22/12/2010 by info.

This past weekend saw the latest in the Progressive International Motorcycle Show series staged at Long Beach, California, with Mike Tomas of Kiwi Indian fame scooping the FreeStyle class win at the fourth round of the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show program.

No stranger to AMD Magazine’s Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building, Mike took this affiliate event win with his Kiwi Indian Chief.

Chris Richardson of LA Speed Shop was second, with Paul Cavallo of Spitfire third.

Richardson and LA Speed Shop also took the Modified Harley-Davidson class win, with David Givens/AIP Racing second and entry by bike owner Russ Brown third with a modified V-Rod.

In the Performance Custom Class the win was taken by Russ Brown Sportbike, with California Boss Hoss second and Mike Brown third.

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14/12/2010 by info.

An estimated 28,000 show visitors witnessed the latest Progressive International Motorcycle Show held in Seattle, WA, which featured the third round of the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show.

Greg Falkner, Manager of Product Planning at Harley-Davidson and Yamaha’s Warren Fossum, District Manager, helped present the awards.

Robbie Kerr of Kootenay Motorcycle Art from Nelson, BC, Canada, won the Freestyle class with “Glasgow Kiss”, which picked up the Ness Enterprises Partner Pick of Excellence Award at this year’s World Championship. The headlight, springers, bars, hubs, internal throttle, gas tank, frame, seat, rocker covers, cam cover, primary covers, footrests, licence plate holder, taillight, electrical box, air filter, and oil tank are all one-off designs by Robbie Kerr. The oil tank fabrication is by Roger Goldammer, gas tank fabrication by Fat Katz and frame fabrication by Rolling Thunder.

Sebastian Bulare of authorized dealer Eastside H-D won the Modified Harley-Davidson class with a 2011 Street Glide featuring a 1,100 watt stereo, S&S Cams, performance heads, airride suspension and Performance Machine wheels and brakes.

Carl Harris of Premium Custom Cycles at Lakewood, WA, took the top spot in the Performance Custom class. The bike he calls “Blue” is a 2005 Hayabusa and features 240 mm rear tire, extended frame and 1397cc pumped engine.

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29/11/2010 by info.

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08/11/2010 by info.

Harley-Davidson to assemble bikes in India

Harley has announced plans to assemble motorcycles for the Indian market from CKD component kits supplied by its US plants.

It expects this assembly plant at Haryana to be operational in the first half of 2011. The only other non-US Harley bike manufacturing facility is in Brazil, where Harley began to assemble CKD kits in 1999.

Harley-Davidson began its Indian operations in August 2009 and currently offers 12 models in its 2010 line-up in India, available through dealerships in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Hyderabad.

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05/11/2010 by info.

Awesome video from Ryan Grassley a.k.a. Half Throttle.  Here’s what half Throttle has to say about it……. “I’ve wanted to make a animated typography that had something to do with motorcycles for a while now. This is my first try and I got a wicked case of deep vein thrombosis while working on it so I hope you enjoy it.

I have spent a lot of time making fun of Harley Davidson and their riders. But Easy Rider is a very cool movie. From an era when Harley Davidson was at the top of its game in the coolness department. I don’t hate Harley Davidson, I make parodies and satires in hopes that this American company will someday return to greatness. They can’t do that if the American public continues to buy their motorcycles because of patriotism. The Harley customer needs to demand more.”

See the video here:

Harley Davidson Logo - Easy Rider Typography

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01/11/2010 by info.

At the EICMA Milan (Stand 2P-US-5), 2-7 November 2010, Saxon Motorcycles Europe will introduce their new and unique model, the CROWN.

Inspired by the minimalistic approach of the 1950s and ‘60s Gard Hollinger (of LA CountyChoprods and famous for his appearance on the Biker Build-off serie on Discovery Channel) designed a truly unique highneck chopper for Saxon. The motorcycle has clean lines and many custom designed parts like the gas tank, rear fender and oil bag. Like all Saxon models the CROWN offers the combination of beautiful custom bike design together with reliability, performance and comfort. Truly build to ride.

Saxon Motorcycles Europe, also represented at the EICMA, is pleased: “The CROWN is our 5th model we introduce on the European market since 2006” says Frank Vermeulen, owner of Saxon Motorcycles Europe. “Our ‘true american motorcycles´ are very popular in Europe. With our most recent dealer in Russia we now are being represented in 10 European countries” according to Rinke Andringa, coowner. “We are happy to be present at EICMA. Saxon will be on the USA Pavilion , a joint promotion with several different American companies ” he adds. “Saxon represents the lifestyle of an entrepreneur, of a man with a taste for good design and who has the guts to choose what he really wants.”

