General Posts

At a ceremony held at Las Vegas BikeFest, Pete Pearson from the United Kingdom was named the 2016 Artistry in Iron, Master Builder Champion. Pearson won with a Triumph-based build named “Speed Weevil”. It’s a salt flat racer and features a number of unique design points. “There is a lot of prestige surrounding Artistry in Iron and I was honored to have been invited to such an important event boasting a roll call of previous competitors that I have always admired. This year’s list of entrants was equally impressive and everyone’s bike was built to such a high standard that it was a tough job choosing between them. I was blown away by people’s reaction to my bike, and since this is a peer-judged competition, coming away with the winner’s trophy (or bracelet) is all the more special and really does mean the world to me”, states Pearson. The annual invitation-only competition, sponsored by Steve Soffa Enterprises and Paughco, included 16 award winning builders. The bikes were judged solely by the master builders themselves, and Pearson was presented with a check for $10,000 from Las Vegas BikeFest as well as a custom designed championship bracelet created by renowned designer and master artisan Steve Soffa. In addition, second place went to Mark Shell, Bonneville Customs who received a Paughco Custom Rigid Rolling Chassis and third place went to Steve Iacona, Iacona Custom Cycles who won a Paughco Springer Front End. People’s Choice winner was Mike McFadden, M&M Customs. “After 12 years of this competition I thought we had seen it all, but this year the builders stepped it up even more. These bikes are pure works of art and would be appreciated by even those not involved with motorcycle riding. We are very happy for Pete Pearson and all the builders

Dealers Of Victory Motorcycles Turn Wrenches To Compete Against Each Other In ‘OPERATION Octane’ Custom Build Contest Fans of Victory Motorcycles who vote earn a chance to win a 2017 Victory Octane, $3,000 worth of Victory Octane accessories and the opportunity to customize their awarded bike with TV’s Bryan Fuller You’ve seen Victory Octane customs built by motorcycle industry icons like Zach Ness, Aaron Colton and Rick Fairless. Now, over 20 Victory dealers from around the world have created their own interpretations of the light, fast and affordable Octane. Dealers participating in Operation Octane were asked to utilize a 2017 Victory Octane, however their build inspirations and themes were up to them. There’ll be four winners – a North American champion, North American runner-up, International champion and International runner-up – who’ll compete for prizes including a 1st place of $5,000 and inclusion in a print ad, and a 2nd place of $3,000. The four winning dealers will be determined by the voting public. Fans of Victory Motorcycles are invited to vote for their favorite bike online at VictoryMotorcycles.com until November 21. Voters will be entered for a chance to win a free 2017 Victory Octane, $3,000 worth of Victory Octane parts, garments & accessories, plus a trip to meet and customize their awarded Octane with TV’s Bryan Fuller and his Fuller Moto design shop. Available in Gloss Black ($9,999), Matte Super Steel Gray ($10,499), Matte Pearl White ($10,499) and Gloss Black with Graphics ($10,499), the 2017 Victory Octane features a high revving liquid-cooled 60-degree V-Twin with four-valve heads and dual-overhead cams that makes 104 horsepower and 76 foot-pounds of tire-shredding torque. While it has the heart of a Pikes Peak International Hill Climb™ racer and a 0-60 mph time that makes it the quickest Victory ever produced, there’s also a

Harley-Davidson’s CoolFlow Fan is engineered to maximize rider and passenger comfort in high-temperature situations such as rush-hour traffic, or extreme temperature environments. Unlike traditional fan kits that try to cool the engine by blowing air across the cylinders and often onto the rider’s legs, the CoolFlow Fan keeps riders comfortable by drawing heated air away from the rear cylinder and exhaust pipe and directing it toward the ground. The CoolFlow Fan features switched On/Off/Auto operation. In the On mode, the fan is active at low speeds, and will turn off when motorcycle speed reaches 40 mph. As speed lowers, the fan turns back on at 35 mph; this gap is intentional to prevent the fan from cycling on and off when riding close to 40 mph. In the Auto setting, the fan operates based on a combination of slow vehicle speed and specific engine and ambient temperatures. Fan function is indicated in the odometer. The CoolFlow Fan is waterproof and designed for durable performance. A dealer Digital Technician update (priced separately) is required to complete the installation, and installation on some model may require additional components. There is a CoolFlow Fan designed specifically for each 2017 Harley-Davidson Touring and Trike model motorcycle. See an authorized Harley-Davidson dealer for fitment details. You can get the CoolFlow Fan at over 750 authorized retail locations in the United States and online. Go to www.h-d.com to find out more.

Why don’t you send us pictures of your riding costume, if you had the balls today…?  

Wild News from the MRF, Rogue, JIMS, Winston Churchill, Diane Pearson, Monster Moto, Esquire Channel and so much more Click here to read it all.

Even a violent hurricane named Matthew, that blasted the east coast of Florida a week prior, couldn’t dampen the spirits of those who managed to wade through the trail of devastation and make it to Willie’s Annual Biketoberfest Old School Chopper Show. Read more.

ROAD TO ZERO MOTORCYCLES For decades, motorcycle rights advocates have warned the riding community that advances in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and the advent of autonomous (self-driving) vehicles could signal the end of motorcycles on public roadways. Indeed, “Vision Zero” has been under development primarily in Europe to remove human interaction from the operation of vehicles in public transit, therefore eliminating human error that results in traffic accidents…and since motorcycles require human operation they do not fit into the Vision Zero scenario. Now, the U.S. Department of Transportation has unveiled plans for a new initiative called “Road to Zero” in concert with other federal agencies and the National Safety Council with the lofty goal of eliminating all traffic-related fatalities by the year 2030, and although bicyclists and pedestrians are taken into account, their plan makes no specific mention of motorcycles. Citing increases in traffic deaths nationwide, accounting for more than 35,000 lives lost mostly due to human error and behaviors such as distracted and drowsy driving and driving under the influence, Road to Zero will focus on proactive vehicle safety, advances in automotive technology and cultivating human behavior. But the new federal safety initiative, announced October 5, 2016 completely ignores a significant portion of America’s road users, as Road to Zero apparently makes no accommodation for millions of motorcyclists vying to survive in an increasingly automated traffic mix. Read more.

Three times recently I’ve come face to face with a new world of motorcycle seat technology. I recently stopped by Saddlemen and saw their new line of café styled seats and rear fenders. During the conversation we looked at seats designed for flat track racing and how they worked to keep racers in position, yet allowed them to shift readily without sliding off their ride. Then I ran into another seating challenge at the Las Vegas Bikefest, while witnessing Straight-Up stunt riding outside the Big Bear big rig in the blistering sun. The Straight-Up crew did unimaginable shit on FXRs from fire-burning burnouts to Straight-up wheel stands. The talented riders desperately needed to stick to their seats. Read more.