Motorcycle News

2016

April
March
February
January

2015

December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2014

December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2013

December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2012

December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2011

December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2010

December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2009

December
November
October
September
August
July
June

Categories

December 2014 Motorcycle News

What's Billy Lane Up To These Days?

After his release in September of 2014, Billy has been posting frequently to social media and made an appearance at the most recent Sturgis along with some of the riders for his latest endeavor, Sons of Speed. What is Sons of Speed, you ask? It’s a racing event that draws inspiration from the early twentieth century board track racers. The machines will feature pre-1925 1000cc V-twins and identical hand built racing chassis. The builders will throw their personal touch on the machines by fa…

OCC is Back?! Well, Sort of.

Those eager to watch some fresh episodes of the Teutul’s building motorcycles will have something to rejoice about come February 20. A&E; will premiere the “Orange County Choppers: American Made” series at 4 pm ET which brings Paul Sr., Mikey, and the OCC gang back with a new friend… Rusty Coones from “Sons of Anarchy.” The series is promising to provide an “intimate glimpse into the adrenaline fueled lifestyle” of Paul Sr. and Rusty. I’m not sure what they’re up to but I’m skeptical about t…

Best Time to Buy Used (or New) Motorcycles

Since the season is upon us, I decided to write up a quick piece on the best time of year to buy used motorcycles and a few things to consider before and during making this decision. As you might have guessed from the title, this time of year happens to be the best to buy new. Check out the tips for some popular websites below and you'll have a better chance at finding a "motivated" seller when it comes time to negotiate a price. When buying new, anytime around November or December is best. …

Do Biketoberfest Like a Pro

With Biketoberfest right around the corner, we decided to do a follow-up to an article that received lots of praise several years back for the headache it saved rookies and veterans alike. In the spirit of fun, because that’s what these events are supposed to be, I’ll point out some helpful tips on how to avoid traffic, activities for the family (G-Rated), the best restaurants, good hotels, and some of the events that will be happening around Daytona. Avoiding Traffic The first thing …

Full Throttle Fire Leaves 'Worlds largest Biker Bar' Future in Question

Sturgis : On Sept. 8, the Worlds Largest Biker Bar, The Full Throttle Saloon just outside of Sturgis S.D. was leveled as the 10 million dollar facility burned to the ground. The fire was caused by a faulty electrical wire, according to owner Michael Ballard. Officially, federal, state, and local authorities ruled the blaze accidental but failed to pinpoint a cause. The Full Throttle was made famous by being one of the largest event venue draws during the giant Sturgis Mot…

LAFD Fire Hogs wounded vets head to Sturgis

July 29th, 2015 Led by members of the Los Angeles City Fire Department's own motorcycle club, more than a dozen wounded veterans are hitting the road in the first-ever veterans charity ride to Sturgis, South Dakota -- a popular spot for bikers. They'll have some fun along the way, but will also deal with some serious issues that concern veterans. "We've got a suicide rate of 22 a day right now and it's only on the rise. The reality of it is that we, as service members, need to start tak…

Indian Motorcycle Veterans Charity Ride to Sturgis

July 13th, 2015Indian Motorcycle, America’s first motorcycle company, today announced its sponsorship of the “Veterans Charity Ride to Sturgis.” The ride, intended to raise support for severely wounded and injured veterans, will offer a group of former military service members the opportunity to ride to Sturgis, SD just in time for the rally’s 75th anniversary.Indian Motorcycle recently announced a partnership with the USO, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing programs and live entert…

On cross-country motorcycle ride William Shatner stops in Independence

July 8th, 2015Standing by their motorcycles in the 90-degree heat, American Legion members anxiously held their phones waiting to hear the revving of motorcycles along U.S. 40.“There he is,” pointed one member.“Oh my gosh, it’s Captain Kirk!” squealed the wife of another.Like it was a movie, William Shatner, 84, famously known as Star Trek’s Captain Kirk, pulled up to the entrance of Independence’s American Legion Post 21 with his wife, Elizabeth, behind him.“Wow, now this is a hot ride,” said S…

