Sweden-based Koenigsegg is known for its outlandishly fast sports cars. This 1090 Motorcycle Concept imagines what might happen if they focused on just two wheels. Created by Maksim Burov, the design is purely conceptual, with no hypothetical specifications offered up. But you can imagine an ideal tech sheet…
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Harley-Davidson Refuses Military Wife’s Late Payment…
Published by October 31st, 2017 in Editorial and Events.
When Harley-Davidson dealership owner Dennis Packee wrote a letter to a soldier’s wife, he never expected it to go viral. He was only trying to reach out to an individual who he knew was going through a struggle. And although he wrote the letter from his heart, he could never have guessed that it would touch so many thousands when it was later shared online.
Before he was deployed overseas, Christopher Walters rented a space to store his motorcycle at Reiman’s Harley-Davidson. While he was away, his wife Jaime failed to stay on top of the rental space payments. With two children to watch over, she was overwhelmed with all the responsibility now that Christopher had left for his tour of duty.
Because unexpected problems popped up, Jaime fell behind on the Harley-Davidson payments. And when she realized her mistake, she sent the late check in the mail with a long apology. Now Dennis Packee’s response has gone viral…In her letter, Jamie explained why the payment was late. And when Dennis read her reason, he refused to take her money. He knew that she needed it more than him. You send that money back to her,” he told his office employee.
Decades ago, Dennis was almost drafted into the Vietnam War. But when he had his medical examined, he was discharged. Since then, he has understood the sacrifices the men and women who serve America make on a regular basis. And Dennis has always been looking for creative ways to give back. When he saw Jamie’s letter and late payment, he knew this was one of those opportunities. Continue reading ‘Harley-Davidson Refuses Military Wife’s Late Payment…’
L.E.D. Accent For Harley Rushmore Batwing Fairing
Published by October 31st, 2017 in Customs, Editorial and Electrical.
This new L.E.D. Fairing Vent adds L.E.D. styling to Harley-Davidson batwing fairings. This accent is illuminates H-D’s Slipstream vent with bright white L.E.D.s that emit a soft glow to enhance style and rider visibility. This vent covers the plain flat black vent with durable injection-molded ABS available in smooth chrome or gloss black finishes. Easy installation with plug-&-play wiring. Chrome P/N 5053 or Gloss Black P/N 5054 – MSRP: $79.99. Kuryakyn Fairing Vent Accent.
A 2018 Custom Harley Breakout To Devour Asphalt
Published by October 30th, 2017 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.
The Harley Breakout is part of the new generation of factory cruisers benefiting from the 2018 Softail all-new chassis, lighter and 34% stiffer than before, with new adjustable mono shock rear suspension. In the front, a new Showa® SDBV® suspension technology providing the performance of a racing-style cartridge fork with linear damping characteristics. The 2018 Breakout, with its factory dragster style attitude now offers increased lean angles, sharper turn-in response and quicker accelerations. It’s a great canvas for personalization, to add more muscle to its hard riding stance and to show the street what you are made of…
As I already explained before in several posts, there is an unofficial competition between Harley dealers to be the first to customize one of the eight 2018 all-new Softail® models. This bike by Thunderbike Customs seems to be the first fully customized 2018 Breakout appearing on the custom scene. Powered by the new Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine ((1,868 cc) this Breakout is ready to devour asphalt with real street muscle. Continue reading ‘A 2018 Custom Harley Breakout To Devour Asphalt’
CEO Matthew S. Levatich Sold 19,447 shares Of the Harley-Davison Stock
Published by October 29th, 2017 in Editorial and Events.
In a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 25th Harley-Davidson CEO Matthew S. Levatich sold 19,447 shares of the business stock HOG. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.36, for a total transaction of $940,456.92.
Following the completion of the transaction, the Chief Executive Officer now directly owns 88,646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,286,920.56.
The stock HOG has a 50 day moving average price of $47.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.26. Harley-Davidson, Inc. has a 12 month low of $45.25 and a 12 month high of $63.40.
A few models already on the market to help you clean the rear of your bike with the sprocket and rear brake on the same side.
This model come with a billet polished aluminum or black anodized 2-piston caliper, a stainless steel bracket (available in polish), a 51 tooth stainless steel sprocket, a welding tab, and all the necessary hardware.
