It’s historic Atlanta Dragway’s last season before being turned into a shopping center or housing development or whatever, and massive fields of thundering, flaming, AHDRA nitro bikes plan to leave little left standing in their wake. More than 20 of the explosive V-Twins are expected to race when the AHDRA All-American motorcycle drag racing series starts the year off at the Commerce, Georgia speed facility on April 17-18, with test and tune on Friday, April 16. Rich Vreeland started off his Friends of TKR Top Fuel championship season last year by winning the opening race at Cordova. He’ll find repeating that task in Atlanta not impossible, but it will be far more difficult. Amongst others, Vreeland will be facing a fully stocked Jay Turner Racing trailer, including two-time NHRA champ Tii Tharpe and defending NHRA champ Randal Andras. Michael Beland is trading his saddlebags in on a blue barrel of CH3NO2 for Atlanta. Tracy Kile and his Bad Apple Racing team will be there, as well as Tim Kerrigan and Ryan Peery. Ryan is bringing both his Top Fuel and Nitro Funnybike, and Kerrigan might have Frank Velasco as a teammate. NHRA record-holder Bob “Opie” Malloy, second generation nitro stud Armon Furr, Robert “Ziggy” Stewart and more are all expected to fire ‘em up, burn ‘em out, tote the wheel, and take the stripe. “We are excited be the first Top Fuel team to carry the number one plate for the new AHDRA and are looking forward to full fields this season at every event,” said Vreeland, who’s clearly up for the challenge. Hawaya Racing Nitro Funnybike champion Rocky Jackson will also have his hands full defending his title, facing the likes of Gainesville winner Sam White, Peery (or hired rider Buddy Johnson), and more. Pro Fuel also gets a big boost this year from Johnny Vickers’ Hawaya Racing, with guaranteed payouts regardless of bike counts. And like magic, bike counts are likely to increase. Which means more work for LSR’s Preston “President” Bartlett as he seeks to repeat his championship in the carbureted nitro class. He’ll have Gainesville winner White, Jim Martin, Jeannette Thornley, and more to deal with, Just because nitro grabs the headlines doesn’t mean that gas isn’t ready to do some damage as well, and AHDRA comes packing plenty of gasoline heat. Defending class champions Branon White, Jeff Workman, Mike Motto, Rylan Mason, Kevin Winters, John Price, Scott Schenkel, Greg Quinn, John Schotts, Brad Reiss Jr. and Tom Krava will defend their titles in GMS Racing Pro Open, Zippers Performance Pro Modified, Pingel Modified, Law Tigers Pro Bagger, Horsepower Inc. Hot Street, Outlaw Street, 9.30 index, Vreeland’s Harley-Davidson 9.90, 10:30 index, Universal Fleet & Tire 10.90, 11.50 index, T-Man Performance Bagger Eliminator, Mad Monkey Motorsports Eliminator, and Trophy. Those racers will have to hold off contenders Travis Groff, Donnie Huffman, Vance Houdyshell, Justin Collier, Paul Watson, Darrell Smith, Charlie Walker, Manny “Flyin’ Taco” Carrasquillo, Jeremy Cullen, Gary DeGrange, Loreto Presce and more. Bill Rowe, his family, and the hardest working, all-American motorcycle drag racing organization in the business look forward to welcoming all to Atlanta Dragway’s farewell season and the next of many more for AHDRA. Racer gate opens at 9:00am for the 2:00 to 7:00 pm test and tune. Track goes hot at 11:00 am on Saturday with qualifying starting at noon. Track goes hot at 11:00 am on Sunday with eliminations starting at noon. Spectator passes are $25.00 for one day, $40.00 for two, or $45.00 for all three days. Come light up Atlanta Dragway with AHDRA!

Fandango bike show hosted by Oliver peck and cheap thrills at the Gillespie county fair grounds
In Fredricksburgh, Texas.

 

Myself and Bel Air Tony of the Beatkniks car club took a cruise out there. Here are some shots.

