Indian Motorcycle takes its King of the Baggers to the next level with new PowerPlus Performance Cams. Indian Challenger’s Best-in-Class Performance Gains 10% More Horsepower with Stage 2 Performance Cams Accessory Upgrade Kit. MINNEAPOLIS (January 12, 2021) – In 2019 Indian Motorcycle reimagined what an American bagger could be with the introduction of the Indian Challenger. In 2020 the Challenger’s superior performance capabilities were dramatically validated with its victory at MotoAmerica’s inaugural King of the Baggers race at the historic Laguna Seca Raceway. Now the ultimate American bagger gets an extra dose of muscle with the introduction of Indian Motorcycle’s all-new Stage 2 PowerPlus Performance Cams – the same cams that helped power S&S’ Indian Challenger to victory at Laguna Seca. Featuring best-in-class stock performance, the Indian Challenger gains 10% more horsepower with the Stage 2 upgrade kit – providing a new level of unmatched passing power and American bagger performance. Representing Indian Motorcycle’s most powerful engine ever, the stock 108 cubic-inch, liquid-cooled, V-twin PowerPlus engine delivers a class-leading 122 horsepower and 128 ft-lbs. of torque. By pairing the Stage 2 Performance Cams with Indian Motorcycle’s PowerPlus Stage 1 Air Intake and Stage 1 Slip-On Exhaust, riders will experience the unquestionable sensation of increased power the moment they twist the throttle. “The Challenger has already established itself as the outright leader in performance for American baggers, but these PowerPlus Performance Cams raise that bar even higher,” said Reid Wilson, Vice President of Indian Motorcycle. “The world got its first taste of what these cams can do when our S&S Challenger dominated at King of the Baggers. But now everyone can experience it – whether you’re coming off the line at Laguna Seca or just giving it a little bit more to pass a semi out on the highway.” Race proven, the S&S Challenger, piloted by renowned motorcycle racer Tyler O’Hara, was race tuned to take on the legendry Laguna Seca Raceway and a field dominated by heavily modified Harley-Davidsons. While the winning Challenger received structural modifications to ergonomics, suspension, overall weight and more, only minimal tweaks were made to the Challenger’s stock PowerPlus engine. Among those were the use of the unreleased Stage 2 Performance Cams. Available now at Indian Motorcycle dealers for $699.99, riders can learn more at IndianMotorcycle.com or by following along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida. (February 8, 2021) – Progressive American Flat Track is pleased to announce it has renewed its partnership with SBS Brakes to remain the series’ Official Brake Pad through the 2022 season.

A global market leader and established motorsports powerhouse, SBS Brakes first united with Progressive AFT in an official capacity ahead of the 2018 season. Its intense focus and commitment to the sport of dirt track racing has been reconfirmed with the signing of a new two-year agreement.

“Progressive American Flat Track has enjoyed a great relationship with SBS for a number of years and the expertise they bring in braking systems has been a major asset to both the series and competitors,” said Michael Lock, CEO of Progressive American Flat Track. “We are grateful for SBS’s continued support of our sport in 2021.”

Originally founded in Denmark almost six decades ago, Scandinavian Brake Systems A/S became the first company to produce aftermarket disc brake pads. Renowned for its innovative approach to research and development, including ECE R90 quality certification and embedded NUCAP NRS technology securing a mechanical and indestructible bonding of compounds, SBS Brakes who recently was acquired by the Brembo Group, continually pushes forward in its use of new materials and technologies.

Those advancements have been repeatedly proven out in the unforgiving realm of motorsport competition, as SBS Brakes has scored dozens of world championships across a wide-range of two-wheeled disciplines, including WorldSBK and MXGP, in the process.

“It means the world to us that we can continue to support the world of powersport with this sponsorship of Progressive American Flat Track. In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we strive to continue bringing communities together and support riders and teams, so that we also have motorsport events to enjoy when we overcome the pandemic era and return to a somewhat new normal. Our brake pads are used by top road and offroad racers worldwide, and they have proven to be superior in performance for cross country flat track as well.” said Christel Munk Pedersen, CSO of SBS Friction.

The 2021 Progressive American Flat Track season is scheduled to kick off on March 12 and 13, 2021 with the Volusia Half-Mile doubleheader event at Volusia Speedway Park on Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13, 2021. Tickets for this season-opening extravaganza are on sale now at https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3321/#raceSchedule.

