Calendar of the World Superbike Championship
Home of the Official SBK Fast Dates Calendar Kittens June 2013 Page 4 New! FAST 2014 Calendar Magazine FastDates Calendar Girl Shoot Video
Isle of Man TT Superbike to Michael Dunlop
Mugello MotoGP
falls to Lorenzo
World Superbike - the first 25 Years a Tribute and Thanks to Maurizio and Paolo Flammini
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the Bikes, the Builders, the Riders, the Kittens,
the Calendar Bike Show, the World Superbike races
all the 2014 Calendar Pictures, and Special Features...
we take you around the world for the making of the 2014 FastDates.com Calendars Now in Members Corner
World Superbike - The First 25 Years a Tribute and Thanks to its Producers Maurizio and Paolo Flammini And how they were uncerimoniously
kicked out the back door by DORNA
without a kiss good bye.... Read the Full Story Here
This Month in the Fast Dates Calendar ...
Supermodel and Calendar Kitten Shannon Boucom adds the finising touch to MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo's factory Yamaha M1. Calendars are high quality full color 15 x 15" wire spiral bound printed on heavy art stock revealing 16 months beginning with September. $16.95 each - Click on the Calendar Picture Above or Here to Order Now
NEW! FAST 2014 Digital Calendar Magazine Annual
The Bikes, the Builders, the Riders, the Kittens,the Calendar Bike Show, the World Superbike races all the 2014 Calendar Pictures, and Special Features... For the first time every we take you around the world in 120 exclusive pages for the making of the 2014 FastDates.com Calendars! Now in Members Corner
The 2014 FastDates.com Calendars and the FAST 2014 Calendar Magazine Yearbook feature
the official SBK World Superbike grid girls Jitunka & Petra from the Czech Republic!
Honda's TT Legends team of Dunlop (center) and Rutter (right) share Sunday's Superbike TT podium.
Dunlop takes first Isle of Man TT Superbike win for Honda, McGuinness sets new lap record Isle of Man Sunday June 2nd, 2013 - Honda TT Legends’ Michael Dunlop stormed to victory in today’s Isle of Man TT Superbike race to bring home his first TT win for Honda, 30 years after his uncle Joey Dunlop achieved the same feat. Team-mate John McGuinness – who ran a tribute Joey livery in the race to celebrate the anniversary – took third place and in doing so set a new outright lap record of 131.67mph. Third Honda TT Legends rider Michael Rutter placed sixth.
The race got away at 3pm this afternoon with Dunlop taking the lead on the first lap. He proceeded to hold his position on the timesheets for the entire race, widening the gap lap-by-lap to eventually cross the line with a 40-second advantage over Cameron Donald (Wilson Craig Honda) in second. The victory is Dunlop’s fourth at the TT but his first in the Superbike class and his first for Honda.
McGuinness had a more eventful race, climbing from fourth to second and leading on the roads by the four-lap mark. The 19-time TT winner unfortunately broke the pit lane speed limit during the second pit stop, picking up a 60-second penalty that dropped him back to fourth behind Guy Martin. The Morecambe Missile came back fighting, putting in a stunning final lap that saw him catch Martin and set the new outright record, claiming third place and completing an all-Honda podium.
Rutter meanwhile put in an impressive performance aboard the Honda TT Legends CBR1000RR Fireblade, chipping away with every lap to climb from 11th to sixth by the chequered flag. The three riders will convene again for the team on Friday 7 June for the Senior race.
Michael Dunlop - "The Superbike was the main goal for me. It’s been a dream of mine and it honestly hasn’t sunk in yet that I’ve won it. I never got to ride with Joey so when I caught John on the road in the tribute livery it was kind of weird and I had to think twice that it wasn’t Joey. John was so smooth and he’s taken over the title of King of the Mountain, so to sit behind him and follow those lines was just fantastic. It was a very special moment. The Superbike was just unbelievable, it handled lovely and I can’t thank Honda and the team enough."
John McGuinness (shown above in Joey Dunlop's livery) - "I can’t win them all. I don’t know what happened in that second pit stop. Obviously it’s my fault and I’ll take it on the chin because they’re the rules (John was given a 60-second penalty for speeding in Pit Lane, which dropped him from 2nd to 4th place in Overall Time and the resulting Standings). I’d ridden hard for five laps and on that last lap I just pushed and pushed, giving it everything I could and I’m just pleased I was able to nick the podium back. I’m so proud to wear the Joey Dunlop colours from 2000. I was in the same position on the podium with him in the Superbike race that year, and now here I am next to another Dunlop. I wanted to win but it wasn’t be. I’m on the podium and the consolation is the lap record."
