ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE–There?s a few things whirling around my feeble brain today; first is the new Hot Bike that?s about to come out. Bandit always gets the first few copies and brings them home for my boys and me. I look through them and try to be biased of my opinion. Of course anything Mr. Editor does I like cause, I like him. However, I always try to look at it like I don?t know him or anything about the magazine business, just as a consumer. My honest opinion is the mags always look good. I read the ?Letters To The Editor?, more specifically the complaints. I?m amazed at the close-minded individuals out there. Now this is just my opinion, just like those who write in, but who buys a motorcycle magazine, geared towards adults and complains that because now that there is a woman (yikes!), and a cuss word or two, they can no longer buy the magazine cause their wife won?t be happy, or child can?t read it? You can go to any public beach and see more skin than what they show in Hot Bike or Street Chopper. And I?m sure these 8-year olds are gonna read the articles verbatim. I know we?ve been through this before but I?m picking an old scab cause of the letters posted in the newest issue. I guess I shouldn?t let it bother me cause just like here in Your Shots, for every one bad letter you get ten good.
Secondly, I?ve stayed away from posting too much about the progress of the Headquarters cause I didn?t want to seem like we turned in to ?Biker Home Improvement?. But recently a few people have mentioned that they liked seeing the pics of the building and following the progress, so next week I?ll show you what?s happened in the last couple of months. I promise not to get carried away.
Third and lastly, I just want to thank all who come to Bikernet and take the time to write to Your Shots, submit your Events, post your Bike Shops, Bars & Hangouts? This really is an exciting time in this industry and being able to spend my days corresponding with you readers, industry leaders, start-up companies be it bike products or apparel, it?s very rewarding and enjoyable.
OK, enough bull-crap, now for the news?
ALL AMERICAN CHOPPERS–Bandit, These came from All American. Check out the Dark Blue custom.
Don
GREAT SITE YOU GOT THERE BROS– Just Posted an Event with you for Nebraska, We’re a New (REAL) Biker Foundation. Legal with the Man, if you know what I mean.
Send Us a Banner, and we’ll put your Link on Our Site, and Hope you do the Same. All we ask is Spread the Word We’re Here to Try and Help…..
HOT BIKE SUPER SHOW IN IRVINE–YO, Horse Power Promotions artist has been working hard to create this killer One-of-a-kind Hot Bike Super Show tour free t-shirt. Each person that pays the 15 dollar ride-in admission to the Hot Bike Super Shows at The All American Motorcycle Madness May 20-22 in Santa Maria, Ca. The West Coast Super Show June 4th and 5th at Hidden Valley in Irvine, Ca. and the Kentucky Super Show September 10th and 11th in Louisville Ky. will be sporting one of these free tour t-shirts. If you?re not lucky enough to visit one of these motorcycle market places, just click on to http://www.horsepowerpromotions.com and order one for 15 dollars and we will pay the shipping. For more info on these and the Hot Bike Mid State Rally check out the web site.
The Hot Bike Super Show tour is just what it says ,a super bike show. Horse Power Promotions, the tours production and promotions team has pulled out all the stops to create a bike show worthy of being tagged Super Show. You know what I mean, 90% of the bike shows out their give away cheap little plaques like spelling B plaques from second grade. Even though they were always out of my reach. Horse Power Promotions works with some of the craftsmen in our industry like Cycle Smith, Dakota Digital, Ego Tripp, Carriage Works and Joker Machine to come up with some killer one of a kind billet and handle bar awards. First through third place are awarded in at least 17 classes for baggers to bobbers. So get that polishing going. No matter if you have an American V Twin , chopper or a metric bike we have a class for you and a trophy that you will be proud to put in your case.
The Hot Bike All American Motorcycle Madness May 20-22 Santa Maria Ca.
The Hot Bike West Coast Super Show June 4-5 Irvine Ca.
The Hot Bike Mid State Rally Sept. 2-4 Paso Robles Ca.
The Hot Bike Kentucky Super Show Sept. 10-11 Louisville Ky.
For more info check out http://www.horsepowerpromotions.com or call 805-686-2007
FROM LAST WEEKS NEWS–We ran the article about Billy Lane and Mike Ferussi, but didn?t have a picture of Mike. Now we do.
DO-IT-YOURSELF MACHINING–As spring reaches most of the United States, auto and motorbike do-it-yourselfers are turning to eMachineShop http://www.emachineshop.com/, the world’s first online factory for customized parts. EMachineShop.com is helping customers ready vehicles for the road and track, restore classic cars and prepare motorcycles for rides in the coming good weather.
In just the past week, eMachineShop.com has produced parts for automobile shifter brackets and linkages, brake dust shields, and windshield wiper arms. Motorcyclists have created customized parts for handlebars, locking and brake mechanisms, tank spacers and engine crankshafts.
“Customization of cars and motorcycles is extremely popular, and gear-heads often need to quickly, inexpensively and accurately obtain specialized parts made from steel, aluminum, brass, plastic and just about any other industrial material, “ said Jim Lewis, eMachineShop.com president.
