Published by Cyril Huze July 21st, 2013
in Books, Builders and Editorial.
It’s the collection of motorcycles that nobody will ever own. The impossible collection of what experts consider the 100 most exceptional motorcycles created during the 20th century. A collection you can get in your living room if you are ready to pay the price. $695.
Why this price? Because this book, as it should be, features very high end photography, the time and expense to find these motorcycles, to set up an appropriate location to shoot each of them, required very fine detail printing with a resolution of 1440 dpi and variable-sized droplet technology as small as 3.7 picoliters, and as you can guess, is published for collectors in extremely limited quantity.
Publishers Prosper and Martine Assouline present themselves as curators of culture. Their ethic is aesthetic. This book, like all those they publish in the domain of art and design, is artfully crafted to be highly considered for its visual content. Much more than paper and images. A very luxury book of motorcycle history and of inspiration unto itself. Ready to invest $695 to own the 100 most exceptional motorcycles of the 20th century? Pre-order at Assouline.
Published by Cyril Huze July 21st, 2013
in Editorial and Events.
Indian of the Twin Cities its I.A.R.G (Indian Arrowhead Riders Group) is organizing an Indian Motorcycle Factory Tour on Friday August 18th. The Ride will Leave at 8am, and travel down to Spirit Lake Iowa for the first ever group tour of the assembly line for the all-new Indian Chiefs. All bikers, all brands of motorcycles are welcome to this event.
The dealership is also organizing its 11th Annual Charity Ride on Sunday August 8th to raise money for school supplies. Ride will be leaving at 11 am sharp. Pre-registration to both events at Indian Of the Twin Cities.
Published by Cyril Huze July 20th, 2013
in Builders, Editorial and Events.
Auctions America is about to auction in Los Angeles several awesome motorcycles including a 1946 Indian Chief formally owned by “The King of Cool” Steve McQueen, as well as a 1911 Indian Model C. This auction, set for August 1-3 at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel, will be covered live by NBC sports with Jay Leno being the guest commentator. Day pass is $20 (children under 12 free). Bidder registration is $100 and includes admission for two for all days.
The story of the 1946 Indian Chief is well documented by the original McQueen Certificate of Authenticity declaring that it was owned by motion picture star Steve McQueen and purchased at the actor’s estate auction held at The Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino November 24 and 25, 1984 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It ran as lot number 622. This document is signed by the actor’s late daughter, Terry and his son, Chad. It also has a copy of the bill of sale from that auction. It is fully documented and in need of nothing. It was completely restored in the early 1990s. A motorcycle with this provenance is a unique collector’s piece, and with consideration that it was owned and ridden by “The King of Cool”, it certainly is an investment opportunity. Continue reading ‘1946 Indian Chief Formerly Owned by Steve McQueen To Be Auctioned’
Published by Cyril Huze July 20th, 2013
in Controls, Customs and Editorial.
New from the creative design studios of Carl Brouhard are the Elite Edge Floorboards. Designed to coordinate with all the Brouhard Designs Elite Products, these oversized floorboards measure 18” x 5” with an edge for personality. All are equip with adjustable mounts allowing them to be placed 1” forward or 1” back for added rider comfort. Continue reading ‘New Elite Floorboards By Carl Brouhard’
Published by Cyril Huze July 20th, 2013
in Builders, Editorial and Events.
Roadsmith Trikes has joined forces with the Sturgis Buffalo Chip® for the first Annual Trike Owners United Ride (T.O.U.R.) set to take place on Wednesday, August 7th at 3:30 PM during the Sturgis rally. The T.O.U.R. all-trike ride will begin in historic Hill City, SD for the start of a scenic 50 mile ride that will culminate with a trike procession through the Buffalo Chip to a special reception at the Russ Brown Events Center. Free of charge, the T.O.U.R. is open to all makes and models of trikes. Riders can pre-register for the event at Buffalo Chip TOUR. www.buffalochip.com/TOUR.
