General Posts

Wheelies and stunt riding is cool, but I like old school, line ‘em up and rip ‘em drag racing-On the track, not the street. My first Harley was an ‘86 Heritage, and I always like H-D’s but always thought they were really slow. Read more.

After more than 60 years away from professional flat track racing, Indian Motorcycle has won the 2017 American Flat Track Manufacturer’s Championship after a second-place finish at the Peoria TT. Indian Wrecking Crew rider Jared Mees locked in the title for Indian Motorcycle with a strong second-place finish. Teammates Bryan Smith and Brad Baker finished strong in fourth and fifth place, respectively. “Securing the Manufacturer’s Championship through 14 races is an unbelievable accomplishment,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Product for Indian Motorcycle. “To return to professional flat track racing after more than 60 years away from the sport and win the championship on a brand-new Scout FTR750 race bike is a testament to all the hard work from the entire Indian Motorcycle Racing team.” American Flat Track recognizes Manufacturer Champions in each class. The manufacturer that accumulates the most points in each class over the course of a season is declared the Manufacturer Champion. With four races remaining, and Indian ahead of the next manufacturer by more than of 100 points, Indian Motorcycle has guaranteed a Manufacturer Championship. Aboard the Scout FTR750, the Indian Wrecking Crew have combined for 30 of the season’s 42 total podiums. Mees, the season’s point leader, holds a 41-point lead ahead of Smith, while Baker rounds out the top three in the season’s standings. Mees and Smith have tallied 11 first-place finishes, with seven going to Mees and four to Smith. Indian Motorcycle Racing, backed by Allstate Insurance, has its sights set on an individual championship as American Flat Track returns to the Springfield Mile on September 3.

 On August 10, riders lined up for the second-ever Sons of Speed banked motorcycle race. Fresh off its inaugural run at Daytona Bike Week 2017, Sons of Speed ran its sophomore contest at The Full Throttle Saloon’s Pappy Hoel Campground racetrack during the 2017 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. “We were rolling on a dirt track without a clutch or brakes, so that made things interesting,” said Billy Lane, renowned bike builder and founder of Sons of Speed. “Can’t wait to do it again.” This was the first such event ever held at the Pappy Hoel Campground racetrack, and the weather was perfect for it. First-place honors went to eBay Jake on a 1919 Harley-Davidson. Billy Lane took second, riding a 1919 Harley-Davidson. Freddy Bollwage, on a 1921 Harley, placed third and Xavier Muriel took fourth astride a 1913 Perry Mack. Inspired by early twentieth-century board-track racers, the Sons of Speed race hearkens back to a stripped down, wide-open approach to motorcycle riding. Each racer sat astride identical hand-built racing chassis holding pre-1925 1,000cc American V-Twin engines, and most racers customized their machines by fabricating handlebars, exhaust, fenders, foot pegs and fuel/oil tanks. This was and is motorcycle racing at its harrowing, blood-chilling best. The third Sons of Speed race is already set for October 21st at New Smyrna Speedway. Check out the Sons of Speed Facebook Event Page for updates and breaking news.

Valerie Thompson and American Motorcycle Association Hall Of Fame member Denis Manning return to the world’s fastest race course for the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials at the Salt Flats, August 26-31, on a mission to rewrite motorsports history by breaking the land speed record of 376.36 mph (605.69 km/h) with the famed Team “7” Streamliner (aka BUB 7). Thompson stunned the racing world at last year’s trials with a speed of 304.263 mph (489.663 km/h) piloting the Manning designed “7” Streamliner on only her fifth run, becoming the first female rider over 300 mph and earning the Fastest Time of the Meet award. The current record, set in 2010 by the Top 1 Ack Attack team, was formerly held twice by the Manning designed and built “BUB 7” Streamliner, setting the stage for an all out battle for the “world’s fastest motorcycle” title. The quest for the title is being captured on film by P-51 Pictures and Executive Producer Dana Brown, creators of “Dust to Glory,” “On Any Sunday” and the award-winning “Out of Nothing” motorcycle racing documentary. P-51 crews have followed the teams for more than 12 months filming the land speed-racing documentary, “Rockets & Titans,” scheduled for worldwide theater distribution in 2018. P-51 Pictures will utilize a crew of more than twenty technicians to film highlights of the speed trials both on and off the track. Asked if the movie related activity is a distraction, Thompson said, “Believe it or not, no. The film crew is very professional and easy to work with. More importantly, I’m delighted land speed racing will get a worldwide stage through this documentary. It’s excellent exposure for sponsors like TROON Inc., Vision Wheel, ilium Works, Wheels Through Time and who make it possible for us to chase our dreams.” Thompson has seven land

Hey, I’m scrambling on my Sturgis ’17 article to be posted next week.A bunch is flying through my mind now that Sturgis is behind me. We need to be in Bonneville with the Salt Torpedo next year. That’s a must. I’ll be 70 and brothers all around me are slipping away. When I say we have no time to lose, I mean it. .”> It’s odd and maybe not. I should have this discussion with Arlen Ness, Cory or any man who knows the desire of completing a project. As a young man I wanted to be able to do everything on my bikes. I would have built a chrome shop behind my garage if I could. .”> There’s that strange sense of loosing connection with a project when it’s out of your hands and you must rely on others. When it’s in your hands, you know exactly what’s happening and when. .”> Let’s hit the news and then I’ll endeavor to make sense of my thinking and this coming year.

This past weekend, Indian Motorcycle kicked off the 69th annual Bonneville Speed Week by paying tribute to its iconic heritage and the 50th anniversary of Burt Munro’s historic land speed record in grand fashion. The tribute was highlighted by commemorative land speed runs by Munro’s great nephew Lee Munro on a modified 2017 Indian Scout appropriately named “Spirit of Munro.” America’s first motorcycle company capped off the weekend with something that had never been done before – a moonlit screening of “The World’s Fastest Indian” under the desert sky for Speed Week campers. Read more.

Hey, I’m sorta lost today. We are still unwinding from the Sturgis run and dealing with the aftermath. We fixed something wrong with the Shovelhead and need to address a couple more issues. My Factory Racer is still in Vegas until Las Vegas Bike Fest. I’m on the search for a new pickup. Car dealerships are very strange places now. We started to work on Franky’s Dyna right away. He’s anxious to ride it. We just need to hook up the wiring and install the sheet metal. We need to install the new LowBrow taillight and a few other details. He needs a seat and we need to haul his bike to a dealer for the security code to be reset. The list goes on and folks are already talking about Sturgis for next year. We might be involved with a Trike Show sponsored by Bikernet Trikes and Iron Trader News. Let’s hit the news.   Click here for this week’s news, we have some from Australia, Sturgis, Texas, Paughco, S&S, Lowbrow, BIKERS CHOICE, Memphis Shades, MRF, AMA, S&S Cycle, martin moto, Hells Angels, Loretta Lynn Ranch, Tennessee Motorcycles and Music Revival, Metalsport, INDIAN, Bonneville Speed Week and mo’.