M-2 Exhaust for 2012 Ninja 250 (Video)‎

The canister is finished with a cast magnesium end cap for an Absolute Top Level fit and finish.
Kawasaki Ninja 250R TBR M-2 Exhaust Highlights:

+2.5 More Horsepower
+1.9 Peak Horsepower
+1.4 ft-lb More Torque
+0.9 ft-lb Peak Torque
-7 Pounds Lighter

For more information on the 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Slip-On Exhaust System or any other Absolute Top Level product visit an authorized Two Brothers Racing retailer, visit twobros.com or call 800.211.2767.

Lloyd Brothers Motorsports, Inc. with support from Foremost Insurance Company, Saddlemen and AMA Pro Racing is pleased to announce participation in an exciting fundraiser for the Roadracing World Action Fund. The motorcycle will be transported, displayed and have tickets sold by Lloyd Brothers Motorsports at each of this season's half-mile and mile AMA Pro Flat Track races.

"The safety of our competitors is of paramount importance to us, and a key to building the sport of flat track racing," said Dan Johnsen, Director of Flat Track for AMA Pro Racing. "We are excited to continue to help raise funds for flat track Airfence," stated Lloyd Brothers Motorsports co-owner Michael Lloyd. "Foremost Insurance Company is proud to support the efforts of Lloyd Brothers Motorsports. Donations can also be made via the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports website: http://www.lloydbrothersmotorsports.net/airfence.htm

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Cafe Racer Seattle shootings leave four dead

The gunman, identified by authorities as 40-year-old Ian Stawicki, later shot himself in the head. According to the Seattle Times, Stawicki’s rampage began just before 11am at Cafe Racer, a restaurant and music venue north of the University of Washington.

When the smoke cleared, Joe “Vito” Albanese, 52, was killed along with best friend and bandmate, Drew Keriakedes, 45. Both men performed with the band God’s Favorite Beefcake, the IBTimes reports.

The names of the other cafe shooting victims were not released.

The only survivor of the cafe shooting, Leonard Meuse, was upgraded from critical to serious condition at Harborview Medical Center. NECN has more on Ian Stawicki and the Cafe Racer shooting in Seattle in the video below :

The first shooting at a cafe left three dead. Police searching for the suspect had to respond to another attack in which a man fatally shot a woman in an apparent carjacking and fled in a black SUV. 

The latest spasm of deadly gun violence to hit the city worried Seattle's leaders and prompted police to consider increasing patrols in high-crime areas. Gunfire erupted late Wednesday morning at Cafe Racer, a restaurant and music venue north of the University of Washington. Two men died at the scene. A woman from the cafe died at a hospital.

Evan Hill, who lives above the building where the cafe shooting happened, said the cafe was an artists' collective and performance space.

Units of police officers marched by with rifles and shotguns, knocking on doors and checking driveways and yards in the neighborhood of single-family, bungalow-style homes, restaurants and businesses.

During the manhunt, Roosevelt High School, Eckstein Middle School and Greenlake Elementary were locked down, according to the school district.

In late April, a woman died of injuries suffered in an apparently random drive-by shooting near downtown.

Gunfire erupted late on Wednesday morning at Cafe Racer, a restaurant and music venue north of the University of Washington.
Two men died at the scene, and a woman and another man died later in hospital.

Roosevelt High School, Eckstein Middle School and Greenlake Elementary were locked down, according to the school district.

Police said the man put a gun to his head as officers approached. One man wounded in the cafe shooting remains in hospital.

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Ducati 848 review 2012

Ducatis have never suffered from an identity crisis, except for the Diavel perhaps, and the 848 is every bit the Ducatisti’s wet dream! 

At the touch of the starter button, the Testastretta Evoluzione 849cc L-twin motor grunts to life. A little bit of throttle and the tracking car is overtaken in the blink of an eye. The throttle response of this motorcycle is virtually instantaneous; open up the grip a bit and the engine whips those 140 horses and near 10 kgm of torque immediately. Such is the engine’s willingness to please that the power delivery is almost predictably punctual.