For more information on Progressive American Flat Track visit: https://www.americanflattrack.com.

To get your brake pads, rotors and clutch kits for road and offroad racing, use the lookup feature on the SBS website: https://www.sbsbrakes.com

About SBS Friction A/S
SBS Friction is the leading and preferred developer, producer and marketeer of aftermarket brake pads and friction solutions for motorcycles, scooters, ATV/UTVs, special cars and industrial applications, including wind turbines. Our product portfolio also includes brake rotors, clutch kits, brake shoes, brake shims and more. SBS Friction has as an industry first, received full approval according to the ECE R90 regulation, providing riders the most reliable quality in terms of design, manufacturing and performance. Furthermore, SBS brake pads are enforced with NUCAP NRS technology, which secures a mechanical and indestructible bonding of the compound. SBS Friction is your reliable brake part supplier, when you seek braking excellence. Go Ahead – we have the power to stop you! Visit https://www.sbsbrakes.com/

About Progressive American Flat Track
Progressive American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit http://www.americanflattrack.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, check us out on Instagram, live stream the events with TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and catch all the Progressive American Flat Track racing action on NBCSN.

The unsung hero of the automotive world is the threaded fastener. Most people only think about the bolts and screws of their machines when they have to, when the components are stripped, seized, or broken off. That dismissive attitude, however, may cause these components to strip, seize, or break in the first place.

For instance, if you are working on a classic motorcycle, you are probably using the wrong screwdriver—and are setting yourself up for disaster. Hear me out.

Let’s talk a bit of history first. Screws were first created using files to grind threads into round stock. Like anything handmade, the process was laborious and the results were inconsistent. With the advent of machinery to roll threads rather than cut them, screws and bolts began to usurp nails in production environments. Threads may be the identifying mark of a screw, but the truly critical part is the design of the head, which determines the tool engagement that imparts torque to drive the fastener into the material (or nut).

Slotted screw heads were the easiest to manufacture, but inventor John P. Thompson thought that a crosshair-style engagement would be a better idea. He patented the idea in 1932 but, unfortunately, he was not a very good salesman. Thompson abandoned the venture and sold the patent to Henry Phillips, who formed the Phillips Screw Company and went about manufacturing and selling the hardware. In 1935 Phillips filed a patent application that modified the Thompson design slightly and tailored it for production lines, in which screw guns were becoming commonplace. The Phillips screw was born.

That patent for a cruciform, or cross-shaped, screw head expired in 1966. Though the style became generic, the Phillips-head design never lost its uniquely American roots. The cross-haired head was created for ease of assembly and was always intended for production environments, in which efficiency was key. Making a Phillips head requires only two cuts with a tool. The finished head has a rounded profile and tends to “cam out” when high torque is applied to it; Phillips-head screws worked perfectly with screw guns because the fastener was “foolproof.”

However, some countries saw the “speed over accuracy” American production style as crude. Rather than engineer a fastener to avoid over-tightening, the Japanese wanted to shift responsibility for precision from the mechanical component to the craftsman.

This concept brought about a redesign of the Phillips screw, commonly known as the Japanese Industrial Standard (or JIS). This type of screw head looks very similar to a Phillips, with the exception of a single, tiny dot. JIS fasteners may look a lot like a Phillips-head, but the tool engagement is far superior—if you are using the correct tool.

For years, I piddled with project motorcycles in my parents’ driveway or in a storage unit across from my college dorm, often getting frustrated by the screws securing items like engine case covers.

The problem wasn’t my technique. It was my tools. I was attacking these JIS fasteners with my Phillips screwdriver out of ignorance. Yes, a #3 Phillips fits pretty good in a JIS 3 head, but once you start applying torque—especially to a screw that is properly stuck—you are far more likely to strip the fastener than if you were using a JIS driver.

Once I realized the error of my ways, I found that JIS screwdrivers were worth every penny. They saved me countless moments of frustration. I am a fan of buying high-quality screwdrivers and keeping them nice: I have a set of screwdrivers that are exclusively for carburetor service, plus a general set for all other tasks. You may think I’m crazy for having redundant tools, but strip out one carb jet because you’re using a worn-out screwdriver, and you’ll change your tune.

I’m similarly obsessed with JIS screwdrivers and bit tips in the garage. If you play with vintage Japanese motorcycles, you should be too.

