31/07/2008 by info.

BUELL has debuted its 2009 model range with the launch of the 1125CR. It is described by the East Troy, Wisconsin company as “a modern interpretation of ‘café racer’ styling” and utilizes the Buell Helicon 1125 liquid-cooled V-Twin engine. It is one of nine models from Buell covering sports, Streetfighter and adventure bikes.

“Part superbike and part Streetfighter, the 1125CR is my vision of a 21st century café racer,” said Erik Buell, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of Buell Motorcycle Company. “It’s got Clubman style bars and a fly screen instead of a fairing. Then we geared it down to optimize acceleration. With a class-leading weight-to-horsepower ratio, the 1125CR takes Streetfighter performance to a new level.”

The second bike in the sportbike range is the 1125R, which uses the same Helicon engine as the 1125CR. For 2009 it is available in new body and wheel colors and with tinted windscreens.

Completing the sport range is the Firebolt XB12R, with a new blacked-out frame, swingarm, powertrain, forks and other components. It also features new high-performance Pirelli Diablo Corsa III tires for ‘09.

In the Streetfighter range the XB Lightning XB12Ss and XB12Scg are powered by the Thunderstorm 1203 engine and gain Buell ZTL2 front brake with four-pad, eight-piston caliper, a design that debuted on the 1125R in 2008. The XB9SX has its seat lowered by 1.3in to 30.1in.

Making up the adventure sportbike line-up are the Ulysses XB12XT, Ulysses XB12X, and Ulysses Police XB12XP. The latter is a ’special duty’ motorcycle intended for government agencies and private security firms. It is supplied with a special wiring harness for easy installation of an ‘Emergency Response Kit’, which includes special compact, hard-shell top and side cases, a siren and LED police pursuit lamps.

Buell Blast completes the 2009 range and is powered by a 34hp, 492cc single-cylinder engine. For 2009, the Blast is offered in new Sunfire Yellow and Midnight Black, both with Stardust Silver wheels.

www.harley-davidson.com

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30/07/2008 by info.

HARLEY-Davidson engineers have developed a completely new frame for the Company’s 2009 range of Touring models. The new design is said to improve comfort and functionality while preserving the timeless character of the bikes.

In addition to the new frame, the triple trees, swingarm, engine mounts, exhaust system, rear fender, wheels and tires have also been redesigned. However, key visual elements such as the front end, fuel tank, saddlebags and Tour-Pak are essentially unchanged to maintain the model’s heritage.

The new Touring chassis is a single-spar, rigid backbone style that provides a 70lb increase in carrying capacity, and is manufactured with the latest coordinated motion robotic welding process. The new design results in a 50 percent reduction in parts, and a 50 percent reduction in the total length of welds used on the frame. T-studs have been eliminated, and the components of the new frame are joined with cast and forged node-tube joints.

A separate bolt-on tail section isolates the main frame from the tail frame, providing more product-design flexibility, while the new swingarm is manufactured from a two-piece, deep-drawn shell with a forged pivot section.

The new chassis also allow for a change to 17in front wheel from a 16in (except for the Road King Classic, which has 16in wheels front and rear). At the rear the width of the 16in wheel is increased to 5in from 3in. Rear tires are new Dunlop D407 Multi-Tread with a 180mm section, designed specifically for the new Harley-Davidson Touring chassis. At the front a 130/80-17 tire is used.

“In 2009, Harley-Davidson will mark its 15th consecutive year of leading the touring segment in market share,” said Bill Davidson, Harley-Davidson Vice President, Core Customer Marketing. “Our dedication to constant improvement of Harley-Davidson motorcycles brings the new chassis and other upgrades for 2009 to deliver a new level of agility and responsiveness, rider and passenger comfort and cargo capacity.”

www.harley-davidson.com

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29/07/2008 by info.

HARLEY-Davidson has given its V-Rod a workout for 2009 with the launch of the V-Rod Muscle.

The silhouette of the new model is radically changed from the classic V-Rod lines. For 2009 the dummy tank becomes much more angular and wider, while at the rear of the bike the fender is drastically chopped, exposing the 240 rear tire.

Cleaner styling is provided by the combination stop/tail/turn LED light mounted under the lip of the rear fender, while the license plate is side mounted to provide a clear view of the tire.
Similarly the front features a trimmed fender, mounted on the USD forks. Further streamlining can be found in the turn signals which are incorporated into the mirror stems.

More new features seen on this V-Rod include the five-spoke cast aluminum wheels, 1.5in cast aluminum handlebars with internal wiring and integrated risers, and new dual exhausts which exit on both sides of the bike.

The V-Rod Muscle is available in Vivid Black, Brilliant Silver, Dark Blue Denim and Red Hot Sunglo.

www.harley-davidson.com

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28/07/2008 by info.

HARLEY-Davidson has re-entered the trike market with the introduction of the 2009 model Tri Glide Ultra Classic.