 With Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tires and Showa suspension, little of that power is wasted. 2012 Ducati 848EVO Quick Stats :

• ENGINE TYPE: 4vpc L-twin 
• BORE x STROKE: 94mm x 61.2mm 
• COMP. RATIO: 13.2:1 
• TRANSMISSION: 6-speed 
• WHEELBASE: 56.3 inches 
• RAKE: 24.5 degrees 
• WET WEIGHT: 428 pounds 
• PRICE: $13,995 

Ducati's 848 Challenge returns to UK shores this weekend as the championship heads to Snetterton for round three as former BSB man Dennis Hobbs joins the fray.

The previous round saw the 848 Challenge take place at the famous Assen TT circuit, the first of two overseas rounds that the Championship visits. Fry’s performance was reminiscent of the form that took him to the 2010 title and Brown will be wary of the resurgent Fry at Snetterton. Jamie Patterson, son of Alan Patterson, will be the guest rider on the Ducati UK VIP bike and will be advised and mentored by 848 Challenge ambassador, Neil Hodgson. 

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Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Mountain (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Cyclists are likely to wake up to perfect conditions Saturday morning for the 41st Iron Horse Bicycle Classic. The Iron Horse will kick off at 7 a.m. with the main event – the 47-mile climb to Silverton – when the field of 1,000 timed riders departs from Durango High School. 

No major hiccups whatsoever,” said Iron Horse Director Gaige Sippy. 

Durango’s Ned Overend won his fifth Iron Horse title in 2011 at age 55 but has not raced competitively this year and acknowledged he could be rusty. 

“Racing hasn’t fit with my schedule,” he said. Overend won his first Iron Horse in 1983. 

The change is part choice and part bad luck.

Events will continue Sunday with the criterium in downtown Durango, where riders barrel through a closed-circuit course between Main and East Third Avenue. Drivers are encouraged to stay clear of downtown Sunday; Main Avenue will be closed entirely from Seventh Street to 11th Street. Portions of East Second Avenue, East Third Avenue and several cross streets will be off limits to motorists as well. People attending church services on East Third Avenue will need to avoid the racing zone between Eighth Street and 10th Street, but can otherwise park as usual.

 The 13.7-mile time trial on East Animas Road (County Road 250) will conclude the weekend’s events Monday morning.

Video technology is making its Iron Horse debut this year. No longer. Iron Horse co-founder Ed Zink, who also owns Mountain Bike Specialists, attributes the high demand to consistency.

“(The Iron Horse) is reliable year after year,” he said. Based on a Fort Lewis College study, Sippy estimates the Iron Horse brings an annual $2 million to the Durango economy, including $75,000 in sales-tax revenue.
Registration is still open for all events except the citizens tour and certain road race classes.

There’s not many road races where a bear joins you for a little bit.” 

Kris Oyler, co-founder of Steamworks Brewing Co., also noticed an increase in tourists before and after the Iron Horse.

Stage 1 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge kicks off in Durango Aug. 20.

The restaurant was packed Sunday afternoon as riders competing in the mountain bike race went inside the brewery and down a ramp off the balcony into a packed crowd cheering them on.

The brewery first had a race go through the building in a 2001 race, and the crew decided to resurrect the idea for last year’s 40th Iron Horse.

“We had a ton of people comment on the ride through Steamworks. “It’s gaining momentum for sure,” said Gaige Sippy, Iron Horse director. Sunday proved to be another success for local businesses with races being held downtown. 
Restaurants weren’t alone in their sales; local hotels also experienced the weekend’s rush.

“We had a fabulous weekend,” said Barb Richter, front-desk manager of the Strater Hotel. “Other than the gnarly wind on Saturday, we had a nice Iron Horse weekend,” Sippy said. “Overall, Mother Nature was pretty darn kind.

Steamworks Brewing Co. in Durango, Colorado, isn't a sports bar. Steamworks worked with race officials to route the mountain bike course throughtheir bar, entering via a removed plate-glass window by the brewing company's front door, cycling to the immediate left of rows of tap-handles (and the bar itself), then exiting via a steep ramp off the back deck.

"All bike races should go through a bar," said Mitch Hoke, the men's Iron Horse mountain bike champion, to The HuffPost.

