Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Jason Britton's Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14


Stunt rider and TV personality Jason Britton likes his bikes wild, so Custom Sportbike Concepts tricked out this ZX-14 with an extra dose of attitude. Its sea green and silver color palette may look sedate, but that's countered with a custom, single-sided swingarm, …hlins suspension and a navigation system that features a rearview camera—perfect for stargazing while you pop a stoppie.

2009 Honda DN-01


File Honda's latest bike in the "question mark" bin. Honda's DN-01 looks like a stretched-out cruiser heavily influenced by the popularity of scooters. It combines a surprisingly upright seating position with a pair of accommodating floorboards. Most curious (or convenient, depending on your take), is its "Human-Friendly" transmission that's mated to a 680cc V-twin: The gearbox is a fully automatic unit that can also be shifted using a push button on the left grip.

Suzuki Burgman 400 Sport Concept


This slammed concept looks like the love child of a "Gixxer" sportbike and scooter. The offspring of Suzuki's product planning department, this 400 Sport Concept wears B-King handlebars, a GSX-R600 exhaust and a whole lot of street-smart styling cues. Though Suzuki has no immediate plans to produce this curious hybrid, we're hoping they seriously consider giving it a go.

2009 Ducati Streetfighter


This 170-hp beast is essentially a naked version of the potent 1098 superbike, with an eight-level adjustable traction control system offering a safety net for speed nuts. With its chiseled carbon-fiber bits and completely exposed trellis frame, the Streetfighter offers a degree of hard-core hooliganism that Ducati's Monster just can't touch.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Aprilia Shiver SL 750


Think of the Aprilia Shiver as a 7/8th scale Touno—Aprilia’s original naked standard bike. It’s the perfect city bike, and if you get it with the gold-covered handlebars, trellis frame and brakes, well, you may just find your inner Elvis. The 90-degree V twin gives a generous 95 hp, and its sculpted, sporty tank, seat and tail unit emphasize its peanut-sized dimensions. The engine and frame sweetly merge with the overall design, and the under-seat exhaust system follows the bike’s aggressive lines.

Star V-Max


The brand-new Star V-Max cruiser delivers a mule-kick performance from its all-new 65-degree, four-valves-per-cylinder, 1679cc V4 powerplant. The V-Max is one of the baddest bikes on the market this year. Its luminescent multi-function display is techy-cool and its combo of black and gray paint lends it a particularly angry, menacing street look.

Harley-Davidson Tri Glide Ultra


Purists say a bike with three wheels just isn’t a bike. Well even the hardcore amongst us might make an exception for the Tri Glide Ultra. Inspired by the Servi-car models built from 1932 to 1973, this 2009 model is decidedly a softer ride than its predecessor, and comes with a lot of cool retro accessories. Harley says it also gets great mileage (appx. 46 mpg), especially given its whopping 1174-pound weight.