Motorcross

HIT MACHINE Lady Gaga is half-woman, half-motorcycle, and all pop royalty

The gospel of Gaga, as told in Born This Way, goes something like this: Humanity will be damned by its own self-doubt until Gaga the Savior delivers us with the might of her music. On the album's first two singles, the messianic ''Born This Way'' and ''Judas,'' our muffin-bluffin' Lady of yore is reborn as an earnest dance-party evangelist, retaining the beats but trading in her disco stick for a splinter of the Cross. ''In the religion of the insecure, I must be myself/Respect my youth,'' the 25-year-old sermonizes on the fanatically inspirational title track.

Luckily for us heathens, most of the 14 songs on Born This Way — Gaga's rewarding but wildly uneven latest — hold more earthly pleasures, too. The only deity invoked on rollicking cuts like ''Hair'' and ''The Edge of Glory'' is Bruce Springsteen, whose E Street sax player, Clarence Clemons, guests on both tracks. And the '80s worship doesn't stop there: Nearly every song is tinged with Reagan-era excess, from the evocative Depeche Mode-ian frost of ''Heavy Metal Lover'' to the misplaced Def Leppard stomp-claps on barroom ballad ''Yoü and I.'

If Gaga doesn't find a stand-alone hit here on the order of ''Bad Romance,'' the album's sprawl still shows off the breadth of her talent. She brings expert songcraft to each cut — tectonic chord changes, soaring choruses, and that sawtooth-edged voice — even when her goth-lite lyrics don't deserve the effort. For all its fire and brimstone, Born This Way doesn't herald pop's second coming. But it's not a bad way to spend the wait

Electric Motorcycles Cruise The Open Road

Cruising down the road, hair blowing in the wind, living wild and free. That’s the American dream of riding a motorcycle on the open roads as one sees the landscape while being part of it, not driving through it with windows up, AC blowing and video playing to entertain the kids. Most motorcycles tend to be gas guzzlers, however, so it isn’t always the best for the environment.

As you can see from the photo gallery we’ve gathered below (each photo, if clicked on, enlarges the image and also offers a link to more information), there are a variety of electric motorcycle types to choose from. Some have classic motorcycle design, while others go for a sportier feel. All tend to go pretty fast, have a decent range and only require a short charging time before you are back on the highway.

SD engineers look to reduce traffic congestion during annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

STURGIS, S.D. — South Dakota Transportation officials are considering several ideas to reduce traffic congestion during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

The rally in the western South Dakota town draws hundreds of thousands of people each year, along with hundreds of vendors.

The Rapid City Journal reports that the effort centers on reducing congestion on state Highway 34. Ideas include various lane changes and traffic signal changes on area streets and avenues. Department of Transportation engineer Todd Seaman says officials are focusing on the safety of both pedestrians and motorists.

The department held a public meeting in Sturgis on Monday and is taking public comments through the end of the month. Project engineer Monica Heller says some of the ideas likely will be tried out during this year's rally.

Candlelight vigil, motorcycle ride to remember child abuse victims

A memory ride and candlelight vigil on April 3 will remember the 242 Texas children who died of child abuse and neglect in 2010.
People who would like to participate with show cars and motorcycles will gather at 3:30 p.m. at Mackenzie Park, 600 E. Broadway, for a police-escorted ride to the candlelight vigil.
The candlelight vigil will start at 5:30 p.m. at First Church of the Nazarene, 6110 Chicago Ave. It will include free dinner.
The event is hosted by Family Guidance and Outreach Center, a nonprofit agency dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect

F1 : British press – Lewis Hamilton must consider McLaren Formula 1 move

Lewis Hamilton might have to leave McLaren if he is to achieve his ambitions in Formula One, according to British press reports on Sunday.

A report in the Sunday Observer newspaper said the 2008 World Champion "won't achieve" his target of becoming a multiple World Champion with the Woking based team.

The outfit's MP4-26 car has been unreliable and uncompetitive in pre-season testing and McLaren now faces "a desperate struggle" to keep 26 year old Hamilton on board, the report said.

"I am not here to race 10 years and only win one or two World Championships," Hamilton is quoted as saying, amid reports pacesetting Red Bull could be the ideal alternative team.

"I can't say right now that people can say 'He was clearly the best in the world'. I have only been here for four years so I have got a lot more to do," he added.

The 2008 World Champion, however, defended his current team, even though the Daily Mail also interpreted the comments as Hamilton "spelling it out to McLaren".

"I want to be one of the most successful Formula One drivers of this generation, so I think you have to continue winning and prove yourself time after time for people to know you are the best," added Hamilton.

The Daily Mail said: "The reality is that he will not abandon the team unless this season is a total disaster and there is a vacancy in a rival competitive team."

The newspaper also said Red Bull is a viable option for Hamilton in 2012, even though that team might risk destabilisation by ousting Mark Webber.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said: "Seb (Vettel) has never made any request, or claim, as to who he partners. He has a complete inner confidence in himself."

Motus MST Series

The Motus MST Series was presented at the Daytona Bike Week on March 13, 2011. The bike will go into production in late 2011 in two different versions: a standard MST and a more powerful MST-R.

Motus MST is powered by a liquid cooled, 1650cc V4 engine light weight nimble chassis and massive brakes. Before the bike actually makes it to production, Motus will send two MST prototypes on an "American Sport Tour" to ensure the pre-production machines are durable: "There is just no better way to make sure the MST’s meet our standards of durability, comfort, and performance than to personally ride the machines and iterate them as we identify issues. Along the way, we are meeting with friends, supporters and high quality dealers that have inquired about carrying Motus in their area."

More details will be revealed on March 13, 2011.

Hit the jump to see the Motus MST V4 in action.