Harley-Davidson is working to broaden its appeal to a more culturally diverse clientele with models easier to afford if you are young and easier to ride if you are female. But the mostly old white men, dominantly owners of Harley dealerships in the US, don’t match very well with the combined growing population of minorities […]
Archive for the 'Builders' Category
Did You Know? Harley-Davidson Is Looking For More Dealer Diversity.
Published by August 19th, 2015 in Builders and Editorial.Royal Enfield To Set Up Showrooms In The US
Published by August 18th, 2015 in Builders, Editorial and Events.Royal Enfield, originally, a British motorcycle company and now a subsidiary of Eicher Motors based in India is targeting in North America the mid-size market segment between the Harley Davidsons and Indians on the one end and the regular 200 cc bikes on the other. To implement this strategy, Royal Enfield has already set up […]
Youngsters in the business of custom building need cheap donor motorcycles. First to be able to auto finance their builds, second to find clients their age who can afford to buy their makeovers. A plethora of little unloved bikes are available for this purpose, especially in the category of low cc commuter bikes of the […]
Joe Merkel started to design motorcycle engines in 1902 and built his first motorcycle in 1903 using his own 316 cc single cylinder engine. He created his own company in 1908 under the name of Light Manufacturing and Foundry Company and produced motorcycles (single and two-ylinder engines) under the trademark “Merkel Light” It was acquired […]
Customizing A Harley Street Model
Published by August 14th, 2015 in Builders, Customs, Editorial, Engines, Exhaust and Wheels.Harley-Davidson’s line of affordable 500 and 750 Street models targets millennials, women and other first-time riders. And the manufacturer wants to inspire personalization. Delivered with a full dose of Dark Custom™ attitude, the Street is a blank page of American steel ready for every rider to fill in. And to get that project started, Harley-Davidson® Genuine Motor Parts & […]
During The 75th Sturgis Rally, Record Sales At Black Hills Harley Davidson. Last year Black Hills Harley Davidson sold a record 376 bikes in a two week span during the rally. This year they would have sold 525 bikes! Nearly 75% of bikes sold this year include a trade. The top selling bike at Black […]
The Top 1 Ack Attack Streamliner Motorcycle Will Race In Bonneville To Defend Their Land Speed Record Title And Attempt 400 MPH
Published by August 14th, 2015 in Builders, Editorial and Events.Quality of salt permitting, the Top 1 Ack Attack team will compete at the world famous Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials, AMA Land Speed Grand Championship, in Utah on August 29 to September 3, 2015. Mike Akatiff, the engineer who built the Ack Attack, and his crew are excited to get back out on the Bonneville Salt Flats […]
Norton Unveiled Plans For A 200HP, 1200cc, V4-Powered Superbike.
Published by August 12th, 2015 in Builders, Editorial and Events.It’s a big surprise in the motorcycle industry. Norton is contemplating manufacturing a V4-powered superbike to compete with the Ducati 1299 Panigale and the Superleggera IS. Norton’s Head of Design, Simon Skinner says that “It has been something we’ve wanted to do as a brand since 2009. When I first started with Norton we had […]
In Sturgis, one of my favorite custom bikes and appropriately one deserving (literally) the red carpet treatment is this copper chopper by Jesse James. A built-from-the-ground up custom motorcycle that I would have liked to feature with pictures shot in studio (to not alter the awesome bodywork copper reflections with those of parasite objects around […]
Erik Buell Racing. Hero Confirmed As Owner Of EBR’s Technology And Design Operation. Atlantic Metals Group LLC Now Owns All Manufacturing Operations And Will Restart Production.
Published by August 8th, 2015 in Builders, Editorial and Events.On Thursday August 6, 2015 Hero MotoCorp has been confirmed by the court as the owner of Erik Buell Racing’s technology and design consulting operation. At the same time a bid of 2.25 million by a new Jersey company named Atlantic Metals Group LLC for all EBR’s machinery and tools has also been approved. Until […]
Consultants recommended That Polaris Spend $41 million To Build A New Paint Facility At Their Spirit Lake, Iowa Motorcycle Plant. Companies routinely boast of relentless cost-cutting drives. During the Polaris 2nd quarter results announcement, Scott Wine, chief executive officer of Polaris Industries Inc., spent much of his time explaining what he called an excessive attempt […]
And If Tesla Was Creating An Electric Motorcycle…
Published by August 7th, 2015 in Builders and Customs.The car manufacturer doesn’t intend to build an electric motorcycle. But you never know about tomorrow or after tomorrow. An English independent designer named Jans Slapins created a virtual concept of what could be a Tesla electric motorcycle. Dubbed the model M (following Tesla moniker), he suggests that the vehicle could be driven by four […]
Sturgis 1st Annual RSD “Built For The Ride” Bike Show
Published by August 4th, 2015 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.The show was about bikes built to haul ass on the street, the dirt, the racetrack or just about anywhere else. I will show you the bikes later (need some sleep…). But a few postcards from this event. (photography Paul McKelvey “Shooter’s Images” for Cyril Huze)
In Sturgis 35 Custom Builders Bare It All At The Michael Lichter’s Naked Truth Exhibition.
