One thing I remember the most is we “rode” our bikes not ride them. We lived the life. Rode hard and fast and built our own bikes to be different.





There were no 60-Grand off-the-shelf bikes. It was the commonality of brothers, and trust was earned. Help was there when needed. If you needed a part, it was a given, but you better use or return it for someone else.



When in the fast lane we owned it, it was our style. Looked out for each other, you always knew there was backup between each other.



Riding was for the miles, the more miles we rode the better. Be it a short putt during the week or that weekend ride to nowhere. Pulling in to a local bar we always took it over the beer and woman, bartenders knew if there was to be no trouble beer was the answer.





We had nicknames like, Attitude Fred, Dirty Rich, Racist Roger, Monk, Percy the Professor, Big John, Uncle Dave, Jungle Head, Gentlemen Jim, Hippy John, Mute Ron, Mexican Mike, Pig Pen, Jaws, Bandit, Dago Mike, Tiny, Danny M, Cowboy, Preacher, Angle Mark, Pop, Tonto, Airhead, Wing Nut Frank, Hangmen Mark (RIP), Little Mike, Big Steve, Sportster Danny, Knucklehead Red, China Don, Lug Nut Louie, White Truck, and so many more, I can’t remember.



For years, I did not even know their real names– that didn’t matter. We had something in common, our bikes and riding.



We had no cares but the next ride to nowhere just the ride. Out running the cops was no big deal, some got caught, some got away, but we all lived to tell about it.





Packing a chick was always a pain, got to the point we didn’t need to pack, with all the women out there, there was no AIDS or all these weird diseases out there now. We didn’t care, pussy was pussy, and it was out there. I can even remember coming back from a run late on a Sunday, Two of us. We picked up two babes on the Freeway.



Haulin’ Ass Home that’s a story in itself.



Bikes were short and low, Ape Hangers, Drag Bars, Broomstick, Z-Bars and Flanders Risers. Had to have a Jockey shift or you were a pussy as some would say.



Each bike had its owner’s personality. We didn’t have to look at magazines or internet to get ideas. Stock front ends, VL Front end, or a stock H-D Springer were the best at the time. For us a long front end with pullback handlebars was a joke. They had no control in the traffic. Had to be functional.





Chrome! Who cares just more to clean, took away from the ride. A can of 49-cent flat black was the answer. You needed to kickstart your bike in the first or second kick or you were left holding the bag.



Yes, we kickstarted our bike’s. When the sound of an Electric start bike was in the air, it meant parts. Back then it was survival, parts were parts, but bad Karma always came with it, so that stopped. Making your own part for your bike was part of the personality you put into the machine.



Cool was taking parts from the ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s and making them work on your bike. Having all glass lenses, not plastic was cool. Everything was American made no foreign crap. Flatheads, Knuckleheads, Panheads and Shovelheads. God and Harley-Davidson said no to clones.



Another 100 years Harley will still be here. Going to Sturgis once a year behind a Motorhome does not mean you lived the life. No need to go to the local H-D dealer to change our oil. Up sweep pipes, Shotguns, Drag pipes or a Dick Allan 2 in-to-one collector. Ape Hangers over your head, drag racing with a Jockey Shift, one pair of Levies (which we called originals) we wore for years, when they were falling apart, we found a Hippy chick to stitch them back together.





Horseshoe taps on our engineer boots was not for the noise but to keep vehicles off our ass, put your boot on the pavement and throw a fury of sparks in the air like a Big Rig just exploded or throw a ball bearing in the air and it would hit the windshield like a 357 magnum.



Not to take 3 days to clean your bike for a Run but to make sure everything was tight, tuned and had fresh oil. If she leaked some oil you didn’t run to the H-D dealer, just meant she was alive. The bitch just left her mark on the pavement showing she was there.



Didn’t like to be told what to do, had enough of that in the military, most of us were Vietnam Era Vets and still had partners dying in Vietnam. The open road was our home, our life. Live the Life and We be Cool… That’s my opinion. Opinions are like assholes, and everyone has one. And that’s that, and I hope you don’t like it…



No Breakdowns, always made sure everything was good to go; you didn’t want to come home in a truck, because the harassment was crazy, always left ready for anything.



