Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson XR750 from 1972 on auction

General Posts / By

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com 1972 Harley-Davidson XR750 Evel Knievel Is Not Quite the Real Thing, Comes Close In 2020, Harley-Davidson celebrated the 50th anniversary of the XR750 in style by wrapping the entire racing hardware it fielded, including the team haulers, uniforms, and branded accessories, in the iconic Jet Fire Orange, the competition color used by the Harley-Davidson Factory Flat Track team. But other hues are perhaps equally iconic for the model. The XR750 was introduced as a replacement for the KR750 in 1970, and quickly became the dominant force in the AMA Grand National Championships. In fact, the model is to date the most successful in the competition’s history, having won 28 championships between 1972 and 2008. The racing two-wheeler was ridden to success by the sport’s big names, including Jay Springsteen, Mark Brelsford, or Cal Rayborn. But an even more prominent name of the age is linked to it: Evel Knievel. One of the most famous stunt performers in history, Knievel rode the XR750 from 1970 to 1976. On the bike, he set a new world record by making it airborne and literally flying over 19 cars, a stunt that was filmed for his namesake 1971 movie. The record stood for 27 years when it was taken to 20 cars by Bubba Blackwell, also riding an XR750. Like all stuntmen, Knievel identified himself through several iconic elements, including the colors he used on his rides. And in charge of making his bikes and helmets stand out was his favorite painter, George Sedlak. The bike you see in the gallery above is not one directly linked to Knievel but is painted as a replica by Sedlak—after the stuntman retired, the painter began working on such projects on request. This one sports the colors red, white, and blue on […]

Harley-Davidson XR750 from 1972 on auction Read More »

This 1936 Harley-Davidson EL Was Once Featured on a Miller Beer Can

General Posts / By

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com Despite being rather old, Knucklehead motorcycles are still around in relatively large numbers, and a good chunk of them still come in excellent condition. It looks as though each and every one of them, either on display in a museum somewhere or up for grabs through whatever means, has something special and unique to offer. In the case of this here two-wheeler, that something special would be notoriety. Aside from the fact you’re looking at a first-year Knucklehead (according to Harley’s numbers, about 1,500 of them were made back in 1936), it was also the star of several high-profile events over the years. It was back in 2003 when the bike climbed the highest on the ladder to success. First, it was part of a massive Harley event in Milwaukee, meant to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary, and then its image was used on a Miller collectible beer can released that same year. The bike is presently part of the John Bernard Estate after being purchased back in 1989. It was restored by Dick Winger, a member of the board of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America, and now the plan is to make use of all of these things to get as much money for it as possible during the Mecum Las Vegas auction at the end of the month. Click Here to See Auction Page. The EL is as original as they come, boasting the telltale red and black paint scheme and the 61ci engine sitting inside the frame—for reference, the engine number is 36EL1586. Most importantly, the two-wheeler has barely been used, as the seller claims there are just 40 miles of use on it, though that’s probably since the restoration was completed. The Knucklehead is selling with a title, but no

This 1936 Harley-Davidson EL Was Once Featured on a Miller Beer Can Read More »

Sportster Futures

General Posts / By

Earlier this year we heard that Harley was going to cancel the Sportster line. We also started a suggestion box for the factory’s success. Of course, one of our first and most supported recommendations included retaining the Sportster line. I went so far as to recommend the Sportster line become the builder’s line and make the models user and hands- on friendly. They could work with the aftermarket on custom and performance product lines and teach owners how to work on, service and customize their Sportsters. Click Here to Read this Feature Article on Bikernet. Join the Cantina – Subscribe Today. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

Sportster Futures Read More »

Meet the 95-year-old grandma selling Harley-Davidson motorcycles

General Posts / By

by Amanda Eustice from https://abc7.com Ever since Schaeffer’s Harley-Davidson opened 54 years ago, Fern Schaeffer, also known as “Nana”, has been in the driver’s seat. “Nana”, now 95 years old. was the first full-time employee when her husband and son opened the business. Nana still works at the store sorting the mail, doing notary work, and as her family likes to put it – keeping everyone in line. Nana loved riding motorcycles growing up and occasionally will go for a ride in the sidecar. “She always made it that it was a woman-run business because she did the parts ordering, the bike selling, the part selling, everything back when everything first started. My grandfather and my dad were the mechanics,” says Denise Calderone, Fern’s Granddaughter. The Schaeffer’s hope to last at least another 54 years in business and continue the legacy of being a family-owned and operated dealership.

