State helmet law reference card

Everyone who loves to ride is ready to hit the road this time of year, and some riders are going to burn up the highways and travel long distances across the nation.

When you do that, you’re facing a weird patchwork of laws and requirements in the various states you’ll visit, and one critical set of laws you’ll need to be aware of is each state’s motorcycle helmet law.

The motorcycle helmet requirements range from complete freedom of choice (like here in Michigan with the new law) to compulsory and mandatory helmet laws in most states.

So how do you know what the law is in the state you’re riding across?

Accident lawyers of Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. in Michigan took the trouble to make this state-by-state motorcycle Helmet Law Infographic Map to hip you to the helmet law requirements in every state in the union, and it’s small enough to fit in your wallet.

The card also provides information on which states have the highest fines and maximum jail time for violating their motorcycle helmet laws, and that will come in handy. Where don’t you want to get on the wrong side of the law when it comes to helmet legislation? Georgia. Their insane helmet law could get you slapped with a $1,000 fine and 12 months of jail time. Watch out on your way through Nevada as well, as a violation of the helmet law there could set you back to the tune of a $1,000 fine and a maximum six month visit to the slammer.

The law firm is offering the card FREE, and to get your hands on one all you have to do is email helmetcard@gmail.com, put “Helmet Law” in the subject line of the email, and give them your snail-mail address. They’ll pop the card in the mail for you and you should get it pronto.

Want some extra copies to hand out to your pals. Just tell them you want additional wallet cards to pass out and they’ll hook you up…

Related posts:

1. How the Michigan State Police Are Dealing With the New Helmet Law
2. The State of Helmet Laws in the US
3. Helmet Law Repeal One Step Away In Michigan

You get pissed, you feel vulnerable and violated, you want quick, hot, brutal revenge of the kind only a pair of pliers and a ball peen hammer can provide. You want to “get medieval” on whoever laid their filthy paws on your stuff.

The problem is, statistically at least, you’re never going to get that kind of satisfaction. There’s no comforting payback; no justice. Your bike is just gone, and the odds are that you’ll never see it again in one piece.

So why does a thief target a motorcycle?

Simple, they’re generally easy to take and they offer the advantage of being among the most portable high-dollar targets a thief can find. It’s hard to move a television or a piece of antique furniture, but your sport bike was made to move – and it was made to move fast. That makes it a clear target of opportunity, and those are the kinds of items thieves like above all others.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens once a motorcycle is stolen, you came to the right place. I spent a few minutes last night reading this thread, ostensibly written by a “former” motorcycle thief, and it was an eye-opener. The author, whether or not he’s the real deal, makes some excellent observations and reveals some of the plumbing behind how motorcycle theft rings work, and it’s worth a read for that information alone.

So here it is, an inside look at the seamy world of stealing motorcycles, and it comes straight from the horse’s mouth:

It varies depending on yr/make/model/condition. About 10-12 years ago there was an out of state buyer we used to crate bikes to that had the ability to create titles for them who paid $3500 for near new 1000cc supersports. 1,000-1,500 is more typical for super sports. Harleys vary quite a bit depending on model and options, from 1,000 for a basic late model sportster to several thousand for a highly optioned fat boy, road king etc.

Yeah, once, we were doubled up on a bike getting a bike in front of a guys house on his lunch break in broad day light, took a little longer than expected, he came out, we ran back to the other bike hopped on and took off. He didn’t even chase us on his bike, I was surprised. He looked more shocked than anything. This was 10 or 11 years ago and I still remember the look on his face.

I’ve had passers by walk right past, it happened on the very first bike I stole, some lady walked her dogs right passed us. There were two of us in riding gear, two bikes, she didn’t even look twice. We kept working and rode off. This didn’t happen to me, but the guy that got me into all this. He’s getting some bike from an apartment complex in the middle of the day and can’t break the steering. He notices some guy watching him, walks right up to him and says “Hey man, can you give me a hand, the handlebars on my bike are stuck and I’m about to be late for work.” – The guy goes back to the bike and helps him break the steering lock. That guy has some CRAZY stories, he was stone cold and willing to go way way too far. Probably why he’s dead now.