The ride lasted for years; it was the life we had.
Things sure have changed; the technology today in the bike industry is amazing, but what else? Hang on.



I knew some guys back then who were ahead of the times like Dick Allan (RIP) and Bob George (RIP). They did things that changed a lot for the industry.
What gets me is reading some of the Bike Mags. You see some bikes that took years to build. Years can’t image that, look at time you lost riding. Oh well, to each his own.



Well, I could go on for a few more days. Didn’t want to bore you with the good old days.
Everyone says their generation was great, but ours was the Best, The Bikes, The Road, The Women and Most of all The Freedom…Enough Said……………





 

JOHNNY LEWIS FOURTH, BTR FLAT TRACK WRAPS UP AT CHARLOTTE HALF MILE

Royal Enfield caps off a successful season of American Flat Track racing with Moto Anatomy X and BUILD. TRAIN. RACE.

Milwaukee, WI (Tuesday, October 12, 2021) – The final round of the American Flat Track Championship was more than a season ender for Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield. For Johnny Lewis, it was a milestone in a year of growth, development, and historic race results for Royal Enfield in what was a landmark season for the Twins FT race machine. Lewis sailed to another top-five finish at the Charlotte Half Mile at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina, taking fourth in the Production Twins main event.

Lewis’ sixth top-five finish of the season is a testament to not only his race craft, but to the steady progress he and the Moto Anatomy X team have made with the Twins FT. “It’s crazy to think what we have accomplished in this last year–a prestigious win at the Lima Half Mile and six top-five finishes overall,” said Lewis. “To end the season with a fourth at Charlotte Motor Speedway showed that we have been able to develop the Royal Enfield Twins FT into a competitive production-based race bike.”

“Since day one we’ve had so many people step up in so many ways. I don’t like hearing no, or I can’t. If you can’t, I will. But in my group of people we didn’t ever say we can’t. We pushed until the end. We had amazing support throughout the season from Lloyd Brothers Motorsports, Woody Kyle, Wes Hanes and S&S Cycle. We were able to develop each week thanks to Kent Ford, Lowery Racing, Web Cam, Cometic Gaskets, Scott Saunders and Wiseco. I can’t thank them all enough.”

Visit https://www.americanflattrack.com/results/default for detailed results.

Royal Enfield BUILD. TRAIN. RACE.

The Charlotte Half Mile was slated to be the fourth and final round of the Royal Enfield BUILD. TRAIN. RACE (BTR). Mother Nature had other ideas, however, and rainy weather forced race promoters to postpone Friday’s schedule to Saturday. The BTR women had other commitments, and unfortunately travel logistics did not allow for everyone to alter their schedules, resulting in the cancelation of the final BTR exhibition of the 2021 American Flat Track season.

“This is obviously not the ending we were hoping for, but this is a reality of racing,” said Breeann Poland, Marketing and Communications Lead – Royal Enfield Americas. “There are elements beyond our control and we have to roll with the punches. This marks the end of the American Flat Track BTR championship, but look for the women to be racing various events throughout the winter.

“I can’t express how proud I am of all the women in this program—watching them all push themselves both on and off the track and grow as racers, and as people. They are truly testament to the success of the Build. Train. Race. program and we are more excited than ever to reach to even bigger heights in 2022!”

The Royal Enfield BTR Road Racing program is already looking toward an expanded platform with American Flat Track next season. An announcement on the 2022 Royal Enfield BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. USA Flat Track program, including details on the application period, is coming soon. Find more information at https://buildtrainrace.com/.

About Royal Enfield: The oldest motorcycle company in continuous production in the world, Royal Enfield made its first motorcycle in 1901.
For more information on Royal Enfield North America, visit www.RoyalEnfield.com/us/en/, www.Instagram.com/RoyalEnfield_NA, www.Facebook.com/RoyalEnfieldNorthAmerica.

