The electric motorcycle maker has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Italian engineering company SMRE for its Integrated Electric Transmission. With the IET technology, Brammo can introduce electric motorcycles equipped with six-speed transmission systems and a specially developed clutch and gear shift. According to Craig Bramscher, chief executive officer and founder of Brammo, the IET improves performance and range for electric motorcycles.

CRTs will not be allowed to represent any of the current members of the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers Association (i.e. Ducati, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha).

The new City Riding Range Test Procedure for Electric Motorcycles was developed to establish a consistent method for defining the range of electric motorcycles under real-world conditions.

The 14 teams, including 21 riders, have passed the first step towards entering the 2012 MotoGP season with the new 1000cc engine regulations. The 14 teams do not include the teams currently competing in MotoGP, as they are already approved for the 2012 season.

“Over the years, riding enthusiasts have come to know, appreciate and trust the wide diversity of machines that Honda offers,” says Bill Savino, Honda powersports press manager. “This extensive release of 2012 models serves as a perfect example of how we strive to meet the many needs of today’s riding enthusiasts. This latest new-model release will fulfill the needs of many riders, but I’m excited to add that in addition to these models, we have even more new releases to follow later this year.”

According to the 2010-2011 fiscal report from Kawasaki Heavy Industries, the company’s motorcycle and engine segment, which includes quads, Jet Ski watercraft and general purpose engines, operated at a loss of 5.0 billion yen (US$61 million).

Transport Canada initiated a recall campaign earlier this week because of a problem with the electronic steering lock on some 2011 Ducati Diavel and 2010-2011 Ducati Multistrada 1200 models. Documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal details about the problem.

Motorcycle sales generated 1.3 trillion yen (US$15.8 billion) in revenue for Honda, a 13.0% increase over net sales reported in the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Including its automobile, power product and financial services segments, Honda reported a net income of 534 billion yen (US$6.6 billon), nearly double the 268.4 billion yen (US$3.3 billion) reported in the previous fiscal year.

According to Transport Canada, certain 2011 Ducati Diavel and 2010-2011 Ducati Multistrada 1200 models because of a problem with the electronic steering lock. On some units, the steering lock may fail to disengage when starting the engine. Riders may potentially start to ride without being able to steer.

According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, U.S. dealers sold 102,547 units in the first quarter of 2011, up from the 95,696 units sold in the same period of 2010. While the 7.2% year-on-year increase is positive news, sales were still down 15.1% from the 120,794 units sold in the first quarter of 2009.

The infield section, a 1.5 mile stretch from Turn 5 through Turn 16, will receive its first resurfacing since it was built in 2000.

Electric motorcycles made their debut in the 2010 MiniMoto SX event competing against gas-powered pitbikes. Drew Gosselaar took the win for Swiss electric motorcycle manufacturer Quantya while Zero riders swept the rest of the top five spots.

The Medina, Minn., based Polaris Industries purchased Indian Motorcycle Limited from its previous owners, primarily Stellican, a private equity firm from the U.K., and Novator Partners LLP, an investment firm based in London. Terms of the acquisition were not released.

On-road vehicle sales, comprised primarily of Victory Motorcycles, totaled $44.9 million over the three months ended March 31, 2011, an increase from the $25.4 million reported over the same quarter in 2010. Victory Motorcycles helped Polaris Industries gain an overall record first quarter net income of $47.3 million, a 139% increase from the $19.8 million profit reported in the first quarter of 2010.

The preliminary report, completed by Dr. James Hedlund of Highway Safety North, examined the GHSA’s motorcycle fatality reports across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Year-end totals are still being compiled but most states have provided data from January through September (the exceptions being California and Arizona which have completed reports for less than nine months). The preliminary data projects 4,376 fatalities or less on the year, down from 4,465 fatalities in 2009.

“Plain and simple, being able to stop a motorcycle faster and more predictably helps prevent a rider from becoming a statistic,” says Pieter de Waal, vice president of BMW Motorrad USA. “It’s time for all of us in the motorcycle industry to embrace the benefits of ABS.  Extensive testing by safety experts, law enforcement authorities and journalists around the world consistently demonstrates that ABS reduces overall crashes and saves lives.”

The $119.3 million profit is a dramatic increase from last year’s figures, though the 2010 numbers include a $35.4 million loss related to Harley-Davidson’s shedding of MV Agusta. Most of the profit can be attributed to decreased expenses from Harley-Davidson Financial Services.

The branded plates will be black, grey and orange and bare Harley-Davidson’s bar and shield logo and the message “Share the Road” to promote traffic safety. By state law, the Harley-Davidson Share the Road license plates will only be available for cars, light trucks and motor homes. Plates may feature regular numbers or a personalized message.