Saxon, a true American motorcycle, is unique and authentic. It is a symbol of strength and success. It represents the style of a man who knows what he wants, and who dares to make his own choices. He has an eye for quality and sophistication. He is a rebel in his own style. The rider experiences the freedom and rebellion of riding the open road. He is at one with himself and his bike. His Saxon is a unique expression of his individuality.

Saxon stands for power and quality, comfort and self expression. It is a custom built bike, handmade in the professional factory in the USA and fits the driver excellently. It is a beautiful product, that retains its value.

Saxons are reliable and have a 2-year factory warranty. Always the best choice. Saxon is the number 1 USA production custom motor in Europe.

At the moment Saxon Motorcycles Europe has five models: the Warlord, Firestorm, Henchman, the Whip and the Crown. The motorcycles are approved in conformity with the strict European standards on safety, emission and sound. Therefore all bikes of Saxon Motorcycles Europe are “road legal” and can be easily registered by the dealers in every country of the European Union (EU).

General information about Saxon Motorcycles Europe and their models can be found on the internet  www.SaxonMotorcycles.eu.

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30/10/2010 by info.

Hilarious parody showcasing a possible market opportunity for Harley to expand into other markets.”HDPC’s have been stripped down to reveal the soul of computing, and engineered for the rebel who has a lot of things to count. With the new HDPC’s we wanted make a lot of money off of a computer, but not really do any research and development. Everything that we’ve learned from designing mediocre motorcycles, and everything that we have learned marketing those motorcycles culminates in the new HDPC.

Made with parts from China, Mexico, and Japan, then assembled American tough in the U.S. of A. by a union that was threatened into submission by corporate fat cats, then kicked in the nuts 4 days later when the state of Wisconsin rewarded Harley Davidson 25 million dollars in tax credits. As a result of so many union jobs being cut and salaries frozen we are able to ship HDPC’s at a competitive price with computers from overseas.

We hope you enjoy your new HDPC and remember if you get made fun of for owning one be sure to accuse the offender of being to poor to own one.Order today and get your Harley Davidson Gutenburg printing press at half off regular price.Special thanks to http://www.stockfootageforfree.com/ where I downloaded the great footage at the beginning of the video. And Kevin Macleod for his amazing library of Creative Commons music found at www.incompetech.com. I used his song “Open Those Bright Eyes” for the soundtrack because to me it sounded a bit like something Apple would use in one of its keynote presentations.”

See the video here:

Harley Davidson Computers

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26/10/2010 by info.

British roads continue to get safer year on year for all road users. The Motor Cycle Industry’s analysis of the Governments most recent statistics found that although traffic rose by 15% in the last year the casualty rate for motorcyclists fell by 6%.

The motorcycle casualty rate has continued to fall since 1994 and the number of motorcycle fatalities has also dropped by 4% since 2008.

The statistics reveal that rider/ driver errors are the main contributory factor to accidents (42% overall).

The three main causes of motorcycle accidents are; a loss of control – 16%, a failure to properly observe – 15% and a failure to judge the other person’s path or speed – 12%. Slippery roads (7%) and inexperienced riders (9%) were also notable.

Steve Kenward, MCI’s CEO commented, “It is important that we continue to make progress and sustain the reduction in accidents and the casualty rate. Riders themselves can also take greater personal responsibility for their actions on the road and can get involved in different activities to improve their skills and experience.”

Taking part in a BikeSafe assessment is an excellent and affordable way to discover strengths and weaknesses on the road. These sessions include an on-road riding assessment with a qualified police bike instructor who will evaluate things such as cornering and braking as well as your overall riding technique.

To find out more and book a session go to www.bikesafe.co.uk

Follow this up with some post-test training to help improve your skills and techniques. The better prepared you are the easier it will be to deal with hazardous situations that might arise.

For more information about how to find a suitable trainer and the different types of training that is available go to the website www.mcita.co.uk

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21/10/2010 by info.

Harley continues to pick-up share, close-in on 2010 ’shipments’ target, and points to “young adult” sales as production and sales gap narrows With retail sales of 185,720 motorcycles for the first nine months of the year, Harley-Davidson is now targeting the upper end of its 2010 dealer ’shipment’ guidance as sales and production edge closer to balance.

Barring further dramatic deterioration of consumer confidence, and despite widespread on-going concerns about the nature of the domestic US economic recovery, the company’s third quarter fiscals show sales declines over the equivalent 2009 periods reducing, with production and sales likely to be running in parallel by some stage in the first half of 2011.

