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Icon's satisfying a lot of rider's wishes by creating the Icon Variant, a helmet that combines off-road looks, ventilation and peripheral vision with street refinement. We've been impressed with the progress Icon has shown in quality; this helmet moves them one step closer to competing with established helmet makers with the use of a carbon/dynema/fiberglass composite shell and a moisture wicking liner.

Full details covered in the video below. And don't worry, it comes in classy plain colors in addition to the godawful skulls and other macho ephemera.

 

After discovering a faulty component was used in a select number of RSV4 motors, Aprilia is recalling nearly 300 V4 superbike motors worldwide, including ever motor shipped in bikes to the United States. While the faulty component isn't being named, early rumors peg the bike's connecting rod bearing, which sidelined the company's track day debut to the press several months ago, as being the problem piece.

To-date, there have been no known engine failures on customer bikes, but Aprilia isn't taking any chances, and has motors already on the way from Italy. The company hopes to have the recall finished by February, and will be personally contacting each RSV4 owner. Press statement after the jump.

This illustration clearly shows why sportsbikes / superbikes are the best kind of motorcycles. Scooters, cruisers and dual-purpose bikes simply don't offer the same kind of riding pleasure...

Via Oliepeil

When Paul Zuniga first saw some Photoshop images in 2001 of a new Norton that Kenny Dreer was planning to build and bring to market, he knew he had to have one. Unfortunately, we now know, those bikes never made it. The prototypes gradually evolved from the original concept, a bike was built and shown around to various journalists, but they ran out of funds before it could be produced. Undeterred, Paul kept in contact with Dreer, and though Kenny sold the company assets to the new Norton in the U.K., he had a few Norton parts and pieces left over, some of which Paul purchased.

Paul works on Nortons a lot and with all of the parts he had or could find, plus some inverted forks from a Kawasaki, he figured he could build his own Norton, very similar to the 952 prototype Dreer had shown many years before. The bike you see here is the result of his work and it looks good.

The first Dreer prototype had a monoshock rear suspension, something that went away on later versions and even the new Nortons now being offered don't have it, but Paul has one on his 880. It really cleans up the tail section. The engine is actually an 850 at the moment but the 880 build is well underway and will be fitted when ready.

I guess when some people want a particular bike, they REALLY want it and this shows, with a proper mix of determination and skill, you can get exactly what you were looking for. It looks like very nice work and a really fun ride. Great job.

Source The kneeslider.com  &  Born Again Bikes