Santa Pod Raceway may be the home of European Drag racing, but there’s still one event every year that impresses even the most hardened of fans; The Main Event on Friday 22nd to Monday 25th May. This is the first round of the prestigious European Drag Racing Championship and features the largest race entry and most packed Motorsport paddock anywhere in Europe! Over 250 teams, and 15 race classes make this event unrivalled for both the quality and quantity of racing.

Exemplifying the very greatest, fastest, loudest and craziest spectacles in drag racing, the entire weekend gathers the most brutal machines in Europe and pits them head to head in an epic display of rubber burning, nitro-snorting insanity! Both cars and bikes are represented, with some of the entrants able to hit an incredible 300 mph in just 5 seconds!! If this wasn’t impressive enough, on the track in-between the racing will be the awesome Fireforce and Firestorm Jet Funny Cars, plus Ronnie Picardo’s gravity defying Wheelie Truck.

Off-track action is equally as exciting with loads of entertainment and attractions aimed squarely at families looking for a great weekend away. Full camping facilities are available and under 16s even go for free! There’s fun for the whole clan with Kids entertainment, side shows, traders, Fun Fair and full catering & bar facilities all weekend with evening entertainment in Fuelers Bar on Saturday and Sunday.

Adrenaline junkies will also love the car crushing Monster Trucks Podzilla and Red Dragon attempting to out jump each other in the Live Action Arena, along with the world record breaking Stunt Driver Terry Grant and Trials rider Chris Doney.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will also be making fly pasts with a Lancaster, Hurricane & Spitfire on Saturday and Monday afternoons, plus a Hurricane on Sunday. Don’t miss a chance to see these iconic aircraft in action.

Advance ticket prices start from just £27 for the action packed Saturday or Sunday, with both days totalling £49 and the entire 4 day event costing just £55. With the kids getting on for free, It could be the best May Bank holiday you’ve ever enjoyed!

For more details please visit www.santapod.com or call the team on 01234 782828.

Bike Classes Include:

• UEM Supertwin Bike – Thundering 700bhp motorcycles
• UEM Top Fuel Bike – 200mph, 1000bhp drag bikes
• UEM Pro Stock Bike – Screaming, petrol-burning motorcycles

Greetings.  After much brow-beating by many visitors to our pages we’ve decided to cave to popular pressure and set ourselves up as a member and a page on the popular social networking site Facebook.

We’re easy to find on there simply click on this link to go directly to our FB profile;

But perhaps even more useful is that we’ve added ourselves as a “Page” on Facebook, which you can become a fan of by clicking on this link here

This fan page is particularly cool; because Bikesource Link Directory has tried to host details for events from sometime now, somewhat unsucessfully, due to the fact that a web page was required to submit the event.  If you become a fan of Bikesource on Facebook, you can add your events and rallies to this page and it all works really well, and helps others see them; and you can get an idea of how popular they’ll be.

We’ve only just created all of this nonsense, so feel free to tell everyone you know, and within a few weeks we should have quite a healthy following.

Cheers!!

To celebrate the arrival of the new MotoGP inspired Yamaha YZF-R1, participating Yamaha dealers will be holding an launch evening on Friday 27th February 2009, primarily to show of this unique motorcycle that is set to re-write the Supersport record books.

Visitors to participating Yamaha dealers will have the opportunity to win, subject to terms and conditions, their very own Supersport R1 in Yamaha’s free to enter on-line competition if they enter before midday on Friday 27th February, get the answers correct and be drawn first out of the hat on that night. The lucky winner will be drawn and called at their nominated dealership at 20:00hrs that night.

There is also a great runner up prize of a never-to-be-forgotten VIP MotoGP weekend at Catalunya on 13/14th June 2009. Not to be sniffed at, as the winner of this one will be rubbing shoulders with Vale himself!

How do you win? Log onto http://www.yamaha-motor.co.uk/r1_competition/

• Complete the on-line entry form including nominating your participating Yamaha road bike dealer
• Get the answers correct
• Be at the dealership at 8pm on Friday 27th February 2009
• Wait for the call!

While down at the dealer’s, visitors can look around the great range of Yamaha motorcycles that will be on display, including the brand new XJ6 and Supersport legend, the YZF-R6 (which also features in the ‘No Worries’ finance campaign), plus the fabulous range of genuine Yamaha accessories.