Can be fitted both, left and right side, with a 3/4” or 1” wheel axle. EUR 760,00 At Kustom Tech.
Little Bruce and Jenny are only 10 years old, but they know they are in love. One day they decide that they want to get married, so Bruce goes to Jenny’s father to ask him for her hand.
Bruce bravely walks up to him and says, “Mr. Smith, me and Jenny are in love and I want to ask you for her hand in marriage.”
Thinking that this was just the cutest thing, Mr. Smith replies, “Well Bruce, you are only 10. Where will you two live?” Without even taking a moment to think about it, Bruce replies, “In Jenny’s room. It’s bigger than mine and we can both fit there nicely.”
Mr. Smith says with a huge grin, “Okay, then how will you live? You’re not old enough to get a job. You’ll need to support Jenny.” Again, Bruce instantly replies, “Our allowance, Jenny makes five bucks a week and I make 10 bucks a week. That’s about 60 bucks a month, so that should do us just fine.”
Mr. Smith is impressed, Bruce has put so much thought into this. “Well Bruce, it seems like you have everything figured out. I just have one more question. “What will you do if the two of you should have little children of your own?” Bruce just shrugs his shoulders and says, “Well, we’ve been lucky so far.”
Mr. Smith no longer thinks the little shit is adorable!
The Very Appealing 2018 Softail Street Bob
Published by October 27th, 2017 in Builders, Editorial and Events.
Your first reactions show me that it may be for most of you the most attractive model of the 2018 Harley-Davidson Softail lineup. Harley describes the brand new Street Bob as a “bare-bones bike with a go-anywhere DNA, a fists-in-the-wind attitude and nothing extra to weigh it down.” It has the lowest MSRP in the Softail lineup, starting at $14,999 in vivid black, $15,249 for two-tone.(ABS option is $795 but Security System is standard)
It features a low profile with a total of 17-pound weight reduction versus previous model, a smooth-top 3.5-gallon fuel tank, black spoke wheels with chopped fenders, a low-profile, mid-mount controls, street riser-mounted digital instrument screen, an under seat spanner wrench for easy adjustable rear shock pre-load settings, and all the new technology featured on all other 2018 Softail models, Keyless ignition and security system. The Street Bob is powered by the Milwaukee-Eight® 107 V-Twin engine.
Shot on an Austrian mountain road. Photo copyright Horst Roesler.
Cut The Cord. New Harley-Davidson Module Allows Riders To connect Wirelessly.
Published by October 26th, 2017 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Electrical.
Taking on the open road on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle just got easier with the launch of its new Wireless Headset Interface Module (P/N 76000768, $299.95*). Using Bluetooth® wireless technology, the wireless interface permits full access to the multitude of Infotainment features of the Boom! Audio 6.5GT radio on ’14-later Touring and Trike motorcycles without the hassle of being connected to the bike. Discreetly mounted inside the fairing, the module connects directly into the radio. Intuitive technology ensures safe, controlled riding as users seamlessly move through music, phone, CB, navigation and intercom features through a separately-purchased Bluetooth®-enabled headset. Continue reading ‘Cut The Cord. New Harley-Davidson Module Allows Riders To connect Wirelessly.’
At the time when 2-stroke motorcycles were king, from the mid 60’s to the mid 70’s, the Suzuki T500 Titan (1968-1976) was the perfect commuter bike. Lightweight, flawless, extremely reliable, bullet proof in the extreme cold or heat, with better brakes than its competitors. In 1970 for the price of $899, you got a 492cc 2-stroke air-cooled parallel twin with a top speed of 105 mph and 50 mpg. It is now considered one of the most underrated motorcycles of all time. You can get one today for a price of $1200 to $3000. (photography @ Doug Mitchel)
Riot Floorboards And Mini Boards By Kuryakyn
Published by October 25th, 2017 in Controls, Customs and Editorial.The new Riot Floorboards deliver a rugged motocross-inspired aesthetic without sacrificing form or function for your bagger. This heavy-duty MX-styled components are manufactured from single aluminum castings and feature a raised toothed top surface for surefooted traction to run Riot on the streets. The tapered profile from front to back provides ample foot room and positioning, while still offering enough cornering clearance for aggressive riding. Available as direct replacements for most early and late-model Harley-Davidson® FL models, Riot Floorboards come in specially coated bead-blasted satin silver or satin black finishes and are the perfect counterpart to the rest of the Riot collection from Kuryakyn.