Harley-Davidson celebrates a New Year with 80 Prizes for the Rides ahead.

MILWAUKEE (February 8, 2021) – Harley-Davidson’s mission brings people together and helps riders experience freedom for the soul. Harley-Davidson is celebrating its mission with the “Get Out and Ride” sweepstakes. There are 80 prizes to win in honor of the 80th Anniversary of Daytona Bike Week, and one custom grand prize motorcycle to celebrate the start of a new year of riding.

“Following Harley-Davidson’s global celebration of riding at the virtual H-D 21 event, we’re excited to get riders rolling into a great year ahead,” said VP Marketing Theo Keetell. The “Get Out and Ride” Sweepstakes is Harley-Davidson’s invitation to kick off the riding season and rediscover the road.”

From February 8 to April 16, Harley-Davidson is giving riders reason to celebrate with a sweepstakes that everyone in the U.S. can participate in. Through riding-related activities and visiting your local Harley-Davidson® dealer, participants earn entries for a chance to win prizes celebrating the community and spirit of two wheels. This includes a custom 2021 Harley-Davidson® Road Glide® motorcycle and weekly drawings for 80 additional prizes.

“Get Out and Ride” Sweepstakes
Riders can earn entries by participating in the following:

• Enter the “Get Out and Ride” Sweepstakes
• Come back for instant win prizes throughout the campaign
• Visit your local participating Harley-Davidson dealership
• Demo Harley-Davidson motorcycles

The “Get Out and Ride” Sweepstakes is a perfect opportunity to demo, try-on, and experience all the new Harley-Davidson® products for 2021 including motorcycles, parts and accessories, and general merchandise.

For more information visit: https://harleydavidson.promo.eprize.com/getoutandride/

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.  A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.  LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES (D.C.) 18 YEARS AND OLDER.  VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Promotion ends 4/16/21. For Official Rules, alternate method of entry, prize descriptions and odds disclosure, visit H-D.com/getoutandride.  Sponsor: Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Inc., 3700 W. Juneau Ave, Milwaukee, WI  53208.

Vance & Hines Launches NHRA Motorcycle Race Team – Three-Time Champion Angelle Sampey to Campaign New Four-Valve Suzuki-Powered Bike

Vance & Hines Signs on Mission Foods as Partner for NHRA Pro Stock Team

February 8, 2021 – Santa Fe Springs CA – Vance & Hines announced today that the NHRA’s winningest female, Angelle Sampey, will ride the company’s new four-valve Suzuki-powered race bike in the 2021 NHRA Camping World series. The team’s quest for the championship in 2021 is a partnership between Vance & Hines and global food producer Mission Foods.

A three-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle (PSM) champion, Sampey’s 43 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle wins make her the NHRA’s top female athlete. She has the fourth most wins in NHRA PSM history. In 2019 and 2020 Sampey was a member of Vance & Hines’ Harley-Davidson-sponsored team.

Sampey will be among the first to ride the recently announced Vance & Hines four-valve Suzuki-powered machine. The new engine features a modernized top-end which provides increased valve lift and reduced mass in the valve train. The 1850cc motor delivers nearly 400 horsepower and will be paired with a custom chassis developed using data from thousands of runs in NHRA competition.

“I’m so excited to be part of the Vance & Hines team again this year,” said Sampey. “This is a first-class company that gives me the best bikes I’ve ever ridden. I’m feeling really good about what we can accomplish together this year. “

“We’re happy to be working with Angelle once again,” said Vance & Hines President & CEO, Mike Kennedy. “Vance & Hines is in a wonderful position right now. We’ve got one of the top riders in the sport aboard our outstanding new equipment and we have Mission Foods as our new Team Partner. I couldn’t have hoped for anything better as we go into the 2021 season.”

Multi-billion-dollar company Mission Foods, the world’s largest manufacturer of best-selling tortillas and wraps, joins the effort as a sponsor of the new team. The food giant shows its passion for motorsports with sponsorships in IndyCar, AFT and GT3 racing and now enjoys relationships with both Arrow McLaren SP and Vance & Hines.

“Terry Vance and I have talked about putting together a race team, and I was overjoyed to get his invitation to work with Angelle and the Vance & Hines crew,” said Juan Gonzalez, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mission Foods. “NHRA has a great tradition and loyal fan base, we can’t wait to see our brand and products at this year’s NHRA races.”

