US Highland President and founder Mats Malmberg, 41, Chief Operating Officer Chase Bales, 51, and Chief Financial Officer Damian Riddoch, 37, were returning to Tulsa July 10 after a business trip in Detroit. The three were en route to Jones Riverside Airport in Tulsa on a fixed-wing multi-engine Cessna.

The Aprilia Alitlalia racer has called Brno his favorite track Biaggi ended a two-year winless streak in Race One in 2009 to earn the Aprilia RSV4 its first WSBK victory and having won four consecutive races, Biaggi was favored to win again at Brno.

Barnes handily won the July 11 race by over a minute before 20,000 fans at Mosport International Raceway near Toronto, Canada. Barnes won the second round of the TTXGPs North American series in Road America and could have been a perfect three-for-three if he didnt have to restart his bike in the season opener at Infineon Raceway.

According to a report in British website Autocar, the German manufacturer will unveil a new electric scooter under the companys Smart brand.

The Tuning Fork Company plans to release three or four electric motorcycles, including business-use models, by the mid-2010s. By 2020, Yamaha aims to become the worldwide market leader in the electric motorcycle segment. Yamahas plans begin with the new EC-03 electric scooter, set to launch in Tokyo in Sept. 1 before expanding across Japan Oct. 1.

Rossi will be at Sachsenring for the German Grand Prix with the rest of the Fiat Yamaha MotoGP team, but his return to action is still pending approval from the events chief medical officer.

Second on the all-time AMA Superbike wins list (with 32 victories, behind only Mat Mladins 72 wins), Duhamel will team with southern California dealer Moto Forza and NovaTac Racing to ride a Ducati 1098R at the July 25 Laguna Seca round. Duhamel hasnt competed in an AMA Road Race since the 2009 Daytona 200.

K Squared Racing rider Kenyon Kluge, also Zeros director of engineering, will ride a modified Zero S. Kluge and K Squared Racing also competed in the first TTXGP race at Infineon Raceway, finishing fifth. The race was won by Shawn Higbee who raced for a joint entry by Zero Motorcycles and Agni Motors.

Located 10 miles northwest of Redding, the Chappie-Shasta OHV Area spans 52,000 acres and offers 200 miles of roads and trails. The land is currently under the control of the federal Bureau of Land Management as well as the U.S. Forest Service. Unanimously passed by the U.S. House on July 13, H.R. 689 would give the BLM full control over the land.

The Medina, Minn., manufacturer is returning as official sponsor for the festival, and for the first time, its bringing the Victory Riders Association which will hold its Sturgis party Aug. 12 at the Buffalo Chip.

The Illinois-based manufacturer announced it was entering the electric motorcycle market at the beginning of the year and provided details and images of a prototype, without the fairing, in May.

The Laguna Seca round will feature 12 entries, which will be larger than the grids of the series first two races combined. The five entries that competed in both the April 16 race at Le Mans in France and the May 22 race at Albacete in Spain will be in Monterey, Calif., to race in the Laguna Seca round. They will be joined by seven new teams.

Michael joined Ducati in 2002 in the UK, and in early 2003 moved to the USA to head up the management team at Ducati North Americas headquarters in Cupertino, CA. Over the next seven years Locks team made many changes to Ducatis organization, distribution, marketing and service operations.

Hayden, already tabbed to ride American Honda s Moto2 wildcard entry at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, will ride the LCR Honda RC212V at Laguna Seca.

Heading to Honda dealerships in October are the updated 2011 CRF450R and CRF250R motocross bikes and the youth model CRF70F and CRF50F. Also announced were several Honda ATVs. The updated models represent the first wave of Hondas 2011 model announcements.

The 2011 Ducati 848EVO runs on an updated Testastretta engine with revised inlet port shapes and larger elliptical throttle bodies. The piston crown and combustion chamber shape have also been updated, increasing the compression ratio to 13.2:1 from 12:1. New camshafts provide higher valve-lift and increased inlet duration.

The Oklahoma-based company has appointed two new directors to its board and management team following the deaths of President and founder Mats Malmberg, Chief Operating Officer Chase Bales and Chief Financial Officer Damian Riddoch in the July 10 plane crash.

The free iPhone application was developed in partnership with Allstate Roadside services and works with the BMW Motorrad USA Roadside Assistance program which comes standard for three years with every new BMW motorcycle purchase.

Hammer Motorsports, which ran the AMA Dragbike series, announced June 24 it was shutting down operations. The announcement came at the midway point of the eight-round 2010 season. Hammer Motorsports President Scott Valetti and vice president Brandi Neithamer stated rising costs and decreasing revenue made it fiscally irresponsible to continue doing business.

