01/12/2007 by info.

Legendary daredevil dies of natural causes at 69

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Evel Knievel is dead.

That sentence probably should have been written in 1968, when Knievel crashed his motorcycle spectacularly as he jumped the fountains at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas and wound up in a coma.

It probably should have been written in 1974, when his rocket-powered cycle failed as he tried to jump the Snake River Canyon and he almost landed in the raging water. Or the numerous other times when, while trying to jump something bigger than ever, he splattered.

Instead, it was written Friday. Natural causes. Age 69.

“It’s been coming for years, but you just don’t expect it. Superman just doesn’t die, right?” said longtime friend and promoter Billy Rundle. He’s the organizer of the annual Evel Knievel Days festival in the daredevil’s Butte, Mont., hometown. “I lost a good friend and a guy who was like a father to me. I’m just glad he doesn’t have to suffer anymore.”

Rundle said Knievel had trouble breathing at his Clearwater condominium Friday and died before an ambulance could get him to a hospital. Knievel had been in failing health for years, suffering from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs. He had undergone a liver transplant in 1999 after nearly dying of hepatitis C, likely contracted through a blood transfusion after one of his many spills. He also suffered two strokes recently.

Knievel’s son, Kelly, 47, said he had visited his father in Clearwater for Thanksgiving.

“I think he lived 20 years longer than most people would have,” Kelly Knievel said. “I think he willed himself into an extra five or six years.”

Immortalized in the Washington’s Smithsonian Institution as “America’s Legendary Daredevil,” Knievel suffered nearly 40 broken bones before he retired in 1980.

For the tall, thin daredevil, the limelight was always comfortable, the gab glib. Always, he welcomed the challenge whether in sports, at work or play. To Knievel, there always were mountains to climb, feats to conquer.

“No king or prince has lived a better life,” he said in a May 2006 interview with The Associated Press. “You’re looking at a guy who’s really done it all. And there are things I wish I had done better, not only for me but for the ones I loved.”

He garbed himself in red, white and blue and had a knack for outrageous yarns: “Made $60 million, spent 61. …Lost $250,000 at blackjack once. … Had $3 million in the bank, though.”

Although he dropped off the pop culture radar in the ’80s, Knievel always had fans and enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years. His death came just two days after it was announced that he and rapper Kanye West had settled a federal lawsuit over the use of Knievel’s trademarked image in a popular West music video.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source Sports Illustrated

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26/06/2007 by info.

Don’t get your motors running just yet.

Harley-Davidson rumbled north on Friday amid dubious rumors that Honda was ready to purchase the motorcycle maker.

Shares of Harley-Davidson initially rose 6.3% but settled to a 4.2% gain, or $2.51, to $62.63 by noon trading.

However, despite the investor euphoria over the prospect of a Honda-Harley merger, there’s a slim chance that Honda will follow through because of regulatory hurdles.

If Honda and Harley combined, the union would control 65% of the U.S. motorcycle market. The next leading competitor, Yamaha, would play a very distant second fiddle at 16%. That kind of stronghold on the motorcycle market would not please the Federal Trade Commission, which has squashed other, more innocuous mergers.

“I’d be surprised if there was a Honda and Harley-Davidson combination, basically for regulatory and cultural reasons,” RBC Capital Markets analyst, Edward Aaron told Forbes.com on Friday. “Harley is an iconic, American brand. I don’t think it would be a great fit if they were under the ownership of a larger Japanese corporation.”

Aaron also said it was unlikely that Harley would be the target of a leveraged buyout. “Although an LBO is more plausible than a merger with Honda, the math behind such a transaction is not highly compelling,” he said. He then added that Harley is already a well operated business with a high margin profile and it would be difficult for an LBO investor to both pay a meaningful premium at the current price and generate a suitable return.

Investors may have been eager to ride the coattails of the Honda rumor because of Harley’s lackluster performance as of late. Since November, shares of Harley have fallen 17%. In the first quarter, profits plunged 18% amid tepid sales and a three-week strike at a major production plant. While the strike was a negative one-time event, weak demand and an industry-wide slowdown was at the crux of the slip. Harley is also an unexpected victim of the subprime crunch, its financial services arm battered by higher defaults on its subprime loans.

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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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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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10/04/2007 by info.

