Japan Archives | Inside Motorcycles Magazine

Yamaha Motor Canada announces winner of Canada Grand Prix technician’s competition

Colleen McCourt — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 20:55:49 +0000

Ten of Canada’s best technicians converged on Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.’s headquarters on June 14, 2016 for the seventh Canada Grand Prix contest. This bi-annual competition is open to all Yamaha Technical Academy (YTA) technicians that are certified Bronze and above.

Dan Kruger’s blog: Recovering from a major crash – what most people don’t see, Part II

IM Admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:27:32 +0000

The long road to recovery: endless doctor appointments, scans, tests, and readjusting life to allow for as much recovery as quickly as possible. With a head injury, the recovery time varies and it is near impossible to predict how long you will be unfit to ride. I spent days and days inside a hyperbaric chamber to increase the oxygen flow in my body and speed up recovery.

Dan Kruger’s blog: Recovering from a major crash – what most people don’t see, Part I

Graeme Jones — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 18:38:52 +0000

By now, most people know I had a serious accident at the Suzuka 8-Hour World Endurance Event in Japan back in July. I high-sided my Superbike coming onto the front straightaway, which was targeted to be my fastest lap ever around the Suzuka Circuit. I was pushing hard and still had a heavy fuel load, with tires that were still not fully up to temp. Although I don’t remember any part of the accident, a photo sequence (see later in the story) along with onboard data allowed my team to piece it all together.

Kruger recovering after Suzuka crash: “I will be back!”

Graeme Jones — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 23:46:30 +0000

Montreal racer Dan Kruger is recovering at his US home in Atlanta following a serious crash during practice for the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race on July 23 at Japan’s Suzuka circuit. Kruger highsided while racing a GSX-R1000 for a Suzuki-based squad and suffered multiple injuries during the crash, during which he lost consciousness. […]

Honda introduces prototype street-legal RC213V and adventure bike at EICMA

Graeme Jones — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 21:00:18 +0000

Today at the EICMA show in Italy, Honda Motor Europe is unveiling a pair of important prototype models, along with Honda’s 2015 model line: the MotoGP-derived RC213V-S Prototype and the True Adventure Prototype.

Dan in Japan: Bringing family to the track

Graeme Jones — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 23:06:38 +0000

I don’t always think everything through. Usually everything works out, which is precisely why I continue to make decisions without really thinking of all the possible outcomes. My wife Holly has been to plenty of my races around the world and, more recently, so has my baby Kaitlyn. Having them at the Isle of Man was critical as you are on the island for two full weeks between practice and racing, so there is a lot of downtime. It is also a very stressful two weeks as the risks are high and bad news is unfortunately common. Being around those that you love is very important. It is a little tougher with the baby, since babies aren’t known for their patience, and race events are known for their delays and questionable weather (especially the TT!).

Dan in Japan (Suzuka blog): Behind the scenes of a big budget race team

Graeme Jones — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 18:28:28 +0000

I have been very fortunate these past few years with the numerous opportunities I have been given. Participating in the Suzuka 8 Hour endurance race was no different. Or was it? No point keeping you in suspense — I will tell you now that it was different in a big way! It was the first event where I really felt the pressure to ride well, be a team player, and always be available for no matter what was asked of me. The fact that I was doing all this racing for the fun of it meant nothing to my team and the many sponsors behind the team. They were doing this full-time and it was their job.

Dan in Japan: Suzuka Blog, Part 1

IM Admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 21:25:44 +0000

July was a busy month. First I spent a week in Japan testing for the Suzuka 8 Hour Endurance race. I had a crash, but I also learned the circuit with respectable lap times, came to terms with the challenging Yamaha R1 powerband, and started coming to terms with the special 'Suzuka' Dunlop tires (I use the term started lightly!).

Dan Kruger’s Racing in China Blog – “Nothing in Common”

Graeme Jones — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 02:44:45 +0000

Over the past five years, I have spent most of my time racing in Asia. What many people might not know is how different China is to Japan.

Dan Kruger’s Racing in China Blog: Testing at Suzuka (Japan), Part 1

Graeme Jones — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:59:44 +0000

I finally did it! I completed a two-day test at the world famous Suzuka Circuit. This was a long time coming with tons of planning; nothing is ever spontaneous with the Japanese. That is not a bad thing - in fact, when dealing with motorbikes and foreign countries, having a detailed plan is the right way to go.

Kevin Schwantz to race Suzuka 8-Hour!

Graeme Jones — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:48:33 +0000

Former 500cc GP World Champion Kevin Schwantz is to make his international racing comeback this year at the Suzuka 8-Hour World Endurance Championship second round in Japan.

The 48-year-old, who clinched the 1993 World Championship aboard his #34 Lucky Strike RGV500 Suzuki, will race a GSX-R1000 in a three-rider Suzuki team set-up by Yukio Kagayama that also includes former MotoGP, WSB and BSB rider Noriyuki Haga.

‘Tsunami Harley-Davidson’ goes on display

John Hopkins — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 18:36:19 +0000

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – On Wednesday the Harley-Davidson Museum unveils a special display featuring Ikuo Yokoyama's Harley-Davidson motorcycle that drifted for more than a year across the Pacific Ocean following the tragic tsunami that devastated parts of northern Japan last year.