The 'Busa won't meet new regulations, so it's history.
(AutoBlog.com)
Showing posts with label motorcycles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motorcycles. Show all posts
Thursday, August 30, 2018
The End Of An Era For An Icon
Suzuki ends Hayabusa production after two legendary decades
The 'Busa won't meet new regulations, so it's history.
(AutoBlog.com)
The 'Busa won't meet new regulations, so it's history.
(AutoBlog.com)
Thursday, August 16, 2018
A Good Read - Harley Davidson Edition
How Harley-Davidson's All-In Bet on Its Past Crippled Its Future
Harley’s longtime bread and butter has been Baby Boomers, those who grew up enamored with the outlaw image to the point that they were willing to spend $20,000 or more on the bikes and leather to live out that image. But the Boomers are getting older, increasingly physically unable to ride or dying out entirely. And Harley’s response—an electric bike called the LiveWire set to debut next year—isn’t so much of a Hail Mary as it is a capitulation. It also won’t be nearly enough.
“I think they have to completely reinvent the brand, and I don’t know if they can do it,” Erik Gordon, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, said. “The jokes are true. When I go down the freeway, I always look to see if this cliche about Harley riders is true. And the crazy thing is that it is true. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone under 55.
“My generation viewed Harleys as American fast, loud, muscle. We liked that stuff,” Gordon said. “[My students] view it as the tired old folks who screwed up America.”
(Jalopnik.com)
Harley’s longtime bread and butter has been Baby Boomers, those who grew up enamored with the outlaw image to the point that they were willing to spend $20,000 or more on the bikes and leather to live out that image. But the Boomers are getting older, increasingly physically unable to ride or dying out entirely. And Harley’s response—an electric bike called the LiveWire set to debut next year—isn’t so much of a Hail Mary as it is a capitulation. It also won’t be nearly enough.
“I think they have to completely reinvent the brand, and I don’t know if they can do it,” Erik Gordon, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, said. “The jokes are true. When I go down the freeway, I always look to see if this cliche about Harley riders is true. And the crazy thing is that it is true. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone under 55.
“My generation viewed Harleys as American fast, loud, muscle. We liked that stuff,” Gordon said. “[My students] view it as the tired old folks who screwed up America.”
(Jalopnik.com)
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
I Look Forward To Watching This Next Year
Hold onto your ape hangers, American Chopper returns next year
This is not a drill: American Chopper returns to the Discovery Channel in winter 2018.
Discovery tells us the reboot gets father and son together to "reclaim their preeminent bike brands and – hopefully, rebuild some sort of relationship."
(AutoBlog.com)
This is not a drill: American Chopper returns to the Discovery Channel in winter 2018.
Discovery tells us the reboot gets father and son together to "reclaim their preeminent bike brands and – hopefully, rebuild some sort of relationship."
(AutoBlog.com)
Friday, October 20, 2017
I Wonder How Much The Company Will Sell For
Here's your chance to buy a whole motorcycle brand
It has a history dating back to the early 1900s.
In case you're unfamiliar with the company, Excelsior-Henderson dates back to the early 1900s, and was operated by the Schwinns of past and current bicycle fame. According to Mecum, the company remained in business right up until the Great Depression, when it shut down the motorcycle line in 1931. While in business, the company built a wide array of motorcycles in four-cylinder and V-twin configurations, and built a few racing bikes, some of which had engines nearly 1,000cc in displacement.
Now as for how this is a potential shortcut for budding motorcycle industrialists, the purchase of the Excelsior-Henderson brand comes with every bit of intellectual property from the company. That includes various marketing things such as logos, branding and websites, but it also comes with complete frame and engine designs used by the company, as well as expired patents. All of these things would be a boon to a new motorcycle company, since it would provide a bit of a starting point, rather than starting completely from scratch. The brand and its associated intellectual property goes on sale at the Mecum Las Vegas motorcycle auction which runs from January 23, 2018 to January 27, 2018.
(AutoBlog.com)
It has a history dating back to the early 1900s.
In case you're unfamiliar with the company, Excelsior-Henderson dates back to the early 1900s, and was operated by the Schwinns of past and current bicycle fame. According to Mecum, the company remained in business right up until the Great Depression, when it shut down the motorcycle line in 1931. While in business, the company built a wide array of motorcycles in four-cylinder and V-twin configurations, and built a few racing bikes, some of which had engines nearly 1,000cc in displacement.
