“Augusta and Adeline Van Buren (related to President van Buren) grew up as Society Girls who eventually married, raise families, and held jobs. But that’s not the whole story. Raised in New York City, they sound like stereotypes of their time. Except that on July 4, 1916 they left from Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn and trekked west on two Power Plus Indian motorcycles equipped with gas headlights. Continue reading ‘Biker Lifestyle Versus Biker Experience’
January 20 is inauguration day for President-Elect Barack Obama. The week of festivities will include the Presidential Swearing-in Ceremony, Inaugural Address and of course the Inaugural Parade. The Frederick, MD Harley-Davidson dealership competed with others across the nation to win the honor to provide the 12 Harleys leading this inaugural parade through the streets of Washington, D.C. as the world watches. The factory bikes, sidecars, decals, lights arrived in Frederick in October. Each motorcycle then takes about 40 hours of work and special preparation. Multiply that by 12 motorcycles, and 480 hours of labor goes into the.price tag. The cost of the entire contract was just under $300,000. It came out to about $26,000 or $27,000 a vehicle. After the festivities Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police will use these “Presidential Harleys” daily to patrol the city.
It has only be seen in Daytona this past Biketoberfest for one day, and it was displayed with the Renegade wheels display at Destination Daytona, personally invited by Chuck Frederick owner of Renegade wheels. It features a rigid US Choppers frame with 35-degree rake, 23” front and rear wheels by Renegade, 113” Ultima engine equipped with a 45 mm Mikuni Carb, a 6 speed tranny, Jay Brake Controls and a Kiwi front end. The shop offers this bike as a roller, or a complete build, and they offer custom frame building as well. Contact Steve Carr or Rick Bonin at Lightning Rod Motorcycles.
One was given by Billy Lane to an Iraq Vet during the “Blood, Sweat & Gears Tour”. Many others wanted one, so Billy produced a very limited edition made out of .925 sterling silver. The first 100 sold are numbered.
But did you notice? I counted several times and it seems to me that with this six gun you can shoot only 5 times. But I know why: design constraint. And it doesn’t matter. $350 at Choppers Inc.
Close to 50% of motorcycle accidents happen when a car pulls out in front of an oncoming motorcycle. You know the story. “Officer, I didn’t see it”. What about a system where cars could “see” motorcycles and vice versa. New for 2009, Honda is installing short-range wireless devices on its Goldwing models sold in Europe. If a car approaches the bike and is directed in its path, the system flashes a light at the bottom of the motorcycle’s windshield. Of course the car must be equipped with a compatible device. I have no doubt that wireless communications can increase safety, but it will happen only when all cars, trucks, vans & all motorcycles are equipped with compatible devices. And unfortunately, it will not happen before quite a few years
You saw his photographic work in many magazines here and abroad. And now, “Scooter Grubb” produces a yearly coffee table book of the BUB event on the Salt Flats. The 2008 edition features 260 full color images spread on 120 pages. And for you to keep track of all the speed records and awards issued, a listing is included. Half the profits of this book go to support “Save The Salt” organization. Motorcycle Land Speed Trials.
This event’s objectives are both to raise money for MDA and to celebrate women riders. Last year in Daytona, hundreds of women riders joined together on the Harley-Davidson Daytona Women’s Day Ride and raised $67,000 for MDA. Registration for the 2009 ride on Tuesday, March 3, is now open with a limited 500 female Harley-Davidson or Buell riders eligible to register. Continue reading ‘Registration Open for Harley-Davidson Daytona Women’s Ride’
It used to be that manufacturers justified their big dollar investments in sponsoring and races by the sales that competition was generating. But in one month 2 major manufacturers have pulled their factory teams from the 2009 racing season. This week, Kawasaki is scheduled to make an announcement confirming its withdrawal from Moto GP. Early December, Honda was quitting both AMA Superbike and Formula One. Sport investments have become unnecessary operating costs. If the economy doesn’t improve, it’s probably just a question of time before other manufacturers cancel what is now considered by them non-essential programs.
Harley-Davidson reported a 37% decline in third-quarter sales this year, after a generalized sale dive in US market. So, the company continues to intensify its marketing efforts in Europe, taking advantage of a very low dollar versus the euro ($1 = 0. 71 euro) and of a milder recession in the old continent, to prospect new “Harley Virgin” countries like Romania, a former communist country (till 1989). 80 motorcycles sold seem like a low number, but symptomatic of what Harley needs to do in many countries to try to compensate for the lost sales in the US. Harley-Davidson Of Bucharest.
