The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Harley Davidson Completes Sale of MV Agusta

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Harley Davidson completed the sale of MV Agusta to Claudio Castiglioni, former owner of the marque. UPDATE: An article in the Wall Street Journal has a few details from the 8K filing with the SEC. It's probably a good thing they sold it, but as an investment, it certainly didn't turn out well. Note to Harley, don't buy Italian motorcycle companies. In the filing Harley … [Read more...]

Motorcycle Investments

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Stocks are down, then up, then down and real estate is mostly down but not always, what's a motorcycle guy supposed to do? Let's see, where to put your money for the long haul, decisions, decisions. Just doing a little digging in The Kneeslider's research library and came across this ad in a 1970 magazine for a completely restored Vincent Black Shadow series C. $1795. Now, … [Read more...]

Honda Mugen MRV1000

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At this year's Isle of Man TT, there was a classic parade with many old machines not seen in a long time, among those participating was this odd motorcycle, a Honda Mugen MRV1000. A quick look shows a strong British influence with an engine style reminiscent of an old Vincent, but what the heck is a Mugen MRV1000? From the little information available, it seems Hirotoshi … [Read more...]

Brawler – A V-Rod Powered Sportster Alternative

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It's no secret the V-Rod has not broken any sales records, but most everyone would agree the engine is a pretty nice piece of engineering. The Harley faithful keep pushing it away but everyone else keeps trying to fit it into a bike unlike the V-Rod Harley produced. This concept called the Brawler, is the latest work of Travis Clark. We've seen more than a few attempts … [Read more...]

Supercharged 1950 Vincent Black Shadow

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This blown Vincent Black Shadow was built by Max Kelly and raced in California some time in the 1950s. It's a series C Black Shadow with a series B rear section. The blower is a Ventor Supercharger type 2R010 designed and manufactured by Wade Engineering with four 42mm Dellorto carbs doing intake duty. It's an imposing engine with all of this extra plumbing and, like any … [Read more...]

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...]