When at pace on road or track, concentration is extremely important. Lose it for a second and we all know what can happen. You can't do much about some distractions, some females on the side of the road, for example, but we can make sure we re as comfortable as possible and not worrying about unnecessary issues.

It may sound obvious but only wear motorcycle gear that fits. If your motorcycle boots are too small or lid too big, sooner or later you'll be thinking about them at the wrong time. Similarly, make sure you're happy with the condition of your motorcycle.

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the development of a new catalyst which reduces by 50% the use of rhodium, one of the precious metals used in a catalyst. Honda will adopt this new catalyst first for its cars and will in time adopt it for motorcycles.

With the backdrop of the increasing volume of global automotive production and the global trend of strengthening emission regulations, the demand for precious metals used for catalyst, including platinum, rhodium and palladium, is expected to continue to increase in the future. Honda has been committed to the effort to reduce the use of precious metals for its catalysts, and has successfully applied a catalyst that does not contain any platinum into practical use with one of its current car models.

Apparently, Yamaha's worldwide best-selling 600cc supersports motorcycle, the YZF-R6, will not receive any radical upgrades for 2013, though Yamaha might launch a new model with a few changes here and there.

According to a recent report, it seems that Yamaha have not altered the engine specifications in any way for the 2013 Yamaha YZF-R6 and even the weight of the motorcycle is identical to the current model.

However, we can speculate that the new Yamaha YZF-R6 might come equipped with ABS braking and slight changes in its bodywork. These changes might seem nominal as compared to what the competition might bring in. Honda will be upgrading their highly acclaimed CBR600RR and Kawasaki will also introduce worldwide a new Ninja ZX-6R next year.

I've liked motorcycles for years but have never taken my test. I never had the chance to ride motorcycles when I was younger because my dad was against it. His friend died in a motorcycle crash, so he believes they're bad, even though he himself owned motorcycles back in his younger years.

When I was young, I liked anything with wheels, so I became a car mechanic, which I love doing. I'm now 37 years old; I've got a gorgeous wife, two step-daughters, and a son, who's 16 months old. But I still find myself drawn to motorcycles, so I had a chat with a local motorcycle repair shop, one that has a really good reputation. I asked the owner if I could help out when I'm not at my usual job, and he said yes.

There's nothing worse than looking at an empty space where your motorcycle used to be. Motorcycle theft is a very emotional. Fight back.

Security can be a bit a tough call sometimes. After you've bought your motorcycle and all your motorcycle gear, accessories and whatever else, you've got to spend more securing your motorcycling pride and joy. But how far do you go? Insurance companies love alarms being fitted to motorcycle.

We hate, really hate most aftermarket alarms being fitted to motorcycles. Personally, my negative feelings toward aftermarket motorcycle alarms is due to the number of times I have been stranded due to alarms going wrong and killing the motorcycle. And if finding a big bike mechanic in rural Thailand is not difficult enough try to find one who understands the electronics used by an immobilizer...

Of all motorcycles we're hoping to see at the Milan motor show in November, a Ducati 899 Panigale is right up there near the top. And it could well happen, either as an 849 or 899.

Ducati has enjoyed massive success so far with its Ducati 1199 Panigale superbike grabbing accolades from all directions, and plastering permanent smiles on besotted – if a little intimidated – owners' faces.

The world of motorcycling is full of surprises. So we were surprised to discover that the Indian brand TVS Motor has been holding closed-door talks with none other than BMW to get BMW Motorrad to work together with the Indian company.

Believe it or not, we can expect BMW and TVS Motor to sign an agreement likely before the end of this year.

The questions then is since BMW already have a strong presence in the motorcycle world as a leading luxury brand, what would they gain from this tie-up? Is BMW thinking of producing smaller engine motorcycles, like a rumored 250cc to 350cc motorcycle to compete against the KTM Duke 200 and the 2013 350cc Triumph models... with a motorcycle wearing a BMW or Husqvarna badge...

Peter Schwarzenbauer, Audi's sales and marketing manager, was recently quoted in the press as stating that the German car manufacturer had been toying with the idea of developing a motorcycle for quite some time now.

Speaking at the opening of a new Audi showroom in London Schwarzenbauer said that Ducati would have an important role in 'future mobility solutions'for urban transport, as the car-maker would use the Italian motorcycle manufacturer's experience to assist in the development of an Audi scooter or motorcycle, but he was been to point out that it would not be a 'Ducati wearing an Audi badge'.

Two new BMW GS models for 2013, based around the acclaimed economical and punchy 798cc parallel-twin engine and sporting new restyled bodywork, the new BMW F800GS is apparently for both road use and touring with superior off-road qualities.

By contrast, the new BMW F700GS is geared more towards motorcyclists who do not yet need quite the same level of off-road expertise.

The BMW F700GS gets an increase in both power and torque on the F650GS it replaces, as well as adding a second brake disc to the front.

Thai Honda Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Thai Honda), a Honda motorcycle and power products production company in Thailand, today held a ceremony to commemorate the 20 million unit milestone in power products production that was reached on July 28th, at the new production plant opened last August. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries and guests representing the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand as well as Honda executives and associates, including Hiroshi Kobayashi, chief operating officer for Honda's regional operations in the Asia Oceania Region and Yuji Shiga, chief operating officer for Honda's power product operations.

Thai Honda, which began power products production in 1987, achieved the 20 million-unit milestone only four years and nine months after achieving the 10 million-unit milestone in October 2007. At the new power products plant, Thai Honda is producing Honda’s bestselling GX engine series which are small-sized, lightweight, highly compatible and durable, as well as water pumps and trimmers, and currently has an annual production capacity of approximately 2.7 million units.