The team will feature the brilliant yellow and red Mission Foods logo on the race bikes, rider, crew and the team transporter at all scheduled Pro Stock Motorcycle events for the 2021 season. The NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle season starts in mid-March at the Gator Nationals in Gainesville FL.

ABOUT MISSION FOODS

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit www.missionfoods.com

ABOUT VANCE & HINES

About Vance & Hines: The Vance & Hines brand has always been about enhancing the exhilaration of the motorcycle ride. It started over 40 years ago, when Terry Vance and Byron Hines were two young enthusiasts in the fledgling Southern California motorcycle drag race scene. Terry always wanted to go faster and Byron knew how to make that happen. In short order, their on-track success and innovation drew the attention of other racers, riders and motorcycle manufacturers, which ultimately translated to commercial demand for their products and services. Today, the Company’s mission and activity is the same; make bikes go faster on the racetrack and take those learnings to make impactful products for riders around the world. Since the Company’s inception in 1979, it has run factory race programs in partnership with Suzuki, Yamaha, Ducati and Harley-Davidson in drag racing, road racing and flat track. Vance & Hines is based in Santa Fe Springs CA and has its Racing Development Center is in Brownsville IN. Learn more about the company’s history and products at www.vanceandhines.com.

“Hey, America!

I’ve been kicked off every social media site on the
planet but then someone told me, ‘Donny?…..you think
you’ve hit rock bottom but there’s a whole nuther level of
Loser you ain’t even come close to yet, and that’s
Bikernet. You go on there, not only can you say whatever
the fuck you want, no one will ever EVER find out about it.

It’s that fuckin’ bleak.’ That’s what I was told.

So, I start doin’ some research and I get told by more
than one person, yep, there’s a place that exists that is so far deep into the subterranean muck of obscurity that even I could go there and the New York Times and it’s diapered clone, the Huffington, and not even Reuters-rhymes-withgoiters would ever find out about it.

So, I asked Jared what he thought of the idea and he
said ‘Mmmff-gllpkzzz-gmmmphllgll.’ I said Jared, move
your lips, make your jaw go up and down, TALK to me!
Haha, I kid Jared a lot but that’s because, well….ok,
here, take a look: that’s his picture.

Ok, now ya know.

But let’s get on to business.

I want to say it’s terrific that I’m here on Bikernet, I hear
there’s lots of terrific people connected to this entity……is
that a word? Entity? Must be. It must be a word: it’s got
titty in it. And anything with titties in it is fine with me.
Could be fakes though, right? Could be fakes. Yup. Could
be fakes. Could be fakes. Not that that’s bad, right? Fake
titties?….not a problem. Except at high altitudes. You know that, right?

You mile-highers, you know that, right? You
think you’re gonna get some gently-oozing milk and you
get detonated silicon emulsificated gel all over your face
instead. Yup, them fake titties. What’s that? What about
Ivanka’s titties? Let’s not go there, ok? Let’s try some
decorum. Is that word? Is decorum a word? I think it’s a
word. I don’t know. I don’t know. Let’s take a vote on it.
Just don’t have the Democrats COUNT the votes. Or we’ll never know the true outcome. We’ll never know the true outcome. We’ll never know the true outcome.
People ask me what I’m gonna do now that I’m not
President. I dunno. I guess just watch Joe Biden make
America a shithole again. He’s opened up the border
again, you notice. And if you haven’t noticed everyone in
Mexico, Ecuador, Cwairna-Vaca, Akkeh-PUL-co,
Honduras, Somalia, Nigeria, Iran, Iraq, Whatever
Palestine Is, Mozambique, Tanganyika, Peru, the Persian
Empire and probably Coruscant sure has. They’re already coming in from Tijuana to Tierra Del Fucking Fuego.

A ten thousand mile long line of welfare-addicts waiting for you to pay for their diseases and they’re young. But that’s ok because it’s “caring,” right? That’s the Democrats for ya: forcing people at gunpoint to be saintly. Meanwhile they’re on Epstein Island offering children to Moloch, right? Don’t know if it’s true. Don’t know if it’s true. I’m hearin’ things, don’t know if it’s true.

