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Archive for April 2007

Bradd Pitts new Chopper

26/04/2007 by info.

Brad Pitt takes some time out from his four kids to take a spin on his motorcycle this weekend. He kept his face mostly hidden behind a bandanna, maybe to combat the LA smog, but more likely he wants to look bad ass. Anyway, the bike looks pretty cool and looks to be something built by the Indian Larry Legacy shop in New York Indian Larry Legacy . Although I’m not sure about the old school look with upside-down forks.

At least the guy gets to ride some pretty cool things….. :)

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Hog Mild! Has the Harley Bubble Finally Burst?

26/04/2007 by info.

Interesting article from Barron’s. Comments?

By JOHANNA BENNETT

MIDDLE-AGED AMERICAN MEN MAY BE HOG WILD over Harley-Davidson motorcycles, but the company’s stock is nothing to get revved up over.

Up 12% since late March on better-than-expected financial results last quarter and the end to a month long labor strike, shares remain well off the record high they hit Nov. 22, 2006.

Yet with demand for its iconic machines looking weak, Harley’s stock price may run out of gas.

Buyers once had to patiently endure waiting lists to be able to take home the bike of their dreams.

But sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles at U.S. dealerships have slowed or fallen for three quarters. And a jittery economy, weak housing market and credit issues could keep buyers out of showrooms.

If so, production of new motorcycles in 2007 could decline for the first time since Harley-Davidson went public in 1986.

“It’s a good company with a great brand, but I think the fundamentals have deteriorated and don’t see much upside for the stock over the next year,” says Greg Badishkanian, an analyst with Citigroup Global Markets.

Or as David Carr, co-manager of the Oak Value Fund adds, “We aren’t saying the company is in trouble, but there are better places to invest.”

Founded in 1903, Harley-Davidson is the largest U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, controlling 22% of domestic motorcycle sales in 2005, says the Motorcycle Industry Council.

The company is best known for heavy, powerful machines with names like Fat Boy and Road King that make a sound so distinctive (say “potato-potato” rapidly) that Harley tried to have it declared a trademark.

Price tags appeal to all ranges. The most expensive bike available, the Ultra Classic Electra Glide, costs $20,195. But a smaller Sportster goes for less than $7,000.

Revenues from motorcycles shipped to dealers climbed 9% last year to $4.6 billion, or 80% of company sales.

The company also sells motorcycle parts and accessories, and merchandise such as leather jackets and greeting cards.

And like other motorized vehicle dealers, it runs a financing business.

Today’s Harley customer is a far cry from the bad boy popularized in movies such as Easy Rider and The Wild One.

In fact, the typical Harley customer is a middle-aged man earning over $80,000 a year.

“Back in the day, it was the guy with long hair, a beard wearing a vest and boots. Not anymore,” says Kris “Longhair” Pazinski, a chrome consultant at Liberty Harley-Davidson, a dealership in Rahway, N.J.

But as baby boomers age, they will trade motorcycles in for grandchildren.

To fight back, Harley-Davidson has expanded into new overseas markets, and wants to attract younger riders and women.

Still, the speed at which Harleys have been leaving dealer showrooms has disappointed some analysts.

And Citigroup’s Badishkanian says that before the York, Pa., manufacturing plant went on strike in February, the number of bikes sitting in dealership lots was rising.

Like car makers, Harley records a sale when the dealer receives the motorcycle, not when the dealer sells it. But slowing or falling retail sales can signal slowing demand.

If dealers are left with too many bikes on the lot, the company may cut production.

This year, Harley’s production could fall 1%, and 4% during the second half of the year, says Joseph Hovorka, an analyst at Raymond James & Associates.

“For Harley that’s sizable,” Hovorka says.

Harley introduced a new engine and six-speed transmission in many of its bikes last summer.

Yet U.S. retail sales grew slower in the third and fourth quarters of 2006 compared to the same period the previous year. Last quarter, sales actually fell 5.9% compared to the same period in 2006.

“The question is why sales fell in the first quarter?” asks Edward Williams, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets. “Was it all because of the strike, or is there a credit or economic issue at play?”

Feeding those worries: higher 30-day delinquency rates for motorcycle loans managed by Harley-Davidson’s financial services business.

Last quarter, delinquency rates rose to 4.08% from 3.69% during the first three months of 2006.

Rates also rose during the fourth and third quarters of 2006 compared to the same periods in 2005.

James Ziemer, Harley’s chief executive, was not available for an interview.

Chief Financial Officer Thomas Bergmann told investors last week that some dealers say that they may not have enough machines to handle the traditionally big spring selling season. And first-quarter sales are not a good indicator for full-year retail sales, he added.

“A decrease in sales is never desired, but we are keeping it in perspective,” Bergmann told investors during a conference call.

At 65.55 a share, the stock trades at almost 15 times forward earnings, a slight discount to the Standard & Poor’s 500, according to Thomson Financial.

