Pope Francis has donated his Harley Davidson motorcycle to be sold to raise money for a hostel and soup kitchen that serves Rome’s homeless. “It is a precious gift that has once again made us happy in feeling the closeness of our bishop to the poor of the Church of Rome. We are deeply grateful to Pope Francis for this,” Msgr. Enrico Feroci, the director of Caritas Rome, said at an Oct. 12 press conference. The sale of the motorcycle will fund the renovation of Caritas’ Don Luigi di Liegro Hostel and Soup Kitchen at Rome’s Termini station. The two projects have operated since 1987 to help relieve the suffering of about 1,000 people every day, Caritas Rome reports. Msgr. Feroci thanked Pope Francis on behalf of everyone who will benefit from “this act of hospitality and solidarity.” He assured the Pope that the poor will continue to pray for the “precious work that he is doing in the vineyard of the Lord.” The Harley Davidson Motor Co. presented two of its motorcycles and a biker jacket to Pope Francis in June, when Rome hosted the 110th anniversary celebration of the iconic American motorcycle. On June 16, the Pope blessed about 800 bikers and their rides in St. Peter’s Square.

Lehman Trikes is pleased to announce the “More Money In Your Pocket Fall Sales Event” effective immediately through December 31, 2013. Select models of trike kits, including the new Trinity LLS and Renegade LLS for Harley-Davidson models, the Monarch II LLS for Honda GL1800 and F6B models, and Suzuki and Victory models are eligible for significant price reductions up to $1,000.

“We have had a terrific year at Lehman and felt an end-of-the-year sales event was the perfect way to pay it forward to customers and give them another benefit to trike their bike before next spring,” stated Craig Arrojo, President of Lehman Trikes.

Customers are encouraged to visit their authorized Lehman Trikes dealer or contact the factory for more information on models and details of the event. http://www.lehmantrikes.com/

This past Saturday, October 12th, several of the world’s most ancient motorcycles took to the track at the 9th annual Barber Vintage Festival, in hopes of becoming the newest champion of the race for America’s oldest bikes. For just under a decade, the Barber “Race of the Century” has been one of the most anticipated vintage motorcycle events of the fall, pitting 100+ year old machines against each other on the world-class 2.3 mile road course at the Barber Motorsports Park.

The race annually takes place during the Barber Vintage Festival, America’s largest and fastest growing antique motorcycle event. This year, over 75,000 attendees were on hand for the three-day event, which is regarded as the most comprehensive celebration of vintage motorcycles on the planet. The event boasts a full schedule of road-racing, motocross, and trials events, as well as swap meet, numerous bike shows, a motorcycle auction and more.

This year’s “Race of the Century” fielded almost a dozen rare machines dating back to the earliest days of motorcycling. Machines had to be at least 100 years old to compete, and this year many new entries were brought out to take advantage of the eligibility of the 1913 model year. WTT’s Dale Walksler was aboard one of the oldest machines in the race — a 1912 Indian Twin — aboard which he claimed victory in 2012. Matt Walksler also represented WTT on a 1913 Harley Twin, and rival Joe Gardella came prepared with another 1913 Harley. John Manifee rounded out the Twin Class with his 1912 Indian Twin
Dale poses for a picture with his 1912 Indian Twin. He captured victory on this machine in 2012.

When asked about whether he was nervous about the “newer” competition in the race, Dale offered only a smile, as if he had a trick or two up his sleeve for the Indian.

At the drop of the green flag, the twins roared ahead, leaving the much slower Single cylinder machines behind. Dale’s son Matt took an early lead, but failed to complete the first of two laps with fuel delivery problems.

Joe Gardella aboard the 1913 Harley and Dale aboard the 1912 Indian battled for the lead much of the race, until Gardella’s machine began to develop a misfire. Rider John Manifee was able to gain ground during the battle for first, eventually overtaking Dale on the backstretch.

As Manifee and Walksler emerged from the final turn onto the finish line straight away, the race was neck and neck. The finish came down to the wire, with Dale pulling ahead in the nick of time, winning by less than a bike-length in a photo finish and certainly the closest “Race of the Century” to date. “When racing one of these 100-year old bikes, literally anything can happen,” said Dale. “Luckily, my machine had a little extra speed in store for the finish.”

Get the Bikernet daily digest sent to the email address of your choice. Once a day, this email offers a quick glance of what’s running on the  Blog, on what’s been published on our various sites: Bikernet, Bikernet Baggers and Bikernet Trikes. It’s simple and it’s always brief, so you can check it out and get on with your ride.