Honda and John McGuinness pay tribute to Joey Dunlop
To mark the 30th anniversary of Joey’s Dunlop first Isle of Man TT win with Honda, his former team-mate and Honda TT Legends rider John McGuinness contested today’s Superbike race in tribute Dunlop livery. The iconic red and black Joey Dunlop/Honda Britain design adorning the Honda TT Legends CBR1000RR Fireblade and McGuinness’s leathers is based on that worn by Dunlop in his final Isle of Man TT in 2000. It was kept under wraps until the very last moment, when 19-times Isle of Man TT winner McGuinness emerged from his team’s pit tent alongside his racing machine.
The tribute is part of a weekend-long celebration by Honda that will pay homage to the ‘King of the Road’. The manufacturer last night hosted a gala dinner with special guest appearances by Dunlop’s former team-mates Ron Haslam, Roger Marshall, Roger Burnett, Carl Fogarty Phillip McCallen, Michael Rutter and John McGuinness as well as his wife Linda Dunlop and nephews Michael and William Dunlop.
“There are a few reasons why we’ve decided to celebrate the life and times of Joey Dunlop this weekend,” explains Honda (UK) Racing Manager Neil Tuxworth. “First of all he is Honda’s longest standing factory rider – he rode for us longer than any other rider in any championship in Honda’s history – and on top of that he won five world championships and 26 TT races, 24 of which were on Honda machinery. It was in 1983 that Joey secured his first TT win with Honda so 2013 marks the 30th anniversary and it seemed the perfect time to honour him and his career achievements.”
“It’s an honour to be asked to take part in the tribute to Joey,” says John McGuinness. “He was and still is the most famous road racer of all time and although it’s 30 years since his first Honda win he’ll never be forgotten. Seeing the tribute design for the first time brought back all the memories of being Joey’s team-mate, when he wore the red and black livery and I was in pink and purple! It’s an iconic design and he just looked so cool so it’s going to be pretty special getting to wear it in his memory. I can’t wait to see all the faces of the fans and hopefully we can bring home a result for Joey.”
Michael Rutter 6th (above) - "That was good overall. We had a bit of a problem on the first pit stop with the rear wheel and with the front tyre in the first stint, but once we got that out of the way I started to enjoy it and got myself back up to sixth. I’m well happy with that as top six was my aim. Hopefully we can gain a couple of places on Friday."
New Fast Dates.com Calendar Shoot!
Go behind the scenes at the glamorous Gianatsis Design Studios with beautiful new Calendar Kittens Jessica and Kelsey as they shoot for the FastDates.com Motorcycle PinUp Calendars with photographer Jim Gianatsis. And look for the new 2014 Calendars available right here on July 1st. Order the Calendars!
Videographer: Eric Lundmark; Video Editing and Still photography: Jim Gianatsis; Models: Jessica Harbour, Kelsey Silwinski; Make Up: Victoria Rubell, Music: Special thanks to Neil Sedaka for our theme song Calendar Girl; Modeling Agent: Umbrella Girls USA.
Jorge Lorenzo in his office.
2013 FIM MotoGP World Motorcycle Championship, Mugello, Italy Round 5 of 18
Lorenzo 3-peats at Mugello MotoGP to close-in on Pedrosa Gran Premieo de Italia TIM, Mugello, Italy, June 2nd 2013 - Jorge Lorenzo struck again at Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello today, taking his third consecutive Gran Premio d'Italia victory in fine form. Starting from second position on the grid the Yamaha Factory rider wasted no time in striking, diving up the inside of leader Dani Pedrosa through turn three and taking control of the race. The reigning World Champion kept Pedrosa and Marc Marquez close behind until the halfway point, then put the hammer down, delivering a series of untouchable laps to build a gap that had grown to nearly five and a half seconds as he crossed the finish line. The race win, Lorenzo’s 25th Premier Class victory, moves him to second position in the standings on 91 points, now just 12 behind Pedrosa in front and 14 ahead of Marquez in third.