Use? the bikes themselves. Even the slowest bike is faster and more nimble than most cars.

There is this common misconception that a few guys load bikes into trucks and vans. The people who get CAUGHT load bikes into trucks and vans. Your career will be very short if you’re loading a 185mph rocket (that likely has a tracking system) that will outrun the police into the back of an 85mph van that will take you to the scene of your arrest. If you can’t start the bike and ride off then you damn sure can’t find and remove lojack.

In 10-15 years I’ve known a couple dozen thieves and only one that was foolish enough to load bikes into a truck or van for any length of time. He learned to wire them after he was caught, twice, lol.

When I was stealing them it was a part time deal. I had a full time job and just did it here or there. Eventually decided to save all the theft money and came up with 25k and started buying hot bikes. I spent a lot of money to appear legitimate down the road. My goal was to have a legit bike shop, but running a legitimate business was a hell of a lot harder than I thought and took a lot more capital than I had. I only made about 80k/yr after all the overhead. Even now when 80k seems like a tremendous amount of money it still isn’t worth the risk I took.

Which Bikes Are the Most Likely Targets For Thieves

Mostly supersports. They are the most commonly crashed and generally the easiest to find (left outside in nice apartment complexes) Next would be Harleys and for a brief moment in time the high dollar choppers.

Never, ever, never never never, NEVER leave your bike outside at an apartment complex. Especially one with a gated parking garage. The gated parking garage in a mid to high rise apartment building in the nice part of a large city is the number one place for bike thieves to go “shopping.” As far as passive devices go I like the NYC fughetaboutit chain/lock from Kryptonite, the thicker of the two. It needs to go through something like a braced swingarm whenever possible. If you absolutely have to put it through a wheel put it through the rear wheel. It takes much longer to swap than the front wheel. Any $100 disc lock will work well, again, rear wheel, locks on the front are more easily defeated, take my word for it. Cheaper disc locks can be quietly, well, we’ll leave it at that, cheap ones can be defeated in silence. Lo-jack and Lo-Jack w/early warning are pretty good at recovering the bikes from amateurs and semi-pros, but someone who knows what they are doing will remove the lojack system quickly after clearing the area. Still someone even more professional (surprisingly rare) will have somewhere to check/store/breakdown the bike that is rf shielded. The problem with lo-jack is that it doesn’t keep someone from stealing the bike. Even if you get it back in one piece without the police crashing into your bike to catch the thief you’ll still likely have a broken upper triple, damage to the neck of your frame (Steering lock), damage to your ignition, damage to the tank lock, possible damage to the tank itself (rareish) possible damage to the trunk lock , and then your insurance company might fuck you too. It’s much better to not get the bike stolen in the first place. So in addition to lo-jack you want some sort of VISIBLE passive devices to make the thief move on. The paging alarms are somewhat effective, but they aren’t linked to the police. Removing electronic devices is obviously more of a mental challenge than a physical one. The quality of the install is a huge factor here. Hide the lo-jack or alarm in or under the airbox and all the wiring within the factory looms and you’ll have a good set up. However, almost NO dealer tech is this thorough. It’s not his bike, why would he go the extra mile?

Locks and chains. Very few thieves are this thorough, of the dozens of them I knew over the years I only came across one like this, but I knew someone that had a pair of bolt-cutters that weighed a lot, more than a 45lb plate at the gym, and had replaceable cryogenically hardened teeth. They cost several hundred dollars. The high dollar chain lock sets $150+ are worth it. Even the high dollar braided cable locks are good. They can be cut, but it’s a pretty time consuming process.