Yoshimura Sert Motul Wins the FIM Endurance World Championship Title, the World’s Foremost Series of Endurance Motorcycle Races, on Bridgestone Tires

• Bridgestone is proud to celebrate YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL’s FIM Endurance World Championship title.
• After a dominant season, YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL became the second team to win the title on Bridgestone tires since 2018.
• Since 2017, Bridgestone has supplied tires for teams competing in the FIM Endurance World Championship.

Tokyo (October 10, 2021) ― Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) today announced that YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL won the FIM*1 Endurance World Championship (EWC) title, the world’s foremost series of endurance motorcycle races, on Bridgestone tires. YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL is the second team to win EWC title on Bridgestone tires since 2018.

Since 2017, Bridgestone has supplied tires for teams competing in the EWC. As one of three teams on Bridgestone tires, YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL earned first place in two 24-hour races this season. Going into the year’s final race, 6 Hours of Most in the Czech Republic (October 9), the team held the overall points lead and maintained the lead with third-place finish – earning the 2021 EWC title outright.

“I am very pleased and honored to win the championship in the first year of participation as YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL by using Bridgestone tires,” said Yohei Kato, Team Director of YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL. “We vowed to fight in this Endurance World Championship on behalf of the Suzuki Factory Team, and this season has proved to be a dream come true by winning two of the world’s most famous 24-hour races, namely, the 24 Heures of Le Mans and the Bol d’Or.The whole team has been respecting each other in the spirit of “One for all, all for one”, and we will keep working together to improve the Suzuki GSX-R1000R into an even better package. Thank you to all the sponsors, partners and fans who warmly supported the YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL this year. We pledge to attract everyone to an even better championship next year and YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL will go all out to defend its title.”

“I would like to congratulate all of the members of YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL on their EWC title,” said Masato Banno, Senior Vice President and Executive Officer, Global CTO (Global Chief Technology Officer), Bridgestone Corporation. “YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL won both the Le Mans and Bol d’Or 24-hour endurance races, two of the toughest races in the series and showed why they deserved to be champion. Bridgestone is very proud to have contributed to their series championship in our first year as a team partner by supplying highly durable tires. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the many motorsports fans who supported us and to all the teams who worked so hard and cooperated in tire development. We will continue to refine our technology and support motorsports from the ground up through the development and supply of high-performance tires.”

The Bridgestone Group is implementing its Mid Term Business Plan (2021 – 2023)*2, which aims to realize its vision to provide social value and customer value as a sustainable solutions company toward 2050. To further enhance, the development of Dan-Totsu (the clear and absolute leader) products in the tire business, which is its core business, the group will continue to improve its technologies through motorsports, requiring maximum performances of tires. As an active member supporting the advancement of mobility society, the Bridgestone Group will continue to contribute to the automotive industry and motorsports culture by engaging in a wide range of motorsports with sustainability.

FIM stands for Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme

About Bridgestone Corporation: Bridgestone is a global leader in tires and rubber building on its expertise to provide solutions for safe and sustainable mobility. Headquartered in Tokyo, the company employs approximately 140,000 people globally and conducts business in more than 150 countries and territories worldwide. Bridgestone offers a diverse product portfolio of premium tires and advanced solutions backed by innovative technologies, improving the way people around the world move, live, work and play.

Bonhams Motorcycles Says Buongiorno Italia with Debut Sale at Moto Dei Miti

FIRST MOTORCYCLE SALE IN ITALY 1-3 APRIL 2022 AT WORLD-RENOWNED MUSEUM OF GENESIO BEVILACQUA

2011 ALTHEA WORLD SUPERBIKE AND SUPERSTOCK CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING MOTORCYCLES ARE EARLY HIGHLIGHTS

Bonhams is proud to announce its first motorcycle sale in Italy – in the world-renowned Moto dei Miti museum, created by paddock great Genesio Bevilacqua, founder of the Althea Racing team, which will be staged on 1-3 April 2022.

The weekend sale is the result of a new partnership with Genesio, which will see his museum, located in Civita Castellana (on the outskirts of Rome) provide a fitting venue for the 100-plus collectors’ motorcycles to be offered.