The T.O.U.R. event is a brand new endeavor for the Sturgis Buffalo Chip, giving all trike riders a one-of-a-kind experience at the Sturgis rally. All participants have the opportunity to partake in the group ride on some of the area’s most spectacular roads, enjoy a catered dinner with live entertainment and door prizes, be part of the group photo and have full access to the world-famous Motorcycles as Art exhibition at the Russ Brown Events Center. Registration may be available on the day of the event, however, pre -registration is encouraged due to a limited number of available accommodations. Continue reading ‘Sturgis 2013. First Annual Trike Ride.’
Published by Cyril Huze July 19th, 2013
in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.
Published by Cyril Huze July 19th, 2013
in Customs, Editorial and Wheels.
After chrome and the now quite classic gloss black powder coat, Wana-Ryd Motorcycle is offering its popular Adrenaline wheel model in matte black finish.
This wheel looks great on stock Harleys as well as on full-blown customs. Simple and clean design that will look just as good in 10 years as it does today!
Manufactured from 6061 “virgin” billet aluminum. This model belongs to the Stark-Line Series offering 6 different wheel designs as well as matching rotors in 3 different styles and sizes and matching pulleys (including Cush drives which most other wheel companies still don’t offer.)Available for all 1984-Present Harley-Davidson models, many Victory models as well as other metric cruisers. Contact 888-926-2793 or sales@wanaryd.com or visit Wana-Ryd Website.
Published by Cyril Huze July 19th, 2013
in Editorial.
In honor of the S&S T124 engine’s 10-year anniversary, S&S Cycle is holding T124 Demo Days at the Sturgis Dragway. For 2 days only, Tuesday & Wednesday August 6th & 7th, you are invited to “give ‘er the gas” from a rolling start down the Sturgis eighth mile drag strip. You’d better be ready to hold on!
S&S T124 engine Demo Days is open to licensed drivers 21 years of age or older, and riders must have their own safety equipment (helmets,jackets, boots, gloves and eye protection.)
Needless to say that anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol will not be allowed to participate, and S&S reserves the right to deny access to anyone in the interest of safety. Of course, to keep the lawyers happy, riders will be required to sign a liability waiver, the usual drill for anything fun.
You can pre-sign the waiver by downloading it from www.sscycle.com/demo-days. So come on out to the Sturgis Dragway August 6th and 7th for S&S T124 Demo Days (10 a.m. to noon) and feel the power! Visit: S&S Cycle Demo Days for more info and other happenings at Sturgis Dragway
Published by Cyril Huze July 18th, 2013
in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.
The Biker Belles event, known as the Sturgis preeminent celebration of women in motorcycling has joined forces with moto-celebrity Jessi Combs of “All Girls Garage” and “Overhaulin’”tv shows to create a custom based on a Harley Davidson Slim model generously donated by Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson.
The 5th annual Biker Belles Celebration, a day of Real Women, of Real Stories, and of Real Fun will be held Tuesday August 6t.. The event raises funds for local charities empowering and encouraging girls and women through the community of motorcycling and is also helping Horsepower® and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. This year, tickets for this fun day with friends are sold at a discount to further increase rider participation. The ticket contribution is $45 per person with 100% going directly to the chosen charities. This ride is open to all men, women, riders who support women in motorcycling. Tickets to Tuesday’s concert headliner, Toby Keith, may be purchased separately. They can be purchased at (605) 347-9000 or online at Biker Belles.
The day begins at the Lodge at Deadwood with an inspiring symposium of leading industry women, including Shelly Rossmeyer (co-owner of Bruce Rossmeyere’s Harley Davidson at Destination Daytona), Cris Sommer-Simmons (Motorcycle Hall of Famer), Vicky Sanfilipo (safety advocate), and celebrity rider Kristy Swanson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) among others,. A beautiful ride through the canyons of the Black Hills follows, leading to a special catered reception and a fashion show featuring Harley Davidson Motorclothes® and auction at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip. Continue reading ‘Sturgis Biker Belles Event. Jessi Combs Building Custom Harley To Be Auctioned For Local Charities’
Published by Cyril Huze July 18th, 2013
in Editorial and Events.
GE Capital Retail Bank completed and released the results of their 2nd annual Major Purchase Shopper Study to quantify the importance of online research in 12categories including powersports related purchase such as a motorcycle or related product ($500 or more) . Not surprisingly, empowered by technology, online research has skyrocketed in importance among people preparing to make a purchase.