Now as for how this is a potential shortcut for budding motorcycle industrialists, the purchase of the Excelsior-Henderson brand comes with every bit of intellectual property from the company. That includes various marketing things such as logos, branding and websites, but it also comes with complete frame and engine designs used by the company, as well as expired patents. All of these things would be a boon to a new motorcycle company, since it would provide a bit of a starting point, rather than starting completely from scratch. The brand and its associated intellectual property goes on sale at the Mecum Las Vegas motorcycle auction which runs from January 23, 2018 to January 27, 2018.
(AutoBlog.com)
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
A New Buyer Has Emerged
Harley-Davidson enters race to buy rival Ducati
LONDON - U.S. motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson is lining up a takeover bid for Italian rival Ducati, potentially bringing together two of the most famous names in motorcycling in a deal that could be worth up to $1.7 billion, sources say.
Indian motorcycle maker Bajaj Auto and several buyout funds are also preparing bids for Ducati, which is being put up for sale by German carmaker Volkswagen.
A deal with Harley-Davidson would bring together the maker of touring bikes like the Electra Glide that are symbolic of America with a leading European maker whose high-performance bikes have a distinguished racing heritage.
Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson has hired Goldman Sachs to work on the deal, one source familiar with the matter said, adding tentative bids are expected in July.
Friday, June 16, 2017
What It Takes To Be A Race Car Driver
15 things no one tells you about being a professional racing driver
Being a professional racing driver is a dream job, but there are some things you just aren't prepared for before you live it.
1. You need better boardroom skills than Alan Sugar
Motor racing is very expensive - and it’s getting tougher and tougher to earn a living from. To fund my Formula Renault campaign I had five or six personal sponsors.
Sponsorship has changed from just having a sticker on the car. Now you really have to offer them value, you have to put the deals together - and obviously the stronger business case you can put to them, and the stronger it actually works in reality, the more chance you have of keeping sponsors for a long time.
Once you have them on board you have to keep them happy, entertain them at the track, keep them up to date with everything that you’re doing, get as much media coverage as possible for them - and make B2B introductions to try and generate more business for them.
You see some guys who have retained sponsors for 20 years over their whole career, and that’s what I’m trying to build.
4. You're not only a driver, you're also a runner or a cyclist
Every top driver has to be super fit and lean. Almost everyone I know is either a cyclist or runner.
I can be in the car for up to three or four hours at a time so I figure I need to be out running for at least a couple of hours and get that heart rate so of like 130/140 or even 150 which is what we’ve measured it to be in the car.
I visit a specialist racing drivers’ fitness facility called Pro Performance once or twice a week as they really know the specific fitness needs we have.
When I’m not with them I’ll be out on the road running every day, and I’ll do anything from 10k in 40 minutes to up to a half marathon distance.
8. There are lots of fun things you can’t do anymore . . . . .
The team does not want you getting injured and being unable to drive the car so they put it in your contract that you are not allowed to do various things like horse riding, white water rafting, scuba diving, hand gliding, para gliding, contact sports, bungee jumping and skiing.
Rugby is the hardest one for me. I played it at school and a lot of my friends still play but I have to watch from the sidelines.
It’s just not worth the risk of getting crunched and breaking an arm. It just doesn’t go down very well with the team if you can’t race because you were doing something stupid the weekend before.
12. You will end up buying a lot of doughnuts
There are more than 40 people in the team - I am just one of them, and without them I would not have a car to race.
I might do a race and hopefully get on the podium, spray the champagne and then get a flight home, but they will be there until the next day, packing away the garage and stripping down the car, before doing it all again in reverse at the next race.
It means just as much to them if we win as it does to me, so as a driver you work hard to forge that bond with them.
We have done things like karting challenges and paint-balling with them - even small things like making sure I always bring in a load of Krispy Kremes when I visit the factory. It all helps.
14. You will have to write your own encyclopaedia - yes really
After each weekend I make a note of everything that happened with the car: all the technical changes we made, how I drove each corner, what gear I was in - everything.
At home I have now got an encyclopaedia of all the tracks that I’ve ever been to, in all the different cars, and I know, for example, that for turn 1 at Silverstone I need to brake at 90 metres.
It might be three or four years before I go back to a certain track and and I’m obviously not going to remember what gear I was in at the third corner so I note it down, then I update it each time I drive the track.
I think a lot of top guys do do it too. The higher up you go, the more you have to try and find every little edge you can.
Complete list (DriveTribe.com)
Being a professional racing driver is a dream job, but there are some things you just aren't prepared for before you live it.