Whilst Lorenzo made the perfect start by passing Repsol Honda Team’s Pedrosa in the first turn, Yamaha’s Rossi and GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista came together in the fourth corner of lap 1, putting an end to both their races, and shocking the yellow-clad home crowd. They fortunately walked away unscathed, and whilst both were disappointed and clearly annoyed, Race Direction deemed it was no one’s fault and declared it a racing incident.
Back in the race, Pedrosa remained with Lorenzo until just past half distance, when small errors for two laps in a row allowed his teammate Marquez to attack, while Lorenzo put the hammer down, lapping at the highest pace of the race to pull out a healthy buffer. Pedrosa kept Marquez at bay until the 20-year-old went past on the inside of Savelli curve on the 19th lap. Marquez’s hard work was quickly undone in exactly the same place just two laps later, as an unforced error resulted in a fourth crash in three days. It was also the end of his bid to become the first rookie in MotoGP history to claim five rostrum finishes at the start of his premier class career.
Marquez’s crash allowed Pedrosa to retake second place as Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Crutchlow made the podium for the second time in two weeks, becoming the first British rider since 1987 to take back-to-back podium finishes. Stefan Bradl delivered a mature ride to fourth place to equal his career-best result for LCR Honda MotoGP, which had coincidently been achieved at the same race last year. Ducati Team filled positions five to seven, with Dovizioso eventually winning a battle with teammate Nicky Hayden while Michele Pirro raced the GP13 Lab bike to just behind the factory pair.
Aleix Espargaro carried his Power Electronics Aspar CRT bike to its best result yet in eighth spot, with Tech 3’s Bradley Smith achieving ninth despite being in immense pain with an injured wrist and finger. Hector Barbera completed the top ten for Avintia Blusens.
Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, 1st - “The conditions and the circumstances were good for us and I didn't make a mistake, I made my best performance even if the conditions were much hotter than this morning. We are still struggling so much when the conditions get hotter. Anyway the key of the race was in the middle where I improved my riding, I was able to brake later with less fuel in the tank so I was able to improve the lap time by two tenths, from this moment Dani gave up a little pace and I could get away and win the race, more or less like last year. It’s very special; I won the last three years here so this track is magic for me and very positive for Yamaha. It also reminds us to keep working on the bike as at the tracks which are not so flowing like Mugello we will struggle. I’m very happy to give this win to Yamaha Motor Racing President Shigeto Kitagawa because this was his last race here in Grand Prix, as he will retire. He has done a great job for the team in the last years and it is a big loss for us. I hope he will enjoy the different life he will have. Our president Yanagi-san is also lucky for me, I won the 2010 Championship in Malaysia when he was there on the track and again today a victory with his presence.”
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd
“I didn’t feel fully comfortable in the race today, but I’m happy because I was able to gain a large number of points. In general, this was a difficult weekend. The back tyre was giving me a lot of problems with grip but taking 20 points from this race and maintaining the lead the World Championship is something positive.”
Valentino Rossi, Yamaha DNF - “Unfortunately in the start I had a problem with the clutch spinning and I lost two or three positions. Then I was attacking because we had a good pace and I was fast. On the second corner I was on the outside already in front of Bautista. For me, from the inside he opened the throttle to close the line so he doesn't lose another position but I was already in front so he came to me and took me on the boot. I was lucky because it was a bad crash and I arrived at the wall but I’m ok. We will try next week in Barcelona, but it is a pity because firstly it is Mugello and secondly I think we could have done a good race and maybe arrived
RESULTS MOTOGP RACE: (23 laps = 120.635 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP
1 / Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Yamaha Factory Racing / YAMAHA / 41'39.733 / 173.7 /
2 / Dani PEDROSA / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 41'45.133 / 173.3 / 5.4
