From the monthly archives:

April 2008

Triumph Trackmaster Street Tracker

by Walt Greenwood - Contributor to The Kneeslider on 4/22/2008

in Motorcycle Builders, Vintage Motorcycles, Walt Greenwood

A 1974 Trackmaster frame he scored from a U.S. Air Force man returning from England gave Jerry Ennis the last piece he needed to complete this sanitary Triumph street tracker.
Ennis added a few rare nifty bits from his collection and produced a bike that drew crowds when he rolled it out April 19 at [...]

{ 13 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }

The Ducati Desmosedici RR may not be a motorcycle at all, I’m beginning to think it’s art. Not long ago, in a post titled Collectible Motorcycles – Memories and History, I said this:
Will any Desmosedici owner run it hard and really enjoy it or will they all be carefully preserved under glass? Most likely, they [...]

{ 25 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }

Harley Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Pro EFI Super Tuner

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 4/17/2008

in Motorcycle Accessories

Harley Davidson has introduced the Screamin’ Eagle Pro EFI Super Tuner, a plug in unit that connects to the USB port of your PC and allows 15 minutes of data recording, tracking of up to 26 variables and the software automatically connects to the Internet for updates and the latest calibrations. It’s for “Race Use [...]

{ 22 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }

Harley Davidson First Quarter Sales Down

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 4/17/2008

in Motorcycle Business

Harley Davidson sales were off 12.8 percent in the first quarter, which is actually better than the heavyweight segment overall which was down 14 percent. No real surprises here, things are slow in most all retail sectors, in which case, larger discretionary purchases usually feel it a bit more. HD will reduce shipments this year [...]

{ 10 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }

Volkswagen Looking for a Motorcycle Manufacturer

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 4/16/2008

in Motorcycle Business

Volkswagen may be on the lookout for a motorcycle manufacturer to add to its holdings. Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand Piech, who rides a Ducati, said in an interview, he regrets not buying Ducati in 1985 when it was a bargain due to financial troubles. He did not specify what company he has in mind now, if [...]

{ 20 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }

BMW S1000RR World Superbike

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 4/16/2008

in Motorcycle Business, Motorcycle Design, Motorcycle Racing

The first photos of the not very well kept secret BMW S1000RR Superbike were released today. BMW is planning to take on the rest of the major manufacturers in contending for the WSB title, beginning in 2009. They will be building a limited number for road use to meet homologation requirements.
More details as they become [...]

{ 54 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }

Got word from Roger Allmond yesterday that his Triumph Rocket 3 custom was just finished late Saturday night. He had some photos taken over at MCN and they have the first one up.
It’s certainly one big and beefy custom, exactly what you would expect given the bike he started with, though there’s very little of [...]

{ 14 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }

Could the day of the single fuel “gas station” be fading away as we keep moving toward a multi fuel or multiple energy source transportation system? Would you go out of your way to fill up with ethanol if a station was nearby and your vehicle could handle it? How about biodiesel or hydrogen or [...]

{ 15 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }