For 2012 models Harley is going to have water-cooled engines.
Apr 012011
Mar 242011
Originally published March 16, 2011 at 5:46 p.m., updated March 17, 2011 at 2:40 p.m. San Diego Union Tribune.
The open road and the motorcycle were made for each other on either the fifth or sixth day of creation, before God rested – by taking a road trip on a very early model Harley, I’m told.
This I believe.
If you do, too, then you might be interested in the list of the Top 15 motorcycling roads in America, published in the April edition of American Motorcyclist magazine.
American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and its website tapped the considerable experience of its 230,000 members to come up with the list, we’re told. Members nominated 100 roads, according to AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman.
Not surprisingly, a Western leaning gives a full-throttle feel to the list. Several, including the Pacific Coast Highway run through California.
Here is the AMA’s Top 15, and a short list of honorable mentions. The magazine, of course, goes into detail on each road trip:
(#15) Washington Route 129 and Oregon Route 3, Clarkston, Wash., to Enterprise, Ore.
(#14) Ohio Route 170, Calcutta to Poland.
(#13) California Route 58, McKittrick to Santa Margarita.
(#12) U.S. Route 33, Harrisonburg, Va., to Seneca Rocks, W.Va.
(#11) Natchez Trace, from Natchez, Miss., to Nashville, Tenn.
(#10) Angeles Crest Highway, California Route 2.
(#9) U.S. Route 12, Lolo Pass, Idaho and Montana.
(#8) California Route 36.
(#7) Cherohala Skyway, North Carolina and Tennessee.
(#6) Going to the Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana.
(#5) California Route 1, Pacific Coast Highway.
(#4) U.S. Route 550, from Ouray to Durango, Colo.
(#3) U.S. Route 129 — The Tail of the Dragon — on the North Carolina-Tennessee border.
(#2) Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina.
(#1) Beartooth Highway, Montana and Wyoming.
Honorable mentions:
Highway 12, Colorado
Route 191, 180, 78, Arizona, New Mexico
U.S. 191 (Alpine to Morenci) Arizona
U.S. 16A South Dakota
U.S. 50, Nevada
Farm to Market 336, Texas
Mar 112011
Free demo rides of 2011 Harley Saturday and Sunday March 12th & 13th @ Tucson Harley Davidson. Food, raffles and much much more. 9:00 am to 4:00 pm each day.
Mar 102011
Brough Superior motorcycles were made in Nottingham, England from 1919 until 1940 and were known as ˜the Rolls Royce of motorcycles”. Very expensive at the time, they were available only to the wealthy. This model dates from 1931.
T. E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, owned several of these machines and died from his injuries after crashing on one in 1935… Another beautiful bike is this Imme (Germany), with a single side suspension:
The Megola motorcycle was produced in Munich in the 1920’s. Some 2000 were built, but only 10 fully working examples are still in existence, one of which is in the Guggenheim Museum in New York:
In 1935, the Killinger and Freund motorcycle was an attempt to make an improved version of the Megola, but the advent of World War Two put an end to any further development:
Some sources point out that “in 1940, when Indian’s skirted fenders appeared, several questioned the manhood of Spingfield’s designers”. It seems that aerodynamic shape of Killinger & Freund bikes influenced the Indian designers:
This streamlined torpedo is the French-made Majestic, 1929:
Speaking about “Custom War Bikes”, here is one that was fashioned after World War Two style (modern concept by Kogisama):
The previous wild concept was not so wild, after all – take a look at the real WW2-period 1936 BMW Schneekrad (more info):
Another front-wheel tracked motorcycle prototype from 1937 (more info):
Modern all-terrain tracked version is proposed by Hyanide & Baal:
After the war, the Moto Guzzi 500 cc V8 race bike was seen on the world’s high-speed racetracks from 1955 to 1957.
Going Hubless
The hubless wheel was invented by Franco Sbarro, who incorporated it into the Sbarro Osmos car in 1989. He also built at least two motorcycles employing the hubless technology.
Modern version of the hubless wheel can be seen in the recent concepts for Harley Davidson, by designer Miguel Cotto (more info):
Many of us remember the lightcycles from the 1982 movie Tron. The long awaited sequel, Tron Legacy, is set to hit theaters in late 2010 and will feature this splendid looking specimen:
Swordfish concept chopper:
Rats & Kustoms
This custom built motorcycle, called Iceman II, was made by Walz Hardcore Choppers of Germany for Formula One world champion Kimi Raikonnen:
Rat bikes are usually defined as motorcycles that are decades old, in a poor state of repair, but still maintained and kept roadworthy by their owners on a shoestring budget. Survival bikes do resemble rat bikes and the two are often confused, although survival bikes are usually modified in much the same way that cars are customized. Here are some great examples of both of these types of machines.