Sturgis to reach new milestone, over 800k attendees

July 7th, 2015 Article originally written on LATimes. The town of less than 7,000 typically draws 400,000 visitors for the rally. But after the 2014 gathering, the Rapid City Journal suggested that the milestone might make attendance spike. If 853,000 or more people show up, the figure will top the entire state’s population. The mammoth biker bash will be Aug. 3-9. With the huge crowds in mind, an Orange County event organizer will develop Sturgis City Park as an entertainment v…

Marlon Brando Harley sells for $256,000

July 6th, 2015Article originally written on GizMag.A 1970 Harley-Davidson FLH Electra-Glide owned since new by screen icon Marlon Brando has sold for $256,000 at Julien's Hollywood Legends auction in Hollywood. Brando won two academy awards for best actor (from eight nominations) and despite many famous film roles (A Streetcar named Desire, The Godfather, Last Tango in Paris, Guys and Dolls, On the Waterfront, Julius Caesar, Apocalypse Now and Mutiny on the Bounty, it was his role as Johnny Stra…

Honda RC213V-S Is a Street-Legal MotoGP Motorcycle

July 2nd, 2015Limited to 200 units and handmade to order at a rate of just one per day, the Honda RC213V-S is the company’s MotoGP race bike made street-legal.Based on the production version RCV1000R MotoGP machine (as raced by Nicky Hayden in 2014), this RCV213V-S streetbike is almost identical except for the carbon brakes; it is equipped with the Brembo steel brake setup as used by the Honda racebikes in the wet. The streetbike also omits the seamless gearbox and pneumatic valve system used on…

Throttle Fest drives away negative aspects of motorcycle culture

June 30th, 2015Article written on The Chicago Tribune.Ramp stunts, a "wall of death" and a motorcycle riding a tight rope with trapeze artists above the Lake County Fairgrounds were among the weekend attractions that celebrated all aspects of bike culture during Throttle Fest in Grayslake.The three-day motorcycle festival and rally highlighted the positive community among motorcyclists, attendees and organizers said, not the menacing image popular culture might suggest. Many at the event describ…

Wind-powered motorcycle for a Mad Max world

June 25th, 2015Come the days of scarcity, hopefully we won't be living in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland warring viciously over the few resources left -- and hopefully we'll be a little more prepared, with sustainable replacements for the fossil-fueled technology we live with now.This is the idea behind James Dyson Award entry Strangeworld -- a motorcycle powered by the wind and the sun."I was riding a rented motorcycle through Glencoe in the Highlands of Scotland in late 2013," explained p…

Harley-Davidson CEO Wants Young People To Live For Real On A Motorcyle

June 22nd, 2015Article originally written on The Huffington Post.Matt Levatich prefers a hog to the bad piggies of "Angry Birds."The Harley-Davidson CEO said electronic devices, such as smartphones and video games, were distracting potential young bikers from the call of the open road."I'm in the camp of: It isn't bad, it's just different," he told The Wall Street Journal.But he believes the rebellious counterculture that started in the 1950s -- in which motorcycles were emblematic -- will endur…

Motorcycle dream job with Harley-Davidson

June 18th, 2015MILWAUKEE Growing up skiing and boating on Grayson Lake, Nathan Boyd never dreamed of a job with America’s most legendary motorcycle company.“I rode dirt bikes from the age of 5 through college, but I’d never been on a street bike until I joined the Harley-Davidson Motor Company,” said Boyd, a member of the Boyd County High School class of 1988 who now works as director of product integrity for Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee.With hands on at every point in the development of a new H…