Telling the story of the evolution of motorcycle racing over the past 50 years, the museum represents Genesio’s own racing experience – as amateur rider and professional team manager – and his passion for two-wheeled sport and culture, featuring some of the most important sports and competition motorcycles of the modern era.

Genesio became General Manager in 2007 of the start-up Althea Racing Team, which picked up trophies in the World Superbike and Supersport series, winning both world championship titles in 2011, with Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano respectively riding to victory. In 2016, with BMW as partner, Althea again won the World Superstock Championship, with Raffaele Da Rosa in the saddle.

The ex-Carlos Checa, 2011 World Superbike Championship-winning Ducati 1198 F11 estimate for sale is €110,000 – 130,000

Genesio will offer 27 machines from his collection for sale in the debut auction, including the two 2011 World Champion motorcycles: Carlos Checa’s Ducati 1198 RS and Davide Giugliano’s Ducati 1198 F12 and one of Raffaele De Rosa’s victorious BMW S 1000 RRs from 2016.

All motorcycles in the collection are ‘on the button’ and ready to race, having been maintained in the museum’s dedicated workshop, by technicians with years of experience in the paddock, and have recently ridden by Genesio and other riders.

Ben Walker, Global Head of Bonhams Motorcycles, said: “We are really excited to be hosting our debut sale in Italy – arguably THE land of motorcycles – and to have the ‘man who defeated giants’ as our new partner.

“”Genesio’s spectacular private museum will provide a stunning backdrop for the sale, and we are delighted that it will be open to the public for the preview and the auction itself.”

Genesio Bevilacqua, General Manager Althea Racing Team, said: “I am happy and proud to partner with Bonhams to bring to Italy their first auction dedicated to motorcycles and to the history of motorcycles, in which Italy has always played a vital role.

“Moto dei Miti is, without a doubt, the best location to hold this great event. Bonhams’ heritage and professionalism will attract the attention of international collectors and will play an important part in growing the collectors’ market for the motorcycles of the last 50 years”.

Further important collectors’ motorcycles and collections are currently being invited for consignment to this new sale.

Contact: ukmotorcycles@bonhams.com for further details.

from https://mrf.org/

Chainsaws, Golf Carts, Lawn Mowers… What’s Next?

Over the weekend, California Governor Gavin Newson signed a bill into law banning the sale of all off-road, gas-powered engines, including generators, lawn equipment, pressure washers, chainsaws, weed trimmers, and even golf carts. Under the new law, these machines must be zero-emissions, meaning they will have to be either battery-powered or plug-in.

This law is particularly concerning because of the status California holds within the national economy. The population and market size that California commands often forces manufacturers to react by changing products nationwide, to conform to California standards. Additionally, states with like-minded legislatures often follow with similar laws and regulations of their own.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) is concerned that this action by California, will begin a cascading effect that will eventually result in the demise of the internal combustion engine and the fuel supply tied to it. During the legislative agenda setting meeting, held at the 2021 Meeting of the Minds, in Atlanta, Georgia this very issue was debated. Working with our state partners, the MRF is currently evaluating how best to address these concerns.

The final 2022 MRF Legislative Agenda will be made public in an upcoming American Biker Journal.

To read more on the bill click here.

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation: The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. Visit the Website https://mrf.org/

The inaugural Race of Gentlemen was held in 2012 on the beach in Asbury Park, NJ, just days before Hurricane Sandy made landfall.

New Jersey has a storied tradition of beach racing, including an epic 1-mile beach race in Cape May during the summer of 1905.

The exhibition featured the likes of Henry Ford, Louis Chevrolet and speed record holder Walter Christie. At the time, the Cape May beach was deemed the “finest racing beach” in the world.

Click Here for Viewing the Event Photos on Bikernet.com

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Editor’s Note: J.J. has a friend who attended a Trump rally recently. Here is her report direct from the action with intro by J.J.:

I fancy myself a bit of a wordsmith. But Amy White has me and damn near everyone else beat all to hell. I refer to her as Calamity Jane. She calls herself The Wicked Bitch. But if she decides you’re an alright sort she’ll risk her life to pull you off the tracks from an oncoming train and then yell at you for an hour for being so stupid.