People ask me whattaya gonna do now that you’re not
President? Well, it’s not as though I am a Democrat and
went into politics after leaving mom’s basement at the age of 50. I do have an actual occupation. If I had been doing my real job while I was also President I would not have just been living in the White House, I would have been replacing the White House. Probably with a high rise. I mean, let’s face it, I took a big step down in living-quarters moving into that relic from Wuthering Heights. I mean, talk about dreary architecture. It’s not Frank Geary, right? It’s not something out of Blade Runner, is it. It’s something out of Tobacco Road. It’s like a museum with bad paintings.

You ever see the artwork in that place? It’s all men looking at you. Everywhere you go there’s some man….and he’s always a bureaucrat, right? Some fellow former officeholder up there on the wall checking you out.

You’re supposed to look at him looking at you. That’s your Art Experience in the White House: staring at Woodrow Wilson picking his nose. Wow. There’s an aesthetic interlude, right? You staring at Franklin Roosevelt staring back at you. Or Eleanor. Jesus. Talk about paperbagready. Jack Elam was cuter than that arachnid-faced horror. Who’s Jack Elam? Look him up. He’s that actor who was in a lot of westerns who had one eye that was looking sideways around a corner while the other eye was more or less looking at you. Great guy. But not a good looking man. And Eleanor Roosevelt was also not a good looking man.

How about that Pelosi, uh? Miss Rack. Well, she wasn’t
when that picture was taken but she sure is now. What’s
THAT all about. Have you seen that picture? Taken 100
years ago when she was 60. She was Miss Rack. A bunch of car mechanics voted her Miss Rack. She’s standing there in the middle of some guys and she is more like miss Level Surface than Miss Rack from what I can see. But you look at her now she’s got jugs so big they pull her forward like she’s the number 7 walkin’ around.

I need someone to find out if that Miss Rack yarn is actually factual (the photo is not, proportedly). If it is it’s the best thing she ever did ’cause her performance as a bureaucrat is a fuckin’ clownhouse of catastrophe.

You notice she’s always got Schumer
standing next to her when there’s cameras around. He’s
so fuckin’ ugly you’re actually forced to look at her. And
she knows that. Schumer thinks she just likes him. No,
she likes bein’ looked at, and that’s the only way she can
get anyone to do that is stand next to Schumer.
Then there KAH-mala. That’s how she insists her name
be pronounced. Not Kah-MA-la. No… KAH-mala. I just call her Kneepads Harris. Good name, right? I mean if you gotta be famous for something what she’s famous for is as good a thing as any.

She likes to think she’s forceful, right? No man can
withstand her verbal attacks. She’s a prosecutor. Trey
Gowdy could have her in tears if they went head-to-head,
and I really hate to use that word in a Harris-related
sentence because it immediately causes a multi-car
collision of confusion. So, if they went nose to nose. She’s supposed to be so tough, but I saw her on a stage once, sitting at some political swah-ray, and she’s got a mike and she’s talking into it all pleasant to a roomful of, ya know, her audience of strident warrior women who look like basset hounds and men with alternate life styles….and some deranged homeless loon runs up and snatches the mike out of her hands and starts yelling at the audience about injustice on the planet Venus….and Kah-MA-lah is sitting there with this shell-shocked grin on her face like, “Where am I?…..what is happening?……is this a scary thing?….or a HAPPY thing?……will I be hurt?…..is there candy at the end of all this?……is this a prank and part of the fun?……”

Here’s where this is going: she is about as ferocious as
Tweety Bird. You hit a piano key hard enough and she’s up on the ceiling with her hand-and-foot-talons deep into the lath and plaster and looking down with the scared look of a baby squirrel that just heard a thunderbolt. A clogged gurgling sink would scare the shit out of her and if it scared ALL the shit out of her she’d just be a pile of
clothes on the floor. Which is where her clothes usually
end up when she’s negotiating for a promotion. You ever
see her naked? No? Then you must not have a job in
government. WHOA!!! Good one.

People ask who writes your material? The Democrats do. The difference is they actually make you obey their jokes. I just make you laugh at them.

Hey, no, really, you’ve all been great, and next time I
show up here on Bikernet let’s hope that it’s actually me
and not the asshole who is at the moment pretending to
be me.

Good night! God bless America!!”

Sincerely, Donald J Trump as portrayed by John J Solari,
Thank you.

