Yamaha and Hermès mix business with leather for special VMax

Anyone who’s anyone knows that motorcycles and leather go together like gin and tonic. But usually the leather’s on the rider. Yamaha evidently figured it was time to turn that particular convention on its head, and teamed up with no less prestigious a clothier than Hermès to pull it off.

Now as you may recall from the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermes – or for that matter from their Citroën 2CV orSmart ForTwo – the French fashion house knows a thing or two about trimming a motor vehicle. So they started with the Yamaha VMax, the very epitome of the muscle bike. With its four-cylinder engine and brushed metalwork, the VMax is about as mean as they come, until Hermes came along and decked it out in fine buffalo skin, covering everything from the head lamp to the exhaust pipe.

The special VMax was just recently unveiled at a motorbike show in Cologne, Germany. Unfortunately it’s a one-off creation at the moment, but it’s not the first time the two powerhouses have collaborated: go back fifteen years and you’ll find evidence of Hermes having similarly worked its magic on the Virago, the first Japanese V-Twin cruiser to give the likes of Harley-Davidson a run for its money.

Honda brings back the birthday suit: First look at the bound-for-America CB1000R

It could be said that Honda created a piece of two-wheeled history in 1969 when the company first introduced the CB750KO as a musclebound, no-nonsense means to get yourself from Point A to Point B. Call it a naked sport bike, a power-cruiser or everything you need and nothing you don’t – no matter what the nomenclature, Honda made a performance motorcycle that happened to look great when it hit the showrooms wearing nothing more than absolutely necessary.

Honda announced that it will once again spare the nonsense and give the American market a naked sportbike known as the CB1000R, packing 998cc of inline four power. Honda calls it also “surprisingly versatile,” with a broad powerband and roomy cockpit. We shouldn’t forget fun either, as the big CB will put down 124 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of twist. Modern amenities to include a fully adjustable 43mm inverted fork and four-piston radial mounted calipers clamping a rotor on each side up front.

2011 Harley-Davidson CVO models

Harley-Davidson isn’t exactly known for innovation. While the majority of players in the motorcycle world tend to push the envelope of performance and technology, The Motor Company has historically taken a different approach to its lineup of heavyweight motorcycles. In place of traction control and electronically adjustable suspension setups, H-D focuses on chrome, paint, tradition and… more chrome.

Nowhere is that strategy more evident than the yearly crop of models from its Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) unit, which has proven to be a rather successful way to entice buyers into its highest priced wares. As such, we shouldn’t expect any major adjustments to the basic way of thinking that’s proven itself time and time again from the brain-trust in Milwaukee.

That said, there are some meaningful updates for the 2011 model year that we were interested in seeing and hearing, so we saddled ourselves up on each of the four new CVO bikes in beautiful Lake Tahoe for some good ol’ fashioned riding impressions. Kick back, throw on your very best leather chaps and read on, Harley fans.

Aprilia’s new Tuono V4R makes “naked” even sexier

It takes a lot to make a term like “naked” any sexier, but Aprilia has managed to do exactly that with its latest “naked bike,” the new Tuono V4R. A beast of a machine (that looks sort of like an insect), the Tuono is based on the RSV4, but ditches the bodywork for a two-kilogram weight savings and a better view of the 1000cc DOHC V4 engine, which produces 162 horsepower and 81 pound-feet of tire-smoking torque. But the Tuono isn’t just about grunt. In fact, it’s one of the most sophisticated naked bikes on the market, and it’s coming to the United States towards the end of next year.

Keeping all the twist and shout in check are the Aprilia Performance Ride Control and advanced traction control systems. The PRC is a three-position wheelie control system with programmable launch control that employs more accelerometers and gyroscopes than an Apple Store, allowing a little wheelspin out of the corners and offering eight modes that are adjustable right from the handlebars. The traction control, meanwhile, can automatically optimize itself according to the tires you’ve fitted. Yeah, that’s pretty sophisticated. Pretty sexy, too, and you can check it out in closer detail in the high-resolution image gallery below.

MV Agusta F4 Lounch

MV Agusta F4 Test Ride

MV Agusta F4 Wallpaper

MV Agusta F4 Black Color

MV Agusta F4 Sport Bike

MV Agusta F4 Picture

MV Agusta F4 Rear View

MV Agusta F4 Action

MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR First Look

MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR in Action
MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR Black Color

MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR Sport Bike

MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR Dash

MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR Side View

MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR Motorcycle Wallpaper

MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR Rear Side View

MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR Picture

Agusta F4 RR 312 1078 Motor Sport

Agusta F4 RR 312 1078 Wallpaper

Agusta F4 RR 312 1078 Picture

Agusta F4 RR 312 1078 Motorcycles

KTM 1190 RC8R Motorcycle Expert Edition

2011 KTM 1190 RC8R Front Angle View

2011 KTM 1190 RC8R Motorcycles

2011 KTM 1190 RC8R Official Photos

2011 KTM 1190 RC8R Superbike

2011 KTM 1190 RC8R Rear Angle View

2011 KTM 1190 RC8R on Track First Look