Coming off of the Donington Park round that saw Biaggi disqualified from one race and fined for a pre-race incident with Marco Melandri over alleged blocking during Superpole qualifying. At Assen, it was Biaggis’ own Aprilia Alitalia teammate, Leon Camier accusing the reigning WSBK Champion of blocking his line during the second Superpole run. The incident left Camier out of the final Superpole qualifier, ninth on the grid while Biaggi qualified sixth to start on the second row.

The first 50 riders to reach the 1,000-mile mark on the new 2011 Victory High-Ball will receive a limited edition engine cover badge to commemorate the achievement.

The TTXGP, which starts its second North American Championship May 14-15 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., has taken another step forward in bringing electric motorcycle racing into the mainstream motorcycle industry after receiving the sanctioning of AMA Racing.

The American Honda factory racer fractured his femur in a crash at Competitive Edge MX Park in Hesperia, Calif. The injury will keep him out of the final three rounds of the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship.

According to documents submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the upper fixture points of the rear subframe on some 2010 MV Agusta F4 units may not be sufficiently robust and may break under normal use.

The version 3.0 upgrade for the Scala Rider G4 includes the new Click-to-Link feature which allows instant one-to-one intercom connections with other G4 users within range without the usual Bluetooth pairing process. Unlike the G4 system’s existing Rider A and Rider B intercom pairings, the Click-to-Link system is designed for short-term connections.

The Rider Alert card system, developed in partnership with Motorcycle Virginia, uses identification data cards carrying vital information such as a rider’s emergency contacts and medical history. The Rider Alert cards are placed under the lining of riders’ helmets while a separate round one-inch sticker is placed on the outside to indicate the presence of a Rider Alert card.

The Ducati Marlboro rider will join TT veteran Ian Hutchinson and five-time 500cc Grand Prix World Champion Mick Doohan in the Arai Parade lap June 8 as part of the 2011 Isle of Man TT celebrations.

Now in its sixth year, the Virtual Bike Show lets Star owners display pictures of their personalized motorcycles online.

San Manuel Yamaha’s Stewart won for the fourth time this season, but the St. Louis victory was just his first in more than two months, his previous victory coming in the Feb. 5 Anaheim II round. Stewart had struggled in recent races as early crashes forced him to play catch-up with race leaders, while away from the track, Stewart faces charges of impersonating a police officer in Florida.

Sprinting from a standing start, Yates reached the 190.6 mph mark on the SWIGZ.COM Pro Racing Electric Superbike. Though Yates’ run is still unofficial at this point, it shatters the previous land speed record for an electric motorcycle (173 mph set by Lightning Motors at the Bonneville Salt Flats in September 2010).

Riding at Spain’s Jerez circuit, Hayden completed 61 laps on the Ducati Desmosedici GP12 despite not getting started until the afternoon because of wet track conditions. Hayden’s Ducati Marlboro teammate Valentino Rossi put in 50 laps on the GP12 the day before.

A clear message that came out of the testimony is that the "lead law" - the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 - actually poses a danger to kids.

Rossi and the Ducati Marlboro MotoGP team are testing the 2012 edition of the Desmosedici April 8 at Spain’s Jerez circuit to prepare for next season. Normally, MotoGP regulations severely limit the amount of testing riders can do through the year, but with the engine displacement rules changing from its current 800cc limit to a maximum to 1000cc, series organizers are allowing exceptions.

The German manufacturer sold a record 23,109 motorcycles over the first quarter, for a 10.9% increase from the 20,840 units sold in the first three months of 2010. Sales in January and February were up more than 20% from last year’s sales figures. BMW sold 11,675 motorcycles in March, accounting for more than half of the quarter’s sales.

The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider is pledging his Fox race gear worn during the March 19 round in Jacksonville, Fla., for an auction benefiting the Japanese Red Cross’ earthquake disaster fund.

The first quarter marked the third consecutive quarter of increased North American sales for Ducati. According to Ducati, sales were up across its entire 2011 model lineup.

Banman is stepping down from operational management of Zero Motorcycles but will remain on the company’s board. Banman has been with the electric motorcycle maker almost from the beginning, joining Zero in 2007 as chief operating officer as the company’s ninth employee. Within 60 days, Banman was appointed CEO and played an instrumental role in finding investors.

As the 2011 season heads into the final stretch, the battle for the championship remains tight with the leading contenders battling hard for valuable points. In Arlington, the top five riders in the standings were also the top five in the opening eight laps.

