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Royal Enfield announces road racing participants

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Seven female motorcyclists have been selected for the road racing program Milwaukee, Wis (January 19, 2021) Royal Enfield today announced its seven finalists for the BUILD TRAIN RACE (BTR) road racing program. The seven female motorcyclists come from diverse backgrounds and over the course of the next year are tasked with converting Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 motorcycles into road racing motorcycles, for a series of exhibition races to be held in 2021. Royal Enfield launched the BTR program in 2019, challenging four women to build flat track motorcycles and compete in select exhibitions during American Flat Track events. After a strong response to the program, the second phase of BTR will showcase the road racing capabilities of the Continental GT 650 and the abilities of seven female motorcyclists to build, train and race the motorcycles they create. Melissa Paris, veteran road racer, and BTR flat track participant will serve as a mentor to the selected participants and provide valuable insights throughout the duration of the program. “The BTR flat track program received an enormous outpouring of support and interest in the last year,” said Breeann Poland, Marketing Lead – Americas and Continental GT 650 global brand manager. “A panel of judges including myself, Melissa Paris and Anne Roberts have handpicked a group of fantastic female motorcycle enthusiasts from across the U.S. through a video submission process, and will be providing each of them with a Continental GT 650 motorcycle, so that they may begin the customization process.“ After careful review, the panel of judges selected Michaela Turnbull of Wyoming, CJ Lukacs of California, Kayla Theisler of Wisconsin, Becky Goebel of California, Trisha Dahl of Minnesota, Alyssa Bridges of California and Scarlett Grosselangehorst of New York to take part in the BTR program. The BTR road racing program will kick […]

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Harley-Davidson Street Devil

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com For people living in most parts of the world, motorcycle riding is pretty much over this year. Winter is upon us, and two-wheelers are being tucked away until the hot days of the spring and summer reach us once more. But as we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we can’t stop from continuing to show you the incredible builds coming from Germany, out the doors of a garage called Thunderbike. For the past 25 years or so, these guys have rolled out literally hundreds of Harley-Davidson-based builds, and their work only seems to be accelerating. For today we’ll focus on a slightly older project of theirs. Called Street Devil, it too is based on the Street Bob (a 2006 model), one of the favorite canvases of the shop. As usual, the bike has been modified in key areas, namely by tampering with existing or adding new hardware – these new parts are either of Thunderbike or Harley make. The bike’s twin-cam engine has remained pretty much unchanged, but breathes through a new shotgun exhaust with tapered mufflers made by the Germans. They are also responsible for the engine cover, air cleaner, grips, forward control kit, and seat. The Americans supplied the fuel and oil tanks, rear fender, shortened front end (by 2 inches), and the lowered suspension (by 1 inch), among others. The bike rides on custom wheels wrapped in Avon tires and the front and Metzeler at the rear. Just like the rest of the build, and to be in tone with it, the wheels come in red and white – the graphics on the motorcycle is the work of Thunderbike’s favorite partner in this area, Kruse Design. The shop gives no indication as to how much the build of the Devil cost to make.

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Suicide Machine Harley-Davidson Softail

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com Suicide Machine Harley-Davidson Softail Is All About Bare Bones, Light Riding Weight saving. This was pretty much the idea behind the latest project coming from Suicide Machine Company (SMCO) and destined for the now canceled Born Free Motorcycle Show. SMCO is a shop we’ve featured before. Led by two brothers, Shaun and Aaron Guardado, the garage was part of the bike maker’s The No Show online motorcycle event, held a few months back in support of all the builders that because of the health crisis were left without a venue to show their creations. Back then, they presented a 2019 Road Glide Special modified to get a more aggressive riding position, one better suited for trips down highways. And now we’re getting a bike the shop describes as a “performance-driven and race-inspired” product. What you’re looking at is a seriously lightened and undressed Harley-Davidson Softail Standard. It is the result of two months of work that saw a lot of the motorcycle’s hardware either being removed completely or replaced, all with the goal of making it lighter. First, a lot of the original bodywork is gone. The fenders have been taken out, a new and full carbon fiber bodywork was placed on top of the frame. Not even the tank remains, having been replaced with a fuel cell hidden inside the new body. Carbon fiber has been used extensively on this build, down to the tubes and the wheels that now weigh just a quarter of what the original ones weighed. Also, lighting and wiring have been kept to a minimum, and a titanium exhaust was added. The bike continues to be powered by the stock 107 Milwaukee Eight engine, only it is no longer fuel-injected, but uses a 45mm Mikuni carburetor. SMCO says the

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Harley-Davidson Knucklehead Project Brings Back the Cool of Pre-1950s Bikes