We’ve noticed at Pro-Street Cycles recently, that the amount of enquiries for wide tyre conversions has dried to trickle after the flood of the past 3-4 years.  If you’ve been checking out the custom motorcycles showing up at the bike shows, or those created for the build offs and featured in the magazines, you’ll notice the rear tyres are getting narrower, a LOT narrower. In the same way that someone finally noticed you couldn’t actually ride a bike that’s over ten feet long with some ridiculous rake, it’s also becoming apparent it’s pretty tough to ride those 360 rear tyre customs. Sure, if you never have to turn and you want to go fast in a straight line, they might work, but if you plan to use your motorcycle on real roads where you might run into some twisties, that super wide tyre will get pretty annoying. There’s also the danger those wide tyres are going to make your bike look really dated which you may want to keep in mind if you ever plan to sell it.

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30/03/2007 by info.

Pretty spooky video of motorcycle vs. car collision tests. You wouldn’t want to end up in a crash like these. A pretty good incentive to wear your protection gear; crash like this without it and you’re toast.

A good time to emphasize the numero uno motorcycle rule of thumb: RIDE LIKE YOU’RE INVISIBLE, never ever just assume a car (or pedestrian for that matter) have seen you.

Now erase this video from your mind and go enjoy riding your bike all weekend.

Take a look at the video and let us know what you think!

Crash Test Dummies Video

via: www.helmethairblog.com

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21/03/2007 by info.

Our super intelligent politicians strike again….. the end of motorcycling in UK???

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/mai … bike17.xml

There is an online petition here….

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/mini-motos/

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12/03/2007 by info.

Daytona Beach, FL – (March 7, 2007) –With all 200 hundred breakfast tickets sold, the Builders Breakfast kicked it into high gear with an auction that raised an additional $12,000. Topping off an unbelievable morning, Bruce Rossmeyer, owner of Destination Daytona made an announcement to event host Billy Lane stating he would MATCH all the funds raised at the event.

The first annual breakfast was held last year at the legendary Broken Spoke Saloon on Lazelle Street in Sturgis. Due to demand, a second event was added annually in Daytona. “After the first event I received tons of emails and calls from people who wanted to attend the event, but didn’t go to Sturgis. They asked if we could hold a breakfast in Daytona. I talked to the other Builders and Rossmeyer and we decided we would give it a shot. With very little notice and time we pulled today’s event together. Based on the numbers, I think we did the right thing. Thanks to Bruce Rossmeyer and the attendees, Boggy Creek is leaving with a FAT check!” said Billy Lane, Founder of Choppers Inc and the Builders Breakfast.

Today’s Breakfast raised over $5,000 in ticket sales alone and nearly another $12,000 at the auction. “The beautiful part of today, was that every dollar we raised was doubled thanks to the generosity of Bruce Rossmeyer. Our $17,000 turned into $34,000 just like that” finished Lane.

Attending Builders

Billy Lane, Arlen Ness, Kendall Johnson, Cory Ness, Cyril Huze, Eddie Trotta, Matt Hotch, Aaron Greene, Paul Cox, Keino, Russell Mitchell, Russell Marlow*, Jesse Rooke*, Kim Suter, Jerry Covington, Donnie Smith, Dave Perewitz, Scott Webster, Fred Kodlin, Arlin Fatland, Paul Yaffe, Roland Sands, Michael Prugh and Jim Nasi. *participants, not in photo

In addition to the Builders, a very special thanks go to those that provided funding to cover food and event expenses plus unwavering promotional support; Custom Chrome, Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona, WHOG Radio in Daytona Beach, Donna Fillion, Frank Scott, Whitewater MFG, Choppers Inc, Chrome Marketing, Broken Spoke Saloon, IronWorks, Easyriders, Arby’s, Bikers In Cite, Sara Liberte, Michael Lichter, Ron Segal, Marilyn Stemp and of course to Billy Lane.

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06/03/2007 by info.

As a follow on from the Just a Biker video - here is a UK safety video which shows the daily hazards most of us face when we go for a ride…..

Perfect Day

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17/02/2007 by info.

Harley Davidson has reached a tentative agreement with the union in the strike at the York, PA plant. Voting on the agreement will take place next week. The strike has already had a ripple effect with 440 HD employees laid off in Milwaukee, plus a number of suppliers have laid off workers in plants in the U.S. and Canada.

Harley-Davidson reported today that it has reached a tentative labor agreement with representatives of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 175 in York. The agreement is subject to membership ratification and a vote is expected to occur the week of Feb. 19. If approved, the agreement would end a strike by Harley-Davidson’s 2,800 unionized employees in York that began February 2.

The Company has not disclosed terms of the proposed agreement or the timing of a possible resumption of motorcycle production in York.

Link: Harley Davidson press release
Link: York Daily Record

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