Kurt Trieb, the KTM engine designer responsible for the V4 MotoGP engine believes the MotoGP bikes are too fast. ‘Riders are doing more than 350km/h on the straight at Mugello; it’s getting very, very fast.

Perhaps there will be some rule changes in a couple of years; maybe an air restriction. I’m not happy about this! I would rather go for a lower-capacity engine’

If I was asked what engine we should use for MotoGP, I’d have said prototype 600cc normally-aspirated engine with very limited electronics. I think that would be very attractive.

Nearly a month ago, we looked at the problems created by crankcase ventilation. These ventilation systems route the combination of gasses escaping past the piston rings, mixed with vaporized engine oil from the crankcase, to the intake tract, where they are supposed to be burned on a second trip through the combustion chambers.

Although Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) systems have been required since 1961, they have serious drawbacks – mainly the accumulation of carbonized oil on the walls of the intake and exhaust passages, the backsides of the valves and in the combustion chambers, where it badly reduces airflow and can cause overheating. In addition, oil particles in the combustion chambers can initiate detonation, quickly creating major damage. Let’s look at what you can do to avoid such problems on your own motorcycle engines.

It has been reported that, at idle, typical blow-by composition is 67 percent oil, 22 percent fuel, 10 percent water and 1 percent solids by weight. An inevitable by-product of combustion, water is the greatest single cause of preventable engine wear, creating corrosion by oxidation and acid formation. Tests have shown 0.2 percent water in the engine oil is typical but levels of .4 to .5 percent are not uncommon, and at these higher concentrations, free water is likely to separate out as the engine cools. Plus, ironically, the situation is made worse by the water dispersal additives in modern engine oils, and the use of E10, E20 or E85 fuels (containing 10, 20 and 85% ethanol) that both attract water and are more electrically conductive than gasoline, creating galvanic corrosion.

The quality of Japanese motorcycles which are no longer actually made in Japan gives some cause for concern. Recently we have seen recalls for Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha motorcycles. Often the same model has multiple issues the Honda CB300F had potential crankshaft bearing failure and some fire risk from faulty wiring, the Yamaha MT-03 and YZF-R3 had also several serious and less serious problems, and we recently saw a recall for the Kawasaki Z125 Pro.

I’m around 50 years old now and can’t remember anything like this ever happening before. There must have been recalls in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but we expected any new motorcycles we bought to be 100 percent sorted and, as far as I know, they were.

Currently it seems that a unprecedented number of motorcycles and cars are being recalled and I can’t help but think it’s a problem associated with the dreaded ‘globalization’. Japanese motorcycles used to be made in Japan. Sure, there were probably independent parts suppliers but, if a motorcycle had a Japanese brand name on the fuel tank, you could be confident Japanese engineers made sure all the motorcycle’s components met Japanese standards.

BMW has finally given some indication on the price for the eagerly awaited BMW G310R, the G310R will be BMW Thailand’s most affordable offering.

The BMW G310R will be priced around 160,000 THB and will be in dealerships by next year, if everything goes according plan it can be earlier.

The BMW G310R, meanwhile, is the German automotive giant’s first sub-500cc single-cylinder model since the demise of the BMW R26 in 1967. It’s powered by an all-new 313cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine and a six-speed gearbox. Claimed outputs are 25kW (34 horsepower) at 9,000rpm and 28Nm torque at 7,500rpm.

The RST Stunt Pro Boot are short boots which have a lot going for them if you are the kind of rider that is off the motorcycle more than on it with your riding gear on. Monday to Friday my trips are short, there’s the occasional visit to an government office or high rise building which include often way to much walking for regular motorcycle boots. I like to feel protected, but at times have gone for comfort over protection because, well, it feels better.

The Stunt Pro boot from RST isn’t the kind of boot you could hike in, but it’s as comfortable as a set of motorcycle boots can get. More importantly, it’s as safe as boots come from when you are on the motorcycle – or come damn close of it.

