BMW Motorrad will be supplying the Italian motorcycle manufacturer Bimota with the engine of the BMW S 1000 RR. For its new 4-cylinder model, Bimota has opted for what is currently the best 4-cylinder in-line engine in the supersports motorcycle segment. An initial concept of this new motorcycle will be on show at the EICMA in Milan.

By selecting the in-line 4-cylinder power unit of the BMW S 1000 RR, Bimota has gone for the technologically most innovative straight-four engine currently available. Its low weight of just 59.8 kilograms, an output of 142 kW (193 bhp) at 13,000 rpm and an extremely speed-resistant valve gear with two overhead camshafts and weight-optimised cam followers make it the perfect power source for the new Bimota project.

Honda expands riding enthusiasts’ options with a series of modern and sporty 500cc sportbikes. This image-conscious offering not only carries a full load of attitude, it also delivers a gratifying level of performance and versatility The new 500cc parallel-twin series has a sporty to classic riding position, a 30.9-inch seat height and plenty of room for a variety of riders. It’s an excellent choice for riders ready to move up a displacement class, or for anyone who appreciates a great middleweight motorcycle.

The new 500cc series features a brand-new engine and chassis. Like the machines that made Honda famous in the U.S., its two-cylinder parallel-twin layout provides a wide powerband and plenty of torque, while a counterbalance keeps things running smooth. In addition, the new 500cc’s neutral, classic seating position makes it a perfect fit for someone who wants a bike that can do it all, and do it all well.

The DOHC Parallel-Twin-Cylinder Engine

Honda twins are famous for their versatility, and the new Honda 500cc engine is one of the best ever. Using the same piston bore size as the Honda CBR600RR sportbike, the parallel-twin engine offers accessible performance across all RPM ranges.

Looking to add a little luxury to your everyday life? There are many ways, but we think riding the Keeway Silverblade would be an excellent solution. The passion of our Italian designers and the experience of our engineers have been inherited by the Keeway Silverblade. With its large, dual stacked headlights, linear LED turn signals, and pivoting windscreen, the Keeway Silverblade brings modern materials to the forefront. Add storage large enough to swallow two full face helmets with ease, an exquisitely sculpted, perfectly proportioned seat for two riders, and the Keeway Silverblade suddenly becomes luxury defined.

After 125cc, now arrive Keeway Silverblade 250i. Both are electronic fuel injected, liquid cooled engines. The maxi power of 125cc version can reach 8.9KW (about 12 horsepower); and the 250cc can reach 15.5KW (about 21 horsepower). With such large powers, the Keeway Silverblade easily achieves a high speed. With 14-inch wheels, and front and rear disc brakes to enhance control, the Keeway Silverblade exudes confidence, even in less-than-ideal conditions.

Riding across the City, the Country, or the World, the Keeway Silverblade is your ticket to luxury.

The little one with great performances. Benelli launches UNO C 250, the new naked motorcycle bold and energetic, which widens the range of the sports bikes of the Pesaro make. The company want to meet the requirements of the younger and of everyone who wishes to have fun in total safety with a bike which makes the difference.

Benelli UNO C 250 is for everybody. Easy to ride, light and manoeuvrable, this motorcycle offers new excellent technological and aesthetic solutions. Benelli UNO C 250 is a combination of successful ingredients: the 4 stroke single-cylinder engine, liquid cooled, delivers really interesting performances while keeping down the consumption. Electronic injection and double overhead camshaft, wet sump lubrication, wet clutch and final chain drive are additional features of this engine. The maximum power is of 24,5 hp (18 Kw) @ 9000 rpm, the maximum torque of 21 Nm (2,14 kgm) @ 7000 rpm.

An excellent chassis. The frame of Benelli UNO C 250 is a steel trestle which, together with the size and limited weight of the vehicle, provides the best handling and manoeuvrability allowing the rider to fully enjoy riding. Suspensions are made of an upfront hydraulic fork and a rear single shock absorber.

Six-time world champion Max Biaggi has announced his retirement from motorcycling.

The Italian, 41, bows out on top after narrowly edging Briton Tom Sykes to clinch his second World Superbikes title last month at Magny-Cours by half a point, the closest margin in the history of the competition.

Biaggi competed in the sport's most illustrious category, MotoGP, in 2005 and won four world titles in the 250cc category (1994-1997) as well as another SBK title in 2010.

'It's the most difficult decision I've had to make but I want the fans to remember me as a champion,' Biaggi tweeted.