–Frank Ball

April 12, 2021 – Santa Fe Springs CA – Performance product maker Vance & Hines today announced the launch of a new 160-cubic-inch V-Twin motor for use in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle drag racing. The motor is specifically designed for use with the NHRA-approved Buell 1190RX bodywork. This is the first time that Vance & Hines has designed a motor for use in a Buell race bike.

The new powerplant, tagged the “VH160VT,” was developed at the company’s Racing Development Center (RDC) in Brownsburg, Indiana. The engine architecture is a 60-degree v-twin with pushrod-driven valves and is capable of turning 10,000+ RPM. It has been approved by NHRA and will be offered to teams participating in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racing.

The engine will be sold as a complete, running engine or components may be ordered through the Vance & Hines RDC as well. Some teams are expected to purchase a builder’s kit, which allows a racing team to take advantage of Vance & Hines proven technology while incorporating their own cams and cylinder head porting specs to create a powerplant that works best for their team.

“This is a natural extension of our company’s involvement in motorcycle drag racing,” said Mike Kennedy, president of Vance & Hines. “Terry Vance and Byron Hines became legends in the NHRA with their history of winning. As we have for the past 40 years, we continue to support teams by providing great vehicles, great engines and great components.”

Vance & Hines launched a four-valve Suzuki-based racing engine earlier this year which can be used in several drag racing classes. In its first outing at the NHRA Gatornationals race in Florida, Vance & Hines rider Angelle Sampey hit 200 MPH in her second run and was the #1 PSM qualifier at the event.

The VH160VT engine will be available starting on June 1, 2021 through the Vance & Hines Racing Development Center.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Back in 1969, the AMA Grand National Championship rules changed enough that the dominant force of the time, Harley-Davidson, had to come up with something new to replace the KR750 it was fielding back then. It ended up unleashing into the world what was to become the series’ most successful motorcycle in history.

XR750 is how it’s called, and it was introduced in 1970 in both flat track and road racing variants. Several big names of the competition rode the model, and managed to earn it 28 of 37 AMA Grand National Championships ran from 1972 to 2008.

Last time we heard anything about the XR750 at an official level was in 2019, when Harley decided to use the Jet Fire Orange, the competition colors deployed by the Harley-Davidson Factory Flat Track team back in the day, across the company’s racing hardware. But despite this effort, nothing can match in appeal an original XR750.

We managed to dig one up as it awaits a new buyer on Mecum’s Las Vegas sale at the end of the week. We’re not being told who was its rider back in the day, but that probably matters little for the ones eyeing to buy it.

Sporting the native orange and black of its breed, the bike is ready for the track, it seems, and has even been fitted with new tires, ventilated hubs, rear sprocket and disc, and clean air filters. According to the seller, “track safety inspection looks ok to pass with springs and other updates.”

The engine that powers it is the original 750cc unit, sporting the aluminum heads that replaced the iron ones in 1972,

The motorcycle is presently part of the George Schott collection, but hopes are it will not be for long. There is no estimate as to how much this particular bike is expected to fetch during the auction.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Generally described as a type of motorcycle boasting the rear suspension concealed under the frame, the term Softail is literally tied to Harley-Davidson. The American bike maker even has some rights for the name, ever since the FXST hit the market in 1984.

The moniker is deceiving, at least on a superficial level, as there are no soft traits in these bikes. The family, which presently includes the Softail, Fat Boy, and Low Rider, among others, are known to be able to take a beating in stock form, but also survive hard customization work performed in shops around the world.

What you’re looking at now was once a member of the Softail family, and for all intents and purposes it still is. Only it has been modified by a German shop called No Limit Custom to such a degree that it now looks like a hard, cold piece of threatening metal on two custom wheels.

Called Limited in the shop’s books, the motorcycle was gifted with a sharp-looking fuel tank. What you’re looking at is not a custom piece, but something NLC calls a shell, which is glued on top of the original piece of hardware to give it whatever new shape the owner desires.

