MUST-SEE EXHIBITS

“Off-Road Harley-Davidson”

Opening Nov. 21, 2020; Media Preview: Friday, Nov. 20

  In the decades before America paved its highways, early riders had to be prepared for all sorts of terrain: sand, clay or dirt – and wandering those makeshift byways were Harley-Davidson® motorcycles. Today, it’s called off-road or adventure touring; back then it was just called riding. Since 1903, Harley-Davidson motorcycles proved their toughness by riding over wooded hills, through stone-choked creek beds and up mountain sides. “Off-Road Harley-Davidson” tells the history of motorcycles designed for rough roads, the people who rode them, and the adventures they shared. Stay tuned to the H-D Museum social channels for a behind-the-scenes look at this exhibit. “Performance Builds from Born-Free” Now open (images available upon request) The Born-Free Motorcycle Show has been bringing together intrepid builders for more than a decade. The H-D Museum is pleased to display the passion projects of four top-notch Born-Free wrenchers whose canvas is a stock Harley- Davidson® motorcycle. Now on display in the Engine Room.   Stevan Dohanos painting, “Tex’s Motorcycle” Dohanos, a frequent contributor to the Saturday Evening Post, enjoyed capturing his subjects as they were in real life. For this piece, Dohanos found his muse on a street in Georgetown, Conn. “Tex” Keller had decorated his saddle bags with nickel spots and covered his saddle with fur, putting his own flair on the Harley-Davidson® motorcycle. Though Dohanos probably didn’t title the work, many motorcyclists now refer to it as “Tex’s Motorcycle” and prints of it can be found in shops across the country. The original has found a home at the H-D Museum.   “Building a Milwaukee Icon: Harley-Davidson’s Juneau Avenue Factory” (Now open) A recently recovered cache of architectural drawings includes plans for the original Juneau Avenue facility. The pencil drawings, along with archival photographs, demonstrate the whirlwind pace of the company’s early growth. While building an international business—going from producing just over 1,000 motorcycles in 1909 to manufacturing 27,000 motorcycles in 1920—the company’s Milwaukee factory experienced near-constant expansion. Construction through this relatively brief period created the buildings that today, a century later, are still the proud home of Harley-Davidson.   “Building a Milwaukee Icon” provides a snapshot of Harley-Davidson’s formative years and illustrates a chapter of Milwaukee history when the city was known as the “Machine Shop to the World.” Stay tuned to the H-D Museum social channels for a behind-the-scenes look at this exhibit.  

The XR338 is a concept Harley Davidson 338R; which could influence the its street tracker version.

With global sales getting affected due to pandemic and closure of business operations in emerging markets such as India, the American manufacturer has not had a pleasant 2020. However, the brand has a very rich legacy over many years and it is confident about its resurgence in future. A couple of months ago the 338R from Harley was the talk of the town as several spied images and patent sketches had leaked on the internet giving us an idea of what the company’s future could look like. Termed as the ‘baby Harley’, this bike looked nothing like a typical Harley-Davidson.

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Back in 2017, BMW’s motorcycle company Motorrad did the unthinkable and presented not only a scooter, but an electric one. It was called Concept Link, and, it seems, the contraption is about to spawn a production version: it’s called, for now, Definition CE 04, and was shown as part of BMW’s #NEXTGen 2020 event this week.

BMW calls the two-wheeler you see in the gallery above a “near-series” version of the Concept Link. It’s not all that different, visually speaking, from the idea that led to its creation, and that’s a good thing because the first one looked really cool.

The Germans set out to seriously differentiate their product from everything else in the segment. And they kind of achieved that, as the scooter does look a lot more futuristic and high-tech than everything else out there. It’s perhaps even cooler than most of the motorcycles Motorrad is responsible and so famous for.

The two-wheeler is supposed to be high tech. It sports a massive 10.25-inch display – the largest in the scooter world – and it even comes with smart rider equipment. That translates into stuff like light guides integrated in the sleeves and hood, or inductive charging tech in the pocket of a parka for the smartphone’s needs.

“We have managed to transfer many innovative elements and details of the concept into the series,” said in a statement Alexander Buckan, Head of Vehicle Design BMW Motorrad.

“The new architecture has led to a visual revolution and has produced many new design themes. Maybe it will polarise, but it will definitely stand out.”

Of course, it all sounds way too good to be real, at least at this point in time. And BMW, despite claiming this scooter and the accompanying tech are near-series version, there is no mention as to when we should expect to actually see it on the road.

Also, we have no info yet on the powertrain for the thing, apart from the fact that it would be electric.

https://youtu.be/H8UyK3Kep9M

 

by Kyle Hyatt from https://www.cnet.com

NMoto is working on its Golden Age kit to transform the BMW C400x scooter into a prewar work of art.

So, here’s the thing. Most scooters aren’t very cool. Vespas get a pass, obviously. So too does the Honda Ruckus, because it’s weird and utilitarian. A Quadrophenia-cosplay-type Lambretta would also have my respect, but anything else? It’s going to be a tough sell.

Take the BMW C400x, for example. Is there anything particularly wrong or weird about it? Nope. It’s reasonable and affordable motorized transportation, of which, frankly, I’m a fan. I just can’t get over the inherent not-motorcycle-ness of it, though, which is why a concept from a company in Florida called NMoto has my stoke level pegged.

The kit was debuted recently and is called “Golden Age,” and as you can see from the images, it takes the humble C400x and transforms it into a piece of art deco alternate-history brilliance. How does it do that? Well, the kit hasn’t made its official debut yet, but we suspect that it will involve a not-insubstantial chunk of money and a similarly weighty piece of your time, but the results look worth it.

I like the Golden Age’s bubble fenders and round headlight pod, but I absolutely love the narrow prewar BMW kidney grilles on the front. The whole thing is executed way better than it has any right to be.

