I'm not sure why, but Thai as a people are short-sighted in terms of time. You experience this everyday in stuff that makes perfect sense in hindsight. Like expressways that have two lanes too few, of flyovers that aren't wide enough and so forth. People just cannot see far enough into the future consistenly enough to have a bigger vision that we're working towards. And yes, that has to do with motorcycles as well.

The other day, I was discussing – well, mostly I talked and they listened – the differences between the premium motorcycle market and the commuter market. They're quite profoundly apart in nature and outlook.

The commuter buyer is looking for a tool. An appliance that'll cost little, do the business without fuss, be cheap to run and that's about it. Some will fuss over the status or aspirational appeal of one motorcycle versus the other, but across the most reliable brands in the market, the commuter is a commodity. But the motorcycle is a large purchase for these buyers and is, hence, not always considered a dire necessity. Which means a bad raining season, tough credit environment, a rise in prices, an unstable government... pracically any reason at all is enough for a buyer to defer the purchase. This is the central reason why you read in the paper that the motorcycle market is up, then down, the down some more, then up again.

Indian manufacturer Royal Enfield continuous to fly in the face of contemporary adventure bike trends as it forges ahead with testing of its new Royal Enfield Himalayan model.

While western and Japanese manufacturers continue to push the technology envelope with powerful, multi-cylinder, gizmo-laden works of art, in emerging markets such as India, consumers demand rugged and reliable motorcycles which can be used as everyday transport as well as an escape machine. Fewer gadgets and less moving parts mean less chances of being left stranded in some seriously harsch and remote location.

Due to its simplicity, the Royal Enfield Bullet has long been the chosen transport of riders wanting to tackle remote corners of India and the surrounding countries. Royal Enfield has chosen to stick with this proven formula for the true adventure model.

Honda is pleased to announce further technical details of the new CRF1000L Africa Twin, which will be in Honda showrooms across

From the start of the CRF1000L Africa Twin project there was one motorcycle that consistently impressed with its balance of usability, poise and handling, on road and in the dirt – the seminal XRV750 Africa Twin. It proved a worthwhile benchmark, even when set against today’s myriad choice of adventure motorcycles. The machine that now bears its name may share no common part with the old model but it inherits to the full the essence and spirit of what made the XRV750 Africa Twin so good.

The “go anywhere” approach starts with the engine, which has to perform in off-road situations as well as on-road long-range touring, and all points in between. The CRF1000L Africa Twin’s 1000cc parallel twin power plant draws heavily on Honda’s off-road race experience in the form of the CRF250R/450R competition machines, and uses the same four-valve Unicam head design for compact overall dimensions. A lightweight cast camshaft – using the same materials as the CBR1000RR Fireblade – operates the valve train, and twin spark plugs fire the fuel/air mixture in each combustion chamber.

Resurgent Husqvarna have released the first detailed information about the forthcoming Husqvarna 701 Supermoto which will be launched later this year.

Husqvarna have confirmed the motorcycle will have ride-by-wire throttle with three different riding modes, it will get the latest Bosch 9.1 MP ABS system and an accessory plug-in dongle will unlock Supermoto ABS which will allow rear wheel lock-up but keep the front wheel under electronic control.

Reliable sources in the USA have said that massive Hero Motor Corporation are to buy out all of the EBR shares from Eric Buell and now own the Erik Buell Racing operation in total.

Sources also said that Erik Buell has also been given full time employment and the famous American motorcycle brand will remain in place.

Ducati has reported first half-year results that saw a 22 percent increase in volume over January to June last year, the Italian brand selling 32,600 motorcycles worldwide, a record. Sales rose 10 percent in the US, 51 percent in Italy, by over one-third in Spain and the UK, while Germany and France were up by almost 25 percent. June was an all-time record for Ducati, with 7,400 motorcycles sold, 60 percent more than in June 2014. June sales for Ducati Thailand were also up double digit.

The success of the Ducati Scrambler has played a key role in the result, with over 9,000 being delivered in the first six months of 2015. Ducati Multistrada 1200 continues to be popular with 4,700 motorcycles sold, the new Ducati Monster 821 s faring well with 3,700 happy new owners, while 3,000 Ducati Panigales went to new homes.

Why are there are less air-cooled motorcycles now-a-day you would ask. It all comes down to exhaust emissions. Any new production motorcycle that go's on sale in Europe has to meet a set of standards governing the gases that come out of its exhaust. The current (European) limits, known as Euro 3, were introduced in January 2006. A decade later the even-tougher Euro 4 regulations are looming – and this is what's behind the recent decline in air-cooled motorcycles. Probably a few readers will say, hold on we're in Thailand and what have European exhaust emission regulations to do with us, the thing is, the Thai government is following the European exhaust emission standards. Officially the current Thai exhaust emission standard is more tough than the Euro 3 standard, and is therefore 'unofficially' called the Euro 3+ standard.

Some will probably be asking, will the Euro 4 emission rules ban air-cooled engines. No, not specifically, but the strictness of Euro 4's new limits will make it a lot harder for them. The new rules aren't about picking on air-cooling specifically, just enforcing a blanket reduction in the three measured pollutants: hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO).

The V4-powered Honda RVF400R (NC35) and RVF750R (RC45) are both legends of the marque. A recent trademark application hints that the RVF name may be on its way back to fill the gap between the new Honda RC213V-S and the aging Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.

A new Honda Fireblade seems as far off as ever, with sales of the current model remaining strong despite virtually all of its rivals now offering more power, more performance and more technology.

There's no denying the new Honda RC213V-S is a piece of art, but the money asked for a motorcycle which puts out less power than machines costing a tenth as much has confused many.

According to a source at Yamaha Asia, who said that the Yamaha MT-3 will make a good chance to be introduced in a few Southeast Asian countries. The Yamaha MT-03 borrow its heart from the Yamaha YZF-R3. The Yamaha MT-03 is still some time away, as the model will first be shown at the EICMA motorcycle show, in Milan, by the end of 2015, so it should be showcased at the 2016 Bangkok International Motor Show.

The styling stays true to the MT family, with a single headlight, while the rear is carryover from the YZF-R3. The twin-cylinder, 321cc engine will make the same 41.4 horsepower and 29Nm of torque as its faired sibling.

Victory Motorcycles are about to embark on massive expansion as they attempt, with both performance roadsters and even full – on sportsbikes being part of the plan.

The American company entered this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) with Project 156, a large-capacity V-twin prototype. The motorcycle was co-designed by Roland Sands Design, which made the chassis and minimal bodywork.

All of this was just two weeks after Northern Ireland's Lee Johnston finished third in the Isle of Man TT Zero electric race on a Victory, lapping at an average speed of 177km/h over the 60 kilometers course.

Both road racing attempts - along with their National Hotrod Racing Association drag bike – are part of a huge effort to raise the profile of Victory as the home of 'American Performance'. The firm's heritage brand, Indian Motorcycles, is tasked with taking the fight to Harley-Davidson, while Victory Motorcycles concentrates on performance.