The two-wheeler also received a new short rear fender, a so-called engine spoiler meant to make the entire build more aggressive, custom CNC-milled hand levers, and various covers. The most expensive hardware that went into this build is the swingarm kit, worth around $4,400 according to NLC.

The changes made to the two-wheeler are successful enough to convey a message of toughness, but only for those who can afford it. Combined, the parts used on this build are worth around 6,000 euros, which is roughly $7,000 at today’s exchange rates. That’s not including the man-hours, paint scheme, and of course the bike itself.

by Lauren Layton from https://whnt.com

The Athens chapter of Iron Legacy Motorcycle Club hosted their third annual “Dream Ride” today benefiting the men, women, and kids involved with Special Olympics.

The group charged $20 per motorcycle to join them on their 65-mile ride beginning and ending at Redstone Harley Davidson in Madison.

The event today, complete with live music, giveaways, and even a food truck, is just one of the ways they’ve fundraised tens of thousands of dollars over the past year.

To many of the club members, this cause hits close to home.

“It touches close to my heart because I have a special needs daughter, so I enjoy it. It’s all about the kids, it’s not about me, it’s not about anybody, it’s all about the kids,” Athens Iron Legacy chapter President Randy Ruper said.

Iron Legacy is a motorcycle club not only spread out over the United States but in countries like Guatemala, Canada, Germany, and more; many host fundraisers of their own making contributions to the Special Olympics.

by Phoebe Wall Howard from https://www.freep.com

Ford CEO Jim Farley, owner of two classic Harley-Davidson motorcycles, has agreed to serve on the board of the Milwaukee-based company.

The director nomination was submitted Friday by the motorcycle manufacturer’s CEO Jochen Zeitz as part of the 2021 Notice of the Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement, released in advance of the May 20 vote.

Farley is the only new board nominee. If approved, he would join executives with diverse corporate backgrounds that include Levi Strauss, Ocean5, Starbucks, he Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ABB Robotics and the Cummins engine and technology company.

“Jochen’s vision to bring adventure to a wider audience in different forms resonates with me. I’m honored to be nominated for a seat on the Harley-Davidson board,” Farley told the Free Press on Saturday.

“It’s also good for Ford, another chance for us to learn from one of the best,” he said. “This is a legendary American brand with a proud global history and enduring values. Like Ford, they now want to transform how people move, including new customers —through always-on relationships, new technologies and must-have products and services.”

Zeitz and Farley, both 58, run iconic American manufacturing brands in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. They’ve had to cut jobs, restructure and redefine their legacies.

Zeitz is a turnaround expert who transformed Puma from near bankruptcy to a top athletic brand globally. He took the top job at Harley-Davidson in May. Farley assumed the top job at Ford in October.

Not only does Farley collect classic cars, but he also owns and rides Harley-Davidson bikes: a 1930 Knucklehead and a 1942 WLA Navy bike. He restored both bikes with a lot of help from his friends. Farley is known for working on classics himself.

“Jim Farley is cut from the cloth of Harley-Davidson. He is a working person’s CEO who likes to race cars,” said Marick Masters, a business professor at the Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University in Detroit. “His adventurous spirit captures the essence of Harley-Davidson. … Farley brings a drive and energy to complement the Harley-Davidson brand.”

These days, Harley-Davidson is looking to find new consumers and shore up its financials. The brand thrived during World War II making motorcycles for the U.S. military. Later, the bikes evolved into a symbol of counterculture.

“The world’s youth were out on the road seeking freedom, and the motorcycle was as sure a vehicle as any to offer a quick hit of it,” said the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum website for its 1998 exhibition, “The Art of the Motorcycle.” “Rebellion became fashion, and Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the motorcycle industry capitalized as never before.”

The ad campaign for Peter Fonda’s 1969 film “Easy Rider” proclaimed, “A man went looking for America and couldn’t find it anywhere,” a sentiment that could be expanded to embrace the entire decade, the Guggenheim said.

By 2018, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle averaged $20,000 and the average buyer age hovered around 50, Business Insider reported.