Harley-Davidsons electric motorcycle needs a few more years

June 12th, 2015Harley-Davidson has been showing off its first electric motorcycle, Project LiveWire, for nearly a year now, taking the prototype on promotional tours around the US to gather feedback from riders. The company hasn't previously mentioned launch dates for the bike, but has now confirmed that it's going to be a while before the LiveWire goes on sale. Harley-Davidson's chief executive Matt Levatich told The Wall Street Journal that a launch isn't likely "in the next couple years but i…

Motorcycle run raises $25000 for charity

June 8th, 2015Chef’s Restaurant raised $25,000 for charity with help from 200 motorcycle riders and their supporters over the weekend.Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard and Buffalo Sabres player Rene Robert joined in by starting the motorcycle run at 11 a.m. Saturday.The run and companion raffle raised money for the Louis Billittier Foundation, formed to continue the children’s charity work of its late namesake. His son Lou Billittier Jr. owns Chef’s with his wife Mary Beth.A portion of the road…

Electric motorcycle allows Berea to save gas while patrolling parks

June 1st, 2015The Berea Police Department put its all-electric motorcycle through its paces Wednesday during a public demonstration.Purchased for $21,000, the bike will be used to patrol trails and the city's park system, police Chief David Gregory said.The Berea department is the first Kentucky law enforcement agency to use an environmentally friendly all-electric motorcycle, Gregory said.Because the bike is virtually silent, it won't disturb people relaxing in the parks."This will let them kee…

Lane splitting soon to be legal in California

May 29th, 2015Article originally written on Mercury News.California is poised to become the first state to allow motorcycles to weave between cars that are slowed by traffic.The Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly approved Assembly Bill 51, permitting motorcyclists to split lanes so long as they do so at speeds no faster than 50 mph and no faster than 15 mph than traffic in adjacent lanes is moving. The bill heads to the Senate after passing, without debate, on a 53 to 11 vote.All other states b…

Mark Wahlberg Retells the Combat History of the Indian Motorcycle

May 19th, 2015The history of America cannot be told without the mention of a few definitive companies, in some cases, a bit more involved in making history than others. Indian Motorcycle is one of them, having built thousands of combat bikes during the first and second World Wars, and undoubtedly permitting the delivery of some incredibly important messages. To honor the brave men and women who have served, past and present, Indian and the USO have built a modern tribute bike in the likeness of …

Cortege of 100 motorcyclists accompany body of DSI campaigner home

May 7th, 2015Mr Lynam was fatally injured in a crash outside Kilkee yesterday during a Down Syndrome Ireland charity event.Mr Lynam was passionate about motorbikes and when his daughter Robyn was born in 2005 he and another father of a child with Down Syndrome organised a motorcycle fundraiser.The fundraiser, called RevUp4DSI in aid of the charity, has raised €1.6m over the last 10 years.Mr Lynam was a marshall in this year's event when he was fatally injured.He had co-ordinated all major fundra…

Motorcycle and TT legend Geoff Duke dies

May 4th, 2015Article originally written on Yahoo!Duke was one of the first major stars of grand prix motorcycle racing in the 1950s.He made his name at the famous Isle of Man event, earning a factory Norton ride after winning the 1949 Senior Clubmans TT and Senior Manx Grand Prix.In his first year with Norton, he set a record pace on the way to TT victory and came within one point of the 500cc world championship, finishing second in the 350cc class too.The following year he dominated both the 35…

Steve McQueens old motorcycle goes for $775,000

April 15th, 2015The motorcycle, a Cyclone Board Track Racer, looks more like a bicycle with a motor added on than a traditional motorcycle. The model was made by the Joerns Motor Manufacturing Co. between 1913 and 1916. This motorcycle was auctioned off Saturday by Mecum Auctions in Las Vegas. Despite its modest appearance a motorcycle from this model was recorded going 111 mph in 1914, which was a record at that time. The motorcycle was owned by McQueen, and was previously purchased at an est…

