General Posts

It was that time of year again when THE HORSE SMOKE-OUT storms into Rockingworld, North Carolina like a freight train on fire. The weather was perfect, sunshine 82 degrees and no humidity (which is rare). Perfect! This year The Smoke-Out was damn special for me. My son, Zach, bought a bike last November. We left the wives at home. I have been working with him with his riding and I have to say I was impressed with his skills! This was our first real trip together, so I had my eye in the mirror on the way to Rockingham. To read the rest of the article by Stealth and see the photos from this year’s Smoke-Out Click Here.

Ron Loynds, owner of Metalsport and three other companies is an interesting cat. He’s not like a rich business guy who inherited his business from the family and flies in and out of his office in a helicopter. Ron is a biker who worked for his stepdad in a machine shop as a kid. Ron started out cleaning machines and sweeping floors, gradually increasing his knowledge and capabilities along the way. After about 6 years Ron was running the shop. Six years after that Dad retired and Ron took over the business. Dad was ok with the small shop, antiquated equipment and slow pace but Ron wasn’t satisfied. He realized to grow the business he needed to roll up his sleeves and put in some 12-14 hour days, 6 and 7 days a week. As the business grew the hours spent at the shop grew too, so he built a small room at one end of the shop where he could shower and spend the night if it became too late to make the long trek home. Read the rest of the story here.

Shares of Harley-Davidson Inc.rocketed on heavy volume Friday as reports of takeover interest circulated at a time when bearish bets were at multiyear highs. The nearly 20% surge was the stock’s HOG, -0.76%  best one-day performance since it shot up 20.5% on March 18, 2009. Volume soared to 23 million shares, which was more than 10 times the full-day average, and the highest level since Oct. 20, 2015. The Fly reported earlier Friday KKR & Co. KKR, +0.00%  could be interested in buying the motorcycle maker. Harley-Davidson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment and a KKR spokesperson wasn’t immediately available for comment. Friday’s gain boosted Harley-Davidson’s market valuation by $1.62 billion to $9.82 billion, according to FactSet data. Some Wall Street traders might call the stock’s oversize reaction to the speculation a “short squeeze.” A so-called short squeeze occurs when investors who borrow a security on the belief that it will fall in value are forced to buy it as prices rise, accelerating share gains. Short interest, or the number of shares investors have bet that the price will decline, spiked to 29.3 million shares through mid June. That is more than double what it was a year ago, and the highest level since April 2010. Source Market Watch

A new motorcycle rally focused on women riders will hold its first gathering at the end of September in Beaumont, Texas. The Lace, Grace, and Gears Rally was founded by a woman and is being organized by women to cater to the topics and activities that today’s lady riders are most interested in. Fisher House is the charity of choice by rally organizers and their mission is to provide free or low cost lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers. In a recent report by the Motorcycle Industry Council, women riders are the fastest growing segment of motorcycle ownership in the U.S. with current stats showing more than 1.2 million lady riders. The median age of women riders is 38 years (male riders median age is 48) and, as a result, motorcycle manufacturers, aftermarket companies, and lifestyle products see a dynamic and adventuresome demographic to market their products to. The lady riders are also more likely to wear protective gear such as helmets, gloves, boots, and jackets when motorcycling. The organizers for the rally see a unique niche in the marketplace to best serve the needs and interests of these women riders. “We knew we were on to something big when we launched the Sisterhood of the Asphalt Ribbon (SOAR) page on Facebook in 2015,” said rally founder Layne Neuenfeldt. “Once the rally was announced, we saw an immediate response from the women riders with hundreds quickly signing up to attend. The entire organizing committee is working hard to fill the calendar with rides, seminars, and activities that the lady riders have expressed interest in and we are thrilled with the feedback and response!” Lace, Grace, and Gears has a mission to attract at least 5,000 women riders from around the United States to southeastern

There are just over 860,000 residents in South Dakota, and last year, during the 75th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the number of people in the state nearly doubled. The rally brought in close to 750,000 people, setting a record. Mitchell, home of Klock Werks, is 300 miles east of Sturgis, but being right off of Interstate 90, the streets of Mitchell are just as flooded with revved engines! And this year, bikers will have yet another milestone to attend before the rally, the 10th Annual Pre-Sturgis Party at Klock Werks, and everyone is invited! Eleven years ago, Laura joined Team Klock Werks to help frieds with what was then a small motorcycle shop. The guys were building bikes into the wee hours of the morning, and while Laura left the garage to run some errands, she noticed bikers all over town, at hotels, in parking lots, just hanging out. They had stopped for the night to take a break from the highway. “When I got back to the shop, I told Brian (Klock) there were bikers everywhere, and we should invite them to all hang out here,” Laura Klock said. Busy with deadline, Brian declined, but Laura was inspired to bring everyone together. Always family oriented, Laura made the hang-out happen the following year in 2006, and the Pre-Sturgis Party was born! “We created the Pre-Sturgis Party and set if for the Thursday before the Official Sturgis Rally weekend, and it has been that way ever since,” Laura said. The team has welcomed friends, family, and bikers from all over the world. They have un-veiled bike builds like the Jack Daniel’s Barrel Bike and most recently Helping With Horsepower project bikes from Mitchell’s Abbott House, “Second Chances”. The party buzzes with book and art signings, massages by Integrated Massage Solutions,

This year’s Lost Highway Motorcycle Show & Concert will feature the newly added RSD Super Hooligan Race as well as a bike show. It’s a motorcycle fans dream weekend featuring live music from Brantley Gilbert, Social Distortion, Justin Moore, Eagles of Death Metal, Foghat, Chevy Metal, Face To Face, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Tony Joe White, Colt Ford, Paul Cauthen and Tyler Farr. Lost Highway, held on July 23rd at San Manuel Amphitheater & Festival Grounds in San Bernadino, CA. is this Summers’ number one music and motor fest destination. The RSD Super Hooligan race presented by Indian Motorcycle will feature a number of different classes. Modern Hooligan racers, Run What Ya Brung and Vintage bikes will be racing head to head on a specially created track situated between live music. Attendees can expect to see an eclectic group of riders on all types of custom bikes pinning it for glory and the coveted Lost Highway Super Hooligan top podium spots. Tickets and weekend camping packages for Lost Highway are available now at www.LostHighwayFest.com.

Hey, This is our Independence Day weekend. Think about it. Independence means Freedom from the other guy. But now government officials believe they must pass more laws to be cool. More laws means less Independence. How about a new rule. If you want to pass a law to create some legacy in your life and you can’t write a book or do something constructive like build a home or a motorcycle, abide by this law: for every new law passed, five must be eliminated, repealed or made toast—adding Independence. I like the sound of that. The news has the latest from the Chip, JIMS, Barnett’s, NRA, MRF, Yamaha, Harley, Scott Jacobs, Nash, Born Free, LowBrow and the Redhead click the here to read more.

Here’s a crazy concept motorcycle from car manufacturer Mercedes Benz. Designed by Alfonso Nuñez Perea as a motorcycle concept for the year 2030, the Revenge concept motorcycle features a rider integration in specially made handlebars as well as unique, flexible body construction that certainly throws away all chassis rules we’ve come to accept. Source: Auto News. This neat computer rendering is just that, a computer generated fantasy. Would you throw a leg over this intriguing motorcycle?