1- 81% start their search process online (up 20 % from last year)
2- 66% of products online research is made from a computer (desktop, laptop), 15% from a mobile device (smartphones, tablets) for a total of 81%
3- 7% say they used their mobile device to conduct online research while in store.
4- Buyers spend an average of 79 days gathering information before making a major motorcycle purchase.
5- 60 percent of consumers start by searching via a search engine or a motorcycle news website, then go to the retailer’s website.
6- 25% of purchases made as described above are part of a larger project.
7- On average, before making their purchase,.consumers visited 5 unique retailers. At least 3 online merchants or news websites and 2 brick-and-mortar stores. (graph @2013 General Electric Company)
Published by Cyril Huze July 18th, 2013
in Editorial and Videos.
A new TV reality show about motorcycles is running on the Discovery Channel. “Philly Throttle” is featuring Adam Cramer and his motley mechanics restoring, repairing and flipping old bikes in his shop Liberty Vintage Cycles in the rough neighborhood of Fishtown/Philadelphia, PA. As for the message he hopes people take from the show, he says, “Don’t live to work — that’s never going to work for you. Follow what makes you happy. And ultimately if you’re true to it, you will become a success.” But in this video, he worries that the American Spirit has been lost. The show runs On Fridays at 10 p.m. ET with some re-runs during the week, usually on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. ET.
Published by Cyril Huze July 18th, 2013
in Builders and Events.
Los Angeles area based Arch Motorcycle Company, the venture between veteran motorcycle builder Gard Holinger and actor Keanu Reeves\,) is looking for an experienced fabricator. Below the expected required qualifications.
Expert level fabrication skills applicable to the motorcycle industry including, chassis, sheet metal, exhaust, etc… Expert welder, GTAW (Tig) with a broad range of material experience including mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, etc… light to heavy gauge. Familiarity with automated machining and fabrication equipment, ability to learn mid level operator skills of equipment such as Water Jet, manual & CNC Mill, manual and CNC Lathe, etc…Creative problem solver, team player, self starter, motivated, own their own hand tools, etc…High comfort level and understanding of all mechanical aspects of motorcycles past and present. Continue reading ‘Are You An Experienced Motorcycle Fabricator?’
Published by Cyril Huze July 17th, 2013
in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.
Retro-innovation – pairing classic components with modern technology and contemporary design elements – is a growing trend in consumer products development. Last May Local Motors invited the global community of designers, engineers, fabricators and enthusiasts to design a gas-powered bicycle reminiscent of early 20th Century Board Track Racers and Beach Cruisers offering 130-180 mpg fuel efficiency. Participants had to submit concepts combining the aesthetic and functionality of traditional pedal bikes with the performance efficiency of a Honda 48cc 4-stroke engine. All entries have been validated to ensure ‘manufacturability’ and compliance with the challenge submission requirements.
$5,000 in prize money has been awarded to the designers of the top five concepts, as chosen by Local Motors and the Community. In addition to the cash prize, the designer of the first place concept will receive the first production Local Motors Cruiser built from his design. And the top winners are…
1st place: Ariel Cruiser, by Ianis Vasilatos, (vasilatos_ianis), Romania.
2nd place: LM Cruiser, by Nagabhushan Krishna Hegde (neo), India
3rd place: Cruiser Schneider Special, by Andre Costa (Lude), Portugal
4th place: Stealth Cruiser, by Cosmin Mandita (Mandita), Romania
5th place: LM Vintage Cruiser, by Andre Costa (Lude), Portugal
Published by Cyril Huze July 17th, 2013
in Editorial and Events.
A long motorcycle ride on very old motorcycles is the near future for Doobie Brother guitarist Pat Simmons and his wife, Cris Sommer Simmons. On the August 20th, the pair will depart from the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum in Sturgis, South Dakota, and head 1,000 miles east to the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to help Harley-Davidson celebrate their 110th Anniversary. Cris will be riding Effie, her 1915 Harley-Davidson twin motorcycle, and Pat will ride Vinnie, his 1914 Harley two speed. The first Harley-Davidson motorcycle was built in 1903 and 110 years later the legendary brand is still an American icon.