“Automotive enthusiasts are a very demanding breed,” continued Mr. Lewis “yet most franchise auto parts retailers simply cannot meet their needs with off-the-shelf parts. Therefore, obtaining exactly the right part for an out-of-production 1960 Sunbeam Alpine sports car, or a special saddlebag bracket for a Harley-Davidson low-rider means looking in new places. eMachineShop.com is an innovative solution offering the easiest, most cost-effective way to turn ideas into real 3D parts at both prototype and production quantities. Car, truck and motorcycle applications are by far the most common specialized parts we create,” he said.
eMachineShop.com drives the solution
Until now, someone needing a custom part had to buy and learn expensive and complex CAD software, make technical drawings, locate a machine shop, find a way to transmit the drawings to the machine shop, discuss the design with an accomplished machinist, sift through numerous price quotations, and eventually get the part – often paying much more than necessary while adding weeks of delay. Via the Internet, eMachineShop.com has put computing horsepower where it will do the most good – right at the fingertips of the customizer, restorer, racing technician and shade-tree mechanic.
eMachineShop is a subsidiary of Micro Logic, a privately held technology organization located at 666 Godwin Avenue, Midland Park, NJ 07432. Telephone 201-447-9120.
Web site: http://www.emachineshop.com/.
FAR OUT LEATHER–My name is Dror Shalita and I own Far Out Leather in Needham, MA. We import tanned ostrich leather from our family owned ostrich farm in South Africa. In recent weeks I have been receiving unusual increase in volume of inquiries regarding ostrich leather for motorcycle seats and automotive upholstery.
Incase you also got inquiries or need ostrich leather, we offer:
1. The right ostrich skins for the job. We have the capacity to produce exactly what you like.
2. Custom tanning to your needs (water and UV protection)in standard and metallic colors.
3. All the advice you need for making the best custom ostrich leather job.
4. Ostrich leather accessories for motorcycles and other motor sports.
More information about our ostrich skins is available at http://www.faroutleather.com
Thank you
Dror Shalita
Far Out Leather
60 Nardone Rd.
Needham, MA, 02492
tel: 781-400-1054
WHO THE FUCK!?– Hey Bandit!! Can you make out that shirt? Bring back any hazy memories? My 2nd tattoo at Samy’s in Frankfurt, Germany during the 70’s…Having fun in the military mom!
You can almost make out the duct tape on the right boot in the one image, hell yea, Good Times!
That one image is from the night of our party for the movie The Wild One, first time it had shown on base. Heilbron, Germany, 22nd Maintenance Company.
RFR
BUELL ANNOUNCES NEW 2005 RACING CONTINGENCY PROGRAM–
More than $200,000 in Cash Contingencies Offered to Privateer Buell Racers
MILWAUKEE (April 21, 2005) ? Buell Motorcycle Company recently announced a new addition to its racing support program for 2005, with $134,350 in contingency paid to racers aboard Buell motorcycles in multiple regional race series. Combined with the already announced $70,500 support for the Formula USA National Thunderbike series, privateer Buell racers will be chasing more than $200,000 of cash contingencies at race tracks across the U.S. in 2005.
The new program pays cash to Buell racers competing in Championship Cup Series (CCS) Expert and Amateur Thunderbike class, Willow Springs Motorcycle Club (WSMC) Battle of the Twins (BOTT) Middleweight Expert class, Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association (WMRRA) Formula Thunder Expert class and All Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA) Hot Street class. Any year and model Buell motorcycle is eligible for the contingency program and racers should contact the racing organizations to receive the Buell contingency form with complete program details.
For more details go to http://www.buell.com or contact the race series organizers listed above.
?As a former privateer racer, I understand and appreciate the hard work and dedication it takes to compete week in and week out. We?re proud to support the efforts of Buell racers nationwide,? said Erik Buell, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of Buell Motorcycle Company.
To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. Call 1-800-490-9635 for the Buell dealer nearest you. Or go to http://www.buell.com.
BOOMERS HAVE A TICKET TO RIDE–MOTORCYCLES: The market for two-wheel excitement continues to grow, fueled by middle-class baby boomers.
BY RICK BARRETT
MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
MILWAUKEE – Ken and Jessica Sierszen are the kind of bikers the motorcycle industry just can’t get too many of.He rides an American Iron Horse chopper. She rides a Buell motorcycle and completed a Harley-Davidson Rider’s Edge program aimed at getting women and younger riders into the sport.
The residents of Bay View, Wis., come from a middle-class background, aren’t shy about spending money on their bikes and plan to ride for decades. That’s exactly what the U.S. motorcycle industry wants as the baby boomer generation pushes the middle-age envelope.
“My interest will always be on two wheels,” Ken, 42, said. “As long as I am healthy enough to ride, I will keep going.”