Third-quarter retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles decreased 7.7 percent worldwide, 9.4 percent in the U.S. (against an industry-wide decline of 14.4 percent in the 651+cc ‘heavyweight’ sector) and 3.6 percent in international markets compared to the year-ago quarter.

“Despite the continued challenges in the economy, we are making solid, steady progress at transforming our business,” said Keith Wandell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc. “With our strategic focus on future growth initiatives and continuous improvement, we are positioning Harley-Davidson to succeed at today’s volumes, as well as to grow and restore greater profitability longer term.”

Sales stand at 13.4 percent down in the US for the first nine months of the year, with international sales down just 1.9 percent for a total worldwide decline 9.8 percent for the year-to-date.

“The Harley-Davidson brand has remarkable strength globally. Few products or brands rank as highly in terms of awareness and affinity on the part of customers and non-customers alike. We have continued to gain market share in the U.S. and Europe. Since 2008, we also have been the U.S. leader in new motorcycle sales to young adults for the entire on-road motorcycle category. Going forward, we will continue to build on this brand strength and leadership position,” said Wandell.

Revenue from Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the third quarter of 2010 was $798.8 million, down 0.6 percent compared to the year-ago period. The Company shipped 53,293 Harley-Davidson motorcycles to dealers and distributors worldwide during the quarter, compared to shipments of 54,236 motorcycles in the third quarter of 2009.

Revenue from Parts and Accessories totaled $219.0 million during the quarter, down 1.2 percent, and revenue from General Merchandise, which includes MotorClothes apparel, was $64.1 million, down 9.4 percent compared to the year-ago period.
Through the first nine months of 2010, the Company shipped 166,013 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, an 11.3 percent decrease compared to last year’s 187,085 units for the period. Revenue from Harley-Davidson motorcycles through nine months was $2.44 billion, a 7.0 percent decrease compared to the year-ago period.

Nine-month P&A revenue was $599.8 million, a 3.7 percent decrease from the year-ago period. General Merchandise revenue was $197.7 million, an 8.3 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2009.

Operating income from financial services was $50.9 million in the third quarter of 2010, compared to an operating loss of $31.5 million in the year-ago quarter. The improvement in year-over-year operating income is largely the result of a lower cost of funds and improvement in credit losses.

Through nine months, operating income from financial services was $138.4 m, compared to an operating loss of $110.8 m in the first nine months of 2009.

Based on this, the Company is now narrowing its guidance for full-year 2010 shipments to 207,000 to 212,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycles to dealers, a decrease of approximately five to seven percent from 2009; their prior shipments guidance for 2010 was 201,000 to 212,000 motorcycles.

The Company has lowered its cost estimates for restructuring and is also refining its guidance for capital expenditures, which are now expected to be $190 m to $210 m for the full year, compared to prior guidance of $235 m to $255 m.

In the third quarter, the Company completed the divesture of its MV Agusta subsidiary. Harley-Davidson incurred losses of $4.9 m during the third quarter, and $108.4 m for the year-to-date from its “discontinued operations”.

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19/10/2010 by info.

ALEXANDRA Palace in London will once again play host to a custom bike show affiliated to the World Championship of Custom Bike Building in 2011.

Now known as the London International Custom Show, it will take place over the weekend of February 26-27 at the iconic North London venue.

For its second year at the ‘Ally Pally’, the event, operated by Andrew Greenwood’s Classic Shows, will now be sponsored by UK custom motorcycle magazine Back Street Heroes (BSH).

“BSH is very pleased to be involved with the 2011 London International Custom Show at Alexandra Palace. The magazine was impressed by the enthusiasm with which the show was received in February 2010, and the quality of the competing bikes in the AMD World Championship custom bike competition,” said Blue Miller of Back Street Heroes.

“Having attended and judged at several of the European shows affiliated to the World Championship, I’m delighted that the UK is now part of that World Series and that BSH will be organizing the home round.”

The top prize at the event will be £5,000 bike freight and related expenses to travel to Sturgis to take part in the World Championship itself.

Last year saw a custom v-twin ‘Sturgis’ prize taken by SPS of the Netherlands, one of a number of bikes entered into the Freestyle class from mainland Europe.

Harley-Davidson sponsored a Modified Harley ‘Sturgis’ prize, won by UK dealer Shaw Harley-Davidson, who went on to take the Modified Harley World Championship at Sturgis this summer.

Exhibitor enquiries:
Andrew Greenwood, Classic Shows
E-mail: info@classicshows.org

Bike show entries:
Blue Miller, Back Street Heroes magazine
E-mail: bsh_magazine@yahoo.co.uk

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