They spent years in the motorcycle industry with other companies. Now, they created Coastal Moto and for 2009 released 4 new wheel designs with matching rotors and pulleys for Harley-Davidson, Metric Cruisers and Sport Bikes. They claim that their prices are lower by about $200 per wheel versus the ones offered by the big wheel manufacturers. This post to give them a chance to prove it to you. Coastal Moto.
To all of you Gringos & Gringas, a little bit of history. Folklore says that the name Gringo was generated when the US invaded Mexico wearing green uniforms and people were shouting at them “Green Go Home”. With time it lost all derogatory status and was turned into the most common word to refer to any US citizen. So, no reason to be offended by the name chosen by Nash Motorcycle for one of their customs and for the handlebars they made for it. These bars are now for sale (you don’t need to be a Gringo) and feature a 5″ pullback and a 10″ base. They measure 29″ grip to grip and have a 4″ height, with a welded cross bar and unique corners. Raw, chrome or black. Nash Motorcycle Co.
You probably already know that the Las Vegas SEMA Show (Specialty Equipment Market Association) is one of the most exciting events for the aftermarket hot Rod and automotive industry. SEMA is an Association offering a ton of services, studies, Government advocacy/legislative Programs too long to list here. During the V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati, friend and fellow online publisher of Bikernet Keith Ball will head up an Exploratory Action Committee under Sema with for objective to support motorcycle rights groups around the world including,MIC, the MRF (Motorcycle Riders Foundation) with 60 state charters and 250,000 members .This committee will be open to any members of our industry on the American or Metric side, manufacturers, clubs, shops, dealers, builders or individuals. Meeting at the V-Twin Expo is Sunday, February 8, 2009 at 9:00 AM.
Before we jump into a new year, join me to have a thought for all the millions who have been laid-off or who are going through bad times due to the worldwide recession.
We know for sure that one day things will get better. Just hang in there.
Happy New Year To All Of You And Your Families.
It’s this time of the year for prediction posts. How the motorcycle industry landscape will look in 2009? Will Harley-Davidson sell more or less bikes? Will Big Dog Motorcycles still be the leader of the mass produced custom motorcycles segment? What style of bikes custom builders are going to favor? Will some new medias appear, disappear? Will the OCC trio decide to retire? What new regulations EPA & CARB will try to enforce? What will be the next big idea for a new part? Will the Spring Myrtle Beach Rally forever disappear? Will the Harley-Davidson Bruce Rossmeyer’s empire be bought by Disney? Etc. Tell me your predictions for 2009. Humor accepted. We need it.
MotoXcycle’s internal throttle unit uses a twin roller bearing design and is one of the smoothest and most reliable internal throttles that I have used. It has been on the market for several years and I know for sure that a large number of units have been sold and used by custom builders. The company also makes a matching internal clutch unit. For more information on these units, call Fausto Simoes on my behalf at 450-201-0787 or visit his MotoXcycle Website.
By direct emails and also via the comments section of this Blog, many of you ask me my opinion about what’s going to happen in 2009 in the motorcycle industry. I reproduce below a short summary of what I think and already wrote to answer the question of one of these readers.
“Regarding the motorcycle industry, I think that the level of activity is going to stay the same than this year. Not worse because the automotive industry degradation was faster and deeper than in other sectors (except Real Estate and Finance). The fact that a very large percentage of bikers work for the car manufacturers and their vendors, and that the car industry is going to maintain most of its jobs is a rare + for us, or at least a factor of stabilization. Continue reading ‘A 2009 Motorcycle Industry Prediction’
One year ago, Wyoming Technical Institute (WyoTech) contacted G2 Motorsports (George Smith and George Bryce) with the concept of its students assembling a motorcycle around the 126-cubic inch, 150 horsepower S&S Cycle V-Twin engine that is exclusively distributed by G2. Smith and Bryce agreed, and Bryce and Derek Churchwell of G2 served as instructors for the students and alumni of the Sacramento, Calif., and Daytona, Fla., WyoTech motorcycle programs. Continue reading ‘One-of-a-kind G2 Motorsports S&S Custom Motorcycle’
Indian has made clear its intention to have 50 dealerships in the US within the next 3 years, a dozen of which have already been announced. The first one to open up since the flagship store in Lowell, North Carolina, was Mike Smith Indian Motorcycle Dealership of Paducah, KY. “The initial excitement here has been overwhelming,” says Mike Smith, CEO of the Kentucky Dealership. “We had well over 600 people walk through our doors during our grand opening, and in this retail environment, I’d say that’s extremely significant.” According to Smith, visitors came from all over – Arkansas, West Virginia, Indiana, and even one enthusiastic Indian fan who traveled all the way from Switzerland to see the new bikes firsthand”. Other dealerships are scheduled to open in the next weeks. Mike Smith Indian.