Honda extend MotoGP commitment: Most successful MotoGP team to compete until 2026

Honda will continue to add to their illustrious history in Grand Prix racing, having extended their contract for the next five years until 2026

from https://www.financialexpress.com

Honda will continue to expand their illustrious history in Grand Prix racing having signed an agreement with Dorna Sports S.L. to compete for the next five years, from 2022 to 2026. Honda started in 1954 when Honda’s founder, Soichiro Honda, declared entry into the Isle of Man TT, the premier motorcycle racing event of the era, with the aim of becoming the best in the world. This journey has so far seen 100 different riders win on Honda machines and amass over 800 wins across all categories. In the premier class alone, Honda has claimed 850 podiums and 25 Rider World Championships, more than any other brand in history.

The journey will continue for at least five more years as Honda have agreed with commercial rights-holder and series-promoter Dorna Sports S.L. to guarantee their place on the grid until 2026.

Noriaki Abe, Managing Officer, Motorcycle Operations, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.: “First, I would like to express my respect and gratitude to Carmelo Ezpeleta and everyone at Dorna Sports for their hard work in organizing races during the COVID-19 pandemic. I am very pleased that we have renewed our contract to compete in MotoGP from 2022 to 2026.

“Honda has been competing in the FIM Grand Prix World Championship since 1959, and won its 800th grand prix last year. Honda believes MotoGP racing is vital to our motorsports activities. MotoGP is the pinnacle of motorcycle racing – it allows us to develop various technologies, and through fierce competition, teach our engineers and nurture their skills. With these engineers working on the development of production vehicles, Honda can create better products for its customers. Honda will continue to bring dreams and joy to its customers worldwide through its motorsports activities, including MotoGP.”

From Oklahoma in the Rain, Women and Moving
Photos and text by Bill May

It was September 2010. I had 5 acres with a mobile home and a little shop out east of Norman Oklahoma. I had just got back from riding to Sturgis. It was my first time and I really enjoyed the ride.

Click Here to Read this Photo Feature Article on Bikernet.

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

Harley-Davidson has had a rough patch these past few years, and 2020 was the coronation of its problems, a time when it lost its CEO, a factory overseas, and gave up on its direct involvement in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle series.

Earlier this week, the Milwaukee-based company announced a plan for the next five years to turn things around, taking baby steps to make some profit, expand some segments, and reward its workforce. There’s even talk of getting back the public love, although given how not that many new models are planned for the next five years, it’s hard to tell how it could happen.

And that’s a shame because, after all, it was public love that kept the company afloat during the Depression years, right alongside Indian. Public love and the technological gambles the bike maker was not afraid of making.

Like taking the Flathead-engined VL motorcycle off the market in 1936, before the economic hardship was even over, and replacing it with what came to be known as the Knucklehead. It stayed in production for a little over a decade, right through the war years, and then the Panhead came along and kicked it away.

But that decade was enough for the Knucklehead to impress Americans and give birth to an army of followers that are still devoted to it to this day. Followers who keep restoring and then selling them to others who are alike.

One particularly fancy Knucklehead is going under the hammer in April, during the Mecum motorcycle auction in Las Vegas. The pre-war model, made in 1938, was the subject of restoration work that got it back in shape, so much so that the 61ci (1.0-liter) engine that gives it its name still spins the wheels. It has done so for the past 148 miles (238 km), since it left the garage where it was cared for.

by Andy Gray from https://www.tribtoday.com

Some people aren’t satisfied with a motorcycle straight off of the lot.

Collectors and motorcycle enthusiasts often modify those dealer purchases, restore damaged bikes that look like scrap metal to everyone else or build their own motorcycles from scratch.

The 21st Vintage Motorcycle Exhibit at the National Packard Museum celebrates those kinds of machines with “Roll Your Own,” which opens Saturday and runs through May 22.

“Last year when we were working on the exhibit ‘Two Wheels at the County Fair,’ we realize there were a lot of bikes that were highly modified, that guys got real crazy with,” museum Executive Director Mary Ann Porinchak said. “We decided to show off some of that creativity.

“The challenge was to find enough bikes, but once we started, they came out of the woodwork. It snowballed and had a life of its own, and there are some truly unique pieces that came about … One bike was built from the ground up from just a pile of parts. That shows a determination to ride and a fair amount of ingenuity.”

