1981 Yamaha Xj550r Vintage Cruiser Sport Racing Motorbike on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Jefferies' TT V&M R1 for sale

We got a tip-off about a former David Jefferies TT R1 for sale on eBay. The owner says it's from the 1998 TT but I'm pretty sure it was the one he raced in 1999. Here's a little bit more background about the V&M TT effort in 1999: In 1990 Jack Valentine gave up racing to concentrate on running V&M Racing, and after being sacked by Honda at the end of the 1998 season, the team set about to do some giant killing.

Japan Needs Your Help

By now, we’ve all seen pictures and video of the devastation in Japan following the March 11 earthquake and the ensuing tsunamis. Japan, of course, has contributed much to motorcycling, with the Big Four of Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha, as well as tire manufacturer Bridgestone, helmet companies Arai and Shoei and many other motorcycle industry stalwarts all coming from the Land of the Rising Sun. Jon Bekefy and Greg Hatton, two motorcycle enthusiasts, industry employees  and above all, humanitarians, have set up a fundraising campaign benefiting the Red Cross for relief efforts in Japan.

And in my front room this evening...

NO IT'S NOT an illusion: you're looking at the 1981 Yamaha OW53, ridden by double World Champion Barry Sheene in the first three rounds of the '81 500GP championship. The bike's owner, aircraft engineering entrepreneur Chris Wilson, has lent the £100,000 GP machine to Visordown for our stand at this year's NEC Motorcycle Show - 27th November to 6th December 2009. Sheene raced the bike in the 1981 championship, where he finished fourth at Salzburgring, sixth at Hockenheim and third at Monza.