25/03/2008 by info.

TRIROD Motorcycles has launched its F3 Adrenaline, a radical three-wheeled motorcycle which features two wheels in front with Formula-One type suspension.

When developing the bike, TriRod Motorcycles set out to create a radical new vehicle that would combine advanced technologies from Formula-One racing, aerospace, and motorcycles.

The F3 Adrenaline is said to be exceptionally stable and corner aggressively due to its low center of gravity and a wide track. TriRod’s engineers chose the 2-1 layout (two wheels in front, one in back) over the traditional 1-2 trike configuration for its superior handling, stability, and rollover resistance.

Carbon fiber body panels are used on the F3 Adrenaline, and the high-tech feel is continued with fully adjustable racing shocks.

Robert Miller, TriRod Motorcycles’ Co-founder and Chairman, says: “TriRod’s platform offers increased safety and stability over traditional motorcycles while adding a whole new level of thrilling performance.”

TriRod’s F3 Adrenaline is the first of a line of tandem seat three-wheel performance motorcycles under development. The company is taking orders now for the 2008 F3 Adrenaline, which is scheduled to start shipping during the 2nd quarter of 2008.

TRIROD MOTORCYCLES, INC.
SanDiego, California, USA
Tel: 858 547 9545
Fax: 858 547 9030
E-mail: paul@trirodmotorcycles.com

www.trirodmotorcycles.com

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25/03/2008 by info.

INDEPENDENT Gas Tank Co is back in business and remains under the control of original founder Kyle Krejci. After a deal to sell the company fell through last year, Kyle took a break from the industry but he has now returned and is back to business as usual.

The reborn company is now based in a smaller shop of 2,000 sq ft in Gilbert, Arizona, a move which Kyle is pleased about: “It has been a good thing. It is allowing me to get back to maintaining the quality of the product we’ve always been known for. The lower overheads of the new facility have allowed me to lower the prices too.”

While the prices may have come down, the range remains as extensive as ever. Independent Gas Tank can manufacture custom, one-off gas tanks and fenders through to OE production runs running into multiple figures, all made from materials sourced within the USA.

The quality of work undertaken can be guaranteed by Kyle’s lifelong career in metal fabrication, which began when he left college and began converting Porsche street cars into race cars. This was followed by a period spent taking care of sheet metal fabrication at Bourget’s Bike Works before establishing Independent Gas Tank Company in 1999.

All of Independent’s gas tanks are handcrafted from 16-gauge cold rolled steel and pressure tested after being TIG welded. The company’s fender blanks are made from TIG welded 14-gauge cold rolled steel and available for 16in-21in front wheels in all widths and 18in 200, 240, 250, 280, 300-310 rears.

INDEPENDENT GAS TANK COMPANY
Gilbert, Arizona, USA
Tel: 480 633 6700
E-mail: info@independentgastank.com

www.independentgastank.com

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19/03/2008 by info.

The second annual Rod ‘n Custom Show will take place over the weekend of May 3-4 in Budapest, Hungary.

The show, claimed to be the biggest custom event in Eastern Europe, will be held in the HungExpo exhibition center which features a 70,000 sq ft indoor exhibition hall together with a 65,000 sq ft outdoor area. In addition to custom motorcycles, the event will also feature Hot Rods and classic American cars.

The centerpiece Custom Bike Show is now the Hungarian Affiliate to the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building and has already attracted entries from 14 countries. The Best in Show winner will receive a 5000 Euro contribution towards the expense of competing in this year’s Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building in Sturgis, August 3-6. Individual class prizes have been kindly sponsored by Custom Chrome Europe, Harley-Davidson Gyor and Highway Hawk.

Last year’s event attracted around 17,000 visitors and a field of over 80 bikes from 9 countries competing for the prizes. Mike Pruss of South Florida Choppers travelled over for the opening of their Budapest store and also took home the Best in Show accolade for his bike “Killer Orange”.

ROD ‘N CUSTOM SHOW
Email: info@rodandcustom.hu

www.rodandcustom.hu

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17/03/2008 by info.

DETAILS are emerging of a revolutionary new transmission which was being tested by Baker Drivetrain during Daytona Bike Week. The new gearset, named the DD7, is a seven-speed direct replacement for the factory Cruise Drive six-speed.

The new transmission has been developed to overcome a number of issues with the stock six-speed system. The DD7 has a shorter 1st gear for easier launches compared to the tall factory 1st gear.