“We’ve always been Harley people, that’s what brought us together”, say’s Cris, three time motorcycle hall of fame inductee, published author and motorcycle journalist. Literally, since they actually met at a Harley-Davidson event in Sturgis in 1989. “We were introduced by a mutual friend, who happened to be a marketing executive for Harley-Davidson” Pat adds “Our mutual love of motorcycles, riding, and the lifestyle, drew us to one another, and we’ve been together ever since.” Continue reading ‘Pat and Cris Simmons Headed To Harley-Davidson’s 110th Anniversary On vintage Mounts’
Published by Cyril Huze July 17th, 2013
in Editorial and Events.
On Monday July 15, 2013 the Sturgis Officials invited residents to a city council to share any concerns they may have with the city taking side with SMRI, the organization currently owner of the Sturgis trademarks, but challenged in court by opponents who allege that these trademarks were fraudulently acquired. Dean Kinney and Ross Lamphere, respectively president and member of SMRI, came to the meeting to present the organization and convince the Sturgis officials that nobody care more about Sturgis than SMRI.
SMRi President Dean Kinney, speaking before the council said “that if SMRi didn’t protect the marks they could be lost to someone else.” As a matter of fact, opponent Jack Hoel, son of “Pappy Hoel” who is considered the founder of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, correctly reminded those present that the rally did pretty well the first 50 years without the greed factor being thrown in by SMRI. The marks never got lost to anyone or to any group…until SMRI acquired it. “Don’t fall for that line” (the name Sturgis could be lost to someone else) added Jack Hoel “We are not best served by one group controlling the words Sturgis or Black Hills.” In 2011, SMRi started a federal lawsuit against Rushmore Photo & Gifts and Wal-Mart, alleging that they have infringed on its trademarks by selling items that say “Sturgis” without getting the permission of SMRi. The courts recently have said that the question should be determined by a jury. Continue reading ‘Will The City Of Sturgis Support SMRI, The Organization Whose Sturgis Trademarks Are Currently Court Challenged?’
Published by Cyril Huze July 17th, 2013
in Builders, Editorial and Events.
Long time we didn’t hear about Motus, the small company from Alabama committed to building American high-performance V4 sport-touring motorcycles that combine heart-racing performance with uncompromising comfort. It’s been a long adventure from concept to prototype to testing/development to production machines. But Motus is almost there. The company states that initial production of their 2 models, the MST ($30,975) and MST-R ($36,975), in underway and that the official launch is set for July 19 to 21 at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (near both Salinas and Monterey), California.
Both bikes are powered by the MV4 and MV4-R Baby Block engines: 1650 cc (100″) liquid cooled cast aluminum 90° V4 w/ steel liners, Cam-in-the-block, 2 OHV, Automotive-style low mass, Low inertia roller rocker arms, Splayed lifters for maximum valvetrain stability, Aluminum cylinder heads. Crate V4’s ($10,220) will start shipping in August to those reserving them now. Below, the video invitation from Motus to the unveiling at Laguna Seca.
Published by Cyril Huze July 16th, 2013
in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.
The 5th edition of the California one-day Vintage Chopper And Classic Cycle Show was held on June 29. Bike show winners were:
Builder’s Choice Award (top). Yaniv “Neevo” Evan from Powerplant Choppers with a custom built Harley Panhead engine cradle in a beautiful hand-made chassis.
Best Of Show (left): Scott “T-Bone” Jones from Noise Cycles. Another rebuilt Panhead (year 1952) with one-off bodywork.
Published by Cyril Huze July 16th, 2013
in Editorial and Events.
Potential AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers are considered in eight categories, each focused on a specific area of achievement: Ambassadors & Industry, Design & Engineering, Dirt Track, Leadership & Motorcycle Rights, Motocross & Supercross, Off-Road, Roadracing and Specialty Competition.
Voting for the 2013 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2013 has been completed and this year’s class is comprised of six individuals who will now be immortalized in the Hall: Ricky Carmichael, Danny Hamel, Norm McDonald, Randy Renfrow and Mike and Dianne Traynor.