Still, at a 35% premium to Harley-Davidson’s projected long-term average annual profit growth rate, Harley’s price-to-earnings multiple looks pricey.

To be sure, Harley still has a lot going for it.

Overseas sales are growing fast. And after growing 4% to 6% this year, the company expects profits in 2008 and 2009 to climb 11% to 17%.

And if retail sales accelerate again and management keeps buying back stock, Harley’s profits could beat expectations for 2007.

“Their earnings are growing faster than the S&P 500. I think the stock looks fine,” says Michael Burkett, portfolio manager for CCM Investment Advisers.

Still, insider selling in October and November raised eyebrows.

A customer-led recession will put the brakes on sales growth and margins. Also, Harley faces plenty of competition overseas.

So for now, Haley-Davidson’s stock is nothing to go wild over.

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The Leonhardt GUNBUS - 410 cu.in.

23/04/2007 by info.

The idea to design an own vehicle - with all the consequences - is growing since quite a while in our minds. The question was, what kind of a vehicle (or even an aircraft) it should be. It should be something that is not available yet, where we got the possibilities to make it, that is ambitious to technics and creativity and that is correlated to our own history.All these things made us design this motorcycle. The cylinders, taken from a 9cyl. radial engine, and their cylinder heads in that size with their filigree cooling fins appeared to be technical beauties. After having designed the needed crankcase and the auxiliaries the size of the motorcycle was given. To get a proportional tire size was not easy, but thanks to RIGDON meanwhile even this problem is solved. Instead of the originally planned Boeing 767 tires GUNBUS now stands on RIGDON custom tires. In size and form these tires are comparable to the aircraft tires and they have got the right - round - profile. Load and speed index are sufficient and adequate supply is guaranteed.

Last but not least we point out that this motorcycle will be build in small series and is offered for sale. Please contact us for further information.

Due to multiple requests we decided to offer GUNBUS with a sidecar. Further details and technical specifications will follow soon.

Link: Clemens Leonhardt

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Boy, 12, Builds Chopper For Charity

23/04/2007 by info.

Via Dennis Douda Reporting

(WCCO) Maybe it is the brotherhood of wheels that has brought a couple of guys with a love for flashy rides together, in spite of their obvious differences. One is the tattooed owner of motorcycle customizing shop. The other is a 12-year-old boy in a wheelchair that is tricked-out with hubcap spinners and custom trim.

Robert Michael Brown, 12, may have been born with cerebral palsy, but he dreams of being a doctor or a police officer when he grows up. In the meantime, the usual boyhood interests in shiny chrome, rumbling engines and thrilling motorcycle rides captivate him. His bright wit and shiny personality have, in turn, captivated the guys who run Extreme Custom Choppers in Lake Saint Croix Beach on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.

“He’s got a heart of gold and knows motorcycles inside and out,” said shop owner Ron Sullivan. “Robert is one of my dearest, closest friends since the day that I met him. He touched my heart in a way no one has ever done before.”

Robert is now a regular around the cycle shop, adopted as one of the guys. He and Sullivan even came up with a scheme to work together, designing a motorcycle from the ground up to raise money to help other kids with special needs.

Sullivan may be the expert, but young biker is more than just a fan of motorcycle muscle.

“His knowledge of bikes pretty much blew me away,” Sullivan said.

Their final work of chopper art, a $30,000 candy-apple red masterpiece, will be raffled off for charity. The charity of choice is a place Robert knows pretty well, Gillette Children’s Hospital.

Robert has endured more than 30 surgeries, many of them at Gillette. He says he wants to help other kids to feel as good about life’s possibilities as he does.
“Happy. I mean everybody’s got to feel that way, right?” Robert asked aloud.

So, maybe it is the wheels, but maybe it is just brotherhood that steers people on radically different journeys down the same road together.

Five-thousand $10 raffle tickets are being sold for a chance to win Robert and Sullivan’s chopper. The drawing will take place this fall at the Flood Run, a fund-raiser that draws 20,000 or more motorcycle enthusiasts together to help children with special needs like Robert. There is also a Spring Flood Run.

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Behemoth by Shaun Barley in the UK

17/04/2007 by info.

All the following was designed engineered and fabricated by owner. One-off frame body work and swing arm incorporating one-off rear air suspension taken from a Scania 143 truck cab air ride system. Air compressor taken from a Range Rover P38. Engine hand built using parts from eBay. One-off hand crafted alloy fuel tank with hidden fuel outlet. One-off 316 stainless exhaust system. One-off 316 stainless bars and riser block and grips with internal throttle and clutch and internal steering stops. One-off 2 inch billiet slabs. One-off front forks out of 316 stainless. One-off design right side drive jack shaft system with internal brake system. One-off right side hand jockey shift. One-off brake design with hidden linkage foot operated. Stainless foot pegs. One-off oil tank. Hidden battery box. One-off top engine brace and coil mount. spikes and caps all billet. One-off wiring loam. One-off seat unit. One-off modified mountain bike speedo with cordless pick up. All body moulding and paint. All polishing. Please note all machining done free hand; no CNC at all.

