When the IPM team headed down to the San Mateo Motorcycle Show this weekend, we headed down early, expecting a bit of a crowd. Still, the lines for the demo rides stretched into the parking lot by 9:45am. When I say I got the last spot for the Kawasaki ZX-10R, I got the last spot. Far more deserving fans of the Ninja line gave an audible groan as the plasma screen above the sign-in desk registered that the last of the sportbike demo rides was now full.

The Kawasaki guys gave us a quick run-down on the kinds of behavior that’d get us kicked off the ride – wheelies, endos, etc. – and then took us over to get acquainted with our machines. ZX-6Rs, ZX-10Rs and ZX-14s stood there in a neat line; only the big “demo ride” windshield sticker and the copies of our drivers licenses back at the booth stood between us and Arizona. Pushing away any thought of making a break for it on my ebony ZX-10R, I began a quick run-through of the bike’s controls. Clip-on handles with plenty of room, an Ohlin’s steering damper up top, a nicely visble HUD that was nonetheless a bit hard to read, hidden as it was up in the front end.

Despite being 386 lbs (dry) and fairly compact, the ZX-10R is not the kind of machine you automatically gel with. All I could think was, How far am I going to need to lean over in order to turn the damn thing?

As it turns out, not very far. In the initial low speeds of our test drive (leading up to a 90mph takeoff up a nearby on-ramp) she handled absolutely agreeably. Smooth clutch, a beautiful purr thrumming forth from the altogeter-too-silenced exhaust, very responsive all around.

It was when we hit that on-ramp five minutes later, when the machine subtly launched me up to speed so effortlessly, that I realized the allure of this overgrown, 998cc Ninja. This is the sort of motorcycle that’ll shove your stomach into your spine and your face through the back of that tractor-trailer, 500 yards up, before you can say “Holy Tokico brake calipers!” The ZX-10R accelerates beautifully.

Her powerband is fat and happy, too, owing to the bike’s quartet of top-end-optimized cylinder heads. She’s also set up to give the rider a plenty of feedback, with lots of contact areas to help you corner with precision. I’m not a huge fan of the Ninja’s styling (“uninspired” is a nice way of putting it), but for an easy $12,000 MSRP, who cares? Your friends will only see a blur (an ebony, lime green, or candy burnt orange blur). If you could open the exhaust up a bit, they might even hear you, too.

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Hey guys. Not that anyone cares, but exactly eleven days ago, the last Buell motorcycle has rolled off the production line.

Following the shock decision by parent company Harley-Davidson to kill off the Buell marque, the last bike has now been built and the Buell factory in East Troy, Wisconsin, USA, is now being prepared for closure.

Harley issued the following statement: “A Buell Lightning XB12Scg rolled off the company’s East Troy, Wis., assembly line, the last of the 136,923 motorcycles built in the company’s 26 years of operation.

“Parent Harley-Davidson announced on Oct. 15 that the Buell lineup of motorcycles would be discontinued effective Dec. 18, 2009. Buell motorcycles will continue to be sold through existing dealers until inventory is depleted.”

IPM will still continue to support Buell owners through the forum we sponsor, Buell Boards. Stay tuned!

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Hi guys, Paul here again. Ducati has released a video explaining the concept behind the Multistrada 1200′s four riding ‘modes’.

The video doesn’t show any live action footage of the bike but uses animated pencil sketches to illustrate how the Multistrada’s four electronic modes; Sport, Touring, Urban and Enduro alter the suspension, brakes, engine tune and traction control. I think it’s kind of cute. Check it out!

Stay tuned for more updates and be sure to log on to the Ducatist for more Ducati fun!

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Hey guys, it’s Jon from Inline Performance Magazine bringing you the update on the Aprilia SR50. Today’s goal is to install the new water cooler grille and the new throttle that arrived in the mail today.

If you can recall from the last video, you could remember that we bought a new throttle grip to “fix” the broken throttle, with inconclusive results as it was the throttle itself that was broken. Also as promised, we, the staff, at IPM are slowly beginning to lessen focus on the vehicle’s performance and more on the scooter’s cosmetics. We recently sourced a red Aprilia Racing Water Cooler Grille to substitute the bland OEM gray grille.

We rationalized that the bar ends were made not to rub directly against the throttle grip itself, giving the grip more leeway to move smoothly.

However, the new water cooler grille was installed successfully, and it looks great! Tune in next time for more cosmetic upgrades! Meanwhile, go to Aprilia Boards for the latest in Aprilia information.

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What’s up people? As you may have heard on the Ducatist, there will be a Ducati 848 Dark in 2010. Well, the rumors are true.

The 2010 Ducati 848 Dark will be painted in matte black and will retail for $1,000 less than the regular 848. And for those of you who were worried that sacrifices have been made to the spec level to bring that price down, not to worry. Check out the picture.

The 848 Dark doesn’t downgrade its spec to achieve the lower price and actually benefits from the same upgrades as the rest of the 2010 848 range: aluminum cam belt tensioner pulleys, LED dash and 30mm mirror extension kit.

So, what it boiled down to was paint eh? Or, clear-coat to be specific. Not too shabby folks. looks like Ducati has no plans of slowing down. Stay tuned for more updates.

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