Mikuni American makes a lot of high performance carburetors for motorcycles and they're bringing back a 2004 ad campaign, the Mikuni HSR "Explicit Performance Advisory" with an all new updated image. The "V-Twins have fantasies, too" ad highlights the ... um ... technical superiority of Mikuni carbs, ... or something. The image is on the cover of their new web site catalog … [Read more...]
Honda 50 Was a High Mileage Champ 45 Years Ago
Using high mileage as a selling point isn't new as this ad from Honda clearly shows. The "thrifty Honda 50" as the ad calls it, touted 225 miles per gallon at a time when gas was cheap, this ad appeared in May of 1963. 1963 was 10 years before the first oil embargo and high gas prices were not a concern but no matter what the price was, it was still a neat idea to stress … [Read more...]
Ducati Edition USB Drive and Compact Flash
Ducati and SanDisk have teamed up for this Ducati Edition line of compact flash cards and USB drives. They focus on the extreme performance of the flash memory to make the Ducati connection but it's really all about people who like thiings with the Ducati brand all over it. There you are in that business meeting and you pull out your Ducati USB drive and plug it into your … [Read more...]
When the HD Sportster was the Fastest Motorcycle
Do you remember when the Harley Davidson Sportster used to be a performance bike? If you're a twenty or thirty something, you won't, but the Sportster used to be quite a high performance machine and it was promoted by the Motor Company as the fastest stock motorcycle you could buy. Times change. Today the Sportster is Harley's entry level bike, something a little smaller and … [Read more...]
Did Women Really Ride Side Saddle on Motorcycles?
Did women ever really ride motorcycles like this? I'm old enough to remember, based on the 1967 vintage ads shown here but I don't ever recall seeing women cruising down the street with their significant other, feet swung to one side, resting on the rear peg. At least one company thought they did this often enough to market a footrest specifically designed to keep women's feet … [Read more...]