People inside Steamworks were going nuts. Following the ramp, we took a hard left hand turn. In addition to the race, McEachron tells us Steamworks transformed their back parking lot into a trails demonstration (think technical biking over logjams, gigantic boulders, etc.) with a beer garden.

Watch Video :

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Toyota 86 launched

Al-Futtaim Motors, exclusive distributors of Toyota in the UAE, announced the come-back of Toyota’s sports cars through the launch of the eagerly awaited Toyota 86 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

The Toyota 86, jointly developed with Subaru, is a a rear-wheel-drive sports car based on a new platform featuring an advanced aerodynamic body shell stretched over the engineering hard points and Toyota claims the 86 is the world’s most compact four-seat sport car design. 

The Toyota 86 boasts of having the world’s only flat Boxer engine in a front-engine, rear-wheel drive configuration. All Toyota Race Development (TRD) accessories kits will be available in August 2012.

When I drive it, I feel I am in control of the car and not the car is controlling me.” 

 The Toyota 86 is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car and marks the firm’s return to this segment after a number of years away. 

Simon Frith, Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Motors, stressed the importance of the 86 to Toyota and how it will help emotionally reconnect customers to their cars, and inject the sports spirit back into the brand.

Toyota 86 will reignite this passion.”

The mid-range model retails for Dhs 115,000, and comes with an automatic with paddle-shifters, a limited-slip diff, auto a/c, HID headlights, smart keyless entry with starter button, extra digital speedo, cruise control and 17-inch alloys with 215/45 tyres.

For mechanical specifications, visit the Toyota 86 buyer guide.

Video :

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Rolling Thunder Moments

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Rolling Thunder ! Biker Washington

If you wake up Sunday at 6 a.m. to the sound of a half-million engines revving up, you can thank the motorcycle riders who descended on Washington this weekend for the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle ride.

Rolling Thunder is an annual ride from the Pentagon through Washington that brings together thousands of veterans from around the world. On Sunday they cross the Memorial Bridge and cruise by the Vietnam War Memorial, where a ceremony will be held on the afternoon of Memorial Day.

We caught up with the president of Rolling Thunder Washington, Ted Shpak, who’s been cruising with the group since the 1980s. Here’s a portion of our interview with Shpak. Spoiler alert: He doesn’t like President Obama.

You can’t cut our defense. Taking care of the veterans, especially the wounded veterans who came back from this war, a lot of amputees.”

“There’s nothing wrong with serving your country. One of the big reasons — we’re at war. Our military will be bigger and stronger.”

Watching the Republican primary, what did you make of the candidates?

Who should Romney pick to be his running mate?

Congressman [Allen] West [R-Fla.]. He’s a stand-up good guy. I’ve talked to him. Is he popular in the country? “A good pick for Romney would be, what’s his name, from Florida, Senator Rubio. I personally like the guy. I think he’s a good guy.”

“There’s people who are not citizens that are here illegally. “We had enough problems last year with Sarah Palin.

Tens of thousands of US veterans, many of whom fought in Vietnam, and supporters who take part in Rolling Thunder, an annual motorcycle rally in the nation's capital to remember the fallen and prisoners of war.

"It's a tribute to all veterans," added the 58-year-old Driscoll.

The name refers to Operation Rolling Thunder, an aerial bombardment campaign launched against North Vietnam by then US president Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965.

There are an estimated 1,500 POWs and MIAs from the Vietnam war whose remains were never recovered.

Over time, the Rolling Thunder parade has become a boisterous display of unabashed patriotism, and a tribute to veterans of all foreign wars.

Along Constitution Avenue, one of the US capital's main thoroughfares, bikers ride their motorcycles, some with sidecars and almost all Harley-Davidsons, for hours.

One even had a trailer hitched to his ride.

Near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, where the names of 58,000 soldiers are engraved in the black granite, Art Leicher awaits on his bike for his chance to take to the streets.

Leicher wants to honor his fallen comrades from Vietnam.
As the sounds of motorcycles continue to reverberate throughout the nation's capital following Sunday's 25th anniversary of the Rolling Thunder motorcycle run, events honoring veterans and fallen soliders are continuing Monday as Memorial Day is officially observed around the nation.

Monday afternoon, thousands of people will line Constitution Avenue NW to watch the annual National Memorial Day Parade.

For more Pic Here

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