3 / Cal CRUTCHLOW / GBR / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 41'46.145 / 173.2 / 6.412
4 / Stefan BRADL / GER / LCR Honda MotoGP / HONDA / 41'59.054 / 172.4 / 19.321
5 / Andrea DOVIZIOSO / ITA / Ducati Team / DUCATI / 41'59.273 / 172.3 / 19.54
6 / Nicky HAYDEN / USA / Ducati Team / DUCATI / 42'06.054 / 171.9 / 26.321
7 / Michele PIRRO / ITA / Ducati Test Team / DUCATI / 42'17.877 / 171.1 / 38.144
8 / Aleix ESPARGARO / SPA / Power Electronics Aspar / ART / 42'19.535 / 171 / 39.802
9 / Bradley SMITH / GBR / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 42'19.976 / 170.9 / 40.243
10 / Hector BARBERA / SPA / Avintia Blusens / FTR / 42'28.125 / 170.4 / 48.392
11 / Randy DE PUNIET / FRA / Power Electronics Aspar / ART / 42'28.213 / 170.4 / 48.48
12 / Danilo PETRUCCI / ITA / Came IodaRacing Project / IODA-SUTER / 42'53.441 / 168.7 / 1'13.708
13 / Andrea IANNONE / ITA / Energy T.I. Pramac Racing / DUCATI / 42'54.334 / 168.6 / 1'14.601
14 / Colin EDWARDS / USA / NGM Mobile Forward Racing / FTR KAWASAKI / 43'00.982 / 168.2 / 1'21.249
15 / Karel ABRAHAM / CZE / Cardion AB Motoracing / ART / 43'05.471 / 167.9 / 1'25.738
Pole Position: Dani PEDROSA 1'47.157 176.2 Km/h
Fastest Lap (New record): Marc MARQUEZ 1'47.639 175.4 Km/h Lap 2
Old Circuit Record Lap: Dani PEDROSA 1'47.705 175.3 Km/h 2012
Circuit Best Lap: Dani PEDROSA 1'47.157 176.2 Km/h 2013
CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION TILL DATE:
1 PEDROSA 103, 2 LORENZO 91, 3 MARQUEZ 77, 4 CRUTCHLOW 71, 5 DOVIZIOSO 50,
6 ROSSI 47, 7 HAYDEN 45, 8 BAUTISTA 38, 9 BRADL 30, 10 ESPARGARO 28, 11 SMITH 24,
12 PIRRO 22, 13 IANNONE 21, 14 BARBERA 13, 15 DE PUNIET 11.
Double race winner Tom Sykes at Donnington.
2013 FIM Eni World Superbike Championship, Monza Round 4 of 14
Sykes Wins Both Home Races At Donington, Shattering Lap Record! WSBK, Donington, England, 26 May 2013 - Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) scored his first career double at Donington and in doing so moved to within four points of the championship lead after five rounds. Having set a new track best in Superpole on Saturday Sykes rode brilliantly and almost faultlessly in each 23-lap race at Donington to score not only his first double win, but take a new lap record in race two, a 1’28.074, set on lap four. He was a start-to-finish leader on each lap each time around and after a small change to his front suspension settings for race two he went four seconds faster than in race one, despite a rise in track temperatures.
Tom now sits in second place on his own, only four points from the lead and with the third place rider 20 points behind after one third of the season has been completed.Portimao, in Portugal, on June 9th in the venue for the next round. Complete Report HERE
The Unrideables! - An Incredible 2-Stroke MotoGP Documentry
A fascinating documentary recalling one of the scariest and greatest eras in motorcycle racing history
and the legendary riders that rode the 500cc 2-Stroke Grand Prix bikes.
Team Melandri BMW celebrate their Race One victory.
2013 FIM Eni World Superbike Championship, Monza Round 4 of 14
Melandri and Laverty on top of close battles at Monza World Superbike Monza, Italy, Sunday 12 May 2013 – Round 4 of eni FIM Superbike World Championship drew to its highest point today with two incredible races, won by Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) and Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) respectively. Of the 47,046 overall spectators attending during the three days, the ones who went for the Sunday trip to Monza’s Autodromo Nazionale enjoyed an amazing show of talent, close and unpredictable racing until the finish line. Continued Here
Paolo on the left, and brother Marurizo Flamini. Photo curtesy Fabrizio Porrozzi / Giorgio Nada Editore
World Superbike -The First 25 Years
with a Tribute to its Producers Maurizio and Paolo Flammini
and how new management DORNA unceremoniously kicked the Flammini Brothers out the Back Door
of the best motorcycle roadracing championship ever
We all received the shocking Press Release back on September 2nd 2012 stating that the private equity firm of Bridgepoint, who already owned the MotoGP World Championship under DORNA, had just purchased the sports marketing firm InFront Sports & Media AG, who had themselves become the owners of the World Superbike Championship a few years earlier. The WSBK was then celebrating its 25th year of under the direction of brothers Maurizio and Paolo Flammini, who stepped in to save the fledgling production bike Championship started by ex-racer American Steve McLaughlin in 1987.