Honda builds new Camping Bike

March 25th, 2015Article written on Motorcycle-USA by Bryan Harley.Honda has had a habit of pushing the design envelope recently (think NM4 and CTX700). Apparently, the manufacturer’s engineers are at it again, this time with a motorcycle that’s part Ruckus, part scrambler, and outfitted to be an ideal motorcycle for camping.Honda unveiled the Bulldog concept model at the 31st Osaka Motorcycle Show 2015. The motorcycle is powered by a 399cc Inline two-cylinder engine with dual overhead cams. The …

Indian Motorcycles Adding Screens To Bikes

March 20th, 2015Article originally written on Forbes.Indian Motorcycles is adding screens to its motorcycles, bringing new-age technology to the classic bikes, said Steve Menneto, vice president of motorcycles for Polaris Industries, at the Forbes Reinventing American conference on Thursday.The screens would allow riders to see mileage counts, chart where they are going, check that their motorcycles don’t have any mechanical problems and control their music. “You’ve got to have loud music when y…

Legendary Steve McQueen 1915 Cyclone motorcycle up for auction

March 11th, 2015Minnesota-based motorcycle manufacturer Joerns Motor Manufacturing Company didn't last long -- just a few short years, from 1912 to 1917. during that time, though, the company managed to produce one of the most highly prized pieces of motorcycling history -- the Cyclone.Because its production run was so short, very few of the original Cyclone motorcycles were made. The best estimates say around 300 were manufactured, with only six known to remain in existence today -- but they we…

New 2016 Indian Chief Motorcycle

February 16th, 2015Article originally written on Fox News.The Indian Chief Dark Horse will soon be cruising into showrooms. The new entry-level Chief has been stripped of most of its shiny bits, ditches the whitewall tires, and is finished in a menacing matte black paint scheme.Cast back wheels lower the profile even further, as does its single-seat saddle, which can be doubled-up as an option.Mechanically, the Dark Horse is all Chief and features the same torquey Thunder Stroke 111 cubic-inch V…

Ewan McGregor on his vintage Italian motorcycle

February 12th, 2015Fans of Ewan McGregor should not be surprised that the actor uses two wheels to get around Hollywood. After all, the Moulin Rouge star has created and starred in two television series about lengthy motorbike rides.On Tuesday the Scottish actor was spotted on his classic Italian motorcycle in Los Angeles.The 43-year-old looked a bit glum, probably because he's gotten a bad start to the new year; his film Mortdecai - which also starred Johnny Depp and Gwyneth Paltrow - bombed ba…

Indian Motorcycle Announces 2016 Chief Dark Horse

February 11th, 2015Article originally written on motorcycle.comYesterday we brought you the news of Indian launching its newest model, the 2016 Chief Dark Horse, with a group ride through Chicago called the Dark Horse Challenge Ride. Today in an Indian press release, the company has officially announced the Dark Horse will be showcased in a consumer reveal spanning two continents.The Chief Dark Horse will be presented to American audiences at Chicago’s Progressive International Motorcycle Show, …

Will Victory Beat Harley-Davidson

February 10th, 2015Article originally written on greencarreports.comA patent for the name “Victory Charger” has been filed by Polaris with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Polaris recently bought the manufacturing business of electric-motorcycle maker Brammo; it's also the parent company of Victory Motorcycles, a manufacturer of cruiser-style bikes that compete against Harley Davidson. The Polaris patent is for “Electric motorcycles and structural parts therefor”, which appears to be a plac…

Richmond motorcycle clubs reach out to homeless with barbecue

January 12th, 2015RICHMOND -- Residents of a transitional facility for the homeless were treated to food and clothing Saturday afternoon by members of local motorcycle clubs who collaborated on the good deed.Members from several Richmond-based clubs -- the All Access VIPs, the Fugitives, Road Runners, Show Kings, Four Horsemen, Bonafide Riders, Filthy Rich, Real Richmond and Elegant Ebony Ladies -- gathered at the West County Interim Housing Program at Brookside Shelter, bringing a barbecue to p…