Paul Aiken from Aeromach USA explains that got a request from a Scout rider for this debris shield when his oil cooler was punctured and oil was leaking out of the bike, making for a dangerous and potentially very costly situation. The Debris Shield is laser cut and formed from 1/8” thick 5052 grade aluminum plate. Retail price is $45.99 and it can be ordered at many Indian Motorcycle dealers, or online at Chrome Indian, or by calling 800-990-9392.
Lower Tank Panels For Harley Tourers
Published by October 25th, 2017 in Accessories, Customs and Editorial.
The design theme of these lower tank panels is called Neo Fusion. These lower tank panels will dress all Harley touring bikes from 2009 and up.
And if you like this theme, it is offered on many other touring custom parts, from saddlebag latches, to grips to mirrors to the ignition switch.
Offered in Black Machine or polished. MSRP 87.00. See them and order online at Ken’s Factory USA. or through Drag Specialties.
Grand National Slip-ons For M8 Powered 2018 Softail Fat Bob®
Published by October 24th, 2017 in Customs, Editorial and Exhaust.The latest from the motor company deserves an exhaust note worthy of the Milwaukee-Eight platform. S&S Cycles has stepped up with their race inspired Grand National Slip-ons For the new 2018 Softail Fat Bob to get the job done. Tuneable baffle inserts allow you to adjust sound and back pressure to best suit your style and performance needs. Combined with the S&S Stealth air cleaner, you get 12% gain in Hp and a 6% bump in torque.
Aluminum tip and ceramic finish round out a solid performance package that is still emissions legal in all 50 states. Check out the S&S site for more info, including images and sound files. For more info click HERE.
• Up to 12% more horsepower and 6% more torque(when used with Stealth Air Cleaner Kit
• Race-inspired design
• Black ceramic finish
• Removable dB reducer for back pressure and sound tuning
• Meets J2825 levels for sound
• All hardware included
• Deep performance rumble replaces stock whisper tone
• 50-State lega
Polaris 2017 Third Quarter Results. Return To Profitable Growth.
Published by October 24th, 2017 in Builders, Editorial and Events.
Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) this morning reported third quarter 2017 sales of $1,478.7 million, up 25 percent from $1,185.1 million for the third quarter of 2016. Adjusted sales, which excludes the impact from Victory Motorcycles® net sales for the third quarter of 2017, were $1,480.3 million for the 2017 third quarter, up 25 percent. The Company reported third quarter 2017 net income of $81.9 million, or $1.28 per diluted share, compared with net income of $32.3 million, or $0.50 per diluted share, for the 2016 third quarter. The reported net income includes costs related to the wind down of Victory Motorcycles, certain Transamerican Auto Parts (“TAP”) integration costs, and manufacturing network realignment costs. Adjusted net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2017, excluding these costs, was $93.5 million, or $1.46 per diluted share.
Motorcycle segment sales, including PG&A, totaled $155.1 million, a decrease of 14 percent compared to $181.2 million reported in the third quarter of 2016 which included $39.4 million of Victory Motorcycle wholegood, accessory and apparel sales. Indian motorcycle wholegood sales increased in the low twenty percent range in the third quarter driven by new product introductions and improving brand awareness. This increase somewhat offset lower Slingshot® sales. Gross profit for the third quarter of 2017 was $10.4 million compared to $20.3 million in the third quarter of 2016. Adjusted for the Victory Motorcycles wind down costs of $7.6 million, motorcycle gross profit was $17.9 million, down from the third quarter last year due primarily to lower Slingshot volume.
North American consumer retail demand for the Polaris motorcycle segment, including Indian Motorcycle and Slingshot, was up mid-single digits percent during the 2017 third quarter. Indian Motorcycles increased retail sales 16 percent, partly driven by new model introductions including the new Chieftain Elite and Limited models and Roadmaster Classic. Indian Motorcycle market share surpassed the ten percent mark in September. Slingshot’s retail sales were down although the rate of decline decelerated during the quarter. Motorcycle industry retail sales, 900cc and above, were down high-single digits percent in the 2017 third quarter. Continue reading ‘Polaris 2017 Third Quarter Results. Return To Profitable Growth.’
The J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show. Tour Dates.
Published by October 24th, 2017 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.
