Ducati

The first electric motorcycle that promises to deliver near the performance of traditional sport bikes was unveiled in Hollywood. The Brammo Empulse is designed to be "the first viable motorcycle that just happens to be electric," said Brammo Chief Executive Craig Bramscher, whose team started working on the bike in 2010. The company, based in Ashland, Ore., said the Empulse is capable of going at least 100 mph and as far as 121 miles per charge in city riding. It carries a 9.3-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack and liquid-cooled motor.

Motorcycle sales in the United States revved up in 2012, rising a healthy 2.6% over 2011, according to a report released Wednesday by the Motorcycle Industry Council.  Better yet, the trade group said, retail activity was up in all four motorcycle "segments" -- the first time that has happened since 2002 -- with increases in scooter, dual-purpose, off-road and on-highway motorcycle sales. PHOTO GALLERY: Honda 2013 line-up includes CB500s, Gold Wing F6B Scooter sales rose the most, at 7.7%, with dual-purpose motorcycles (the ones capable of going on-road and off-road)

Forty years ago, Motoguzzi beat out the competition to become the first European motorcycle company to supply bikes to an American police force. The police force was the LAPD, and the bike was the Motoguzzi V7 Police. Now the Italian manufacturer is bringing the classic V7 up to 2013 speed with the massive California 1400 Custom and California 1400 Touring -- featuring the biggest twin-cylinder engine ever made in Europe.Photo Photo Gallery: The mighty new 1400s Both models are outfitted with ABS Brembo brakes, a traction control system and engine settings for "Turismo," "Veloce" and "Pioggia" -- lovely, musical words that actually only mean "touring," "speed" and "rain.

The famed Russian sidecar motorcycle manufacturer Ural has reported all-time sales numbers for 2012, surpassing its previous high in 2006 and showing a 30% growth in sales from 2011 to 2012. In particular, the company credits strong sales for the fourth-quarter release of its Ural Yamal. Named after a famed Yamal Peninsula ice-breaking boat, the bike features a twin-hull body design and comes with an oar as standard equipment. PHOTO GALLERY: Monster Mash-Up Prized by long-distance motorcycle travelers with a taste for the exotic, the Soviet-era military motorcycle began production just before the beginning of World War II . The first units were designed for combat duty and were based upon the German BMW R-71.

Here comes the new F800GT. BMW plans to take the wraps off the new iteration of its popular F800ST middleweight sport touring model at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach next month. The new version of the big, belt-driven, water-cooled, two-cylinder has a bit more horsepower and a bit more comfort -- 90 horsepower, up from 85, and a new windshield and new, fuller fairing. It features standard anti-lock brakes and a slip-on Akrapovic silencer that cuts a few pounds off the weight and creates what BMW calls "a particularly earthy 2-cylinder sound.

Motorcycle sales in the United States revved up in 2012, rising a healthy 2.6% over 2011, according to a report released Wednesday by the Motorcycle Industry Council.  Better yet, the trade group said, retail activity was up in all four motorcycle "segments" -- the first time that has happened since 2002 -- with increases in scooter, dual-purpose, off-road and on-highway motorcycle sales. PHOTO GALLERY: Honda 2013 line-up includes CB500s, Gold Wing F6B Scooter sales rose the most, at 7.7%, with dual-purpose motorcycles (the ones capable of going on-road and off-road)

The superhero extravaganza "The Avengers"marks the first of many movies that will feature motorcycles racing onto the big screen this summer. Not only will Captain America helm a Harley-Davidsonin the big-budget Marvel movie, but one of the leads of "Men in Black" will time-travel to 1969 on board an "Easy Rider"-esque chopper. A circus bear will even throw a furry leg over a Ducati in the animated feature "Madagascar 3. " Motorcycles have long played a part in the movies, but as summer films become more explosive and adventure oriented, two wheels are playing a larger role.

A Ducati assembly line worker told me five years ago that every second motorcycle made at the company's Bologna, Italy, factory is a Monster. A major U.S. Ducati retailer told me recently, “Monster is Ducati.” Since beginning production of the naked sport bike in 1992, it has shipped more than 250,000 of the little Monsters , the company recently announced. But until two weeks ago I'd never even sat on one. An hour after I did, I was a convert. I rode a route that started around Laurel Canyon and Mulholland, wandered through Topanga Canyon and the Malibu mountains, and circled back via the freeway.

More than 50,000 motorcycle enthusiasts are expected to gather at the Long Beach Convention Center this weekend for the annual Progressive International Motorcycle Show. The early buzz? The long motorcycle recession is ending. The 2012 sales year will show the first uptick since the glory days of 2006, when almost 1.2 million new motorcycles were sold in the U.S., from the depths of 2011, when fewer than half that many were sold. "We're seeing a good appetite right now for new bikes in new segments," said Steve Menneto, vice president of motorcycles for Polaris Industries, parent company of Indian Motorcycles and the electric motorcycle maker Brammo.

The famed Russian sidecar motorcycle manufacturer Ural has reported all-time sales numbers for 2012, surpassing its previous high in 2006 and showing a 30% growth in sales from 2011 to 2012. In particular, the company credits strong sales for the fourth-quarter release of its Ural Yamal. Named after a famed Yamal Peninsula ice-breaking boat, the bike features a twin-hull body design and comes with an oar as standard equipment. PHOTO GALLERY: Monster Mash-Up Prized by long-distance motorcycle travelers with a taste for the exotic, the Soviet-era military motorcycle began production just before the beginning of World War II . The first units were designed for combat duty and were based upon the German BMW R-71.