The ’shift clunk’ of the stock gearbox is claimed to be eliminated due to the use of a lightweight mainshaft in the DD7, which includes only the small 1st gear as an integral part. The stock H-D mainshaft is a one-piece design that includes 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gears, making it extremely heavy, thus causing the shift clunk.

Baker further claims that the shifting of the new transmission is smoother than the factory six-speed through the incorporation of a linear roller ball detent as part of the supplied billet top cover. It is similar to the type first used on Baker’s TorqueBox transmissions.

Unlike the part it replaces, which has straight cut 1st and 5th gears, the DD7 has a full set of helical gears for quiet operation in every gear.

The DD7 Builder’s kits will come ready to slide in the bike, with no case modifications, shimming of the gearset or adjustments required. The 7th main drive gear is included in Builder’s kit, to replace 6th main and re-uses the stock shifter pawl. The kit will be available for 2006-2008 Dyna and 2007-2008 Softails and FLs.

BAKER DRIVETRAIN
Haslett, Michigan, USA
Tel: 517 339 3835
Fax: 517 339 4590
E-mail: info@bakerdrivetrain.com

www.bakerdrivetrain.com

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07/03/2008 by info.

Steve Yetzke, President of BDL, has announced that he has struck an agreement with Bill Gardner, President of GMA, to purchase the Omaha, NE, based brake manufacturer.

GMA has been well known in the industry as a leader in brake caliper design and supplier of quality products. The best known GMA product in recent years has been their patented “All in One Brake Pulley Combo”.

Bill Gardner announced late last year that he was planning to retire and get back into custom car and motorcycle building, his first love and hobby. BDL will continue making and marketing the GMA line out of their Orange, CA, facility, marketing the line as “GMA by BDL”.

www.gmabrakes.com

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06/03/2008 by info.

St Louis, Mo., based distributor Mid-USA Motorcycle Parts has been sold to John Stdko and a consortium of St Louis-based businessmen.

The company was owned and operated by Sandi Morrison, whose family started the company, and whose husband Les Morrison died of a long-term illness eighteen months ago.

In a competitive and changing market the decision to sell is understood to have been a financial one, with staff at the company being informed of her decision on March 3rd.

The new owner is a former long-time senior buyer at local rival Midwest Motorcycle Supply. Stdko left Midwest a year or so ago and has since been operating his own custom motorcycle business, Johnny Stdko’s Motorcycle Company, in the St Louis, Mo., area.

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05/03/2008 by info.

The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum has announced details of Awesome-Ness, a new exhibit honoring master motorcycle designer and builder Arlen Ness.

Ness, who was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1992, will join colleagues and friends at the Museum in Pickerington, Ohio, on July 24, 2008, for the grand opening of the exhibition.

This, the fifth in a series of Legends exhibits at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, will feature machines and memorabilia from Ness’ personal collection. Curated by photographer Michael Lichter, the exhibit will delve into the stories behind Arlen’s influential career, with Lichter, author of Arlen Ness: The King of Choppers, using his unique perspective on Ness to provide visitors an in-depth look at the celebrated customizer.

Awesome-Ness will open at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum on July 24, 2008, and run through June 2009. The ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Ness, and other motorcycling heroes, will begin at 6 pm and be open to the public.

For more details on the grand opening of “Awesome-Ness,” as well as a complete biography of Arlen Ness, visit www.motorcyclemuseum.org

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05/03/2008 by info.

The Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection filing made by the Global Motorsport Group (GMG) on January 31st has now resulted in the sale of the firm’s assets to Dae’Il USA, a ’stalking horse’ company established by former CEO Nace Panzica with the intention of rescuing Custom Chrome and GMG’s other trading divisions from the threat of closure.

At a bankruptcy hearing at Wilmington, Delaware, on February 28th, the proposal by GMG to sell its assets to Dae’Il USA was ratified by the court. The result is that the company’s trading activities will now be free of the debts and liabilities that have dogged it for several years. The filing came about when owner Cerberus Capital Partners made it clear that it would no longer continue to finance GMG operations and put the company up for sale.

The deal to buy the assets of the company and trade them as a going concern was put together by former Custom Chrome CEO Nace Panzica with backing from the Korean engineering company that manufactures the RevTech program of engines and transmissions that is distributed exclusively by Custom Chrome.