'Today is going to be a new day for me ... things will never be the same.

'I have officially retired.'

While it's tricky to break down the precise value of an individual motorcycle in terms of the cost of its components, the wages of the people building it and the profit each one gives, the figures are out there to give an insight into the manufacturers' finances.

As each firm releases its annual financial reports, hidden in the unintelligible banks of figures are breakdowns showing not only profit and loss, but also the amounts spent on raw materials, wages, research and development and every other imaginable expense.

What is, perhaps, surprising, is the enormous proportion of the cost of a motorcycle that goes into raw materials and wages – the unavoidable basic elements of actually making the thing.

Looking at the financial figures for major motorcycle firms including Honda, BMW, Suzuki and Yamaha, it's clear that a massive percentage of the money they receive goes into 'cost of sales' – the actual price of making a motorcycle. All of them spend between 70 an 85 percent of their income just on that, and once additional costs like administration, advertising and transport are factored in – still stuff that's pretty much unavoidable when it comes to manufacturing any product – more than 90 percent of their income is accounted for.

While Honda future plans may have been announced as some sort of exclusive bit of news elsewhere, Honda's future plans are, in fact, no great secret. Honda CEO Takanobu Ito has made a very public statement about where the factory is heading in the next few years, and it makes for interesting reading.

So, rather than hyping it up like other motorcycle websites do, we've picked out the most interesting quotes from the Honda big boss's speech ad put them here for you to see.

We reckon you'll find this as interesting and exciting as we do. And look, we've done it all without over-hyping anything. So it can be done, and it's being done again, by us.

At the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, BMW Motorrad is presenting the exclusive special model K 1300 S "30 Jahre K-Modelle" to mark the 30th anniversary of the BMW Motorrad K series.

It was in 1983 that BMW Motorrad launched the K 100, the first ever BMW fitted with a liquid-cooled 4-cylinder in-line engine and also featuring a completely distinct and - for its time - pioneering technological concept: the BMW Compact Drive System with longitudinally mounted crankshaft and horizontal cylinder bank. This first generation of the K models also ushered in technological innovations such as the first electronic fuel injection system. This was followed five years later by the introduction of 4-valve technology and the very first ABS system in a serial motorcycle. In 2004, BMW Motorrad established the third generation of the series with the K 1200 S, now with its crankshaft arranged transversely to the direction of travel and featuring the two suspension innovations Duolever and ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment). The BMW K-series was also supplemented with the two in-line 6-cylinder models K 1600 GT/GTL in 2010.

The special model K 1300 S "30 Jahre K-Modelle" celebrates the success story of the K series with an extensive range of options and a special colour concept in Alpine white / Sapphire black metallic and Racing red in conjunction with a tinted windshield.

Those of you with good memory might remember the early 80s when BMW launched its liquid-cooled, four-cylinder K-series motorcycles. It was a move that spelled the end of the air-cooled Boxer engine. Except it wasn't. The liquid-cooled, fuel-injected K-series were good motorcycles but we weren't finished with the windy twin just yet and 10 years later it was back with a couple more valves, fuel injection and ready to take over motorcycling.

BMW chose the recent Cologne motorcycle show to launch its new liquid-cooled Boxer engine and this time, it appears, it really is the end for the old-school air-cooled Boxer engine.

The first motorcycle to get the new liquid-cooled engine is the new R1200GS. BMW is claiming 126 horsepower and 124.7Nm of torque for the new engine, fitted in what appears to be an almost entirely new GS that manages to look very similar to the old model.

We just love believing in popular tales that have formed – often times, the most ludicrous – myths. If your business isn't doing well, you mustn't be praying right or donating enough to the temples. Pray and splurge at temples to gain some better luck. Not finding the right life partner – well, keep a fast one day a week and your problem will be solved. Oh, and pick any day – after all, each day can be lucky or unlucky. Our belief in ancient rituals of varying origins means that we rely on myths to conduct our everyday life. If a black cat crosses your path, for instance, you're simple dammed.

Not get me wrong I have nothing against religion, but all that superstition, myths and dark magic is going to far for me.

You would think that increasing levels of eduction might lead to this phenomenon declining, but you'd be wrong. This lunacy continues to be a central part of how we function as a society, and the automotive industry is no stranger to it either – with people propagating their own set of beliefs on what they think is right or wrong. So, one gets to hear all kinds of nonsense about motorcycle, technology, safety, and so on. Add for the sake of being polite, it's best to remain civil and just walk away to conduct a conversation elsewhere.