Polaris on-road division, which consists primarily of Victory motorcycles, recorded $15.5 million in sales over the second quarter compared to $10.5 million reported during the same period in 2009.

With the support of promoter MX Sports Pro Racing, the Honda CRF150 Cup will be comprised of two races held in conjunction with the final two rounds of the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, Sept. 4 at Steel City and Sept. 11 at Pala Raceway.

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team unveiled the special livery for its YZR-M1 racebikes for the Laguna Seca round.

Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo will ride specially painted Yamaha M1s featuring the faces of 500 fans, and the number 500 painted in stars and stripes. The livery celebrates the launch of the Fiat 500 automobile in the U.S. market.

Hayden will be the first Grand Prix motorcycle racer to use the number 34 since Schwantz retired in 1995. The International Motorcycling Federation retired the number in honor of Schwantz whose 25 career wins puts him second behind Eddie Lawson among all American racers.

The AMA rated federal and gubernatorial candidates from the major political parties to see how closely they align with the AMAs position on motorcycle-related matters. The AMA sent out questionnaires to candidates and those who responded were given a fuel-gauge type rating on their positions on motorcycling. The AMA also gathered voting records of federal incumbents seeking re-election. The results were collected to form the 2010 AMA Voter Guide.

The one-off motorcycle which was displayed at the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show will be part of the Bonhams Classic California Auction, Nov. 13 at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Proceeds from the auction will benefit Riders for Health.

The Oklahoma-based company has signed racer Cory Green to ride the US Highland 450MX in the Super Motocross event at the X-Games 16, July 29 Aug. 1.

Harley-Davidson issued a recall on the 2010 FXDF Fat Bob because the front forks may be using the wrong springs. According to documents filed with the NHTSA, the suspension supplier American Showa mistakenly used springs intended for the FXDWG Dyna Wide Glide in fork leg assemblies for the Fat Bob.

Czech racing team Cardion AB has signed a leasing agreement with Ducati to race a Desmosedici GP11 for the 2011 MotoGP season. Cardion AB will enter a single rider, 20-year-old Karel Abraham, swelling the MotoGP grid to 18 with six of the entries riding a Ducati Desmosedici.

According to Honda s first quarter 2010/2011 report, the Japanese manufacturer sold 2.887 million motorcycles, scooters and ATVs, up from the 2.252 million units sold over the same period in 2009. Motorcycles accounted for 320.2 billion yen (US$3.7 billion) in net sales over the quarter, up from the 256.3 billion yen (US$3 billion) reported in the same quarter last year.

The Bazzaz Z-Fi MX Fuel Control Unit differs significantly from what is currently available in the marketplace in a number of ways. Bazzaz has developed an in-line unit that precisely controls fuel delivery to optimize engine performance. It is a plug and play unit that piggy-backs onto the stock ECU. Each unit comes with an application specific harness that utilizes OEM connectors for simple installation, and comes pre-programmed for either the stock exhaust or a slip-on. The Z-Fi also features a USB interface with easy to use software, allowing tuning modifications by the end user that can be done at the bike or because the system can be powered using the USB connection of a PC it can be done off the bike as well. This translates into ease of tuning and significantly better performance on MX applications. The Z-Fi MX can be run and/or tuned using the optional Z-AFM self mapping module.

The invitation was extended after the 16-year-old Myers, the first female to win an AMA Pro Road Racing race, visited the Rizla Suzuki garage at the U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Myers rides a Suzuki GSX-R600 in the AMA Supersport class, but will get the chance to ride a few laps of Spains Valencia circuit on the Suzuki GSV-R following the end of the 2010 MotoGP season.

The Motor Company has been producing sidecars since 1914 but Harley-Davidson will stop accepting orders for sidecars once it completes its 2011 model year orders.

The Yamaha Sterilgarda rider also won the Superpole and recorded the fastest lap in both races at Silverstone, which lies about an hours journey southeast of his home town of Coventry, England.

The Japanese manufacturer announced net sales of 676.2 billion yen (US$7.8 billion) over the six months ended June 30, 2010. Motorcycles accounted for 476.5 billion yen (US$5.5 billion) in sales, an increase of 16.2% from the same period in 2009.

Rumors linking Rossi to the Italian manufacturer have been circulating for months, especially after Honda announced the signing of current Ducati Marlboro rider Casey Stoner.

Now in its third year of production, the new Indian Motorcycle has established a network of 29 dealers worldwide with another six more expected to open by the end of the year. Year-over-year sales have risen 80%, with retail sales in May 2010 up 214% compared to May 2009.

The first video was released in July, along with the news Triumph is developing two models to slot into its Adventure line alongside the Tiger.