A Ducati assembly line worker told me five years ago that every second motorcycle made at the company's Bologna, Italy, factory is a Monster. A major U.S. Ducati retailer told me recently, “Monster is Ducati.” Since beginning production of the naked sport bike in 1992, it has shipped more than 250,000 of the little Monsters , the company recently announced. But until two weeks ago I'd never even sat on one. An hour after I did, I was a convert. I rode a route that started around Laurel Canyon and Mulholland, wandered through Topanga Canyon and the Malibu mountains, and circled back via the freeway.

Ducati North America on Thursday announced record sales for 2012 -- the company's best year in the market, with a 21% increase over 2011 in total sales of motorcycles and a 42% jump in its apparel division. [For the Record, 7:20 a.m., Jan. 17: An earlier version of this post stated that Ducati North America showed a 42% increase in total sales of motorcycles in 2012. The increase was 21% ] Tipping his hat to the American "Ducatisti," Chief Executive Cristiano Silei thanked passionate Ducati fans for driving 2012 U.S. sales up 21% over 2011.

The Ducati apparel fashion show didn't hurt, but it was the motorcycles on the convention floor turned more heads than the models on the runway at this weekend's Progressive International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach. Stefano Sbettega, marketing and communications director for Ducati North America, stood among the gleaming red, black and white machines -- near the espresso bar, in front of the red, black and white cupcakes, just to the side of the Ducati champagne -- and said that although the company is happy with the American response to its motorcycles, the year to come may well be Ducati's best.

More than 50,000 motorcycle enthusiasts are expected to gather at the Long Beach Convention Center this weekend for the annual Progressive International Motorcycle Show. The early buzz? The long motorcycle recession is ending. The 2012 sales year will show the first uptick since the glory days of 2006, when almost 1.2 million new motorcycles were sold in the U.S., from the depths of 2011, when fewer than half that many were sold. "We're seeing a good appetite right now for new bikes in new segments," said Steve Menneto, vice president of motorcycles for Polaris Industries, parent company of Indian Motorcycles and the electric motorcycle maker Brammo.

Two of the great European motorcycle collections will go under the gavel in February at the Grand Palais in Paris. To be sold are the Garelli Grand Prix Collection and a private stock of 55 machines belonging to a late French enthusiast. The Garelli collection contains two dozen classic racers from the famed Italian manufacturer, among them world-record holders ridden by racing legends like Ernesto Gnesa, Tazio Nuvolari and Achille Varzi. The private French collection includes European and American marques, highlights being a pair of postwar Terrots, and a pair of early Magnat Debons.

The 2012 Ural Yamal Limited Edition Sidecar moto-machine is rough, Russian and ready for anything. This latest iteration of the famed Soviet-era military motorcycle -- copied just before the beginning of World War II from the German BMW R-71 and in continuous production since then -- is based on the Yamal Peninsula ice-breaking boats. Hence the teeth, the twin-hull body design and, one presumes, the oar that comes as standard equipment. The bike is notorious for its durability ("tough as a Russian AK-47," the manufacturers say)

Suzuki may have had to stop selling automobiles in the U.S., but the company sure isn't slowing down on the motorcycle side. The Japanese manufacturer has just released stats and images of new 2013 models, and it looks like it's likely to sell a few. Dramatic evidence of that is the "1 million commemorative edition" of the workhouse road racing GSXR. More evidence is in the stylish entry level model, the all new GW250. More still is in the wide-ride cruiser, C90T Boss -- not a crime syndicate, but standing for Blacked Out Special Suzuki -- and in a new version of the 650cc Burgman scooter.

The 2012 Ural Yamal Limited Edition Sidecar moto-machine is rough, Russian and ready for anything. This latest iteration of the famed Soviet-era military motorcycle -- copied just before the beginning of World War II from the German BMW R-71 and in continuous production since then -- is based on the Yamal Peninsula ice-breaking boats. Hence the teeth, the twin-hull body design and, one presumes, the oar that comes as standard equipment. The bike is notorious for its durability ("tough as a Russian AK-47," the manufacturers say)

Here comes the new F800GT. BMW plans to take the wraps off the new iteration of its popular F800ST middleweight sport touring model at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach next month. The new version of the big, belt-driven, water-cooled, two-cylinder has a bit more horsepower and a bit more comfort -- 90 horsepower, up from 85, and a new windshield and new, fuller fairing. It features standard anti-lock brakes and a slip-on Akrapovic silencer that cuts a few pounds off the weight and creates what BMW calls "a particularly earthy 2-cylinder sound.

Forty years ago, Motoguzzi beat out the competition to become the first European motorcycle company to supply bikes to an American police force. The police force was the LAPD, and the bike was the Motoguzzi V7 Police. Now the Italian manufacturer is bringing the classic V7 up to 2013 speed with the massive California 1400 Custom and California 1400 Touring -- featuring the biggest twin-cylinder engine ever made in Europe.Photo Photo Gallery: The mighty new 1400s Both models are outfitted with ABS Brembo brakes, a traction control system and engine settings for "Turismo," "Veloce" and "Pioggia" -- lovely, musical words that actually only mean "touring," "speed" and "rain.