29/05/2008 by info.

Two priceless, multi-award winning, custom motorcycles also known as “art bikes” were stolen from a service area on the A1 this week.

The two machines, known as Psy-Bawg and Barnstormer, are well known to the international motorcycling community and there is a £10,000 reward on offer for information leading to their safe return.

The unique nature of the one-off hand-made components makes both motorcycles easily identifiable and worthless to anyone wishing to sell the bikes on, but to the team at Hawg Haven in Norwich, a Harley-Davidson aftermarket store, the bikes are priceless, representing the culmination of years of dedication and hard work.

Members of the public who have any information which may help track the machines down are asked to contact Jon direct on 07776 185 608.

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27/05/2008 by info.

Scott Meyers completes American IronHorse deal: “I want us to be the best, not the biggest”
The troubled Fort Worth, Texas, custom motorcycle manufacturer American IronHorse has been bought out from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection by Scott Meyers, an American IronHorse dealer with custom shops in Montana and Minnesota.

Meyers is a former senior defence industry executive with an impeccable business career record and all the corporate credentials needed to indicate that he has the experience necessary to successfully rescue the business.

However, he is also a lifelong rider who hails from a family that has ridden since the 1920’s, and he became a custom shop owner five years ago with American IronHorse and Arlen Ness franchises.

With two dealerships, Rocky Mountain Choppers at Bozeman, Mt., and BlackWater Choppers of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Mn., Meyers comes at the acquisition from the position of being a dealer who is both committed to the brand, and has an insider’s experience of the difficulties the company encountered.

Within hours of his deal being approved by the bankruptcy court, Meyers gave AMD an exclusive interview that will be published in full in the July edition. Meyers said: “American IronHorse swamped the market with bikes in 2005 and when inventory started to stick they agreed to pay for the flooring. In my view this is what ultimately caused the bankruptcy”.

Meyers says his aims are simple: “I want to create a sustainable, profitable business; I want to make the transition into it being so as quickly as possible, and as easy as possible for the firm’s dealer network. We are fully committed to supporting the American IronHorse brand in every way possible”.

“We will slim down the dealer network,” Meyers went on to say. “Those dealers who wish to stay with us will be asked to agree new dealer contracts, but the level of commitment we have to ensuring that their business dealings with American IronHorse are profitable is absolute”.

Meyers says that his dealerships spent a six-figure sum on flooring finance interest in 2006 alone, “so we fully understand the position that American IronHorse dealers have been in. We are fully committed to establishing American IronHorse as the premium brand in manufacturing highly profitable custom motorcycles. My aim is that American IronHorse should be the best, not the biggest”.

Meyers cites the cycle of Harley’s own experience, with authorized Harley dealers seeing their businesses move from wait lists to discounts on MRSP’s in less than a decade. “We need to return exclusivity to the American IronHorse experience, and we can’t achieve this without supporting the profit objectives of our loyal dealers”.

Meyers has said that he is making ‘Good Faith’ offers to dealers in respect of warranties and finance. “We have agreed terms with Textron for them to continue to offer flooring programs to American IronHorse dealers. While dealers themselves, rather than the company, will have to pay for that finance, our manufacturing policies will ensure that inventory can be financed profitably and moved quickly”.

“In terms of standing behind the motorcycles built since the company started, we are going to honor warranties on all unsold bikes, and provide factory warranties for all bikes already on the road that have not yet had warranty claims”.

At this time the plan is for the existing management team to continue. Meyers went on to tell AMD that “the transition to our ownership will have been completed by the end of May and we will be in a position to make substantial capital available immediately to enable the business to re-start trading activities as soon as possible”.

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23/05/2008 by info.

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21/05/2008 by info.

INDIAN Motorcycle is rapidly approaching the official launch of its new line of 2009 motorcycles and, in anticipation of this, has released the specifications of the new models.

The initial line-up of new Indian motorcycles will comprise of four Chief models; Chief Standard, Chief Deluxe, Chief Roadmaster and Chief Vintage. The bikes will be differentiated by trim levels, seating configurations, fender design, paint combinations, and included accessories.

The brand new Indian Chiefs are the result of development and tests led by VP of Engineering Nick Glaja, who was Principal Engineer of Powertrain Technology at Harley-Davidson before he joined the Indian project. He said of the preparatory work done: “Our goal was quite simple: to focus on the premium nature of this brand and build the finest Indian motorcycle ever. We took a ‘clean sheet’ approach to the engineering of this world class American legend to ensure a solid engineering platform. Benchmarks were set high, and we believe our customers will be very happy.”

At the very center of the development work by Glaja and his team was the redesign of the classic PowerPlus motor. The new PowerPlus has 105ci capacity and closed loop sequential port fuel injection. Internally, the engine’s cylinders are Nikasil plated, a new crankshaft eliminates “scissoring”, and the exhaust system is a new design with an integrated three-way catalytic converter and oxygen sensors.

