Norton Motorcycles Prepares For Production Of U.S. Models With Receipt of EPA Certificate of Conformity. Norton Motorcycles reached its most important U.S. milestone this week with receipt the EPA’s Certificate of Conformity for its model year 2013 Commando 961 series of motorcycles. With the approval in hand, the EPA’s certification process for the U.S. of the Norton Commando 961 Cafe Racer, 961 Sport and 961 SE models is complete. It is a major hurdle for a small specialty manufacturer, and the first approval sought by the new Norton Motorcycles for the USA. Finally, and critically important to Norton is the California Air Resources Board review and approval, which typically follows EPA certification by two or three months.
Erik Buell Racing Could Be Developing 250 cc Motorcycle For Hero Motocorp, the world’s largest two wheeler maker by volumes. Hero MotoCorp is working on a very exciting new product with one of its new technical partner, Erik Buell Racing. This motorcycle could hit the Indian motorcycle market in the later half of 2014, with a global unveil scheduled to happen at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo. The 250cc motorcycle from Hero MotoCorp is expected to be loaded with cutting edge technology and could come with a brand new design philosophy. Given that Hero MotoCorp is entering a segment that has competitors like the Honda CBR250R, the KTM Duke 200 and the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, the sports motorcycle from Hero will face stiff competition right from word go. Apart from the cubic capacity of 250cc, other details about the new sports motorcycle from Hero MotoCorp remains sketchy at this point in time. The new motorcycle is expected to showcase Hero MotoCorp’s technological prowess to the world.
Michigan Man Pleads No Contest To Charges Of Burying Harley-Davidson And Rporting It Stolen. More than three years since he committed his crime, Chad E. Dejongha from Michigan has pleaded no contest to two felonies stemming from his burying of a Harley-Davidson then claiming it was stolen to receive insurance money. The 39-year-old Dejongh in October 2009 reported his Rocker C motorcycle stolen, claiming he last saw it in his yard In September 2011, Dejongh’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Laurie Dejongh, contacted police and said she witnessed him burying the bike on a relative’s Midland County property. She old that she saw her husband using a Kubota tractor to inter the bike in a hole that was about five feet deep, court records show. She told police that Chad Dejongh threatened to kill her if she told anyone. Investigators executed a search warrant on the Midland County location in December 2011, but they did not find the bike. They did locate several smaller motorcycle components in a freshly dug patch of ground where Laurie Dejongh said the bike was buried, court records show. Chad Dejongh initially denied any wrongdoing. He told investigators he bought the Rocker C from Shiawassee Sports Center in Birch Run for $28,000, paying $10,000 down, making $8,000 in payments and putting between $8,000 and $10,000 in custom alterations. The center informed investigators the Rocker C’s listed price was $22,339.53, court records show. His insurance sent a check of $8,445.06 to Dejongh and another for $11,832.42 to an area credit union, court records show. The scam artist will be sentenced on Jan. 7, 2013.
City Of Sturgis. Mayor’s Ride Donates To Sturgis Fire And Police Departments And To National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The City of Sturgis Rally and Events Department is pleased to announce that the 10th Annual Sturgis Mayor’s Ride held Monday, August 6th, during the 2012 Sturgis® Motorcycle Rally, raised $13,000 for the Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department, $4,000 for the Sturgis Police Department Reserves and $250 for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The Mayor’s Ride was created to be a funding source for the Sturgis Fire Department, a volunteer organization that plays a vital role in the Rally by not only keeping fire emergencies under control but also responding to accident scenes and other medical emergencies. This year Mayor Mark Carstensen chose to also fund two other organizations, the Sturgis Police Reserves and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
It took the Sturgis rally almost 4 months to count the dollars from the mayors ride.amazing for a operation that collects sales tax from vendors before they lave town.
If I had bought a Rocker I would have buried it also!
I’m buying a shovel……
Watch out the “Snortin Norton” is comming!
Insurance fraud is one of the reasons the rates are so damn high
make an example out of him !!!!
That’s all of what the Mayor ride took in at Sturgis?
And like Rodent it took this long to count it?
Either the Mayor needs to do some upgrades to his ride
or they need to get a new person to count the $$$$$
Congrats to Norton. Now, how about running an actual Norton at the Isle of Man TT instead of an Aprilla engine, wrapped by a custom suspension and frame. I just can’t believe they won a technology award for a bike that was in no way what they sell.
Also, congrats to Eric Buell who has been working with Hero as a major sponsor of the Eric Buell Racing team on the AMA circuit. Hopefully the “consulting” will result in some much needed capital at Eric Buell Racing and their efforts to return to the market with their own products, including merchandise, which could also help fund the EBR motorcycle efforts.