• 1st Prize – Yamaha YZF-R1 A brand new 2009 Yamaha YZF-R1, to be drawn on the night. Entry via Yamaha’s website (a specific page). The winning entry will be drawn at YMUK at 20:00hrs. The winner’s nominated participating Yamaha dealership will then be contacted by phone. To have a chance of winning, the entrant must be in attendance at that dealership.

• 2nd Prize – VIP MotoGP Weekend The second successful competition entry winner drawn will be invited to attend the Catalunya MotoGP round on June 13/14 2009 as a guest of Yamaha Racing, given the opportunity to meet the factory riders.

The stars of Honda’s exciting and new-for-2009 motorcycle range will be making their mark at the annual Northern Ireland Motorcycle Show, taking place this coming weekend, 13-15 February, at The King’s Hall in Belfast.

Heading Honda’s line-up at the show are the awesome new supersports machines, the CBR1000RR Fireblade and the CBR600RR, now equipped with Honda’s innovative and acclaimed world first Combined ABS system for sports bikes, as an option. Both the ‘Blade and the CBR600RR are the leaders in their class and the addition of an effective, light-weight ABS system is not only a technological first in the supersports class, but a significant step in the advancement of safety features for motorcycles.

The C-ABS-equipped Blade at the Belfast Motorcycle Festival will be seen in the stunning Pearl Siren Blue colour scheme, while the standard CBR1000RR Fireblade will also be on display in the eye-catching Repsol MotoGP team livery. The ABS-equipped CBR600RR will appear in the striking new Tri-colour scheme.

Other important Honda machines will be there for the public to see, including the CBF125 – the latest addition to the Honda family of naked motorcycles and best selling motorcycle in the UK in January. It shares all the features of its larger siblings but with the economy and ease-of-use only found in smaller capacity machines. Many other machines from Honda’s 2009 range will also be on display – including the stylish CB1000R performance naked, sturdy CBF1000 GT, versatile ST1300 Pan European, ever ready-for-adventure Transalp, the stunning white VFR as well as the ground-breaking DN-01.

Steve Martindale, General Manager of Honda (UK) Motorcycles said, “This is the biggest show of its kind in Northern Ireland – a part of the world where motorcycling is extremely popular. We’ve seen so much interest in our Combined ABS-equipped supersport models for 2009 but the new CBF125 also shows that motorcycling can be practical and economical, as well as fun.”

The show runs between 13 and 15 February and opening times are Friday 2pm to 10pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm.

Visitors to the show and motorcyclists throughout Northern Ireland also have the chance to win one of Honda’s superb motorcycles, by signing up for Honda’s ‘Test Ride and Win’ event the weekend following the Show, from Friday 20 to Monday 23 February. Riders who book a test ride online at www.honda.co.uk and complete a test ride of any new Honda motorcycle or scooter from a Honda motorcycle dealer during the three days, will be automatically entered in to a free prize draw and be in with a chance of winning a machine equivalent to the one test ridden*.

Suzuki GB Plc has launched a new Hawk protective jacket offering the winter riders a more comfortable commute.

In association with AGV Sport, the introduction of the Hawk riding jacket follows the success of the black riding jacket launched to customers in July 2007. The jacket is made from 100% waterproof and breathable material, and reflective logos and piping for extra safety.

Featuring a removable thermal liner, soft neoprene collars for extra comfort, zip in trouser option and removable CE approved body armour it will be available in the Suzuki Blue / White colour.

With a recommended retail price of £105.00 including VAT it is available from any authorised Suzuki dealer or available to view on the accessory pages of the Suzuki website – www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/accessories/

Yamaha have just announced a great new finance promotion on a select range of their class leading motorcycles.

Just when you thought that your finances may not allow the purchase of a brand new Yamaha this year, the company has launched an affordable new finance deal offering you prime Yamaha models with just a £99 deposit.

For a limited period, you can own the best selling Supersport 600 of 2008, the amazing YZF-R6, one of the FZ or Fazer range of great bikes or the XT660R/X, all with 2 years interest free credit. With a low deposit and affordable repayments, the road to freedom beckons sooner than you think! Yamaha – no worries.