Other suitors are known to have been watching events closely, but in the end no other bids for GMG’s assets were made.

Panzica says that all vendor payables will be settled within 90 days.

Custom Chrome was founded in 1969 in San Jose, CA, by Nace Panzica and several others. The company was among the market’s pioneers in terms of building own brand and third party distribution for mass produced custom parts and accessories, and is widely credited as being one of the founders of the market seen today.

In 1989 Nace Panzica took over as CEO, the company went public, and under his watch sales grew. Strategic acquisitions were made and an innovative approach to embracing the talents of designers such as John Reed, Rick Doss, Dave Perewitz and Donnie Smith was developed.

The RevTech program, which was launched some ten years ago, capitalized on the emergence of the custom v-twin build boom, and with kit bike programs and the opening of a wholly owned European operation enjoyed market leadership for a long time.

Panzica was ousted from the Group in 1997 following the repercussions of efforts to fight off a hostile take-over bid. Since then successive owners and management teams have failed to capitalize on market opportunity, and with the Group’s debt position worsening it fell under the control of Cerberus at the beginning of 2006.

Since that time market decline, especially in the custom v-twin build sector, and competitor excellence, especially from Fred Fox’s Drag Specialties, prevented the owners from being able to rationalize the competing needs of inventory investment and debt service.

It is widely reported that the credit crunch, that has affected so many equity investors since the middle of last year, had much to do with the decision that Cerberus made to either sell or close GMG, and as a self-imposed deadline of January 31st approached, the future of the company became less certain.

It would appear, however, that the eleventh hour intervention of Dae’Il and Panzica has now saved the market from seeing one of its once most important businesses disappear. The general reaction at the V-Twin Expo following the announcement of the planned rescue was one of support for the proposal, from dealers and vendors alike.

It was even acknowledged by competitors that the disappearance of such an iconic name would have been an unwelcome and negative signal that could have spread negativity about the short and medium-term prospects for the entire Harley and custom v-twin parts and accessory aftermarket. From the dialogs that AMD has had with industry observers, vendors and dealers, any concerns about it being Far Eastern capital that has rescued the Group are being tempered by mature reflection on the role that Asian financial institutions played in the 1984 rescue of Harley-Davidson itself, and the fact that with Panzica re-taking the reins, the market sees the business as returning to experienced industry hands.

Market intelligence suggests that GMG’s selling owner, Cerberus Capital Partners, have taken a north of $100m hit as a result of their involvement.

www.custom-chrome.com

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05/03/2008 by info.

Territorio Motero will be travelling to Sturgis as Spain’s 2008 Champion to compete in the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building, after winning the Best in Show award at the Llunatica Benicassim show.

Their heavily-modified 1987 Suzuki Savage “Friki” featured a hand-made front end, gas tank, handlebars, seat and copper-plated wheels.

Second and third place, and expenses to attend the Official European Championship of Custom Bike Building in Mainz, Germany, in March, went to Spanish builders Hot Dreams Marbella and Sueca Iron.

The custom show featured 38 bikes from Spain, Portugal, France and the Netherlands divided into Freestyle, Modified Harley and Metric classes. Although an outdoor event, the bike show and concert area was enclosed within a 33,000 square feet marquee.

The four-day event was hailed as a great success, with almost 5000 people in attendance, double the number from 2007. The Llunatica show, held at the coastal resort of Benicassim, near Castellon in southern Spain, celebrated its 8th year at the venue and its first as Spanish Affiliate of the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building.

Results:

Freestyle Class:
1st Hot Dreams Marbella
2nd J&J Streetfighters (Netherlands)
3rd Mort-M Garage (France)

Modified Harley Class:
1st Sueca Iron
2nd Daniel Coue
3rd M&M Custom

Metric Class:
1st Territorio Motero
2nd Pablo Pitarch
3rd Morlako Kustom

www.llunatica.org

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05/03/2008 by info.

Creditors are trying to force American IronHorse into bankruptcy after it failed to make any payments since January. Investors are currently negotiating to buy the company.

Some American IronHorse dealers have stated they will not sell bikes in stock due to questions about warranty coverage.

Founded in 1995, American IronHorse, based in Fort Worth, Texas, makes custom motorcycles in the $25,000 to $40,000 price range.

Link: Star Telegram

via: http://thekneeslider.com/

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