“Seeing the trials of another classic American brand can help Farley better prepare for potential issues within Ford,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions based in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania.

“With Harley-Davidson at a very competitive juncture in its industry, having someone with corporate turnaround experience like Farley on the board can only benefit the legendary company,” Fiorani said.

“While automobiles and motorcycles are very different industries, navigating an established brand like Harley-Davidson would be akin to maintaining iconic brands like F-150 or Mustang through changing markets,” he said. “Ford has done an admirable job of securing their history to the present day.”

Harley-Davidson was reborn 40 years ago by concentrating on what made their bikes different, Fiorani said. “Finding a similar direction going forward is necessary for the brand’s long-term survival, and Farley has the history to help guide the company toward that future.”

The iconic nature of Ford and Harley-Davidson isn’t simply incidental, said Harley Shaiken, a labor economist who specializes in global production at the University of California, Berkeley. “Building on their past could be key to their future.”

The two companies have become a part of the American story, “from the Joads driving West in a Model T in ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ to Marlon Brando,” who purchased a 1970 Harley-Davidson FLH Electra-Glide after filming “The Wild One,” Shaiken said. “So it’s somehow fitting that the CEO of one is now sitting on the board of the other at a tough moment.”

Directors on the Harley-Davidson board earned an annual fee of $91,630 in fiscal year 2020, according to its proxy report. They have the option of receiving all or a portion of their fees in the form of stock.

Farley serves on no other corporate boards of directors except Ford. Farley does represent Ford on the U.S.-China Business Council board of directors and has been appointed co-chair of the Commission on the Future of Mobility.

It is not unusual for CEOs to serve on select boards and develop important business relationships outside their companies. General Motors CEO Mary Barra has served on the board of Walt Disney Co. since 2017.

Ford CEO is cousin of actor Chris Farley — but has another celebrity relative, too – Tripp Tracy a hockey goalie at Harvard University, was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers and later signed with the Hartford Whalers. For the past two decades, he has been the radio and TV color commentator for the Carolina Hurricanes, a Stanley Cup championship winner in 2006.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) might very well be the most famous American state law enforcement agency. A big reason for that is the “CHiPs” TV series that ran in the 1970s and 1980s and followed the adventures of two fictional CHP officers.

Set up in 1929, the organization currently covers everything from highway patrol duties to guarding state officials. And an important element the CHP officers use in performing their duties are vehicles, most notably motorcycles.

Presently, most of the two-wheelers serving with the CHP are Harley-Davidsons, with the Electra Glide forming the backbone of the several-hundreds strong fleet since 2013. But the law enforcement agency has always had an interesting love story with the Milwaukee company, and the Knucklehead we have here is proof of that.

What you’re looking at is one of about 1,829 EL motorcycles Harley made in 1937. It was deployed since new with the CHP, and thanks to its current owner, who purchased it in 1994, it now looks pretty much as it did back in the day it served.

The motorcycle lacks police-related hardware, such as a siren, a two-way radio speaker, and of course the red and blue flashers, but it has the right colors, badge, and the 61ci Knucklehead engine in the frame.

The bike is presently part of a collection called John Bernard Estate, and was for a long time on display at various museums, including its present location, the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.

But hopes are it will not be so for long. It is going under the hammer at the hands of Mecum in Las Vegas at the end of the month. The two-wheeler is going with an original historical 1944 California pink slip, but no estimate on how much it is expected to fetch is given.

by Andrea Guerrero and Drew Hill from https://www.winknews.com

Charlotte County came together to honor fallen officers on Saturday with the 15th annual Fallen Heroes Fundraiser. This year it began with a memorial motorcycle ride in honor of the first female corrections officer killed in the line of duty.

More than two dozen officers in Southwest Florida have been killed in the line of duty in recent years. Darla Latham is one of the officers.

Every year the Florida Defenders Motorcycle Club makes sure to honor her. Vinny Gorgogolione is the President of the Charlotte County chapter of the Defenders.

