A little piece that will please those die-hard Benelli fans - Kel Carruthers recently visited Benelli headquarters, after a visit to Italy’s Asimotoshow on May 17, and completed a factory visit, granting photos and autographs to the factory workers. Carruthers took a tour of the new Benelli models, and was happy to share some his stories of racing Benelli’s of the past - a glory which the company hopes to be able to return to in the future.

While most of us won’t remember Carruthers’ 1969 world championship win with the four-cylinder Benelli 250, it clearly stays with him as a distinct memory and one which proves that Benelli pedigree is there. See the pics of Carruthers touring Benelli headquarters and we’ll wait to see if they can get back to racing in the future.

Kel Carruthers visits Benelli headquarters

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The Royal Enfield name started out as a legendary English motorcycle manufacturer, before the enterprising Indian arm of the business carried on the brand after the English part shut up shop in 1971. That made for nearly 100 years of motorcycle history, and in 1995 the Indian branch managed to buy the rights to the Royal Enfield name.

The company is still making bikes and has released this video to celebrate the significant contribution from the Indian branch. In fact, if it weren’t for them, the Royal Enfield brand would have been consigned to history. The video uses predictably romantic imagery, but then given the Royal Enfield status of being the world’s oldest bike brand still in production, the Indians can well be proud of continuing the tradition.

Source | Faster and Faster

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This rendering takes on what would have been an amazing piece of motorcycle engineering from the industrial revolution. This steam engine bike is a homage to the famous Stephenson’s Rocket locomotive engine built in 1829 by Robert Stephenson and Company. The rendering got me thinking about the history of bikes and steam power, and interested to know more, I checked out steam powered bikes on Wikipedia.

The first known steam engine bike to be created was in the US in 1867. According to Wikipedia, it’s not known if this was a working model, so if anyone’s an engineer and would like to hazard a guess on whether it would be workable, and how you would drive one, I’m keen to be enlightened! Wikipedia says:

If one counts two wheels with steam propulsion as being a motorcycle, then the first one may have been American. One such machine was demonstrated at fairs and circuses in the eastern United States in 1867, built by Sylvester Howard Roper of Roxbury, Massachusetts.[1] There exists an example of a Roper machine dating from 1869, but there is no patent existing and nothing proves it was a working model. It was powered by a charcoal-fired two-cylinder engine, whose connecting rods directly drive a crank on the rear wheel. The Roper machine pre-dates the invention of the safety bicycle by many years, so its chassis is based on the “boneshaker” bike.

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Husqvarna has a new headquarters opened in Varese, in a large building three stories high. It will include offices, a testing centre for new bikes and an area for the production of new prototypes and racing bikes.

The structure also houses the Husqvarna development team, a presentation centre and a showroom at the front. A small space has been dedicated to top models and photographs from Husqvarna history.

Incredibly, the facilities could stretch to producing 40,000 bikes a year, with Husqvarna building the site with long-term plans for future growth in place. It’s even environmentally friendly, using solar panels and generating energy for its own hot water. Something to check out when next you’re in Varese, Italy.

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In the current economic climate, you wouldn’t always expect people to continue innovating, creating and following their passions. But new British motorcycle brand, “Mac Motorcycles” proves that the heyday of English invention and the love affair with the motorcycle is by no means over.

Ellis Pitt, a design consultant with product design background, has teamed up with Xenophya in a collaboration that is producing some intriguing examples of British motorcycle tradition.

Mac Motorcycles are based on the 500cc Buell ‘Blast’ motor using lightweight, air cooled single cylinder technology in a tubular backbone frame. The result is four different models, which the company describes thus:

‘Spud’, for dossing about on, ‘Ruby’, the motorcycle equivalent of ‘the girl-next-door’, ‘Peashooter’, for squirting to your favourite pub and gassing with your mates and the ‘Roarer’, a modern-day dinosaur-chaser!

Mac-Motorcycles new British brand

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This video comes from the Buenos Aires Grand Prix back in 1987. Looking back on history, we see Loris Reggiani on the Aprilia, and a victorious Spaniard by the name of Sito. Luca Cadalora has the Yamaha, and Italian rider Stefano Caracchi, future team manager, came in 10th. Over to the video.

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The not-so-young will certainly remember teh Aspes brand, linked to the Yuma and Hopi models, and now we’ll have the chance to see them back on the market. Menzaghi Motors, from Varese in Italy has announced its acquisition of the Aspes brand and is undertaking a relaunch of the historic Italian motorcycles and their quality and innovation.

Aspes will take to the market with new motard models, and some new scooters both low and high wheel with engines between 50 and 150 cc. This is a move from the past into a modern niche market. Mostly four-stroke engines will be used in line with anti-pollution laws.

Aspes will establish a partner network among dealerships for sales. Umberto Pertosa is Aspes general manager and is happy to announce the return of the brand after 27 years. It’s their intention to launch environmentally friendly models from the outset.

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Here’s a funny film about the roots of motor racing. It’s called board track racing and it’s from long long time ago!

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