“The Greatest of All Time, an AMA and Baja racing standout, a well-known industry business veteran, a multi-talented AMA roadracer and a visionary couple of motorcyclists who started the Ride for Kids program and raised millions of dollars from fellow riders — I can’t think of a more wide-ranging and well-deserving class of inductees,” said Jeffrey V. Heininger, chairman of the AMHF, which oversees the Hall of Fame. Continue reading ‘2013 AMA Motorcycle Hall Of Fame Nominees’
Published by Cyril Huze July 16th, 2013
in Editorial.
A guy walks into a bar with a monkey. The monkey grabbed some olives off the bar and ate them. Then he grabbed some sliced limes and ate them. He then jumped onto the pool table and grabbed one of the balls. To everyone’s amazement, he stuck it in his mouth and somehow swallowed it whole.
The bartender looked at the guy and said, “Did you see what your Monkey just did?” “No, what?” “He just ate the cue ball off my pool table…whole!” “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me,” replied the guy, “he eats everything in sight, don’t worry, I’ll pay for the cue ball.” The guy finished his drink, paid his bill, paid for the stuff the Monkey ate and left. Continue reading ‘Joke Of The Week’
Published by Cyril Huze July 15th, 2013
in Builders, Customs and Editorial.
Published by Cyril Huze July 14th, 2013
in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Wheels.
Although Performance Machine is not the first wheel company to offer a 30″wheel, you can bet that if they do it’s because they are convinced that they can sell quite a few to custom builders hoping that many will follow the very tall wheel trend.
Some will get inspired for their new projects, excited to get a choice of 30″ high quality designs from a leader in wheel engineering. Others will scream at this new American excess offered in Chrome or “Black contrast” Doesn’t matter. Customize the way it pleases you.
The rim is a forged 30″ x 4″ offered in the popular Performance Machine Icon, Luxe, Paramount, Shock, Wrath, and XM Turbo designs. What about the tire? It is made by Vee Rubber and Performance Machine can sell it to you. Each 30″ wheel sold with a 30″ tire will cost you $3450. And PM will mount your tire for an extra $100. Order at 800-479-4037.
Correction added 07/22/2013. PM wants to make the following correction: Cost of the wheel is $3450 in chrome with a tire and $3550 in Contrast Cut Platinum with a tire. Mounnting is FREE! There is no additional charge. The blog post states that mounting is $100
Published by Cyril Huze July 14th, 2013
in Editorial.
They manage my hosting company on the Cloud, make sure my website is online 24/7/365, manage my layout design and content system, check my website interface on several generation operating systems both PC & Mac, block spam traffic and comments from those violating our terms of service, safeguard plug-ins to prevent web hackers, do SEO work (organic only Search Engine Optimization), ping search engines each time I upload a new post. reference daily the most web searched keywords regarding the v-twin motorcycle industry, optimize meta tags and pages loading time, analyze traffic by time of the day, by topic, by article, by US state, by per country, per continent, calculate your visit frequency, gather statistics on the web browser you use, on your browsing location either work or home, on the the resolution of your computer screen, on the speed of your internet connection, manage my subscribers lists (retail, dealers, industry vendors, media), and update them, verify compatibility of updates for readability with different several email programs, daily report to me every morning on all these statistics, design banners for sponsors…and even read your comments. (we never sell or rent your emails.) They are my back end administration team. They work with me since day one, almost 7 years ago. I owe them a lot for the Cyril Huze Post being the World’s Number One Source For Custom Motorcycle Daily News. (I took this picture yesterday without their knowledge, working late on Saturday evening, making sure you can read me this Sunday morning)
Published by Cyril Huze July 13th, 2013
in Editorial and Painters.
David Uhl recently put the finishing touches on “Origins”, his tribute to The Motor Company’s 110th Anniversary in Milwaukee later this summer. As a backdrop of this painting Uhl used the Harley-Davidson museum. “Origins” is now available as a hand-signed, numbered canvas Fine Art print. It will be offered in 3 sizes and will be accompanied by a commemorative 110th plaque and Certificate of Authenticity.