“Today’s our 15th annual fundraiser in the name of the Darla Latham who was killed in the line of duty during a prison break in 2003,” said Gorgogolione.

Hundreds of bikers from different chapters all around the country gathered for Latham and other fallen officers.

“I think it’s important to focus our efforts on officer safety and those that do get injured or killed on the line of duty that there’s somebody there to try to help them and their families out,” Gorgogolione said.

Toney Mineo recently retired as officers and they rode from the east coast to who their support for this forever brotherhood.

“It’s heart-wrenching for first of all that we know what they go through,” Mineo said. “Our job as a former law-enforcement is to make sure they’re OK and if they need anything to step up to the plate.”

The money raised is to support our local men and women in blue. Chief Pam Davis with Punta Gorda police knows this can make the difference.

“Know that they gave their lives for something and very important and society and that we as a police family we’re here for you too,” said Davis.

Both the Punta Gorda Department and Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office were given $2,000 to go towards officer safety equipment.

Saturday’s event raised money for families of fallen heroes and will also go to help local law enforcement departments.

by Arun Prakash from https://www.rushlane.com

Custom Motorcycle With 3 Honda CB750 Engines made with the objective of participating in Land Speed Racing.

Once in a while we come across an engineering marvel that makes us wipe our eyes and maybe even scratch our heads. Now, branding the latest case as a marvel would be an outstretch but it surely does make us carry out the last two acts. If you think you have witnessed insane aftermarket modifications that can’t be matched, this one might force you to rethink.

When you see a single motorcycle is powered by three engines, yes you read that right – three engines in one motorcycle, probably can be called MotorsCycle. You can easily judge for yourself the number and kind of mod jobs that would have been carried out. Named ‘The Galaxy’, this behemoth is powered by three bored-out CB750 motors which essentially makes it a 12-cylinder 2,508cc glory.

Idea of Three Engine Motorcycle
This motorcycle is a creation of California-based custom motorcycle builder Mitsuhiro ‘Kiyo’ Kiyonaga who intends to take this monster to Land Speed Racing. Kiyonaga started his aftermarket workshop in Los Angeles in 2013 and his first project ‘Cherry Blossom’ was a custom-built stretched land speed racer that featured a turbocharged Honda CB750 engine housed in a frame built from scratch.

A few years later he followed it up with another 1970s top fuel-style bike but powered by twin motors this time and named it ‘Gekko’. Even though the Galaxy was Kiyo’s pet project which he has dreamt of since his childhood, it was seriously materialised only when his first two motorcycles were acquired by Haas Moto Museum. Work on the bike only started when owner of the museum, approved and officially commissioned the project.

Galaxy- Powertrain specs
Coming to its specification, Galaxy draws its energy from three four-pot motors sourced from F2 large port heads. Each of these engines has been bored-out to 836cc has been completely rebuilt with balanced and lightened crankshafts, performance cams, oversized stainless steel valves and heavy-duty connecting rods. Special care was taken to ensure that each internal configuration was in line with the original spec.

The motors are held by a three-piece chassis that constitute a tubular upper frame, and two huge engine mounting plates that also act as a rigid swingarm. Front half of Galaxy has been integrated into the frame which hides the pump, fuel tank, battery and all other functional components under its skin.

That tail section is a hand-built aluminium piece that can hold up to 9.5 litres of gasoline for the oil-sucking engines. A tiny port found at back is essentially an outlet for the engine breather hose.

The alloy wheels made out of aluminium are a piece of art with holes cut out on the front wheel in order to limit the effect of crosswinds at high speeds. With stretched-out ergonomics, ‘rider triangle’ was carefully calculated that offers impressive control and grip when racing across salt tracks.

The designer claims that every component on the bike has been modified and built by hand without aid of any designing software which deserves high applause. The Galaxy now finds shelter in the same museum as Kiyo’s previous two projects. However, Kiyo is yet to tick off all boxes and that would happen only when he takes to Land Speed Racing.