona’s review at Bonadjalins.wordpress.com.

Yes, you read that correctly - a new motorcycle invention called the Snot Gun has been designed to drain spit away from your mouth while riding and fire it out the back of your helmet, in the face of any aggressive, tail-gating drivers or riders. I had never really thought of it, but I guess nose picking is prohibitive as a rider, and sniffing and swallowing would just get annoying after a while.

The Snot Gun works by a kind of accelerator system which, when switched on, allows you to spit into a mouth piece. Your spit then passes through a tube to the exterior of the helmet, where it gets shot out the back up to a distance of nearly eight feet! The guy who invented this is currently looking for a manufacturer, apparently, and is even making a few himself in the US for a cost of about $135 US.

Apparently there is also:

a new model of the snot extractor that uses an oscillation overthruster, which utilizes the molecular harmonic frequency of glass resin, to allow foreign objects to pass through the helmet shell. The overthruster includes an imbedded cold fusion power source, which produces radiation levels only slightly above NRC thresholds

And I though this wasn’t for real….

Source | Nobodymotorcycleclub via Motorbiker

Much like transition lenses on glasses, the SolFX face shield from Transition Optics adjusts the tint of the shield according to the light present, making it perfect for both day and night riding, as well as the more dangerous time to be out on your bike - sunset and twilight. The SolFX shield uses photo-chromatic coating which remains clear at night, and darkens to a medium smoke tint during the day.

If you’re looking for something that doesn’t make morning and evening riding difficult, this could be an option. It’s especially good for winter riding, although on a cloudy day the glare can make the shield darken when you’d prefer it to be clear. The SolFX is compatible with many of the major helmet manufacturers including Arai, Shoei, Shark, Nolan and Suomy. At this stage it looks like the SolFX is only available in North America, but for more details, see the Shield transitions site.

Source | Motorcyclistonline.com

A specific GPS for motorcycles, called Trailblazer, has been developed by Map my India for Indian motorcycle riders. The Trailblazer unit uses FM radio technology, rather than Bluetooth, to communicate to the rider.

While this may seem like a step backwards in technology, it makes perfect sense when you realise why they’ve done this: if you’re riding in a group, and not everyone has Bluetooth technology, it suddenly makes communication right across the group possible, as long as you have a simple FM radio receiver.

At this stage, there is a catch though, with the unit being able to communicate across only ten metres, which means you’ve got to be riding very close. It’s a great little bit of innovation though, and I think we could probably learn a few things from our counterparts in countries where “necessity is the mother of invention” still holds true. Check out MapmyIndia.com for more details.

Source | Motorbiker.org

Linear Edge’s track maps could be an interesting idea the family house or office or simply a gift idea for the racing enthusiast.

Linear Edge produces track maps from all the current MotoGP, Formula 1, SBK and NASCAR road tracks and are fabbricated in laminated birch plywood and formica and they can custom make any track of your choosing.

The tracks are priced at $199, about € 137, but if you want something a little cheaper to remind you of your favorite track, why not check out Circuiti Gioielli’s track map thongs?

They don’t have all the tracks that Linear Edge does, but they do have Misano, Mugello and Valencia and one of these could become your favorite if worn by the right lady.

Source | hellforleather

The Honda U3-X looks just like the kind of contraption I could fall off without too much effort. It’s an intriguing concept however, half segway, half….electric motorcycle? The U3-X seems to work via the sitting weight transfer of the passenger, and can travel at 6 km/hr. It weighs 10 kilos and looks like other pedestrian vehicles for getting around town more quickly. The U3-X will be presented at the next Tokyo motor show. What I really want to know is whether it will do my abs and love handles, or should I just stick to walking…?

The fact that the 8 times World Champion, Valentino Rossi is a virtual gold mine when it comes to endorsements is a well known, besides all his VR46 tagged merchandise that includes T-shirt, caps, cell phone covers and lately even children bedroom furniture with the Berloni company, that will be launched in October, the Italian has now designed and endorsed a range of bicycles for Cicli Adriatica, a national and global manufacturer of bicycles since 1946 and based in Pesaro.

The collection is naturally called VR46 and includes three models specifically for children and has Rossi’s racing symbols, including his favourite colors, the moon and sun that adorn his helmets and leathers and his iconic racing number. The brand VR46 will also be signing a racing bike and a mountain bike.

The new line VR46 will be presented in Milan during EICMA that will start on 18th until 21st September 2009, and you can see the VR46 at Stand M43, Hall 9.