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.

Gunther Wiesinger of Speedweek reports Norton Chief Executive Officer Stuart Garner has an agreement with MotoGP promoter Dorna to race in 2012 when the series switches to a 1000cc displacement. Norton has reportedly requested two spots on the 2012 grid.

The Strafford, N.Y., resident will ride an FTR M210 prepped by the GP Tech Moto2 race team. Former racer Geoff Maloney will manage the wildcard effort.

Ryan Dungey, Andrew Short and Trey Canard will represent the U.S.A. at the Motocross of Nations, Sept. 25-26 at Thunder Motocross Park in Lakewood, Colo. Dungey, the team captain, will compete in the 450cc four-stroke MX1 class; Canard will race in the MX2 class featuring 250cc four-strokes; and Short will race in the MX3 open class.

The Red Bull KTM factory racer clinched the title after winning his seventh overall of the season at the Aug. 22 round at Campo Grande, Brazil.

The Ducati Marlboro MotoGP rider posted photographs of the one-off Indy-themed Arai helmet on his personal Facebook page.

The custom motorcycle shop, made famous by the television series American Chopper, has supported several charitable activities in the past, helping soldiers and their families as well as children with life-threatening medical conditions. The new NPO, named The OCC Foundation, Inc., will continue those efforts, with the support of various partners.

The 2006 MotoGP Champion is going back to his roots as Grand Marshal for the Indy Mile. Hayden had a successful dirt track career before turning his focus to road racing. In 1999, Hayden won the Ricky Graham Rookie of the Year award from the AMA Pro Grand National Championship at the Indy Mile.

The Ducati cruiser was spotted out on public streets in Italy earlier this year, and is expected to be unveiled at the 2010 EICMA Show in Milan.

Any active-duty military personnel who purchase a BMW S1000RR by Dec. 31, 2010, will receive free race ABS and dynamic traction control upgrades. The upgrades carry a regular price of $1,480.

The footage featured World Superbike racer Tom Sykes who rode the ZX-10R at the 2.9-mile Autopolis Circuit, Aug. 4-5. The test followed another one, using a Japanese Superbike-spec version, at the Suzuka International Race Course, July 7-8.

Were delighted that Ben will join the Factory Team for next season, says Lin Jarvis, managing director of Yamaha Motor Racing. Ben has shown great promise in his first ten MotoGP races. He has learnt rapidly and recorded strong results, including a well-deserved podium finish at Silverstone impressive for someone in their first full season.

The Italian manufacturer has been the most successful manufacturer in the WSBK series 22-year history. Ducati has entered a factory team in every season since the WSBK series began in 1988, winning 16 manufacturers titles and 13 riders championships.

Hundreds of riders took part in the fifth annual American Legion Legacy Run which covered 1,400 miles and traveled through six states. The ride began Aug. 22 in Indianapolis and traveled through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, arriving Aug. 26 in Milwaukee for the Legions 92nd National Convention.

The statement, shown in its entirety below, was released after Ducati announced it is withdrawing its factory team from the 2011 WSBK championship.

The MotoGP World Championship is tentatively scheduled to return to Indianapolis Aug. 26-28, 2011 for the fourth time at the iconic race circuit.

Ducati announced the new contract as Hayden made an appearance at the AMA Lucas Oil Indy Mile where he served as grand marshal.

The name 125 Duke was selected after months of speculation for the upcoming entry-level streetbike. KTM even held a contest on Facebook to name the new bike. Hopping onto the popularity of the James Cameron movie perhaps, online voters selected the name Avatar, as suggested by Alexey Golkin of Russia. KTM decided not to use Avatar for the production model but Golkin will receive his own 125 Duke with personalized graphics.

The 2011 model year lineup continues to expand for Honda, says Bill Savino, Honda Powersports press manager. Here we have a variety of very popular cruisers and customs, a pair of Honda off-road machines that have remained extremely popular with riders over the years, plus a revamped and very impressive Big Red MUV. Our selection of models for 2011 keeps growing and there will be more to follow.