The new model, the FLHTCUTG, has been designed around an entirely new frame, which the company claims is engineered specifically to handle the loads generated by the steering forces and weight of a trike. Changes to the front-end geometry, compared to a regular Glide, enhance steering control by reducing steering effort by a claimed 25 percent. The forks have been lengthened by 1.775in compared to the regular Touring motorcycle, and rake is increased from 29.25 degrees to 32 degrees.

A new rear-axle assembly has been designed for the Tri Glide that utilizes an aluminum center section with steel axle tubes and retains the customary belt drive. The rear suspension features dual air-adjustable rear shock absorbers.

The Tri Glide is powered by a Twin Cam 103 V-twin engine with Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection. It retains the six-speed Cruise Drive transmission used on Harley-Davidson Touring motorcycles, but adds an optional electric reverse integrated with the rear differential assembly that is engaged with a handlebar-mounted reverse module.

Braking is courtesy of dual front disc brakes and a Hayes Brake dual-disc rear brake system with a lever-actuated, integrated park brake.

The new body components of the Tri Glide integrate with the existing Ultra bodywork, including the Tour Pak luggage compartment and the passenger seating area. The molded-composite trunk provides 4.5 cubic feet of storage space and can be accessed through a rear hatch. The trunk and Tour Pak have a combined capacity of 6.56 cubic feet and are rated to carry up to 80lbs.

At the front the Ultra Classic Electra Glide ‘bat wing’ fairing, auxiliary driving lamps and deep-skirted front fender are retained.

The Tri Glide Ultra Classic will be offered in three colors: Vivid Black, Dark Blue Pearl and Red Hot Sunglo.

www.harley-davidson.com

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16/07/2008 by info.

CUSTOM Chrome Europe’s Ride-In Bike Show at Lake Faak, Austria, is the latest European event to join the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building Affiliate program.

Now in its 6th year, the one-day event on September 6th, during European Bike Week, will see one lucky builder win 5,000 Euro towards travel expenses to compete in the Official World Championship in Sturgis in 2009.

Faak joins a line-up of events around the world that includes Australia, Canada, Japan, Hungary, Portugal, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Russia, Spain, Italy and Sweden, all of which offer travel expense prizes for their “Best in Show” winning builders to compete at the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building (OWC).

Staged from August 30th to September 7th, European Bike Week features a continuous program of events, rides and entertainment – with the Custom Chrome Europe Ride-In Bike Show as the highlight.

The bikes will be judged by a jury, selected from members of the custom press, builders and V.I.P. vendors.

Last year saw the introduction of a specialty Sportster-engined bike sub-class (which includes Buells), which is open to factory and Harley and aftermarket Sportster-style engined bikes. Other classes returning for 2008 include Radical, Old School, Chopper, Modified Harley (factory frame and/or engine) with the Best of Show scooping the OWC Affiliate prize.

As is the case with most custom bike events outside the United States, ‘Faak’ is a ride-in show and participation will be international, so the sub-class and the Best of Show winner could be selected from any country. The 5,000 Euro DHL voucher for the winner’s bike freight to the 2009 OWC at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is sponsored by Custom Chrome Europe and Arneitz Custom Show/ European Bike Week.

CUSTOM CHROME EUROPE
Bad Kreuznach, GERMANY
Tel: +49 (0)671 888 880
Fax: +49 (0)671 888 881 00
E-mail: info@customchrome.de

www.custom-chrome-europe.com
www.arneitz-custom-show.de

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11/07/2008 by info.

Harley-Davidson has ended months of speculation about its intentions to make a strategic acquisition by confirming that it has bought Italian maker MV Agusta.

A statement on Harley’s website says that “Under the agreement, Harley-Davidson will acquire 100 percent of MV Agusta Group shares for total consideration of approximately 70 million euros ($109 million), which includes the satisfaction of existing bank debt for approximately 45 million euros ($70 million).”

“In addition, the agreement provides for a contingent payment to Claudio Castiglioni in 2016, if certain financial targets are met. MV Agusta Group is privately held, with the Castiglioni family owning 95 percent of MVAG shares.”

“The acquisition is expected to close in several weeks, pending the satisfaction of contingencies and receipt of regulatory approvals. Harley-Davidson intends to fund the transaction primarily through euro-denominated debt.”

“MV Agusta Group has two families of motorcycles: a line of exclusive, premium, high-performance sport motorcycles sold under the MV Agusta brand; and a line of lightweight motorcycles sold under the Cagiva brand. MV Agusta’s F4-R motorcycle, powered by a 1078cc in-line four-cylinder liquid cooled engine, is rated at 190 hp. The company sells its products through about 500 dealers worldwide, the vast majority of them in Europe. In 2007, MVAG shipped 5,819 motorcycles. During 2008 MVAG has significantly slowed production due to financial difficulties.”

“Motorcycles are the heart, soul and passion of Harley-Davidson, Buell and MV Agusta,” said Harley-Davidson, Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jim Ziemer. “Both have great products and close connections with incredibly devoted customers. The MV Agusta and Cagiva brands are well-known and highly regarded in Europe. They are synonymous with beautiful, premium, Italian performance motorcycles,” Ziemer said.

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01/07/2008 by info.

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