The Medina, Minn., manufacturer is sponsoring the “ Warrior Made” series on military community website MilitaryTimes.com. The series examines 12 innovations from American military history, including the Ka-Bar combat knife, MRE field rations and the Predator UAV drone.

The new Ducati Community site lets Ducati fans share pictures, videos and text while connecting with Twitter, Facebook and other social media networks.

The 25-year-old Stewart, who currently races for the San Manuel Yamaha team, was arrested March 28. According to Florida Highway Patrol, Stewart was driving a 2008 Toyota Tundra pickup truck on Florida State Route 417 outside Orlando when he allegedly attempted to stop another vehicle using police-type red and blue lights.

Former 250cc Grand Prix World Champion Marco Melandri posted his first WSBK win in Race One while defending WSBK Champion Max Biaggi was disqualified from Race Two after missing a ride-through penalty.

It took 12 rounds in the 2011 season before defending champion Ryan Dungey took his long awaited first win of the campaign. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider took over the lead before the end of the first lap after passing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Fabien Izoird who claimed the holeshot. Dungey would go on to lead every lap for the win.

American Kawasaki ZX-10R owners are likely already well aware that their new literbikes are at a disadvantage compared to their European counterparts.

French website Moto.Cardesiac revealed the first official photographs of the 2012 Triumph Street Triple as the British manufacturer presented the updated motorcycle in Paris.

KTM’s latest fiscal report covers 16 months as the Austrian company realigns its fiscal year to match the calendar year, so direct year-on-year comparisons can be misleading. Nevertheless, KTM’s fiscal report can be described as positive with a net profit of 14.0 million euros (US$19.7 million) compared to a loss of 81.4 million euros (US$114.7) announced from its previous fiscal report.

Hendrik von Kuenheim, General Director BMW Motorrad, was appointed as the new President of the ACEM (Association des Constructeurs Européens de Motocycles), the European Motorcycle Industry Association. Based in Brussels, the ACEM represents the manufacturers of motorcycles, scooters, tricycles and quadricycles at European level.

Production at the Kumamoto factory, Honda’s main motorcycle production facility in Japan, has been suspended since March 14 because of the recent national disasters in the Asian nation. The Kumamoto factory produces Honda models such as the Super Cub, CBR600RR sportbike, CB1100 standard, DN-01 crossover and VFR1200F sport tourer, as well as some of Honda’s power generators.

The BMW Group, which includes the German company’s automobile and motorcycle divisions, Husqvarna, Mini and Rolls-Royce, has pledged 1 million euro (US1.4 million) in emergency aid.

The Harley-Davidson Foundation, the Motor Company’s non-profit charitable organization, is donating $250,000 to the American Red Cross for recovery efforts in Japan. Harley-Davidson’s Japanese subsidiary has also established a fund to provide food, water and other necessities to people in areas of Japan affected by the March 11 earthquake.

The vehicle manufacturer is donating 70 million yen (US$865,550) to relief efforts in addition to the previously announced 30 million yen (US$371,060) donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society.

According to British tabloid Daily Mail, the alleged thief broke the Triumph Daytona 675R’s ignition in an attempt to steal the three-cylinder sportbike in London. The Daily Mail reports the person stopped after a witness noticed the attempted theft and rode off on a different motorcycle.

Arriving at video game stores in May, MX vs. ATV Alive is the latest in the series featuring off-road motorcycle and ATV racing. Previous games in the series, which consists of 2004’s MX Unleashed, 2005’s MX vs. ATV Unleashed, 2008’s MX vs. ATV Untamed and 2010’s MX vs. ATV Reflex, featured real-life motocross and supercross racers such as Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael, Chad Reed and James Stewart.

Shortly after Jason DiSalvo crossed the finish line to win the 2011 Daytona 200, Graves Yamaha’s Herrin made contact with M4 Suzuki’s Dane Westby, appearing to activate his front brake lever and causing him to crash. Vesrah Suzuki’s Taylor Knapp also crashed after colliding with Westby’s GSX-R600.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto arrived at Jacksonville’s EverBank Field on a three-race winning streak and a 26 point lead in the championship standings. Florida native James Stewart of San Manuel Yamaha sat in second place but expected to chip away at the points deficit in his home state.

“With this investment, we will continue to ramp up our US-based production while rapidly expanding our global sales footprint,” says Gene Banman, chief executive officer of Zero Motorcycles. “Our new 2011 lineup of California-designed and assembled electric motorcycles has been very well received by the market and press, and we intend to further accelerate growth and enhance our leadership position.”

The Akashi factory is located about 400 miles southwest of Sendai, the center of the disaster area. Kawasaki Heavy Industry’s offices and factory were not damaged in the earthquake or the tsunamis.