She is so biker even the bad boys say yes ma’am and no ma’am to her: whether or not she’s ever knocked them out. Which she is quite capable of doing. She was not born a Yankee, she is a daughter of the South but if you diss the flag in her presence…..you will be removed from her presence, and not by her pals. She will handle it herself.

This synopsis of the Saturday Trump rally in Des Moines is what you will NEVER read from the sewer system that calls itself American Journalism today. What you will now read about what that harridan waddling cuckolded pants-suited harpy Hillary Clinton calls The Deplorables……well let me put it this way: if what Any White is about to make you stand up and cheer for are deplorables…….let’s make the best of it.

–J.J. Solari

How are ya’ll? Today, I am laying out my fall leather jacket, that sleek European style one with the purple butterflies that I wore to your house, and my Gold Star Wives for Trump t-shirt that I had specially printed for this occasion. I rolled out and dusted off my Michael Kors black leather gloves that go with my hand embroidered jacket… and smiled to myself that I can wear them because I want to, because they are fucking expensive and badass… since covid has made gloves fashionable again.

I am debating jeans and my high dollar cowboy boots, and my Ivanka Trump purse or leather pants and my purple coach boots and one of my purple coach bags… the Gold Star Wives colors are purple and gold… of course. Since Bob died, I feel the same way about these colors as bikers feel about theirs. I sometimes wonder if he supplied me with all this supple purple leather, because he knew he was dying of Agent Orange diseases, and he knew me THAT well… knew I would wear these colors for him. Property of the United States Army, I reckon.

My new t-shirt gives me a pretty good chance at a seat directly behind him…. If that happens, and I wind up on tv, I am intentionally wearing thousands of dollars of gear. Kiss my capitalist ass, CNN. Not all Trumpers are poor white trash… or some, like me, not poor white trash any longer.

I am considering heading to the fairgrounds tonight and sleeping in my car. They are expecting tens of thousands of people… and folks are already lining up. I am jittery with excitement. It’s a feeling that is a combination of what it feels like to be going to see my Daddy and going to see a lover; like going to church and going to war. I guess that’s what patriotism feels like.

The old biker, the old journalist, in me, is loving it… the thrill of heading to a protest once again feels much like what I think I remember sex was like. Almost breathless, anticipating. The Confederate blood in my veins is boiling and my soul wide awake and pacing at the thought of possible confrontation, basking in the energy of fear and excitement as I prepare my particular style of uniform for battle, and hide my .45 in the console of my Trump adorned car.

The atmosphere at a Trump rally, is indescribable. Tomorrow, it will feel like I stepped out of an amalgam of various horror films and right into the America I was born to inherit. Clean, happy, friendly people will gather like a huge family reunion, an endless sea of red capped humanity… fresh Iowa fall air that smells like hay and wind and corndogs… old people holding hands and children laughing and Lee Greenwood singing over a loudspeaker.

They are televising a famous Iowa football game for the crowd on giant movie screens and opening the fair concession stands… all that will be missing is a meter maid on a blue 45 trike and a man in a white suit and bow tie to pump gas. All of those thousands of people just shining with hope and love and fucking America… secure in the knowledge that by the end of the night, we will all have laughed together, cried together, and stood in awe together, at the feet of our patriarch, our Tony Soprano… our Ronald Reagan, our Teddy Roosevelt, our Eisenhower… our hero.

All those liberals call us a cult and say Trump is our Jesus… nah, he is our Moses… leading us as best he can through a wasteland of bullshit as we try to figure out how to get our country back on track with the good Lord.

NOBODY who has never been to a Trump rally, realizes what it takes to go to a Trump rally. If you don’t get there early, several hours early… you don’t get in. At this one, I arrived 9 hours early and the main area gate closed in front of me…. The only reason I got in is my shirt, and me saying loudly to secret servicemen, I AM DEAF… I AM DEAF.. to get took to the handicapped section that still had seating.

You stand in a crush of people for several hours and walk for miles till the secret service opens the metal detectors. You can’t bring so much as a cracker or drink of water in. No chair, no umbrella, no food, no coolers, no containers… nothing but yourself and a tiny bag.