They’re longer than your typical work boots, extending up the shin a good length, so a good set of riding jeans will easily cover the tops. They have a lace and Velcro fastening system where the laces tighten the boot securely under your ankle, while the thick Velcro strap secures it snugly on the bottom of your leg.

Your weekend ride has been fun. The weather is good and it’s dry, and the road out-of-town snakes around hills and through forest and rice fields. You’ve ridden this road many times, so you have a pretty good idea of where it goes, where sight distance is limited, and where it’s legal and possible to pass.

At the moment you’re being held up by a slow-moving big truck. Actually, the drive is doing almost the speed limit, but you’d like to get around before you reach a section with lots of twisters. You know there’s a straight ahead where it’s appropriate to pass, if there’s no oncoming traffic. So, as the road straightens out, you signal, take a quick glance in your mirrors, and roll on. But you instantly realize you had neglected to shift down, so the motorcycle accelerates sluggishly. You simply hold the throttle open and wait as the engine comes up in the power band.

Now, as you pull abreast of the truck, you realize there’s an oncoming car, and it’s approaching faster than you would have predicted. You quickly drop down a gear, accelerate, and manage to squeeze back in front of the truck. But it’s too close for comfort, and you’re annoyed at the oncoming driver going so fast.

Fifteen Thai youths aged between 10-14 die every ten days from motorcycle accidents or about 700 deaths each year, said Dr Adisak Plitpolkarnpim, director of Ramathibodi Hospital's Child Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Research Centre (CSIP), on Monday.

CSIP has produced a video clip showing motorcycle accidents involving Thai youngsters with an aim to promote safety among young Thais travelling in motorbikes. The clip which was posted in the social media has, so far, attracted many viewers

Dr Adisak said that parents were responsible for death and injury of the young victims but he didn’t want to put all the blame on them. All those people who saw the underaged riding on the pillions of motorcycles or who ride the bikes and did nothing about it are to blame, he added

Honda’s retro 300 TT Racer concept machine has been unveiled under the rader but is now attracting a lot of attention.

Like the Honda CX-02 ( which is powered by a twin cylinder 150cc engine), it was the work of one of Honda’s outlying R&D subsidiaries. In his case, it was the Thai arm that developed the motorcycle and revealed it at the Bangkok show in March last year. And like the Honda CX-02, it’s just been subjected to the full design patent treatment by Honda Japan.

However, unlike the Indian-designed Honda CX-02, the Honda 300 TT Racer is a long way from being road-ready. While the underpinnings are pure Honda CB300F, including the same single-cylinder engine and tubular steel frame, the bodywork lacks a lot of the parts that would be needed for a production machine.

Future motorcycles could run on all types of fuels, including electricity, after US government defense contracts have yielded two prototype hybrid motorcycles. The motorcycles are the Logos Silent Hawk and LSA Autonomy Nightmare, whose engines can run on either electricity or compression ignition, which means they can be fueled by petrol, jet fuel, propane, diesel or any other fuels, including regular cooking oil.

At the flick of a switch they can also run in a quiet ‘stealth’ mode on electric power a bit like hybrid cars do.

Just as military advances over the years have led to civilian use, these motorcycles could point the way to the future. They are the result of a competition started in 2014 by the US Pentagon’s future research wing. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

If you’ve got a motorcycle with a chain, then you’ll know that cleaning the chain is a filthy dirty job. No-one likes to do it. While it’s not as dirty a job, cleaning your brakes is also very important maintenance that you should be doing. Both dirty deeds will help the performance, riding and longevity of your motorcycle – and there is help out there to make both jobs easier.

We grabbed some specialist cleaning products and got to work… and still got filthy dirty in the process. Maybe you can be more careful! We bought online a motorcycle cleaning set. But let’s get started with the chain.

Find yourself a spot where you can lay down some old newspapers and cover up any parts of your motorcycle that you don’t want to cover in gunk. Now start spinning the rear wheel and spraying the chain cleaner onto the chain. It does help if you have an assistant, but it can be done alone if need be. Now spray a small section at a time and use a brush and scrub the chain clean, while spraying each section with more chain cleaner.