In 1990 Maurizio came in in to take over full control of World Superbike from McLaughlin's partners and struggling owners, the FG Group, and steered it forward towards world success. Brother Paolo came aboard as the Sales Manager of the Group in 1994, and then in 1999 became President of World Superbike as brother Maurizio stepped back to pursue other business ventures in sports marketing. Under their control the SBK World Championship in the next 20 years would become the most exciting motorcycle roadracing series in the world with the closest racing, most factory and private team involvement. At many European tracks it even rivaled and exceeded the attendance of the more well established FIM prototype roadracing series, MotoGP. - Read the Full Story Here
Los Angeles Calendar Motorcycle Show Concours d' Elegance
Returns to the Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA on Sunday July 14th 2013
The 2013 LA Calendar Motorcycle Show continues its now 22-year tradition as the premier outdoor streetbike event in America
with top Celebrity Builders, the Calendar Bike Building Championship & Concours d' Elegance, selected Vendors and Exhibitors, the Calendar Girl Music Show and a return to the exciting Queen Mary venue in Long Beach, CA. The Show marks the world premier of next year's new 2014 FastDates.com Motorcycle PinUp Calendars featuring the world's top roadrace and custom motorcycles with the beautiful Calendar Kittens featured in the Calendars in attendance at the Show. Purchase Advance Tickets, Vendor and Bike Contest Registration online at: www.FastDates.com/BIKESHOW.HTM.
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World Superbikes
1987-2012
25 Year History Book
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2012-2013 Yearbook These SBK Yearbooks are the Best Books Ever about World Superbike. They feature awesome color photography of the riders, bike and racing action. The feature a detailed revue of the past season in pictures and statistics, with a detailed look at the bikes and riders.
Plus a technical look data all the bikes, a preview of the upcoming season's Championship!
We buy this every year ourselves and highly recommend it!
SBK World Superbike Video Game
Official Print Media Partner
Meet 2013 Calendar Kitten
Shannon Baucom
MV Agusta M4
The Devil Made Us Do It! Testing the Ducati Diavel in Italy
New BMW HP4 Superbike
Sudco High Performance & OEM Replacement Parts
High Speed - the Movie The best motorcycle racing movie ever made! Filmed on location at the World Superbike races , this an exciting romantic drama staring beautiful British actress Sienna Miller.
EDELWEISS OFFERS NEW and AFFORDABLE MOTORCYCLE TOUR ALONG THE DOLOMITES WITH CHALLENGING ROADS, OVERWHELMING MOUNTAIN SCENERY AND ITALIAN CUISINE AT ITS FINEST.
The Dolomites are a must for a passionate biker – come with us on an unforgettable motorcycle tour. The countryside is dominated by mountains, rivers, and gorge-like valleys, which have just space enough for a road and railroad tracks; but there are also bigger towns like Bolzano, where our base hotel is located.
Thinking about Italian culture you will notice quite a big difference from what you may expect; building style, cultures, languages, bilingual road signs and special foods show that varied peoples and ideas peacefully co-exist here. The Sella Ronda is a very good warm-up for the following days and our rides to Penserjoch, Jaufenpass and Timmelsjoch.
Eight more passes are on our schedule for the next day and we will have the opportunity to stop in the nice little town of Cortina d’Ampezzo, well known from the Olympics in 1956. Now it’s time to make a decision: go to Venice for sightseeing or collect 10 more passes? Tough call! The last riding day leads us south to the wonderful Lake Garda, with swimming and riding at its best.
Find Out More
THROUGH THE ALPINE WONDERLAND OF AUSTRIA AND SOUTHERN GERMANY – THE ALPS AND LAKES MOTORCYCLE TOUR!
The Alps and Lakes motorcycle tour takes you through a beautiful part of European motorcycle paradise; the Alps. The contrast between the beautiful lakes in southern Germany and Austria and the towering mountains that reach up to more than 10,000 ft is nothing less than breathtaking.
This area is the famous background for the movie „Sound of Music“. This vacation offers a little bit of everything: beautiful and relaxing rides through the valleys; some mountain roads and passes; and great vistas and sights, including King Ludwig‘s castle, Herrenchiemsee, and the historic city of Salzburg. The tour consists of five riding days, one of them is a rest day – which means that you stay two nights at the same hotel.