For full terms and conditions and more details, talk to your authorised Yamaha dealer or click onto our website www.yamaha-motor.co.uk. The finance promotion ends on 31st March 2009.

Honda’s exciting 2009 model range will be the stars of the MCN London Motorcycle Show – the biggest of its kind in London and the South East – which starts this week from 29 January to 1 February, at ExCeL in Docklands.

Heading Honda’s line-up on stand N580 (Hall 15) is the exciting new supersports CBR1000RR Fireblade and CBR600RR machines, armed with Honda’s ground-breaking electronically-controlled Combined ABS system. Both the ‘Blade and the CBR600RR are the leaders in their respective categories and the addition of an effective, light-weight but sophisticated ABS system is a technological first in the supersports class.

Other important Honda machines will be there for the public to see, including the acclaimed CBF125 – the latest addition to the Honda family of naked motorcycles. It shares all the features of its larger siblings but with the class-leading fuel economy and ease-of-use only found in smaller capacity machines. Many other machines from Honda’s 2009 range will also be on display – including the flagship GL1800 Gold Wing.

Steve Martindale, General Manager of Honda (UK) Motorcycle Division commented, “The interest generated by our new 2009 machines – especially the small but significant CBF125 and the Combined ABS versions of both the Fireblade and the CBR600RR – has been incredible and shows Honda’s, and the public’s, commitment to performance, economy and safety in motorcycling.”

ExCeL London is located just 1 mile east of Canary Wharf and 1 mile west of London City Airport. It’s accessible from the M25, M11, A13 and A406 North Circular. Show opening hours are: Thursday 10am-5pm, Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 9am-5pm. To book tickets contact 0844 581 0752.

MVR-D Suzuki rider, Carl Nunn, claimed the British Supercross Championship title on Saturday evening, as the RM-Z250 rider put on another impressive performance, to leave the final round of the series at the O2 Arena in London, with the British title.

Nunn, who went into the final round with just a one-point advantage over Gordon Crockard, took the title in the single race, by finishing in second place, behind Neville Bradshaw, after a racing tangle with championship rival, Crockard.

Talking about his path to championship glory, Nunn commented, “Obviously I’m over the moon to get a British title under my belt. The MVR-D Suzuki Team have been fantastic and this gives us a real boost for the season ahead. As for the last round, my clash with Gordon was really unfortunate, but we both agree it was just one of those unlucky racing incidents. On the whole though, it’s been a fun series and a great opportunity to stay race fit during the winter.”

Carl finished the final International race in a solid fifth place too.

The MVR-D team now head to Italy for some pre-season testing, as well as a one-off ride in the Italian national series, before the British outdoor season kicks-off.

Hey Everyone, those of you who hit this site regularly may have notice that we’ve been a bit sparse on the updates recently, you may have also noticed that site submission has been disabled for a little while.  This is mostly due to Bikesource undergoing some important updates, and I think we’re through the majority of it now, although some of the layouts and pages may look a little ratty while we tidy the code up for a while, but the good news is that we’re back!

One of the biggest changes (mostly for our commercial link owners) is the ability to add your address and phone number to your links, this means people can call you directly from your Bikesource listing, we also pop-up a Google Map of your location directly into the listing so people can see where you are too!!  As always, it costs you nothing to do, so make the most of it and update your link today!!

So the first thing we’re looking to do is look for community participation, that is, Category Editors.  This is a particularly important role within Bikesource, essentially it requires a few minutes each day or every few days, to approve links (and potentially articles) within a category, and generally police the category, as occassionally links go dead or get pointed to sites that are nonsense and generally detract from the purpose of Bikesource.  If there are sub-categories of the category you are editor for you will own those too.  I appreciate that many of you won’t have the time or the inclination, there aren’t really any perks to speak of and there’s no money in it (we already do it for free); but if you feel the urge to run your own little corner of one of the UK’s Most Popular Motorcycle Web destinations, we’ll welcome the help.

Second thing; We’ve just enabled the ability to add articles within each category, and ideally we’re looking for people that know their products to write reviews or tests about various pieces of equipment, maximum of 5000 letters (I’m guessing that’s probably up to around 750 words max) in the article so we’re not looking for an epic or anything, but we are looking for well written, mostly unbiased articles.  In return for the article you get to plug your store or company, and we’ll look to promote your link to a featured link for the trouble.  And as a guide this post is about 450 words long, so it’s not a huge amount!!

