DUCATI 848 LAUNCHED IN IRELAND:The order books are open at Motorpoint Ducati for the all-new Ducati 848 sports bike. The middle-weight 848 replaces the 749, but is a whopping 20kg lighter than its predecessor, while the new Testastretta Evoluzione engine produces an amazing 30 per cent more power than the 749s.
With 134hp and weighing just 168kg it has a better power-to-weight ratio than Ducati's fearsome 999. The under-seat exhausts are evolved from those used on the 1098, and Showa supplies the fully adjustable rear suspension and 43mm forks. Four-piston, twin disc brakes, lightweight Marchesini Y-spoke wheels, a data acquisition system and competition-style instrumentation are all part of the 848 package. The 848 is priced at €15,750.
HELMETS TO GET SAFETY RATINGS
Sharp is the name given to a new UK-based Safety Helmet and Assessment Rating Programme due to be launched in 2008. The new scheme, backed by the British government, will enable riders to more easily select the helmet which best suits their needs by labelling each helmet with a star rating. Following advanced laboratory tests Sharp will rate helmets from one to five stars. According to the organisation's research, up to 50 motorcyclists' lives could be saved in the UK every year if everyone wore a helmet that scores highly in the Sharp testing system. For more: go to www.direct.gov.uk/sharp
EVEL KNIEVEL DIES AGED 69
Motorcycle daredevil Robert "Evel" Knievel has died in Clearwater, Florida, after a three-year bout with pulmonary fibrosis. He was 69. Originally from Montana, Knievel rose to fame in the 1960s not only for his audacious motorcycle jumps but also his spectacular crashes. His near-fatal crash at Caesar's Palace in 1967 was one of the most watched television events of the year, even though it put him in a coma for a month. In addition to over 40 broken bones, he suffered diabetes and hepatitis C (which eventually necessitated a liver transplant). Knievel had many skirmishes with the law and was arrested several times and, thanks to a lavish lifestyle, declared himself bankrupt in the early 1980s. In recent times he made the news after filing a law suit against rapper Kanye West, who parodied Knievel's failed Snake Canyon jump in one of his videos.
YAMAHA TENERE SET FOR 2008 RETURN
The Tenere is back. Yamaha has developed its new XT660Z Tenere adventure bike along the same principles of the original Tenere from the early 1980s: a large-capacity, four-stroke single-cylinder engine for strong low to mid-range pull; a rugged dual-purpose frame (a new semi-double cradle frame that's compact, light and rigid); long travel suspension; a long-range fuel tank; powerful brakes; fine aerodynamics and special bodywork and engine protectors to ensure it's equally at home in all situations.
There is no word on power outputs yet, but we do know it weighs a reasonable 183kg and should have more than the current XT660X/R's 48hp.
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