Imagine seeing this coming up behind you in your rear view mirror (below left)? On the right is the rounded green beauty, also seen at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally:
Not sure what kind of a view you’d get of the road ahead on this one (image below left)? On the right you can see a really inventive fuel tank –
On the left image below is The Survival Bike from some sort of Zombie Apocalypse.. Whereas the owners of the bike (below right) decided to actually attach the coffin as a sidecar:
We featured what we had speculated might be the world’s largest motorcycle in Magnificent Motorcycles Part One, but the biggest one on the planet may actually be this one.
This bike is pretty big too and apparently this machine, called the Gunbus, is perfectly capable of being taken out on the road.
Want to travel in style? Why not try this Harley Davidson and limousine combination?
Concept Beasts
Finally, here’s a selection of concept motorcycles, which may or may not see the light of day at some point in the future. Here’s the Akira concept bike:
FuturA was designed by Mario Malagrino of the Florence Design Academy (left)… Romanian 3D artist Adrian Baluta created this cool bike called Darklight (right):
Above image, bottom row: the Suzuki Biplane and the Victory Vision 800 concept bike produced by Victory, a division of Polaris ATV’s.
William Woods designed the Fallout concept motorcycle in 2009 (below left). The Wrath concept (below right) by Alexander Barnard is dubbed a “future modern retro chopper” for the year 2083:
So there you are, another look at cool, fascinating, unusual and weird motorcycles from around the world.
Jan 272011
Get immediate information on all motorcycle, car, truck safety issue recalls. You can select recalls on the entire vehicle, or tires, or engines etc.
Go to Safercar
Enter the selections (vehicle, year, make etc.) and get complete safety recall information.
Make: HARLEY DAVIDSON Model: TOURING
Model Year: 2005
Manufacturer: HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY Mfr’s Report Date: JAN 21, 2004
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 04E094000 N/A
NHTSA Action Number: N/A
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM
Summary:
CERTAIN FUEL SHUT-OFF VALVES USED AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT, P/NOS 61338-02, 62169-02A, 61338-94D, AND 62169-95C FOR USE ON CERTAIN 2005 CARBURETED SPORTSTERS, DYNA, SOFTAIL, AND TOURING MODEL MOTORCYCLES. THESE VALVES MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WITH THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE ‘ON’ POSITION AND THE ‘RESERVE’ POSITION OF THE VALVE MAY HAVE BEEN REVERSED.
Consequence:
IF THE BIKE WERE OPERATING WITH THE VALVE IN THE ‘ON’ POSITION, THE BIKE COULD RUN OUT OF FUEL, THE EXPECTED FUEL RESERVE WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE. THIS COULD LEAD TO THE DRIVER RUNNING OUT OF GAS WITHOUT WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL VALVE AND REPLACE IT, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN JANUARY 27, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HARLEY-DAVIDSON AT 1-414-342-4080. IF YOU HAVE HAD OR INSTALLED A REPLACEMENT FUEL SHUT-OFF VALVE IN YOUR MOTORCYCLE, PLEASE TAKE YOUR VEHICLE TO YOUR DEALER TO HAVE THE VALVE INSPECTED FOR PROPER OPERATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Notes:
CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236.
Jan 212011
A public memorial service was held in Tucson for a U.S. Border Patrol agent killed in December in a shootout with border bandits.
The service for 40-year-old agent Brian A. Terry was held at 11 a.m. on Jan. 21 at Kino Stadium, formerly known as Tucson Electric Park.
Terry was waiting with three other agents north of Nogales on Dec. 14 when a gun battle with the bandits began. Four suspects were arrested.
FBI spokeswoman Susan Herskovits would not provide details of the investigation.
Bandits have long roamed border areas, robbing and sexually assaulting illegal immigrants as they cross into the country.
A memorial service for Terry was held Dec. 22 in his native Michigan.
Those in attendance from the Blue Knights AZ IX Chapter were Harry Barden, Norm Hubbard, and Ron Friend.
Photos of the proceedings can be found in the “Photos” area at the Top of the “Home Page.”
THE FOLLOWING IS FROM THE ARIZONA DAILY STAR JANUARY 22, 2011
More than a month has passed since Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was slain on the job, but grief over his death has not subsided in Southern Arizona.
More than 1,200 people turned out Friday for a memorial service honoring the 40-year-old agent, killed Dec. 14 near Rio Rico in what authorities described as a shootout with border bandits.
Authorities have yet to charge anyone in the killing. Several suspects were taken into custody a short time later, but so far they are facing only immigration-related charges.