Published by August 3rd, 2015 in Builders, Customs and Events.Every year the Sturgis Buffalo Chip’s indoor Motorcycles as Art exhibition by Michael Lichter presents a changing conceptual theme that brings together the most innovative collection of groundbreaking custom bikes from today’s premier builders. This year’s exhibition lays bare the raw talent of 35 world-renowned bike builders. Each of these rolling metal sculptures is displayed […]
Jesse James At The 75th Sturgis Rally. New Custom Bikes And New Guns On Display.
Published by August 1st, 2015 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.If you like Jesse’s custom bikes and parts and if you are into guns, make a pit stop at his display downtown Sturgis. Jesse tells me he will be on location from this coming Monday August 3rd to Thursday the 6th from 2 p.m. to whatever time his schedule and mood decide… Jesse’s display will […]
Difficult to guess that a Yamaha 650 was the platform used for this gorgeous custom creation and to imagine the amount of work involved to arrive to such apparent simplicity. A lowered neck, a gorgeous one-piece hand made stainless aluminum gas tank, flowing handcrafted exhaust and a set of 19” spoke wheels. The proof again […]
Harley-Davidson Opens Harley-Davidson Rally Point And Kicks-Off The 75th Annual Sturgis Rally.
Published by July 31st, 2015 in Builders, Editorial and Events.Choosing steel and torches over ribbons, Harley-Davidson ignited its presence for the grand opening of the Harley-Davidson Rally Point and the official kick-off to the 75th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Today July 31, 2015 marks the first of a 75-year partnership between Harley-Davidson and the city of Sturgis as the rally’s official motorcycle. The event was sparked […]
Upcoming 75th Sturgis Rally. Five Things People Are Talking About.
Published by July 31st, 2015 in Builders, Editorial and Events.1- How Many Will Be In And Around The Black Hills? 1 Million As Announced? Most say that 1 million people are expected to converge on western South Dakota. Why is it that some anniversaries ending in 0 andr 5, like this year’s 75th Sturgis Rally edition, are perceived as being more important than other […]
Norton Motorcycles To Receive $6.2 Million Funding From UK Government
Published by July 31st, 2015 in Builders and Events.The £4 million ($6.2 million) funding announced by UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne will support 600 new jobs in a major boost to help British motorcycle manufacturing.. Of the new jobs, 159 are direct employment at Norton Motorcycles, with the company expected to expand to 600 across Norton and its partners including 200 […]
Confirmed. Hero MotoCorp Proposal To Acquire All Erik Buell Racing Assets For 2.8 Million.
Published by July 30th, 2015 in Builders, Editorial and Events.Erik Buell Racing (EBR) abruptly ceased operations last April. At that time Hero MotoCorp, through its US-based wholly owned subsidiary HMCL (NA) Inc, owned 49.2% of EBR, shares that the company acquired in 2013. As I announced last week, India based MotoCorp Hero proposed a settlement to acquire all the tangible and intangible assets of […]
Victory’s New Electric Motorcycle. The 2016 Victory Empulse TT. Triple-Digit Speeds In Relative Silence.
Published by July 29th, 2015 in Builders and Events.Polaris sees electric as an important part of the company and is in the future of all their vehicles. As a proof, after working with Brammo for three years Victory is launching the 2016 Victory Empulse TT, a road-legal electric motorcycle featuring race proven electric power with the quickest charging battery on the market and […]
Indian Motorcycle To Debut 2016 Models At Sturgis Rally. Preview.
Published by July 28th, 2015 in Builders, Editorial and Events.Indian Motorcycle® announced its lineup of Model Year 2016 motorcycles. Sturgis attendees are invited to experience the new bikes at the Indian Motorcycle factory display on Lazelle St. through the rally, or to experience them firsthand with a factory demo ride at 2100 Whitewood Service Road (I-90 at Exit 30) from Saturday, August 1 – […]
The experience of the Mexican-Americans in the United States, their cultural, ethnic and community pride forged the “Chicano” identity. And a style applied to many forms of art easily identifiable since many years on custom cars and bicycles and more recently on motorcycles. It is my opinion that it would take only 8 to 10 […]
75th Sturgis Rally. The 7 Bike Shows At The Sturgis City Park.
Published by July 26th, 2015 in Builders, Customs and Events.The Sturgis City Park will host no less than 7 Bike Show Competitions! The City Park is located at 599 Lazelle St. Sturgis, SD. Saturday August 1. 1st Annual RSD “Built For The Ride” Bike Show. 1 p.m 4 p.m. For bikes that are built to haul ass on the street, the dirt, the racetrack […]
Darker Than Dark. Making the Indian Dark Horse Even Darker
Published by July 24th, 2015 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.Black, the new Indian Motorcycle Red? The factory Indian Dark Horse has silver metallic parts (for ex. high flow air cleaner, the fender trim, the fuel gauge and fuel cap) asking for a darker treatment for those looking for an even more agressive and meaner machine. Owners can switch to black Ape Hanger handlebars giving […]