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Billy Lane’s defense team seeks more info

16/04/2007 by info.

BY KEYONNA SUMMERS
FLORIDA TODAY

VIERA — Former lawyers for motorcycle builder Billy Lane officially resigned from his DUI manslaughter case today, while Lane’s new attorneys asked prosecutors to turn over any additional information that would help the case move forward.

Brevard Circuit Judge Meryl Allawas granted a motion to withdraw by the law firm Funk, Szachacz & Diamond LLC nearly a month after the firm Berry, Eisenmenger and Peters PA said Lane retained them in late January.

Attorney Keith Szachacz appeared on behalf of his firm.

“We had a conflict that the rules of professional responsibility required us to file, and our duties to Mr. Lane preclude us from disclosing the nature of that conflict,” Szachacz said after the hearing. “But Billy is a good, caring man and we will do everything we can to continue to assist him and (attorney Gregory) Eisenmenger’s office.”

Eisenmenger said he had not reviewed several documents he received Friday from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He and Assistant State Attorney Tom Brown said they would meet to discuss requesting any others available from the Florida Highway Patrol, the agency that arrested Lane following the Labor Day crash that killed motorcyclist Gerald Morelock.

Lane, whom investigators said had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit, faces 15 years in prison of convicted of the DUI manslaughter charge.

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Run Down the Dragon

16/04/2007 by info.

Not my choice of music, but this is a cool video….you find yourself leaning over following the road as you watch the video!

Upload Video - Top 50 - Get Video Code

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Florida Humor? We don’t think so.

16/04/2007 by info.

The following was posted to the Florida Today website
Once Billy gains access to the prison metal shop, he plans on turning out a new line of choppers based on the prison scene:

Eletra-Chair - A heavy cruiser type with a nice comfortable wooden seat.
Road Shank - A sharp, nimble, smaller chopper with duct tape hand grips.
Big House Glide - Another heavy cruiser, painted white with black stripes.
Escapester - A fast bike that can cross rough terrain and avoid tracking dogs.
Lowpants Rider - Comes painted in prison denim, Do rag, can double as barbells.
Shower Softail - A special bent over frame that keeps dropping the soap.

A Comment taken from Florida Today www.floridatoday.com/

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Dreamworks - Saga

11/04/2007 by info.

Take a look at the following video which provides a great insight into the creative process behind the radical design of the award winning Saga motorcycle. Chief Engineer Larry Nagel tells us how he went about building this exotic one off masterpiece. Not my sort of bike but the engineering solutions to the design problems are very trick.

Click here for the video

More info on the bike here .

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Leroy-Thompson’s BBO Frame for Sale

10/04/2007 by info.

Leroy-Thompson Choppers announced the release of the Ethyl frame, the frame used on Leroy-Thompson’s industrially inspired, hot rod Biker Build-Off bike, a bike that showcases Scott Webster’s imagination, combining simplicity of design and raw hand-formed metals with functionality and high performance parts.

The BBO bike is clean and begs to be ridden. Like all Leroy-Thompson products, the Ethyl is the hand-made creation of Scott Webster and built with inspiration drawn from his passion for hot rods, motorcycle racing, V-twins and his industrial background of the Midwest.

The Ethyl is a low and sleek frame with all kinds of curves, built for housing a 250mm tire. All Leroy-Thompson Choppers’ frames are manufactured with 1/8 and 3/16″ DOM tubing for strength and durability, and the Ethyl has a bent and drilled down tube for killer looks. The Ethyl is available 3″ out with either a 30 or 40-degree rake and 31″ neck height, and in either a Sportster or Big Twin platform. Like all Leroy-Thompson frames, the Ethyl is also available as a roller. Everything is machined in-house, including the axle covers and neck.

Leroy-Thompson Choppers is the brainchild of Scott Webster and is located just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. Leroy-Thompson Choppers specializes in handcrafted motorcycles and custom parts, and has been featured in the book The Art of the Bobber, as well as magazines such as Barnett’s, Cycle Source, Freeway, Hot Bike, Hot Rod’s Bike Works, IronWorks, Street Chopper, The Horse Backstreet Choppers, WILD, and most recently on an episode of The Biker Build-Off on the The Learning Channel; check your local listings. You can visit Leroy-Thompson on the Web at: www.leroythompsonchoppers.com

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Archive for April 2007

Bradd Pitts new Chopper

Hog Mild! Has the Harley Bubble Finally Burst?

The Leonhardt GUNBUS - 410 cu.in.

Boy, 12, Builds Chopper For Charity

Behemoth by Shaun Barley in the UK

Billy Lane’s defense team seeks more info

Run Down the Dragon

Florida Humor? We don’t think so.

Dreamworks - Saga

Leroy-Thompson’s BBO Frame for Sale