Specifics: Image size 18″ x 24″, edition of 365 plus 30 Artist Proofs and 15 Hors d’ Commerce. Framed price $895. Promotional price (through July 17, 2013) $695 Framed. Image size 24″ x 32″, edition of 365 plus 30 Artist Proofs and 15 Hors d’ Commerce, Framed price $1,895. Promotional price (through July 17, 2013) – $1,495 Framed. Image size 30″ x 40″, edition of 150 plus 15 Artist Proofs and 5 Hors d’ Commerce, Framed price $2,895. Promotional price (through July 17, 2013) – $2,250 Framed
Shipping is additional and specific print number requests will be considered on a first come, first served basis. For those collecting “Origins” and “Chance Encounter”, Uhl Studios will offer matching numbers. To reserve your print, call Greg Rhodes at 303-913-4840
Published by Cyril Huze July 13th, 2013
in Editorial and Events.
The Legends Ride, the, today announced an all-star roster of film, television and motorcycle celebrities ready to meet participants as part of the most anticipated and widely popular events of the annual Sturgis Rally.
The Legends Ride, invites all motorcycle riders and enthusiasts to join R. Lee “The Gunny” Ermey celebrating Victory Motorcycles 15th anniversary, Celebrity Apprentice and Twister Sister front man Dee Snider, heartthrob Kristy Swanson, WWE Hall of Famers Jim “The Hacksaw” Duggan and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine along with the first family in motorcycle customization Arlen, Cory and Zach Ness as well as host of other celebrities, artists and cigar aficionados participating in this epic ride to raise needed funds for the Black Hills Special Olympics and Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame. Tickets for the must-attend Sturgis event are still available by calling (605) 347-9000 or by logging onto Legends Ride. Continue reading ‘Sturgis Buffalo Chip Brings Star Power To The 6th Annual Legends Ride’
Published by Cyril Huze July 12th, 2013
in Builders, Editorial and Events.
In 3 weeks, on August 3rd, the All-New Indian Chief will be unveiled in Sturgis. Before this eagerly anticipated motorcycle event, I summarized a few essential facts you should know.
Orders. Officially, Indian dealers will take orders just after Sturgis or in September although we know that some dealers have already taken many deposits for upcoming official orders.
Manufacturing. Manufacturing will start this coming September with first deliveries to dealers starting, except last minute production issue, sometime during the 3rd quarter of 2013. Both Indian and Victory share the same facilities in Wisconsin for engines manufacturing and in Iowa for assembly, but production are on separate lines with different teams with absolutely no interference between them. At beginning of manufacturing, on a single line, Indian will be able to produce at least 100 motorcycles a day. Shifts can be be multiplied and other production lines can be added on very short notice. All necessary future Indian plants will remain in the US.
Distribution. Indian Motorcycle will have about 150 dealers in the US at the end of 2013, about 60 abroad (Europe, Asia, Australia & New Zealand) with more being added every month. Polaris believes that Victory and Indian are complementary brands having appeal for 2 very different types of bikers. Those taking pride in owning a motorcycle with heritage, looking for performance with traditional overtone will buy Indian. Those looking for modern performance and handling going for a Victory model. Consequently, Polaris believes that both brands can co-exist at the same dealership. Polaris has no issue with a dealer selling both Harley-Davidson and Indian brands. As a matter of fact, at launch, at least 7 dealers will carry both Harley-Davidson and Indian, but as far as I know, on different showroom floors. As I mentioned before, Indian Motorcycle intends to immediately pursue an aggressive expansion strategy abroad. Continue reading ‘All-New Indian Chief Launch. The Clock Is Ticking. What You Need To Know Before The Reveal In Sturgis.’
Published by Cyril Huze July 12th, 2013
in Customs, Driveline and Editorial.
For the detail-oriented riders. Now you can eliminate the silver shadow line visible between a black engine and a black inner primary cover when a standard gasket kit is used. It can be installed any time the primary has been removed for engine service or installation of other accessories.
The black gasket is composed of the same material as the Original Equipment gasket and has the same sealing properties. This kit contains all gaskets and hardware required to reinstall the primary, and fits 2006-later Dyna® and 2007-later Softail®, Touring and Trike models. At your Harley-Davidson Dealer.