1. You need better boardroom skills than Alan Sugar
Motor racing is very expensive - and it’s getting tougher and tougher to earn a living from. To fund my Formula Renault campaign I had five or six personal sponsors.
Sponsorship has changed from just having a sticker on the car. Now you really have to offer them value, you have to put the deals together - and obviously the stronger business case you can put to them, and the stronger it actually works in reality, the more chance you have of keeping sponsors for a long time.
Once you have them on board you have to keep them happy, entertain them at the track, keep them up to date with everything that you’re doing, get as much media coverage as possible for them - and make B2B introductions to try and generate more business for them.
You see some guys who have retained sponsors for 20 years over their whole career, and that’s what I’m trying to build.
4. You're not only a driver, you're also a runner or a cyclist
Every top driver has to be super fit and lean. Almost everyone I know is either a cyclist or runner.
I can be in the car for up to three or four hours at a time so I figure I need to be out running for at least a couple of hours and get that heart rate so of like 130/140 or even 150 which is what we’ve measured it to be in the car.
I visit a specialist racing drivers’ fitness facility called Pro Performance once or twice a week as they really know the specific fitness needs we have.
When I’m not with them I’ll be out on the road running every day, and I’ll do anything from 10k in 40 minutes to up to a half marathon distance.
8. There are lots of fun things you can’t do anymore . . . . .
The team does not want you getting injured and being unable to drive the car so they put it in your contract that you are not allowed to do various things like horse riding, white water rafting, scuba diving, hand gliding, para gliding, contact sports, bungee jumping and skiing.
Rugby is the hardest one for me. I played it at school and a lot of my friends still play but I have to watch from the sidelines.
It’s just not worth the risk of getting crunched and breaking an arm. It just doesn’t go down very well with the team if you can’t race because you were doing something stupid the weekend before.
12. You will end up buying a lot of doughnuts
There are more than 40 people in the team - I am just one of them, and without them I would not have a car to race.
I might do a race and hopefully get on the podium, spray the champagne and then get a flight home, but they will be there until the next day, packing away the garage and stripping down the car, before doing it all again in reverse at the next race.
It means just as much to them if we win as it does to me, so as a driver you work hard to forge that bond with them.
We have done things like karting challenges and paint-balling with them - even small things like making sure I always bring in a load of Krispy Kremes when I visit the factory. It all helps.
14. You will have to write your own encyclopaedia - yes really
After each weekend I make a note of everything that happened with the car: all the technical changes we made, how I drove each corner, what gear I was in - everything.
At home I have now got an encyclopaedia of all the tracks that I’ve ever been to, in all the different cars, and I know, for example, that for turn 1 at Silverstone I need to brake at 90 metres.
It might be three or four years before I go back to a certain track and and I’m obviously not going to remember what gear I was in at the third corner so I note it down, then I update it each time I drive the track.
I think a lot of top guys do do it too. The higher up you go, the more you have to try and find every little edge you can.
Complete list (DriveTribe.com)
Monday, January 9, 2017
Another Sad Sign Of The Times
Victory Motorcycles Is Shutting Down
Victory Motorcycles, an Iowa-based American motorcycle company best known for making classic cruiser-style bikes, is ceasing production immediately. It had an 18-year run under corporate overlord Polaris.
Polaris, which owns Victory as well as the Indian and Slingshot motorcycle/powersport brands (and RZR and 4Wheel Parts stores), announced today in a press release that “Victory has struggled to establish the market share needed to succeed and be profitable.”
Which sounds a lot like “we tried, but it was easier to buy Indian than do our own thing.” I wonder if there were also issues with Victory and Indian hurting each other by coexisting and competing.
Polaris stated it plans to continue cultivating the Indian motorcycles line, which it acquired in 2011, and those weird Slingshot two-seat tricycles it started selling in 2015.
(Jalopnik.com)
Victory Motorcycles, an Iowa-based American motorcycle company best known for making classic cruiser-style bikes, is ceasing production immediately. It had an 18-year run under corporate overlord Polaris.
Which sounds a lot like “we tried, but it was easier to buy Indian than do our own thing.” I wonder if there were also issues with Victory and Indian hurting each other by coexisting and competing.
Polaris stated it plans to continue cultivating the Indian motorcycles line, which it acquired in 2011, and those weird Slingshot two-seat tricycles it started selling in 2015.
