Initially, riding a dirt bike into church and pulling a wheelie seems like a great idea. After all,  what could possibly go wrong? Oh, yeah.

Last week, I wrote about Sgt. Gwen Beberg’s struggle to bring her adopted dog Ratchet home from Iraq. Well, I’m happy to report that the puppy is currently en route to the US, and if it’s determined that he’s healthy, Ratchet will be transported to Beberg’s home in Minneapolis. Keep your fingers crossed. Anyway, here’s the news:

• A motorcyclist in the UK was jailed for three months after he made videos of himself riding dangerously and posted them on YouTube. Who knew that filming yourself committing a crime could have consequences? BBC News
• After years of sticking with sixes and fours, Honda is finally going to produce a V8. Apparently, the brass has decided that if Acura really wants to compete with the Germans, it’s going to need a couple of extra cylinders. All Cars, All the Time
• A lot of people have been captivated by the Lamborghini Countach, and plenty have built replicas from kits. But none of those folks have anything on Ken Imhoff. Check out the amazing Lambo he built from scratch, in his basement. Wow. Jalopnik
• I was hoping that it was just a wild rumor, but it looks like this whole "General Mopar" thing isn’t going away. There are reports that the companies could merge in two weeks, which seems a little hasty to me. What’s the rush? Motor Authority

During NASCAR races, it’s always wild to see drivers stay cool and navigate through tremendous wrecks. Of course, those guys have uber-experienced spotters telling them which direction to go, while this biker just had to trust his gut and hope for the best. Yikes.

This dude’s pretty hardcore—even his wheelchair looks kind of rat-rod, don’t you think? In the video below, he demos his crazy handicap three-wheeler Harley. It’s got a pushbutton shift that operates the gearbox via an electric motor—there’s a bunch of pics up on his myspace page that show how it works. He lives in Germany and also has a pretty cool flat-back Volvo wagon and a totally sketchy-looking hand-operated bicycle. Way to roll, man!

Many Mustang purists would probably prefer any Pony-themed bike be based off a Harley, but as far as performance goes, there are far worse places to start than with a Hayabusa. And while the overall shape of the bike doesn’t really invoke the 1968 Shelby GT500KR that served as its inspiration, the guys at Voo Doo Industries have incorporated plenty of details to give it more of Mustang vibe. How trick does the knock-off spinner on the rear wheel look? Three more pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Voo Doo's Shelby-Themed 'Busa Also King of the Road" »

This weekend, I’m going to take our Jaguar XF Supercharged test car on a little road trip, and I couldn’t be more stoked. Right now, the weather here is kind of crappy, but hopefully there’ll be clear skies when my best buddy and I hit the road tomorrow morning. Anyway, here’s the news:

• Iceland currently gets an amazing 72% of its power from clean sources—got to love geo-thermal energy!—and the country is currently exploring ways to get even greener. Hey, when there are only 300,000 people in your country, you can afford to experiment. You go, land-of-Bjork! The New York Times
• How cool would it be if your car was chummy with traffic lights? Well, Audi is experimenting with a system that allows specially equipped vehicles to ping lights and report what speed the driver should maintain to catch a green. Sounds great—but what happens when it says 90? CarScoop
• While New York City is aiming to rid its taxi fleets of the venerable Crown Vic, Mexico City is going through a similar process, albeit with a very different car. For the Volkswagen Beetle, the writing is finally—finally—on the wall. Detroit News
• Stunting videos are pretty common, but this is one of the most hilarious ones I’ve ever seen. Have you ever seen anyone ride a motorcycle and lift weights at the same time? I sure hadn’t. Superbikes in the Hood

The origin of crop circles has been a mystery for decades, so I found this video pretty enlightening. I’m really glad I know the whole story now. Anyway, here’s the news:

• Yamaha’s new R1 has landed, and it’s coming with crossplane firing order. The MotoGP-derived pattern supposedly gives its inline four the linear power delivery of a twin, and while that sounds really interesting, the true test will be measured on the track, against its arch-rival, Suzuki’s GSXR 1000. Autoblog
• The Las Vegas Hummer dealership is set to close, which probably isn’t going to make the brand easier to unload. Is this the beginning of the end for Hummer? Will any foreign investor bother to swoop in and save it? Only time will tell. Wall Street Journal
• Nobody knows what Ferrari’s rumored Scuderia drop-top will look like, but that hasn’t stopped folks from speculating. And while the results are sure to be sexy, the idea of a convertible track toy just seems wrong. CarScoop
• Toyota is planning to start making Prius batteries in the United States, which is good, I guess. Aren’t batteries like the most poisonous things to manufacture? Motor Authority

I’m still so stoked that my car is back on the road that I can barely sit still. Why the hell did I wait so long to get it fixed? Am I stupid? On second thought, don’t answer that. Anyway, here’s the news:

• While attempting to set a world speed record on his 500cc two-stroke, motorcyclist Cliff Gullett lost control of the bike and crashed. He was traveling at 239MPH at the time, and didn’t survive. Godspeed, Mr. Gullett! Yahoo Sports
• Matt Hardigree from Jalopnik is looking to buy a new car, and he’s asking readers for help. He’s got ten grand to spend, which means he could buy something really dope. Let’s make sure he doesn’t wind up with a  boring driving appliance. Jalopnik 
• Nissan’s new GTR is going to be a little more expensive than was originally thought, as the bean-counters at HQ have raised the MSRP by seven grand. Given that folks will be paying near double sticker price anyway, I’m wondering why this even matters. World Car Fans
• As everyone knows, I love Jags, and given the chance I’d buy most any Kitty over its German counterpart. But I was still curious to see exactly how the new XJ Super V8 compares to its German competition. Motor Authority
• Detroit Electric went out of business in 1939, but now, it’s coming back. In the current eco-centric climate, the reborn company could have a bright future. Wired

Now, I love both Jaguars and motorcycles. But just because two things are great by themselves doesn’t mean that they should be put together—that’s why no junk food company makes chocolate-covered pickles. And while I can definitely respect the amount of time that went into this leaping Kitty, picturing someone riding it—wouldn’t they have to be pretty much laying down?—just makes me want to crack jokes about how it’s not cool to molest endangered cats. Maybe I’d feel differently if this baby was running an English V12 instead of a Harley motor, but I don’t think so. One more pic after the jump.

T3 via Jalopnik

Continue reading "Jaguar Motorcycle Should Probably be Put Down" »

After the Hill Climb, getting back to the hotel was kind of a hassle. After looking around in vain for the press bus, I just decided to hitchhike. Jeff, the guy who picked me up, had blown the motor in his KTM about halfway to the summit—he didn’t seem bothered by it—and he filled me in on exactly what it takes to get registered to take a bike up Pikes Peak. Basically, it’s an invitation-only deal. You have to submit a resume detailing your racing experience to the officials—they like a mix of dirt track, road and motocross—and if they like what they see, you can compete. Since all the guys were expert riders, I don’t think any of them was too impressed by the guy who took a shortcut across the rocks when they left, but I still thought it was dope. Oh, and sorry about the 180-degree pan, I was standing on a sketchy rock and had to spin to keep my footing.