Ever found yourself in the enviable position that you can really afford to buy any motorcycle that you want and you’ve narrowed it down to one specific marque, but are so undecided because all their models catch your eye and imagination?

Watch this cute Yamaha commercial directed by Mark Toia and find out how one guy decided between Yamaha’s FJR1300, the FZ1 and XV1600.

Source | topspeed

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We’ve got the usual rider quotes from the team’s press releases after last night’s final pre-season test in Qatar, but a couple of Italian journalists picked up some gossip from the garages that the releases don’t tell.

Valentino Rossi and Loris Capirossi who are both senior and founding members of the Safety Commission, believe that the Qatar race should be put ahead by at least an hour because of the humidity that makes the track dangerous. Marco Melandri was so angry with the performance of his 2010 Honda RC212V that he actually compared it to the Ducati GP bike he rode in 2008.

The MotoGP season opener kicks off April 11th in Qatar.

Casey Stoner - 1st 1′55.352 (51 laps)

“I am really happy with the test and the work we have done right up to tonight. In the first Sepang test we had a few things to work out but we have made constant progress. The latest big step forward with the GP10 came last night and today I was able to set a consistently fast pace. I have been able to work with the tyres without putting too much stress on them and I was able to keep my pace on used rubber. I like the new engine a lot, it is more manageable and I am pleased to see the other Ducati riders, especially Nicky confirming that with fast times.”

Valentino Rossi - 2nd 1′55.860 (57 laps)
“This has been another good day. We’ve concentrated mostly on the race preparation and it feels like we’re now ready for the first race. We did a long run at the end of the session and we got some good information, which will help us in the race. Now that testing is over I am very excited about the season. We’ve been strong throughout the six days of practice and it feels good to have been fast here also, where we have struggled in the past. We have only tested at two tracks so we need to wait for another different one to fully understand the new bike, but we’re in good shape. My M1 feels great and I’m looking forward to racing!”

Continue reading: MotoGP Qatar Day 2 - Rider Quotes

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Casey Stoner put a big stop to Valentino Rossi’s domination in the pre-season testing taking the top spot on the final day of testing under the lights at the Losail circuit in Qatar. The Aussie rider exchanged positions with Rossi during the entire test, but in the end with a best lap of 1.55.717 left the Italian rider in second by over five tenths of second.

Andrea Dovizioso made a big jump forward from yesterday and finished in third, he too a little more than five tenths of second from Stoner and just 0.019s from Rossi. Nicky Hayden finished in fourth, up four positions from yesterday.

Loris Capirossi who was feeling better tonight, finished his test in fifth and improving almost a full second from the 1st session while Jorge Lorenzo who is still nursing his injured hand took sixth.

Several falls characterized this evening’s test, Yamaha Tech3 duo Colin Edwards, Ben Spies and Ducati’s Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner all suffered falls at turn 2, while Marco Simoncelli crashed out at turn 6.

Continue reading: MotoGP Qatar Test - Casey Stoner takes Top Spot on Day 2

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Last night’s MotoGP official test at the Losail circuit in Qatar confirmed Valentino Rossi’s continuing form on the Yamaha M1 and the always lightning fast Casey Stoner, and the super impressive “rookie” Ben Spies. Here’s what all the rider’s had to say after the first day. Testing continues and concludes tonight.

Valentino Rossi - 1st 1′55.402 Laps: 64

“I am so happy today because this isn’t one of our best tracks and to come here and be fastest shows what a great job Yamaha has done with this new M1. To start with the track was quite slippery but anyway we were still fast, and as the track started to improve I felt better and better. We are quite competitive and this gives me a good feeling, and I was happy to make this quick lap right at the end. We still have to decide the right tyre and the best setting for it, and we will keep working on the electronics but the most important thing is that we’re faster than last year! Tomorrow we will continue with our work and try to finalise everything before the race.”

Casey Stoner - 2nd 1′55.717 Laps:48

“We tried a few different set-up solutions but the main focus tonight was the tyres. I used the same set for thirty laps and set some of my best lap times towards the end, so we are satisfied with that. We have also worked on the balance of the bike because the conditions here are very different to Malaysia and I prefer the bike to be more rigid. So far so good.”