This is a great opportunity to explore a little bit more, ride around the countryside, walk through town, meet the locals and sample some of the local food. The tour will take you through Germany and Austria, and on the rest day you can even add Italy to your list if you are so inclined.
Find Out More
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All Rounds include Superbike and 600cc Superstock except Miller USA is Superbike only
European rounds also Include 1000cc Superstock
exception Donnington
2013 MotoGP DATE/REPORT TRACK LINK Apr 7 - Qatar – Doha Losail Apr 21 - Americas, Austin TX May 5 - Spain, Jerez Frontera May 19 - France, Le Mans
June 2 - Italy, Mugello
June 16 - Catalunya,Catalunya
June 29 - Netherlands,AssenTT
July 7 - Germany,Sachsenring
July 21 - USA, Laguna Seca (Only MotoGP class)
Aug 18 - USA, Indianapolis
Aug 25 - Czech Rep, Brno
Sept 1 - GB, Silverstone
Sept 15 - SanMarino Misano
Sept 29 - Aragon Motorland
Oct 13 - Malaysia, Sepang
Oct 20 - Australia, Phillip Is
Oct 27 - Japan, Motegi
Nov 10- Valencia, Ricardo
2013 AMA Superbike DATE/REPORT TRACK LINK Mar 14-16 Daytona FL
May 4-6 Cancelled
M 31-Jun 2 Road America WI
June 2123 Barber, AL
July 12-14 Mid-Ohios
July 19-20 Laguna Seca CA
Aug 2-4 Miller MSports, UT
Aug 16-18 Indianapolis IN
Sept 13-15 New Jersey
Sepr 27-29 Laguna Seca CA
2013 British Superbike Click Date for Race Report DATE/REPORT TRACK LINK April 5-7 Brands Hatch Indy Apr 12-14 Thruxton May 4-6 Oulton Park June 14-16 Knockhill
July 5-7 Snetterton
July 19-21 Brands Hatch GP
Aug 9-12 Oulton Park
Aug 24-26 Cadwell Park
Sept 6-8 Donnington Park
Sept 20-22 Assen
Oct 4-6 Silverstone GP
Oct 18-20 Brands Hatch GP
Roadracing
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The Making of the Fast Dates Calendar & World Championships
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Report:
State of the Motorcycle Market in America
April 2013: Since the hey-day of 2006-2007, the industry has lost 5,000 dealers and retailers, vehicle sales have been slashed in half, and about 20,000 people have left the industry to find employment elsewhere.
2007 was the industry's last up year. Sales of motorcycles, ATVs and scooters reached about 1.5 million units. And according to MIC ststics there were in 2008, 13,300 retail outlets in the US split between authorized new vehicle dealers, and independent service and accessory outlet.
According to the most recent MIC static, 2012 retail sales of motorcycles, ATVs and scooter were at 677,630 - a drop of about 54% from peak. At the same time the US dealer base dropped from an increased of 14,127 dealers in 2008 (still riding the crest of the wave) to 8,985 in 2012 - a decrease of 36% percent.
The Medin Age of a new motorcycle buyers in America is now around 52 years old, and continues to grow about 1 year older per year, signifying no new riders are coming into the sport and the Amerian motorcycle market will end as the Baby Boomers die out.
From where it is today, the sport of motorcycling in America will continue to decline about 3-4% per year to the poin the sport will be gone in 20 years.
And unlike Europe and Asia where mototcycling is surviving and growing because of traditionally high fuel prices and crowded cities, in America we have become to attahed to our automobiles, so much so that motorcyles will never become a replacement for them. You'll always be able to buy and run and insure a cheap used car at a price lower than a nice used motorcycle.
This is not to say Motorccyle Racing will not continue as a spectator sport, as evidenced by the popularity of Supercross at sold-out stadium events across America. But how many people actually buy and ride/race dirt/mx bikes any more? This middle class sport is disappearing with the American middle class as fewer people can afford a truck to haul their expensive dirt bike to a riding area or track, or own a house with a garage to store and work on them. To a lessor extent, the streetbike market is affected similarly. These days kids in high school have little interestor the money in own or drive a cool car, let alone a street bike.
- Editor
Honda's TT Legends team of Dunlop (center) and Rutter (right) share Sunday's Superbike TT podium. 
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