23/02/2007 by info.

Wakan Motorcycles has produced the Wakan 1640, a single seat, V-Twin powered sport bike built around the AC Cobra idea of dropping a big American powerplant into a sporty European frame.

Joel Domergue, the man behind Scorpa, a company known for some excellent trials motorcycles, and an expert trials rider himself, figured it was time to sell the company which left him with some cash in his pocket and ideas in his head. Actually, those ideas had been floating around for years but, busy with Scorpa, he didn’t have the time to do anything with them. Now, with free time and a bit of capital, he went to work.

The Wakan 1640 starts with a single spine oil carrying frame, a 54 inch wheelbase, with inverted Ceriani forks mounted at 22 degrees. Power comes from a 100 cubic inch S&S V-Twin producing 115hp and 115 foot pounds of torque and those horses are moving a motorcycle that weighs only 390 pounds with oil, no fuel. The engine sports a single Keihin flatslide carb that gets ram air through a blower type scoop situated above the airbox cover. The fuel tank is below the seat, molded to double as a sort of rear mudguard with the filler mounted on the tailsection.

The engine has been dynamically balanced to reduce vibration plus the bar end weights help and the result is a much smoother bike than you might expect.

Braking chores go to a single 340mm front disc with a six piston caliper, which first road tester, Alan Cathcart, calls, “OK” but which might need to be tweaked a bit for serious stopping power. Cathcart also says the handling is similar to the Buell Firebolt XB12R but performance from the S&S V-Twin is definitely a step up.

The first 15 bikes are scheduled to be produced by October for €28,000 ($35,000),but as production ramps up the price is expected to fall quite a bit. The next 100 bikes for 2007 will retain the Keihin carb but afterwards, fuel injection will be necessary to meet Euro 3 emissions requirements in 2008.

This is no prototype bike, it’s ready for production now and pre orders are already trickling in. They’ve kept the bike totally under wraps during the three year development time and these first stories show a complete bike.
Link: Wakan Motorcycles

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23/02/2007 by info.

27-28-29 July 2007

International H-D rally Leopoldsburg Belgium

Bands, bikermarket, striptease, 10 ha camping & festival. Wide variaty restaurant en breakfast, car free town, Free gift, free snack & drink op 50km tour. 25°c.

H-D, Buell & Indian only. NEW WEBSITE www.hdleopoldsburg.com

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23/02/2007 by info.

Notorious for building amazing custom choppers, the East Coast King Pin finds a new calling; designing parts for stock Harley’s and Baggers!

Melbourne, FL – (February 21, 2007) – After spending twenty years in the motorcycle business, chopper builder Billy Lane unveils totally unexpected new parts line at the 7th annual V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati two weeks ago.

“I was very surprised to see what Billy released at the Expo. As an authorized Choppers Inc dealer, I have come to expect crazy chopper parts for a small, but loyal niche market; you can imagine my pleasure when I saw this cool new line for stock Harley’s~ Baggers even. My mainstream customers ask for Choppers Inc parts for their Softails, Dyna’s or Baggers all the time. Now they can get it. It’s awesome!” explained Choppers Inc dealer Tim Poag, owner of Hays County Cycles in Texas.

Billy Lane has spent much of last year designing his new product line to appeal to more riders. “I have a couple of employees that ride Baggers and they were finally able to convince me there are more people like them out there” joked Lane. “Seriously, I have wanted to take my line to the next level allowing for multi-fit platforms, but never took the time or had the right team in place to get it done until last year. Judging by the reaction at the Expo, I believe it was the right direction. I can’t believe the response the bagger line up received. 3 out of 5 people in booth spent more time looking at the Bagger than they did my most recent hubless wheel bike, The Chronic. Everyone freaked over the .50 Caliber gas cap and Torpedo lights” said Lane.

Billy Lane and Choppers Inc are known for a innovative, high-quality parts line up featuring his patented Six Gun designs. The new parts line includes more Six Gun pieces with broader fitment, new parts specifically designed for baggers like the Ball Milled Antenna Base Cover, Floor Board Inserts, Ball Milled Dash Bezels, .50 Caliber Gas Cap Cover . Also new for 2007;

Six Gun Fold-Up Passenger Pegs

Six Gun Gas Cap with Adapter for stock HD gas tanks

Unique and all Choppers Inc styled Knurled designs on tank panels, shifter pegs, kickstand grip plates, brake caliper and pedal inserts

Choppers Inc shift linkage bar

And there’s more…To see the entire new line up, visit www.choppersinc.com .

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23/02/2007 by info.

Harley Davidson press release:

Harley-Davidson Motor Company reported that motorcycle production will resume with the third shift this evening at the Company’s final assembly operations in York, following today’s ratification of a new labor agreement by its unionized employees. The new three-year agreement between the Company and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 175 becomes effective today.

Harley-Davidson employees in York had been on strike since Feb. 2, after rejecting an initial proposed labor agreement Jan. 31.

IAM Local 175 represents about 2,800 production employees at Harley-Davidson’s facility in York, which produces the Company’s Touring and Softail motorcycles and is the Company’s largest production operation.

“We are eager to get back to work producing motorcycles again,” said Fred Gates, General Manager of Harley-Davidson’s Operations in York. “Our employees take enormous pride in building the best, highest quality motorcycles in the world and we all look forward to focusing our attention on meeting the needs of our customers.”

“The agreement is an important step in managing costs that could be detrimental to the business over the long term if the Company doesn’t start to control them now,” said Gates. “The agreement helps reduce the escalation in health care and other labor-related costs while continuing to provide an outstanding total compensation and benefits package. We appreciate the support of our union employees for sharing in the solutions to ongoing business challenges,” Gates said.

Link: Harley Davidson

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23/02/2007 by info.

Sportster owners, check this out. Paughco has a complete line of 100-percent made-in-the-USA components that will allow you to quickly and painlessly convert your Sporty into a full-on street-worthy custom chopper. Shown here are just a few of the thousands of products currently available. Included is the “Stretched Coffin,” which holds an amazing 4.25 gallons. It measures 25 x 13 x 10 inches. If you’ve been looking for a one-stop source for Sportster chopper parts, Paughco has you covered.
For more information, visit www.paughco.com or visit Pro-Street Cycles.

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23/02/2007 by info.

The new Jaybrake six-piston calipers are designed to fit most stock ’00-and-newer Harleys. They are now available with and without radial lines, and for single-disc or dual-disc applications. Adding a Jaybrake six-piston caliper to your stock Harley or custom will improve your braking performance without breaking the bank.

For more information, visit Pro-Street Cycles.

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