The drivetrain is completed by the use of a Baker six-speed transmission and belt drive to a 16in wheel. Braking is taken care of across the range by dual Brembo four-piston calipers and 11.5in discs at the front and a single two-piston Brembo caliper and disc at the rear.

Overseeing the preparation of the new models ready for their launch has been General Manager Chris Bernauer, who previously spent eleven years with Harley-Davidson. He said: “We’re very excited about the new Indian Chiefs which are, in every way, both true to the legacy of the Indian brand and representative of the highest level of engineering expertise.”

Given the premium nature of the Indian Motorcycle brand, the company will be very selective in judging the quality and number of dealers it will supply. A new stand-alone dealership design of 10,000sq ft will be the flagship in major markets, although it is likely that these new structures will not be completed until some time in 2009.

At present, Indian dealers are already staged for opening at Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Denver, Minneapolis and Los Angeles, with an additional twelve applications being processed.

INDIAN MOTORCYCLE
Kings Mountain, North Carolina, USA
Tel: 704 937 7333
Fax: 704 937 7776
E-mail: info@indianmotorcycle.com

www.indianmotorcycle.com

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21/05/2008 by info.

Twin Club, of Norrtelje, Sweden, is once again running its Custom Bike Show, which is often referred to as the Scandinavian Championship of Bike Building.

The event, which will take place on June 7th in the Societets Park, is an Affiliate to the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building, and as such is expected to draw builds from across Europe. Competitors must ride their bikes into the exhibition ground to be allowed to participate.

After attracting over 6,000 ride-in visitors last year, Twin Club has arranged, once again, to have a bridge connecting the park with the port side with an increased amount of space on the port side.

Given that last year’s World Champion, Stellan Egeland, debuted his winning bike at Norrtelje, expectations are high for this year’s show and, once again, this year’s Best of Show winner will go to the World Championship final in Sturgis, USA, and the 2nd and 3rd prize winners will go to the European Championship in Mainz, Germany. The prize fund to cover these expenses (8,000 Euros in total) is sponsored by Twin Club MC.

In addition there is a collection of prizes for the other classes in the Custom Bike Show totaling more than 40,000 Euros. The full listing of show classes in addition to the Best of Show is H-D Chopper, Custom, Classic Custom, Chopper, Trike, Classic, Best Paint and People’s Choice.

TWIN CLUB MC CUSTOM BIKE SHOW
Email: info@custombikeshow.se

www.custombikeshow.se

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16/05/2008 by info.

BIG Bear Choppers is the first motorcycle manufacturer to have 50-state EPA certified motorcycles in production using the S&S X-Wedge motor. The bike - the G.T.X. Bagger - achieved this feat after Big Bear Choppers worked closely with the new S&S Emissions Certification Laboratory in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

The G.T.X. is a radical departure for the California-based motorcycle manufacturer better known for its line of production Choppers. The bike is a reworking of a traditional Pro Street design to create a modern Touring machine. The patented design stretches the bike’s wheelbase to place the pillion seat in front of the rear wheel to centralize the weight on the bike and improve handling. A second advantage of the redesign is the inclusion of an auxiliary gas tank below the pillion seat in the space created by the wheelbase stretch, which allows for greater mileage between gas stops.

Talking about the collaboration between the two companies, Kevin Alsop, owner of Big Bear Choppers, said: “S&S and BBC philosophies are parallel, to create the most innovative, reliable and comfortable product while increasing efficiency and power by using the latest technology the world has to offer. To concept and produce this kind of end product to our high standards takes a seamless joint effort, and S&S is 100 percent with us.”

These sentiments were echoed by Michael Scaletta, S&S Director of New Business Development, who said: “Helping Big Bear Choppers get the first 50 state emissions certification is the culmination of the X-Wedge engine project for S&S. When we were developing the X-Wedge powerplant, Big Bear Choppers was in on it from the start. We are very thankful for their innovation and support.”

BIG BEAR CHOPPERS
Big Bear City, California, USA
Tel: 909 878 4340
Fax: 909 878 4341
E-mail: andy@bigbearchoppers.com

www.bigbearchoppers.com

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16/05/2008 by info.

Dealer World Inc, publisher of American Motorcycle Dealer (AMD), Dealer World and International Dealer News magazines, as well as owner/operator of the AMD Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building, announced that it has reached an agreement with Ace Cafe London Ltd to bring the legendary gathering spot for millions of motorcyclists, the Ace Cafe, to Champions Park on Lazelle St.. The Ace Cafe will be a part of the Champions Park entertainment complex along with The Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building, Champions Park vendor row and the S&S Cycle 50th Anniversary celebration.

“Our vision has always been to have Champions Park as a center of activity on Lazelle St during the Rally”, says AMD Publisher/Owner Robin Bradley. “We have always wanted to bring something to Sturgis that would be iconic for all bikers and what better than the Ace Cafe.”

