Kenny Roberts Sr., Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey to put in an appearance at the 2011 USGP at Laguna

The special, one-off R1 (above) will be auctioned for charity. The bike looks awesome!

To help Yamaha celebrate their 50th year in GP racing, former world champions Kenny Roberts Sr., Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey will put in a special appearance at this year’s US MotoGP at Laguna Seca. Kenny Roberts Sr., who won the 500cc motorcycle GP racing world championships in 1978, 79 and 80, is later scheduled to ride a demonstration lap aboard his 1979 title-winning YZR500.

Face-off: Honda NR750 vs VTR1000 SP2

The mighty Honda NR750 faces the VTR1000 SP2...

Here’s a bunch of pics from the Rayong Province, Thailand. Two friends are out riding their bikes, but not just any old bikes – we’re talking Honda VTR1000 SP2 and the Honda NR750! ‘Given its year of manufacture [1991], the NR still feels fresh and capable, though a tad heavy. It was happy to cruise at around 140km/h with spurts of up to 200km/h. Brakes are sharp and the chassis is more stable than flickable. It isn't an RC30, let alone a modern sportsbike, but it’s an enjoyable bike to ride on a Saturday morning cruise and its able enough that you don't need to make excuses for its performance in the company of the SP2,’ says the guy who owns the NR.

Bosch’s generation 9 ABS: An electronic guardian angel for motorcyclists

Bosch's generation 9 ABS is fitted on some BMW, Ducati, Kawasaki and KTM motorcycles

According to the European Transport Safety Council, the danger of a fatal accident, for the same distance travelled, is 18 times higher for motorcyclists than for car drivers. In 2009, more than 5,000 motorcyclists were killed on Europe's roads alone. And according to various scientific studies conducted over the last few years, anti-lock brakes (ABS) provide the greatest safety gain for motorcycles. A study conducted in Sweden in 2009 confirmed that up to 38 percent of all accidents involving personal injury and 48 percent of all serious and fatal accidents could be prevented with the help of ABS.