If you’re curious about the C400x on which this concept is based, it’s got a 350-cc engine that makes a claimed 34 horsepower and 26 pound-feet of torque. That energy is routed through a CVT transmission, which is pretty standard fare for a scooter. The thing also has plenty of storage, a big gas tank and a nice, relaxed riding position, again, because: scooter. Finally, BMW charges $6,795 for it, making it expensive as scooters go but cheap compared to a car or most European motorcycles.

NMoto says that the design work is done, but that it’s still in the prototype phase and expects to give the Golden Age its debut sometime in the spring of 2020. That should give me plenty of time to start shopping for gear that will make me look more like the titular character from Disney’s The Rocketeer.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Back in 2001, Harley-Davidson decided to gamble a bit and risk it in the street motorcycle segment. It went for a new engine, with double overhead camshaft and liquid cooling, stuck it inside a frame, and called the bike VRSC. That’s more or less short for V-Twin Racing Street Custom.

There were several types of VRSC bikes made, from the simple V-Rod to the mighty Destroyer. All were exciting to look at, insane to ride, and have inspired an army of new Harley followers. But VRSCs are Harleys too, and what is a Harley if not a canvas for others to play around with?

We found such an example of a customized Racing Street Custom in Thunderbike’s portfolio. The German shop, used to changing the looks and performance of stock bikes from Milwaukee, transformed one variant of the VRSC, the Night Rod, into the Thunderbolt 280.

The name takes after the exhaust system used. It’s called Thunderbolt and comes from specialist Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde as a purpose-built hardware for the Night Rod.

But the addition of a new exhaust system is not the only change made. The bike gained an air suspension, a forward control kit, a new fuel tank, and a range of other minor hardware (things like turn signals and mirrors) that clearly make it stand out in a crowd. There is also the widened 18-inch wheel at the back, making the Thunderbolt look seem as aggressive as the Destroyer.

In its over 20 years of existence on the Harley-Davidson scene, Thunderbike never had the habit of announcing how much its projects cost. The garage does allow you to guess, though, as it lists most (but not all) of the parts used.

In the case of this here Thunderbolt, we’re talking about around 5,000 euros (about $6,000 at the current exchange rates), not including the price of the exhaust system, the base bike, paint job, and possibly some other hardware.

Monsters of the South, the noted UTV customizer and event producer, will support Tucker Powersports strategy to expand product portfolio within Tucker’s DragonFire Racing and QuadBoss brands to support the connection with passionate consumers

November 9, 2020 – Fort Worth TX – DragonFire Racing and QuadBoss today announced a broad, multi-level partnership with Monsters of the South (MOTS), one of the country’s largest UTV (utility task vehicle or side by side) event promoters and the nation’s top UTV customizer. The multi-year agreement brings the three industry-leading organizations together for product development, testing and events.

“The knowledge and experience these guys bring to the table are a resource we’ve never had at QuadBoss,” said Justin Lasater, brand manager of QuadBoss. “I can’t wait to hit the ground running with the ideas they’ve already shared. The MOTS team are true innovators and we will lean heavily on their forward thinking.”

“This is a partnership between three companies with a passion for power sports,” said Brandon Fox with Monsters of the South. “Merging their talent for creating and delivering great products with our connection to consumers and our eye for innovation is a huge win for us and for the industry. I’m honored to be part of this team. Get ready world, we’re excited and we’re comin’ to a town near you!”

Monsters of the South was founded in 2015 as a customizer of UTV’s and became known across the country for its over-the-top, custom designs. The organization grew to be one of the largest and most respected companies in the UTV industry. While their event roots run deep in the mudholes of the south, they are expanding into racing, performance and sand events around the country in 2021.

“The strategic vision for QuadBoss and DragonFire Racing is expansion through consumer-led innovation,” said Kyle Frederick, brand manager for DragonFire Racing. “That requires us to get our hands dirty on product innovation and Monsters of the South helps us do that both literally and figuratively.”

The relationship officially kicks off today and solidifies years of mutual awareness and respect that the three companies have for one another. The first products that are a result of the partnership will launch in early 2021.

Dodging Asteroids, JFK Jr., C19 & Route 666
Photos and text by Koz Mraz

Armageddon and apocalyptic end times are all the rage! Between conspiracy theories, the November 2nd asteroid, Nov 3rd elections and the pandemic it’s definitely time to take an “End of the World” motorcycle ride. I suggest avoiding toxic zombies in metropolitan areas and, the petrified people of Covid suburbs. Get Out! as fast as you can to high country.

I picked up my Harley-Davidson Road Glide at Sedona EagleRider and headed to Meteor Crater, the Petrified Forest and Rt. 666, the Devil’s Highway all the way to Mexico in my EOTW ride. Most people don’t realize that Arizona has some serious mountains with Humphreys Peak topping out at 12,633 feet! Flagstaff also has the perfect underground hideaway from the impending cataclysm.

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by Keith Horinek from https://www.ksnt.com

The Evel Knievel Museum located in the Historic Harley Davidson Motorcycle shop held an unveiling of a long lost motorcycle used by Knievel in his daredevil jumps.

Knievel’s second surviving original American Eagle jump bike was presented to the Evel Knievel Museum by Louis “Rocket” Re and the Stroop and McCormack families. The ceremony took place in the Evel Knievel Museum.

The motorcycle was used by Knievel during his tenure as a motorcycle stunt performer in the 60’s and 70’s.

The motorcycle was purchased by Dave Stroop of Belt Montana in 1972. Stroop then rode the bike for several years and eventually stored the bike in his barn. Years later the bike was found and restored by Knievel’s longtime friend and riding partner Re. Stroop then donated the motorcycle to the museum.