Inside, there is about a half mile line to potty or buy a corn dog or bottle of water, and only a few hundred get chairs or bleachers.. the vast majority is gonna stand about 12 hours straight in direct sun or rain… no shade, ever… with very little chance of a drink or food…. That’s even if you can get thru the crowd to a concession stand.

Once you get patted down by multiple secret service officers, you are not allowed to go out and back in.. you know once you are in, you won’t be going back out to your car or to eat until you leave. The gates opened at 2. Trump didn’t speak till 8. And then it’s always a 2-3 hour speech, and all of us, KNOW this is what we are heading into and do it gleefully, just for a chance to stand on the same fairgrounds as him.

Knowing this, think about tens of thousands of old folks on walkers, that Vet I sat with, the children and the nuns. It’s fucking unreal.

And I’ll tell you something else. Twice, I left my seat. Once to pee, in a porta potty, soon as I got seated. And about 6, I went to a particularly dense area of crowd at the edge of my area and squatted and snuck half a camel.

Both times, I left my one of a kind hand tooled jacket and one of my coach bags with a Michael Kors wallet under my seat. You just can. Twice, people around me lost their cellphones and a watch elsewhere on the grounds. Both items were returned within an hour, by strangers who found them. It’s like, all wickedness, all nefariousness, is left at your car.

Children run and play unsupervised; people take their shoes off and walk around in socks and feet… everyone talks to everyone. Everyone takes rest breaks sitting or squatting and offers everyone else a hand to help them off the ground. Teenagers let little old ladies have their places in line or help them walk, sometimes for an hour or two, just holding their arm while they chat with their friends. Nobody pushes or shoves and very few cut in line, and I am talking thousands and thousands of people forming ONE line to be screened by the SS for HOURS…

Some people DO bring things like chairs and tripods and umbrellas and leave them at the gate and just get them when they leave. I don’t know if it’s all the cops and secret service, or what, but you KNOW you and your shit is safe.

Nobody is a stranger. Nobody is making fun of anything… everyone is hugging and holding hands and sharing stories with tears streaming down their faces, when you tell your story. Everyone in line around you listens politely and hugs you when you are done. My particular job in the MAGA family waiting lines is, because I TOWER over almost everyone, people all day hand me their phones to hold over my head and take panoramic photos of the crowds.

I probably held $50,000 worth of phones yesterday of people I never seen before and never will again. The richer people buy big pans of food at the concession stands and bring them to the bleachers and just hand them out to the poor people. People take off hats and pins and trinkets and give them to each other. Its somewhere between Christmas and Woodstock.

All this shit about us being TERRORISTS? LMAO.. nah… we are a tableau of the good.. the best… in every single one of us. We are the GREAT part, of America.

Yes, there were black rapper types with gold teeth, pinup girls, beauty queens in tiaras, Spanish boys with tattoos on their throats, soccer moms… A homeless vet, RVers, teachers, an Elvis impersonator and weight lifters. This is what irritates me about the media claiming it’s white pride rallies. It’s the opposite of that. You hear a constant droning chatter of accents and languages. It’s a family reunion of the human race.

–The Wicked Bitch

This rally was never mentioned in the news. You know what’s mentioned in the news? “Trump lost weight because now that he’s out of office, he no longer has access to the white house kitchen. Presstitutes in journalism are destroying the planet: not cars. –J.J.

by Todd Halterman from https://www.autoevolution.com

Hans Schifferle, the film critic and essayist, died at the age of 63 in April of this year, and during the 1980’s he cut an imposing figure. Schifferle walked the streets clad in leather and often arrived on one of his motorcycles.

Hans Schifferle moved through the world in an unpretentious way and loved films and actors like Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Schifferle spent his days writing, talking smack in the foyer of the Munich Film Museum, or tipping a drink on the stairs of the workshop cinema.

Schifferle, born in 1957 in Munich, spent a good stretch of his career writing the Süddeutsche Zeitung and for fan and trade magazines like Steadycam. He also penned innumerable articles for books and catalogs and, like so many cinéphiles of his generation, he found inspiration from the writings of Frieda Grafe.