William Shatner to cross US on Rivet, a custom steampunk motorcycle

January 9th, 2014In a move worthy of Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner has started a company to create custom futuristic steampunk motorcycles — and will ride his own machine from Chicago to Los Angeles later this year to promote the brand.Shatner posted a link to the new company's website on his Facebook page."Excited about my partnership with American Wrench in forming Rivet Motors," the post reads. "This is the cycle of the future."Rivet is described as "a machine as distinguished and ico…

Russian Startup Livemap Lands $300K Grant For Its Motorcycle Helmet

January 5th, 2015As we’re coming up on the next Consumer Electronics Show, I got an update from one of the companies that participated in TechCrunch’s Hardware Battlefield at the last CES — Russian startup Livemap.The Livemap team is working to create motorcycle helmets with voice control and GPS navigation directly in your field of vision — so while you’re riding, you can see directions in your helmet display without having to fiddle with another device or look away from the road. (Back in Janu…

Motorcycles taking on a 70s design

December 26th, 2014SEVENTIES STYLE IS ON A ROLL—especially in the realms of fashion, décor, and facial hair. That goes for the motorcycle world, too. New models, from Honda to Ducati, are being aimed at Gen-X riders, who, now in their 40s, are likely to gravitate toward the ’70s-style bikes they probably coveted as children. And with good reason: That was the decade when motorcycles evolved from toys into viable modes of transportation. Engines became more powerful and reliable, while suspension…

Indian Scout 40 Groundbreakers

December 23rd, 2014Indian Motorcycle, America’s first motorcycle company, announced it has joined forces with Rolling Stone in this week’s release of a chronology of the “40 Most Groundbreaking Albums of all Time,” exclusively presented by the groundbreaking new 2015 Indian Scout. The compilation by the editorial staff of Rolling Stone identifies the most “monumental musical statements that changed the world.”The chronological listing spans the nearly 60 years from Woody Guthrie’s 1940 “Dust Bow…

Hells Angels Motorcycle Club members arrested after holiday toy drive

December 23rd, 2014Four members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club left a Christmas toy drive on Sunday only to be arrested on suspicion of drug and firearms charges.lRelated First of three storms brings more rain to Southern CaliforniaSheriff's officials said it's unclear what the men's roles were at the Ventura County toy drive. But in years past, the club has tried to shy away from its outlaw image. In Fresno, the Hells Angels have donated gifts during the holiday season to the Poverello Hou…

Milan motorcycle show report

December 11th, 2014This month's Milan motorcycle show celebrated the centenary of an event that traditionally showcases the following year's new models. Rarely in those 100 years can the Italian halls have hosted a more exciting display than this year's, which confirmed that after several quiet years the motorcycle industry has burst into life in spectacular fashion.That's good news for British enthusiasts because Motorcycle Live, this country's biggest show, opens next Saturday (November 22). T…

The fastest electric motorcycle on the market

December 4th, 2014With a polite round of applause, the first owner of the fastest production electric motorcycle took the keys to his new ride. Sitting down just a few moments later, he slyly looked down and slid them onto the ring next to keys for his Tesla. His half-hour or so commute is now 17 minutes — legally, that is.I'm not in some gleaming garage or an airplane hangar, but in the second floor of Autodesk's headquarters in San Francisco. That's an odd place for a motorcycle, but it's also…

Honda builds its 300,000,000 motorcycle

December 1st, 2014Honda has built its 300 millionth motorcycle, crossing a milestone that few automakers have reached.The historic bike produced at its Kumamoto Factory in Japan was a top-of-the-line Gold Wing, which has a 1.8-liter engine and sells for over $24,000 -- a far cry from the humble 98cc Dream Type-D that kicked off production in 1949.It took the company nearly two decades to build its 10 millionth motorcycle in 1968, but only five more to reach 20 million in 1973, and things just ke…

Thunder Beach Productions

Sick Boy Motorcycles

Find Gun Shows Nearby