2002 Yamaha V Star 1100 Classic on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Day 1 Dakar 2014: Barreda Draws First Blood

Team HRC’s Joan Barreda on the Honda CRF450 Rally, got off to a storming start in day one of the 2014 Dakar rally, clocking up the fastest time of all the 175 riders at the first time-check. The former Husqvarna rider who moved to Honda in the middle of the season inaugurated his 2014 Dakar with an acrobatic performance. The motorcycle competition was expected to be wide open, and that is indeed what the classification shows after the opening stage. It was a very early start for the Rally Dakar. The pack of riders headed off at four in the morning on a long 251 miles that took them towards the vibrant city of Rosario for the start of the 112 mile special.

Cyril Despres Signs with Yamaha

Five-time Dakar Rally winner Cyril Despres has signed on with Yamaha Motor France to race on the Yamaha YZ450F. Despres won the Dakar Rally in 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2013 with KTM but parted ways with the Austrian manufacturer in March. For 2014, Despres is trading in KTM Orange for Yamaha Blue, riding with support rider and fellow Frenchman Michael Metge.

Police Catch Up with Motorcycle Doing 185 mph in YouTube Video

Authorities in British Columbia, Canada, have impounded a 2006 Yamaha R1 believed to have starred in a YouTube video reaching speeds of 299 kph (185 mph) on a freeway. The onboard video, embedded after the jump, captures the Yamaha weaving through traffic, and often lane-splitting between other vehicles, covering a 4.67 mile stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway in about a minute and 56 seconds. That translates to an average speed of 144.6 mph.