As a ticket-taker at the Munich Film Museum, Schifferle tore off the stubs before he attended screenings himself. And if you had the pleasure of drinking a dark beer with him and listening as he raved about films, you began to understand cinema as a school of life.

He was a child of privilege and lived in an apartment which also served as a salon of sorts. His means also allowed him to collect some of the most interesting and fantastic motorcycles in history. And his obsession with motorcycles allowed him to put together a superb collection.

One of those bikes was a Ducati 750SS, a version of the bike Paul Smart rode to his famous victory at Imola in 1972. That machine put the esthetically beautiful and speedy Ducati v-twin on the map. During that race, Smart defeated a long list of the hottest machines of the day, from the Triumph Tridents to the works 750 MV Agusta of Giacomo Agostini.

The 750SS received near universal praise from the motorcycling press. Cycle magazine said the “bike that stands at the farthest reaches of the sporting world – the definitive factory-built café racer.” Today, the 750SS is regarded as a true landmark model and is one of the most sought-after of all Ducatis.

Hans Schifferle bought this Ducati 750SS in June 2002 from the Turin-based collector, Genni Carelli. It is believed that Mario Sassi had restored the machine.

His collection also included a 1941 Indian 1,279cc Four though it’s said Schifferle never had the chance to ride it.

His MV Agusta 750 GT, yet another ultra-rare machine, was distinguished by its white and bronze color scheme and, just 50 were sold as a result of an astronomically high initial price tag. Schifferle’s bike of one of the most sought-after MV roadsters, and his original example remains one of the very few which remain unmodified.

The critic also owned an Egli-Vincent was distinguished by Egli’s trademark large tube spine type frame.

His 1955 Vincent 998CC Black Knight is a matching-numbers exemple, and is one of 200 enclosed series-D twin models built by Vincent. Schifferle’s model is thought to be one of the earliest Egli frames manufactured for the Slater Brothers. His friend and mechanic Helmut Lichtenberg completely rebuilt it, and it features a ‘fishtail’ silencer, a Campagnolo front disc brake; alloy wheels; and a Smiths 150mph speedometer.

And Schifferle owned yet another American classic, a 1956 Harley Davidson KH, which represents Harley Davidson’s last ‘flat-head model. The 55ci KH featured an upgraded engine and modified frame (for better handling) compared with the model K roadster on which it was based.

Schifferle and his wife, Gudrun, traveled extensively around Europe in search of components to restore and maintain his stable of machines. Along with his friend and former Grand Prix racer Lichtenberg, Schifferle enjoyed visiting the leading auto events at Imola, Mannheim, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, and various other events to locate rare parts for his restorations.

by Sergiu Tudose from https://www.autoevolution.com/

Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Kawasaki has announced that all its bikes sold in developed countries will become fully electric by 2035. They also plan on exploring hydrogen propulsion as more of a near-term solution, as they make the push towards carbon neutrality.

While the global pandemic didn’t spare the motorcycle market, some people still view these two-wheelers as the best means of transportation, seen as how it carries with it the lowest risk of infection.

According to Kawasaki chief executive Yasuhiko Hashimoto, his company is open to establishing a partnership with others in order to achieve their environmentally friendly objectives, reports BikesRepublic.

“Outdoor leisure activity has been popular during the COVID pandemic. We will strengthen our environmental efforts with our sights set on post-pandemic lifestyles. Partnerships with other companies may be possible in the future,” he said.

The first order of business is to launch a total of ten battery-powered motorcycles by 2025, before switching to EV power alone by 2035 in Japan, Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia. While short term plans might include new nameplates and “spin-offs”, if the company’s entire range is to be electrified within the next 14 years, that means fans need to start getting used to the idea of a fully-electric ZX-6R, ZX-10R or a Z650, just to name a few of their most popular (gasoline powered) models.

Kawasaki sold 380,000 motorcycles last year, despite a global market share of roughly 1%, as per Nikkei Asia. The bikemaker does of course have a strong presence in both Japan and North America, driven by its best-selling motorcycles.