For the restorers, it’s a point of pride. Bruce Williams, a past organizer of the motorcycle show, has reconstructed several machines from most humble beginnings.

“People see you have half a motor (and ask), ‘What are you gonna do with that?’ I’ll build a bike,” Williams said. “They’ll say, ‘You’ll never do that,’ and a year and a half later, there it is.”

That doesn’t mean it’s easy. For one 1906 motorcycle he rebuilt, Williams had to hire a guy in Holland who could build the rims and back pulley he needed. Since that kind of rim was outlawed in the U.S. in the 1930s, the guy in Holland wouldn’t ship it to Williams directly. The parts were shipped to England and then to the U.S., and Williams had to pay duty fees on the parcel twice.

“I had $2,000 (invested) in two bare unfinished rims and a pulley, but it was the only guy I could find in the world who could make it for me,” Williams said.

For another restoration, he found a photograph of the motorcycle model when it was for sale in England. He knew the size of the rims, so he had the photo blown up to actual size and used it to create the bike’s frame and the other parts he needed.

A full list of the motorcycles usually is included with the preview story, but some of machines on display truly are one of a kind. One was built around 1922 Villiers frame. Another was assembled from parts from various Triumph motorcycles from the late 1960s and early ’70s and started with a single bolt.

Some of the motorcycles featured this year are a 1902 Sylvester & Jones, 1905 Riddle (with a Thor motor), 1908 Crouch, 1912 Indian Beltdrive, 1922 Agricycle, 1923 Douglas Model W, 1928 Indian Scout, 1949 Harley Panhead, 1951 Vincent black Shadow, 1954 BMW R-25/3, 1967 Triumph T-100R, 1968 Triumph T-100C, 1971 BSA Diesel 2 cylinder, 1971 BSA-A65 Lightning, 1974 Triumph T140V, 1974-75 Penton Custom, 1976 Yamaha TT 500 Hill Climber, 1976 GS750 Suzuki, 1984 BMW R80 RT and 1996 Buell ST Lightning.

Not all of the motorcycles are vintage. There are a few 21st century bikes in the show, including a 2021 Triumph Scrambler inspired by the motorcycle featured in the upcoming James Bond film “No Time to Die.”

William Dennis, president of the Packard board, has his 2015 California Custom show bike on display.

“Every piece of bling on there is an accessory that’s in their catalog,” Dennis said. “It has every accessory they make except for the fringe seat. Every piece of chrome on there is an add-on. The paint is a custom color. It emulates a Harley-Davidson paint scheme from years and years ago.”

Dennis said he and his son bonded over their mutual love of motorcycles and they’ve restored several bikes over the years.

The annual motorcycle show is popular attraction, and it’s earned the National Packard Museum several awards, including the Antique Motorcycle Foundation’s highest honor, the Award for Excellence, as well as three consecutive first place awards in the Interpretive Exhibits Category from the National Association of Automobile Museums.

Dennis is one of the people who became involved with the museum because of the motorcycle show, and he said he would like its success to guide the museum’s future programming by preserving the Packard history but also exploring other areas.

“I would like for this museum to be a mecca for transportation,” he said. “The people who own Packards are older … You ask young folks today about a Packard, they think you’re talking about Hewlett Packard.

“My thought is looking backward to move forward. What did we do in the past that worked and what can do in the future to keep going?”

One new challenge in organizing this year’s motorcycle show was the COVID-19 pandemic, which kept the committee members from being able to meet and interact the way they normally do.

“With the motorcycle guys, their excitement and enthusiasm feeds off each other,” Porinchak said.

As a result, there aren’t as many supplemental items accompanying the motorcycles compared to past shows, but one addition for 2021 is a piece by Youngstown artist Guy Shively that is part of the permanent collection of the Butler Institute of American Art.

“It’s a black-and-white piece, a pile of just motorcycle parts,” Porinchak said. “One of our committee members remembered seeing it there and said let’s see if we can borrow that piece and hang it up here. It’s the epitome of what we’re doing with this show. It’s a nice partnership, collaboration with them.”

If you go …

WHAT: 21st Vintage Motorcycle Exhibit — “Roll Your Own”

WHEN: Saturday through May 22. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

WHERE: National Packard Museum, 1899 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren

HOW MUCH: $8 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and children ages 7 to 12 and free for children 6 and younger. For more information, go to www.packardmuseum.org or call 330-394-1899.