As always feedback is welcomed, and contact us through the contact page on Bikesource if you’re interested in taking us up on any of these points.

Cheers!!

The new K 1300 S fastest and most powerful BMW to date

New K-series features at a glance:

• Uprated more powerful engine
• New ESA II Electronic Suspension Adjustment
• Updated aggressive and dynamic styling
• New High Performance (HP) options (K 1300 S/R only) including 2D Systems’ MotoGP-style dash and Gearshift Assistant (quickshifter)
• New, innovative generation of switches with optimised ergonomics

BMW Motorrad, Europe’s largest and most successful motorcycle manufacturer, has once again reaffirmed its position as a leading producer of high performance motorcycles. The launch of three significantly updated K-series models from BMW Motorrad continues its philosophy of producing innovative and dynamic motorcycles that offer state-of-the-art technology with class-leading performance.

The three updated models share the same chassis and upgraded drivetrain but appeal to three distinct motorcycle market sectors.

K 1300 S – The fastest motorcycle BMW Motorrad has ever produced. The K 1300 S is a top-of-the-range hypersports bike combining blistering power with innovative technology to offer perfect everyday or long-distance riding qualities.

New BMW K1300S

K 1300 R – A striking, muscular naked bike, with extremely high performance, the most technically advanced machine in its class.

The New BMW K1300 R

K 1300 GT – A fast, comfortable and supreme tourer, the GT is quite simply the best sports tourer BMW Motorrad has ever made.

The New BMW K1300 GT

The heart of these three models is the second-generation of BMW Motorrad’s four–cylinder power unit, which has been developed to give a significant increase in power and torque, whilst refining its tractability and usability.

The new features of the engine are:

• New pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft.
• Displacement increased by 136cc from 1,157cc to 1,293cc.
• Increased capacity is achieved with larger cylinder bores and extended piston stroke.
• Maximum output is up 8hp (6kW) to 175hp (129kw) for the K 1200 S.
• Maximum torque is up 10Nm to 140Nm.
• Maximum power output is achieved at 9,250rpm, which is 1,000rpm lower than the previous model.
• New exhaust system design including an exhaust butterfly flap for more torque and sportier sound.

To transmit this extra performance to the road safely the chassis configurations of the K 1300 S and R models have been stiffened as standard. In addition, all of the K-series offer new, innovative suspension technology with the option to upgrade to the second generation of Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA II).

ESA II controls a wider range of suspension settings than the previous version and now features a world first. This advanced and unique arrangement is now able to perform automatic simultaneous adjustment of ride height, pre-load, spring rate and damper settings based on the machines loading. The rider can further tailor the suspension to a more comfortable or sporty setting, ensuring optimum handling for each individual rider.

All three models in the series have had styling updates to match their increased performance. Detailed changes include a new, slimmer upper cowl on the K 1300 S, to the aggressive new cockpit fairing on the K 1300 R. The K 1300 GT benefits from protectors which have been integrated into the side sections to reduce the risk of damage should the machine fall over.

For riders wanting even more high tech gadgetry, BMW Motorrad offers a full range of High Performance (HP) parts as seen on the HP2 Sport. A 2D Systems MotoGP-style dashboard offers additional display data in both road or race modes. Gearshift Assistant enables the rider to make clutchless upshifts while accelerating without the need to momentarily lift off the throttle. Both items are available as a factory-fitted option for the K 1300 S and K 1300 R.

Adrian Roderick, General Manager BMW Motorrad UK, said: “This year BMW Motorrad celebrates 25 years of the K-series. With the launch of this more dynamic and powerful range, these bikes are destined to be more popular than ever. The K 1300 S is now the fastest, most powerful BMW we have ever produced and is probably the perfect cross-continent sports bike.

“The styling of the K 1200 R has won BMW many new customers. I’m confident the new more powerful K 1300 R will continue this trend of proving popular with urban sports riders who want a naked bike with strong styling and cutting-edge technology.

“Finally, the new K 1300 GT stands for Gran Turismo of the highest calibre. The GT is a high performance tourer that combines maximum agility and sporty handling with the comfortable long-distance riding ability synonymous with BMW touring machines. ”