Meet the 95-year-old grandma selling Harley-Davidson motorcycles Read More »

Harley-Davidson Dealer remembered as the community’s unsung hero

General Posts / By

by Eddie Morales from https://www.jsonline.com The owner of Cedarburg’s Wayne’s Drive-In and a Harley Davidson dealer in Thiensville is remembered as the community’s unsung hero. When Wayne Houpt achieved his goal of becoming a business owner with Wayne’s Auto Body in 1962, it was just the beginning of the many accolades he would earn and lives that he would touch. Houpt, born Oct. 1, 1938, was a family man and owner of several North Shore businesses for nearly 60 years. He died March 28 due to heart failure. The Famous Wheeler Dealer Houpt met his wife and business partner, Joan, during their senior year in high school. The pair were together for 59 years. He started his entrepreneurial career with Wayne’s Auto Body in Saukville. Houpt expanded the business with a used car lot and moved the shop to Grafton, where he opened Suburban Motors of Grafton Inc. In 1975, Houpt added Harley-Davidson motorcycles to his inventory and in 1985, he moved Suburban Motors to its current location, 139 N. Main St., Thiensville. That’s when Houpt earned the moniker “The Famous Wheeler Dealer.” He was known for accepting trades like cows, dental service and boats from customers who were a bit short on cash. Houpt’s daughter, Sandy Rath, said she remembers her father taking the family to various burger restaurants when she was a kid. Rath would later realize Houpt was taste testing the food in anticipation of opening his own restaurant one day. Houpt opened Wayne’s Drive-In in 1998, at 1331 Covered Bridge Road, Cedarburg. Rath said when the drive-in first opened, Houpt would eat there all the time. “He would go to Wayne’s the minute it opened,” she said. “He was like a kid in a candy shop. He loved that drive-in. He loved going there, and he

Harley-Davidson Dealer remembered as the community’s unsung hero Read More »

Harley-Davidson Fat Boy on 52-Spoke Wheels Is a Sight to Behold

General Posts / By

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com You don’t have to be the owner of a motorcycle shop to be able to make your own incredible designs. All you have to do is have some ideas, pitch them to the right crew, and then get ready to pony up the bill. And someone seems to have nailed all these requirements with the 2011 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy we have here. The bike you’re looking at is a 2011 model year, but it doesn’t look like one thanks to over $9,000 spent on modifying it. In charge of that was a Corinth, Texas-based shop called American Eagle, and it seems like they more than lived up to their end of the deal. In our view, the change that stands out the most has to do with the wheels. The original ones were replaced by DNA Mammoth pieces with so many spokes it makes one dizzy to look at. There are 52 of them on each of the 18-inch wheels, all of them black and beautifully offset by the white rims. But these are not the only changes made to the two-wheeler. At the back the bike received a custom lowering kit, and a solo spring-saddle in leather. At the front, we get a slim fender, black upper and lower fork slider covers, and 12-inch, ape-style handlebars with white grips. As for what powers the bike, the shop did not change that for something else, but improved on it. The stock 96ci powerplant was gifted with Screamin’ Eagle gray exhaust wrap, a Stage 1 air cleaner kit, and a Smokey Chrome air cleaner cover. The bike is presently for sale on Hemmings with about 6,600 miles (10,600 km) of use on it. Despite the upgrades that went into it, and the way it looks, it

Harley-Davidson Fat Boy on 52-Spoke Wheels Is a Sight to Behold Read More »

Harley-Davidson Has Missed the Mark in Electric Transportation

General Posts / By

by Travis Hoium from https://www.fool.com The company can’t get over its past success. The iconic Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) brand is in trouble. The company has seen revenue fall for a half-decade, and earnings have evaporated. Strategies to get into electric motorcycles have largely failed, and the core business doesn’t show any signs of a turnaround. Despite all of these challenges, Harley-Davidson stock is up 82% over the past year, and investors seem optimistic about a turnaround. But there’s good reason to think that won’t happen for this leisure stock. Harley-Davidson’s motorcycle market is shrinking One thing is clear: Harley-Davidson’s market is getting smaller as the culture that brought the company to industry dominance diminishes. The customer base is aging, younger consumers are no longer interested in the look or sound of Harley-Davidsons, and growing markets adjacent to the motorcycle market have been difficult for the brand to enter. The biggest challenge is that Harley-Davidson was always a culture brand, and that’s what made it so powerful for decades. It wasn’t just motorcycles — it was people’s apparel, the sound the bikes made, and long rides on the open road. As more people move to urban markets and look for less disruptive means of transportation, the culture looks out of date. Going electric isn’t enough Harley-Davidson hasn’t been completely surprised by the industry’s changes — it saw the electric vehicle market coming to motorcycles. But it miscalculated what kind of products consumers want and where its brand can connect. The current LiveWire products are a similar form factor to traditional motorcycles, but that’s not where consumers are trending. Electric scooters are really where the growth has been, with Statista estimating that about 50 million electric scooters and bicycles were sold in 2020. Grand View Research estimates the electric scooter market will grow

Harley-Davidson Has Missed the Mark in Electric Transportation Read More »