Continue reading: MotoGP Rider Quotes from Qatar Day 1 Testing

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The night test in Qatar was lead by Valentino Rossi who continues to dominate in this year’s MotoGP pre-season testing. The Italian Yamaha rider led the entire test except when he stopped for dinner and a massage, and Casey Stoner and Ben Spies out lapped him. Finished his dinner break Rossi went out and did a best lap in 1.55.402 in the final minutes of the session in warm, but very damp conditions.

Casey Stoner was second, a little more than three tenths of second from Rossi, but stopped before the end of the test with problems on his GP10 according to Ducati team manager Vitto Guareschi who called in on Italian TV show Griglia di Partenza. Stoner’s best lap was done on a used tire that already had 34 laps on it.

Ben Spies was third with his satellite Yamaha. The American continues to impress everyone in the paddock and finished 0.553s from Rossi, but suffered a small crash in the final hour of the test, but fortunately did not injure himself.

Continue reading: MotoGP Qatar Test : Rossi on Top

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Valentino Rossi has talked about his future in a long interview in this week’s Motosprint magazine that will leave his numerous fans happy, his haters unhappy and his many racing rivals wincing, because The Doctor has once again said that he would like to stay in racing for another three years and has hinted once again that it could be with Yamaha.

The 9 times World Champion talking about his future said: “I think I can race at the top for another three years. Racing is the thing in my life that I love the best: it’s my passion, I don’t need any other motives.”

Rossi has said that he’ll reveal where he’s going in 2011 only in June, but he feels very good in Yamaha:

“To change, you have to think of going where you can feel better. For me it’s hard to think that there’s something better than Yamaha. Fans would be happy to see me in Ducati, but these decisions can’t be made by factoring in emotions.”

We’ll be getting more of silly season as soon as the championship starts.

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Here are all the official pics of the new Yamaha FZ8 and Yamaha Fazer8. The bike was presented at the 2010 Roma motodays event after plenty of teaser shots and leaked pics. The new models complete the FZ1 and FZ6 range, which are also available in the Fazer semi-faired version. The FZ8 and Fazer8 are bikes with a distinctive style, designed to be agile but powerful.

Both are equipped with a new 779cc engine with 106.2 hp and maximum torque of 82 Nm (at 8,000 rpm). The models fit into the range between all-powerful superbikes and easy-to-manage, medium range sportbikes. The Fazer8 and FZ8 models are compact, with cast alluminium frames and swingarms, with rapid steering and good road grip.

The Fazer8 has more sports touring features across all riding conditions, although we’re still looking at super street performance levels, with better aerodynamics. The prices announced at the presentation have the FZ8 at about 8,190 euros, and the Fazer8 at 8,690 euros. See after the jump for the technical information on both bikes and the complete galleries.

Continue reading: Yamaha FZ8 and Fazer8 official pics and details

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Here are live pics of the 2010 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré at the Rome Motodays event. The Super Ténéré was unveiled by Franco Picco with the veteran rally rider fresh from his ‘Marathon’ class win at this year’s Dakar. For more information, see our post on the Super Tenere details, with an official video here and more live pics here.

2010 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré live pics

Continue reading: 2010 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré live pics from Rome motodays

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Jorge Lorenzo has confirmed via his Twitter and Facebook pages that he’s been given the green light by his doctor to take part in this week’s final pre-season MotoGP test in Qatar.

The Spaniard has been doubtful that he would be able to test in Qatar after fracturing his first metacarpal and dislocating his thumb in a training incident last February.

Jorge Lorenzo:

“Today we are leaving for Qatar for the last Winter test. I think that it is important that we are there. The fracture happened less than five weeks ago, but we could not have missed this last test because it would have been negative for our preparation; we are not far from the first race of the season! The doctor has made a special carbon fibre protection and Dainese have modified my glove, in order to further protect the fracture, so we will see how we get on.”

Continue reading: MotoGP - Jorge Lorenzo confirms he'll be in Qatar

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After missing the Sepang2 tests due to a fracture at the base of first metacarpal and a displaced thumb during a motocross training accident on February 12th, Jorge Lorenzo is still in doubt for the final pre-season MotoGP test that is scheduled for March 18-19 in Qatar.

While Lorenzo has constantly kept his numerous fans up-to-date on how his recovery is going and that he’s undergoing extensive physiotherapy, and will make his decision about Qatar only on Monday, as he wrote on his Twitter page yesterday: Hello people! Another day of intensive physiotherapy. Probably on monday i’ll decide if i can go to Qatar test.

The first race of the 2010 MotoGP season takes place at Losail, Qatar on April 11th.

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