As for its rivals, Honda is still the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. Yamaha meanwhile wants to make 90% of its models electric by 2050, which would put them somewhat behind the curve when compared to Kawasaki and their ambitious electrification goals.

One important thing to factor in is the fact that bikemakers will soon begin competing with carmakers for batteries, which at the moment looks like a tall task for the former.

Kawasaki All In With Plans for Electric, Hybrid and Hydrogen Bike Future
by Todd Halterman from https://www.autoevolution.com

Now that Kawasaki Motors Ltd. has spun off as a separate business entity, the superbike manufacturer has recently revealed its plans on going forward, and those plans include a commitment to build forward-looking drivetrains.

By 2025, Kawasaki says they’ll roll out 10 electric and hybrid motorcycles, five of them off-road models with “advanced fuel” power plants.

The news came as part of a presentation in Tokyo, and the company says the plans include a near heretical hydrogen-powered H2 engine.

While motorcycles make up just a small bit of Kawasaki’s core business, they operate as stalking horses to market its large machine production facilities and products.

Part of the marketing is the use of their classic corporate logo. That design is essentially a Japanese character that represents the word for “river.”

Masaya Tsuruno, Managing Director of Kawasaki Motors Europe, says the changes are aimed at staying current with a changing world.

“The world has changed immeasurably in the century-plus history of the Kawasaki company – none more so that in the past few years,” Tsuruno says. “As we roll out our new corporate identity with the River Mark at its core, we look to take a next, bold step in terms of technology and engineering as well as enhancing the lives of countless people around the world with a focus on sustainability and emerging green technologies. While some things change others remain constant such as our commitment to be the best in our chosen fields; the River Mark is a fitting symbol of this commitment.”

As a result of the changes, you can expect electric motorcycles to replace the company’s smaller-displacement machines with models such as an electric street motorcycle to essentially replace bikes like the Ninja 400.

Kawasaki says that its efforts will be focused on the premium end of the market, likely meaning that these machines will be geared towards European and North American riders.

What it means is that you can expect Kawasaki to pressure other manufacturers to adopt non-traditional drivetrain systems and perhaps roll out up to 16 new motorcycles a year thru 2025.

The Race of Gentlemen is a very special beach race that takes place only in a few parts of the United States each year.

With the COVID issue, last year was missed completely, however the event was strong this past weekend (October 1-3, 2021). Had a blast with the photos, the weather was stunning and the beach was as terrific as ever.

About The Race of Gentlemen

The inaugural Race of Gentlemen was held in 2012 on the beach in Asbury Park, NJ, just days before Hurricane Sandy made landfall. New Jersey has a storied tradition of beach racing, including an epic 1-mile beach race in Cape May during the summer of 1905. The exhibition featured the likes of Henry Ford, Louis Chevrolet and speed record holder Walter Christie. At the time, the Cape May beach was deemed the “finest racing beach” in the world.

The Race of Gentlemen has since moved from Asbury Park to Wildwood—a stone’s throw from Cape May—for its flatter, wider beaches and legendary boardwalk. Enthusiasts now attend from all over the country to run their machines down a 1/8-mile straightaway in front of thousands of spectators. The event continues to grow and garner international recognition, while laying the groundwork for additional exhibitions and races around the country.

About The Oilers Club

Founded by Jim Nelson in Southern California over 65 years ago, The Oilers Club, was a small group of thrill-seeking friends that built and raced hot rods and motorcycles using outdated pre-WWII era chassis, bodies, motors and parts. In 2010, the keys to the club were handed to Meldon Van Riper Stultz III, a Jersey Shore native who, with his colorful crew of vintage car and motorcycle revivalists, now stage these rolling exhibitions at historically significant locations across the country.

–JACK MCINTYRE
PHOTOGRAPHER, SPECIALIZING IN THE POWERSPORTS INDUSTRY
VETERAN OWNED COMPANY
HOUSE OF CHOPPERS NATION.COM
FLYING PISTON BENEFIT.COM
BIKERNET.COM / BANDIT’S CANTINA