Arlen Ness, Located in Dublin, CA, is well known as the master builders of custom production motorcycles. Additionally, Arlen Ness has been leading the way in the racing world with their revolutionary riding equipment. Attendees of all future TrackTactics events will have the opportunity to rent their exceptional equipment at an inexpensive rate. Erik Steiber, a Director of TrackTactics, states: This will be a key ingredient to getting riders off of the street and onto the track. Rentals will be available online at TrackTactics.org. You can read more about Arlen Ness at http://www.arlenness.com/.

Georgia-based Gas Gas Offroad US will be the exclusive American importer for the Spanish companys enduro models. Gas Gas Offroad US will be led by Clay Stuckey, former North American national sales manager for Husaberg and regional sales manager of KTM, and Ted Stuckey.

Announced at the DAV National Convention in Atlanta, the grant will fund the DAVs Mobile Service Office program over the next four years. The Harley-Davidson Foundation had also previously made a $1 million grant to the DAV in 2006.

Sykes, who races for the Kawasaki factory team, tested the superbike at the manufacturers 2.9-mile home test track. Sykes was accompanied by team engineer and former GP racer Pere Riba.

For the three-month period ending June 30, 2010, Suzuki reported 69.8 billion yen (US$818.7 million) in motorcycle and ATV sales, a drop from the 80.9 billion yen (US$948.9 million) reported for the same period in 2009.

Claudio and Giovanni Castiglioni have repurchased 100% of the shares of MV Agusta from Harley-Davidson. Former Ducati engineer Massimo Bordi will also hold a prominent position in MV Agusta. Bordi worked with the Castiglionis when they owned Ducati.

In the U.S. alone, Ducati reported a 4.75% increase over July 2009 despite a continuing industry-wide decline.

The front side reflectors on certain 2006 to 2010 model year Yamaha R6 motorcycles are not mounted high enough to meet federal safety standards. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 571.108 specifies the center point of front side reflectors must be between 381 mm and 1524 mm from the ground. The center point of the reflectors on the affected R6 models is 358 mm above the ground, a little under an inch too low.

Rider Roger Lee Hayden, team manager Kevin Schwantz and the Erion Racing crew went to work on the Honda Moriwaki MD600 race bike to prepare for the Aug. 27-29 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Featured will be the 2010 fuel injected full line up, ST7, GV650, GT650, GT650R, GV250, and GT250R.

According to an 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Harley-Davidson sold MV Agusta to Castiglioni for 1 euro, a nominal fee dwarfed by the US$109 million spent to acquire the Italian brand in 2008.

Porterfield, one of racings brightest stars and favored to exceed her top run of 240.382 mph, will be competing on a Turbo charged Honda CBR 1000RR built by Al Lambs Dallas Honda. Porterfield is thrilled to partner with Bazzaz, They are definitely the leader when it comes to engine management and electronics for professional motorcycle racing. Its all about performance and I can confidently say that they have the market cornered in that arena.

In a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar dated Aug. 9, Ed Moreland, AMA senior vice president for government relations, noted that an internal government document indicates the Interior Department may have "a finely detailed plan to exclude Americans from accessing public lands despite the bureau's assertion that these documents are simply the result of 'brainstorming sessions.'"

The NHTSA is offering a grant worth up to a total of $350,000 to law enforcement agencies for setting up traffic checkpoints that target only motorcycles. The grant, known as the Motorcycle Law Enforcement Demonstration grant program, will be open to up to five agencies, and will be used to study the effectiveness of such programs.

The Rossi to Ducati rumors have circulated for months, hitting its peak with a quotation from Gabriele Del Torchio, president of Ducati Motor Holding, confirming the signing in an interview with Cycle World. Ducati immediately issued a denial, calling the Cycle World article misreported, but there is no longer any need for pretense as the Italian manufacturer announced it has signed Rossi to a two-year contract.

The FIMs Grand Prix Commission met Aug. 14 during the MotoGP round at the Czech Rebulics Brno circuit and finalized the structure of the new Moto3 class. The new class will feature motorcycles powered by single-cylinder 250cc four-stroke engines with a maximum bore of 81mm. Moto3 will replace the 125cc class as the third tier of the Grand Prix World Championships in 2012, joining the Moto2 class and the premier MotoGP class.

Leno will greet MotoGP teams and riders at the Aug. 29 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well as present a trophy on the podium.

The new Suzuki V-Strom 650 Xpedition (or XP for short) is based on the standard ABS-equipped V-Strom 650, but with a number of accessories to make it more of an adventure tourer. Described as Suzuki GB as its new flagship model, the V-Strom 650XP will compete with the BMW F800GS in the middleweight adventure touring segment.