Barre Harley-Davidson Dealer Will Give Free Motorcycles to Those in Need

General Posts / By

by Sasha Goldstein from https://www.sevendaysvt.com Last year, as people looked for new ways to enjoy the outdoors, the folks at Wilkins Harley-Davidson in Barre saw dozens of would-be riders stream through its doors. All had a common goal: to hop on a motorcycle and escape. “Motorcycles provide a kind of release and a way to get away from our troubles and anxieties,” said Mark Frano, the dealership’s customer experience manager. “There’s a fair amount of people who could probably use that release but don’t have the means to get on a $20,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycle.” Intent to spread the joy of riding, the dealership came up with the Freedom for All Project. For every 50 bikes it sells this year, Wilkins will provide a free one to someone in need. The dealership is taking applications from people in northern New York, Vermont and New Hampshire who can “describe why they feel like they’re a candidate for this program,” Frano said. “It’s definitely resonated with folks who just can’t make this happen on their own,” he added. New riders are encouraged to apply. If chosen, they’ll be trained to ride safely at the dealership’s riding academy, which allows people to get a motorcycle endorsement on their driver’s license. Frano said it’s a way of giving back, something the company has done since it opened its doors in 1947. Founder Harry Wilkins used to run the shop out of his Barre garage and provide free sandwiches to riders who showed up, often from distant towns. In honor of that tradition, the dealership holds a “bologna sandwich Saturday” each year, Frano said. Giving away motorcycles adds up to a lot of bologna sandwiches. Frano estimated that the dealership sells about 300 bikes a year, meaning it would give away six in 2021. While the

Barre Harley-Davidson Dealer Will Give Free Motorcycles to Those in Need Read More »

First Harley-Davidson Pan America Bikes Roll off the Lines, Video Shows How

General Posts / By

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com At the beginning of March, American bike maker Harley-Davidson kicked off production of the Pan America, the motorcycle family that is supposed to turn things around for the Milwaukee company by opening up an entirely new segment. It took Harley less than a month to move from the bike’s full reveal to the start of assembly. The Pan America is being put together on the lines of the Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations facility in York, Pennsylvania. In the video attached below, you can get a taste of both how Harley’s employees celebrated the start of production, and how things are done at the facility. Shown for the first time on February 22, the Pan America targets adventure seekers, Harley’s first foray into the segment. Two versions of it will be available, 1250 and 1250 Special, sharing most of the components. The most important one is the engine, the liquid-cooled 1,250cc that is part of the Revolution Max V-Twin family. The powerplant develops the same amount of power in both versions, 150 hp, despite the fact that the two tip the scales at different values: 534 lb (242 kg) for the 1250 and 559 lb (254 kg) for the Special. The 1250 family comes with 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels, a 5.6 gallons (21 liters) fuel tank, and all-LED lighting, while the special touches come in the form of Michelin Anakee Wild tires, Brembo brakes, and adjustable front and rear suspension. The Pan America bikes are expected to hit dealerships’ shelves this spring. Harley has decided to ask $17,319 for the entry-level bike, but expect that to go much higher if the customer also opts for all the accessories and apparel designed specifically for it. From mechanical bits meant to improve the motorcycles’ performance to visual

First Harley-Davidson Pan America Bikes Roll off the Lines, Video Shows How Read More »

Harley-Davidson Sportster 300 Could Soon Become A Reality

General Posts / By

by Enrico Punsalang from https://www.rideapart.com We’ve known that Harley-Davidson has plans of rolling out a 300cc cruiser in the not-too-distant future as part of its ‘Rewire’ strategy for some time now. We also know that said 300cc cruiser is being co-developed by Chinese motorcycle manufacturer, Qianjiang Motor who own the Italian Benelli motorcycle brand. Now, while China-U.S. relations are not something I want to talk about, this new bike certainly is. As it would appear, the baby Harley seems to be coming even closer to reality. Previously, we only had the concept art to show just what the American-Chinese venture had in store for us. This time around, we have an actual photo from type-approval documents filed by QJ Motor for the SRV300. Now, while this bike bears the QJ branding, I’m almost certain that this bike will be the basis for the upcoming entry-level Harley-Davidson positioned for the Asian market. Interestingly, the new bike features a V-twin engine. Now, given the fact that it bears a displacement of just 296 cubes, this means that this could be the cutest and most compact V-twin to wear the Harley badge. On top of this, we can see that the overall design of the SRV300 draws heavy inspiration from some of the MoCo’s bigger bikes, such as the Sportster Iron 883, and the now-defunct Street 750. While not producing as much grunt as its bigger half-siblings, the SRV300 pumps out a decent 30 horsepower—plenty powerful for the folks over in Asia. As it would turn out, the partnership between Harley-Davidson and Qianjiang Motor seems to be going strong, with no signs of slowing down. Indeed, the Asian market is a good place for Harley-Davidson to increase its sales volumes, thanks to a growing economy, which translates to increased buying power within the

Harley-Davidson Sportster 300 Could Soon Become A Reality Read More »

Scroll to Top