Fast Motorcycle Industry News

A surge In The sale Of Its Bikes Abroad Pushed Triumph Profits Ahead by 50%. Triumph Sold 63,400 Motorcycles In 2017. The 9,400 it sold in the UK represents a record for the company, shrugs off the gloom in the British motorcycle trade where sales this year have fallen by 15 per cent and puts Triumph as the leading big bike brand in the 500cc-plus sector. Triumph is buoyed by the launches of their new Bonneville bikes, with specific praise and recognition being lavished onto the Bobber model.

Harley-Davidson Files Lawsuit Against Clothing Company Affliction. Harley Davidson says Affliction is stealing part of its brand. The suit alleges California-based Affliction Clothing Company is using Harley’s “bar and shield” logo without proper permission. Harley argues the clothing line infringed on the rights to the logo, which is registered to Harley-Davidson. Harley is asking for a jury to determine its case.

Vance & Hines Signs Two-Year Sponsorship Agreement With American Flat Track. Longtime AFT partner Vance & Hines has agreed to a sizable and significant two-year sponsorship renewal with American Flat Track for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The deal makes Vance & Hines once again the Presenting Sponsor of the AFT Twins class for 2018 and 2019. It also names Vance & Hines the Official Exhaust Partner and Official Performance Partner of American Flat Track for those two years. “There’s never been a better time to be involved in Flat Track racing,” said Terry Vance, Chairman of Vance & Hines. “The sport continues to grow and the youth today are buying 750cc twin cylinder motorcycles….and that’s right where Vance & Hines wants to be. This is the best two-wheel racing in the country, and we’re proud to return as the Presenting Sponsor of the AFT Twins class for two more years.”

Harley-Davidson To Spend Half-Million Dollars in 2018 To Win Back The Flat Track Racing Crown From Indian. Harley-Davidson was dealt a stunning upset in 2017 after Indian Motorcycle returned to the circuit following a more-than-60-year absence. With the Scout FTR750 bike, Indian got 14 total wins, 37 podium appearances, and six podium sweeps. In fact, Indian racer Jared Mees alone set a single-season record of 17 podium appearances. The humiliating defeat is undoubtedly why Harley-Davidson, one of the official partners of American Flat Track, recently announced it was posting $562,500 for its 2018 American Flat Track contingency program, the largest contingency ever put up in the 65-year history of flat-track racing. To put that in perspective, two years ago, the bike maker’s entire program was only $96,000.

American Flat Track. Nearly $2 Million In Contingency Posted For 2018 Season. On the heels of record-breaking contingency postings from Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle (two of the biggest in flat track history), American Flat Track is nearing the $2 million mark in rider contingency, with generous postings from long-time series partners and supporters of the sport: Dunlop Motorcycle Tires, Sunoco, Arai Helmet, S&S Cycle, Husqvarna Motorcycles, American Honda, Yamaha Motor Corp., Kawasaki Motor Corp. and more coming soon.

6 Responses to “Fast Motorcycle Industry News”


  1. 1 Tom Ryan Dec 24th, 2017 at 1:10 pm

    It’s amazing that HD sues everyone for the slightest thing, yet, haven’t they been stealing other people’s aftermarket ideas for years?

  2. 2 BOSS HAWG Dec 24th, 2017 at 6:25 pm

    Tom

    I believe “acquired” would be the word.

    Boss Hawg

  3. 3 richards Dec 25th, 2017 at 5:09 pm

    Tom…I think the opposite is the case. If it were not for the motor company, half the aftermarket companies would have never even existed.

  4. 4 Kevin Dec 26th, 2017 at 10:26 pm

    You have to defend your brand mark, what those companies are doing is essentially stealing. That’s just the way it works.

    Gotta love the money pouring into flat track! Nothing but good news!

  5. 5 Woody's Dec 27th, 2017 at 2:47 pm

    I doubt if infringements on the bar and shield are a “little thing” when trademarked items and licensing are multi-million earners. H-D has a habit of sitting back quietly while trademark thieves sell hundreds of thousands of dollars of such items, THEN come down with the hammer. No sense spending 6-figure bucks to collect a few hundred dollar award in a successful litigation.

  6. 6 hark Jan 2nd, 2018 at 1:22 pm

    How in the world can anyone be so stupid as to use the H-D Bar & Shield. Come up with your own stinking idea. That Bar & Shield is tattooed on thousands of riders. “OOP’s…hope they don’t sue me over the tattoo.

Comments are currently closed.
Cyril Huze