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Love, Biketoberfest and All The News Fit to Print

Hey, One more time we hit the Thursday News, as the action is heating up at Bikertoberfest in Daytona and brothers are rolling into town for the 30th annual Love Ride.
Toby, the official Bikernet Certified Welder, Ray C. Wheeler, the Bikernet Performance Editor, and I peeled to the Garage Company last night to hand with Oshi, and a rider who was born in ’44 and loves to study the motorcycle action in Los Angeles in the early 1900s. Dave sipped his beer, ate pizza and put me in my place about the history of board track racing in the region. About 100 years ago there were only 50 miles of paved roads in the country. We’ve come a very long way, rapidly.

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Erik Buell Racing (EBR) has finally released their latest sportbike, the EBR 1190RX, at the American International Motorcycle Exposition (AIMExpo) in Orlando.

While the new, street-legal high performance motorcycle is a direct descendant of EBR’s race-bred limited edition 1190RS Super Bike, the 1190RX features many new rider-focused features and has substantially raised the bar over competitive sportbike offerings. Most notably, the new motorcycle weighs-in at just 419 pounds, yet boasts 185 horsepower and 102 ft.-lbs. of torque from its ET-V2 1190 cc V-Twin engine. Few, if any, production motorcycles have ever produced this level of peak torque. The 1190RX’s wide torque band assures riders that ample power is available in every gear, and 21 traction control settings keep the power within the rider’s control in all road conditions. Aside from boasting the broadest torque band, the new engine delivers a combined highway/city fuel economy of over 40 mpg. Likewise, the hydrocarbons and nitrous oxide exhaust emissions produced by the 1190RX are less than 25% of those allowed by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Carbon monoxide emissions are just 6% of the level allowed by U.S. federal regulations.
The breakthrough engine design and EBR’s racing-inspired handling features are coupled with all-new styling and scientifically-derived aerodynamics that rival the performance and drivability of any superbike produced by any manufacturer in the world. The multi-function digital instrument gauge cluster allows the rider to adjust performance parameters such as traction control, as well as to access numerous functions including track performance data, service intervals and system diagnostics.
Perhaps the most surprising announcement during the unveiling and accompanying press conference, however, is the 1190RX’s price: The new model is being offered with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of just $18,995.

The EBR 1190RX is assembled at EBR’s facility in East Troy, Wis., combining EBR’s in-house engineering and manufacturing capabilities with specialized components from world-class suppliers around the globe. Full-scale production is scheduled to begin in December, 2013.

Visit the EBR website.

 

From Hot Rod Harley-Davidson, Muskegon, Minnesota

In a sea of custom bikes, Snake, the 2011 Harley-Davidson FLHX Street Glide from Hot Rod Harley-Davidson, rivets your attention like a 50/50 ice cream bar on a 90-degree summer day.

The Tangelo Orange House of Kolor paint shimmers in the sun and is contrasted with the tribal graphics, which are integrated with painted carbon fiber panels.

When you first look at the bike it looks like a highly detailed standard bagger, the fit and finish is carefully refined. But after a few minutes you begin to notice it isn’t standard at all. It’s integrated so well it almost looks like what should roll off the factory assembly-line.

CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE

Hotel boasts 491 fully renovated rooms, all new lobby and the Red Roost Tavern, a new upscale, farm to table style restaurant and The Market featuring an on-the-go dining option for busy tradeshow attendees.

Just in time for the 14^th annual V-Twin Expo, the HyattRegency Cincinnati announces the completion of renovations to its lobby and existing guest rooms.

All 491-guest rooms are furnished in neutral tones with red accents and incorporate new bedding, wall coverings, drapes, workstations, carpeting, mini-refrigerators, safes and LG 42” flat screen areas for guests to gather. The new front desk, check in area features pods to allow for front desk associate and guest interaction. In addition, Cincinnati inspired artwork is featured throughout the property.

The completion of the guest room and lobby renovations, mark the latest milestones in the property’s $23 million extensive makeover that began in December 2012. “We are very pleased to enjoy the all new Hyatt during the 14^th Annual V-Twin Expo. For years and years, our tradeshow attendees enjoyed the accommodations at the Hyatt, as well as conducting business in the lobby or restaurant before and after the tradeshow. I’m sure our attendees will be more than satisfied when they see the new rooms, lobby and Red Roost Tavern- we can’t wait to get there ourselves” said Jim Betlach, V-Twin Expo Show Producer.

Info at: www.vtwin-expo.com

 

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