Thank goodness for the baby boomers, born between about 1946 and 1964.They’ve been the driving force behind two major expansions in motorcycle sales during the past 40 years, according to David Anders, a Merrill Lynch analyst in New York.And the baby boomers aren’t finished yet, as many reach their peak income-earning years.
Given that an average boomer is 49 years old, they will continue to ride another 10 or 15 years, Anders said in a research report released in March.Even a 2 percent increase in motorcycle sales to this generation would result in about 750,000 new riders, and that’s probably a conservative number, Anders said.With kids in college and more free time, baby boomers have returned to motorcycling after at least a few years on the sidelines or having never been in the sport.
Since 1995, U.S. motorcycle registrations have increased from 3.8 million to nearly 6 million at the end of 2004. Baby boomers are in the driver’s seat of the current expansion, Anders said.
“Not surprisingly, between 1990 and 2003, motorcycle ownership rates among baby boomers increased 44 percent, versus only 6 percent with non-baby boomers,” he said.
Harley-Davidson has fueled much of the growth, too, Anders noted.Nearly 75 percent of all highway motorcycles sold in the United States in 2004 were cruisers and touring bikes, which are the categories where Harley has done well. The company significantly improved its product quality and selection, upgraded its dealership network, and launched effective marketing campaigns, Anders said.
“And the potential customers were right there: the baby boomers,” he said.
Harley-Davidson, which skated on the edge of bankruptcy in the 1980s, was in the right place at the right time in the 1990s, said Bob Simonson, an analyst with William Blair & Co. in Chicago.Consumers went on a buying binge from 1995 to 2000.
“They bought just about anything you put in the store, and that included Harleys,” Simonson said.
Harley’s sales outlook remains solid for another decade, but the motorcycle icon can’t rely on baby boomers to stay in the saddle forever, he said.
“When these guys reach their mid-60s, they may not be buying motorcycles the way they used to,” Simonson said. “At different times in your life, you do different things.”
Harley sales won’t fall off a cliff when the baby boomers reach their senior years, but the company won’t have the wind at its back, either, analysts say.The percentage of young motorcycle owners has consistently fallen for more than 20 years, according to Anders.
In 1980, for example, nearly 25 percent of bike owners were between 18 and 24 years old. In 2003, that age group represented less than 11 percent of the owners.Harley officials would not comment on demographic trends. But the company knows it must bridge a generation gap between baby boomers and younger riders, said Donald Brown, a motorcycle industry economist in Irvine, Calif.
Harley has tried to narrow the gap through bikes such as the V-Rod, a sport bike that appeals to some younger riders, and a separate line of Buell motorcycles aimed at riders who otherwise would be on Japanese-made bikes.But the V-Rod is too expensive for many first-time motorcycle buyers, and so far it hasn’t been a great success, Brown said.With a wide range of smaller, less-expensive bikes in their stables, the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers have an advantage over Harley when it comes to recruiting younger riders, according to Brown.
The price of an on-highway motorcycle has increased almost fivefold during the past 20 years, Anders said.
“Considering the additional insurance costs and the necessary gear, motorcycling has become an expensive passion to pursue, especially for young people,” he said.
Since the 1990s, consumers have had more entertainment options, from more-sophisticated video games to faster, user-friendly motor scooters. Attitudes toward motorcycles also have changed, Anders said.
“Some argue that motorcycles have evolved from a symbol of anti-establishment in the 1960s and 1970s to a prestige and status symbol of the establishment,” Anders said. “Adults demonstrate their youthfulness with their powerful motorcycles, whereas young people look for other activities… to express their rebellion.”But the trend toward fewer young people owning motorcycles might be slowing.One reason is the growing popularity of custom bikes such as the Orange County Chopper that have been given generous amounts of media exposure through reality television shows. The TV shows have struck a chord with a young audience, as well as baby boomers, and will help increase motorcycle sales, analysts said.They’ve given custom bike builders more credibility with people who might not be hard-core riders, said Jamie Strasser, president and owner of Jamie’s Customs, a Big Bend, Wis., motorcycle dealership.
“It’s almost like the stock market,” Strasser said. “People see their friends and neighbors getting into it, and they jump in, too.”
Harley has set a goal of producing a record 400,000 motorcycles in 2007. The company will need between 8 percent and 9 percent annual sales growth to reach that target, according to analysts.
In a survey of 20 Harley dealerships in 19 states in March, only 11 dealers, or 55 percent, said they thought Harley could sustain 8 percent to 9 percent sales growth during the next three years, according to Piper Jaffray Co., a Minneapolis investment firm.
“This is down from an 80 percent dealer response in our September 2004 survey,” said Anthony Gikas, a Piper Jaffray analyst.“I think it’s highly unlikely that Harley’s business will start heading down,” he said. “But the standing question is whether they can increase sales enough” to meet ambitious sales goals.
Harley can still get plenty of mileage from the baby boomers, at least for another seven years or so, according to Anders.
“The boomers have been the major customers and growth drivers of the motorcycle industry for a long time,” he said.
Rogue
http://www.bikerrogue.com
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