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com Very few bike makers out there (and by extension car makers) are innovative enough to give birth to new families of engines that inspire generations. Harley-Davidson is one of those that are, as its powerplants were at times as famous as the bike models assembled in Milwaukee. Say the word Knucklehead, and the mind immediately links that to Harley. And it has done so since 1936, when the engine came into the world. Named so after the shape of valve covers, Knucklehead has come to stand for the type of motorcycles that were made in Milwaukee from 1936 to 1947, when the Panhead engine replace it. The name is still very much alive because bikes powered by this type of hardware are still a craze in the custom bike industry. And you know that to be true when guys like Andreas Bergerforth, the main man of Thunderbike, a German custom shop specializing in Harleys, has one built for himself. Put together close to a decade ago, the Knucklehead Project, as the garage calls this build, has all the traits of a bike of its age. Not only does it stay true to a wartime-era two-wheeler when it comes to shape and tech, but it also brings with it enough patina and beat-down stance to speak volumes about its lineage. We’re told that for this bike to be brought back in shape, the original had to be dismantled “up to the last screw” and only then, after some love and care, put back together – there’s no mention on whether some of the hardware had to be replaced with new one. Because this bike was built for in-house use, Thunderbike makes no mention of cost, but the Germans do say similar builds snatched back in 2012,

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Meet the Ducati master re-creating Isle of Man-winning motorcycle

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by Ellie Honeybone from https://www.abc.net.au You may be forgiven for assuming the world’s leading manufacturer of Ducati bevel drive engine parts would live in a bustling city, perhaps in Italy or the United States, somewhere central and close to consumers. But in fact, this talented engineer and self-described “petrol head” lives in a tiny historic town, deep in the forests of south-west WA. Even though shipping his handmade engine parts around the world from Nannup is a logistical nightmare, Brook Henry wouldn’t have it any other way. A family business Mr Henry grew up surrounded by Ducatis. His older brothers imported and distributed the high-performance motorcycle brand in New Zealand from the late 1960s through to the 1980s. “I spent pretty well all my time at the workshop, fixing, racing and working on Ducati bevel drive twins and singles,” Mr Henry said. “I also did an apprenticeship outside that business as a toolmaker, but I never liked doing toolmaking and I always wanted to go back to motorcycles.” That love of motorcycles grew and continued for the next 40 years with Mr Henry now a household name and ‘master’ in the Ducati world. He has travelled extensively, inspected designs inside Ducati’s Bologna factory and even appeared on bike lover Jay Leno’s US television show. After settling down first in Perth and then further south in Nannup, Mr Henry developed a business building, designing and shipping bevel drive parts, engines and complete motorcycles across the world. Pandemic revives restoration projects There are only so many original bevel drive Ducatis in existence, making Brook Henry’s business incredibly niche. These bikes were built during the 1970s and 80s and made famous after legendary British champion Mike Hailwood won the Isle of Man race in 1978. When the world went into COVID-19 lockdown during

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Harley-Davidson Wrinkled Bob Looks All Military and Mean

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com If you’re a bike owner, it’s very hard to decide on what customization path to go down on, especially when there’s nothing to inspire the build you want. One way would be to leave the design and the build to the custom shop of choice, and trust that what comes out the garage’s doors at the end was worth the while and money spent. The owner of the Harley-Davidson Fat Bob we have here seems to have done just that. He trusted German garage Thunderbike with the creation of a unique machine, and what resulted is the aptly called Wrinkle Bob. The bike takes its name after the colors used all over the bodywork. Featuring powder-coated military green and Wrinkle-style paint, it looks extremely solid and matt, while at the same time presenting us with a very soldiery feel. Unlike most of Thunderbike’s projects, the Wrinkled Bob was not subjected to an extreme makeover as far as mechanical modifications go, but there are changes to talk about, especially considering how expensive they are. The biggest upgrades compared to the stock motorcycle are the fitting of a custom aluminum fuel tank, an air ride suspension system, and a new forward control kit. The two-wheeler also sports new fenders and a custom exhaust system the Germans call Dragonfly. The Wrinkled Bob is one of Thunderbike’s older projects. As usual, we’re not told how much the project cost to make, but given the parts listed as being used by the garage, we estimate the worth of the changes at around 7,500 euros (roughly $8,700 at today’s exchange rates). That’s not including the paint job and of course the base motorcycle – the price makes the Wrinkled Bob one of the more expensive projects the Germans have made over

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World of Road Racing

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CALLING ALL FEMALE RIDERS! We’re back for another round and expanding the Build. Train. Race Program into the world of Road Racing! We’re ready to hit the asphalt and bring a whole new crew of women road racers to the sport. If you’re a female who is interested in learning how to road race and willing to give 100% commitment, this is for you! Think you have what it takes? We want to hear from you! Royal Enfield North America announced today its phase two of the BUILD TRAIN RACE (BTR) program which will now seek out female motorcyclists to go road racing with the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650. Similar to the flat track BUILD TRAIN RACE four women will be handpicked by Royal Enfield for this iteration of the program through a video selection process. Women interested in the program must submit a video questionnaire here to be considered. Professional Road Racer and current BTR Flat Track Participant Melissa Paris has agreed to mentor the women during every phase of the program. She will work with each participant on creating a design for their builds, building sponsorship decks, and training off and on the track. “Building upon the success of the initial BUILD TRAIN RACE program, we decided to carry the momentum into the road racing segment, ” said Royal Enfield Americas Head of Marketing Breeann Poland. “This is a unique opportunity for women interested in getting into road racing and to make a name for themselves in a national racing program. Working with a world class racer like Melissa Paris is not an opportunity that comes along often. The ladies will also be some of the first people to road race the Continental GT 650 platform, so the motorcycling world will be watching.” The participants will be

