Falcon Motorcycles, founded by British bike fanatic Ian Barry, is a company dedicated to creating near-perfect works of two-wheeled art from the stylish bones of old Brit motorcycles. The hatching company won great fame for building the Bullet seen in the gallery above, which is a racing-inspired custom Triumph built for actor Jason Lee. The Bullet took the award for Best Custom Motorcycle at the 2008 Legend Of The Motorcycle Concours, and has inspired Barry and his team of craftsmen on to bigger and better things.

Falcon has recently launched a new, quite-beautiful web space, which details new customs that are still being built. All named for falcons, and based on some of the most hallowed names in motorcycle-dom (BSA, Norton, Royal Enfield, Vincent, and more), we expect the collection to be a rather stunning sight when completed. Click through the link below to learn more about what Falcon is doing, or through our gallery above to browse some of the tasty Bullet images.

+ Falcon Motorcycles

Behold our incomplete list of our favorite motorcycles in the movies. We limited our list to ten, so we know there are scores of other bikes from movies we didn’t mention (Purple Rain, On Any Sunday, Officer and a Gentleman, Blade II, Mask, etc.)

Click through the gallery above, then feel free to add your own favorites to the list in our forums.

Last weekend, Zero Motorcycles gave 50 riders ten of its Zero X electric motorcycles for a 24-hour endurance race in San Jose, California. For Zero, it was a chance to showcase their bikes as true motocross competitors. For others, it was an experiment in EV motorsports. For everyone, it was a lot of good, clean (at least environmentally) fun.

Watch the video above, or follow the link below to read more about the 24 Hours of Electricross.

+ Wired Autopia: Electric Motorcycle Impresses Motocross Crowd

You probably didn’t even know that you really wanted a motorcycle helmet painted to look just like Pac-Man, did you? Thanks be to the gods then, for this inventive DIYer over at Geekologie, who’s provided an illustrated lesson in how to render the effect yourself. The indie chicks are going to really dig it too.

+ Geekologie: Do It Yourself: Pac-Man Motorcycle Helmet

Swedish design firm Fish Design describes its hybrid motorcycle concept as “powerful elegance.” How powerful? They don’t tell us. How elegant? Well, let’s leave that question open to the comment section.

Our two cents: It looks to us like something we would dream about after eating a spicy meatball sandwich just before bedtime.

There’s even a video about the bike. If any of our readers speak Swedish, we’d love to know what the designers are saying. Click through the gallery above to behold the wonder of Fish Design’s
hybrid motorcycle concept, or follow the link below to the source.

+ Fish Design: Motorcycle

Mission Motors’ mission is to “prove to the world that the future of performance is electric.” Exhibit A: the Mission One Electric Motorcycle.

With a top speed of 150 miles per hour, the Mission One is the world’s fastest production electric motorcycle. It features a lithium-ion powered induction motor that produces 100 lb-ft of torque all the way up to 60 miles per hour. The bike has no clutch, no gears, no shifting necessary, and no engine noise, allowing the rider to focus without distraction on navigating the road before them. Sounds pretty Zen to us.

If the sheer performance weren’t enough to hook us, the Mission One has a real time data acquisition feature that allows one to record ride and bike data. One could ride for an hour or so, then pull out their laptop to wirelessly download data such as speed, lean angle, voltage, or efficiency, and use that information to improve upon their next run. The Mission One combines these features with stunning looks, tunable regenerative braking, a range of 150 miles, and a recharge time of two-and-a-half hours from a 220-volt outlet.

Mission Motors seems to understand supply and demand as much as they do electric motorcycle technology; The price tag on the Mission One is $68,995, and only 50 units will be delivered in 2010. Not cheap, but we’re willing to wager that there are plenty of folks who would place a much higher value on this type of riding experience.

As for their mission, Mission has convinced this jury of the viability of electric performance. We’d be happy to take a look at Exhibit B, though.

Click through the gallery above to view the Mission One electric motorcycle, or follow the link below to the company’s site.

+ Mission Motors: Mission One

Craig Vetter, inventor and designer, categorizes his cardboard muffler he constructed in 1965 for his Bridgestone 90 under the heading “Great Ideas that Didn’t Go Anywhere.”

The muffler consisted of three cardboard boxes, one inside of another. Exhaust would leak from the smallest box through a small hole into the next larger box. Vetter put egg cartons between the boxes, and vented it with a cardboard chimney through the top of the box. He strapped the whole thing onto the rack of the motorcycle, and raced around the streets of Champaign, Illinois.

As though he could read our minds, Vetter says of his creation, “it was very quiet, and, no, it never caught on fire.”

The idea may never have gone anywhere in the Sixties, but now may be the time to try again. People might go for a muffler constructed mostly of post-consumer cardboard. Just don’t get it wet.

Also filed under “Great Ideas that Didn’t Go Anywhere”: Vetter’s 2007 energy absorbing device designed to protect the rider when crashing into mountain lions.

Click through the gallery above to view Craig Vetter’s cardboard muffler and cougar absorber.

+Craig Vetter: Great Ideas that Didn’t Go Anywhere

Remember the BMW R7? No? That’s because it was sealed in a box for 70 years.

The R7 was originally built in 1934 as a prototype, and production plans were scrapped as World War II spread across Europe. The R7, which was more heavy and expensive to build than BMW would have liked, was stripped of some useful parts and put away in a box.

In 2005, the R7 was brought back into daylight, and BMW Classic rebuilt the bike, which has suffered corrosion over the years. Now the bike, which many consider a masterpiece ahead of its time, is operational again.

Follow the link below for more information and photos.

We've packed our bags and are ready to head out for the 2009 Chicago Auto Show. But before we put on our sunglasses and hit the open road, it's only fitting that another embargo would break before the McCormick Place doors open. Ford introduced their 2009 F-150 just a few months ago, and we now have the first special edition of their all-new truck: the 2010 F-150 Harley-Davidson. This vehicle marks the fourteenth Harley-Davidson collaboration with the Ford F-Series, though for 2010, the modifications aren't as impressive as in years past.

In the F-150's last generation, the Harley-Davidson edition featured a supercharged V-8 engine, but for 2010, Ford's naturally-aspirated 5.4-liter V-8 is the only powertrain available. Still, Ford has added a raft of appearance upgrades, including a sport suspension, twenty-two-inch forged aluminum wheels, and a model-specific grille. Inside, premium leather seats were designed to mock the actual leather jackets worn by the motorcycle enthusiasts, and Harley-Davidson logos are found on the seats and console, as well as a serialized plate.

We're hoping that Ford boosts the power in coming years, but in the meantime, there's no doubt that the Harley-Davidson F-150 is an attractive and shiny package which we're sure will be a big hit with the motorcycle crowd. Click through the post for Ford's press release.

According to its latest financial report, motorcycle manufacturer KTM will mass-produce an all-electric off-road motorcycle in 2010. The bike, powered by a lithium-ion battery, will have a range of 40 minutes under race conditions, and will combine 29.5 pound-feet of torque with an exceptionally light (198 lb.) package.  Not only will it be able to compete with its gas-powered counterparts, the fact that it runs silently and with zero emissions makes it even more desirable.

Though KTM’s bike follows other electric motorcycles, KTM is the first major manufacturer to reveal details about an electric motorcycle it plans to produce.

+ Hell for Leather: KTM commits to 2010 mass-production of electric motorcycle