The motorcycle builder competition will be stopping at 7 cities across the USA. As usual, at each tour stop, it will feature the talents of of dozen of local professional and amateur builders competing for cash and product prizes valued at $50,000, the largest purse of any competition in the United States.
Classes include Freestyle, Modified Harley, Modified Custom and Modified Street – PLUS the People’s Choice Award, Hot Bike Magazine Editor’s Choice Award and the Street Chopper Magazine Best Chopper Award. Registration by going HERE.
Long Beach, CA November 17-19, 2017. New York, NY December 1-3, 2017. Minneapolis, MN December 8-10, 2017. Cleveland, OH January 26-18, 2018. Dallas, TX February 2-4, 2018. Chicago, IL February 9-11, 2018. Washington, DC February 23-25, 2018.
Built For Veterans. 1844 Pabst Blue Ribbon Chopper.
Published by October 23rd, 2017 in Builders, Controls and Editorial.
There is a lot of support from the motorcycling community when it comes to charities and other nonprofit organizations. Everything from rehabilitation for disabled riders, to support for bikers in financial difficulties because of health issues and medical bills, to helping service members, veterans and their families.
Over the 11 years of its existence, Brass Balls Cycles is probably one of the custom shops in the US having built the largest number of bikes providing help and raising money for those in need among our soldier veterans. This new project was built by Dar Holdsworth of Brass Balls Cycles on a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer theme and raffled (congratulations to winner Ken Miller) in conjunction with Warriors For Freedom, an organization committed in programs dedicated to our veterans.’
Pabst Blue Ribbon is of course the American lager beer sold by Pabst Brewing Company, established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1844 and currently based in Los Angeles. Originally called Best Select, and then Pabst Select, the current name comes from the blue ribbons tied around the bottle neck between 1882 and 1916. After a two decade-long slump the beer experienced a sales revival in the early 2000’s largely due to its increasing popularity among urban hipsters
Pabst Blue Ribbon is the brew that unites hipsters (thrifty boozers) ,just as much as it divides people who hate hipsters (serious beer drinkers) So is this 1844 PBR Chop a hipster bike? I let you judge…
Dar says: “This wasn’t to be one of our new, groundAup production custom bikes. This bike had to be unique, a bike with a soul, a bike that could be remade into something special”. He got started with a 1973 Sportster Ironhead which was generously donated by “Rebel Rock Entertainment founder” Jim Jonsin. The bike had been parked outside in south Florida in salty air for the past 20 years! But it’s a great vintage Harley motor to start from, and for the purists this engine is considered the main reason for the enduring success of the Sportster. After the donor bike was disassembled, almost all parts were discarded and only engine and front end were preserved.
The makeover started with a complete tear down of the 1973 motor, for cleaning, blasting, restoring tired parts when possible and replacing too damaged ones. Time consuming but worth it when you see it cradled in a one-off brand new rigid chassis built by Led Sled Choppers, complete with steel rear fender and oil tank installed. Many other talented and generous industry friends were enlisted and deserve to be mentioned here: Gus at Outlaw Polishing for bringing back the shine on motor, primary and several other parts, Hix Design for the seat work, Avon Tires, David at Custom Powder Coat of chassis candy powder coating, TC Bros for the Art-deco air cleaner, the Foot Control and Bars and Tag bracket, Manny at Manny’s Fineline for Killer paint job. Special thanks to Dar’s right hand Brian for doing again a solid job putting the puzzle together. Brass Balls Cycles (photos @ Tyler Wolff for Cyril Huze)
Postcards From 25th Daytona Biketoberfest
Published by October 22nd, 2017 in Builders, Customs and Events.
Arnott® Introduces Smooth Air Ride Kits For the ’05-’17 Harley-Davidson Sportster®
Published by October 21st, 2017 in Customs, Editorial and Suspension.
Arnott Motorcycle Air Suspension introduces a $599 affordable Smooth Ride motorcycle air suspension kits for the 2005 to 2017 Sportster® line. They offer a crisp, sporty ride plus the luxury of inflating or deflating the rear shocks with an onboard switch.
Ideal for shorter riders or those who are looking for a slammed look while parked, these Smooth Ride kits offer a full 2.25 inches in travel. Riders can rest flat-footed while stopped or maneuvering the bike for parking. Then, with a flick of the onboard toggle switch, the bike can be raised or lowered.