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Atlanta Short Track Build Train Race Results

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FLAT TRACK AMATEUR JILLIAN DESCHENES WINS BTR ROUND ONE IN ATLANTA The four BUILD TRAIN RACE participants raced for the first time at Dixie Speedway Milwaukee, Wis October 8, 2020: After months of building and training, the four participants of BUILD TRAIN RACE put their skills on display on Friday and Saturday of the Progressive American Flat Track event at Dixie Speedway. Minnesota amateur flat track racer Jillian Deschenes took the checkered flag for both races followed by Melissa Paris, Lana MacNaughton and alternate rider Kerry Sano. During the weekend the participants were able to spectate the AFT classes and then test their abilities on the same track at Dixie Speedway. The women raced on custom INT 650 motorcycles that they themselves built as part of the year-long program. Under the mentorship of Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team owner and racer, Johnny Lewis, the four women were able to progress their flat track acumen during multiple training sessions leading up to the Atlanta Short Track event. “Atlanta was an amazing experience to be part of with the BTR crew,” said amateur racer and hospice nurse Jillian Deschenes. “The track was well maintained and larger than anything I had ever ridden before. I was excited to debut my INT 650 build in front of a crowd that large. I’m grateful for the opportunities Royal Enfield has given me as an amateur female flat track rider and creating a program like BTR for myself and other female motorcyclists to participate in. I’m looking forward to the next AFT event in Daytona Beach.” “The team at Royal Enfield is proud of the effort these women have put into the BUILD TRAIN RACE program,” said Breeann Poland, Marketing Lead for Royal Enfield Americas. “2020 threw many challenges at all of us and we’re

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Harley-Davidson La Montana Is a Chromed Deluxe on the Soft Side of Custom Builds

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com We’re used to having our Harleys (be them stock rebuilds or ground-up creations) served in extreme forms. After all, there’s an entire industry dedicated to making Harleys unique, and what better way to do that than to go above and beyond? At times however a more discrete job is preferable. An almost invisible lowering of the bike, the addition of chrome in strategic locations, and a medium-sized list of mechanical and visual upgrades are all it takes to make a bike stand out. Over the past few months, we’ve talked at length about the projects, new and old, of a German garage by the name of Thunderbike. Just like the rest of world, the Germans too got hit by the health crisis, and for the better part of the year, Thunderbike has been up to much fewer stunts than we’re used to. The Deluxe in the gallery above is one of the projects that finally made it to light in 2020. Commissioned last year by a Swedish customer, the bike was ready in no time, but had to spend about nine months away from its owner, given how borders closed and all. Now the two are reunited, and it’s the perfect opportunity for us to take a closer look at how just a smaller number of carefully chosen modifications can rebirth a Harley. Mechanical changes include the lowering of the fork and the shortening of the rear shock. New, bigger wheels were added front and back and shod in Dunlop tires, making the bike look a tad more compact. Some modifications were made to the brakes as well, as the discs have been replaced. We’re not being told if the engine was modified in any way. As for the looks, the motorcycle is a chilling

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Build Train Race program Ladies Hit The Track

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Jillian Deschenes, Lana MacNaughton and Melissa Paris complete first training session After a long hiatus, the female participants of Royal Enfield’s BUILD TRAIN RACE (BTR) program spent two days working closely with American Flat Track racer Johnny Lewis in Viola, WI earlier this month. Three out of the four builders/riders attended the training session to prepare for their American Flat Track debut in October. During this session each rider received one-on-one coaching from Lewis spinning laps on the FT411 training motorcycles based on the Royal Enfield Himalayan and their custom-built INT 650 flat trackers. Jillian Deschenes, Lana MacNaughton and Melissa Paris were in attendance during the training session, which took place at S&S Cycle’s Speed Ranch track. The Speed Ranch is groomed and maintained oval dirt track which S&S Cycle uses for training, special events and product development purposes. Due to current travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada, the fourth participant, Andrea Lothrop was unable to attend. However, Andrea will be performing a virtual training session with Lewis in the coming weeks. “It was great to finally meet the ladies of the BUILD TRAIN RACE program and we had an awesome time in Viola,” said Lewis. “Seeing the dedication and attention to detail that they put into their INT 650 builds was impressive. What was more impressive was their willingness to learn and eagerness to go fast right from the get go. By the end of day two each rider was using the techniques we discussed and pushing themselves faster and faster, which is ultimately my goal as a teacher.” Lewis provided both on-track and off-track instruction to the ladies, using many principles and concepts taught in the Royal Enfield Slide School by Moto Anatomy program. Lewis focused on body position, riding mechanics and vision with ladies for two

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