The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Harley Davidson Leaving the Sidecar Business

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Harley Davidson has seen a significant decrease in demand for sidecars since their Tri-Glide models got rolling, so they've decided to exit the sidecar business. This is a pretty big move since sidecars have been a part of Harley Davidson since, well, ... almost forever. It's another move in the company's efforts to concentrate on their core business which is pretty much down … [Read more...]

Erik Buell Racing 1190RR with Turn Signals and Radiator Fans

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The developments continue at Erik Buell Racing, and a few are more interesting than others, like an 1190RR race bike with turn signals and radiator fans, just the sort of thing you might see on a race street bike. Let's see, how long has it been since Erik Buell was shown the door? How long before he can set up shop in the street bike business? Rumors of a street bike have been … [Read more...]

Honda CB550 Cafe Racer

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If you need another example of what you can do with a classic, but less than pristine, motorcycle, take a look at this. Starting with an obviously rough 1977 Honda CB550F, the owner stripped it down to the frame, removed all of the brackets that weren't necessary, bead blasted and repainted it then began the rebuild. The tank and tail section is a Benjis Fiberglass Cafe set. … [Read more...]

Iron Butt Rally – 11000 Miles in 11 Days – A Test of Strategic Thinking Plus Endurance

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Most of us will never road race at the top levels of competition, it just isn't in the cards, the young guns seem to have almost supernatural skills on the track, but all of us can ride and sometimes we cover a lot of ground in the course of a day and if we hear about a rally where long distance is involved, we might think, "Hey, maybe I could do that." Well, ... maybe. Dean … [Read more...]

Helical Camshafts – Variable Valve Actuation with a Mechanical Twist

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Unless you're directly involved with engine design, it's hard to keep up with all of the creative methods engineers have used to integrate variable valve actuation into a standard internal combustion engine. In this day of computer controls, you would think mechanical methods would be losing ground, but I received a note from Danny Williams about the Williams Helical Camshaft … [Read more...]