Kino Stadium, formerly known as Tucson Electric Park, was a sea of flags and uniforms as a Border Patrol chaplain opened the ceremony with tears in his eyes.
“Mere words cannot express our sorrow when one of our own falls,” said Mark Vander Lee, a chaplain for the Border Patrol’s Nogales Station.
Terry, who served as a Marine in the Iraq war and as a police officer in his hometown in Michigan before joining the Border Patrol, is “an example of strength and devotion to duty,” Vander Lee said.
U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords was there in spirit, even as she was making her way to Texas by air ambulance to begin rehabilitation.
Giffords aide Ron Barber attended the memorial service on the congresswoman’s behalf, despite being recently released from the hospital after he was wounded in the same shooting spree as his boss.
Terry joined the federal agency at age 38, and quickly advanced to a position with a Border Patrol tactical unit that takes on demanding assignments.
“Brian was a man who believed in service,” said Kurt Martin, who spoke on behalf of the slain agent’s family members, who traveled from Michigan to attend the Tucson memorial.
Terry knew the dangers of his job but “loved what he did, and who he did it with,” Martin said, addressing the hundreds of fellow agents in attendance.
At the request of Terry’s family, his tactical unit colleague, Agent John Bonbright, read aloud from a letter Terry once sent home to loved ones. In it, the slain agent describes his on-the-job credo.
“I do not fear death, for I have been close enough to it on enough occasions that it no longer concerns me,” the letter said.
“What I do fear is the loss of my honor and would rather die fighting than to have it said that I was without courage.”
Police officers, sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and military veterans from around Arizona took part in the service.
Some, like Marine Corps veteran Al Garcia of Tucson, arrived just after saying goodbye to Giffords outside Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
“I came to pay my respects to a fellow Marine,” said Garcia, 47.
Terry, he said, “was someone who put his life on the line constantly. That says a lot about him.”
Amorette Hernandez, 33, wife of Border Patrol Agent Jorge Hernandez, attended the service with their 5-year-old son, J.R., in tow.
“My husband is working today and couldn’t be here so it’s our duty to come and show support,” Amorette Hernandez said.
Any time an agent is killed in the line of duty, it sends a chill through the families of all agents, she said.
“Whenever one of ours is taken down, we realize it could have been any one of us. It makes me thankful for every day my husband gets to come home.”
Contact reporter Carol Ann Alaimo at calaimo@azstarnet.com or at 573-4138.
Jan 012011
Host Hotel: Best Western Mount Vernon , 8751 Richmond Highway , Alexandria , Va. (703) 360-1300 (703) 360-1300
Cost: $80 per night w/3 night minimum
Reservations cannot be made until October 2010
Partial Itinerary:
5/13: 23rd Annual Candlelight Vigil
5/15: National Police Week/Peace Officers Memorial Day
RWP
Dick DelRossi
FL XVII
Blue Knights COPSRUN Founder
BLUE KNIGHTS COPS RUN
Dec 212010
We all know someone who has a H-D equipped with the stock laced wheels. This is the first I have heard of this issue. If you go the the web site, UnSafe Motorcycles, you will see there is and has been a problem with thte safety of the Dunlop 402 (tire used primarily for H-D applications prior to 2009). Please share this info with everyone you know who rides a Harley.
Texas law firm investigating rim failures
Publish date: Dec 12, 2010
A Texas law firm says it is investigating motorcycle rim failures in two accidents that may lead to more claims.
The Edwards Law Firm says rim failures may have led to catastrophic deflations of tires on Harley Davidson Ultra Classics. Both were steel chrome-plated 40-spoke factory rims manufactured in Italy.
The firm operates the web site Unsafemotorycles, where it says consumers contacted the firm about incidents in Michigan and Ohio.
“Failures of two rims manufactured at the same plant could mean defective metals or processing. If this is the case, other riders could be at risk,” says Billy Edwards, attorney and motorcycle rider. “We will be sending the rims to experts to see if they can determine what caused the failures.”
A Michigan man riding a 2001 Ultra Classic reported he was traveling in October 2009 along a two-lane state highway at about 40 mph when his rear tire suddenly deflated.
“There was no warning, no sound, and all of a sudden the rear of the bike became extremely loose, squirrelly, uncontrollable,“ he said. He credited experience as a lifelong rider and Motorcycle Safety Foundation classes for his ability to stop without going down. “I knew, don’t panic, don’t slam on the brakes, bring it down easy. I was fortunate,” he said.
The tire had less than 1,200 miles on it and had been installed at a Harley-Davidson dealership, which also reported they had inspected the rim, he told the law firm. He said there was no hole in the tire, a D402, just a shredded tube and a long, lengthwise crack in the rim.
The Michigan rider, an engineer, says he contacted the firm after a fellow rider from Ohio experienced a similar rim failure in September, 2010. In the second instance, the Ohio rider reported he was traveling 78 mph on I-75 when the tire gave way.
“He crossed three lanes of traffic before he reached the berm where he could start applying brake to the front wheel. He almost didn’t make it,” according to the Michigan rider’s account. He said the Ohio rider, an auto mechanic, was on a 2003 Ultra Classic with Messler tires, again with no sign of puncture, but the rim shows a long, vertical crack.
Posted by Holly Wagner
Dec 182010
On June 29th of this year Officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab were killed in the line of duty on a traffic stop. Both Officers were 31 yrs old. Officer Curtis is survived by his wife and four young children. Officer Kocab is survived by his wife who was nine months pregnant and gave birth to their stillborn child one week after his death. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain these families are living with.
As a result the Tampa Police Department has conducted several fund raisers and it is in reference to one of these that I am contacting you. This fund raiser is approved by the Tampa Police Department and can be verified through Major Sophia Teague who is in charge of fund raisers. 100% of the proceeds of this book will be equally divided between the Curtis and Kocab Families
Several Officers have reached out to the Law Enforcement family throughout the United States and have compiled recipes From 50 States along with some from the Food Network ,Discovery Channel, and some famous Chefs including Alton Brown and Anthony Bourdain. We are now in the process of trying to promote sales of this book. Obviously we don’t have an advertising budget and so we are again reaching out to Law Enforcement family members to spread the word.
This book contains 911 recipes submitted by Law Enforcement and Fire personnel, Nurses, Corrections Officers and some civilian employees of these agencies. In addition it contains Recipes from the Celebrity personnel I mentioned.
The Blue Knights have always been active in assisting those in need.
We are asking for your help in spreading the word about this most worthy cause.
I’m including the purchase information for this book and asking that you forward it to all of your chapters so that they may pass it along to the membership nationwide. We know that with your assistance that this book can be a great success and help these two families at least get some relief from the financial burdens they face.
The books can be purchased using the following methods. If you buy one the Price is $20.00 + $3.00 shipping and handling. Buy 5 and we’ll pay for half the shipping. Buy 10 or more the shipping is free.
Make checks payable to: Calling all cars cookbook
Send to: Calling All Cars Cookbook
P.O. Box 48005
Tampa, Fl. 33646
Or they may be purchased using PayPal Item is Calling All Cars Cookbook Seller is fitz99 or go to our web site 911 Cookbook and we have a purchase section on line
I know that The Blue Knights can help us be successful!
Thank you in advance, Officer Ali Fitzpatrick Tampa Police Dept.
Dec 162010
WORDS TO SURVIVE BY
1. KNOW AND BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE INVISIBLE TO ALL OTHER DRIVERS.
2. When approaching any intersection, assume cars traveling in the opposite direction are going to turn left and run over you. Be prepared to take evasive action.
3. ALWAYS-ALWAYS have an escape route out of a situation to avoid the consequences of other peoples’ mistakes. Keep looking for the gap that you can use when someone else screws up.
4. Adjust your speed to your reaction time. At the end of a tiring day it will be much longer than it was on the way to work at 8:00AM, so ride with bigger safety margins.
5. Check BOTH directions when the light turns green. Someone will run the red light, sooner or later.
6. Drivers that are using their car phones are not using their brains. Watch out for them.
7. Mirrors are important. If they don’t show anything but your elbows, buy some that do. Always use your mirrors.
8. Use other people’s mirrors, too. Look into the mirror of the car in front of you. That way you can see where they are looking, and how attentive they are. If you can see them, chances are better that they can see you.
9. Trucks and vans often have a hard time checking their right side blind spot.
10. Slippery oil, antifreeze, and ATF look like water, particularly in low light. Try to avoid all wet spots, but if you can’t, ride over them smoothly.
11. Check under (behind) parked cars. Those legs you see belong to a child who may run out in front of you.
12. Anticipate the moves of other vehicles. Drivers don’t always use their turn signals in traffic, but you MAY be able to tell where they are going by watching their heads turn just before they change lanes.
13. Treat all metal surfaces – train rails, bridge gratings, manhole covers – with the utmost respect. They offer very little traction when dry, and almost none when wet. Ride over them as smoothly as possible.
14. Ride in a gear that will allow you to accelerate quickly if you need to get out of a tight spot.
15. Never lose your temper when riding….If you do, STOP, take a breather, then resume your ride.
16. Always be on the lookout for, and expect, the unexpected.
17. Avoid racing with other motorists.
18. IF YOU’RE NOT SURE, DON’T!
Courtesy of BMWMOA, BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, Motorcycle Club