At the core of this system are Arnott’s custom-tuned, high pressure nitrogen-charged dampers. These dampers keep the rear tire in constant contact with the road. This constant contact gives riders the flexibility of setting the rear suspension height based on weight, height, road conditions, and preference, helping ensure safety through enhanced control and stability. Continue reading ‘Arnott® Introduces Smooth Air Ride Kits For the ’05-’17 Harley-Davidson Sportster®’
“If you make a mistake, own it and move quickly to fix it”
Tooey Courtemanche
Harley-Davidson Riding Academy Creates Active Pilots
Published by October 20th, 2017 in Builders and Editorial.
Matt Levatich, Managing Director of Harley Davidson, said Riding Academy trained over 19,000 riders in the third quarter. Now the total is 51,000 units. The Harley Davidson Riding Academy expands the attractiveness of new pilots and is an essential part of the company’s strategy said Matt Levatich, President.
One of our key goals of the Harley Davidson Riding Academy is to improve its effectiveness in creating active pilots. In this way, sales of motorcycles increased by two digits compared to the previous year. Harley Davidson recorded a 2.04% increase in profit and a fall in sales in the quarter, although the results exceeded expectations. Earnings per share were 40 cents, down from 64 cents last year. Milwaukee company’s sales were $962.1 million, down from $1.09 billion last year.
An engineer dies and reports to the pearly gates. St. Peter checks his dossier and says, “Ah, you’re an engineer, you’re in the wrong place.” So the engineer reports to the gates of hell and is let in. Pretty soon, the engineer gets dissatisfied with the level of comfort in hell, and starts designing and building improvements. After a while, they’ve got air conditioning, flush toilets and escalators, and the engineer is becoming a pretty popular guy.
One day God calls Satan up on the telephone and asks with a sneer, “So, how’s it going down there in hell?” Satan replies, “Hey, things are going great. We’ve got air conditioning, flush toilets and escalators, and there’s no telling what this engineer is going to come up with next.”
God replies, “What? You’ve got an engineer? That’s a mistake, he should never have gotten down there, send him up here.” Satan says, “No way! I like having an engineer on the staff, and I’m keeping him.” God says, “Send him back up here or I’ll sue.” Satan laughs uproariously and answers, “Yeah right. And just where are you going to get a lawyer?”
Note A Joke. The Teutuls Back In 2018 On Discovery Channel For New American Chopper Series.
Published by October 19th, 2017 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.
Almost six years after American Chopper closed up shop, Discovery Channel is bringing the Teutuls back to television. The network announced Wednesday the return of American Chopper to its lineup in winter 2018.
“American Chopper was one of Discovery’s most popular series ever,” said Rich Ross, Group President of Discovery.
Father-son duo Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr. will once again allow cameras into their lives as they as they try to outdo each other building custom motorcycles, Paul Sr. at Orange County Choppers and Paul Jr. at his own establishment, Paul Jr. Designs.
Zero Motorcycles Announces 2018 Line. 6x Faster Charging and 10% More Range.
Published by October 19th, 2017 in Editorial.
Zero Motorcycles, the global electric motorcycle leader in electric motorcycles and powertrains designed and crafted by hand in California, just announced the release of its 2018 model line. Zero once again increased battery capacity and range, and launched a new high-speed on-board charger option that increases charging speeds by 6X.
Zero has consistently produced the electric vehicle industry’s most energy and power dense battery packs and they have extended their leadership position again by boosting their Z-Force® battery’s energy capacity by more than 10%.
For 2018, Zero introduces three new batteries, the ZF14.4, ZF7.2, and ZF3.6 batteries offering more range and better performance than any two wheel electric vehicle currently on the market. When equipped with the optional range extending ZF3.6 Power Tank, Zero models offer the longest range of any two wheel EV on the market with a city range of up to 223 miles. Zero’s advanced lithium-ion batteries are maintenance free and backed by an industry leading five-year, unlimited mileage, warranty.
Other performance enhancements for 2018 include:
– Zero models with the compact and lighter-weight ZF7.2 batteries offer 11% more rear wheel torque.
– The ZF13.0 Zero S and Zero DS have been fine tuned to deliver up to 30% more power and torque to amp up acceleration at highway speeds.
For more details about Zero’s 2018 line or to see the new motorcycles at a dealer near you, visit Zero Motorcycles.