Ten years ago, in it’s past glory days, the Daytona Beach rallies were prominently centered around Beach Street and its Riverfront Park. I have fond memory (the market was very strong) of all my Bike Week and Biketoberfest events in this location. All main builders (do you remember “Custom Builders Row”) and parts manufacturers were displaying side by side, and not spread all over Daytona & Ormond Beach, like now. Continue reading ‘The Rebirth Of Daytona Bike Week Riverfront Park On Beach Street’
In 1919, at the end of the World War One, a significant set of motorcycle drawings was created. They would be lost for the next 90 years, until discovered in a trash bin. They will be sold at the Mid-America Auction, which will be held at the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas on January 10th 2009. Read the unbelievable story of these extremely rare documents.
During the World War I era, a number of early manufacturers went out of business or were bought up by stronger companies. William Henderson, who is still considered America’s most creative motorcycle designer, sold his company to a German immigrant, Ignatius Schwinn, who started making bicycles in Chicago in 1895. Continue reading ‘Ace Motorcycle Rare Drawings from 1919 Found in Dumpster!’
Every 5 years the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) tracks biker trends, and this year for the first time did the survey online. Below some numbers to crunch.
1- the primary reason for riding is pleasure, followed by commuting and errands. In 2003, commuting and errand riding was in third place. 2- The average age for motorcycles in the U.S. was 13.2 years old in 1998, 11.7 years in 2003, and 10.8 years so far in 2008. Continue reading ‘US Biker Trends’
I didn’t try this one. So, like me, you have to refer to what Underworld Inc, manufacturer of this Linelokker parking brake is saying. The idea is to be able, at the flip of a lever, to lock your brake in different situations when you need to or should do so. Like when you park, when you are stopped at a light and don’t want to hold your brake, when you are stopped on a hill, when you trail and don’t want your bike rolling back & forth pulling your tie-downs, and may I add (and not recommend) when you decide to do a burnout to impress me during a rally. It is simple to use, apply your brake and flip the lever of the Linelokker. Your brake is now locked. It is a simple installation (no wiring or solenoids or plumbing involved.) Remove your existing brake line attach the Linelokker to your master cylinder reattach your brake line, bleed your brake. You are done. Info at Underworld Inc.
Motorcycle sales are slipping as consumers worldwide pull back on spending. So, to stay in business you have to be creative. Harley-Davidson Inc. says it will guarantee the trade-in value of newer Sportsters for customers considering upgrading their motorcycles.
Practically, bikers who trade in their 2007 Sportsters between Dec. 26 and March 31 will receive the original manufacturer’s suggested retail price when they upgrade to one of Harley’s Big Twin or VRSC motorcycles. Harley-Davidson also says customers who buy 2008 and 2009 Sportsters have one year to trade them in for one of a Big Twin or VRSC model and get the original manufacturer’s suggested retail price. Which manufacturer says better?
Hollister, “birthplace of the American biker”, doesn’t want to welcome a 2009 rally. For the second time in three years, city council members in November canceled the July Hollister Motorcycle Rally. The city wants expenses for the event to be paid up front. The 2008 rally saw the city invest taxpayer money in rally merchandise, ending up losing $125,000 on the deal. The total cost for the rally was $365,000. The question is how many bikers will still show up in Hollister in July if the rally remains officially canceled.
“Timing is Everything. It’s that “Time” of year again. It’s Christmas. Christmas is a “Mile-stones” in life. It’s that one special time in every year that causes us to both reflects on the past and looks ahead to the future. It helps most of us understand the value of life and how we’re managing the time we’ve been allotted. Because, in life, timing is everything. Think about all the catastrophes you’ve survived because you were either a couple of seconds too early or a couple of seconds too late. Timing is everything.
An explosion millions of light-years away sent an asteroid toward our Galaxy. One second sooner or later and it would have missed the Earth by a wide margin. Instead, the exact moment of it’s launched set it’s trajectory on a collision course, the impact killing off all the huge, dominant prehistoric predators, and leaving our planet open for human domination. Timing is a key element in every life. Some attribute timing to luck others believe it’s all part of a great cosmic plan. Whether perceived as a matter of faith or random chance, the relevance and impact of timing in or lives is tangible. Continue reading ‘Wishes For All Of You From One Of My Readers’
For all of you obsessed with power and torque gains, the “Torkster Plus 1250 EFI” from Zippers Performance is similar to their original Torkster 883-1200 kit, but with a twist: an additional 50cc with the inclusion of their exclusive 3-9/16” bore cylinders! These extremely rigid aluminum cylinders are cast around ductile iron liners and fit right into the case opening without any machining. Continue reading ‘Zippers Performance Torkster Plus 1250 EFI Engine Kit’