Originally opened as a 24 hour road side cafe in 1938, the Ace Cafe quickly began to draw motorcyclists who would hang out, fix bikes and listen to music. The height of the site’s popularity came in the 1950’s and 60’s with the “Ton Up Boys” and “Rockers” who established the Ace Cafe as a cultural center for rock and roll and motorcycles in England. The Ace Cafe was also the birthplace of many motorcycle clubs and the legend or “record racing” were riders would race one another by dropping a coin in the jukebox and race to a certain point and back before the end of the song. The cafe was closed in 1969 due to cultural changes, growth in the car market and the expanding highway system in and around London.

Re-opened in 1997 by Mark Wilsmore, with a major refurbishment in 2001, the Ace Cafe is once again the center of motorcycling for a new generation of enthusiasts. Hosting bike gatherings, hot rod and car clubs, rock n’ roll bands and industry events such as the recent S&S Cycle X-Wedge European launch, the Ace is, once again, the motorcycling destination in England.

“We are very excited, thrilled and honored with the opportunity, in this the cafe’s 70th anniversary year, to not only be present at the world renowned and legendary Sturgis Rally, but also to be able to play our part at the prestigious World Championship of Custom Bike Building”, says Mark Wilsmore, Managing Director.

The Ace Cafe will be open the entire week of the Sturgis Rally - Sunday, August 3rd through Saturday August 9th from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Champions Park and the Ace Cafe will be located at 3rd and Lazelle St in Sturgis.

Link: London’s Ace Cafe

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14/05/2008 by info.

Kids & Chrome Foundation now has tickets on sale for the annual Kids & Chrome Benefit Dinner & Auction presented by Budweiser during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

The event is held in the name of enriching the outreach and programs provided by two vital Black Hills non-profit organizations, Children’s Home Society, the “Kids” in the foundation’s moniker, and Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame, the “Chrome”. The 2007 Kids & Chrome event, bringing together over 400 motorcycle enthusiasts, industry professionals and celebrities from the Black Hills community, across the nation and around the globe to “Rally for a Reason”, raised over $100,000.00 in contributions, gifting $70,000.00 to the Children’s Home Society and $30,000 to the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.

Kids & Chrome 2008 will take place on Wednesday, August 6th, at the Spearfish Holiday Inn & Convention Center, Spearfish, South Dakota. Featured at this year’s 4th Annual Kids & Chrome will be “The Dakota”, a one-off custom bagger, created for Kids & Chrome by Tom Binyon, owner of BaggerWorks Custom Touring Motorcycles in Wichita, Kansas. The Dakota will be auctioned to the highest bidder during the Kids & Chrome benefit dinner and auction.

Tickets for the Kids & Chrome benefit dinner and auction event can be purchased on-line at kidsandchrome.com, or by contacting Stacey Sharp, Kids & Chrome Event Coordinator, at 605 341 5226 or stacey@thesharpagency.com. For Kids & Chrome sponsorship information or to donate auction items for the event, contact Darla Crown at Children’s Home Society at darla.crown@chssd.org or phone 605 391 5555 .

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09/05/2008 by info.

With petrol rapidly becoming a luxury item, the EFuel100 MicroFueler might be just the ticket. You just set this up next to your garage, plug into 110 or 220 volts, route to a waste-water drain, add sugar, yeast and water and in a couple of days you pump ethanol into your tank at a cost of about £0.50p per gallon. It makes 5 gallons per day. Hmm …

The MicroFueler is about £4,995, given the current exchange rate - but in the USA federal tax credits can cut the price to $6,998. £8 buys yeast for 560 gallons of ethanol, each gallon requires 4 gallons of water. In the USA you need a permit from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms to make the stuff and you can’t run E100 in your motorcycle or car, it’s illegal for some reason, so you put in some petrol at your local station then drive home and top up from your ethanol pump to make E85 or thereabouts. There is also a distillation only mode which you use to recover ethanol from discarded liquor and beer. (Who the hell discards beer?) This is crazy cool.

E-Fuel Corporation makes this little refinery which will begin shipping at the end of the year though you can pre order now. Maybe it’s just me but if this works as well as described, I think they’ll sell a ton of these. VERY cool!

http://www.efuel100.com/default.aspx

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07/05/2008 by info.

The 2nd annual Rod ‘n Custom Show, held at the HungExpo exhibition center in Budapest, Hungary, took place over the weekend of May 3-4 and is the latest in the series of events affiliated to the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building.

The competition attracted 68 bikes entered by 31 builders from 14 countries. Winner of the ‘Absolut’ class was Roman Bus of custom shop Wildstyle in the Czech Republic who picked up a prize of 5000 Euros as a contribution to his expenses in attending the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building in Sturgis over August 3-6.

Bus’s bike, “Event Horizon”, also won the Professional prize, and featured a 200 cui motor specially constructed by Dux Industries of Hamburg, Germany, a hand-made one-off frame with integrated oil tank and a hand-made rear fender containing the gas tank.

The event attracted over 16000 visitors and is being hailed as Eastern Europe’s biggest custom event.

ROD ‘N CUSTOM SHOW
Budapest, Hungary

www.rodandcustom.hu

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