(Jalopnik.com)
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Monday, August 15, 2016
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Why There's So Much Distrust In The Business World
Lawsuit against Skully co-founders claims brothers blew funding
A few days ago, Skully, a San Francisco-based startup with hopes of building a digitally augmented motorcycle helmet, announced that it would be shutting its doors. The closure came a few weeks after Skully's board of directors forced out Marcus and Mitch Willer, the brothers who co-founded the company, reports TechCrunch. Now, the brothers and their company are facing a lawsuit by the brothers' assistant, Isabelle Faithauser, for using funding for personal uses, reports BuzzFeed News.
Faithauser claims the Willers "used the corporate entities of Skully in such a fraudulent manner as to render the corporate entity a sham." The suit, which was filed last month, also states that the brothers demanded Faithauser to participate in fraudulent bookkeeping procedures to defraud investors. The fraudulent tactics were used to trick investors into believing that the company was using funds for business purposes, when it was actually being used on personal expenses.
According to the suit, some alleged personal expenses include: a Dodge Viper, a second Dodge Viper (after the first one was involved in an accident), a weekend Lamborghini rental, personal rent for the brothers' apartment in San Francisco, four motorcycles, the brothers' restaurant meals, weekly apartment cleanings, $2,000 at a strip club called "De Ja Vu," $80,000 in cash to an unnamed co-founder (hidden as a trip to China), and much more.
Skully raised approximately $2.5 million in crowdfunding through IndieGogo – roughly 979 percent of the company's original goal of $250,000 – from 1,940 people. The money was supposed to be used on building helmets with a heads-up display, but the company kept pushing back its release date.
(AutoBlog.com)
A few days ago, Skully, a San Francisco-based startup with hopes of building a digitally augmented motorcycle helmet, announced that it would be shutting its doors. The closure came a few weeks after Skully's board of directors forced out Marcus and Mitch Willer, the brothers who co-founded the company, reports TechCrunch. Now, the brothers and their company are facing a lawsuit by the brothers' assistant, Isabelle Faithauser, for using funding for personal uses, reports BuzzFeed News.
Faithauser claims the Willers "used the corporate entities of Skully in such a fraudulent manner as to render the corporate entity a sham." The suit, which was filed last month, also states that the brothers demanded Faithauser to participate in fraudulent bookkeeping procedures to defraud investors. The fraudulent tactics were used to trick investors into believing that the company was using funds for business purposes, when it was actually being used on personal expenses.
According to the suit, some alleged personal expenses include: a Dodge Viper, a second Dodge Viper (after the first one was involved in an accident), a weekend Lamborghini rental, personal rent for the brothers' apartment in San Francisco, four motorcycles, the brothers' restaurant meals, weekly apartment cleanings, $2,000 at a strip club called "De Ja Vu," $80,000 in cash to an unnamed co-founder (hidden as a trip to China), and much more.
Skully raised approximately $2.5 million in crowdfunding through IndieGogo – roughly 979 percent of the company's original goal of $250,000 – from 1,940 people. The money was supposed to be used on building helmets with a heads-up display, but the company kept pushing back its release date.
(AutoBlog.com)
Friday, August 5, 2016
A Woman Addicted To Speed Is My Kinda Woman
Why This Barrier-Breaking Woman Was Banned From The World’s Deadliest Race
(Jalopnik.com)
Swain entered the Ultra Lightweight class with a 50cc Itom,
an Italian motorcycle too obscure to be resurrected. This time it was
her husband setting up her bike. She wore a bright patterned sweater
over her leathers. Out of 25 entrants in her class, she placed 22nd.
And she loved it. She announced that she would be back next year to compete again.
But the International Federation of Motorcycling revoked
her international racing license. Their excuse: the death of a female
rider around the deadly Isle of Man TT circuit would make for bad press.
“Having a male racer injured or killed on the TT course was one thing,”
said Matthew Richardson,
curator of social history for the Manx National Heritage. “But the
organizers were just not prepared to take the risk of that happening to a
woman.”
Swain was able to rally support from fellow racers, from
her fans, and even the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, to no
avail. More people wanted her gone than to come back next year. She went
home and hung up her leathers for good.
A woman rider would not race at the Isle of Man TT again until 1978, when Hilary Musson
started her career with Yamaha, often competing against her husband,
John. (Her daughter Gail is the only woman to ever average 100mph on a
125cc motorcycle around the course.) In 2009, Jenny Tinmouth broke the
lap record in her first-ever entry at the TT. The next year, she came
back and broke it again. That same year, Carolynn Sells
became the first woman to win a class around the circuit, winning the
ultra-lightweight class—the same class in which Swain rode.
After Swain stopped riding she went to work for the
British grocery chain Sainsbury’s, managing multiple locations in and
around London. She retired quietly to Essex, volunteered for various
women’s charities, and died of complications from Alzheimer’s in 2007. In 2009, the Manx Museum unveiled an exhibit called “Fast Women,” which placed Swain back in the spotlight.
“People ask me what I enjoy about racing,” she said, “and I usually tell them—speed.”
(Jalopnik.com)
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
A Great Piece Of Machinery For An Anniversary Celebration
Ducati 1299 Panigale S Anniversario Edition celebrates 90 years
This year marks Ducati's 90th anniversary. To celebrate, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer created this special-edition 1299 Panigale S Anniversario. Based on one of Ducati's most potent motorcycles, the special edition is littered with a host of upgrades that make it more memorable. For starters, there's the red, white, and black livery that's accented by gold wheels, which is inspired by the manufacturer's racing team. Thanks to steering-head inserts that are machined from aluminum and a new top triple clamp, the S Anniversario has the same chassis geometry as the Panigale R.
The upgrades don't stop there. The special edition is also equipped with an Akrapovič titanium exhaust and billet aluminum mirror blockoff plates. Carbon fiber heel guards, shock-absorber cover, and rear mudguard help cut roughly six pounds off the bike's weight. The motorcycle will use a new version of Ducati's Traction Control system – dubbed DTC EVO - that allows riders to drift without crashing. Ducati has also fitted the bike with its extensive lineup of electronic aids, which include Bosch Cornering ABS, Ducati Electronic Suspension, Öhlins Smart EC, and Ducati Wheelie Control.
Power still comes from the 1,285cc, 205-horsepower V-twin found in the 1299 Panigale
(AutoBlog.com)
This year marks Ducati's 90th anniversary. To celebrate, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer created this special-edition 1299 Panigale S Anniversario. Based on one of Ducati's most potent motorcycles, the special edition is littered with a host of upgrades that make it more memorable. For starters, there's the red, white, and black livery that's accented by gold wheels, which is inspired by the manufacturer's racing team. Thanks to steering-head inserts that are machined from aluminum and a new top triple clamp, the S Anniversario has the same chassis geometry as the Panigale R.
The upgrades don't stop there. The special edition is also equipped with an Akrapovič titanium exhaust and billet aluminum mirror blockoff plates. Carbon fiber heel guards, shock-absorber cover, and rear mudguard help cut roughly six pounds off the bike's weight. The motorcycle will use a new version of Ducati's Traction Control system – dubbed DTC EVO - that allows riders to drift without crashing. Ducati has also fitted the bike with its extensive lineup of electronic aids, which include Bosch Cornering ABS, Ducati Electronic Suspension, Öhlins Smart EC, and Ducati Wheelie Control.
Power still comes from the 1,285cc, 205-horsepower V-twin found in the 1299 Panigale
(AutoBlog.com)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Thursday, April 7, 2016
I'm Surprised To Read This
Harley Davidson motorcycles have a failure rate over twice that of the top three motorcycle manufacturers in the world (article)
(CavemanCircus.com)
(CavemanCircus.com)
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Toyota's Latest & Greatest Race Car
Here's Toyota’s New Twin-Turbo V6 LMP1 Beast
We now have a full set of LMP1 cars for the FIA WEC in 2016, with Toyota following Audi and Porsche in revealing its new prototype - the TS050 Hybrid
(CarThrottle.com)
We now have a full set of LMP1 cars for the FIA WEC in 2016, with Toyota following Audi and Porsche in revealing its new prototype - the TS050 Hybrid
(CarThrottle.com)
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Beauty & Pain Is In The Eye Of Beholder
The Ballad of Ducati Ownership
The troublemaker Ducatis I’m referring to are the now-affordable and forever gorgeous 916 era bikes. This includes the 916, 748, 996, and in some cases the 998. These are the machines that really nailed down the high-maintenance and expensive-to-operate Italian motorcycle mentality. But oh, are they ever beautiful.
(Jalopnik.com)
The troublemaker Ducatis I’m referring to are the now-affordable and forever gorgeous 916 era bikes. This includes the 916, 748, 996, and in some cases the 998. These are the machines that really nailed down the high-maintenance and expensive-to-operate Italian motorcycle mentality. But oh, are they ever beautiful.
(Jalopnik.com)
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