Personally, if it’s rashed up, looks cosmetically rough, but mechanically sound. Say grips are worn, been dropped on both sides, but the chain is clean and well-adjusted, tires worn hard on the edges, has any signs of safety-wiring for the track etc. It’s lack of value isn’t what I’m looking it. It would remind me of myself once upon a time. I think that’s probably all he’s got, his whole world, it’s not pretty, but he rides the piss out of it. He gets a pass.

More for most people, just what takes time. I’ve known very very few stone cold guys that can sit there for an hour working on a bike. Most people will give it a few seconds, maybe a couple minutes, and if they can’t get it they are gone. What is only seconds feels like an eternity when your freedom and life are on the line. Quality disc lock on the rear wheel, quality chain and lock, lockable bike cover and theft coverage on your insurance. For me, lo-jack isn’t worth the cost. It’s more expensive than theft coverage and after a thief has had his way with the bike I don’t want it back. All can fit in a back pack and aren’t much of a hassle to carry. Never leave it outside very long day or night. If you have to ground anchors are good. I always wondered what was available in a marine application for something like this. Something with a real burly chain/lock.

If you’re temporarily parked outside somewhere a good little FREE anti-theft trick, bring a stubby flathead with you and remove your clutch lever. No clutch lever and they aren’t riding anywhere. Of course if you do this every night outside your apartment they’ll just come back with their own clutch lever.

Also – LOCK YOUR FU***** STEERING – DON’T LEAVE YOUR SPARE KEY IN YOUR TRUNK. I can open your trunk with a butter knife, don’t leave me your fu***** key in there, jesus. Happens more often than you think. Also, don’t leave your TITLE in the trunk, i’ve seen this too often too. Steering locks aren’t that hard to bypass, but they aren’t THAT easy either. Sometimes you get the freak one that doesn’t want to break and you’ll need to come back with a second person. In that time maybe the owner sees the bike and the thief doesn’t get it. Had it been unlocked the bike would be gone.

Again, if you park outside of an apartment and your bike gets stolen, rent a fucking garage or self-storage unit near by to use as a garage. The thief is just going to wait a couple weeks for insurance to replace your bike and come back to check. If someone tries and fails to get your bike the same thing applies. Move it, they WILL be back.

The majority of thieves aren’t that smart and half of those are on drugs, please don’t be dumber than they are.

How It Works From the ‘Fence’ Side of the Fence

Well, for me, it was dumb luck. You had to know someone on the inside and the only real buyers were established salvage yards or dealerships that sold used bikes. When I started America was still using AOL dial-up to connect to the internet.

I was very cautious who I bought from. I was more interested in dealing with the most professional thieves I could find or trying to turn decent ones into professionals. I knew others that weren’t as concerned and bought just about anything from anyone.

Depending on a few factors I generally paid between 1k-1500/bike. From there you can do two things, buy a wrecked bike at auction and use the hot bike as a parts donor, part the rest. Or you can part the bike out from the beginning. This can be done through some B2B channels, through a storefront, or through ebay. Excluding any business overhead, solely based on what you paid for the bike, there is at least a 200-300% mark up. More if you’re willing to sell the motor-kit, but I never did. I parted the motors out too. There was plenty of profit already and motors are traceable. No sense in being overly greedy. I mostly did supersports, but I was open to just about anything, there is a market for it all.

Why Do Bikes Get Targeted and What Happens To Yours When It’s Gone

Related posts:

1. Repair Your Own Motorcycle? Is This Better Left to the Pros?
2. The Secrets of Motorcycle Insurance and How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Buying It
3. Used Motorcycle Sales Scams And How To Avoid Falling For Them

You know it, and you ride anyway, but try to keep in mind that motorcycles offer little protection to riders in the event of an accident. And it comes down to this; the injuries you could sustain are generally severe and could well require long recovery periods. That means hospital bills, and you need to make sure you have your ducks in a row to take care of those and other attendant expenses.

In the vast majority of cases, motorcycle accidents are not the biker’s fault. The size difference between a motorcycle and passenger vehicle means motorcycles are harder to see and are frequently lost in the passenger vehicle’s “blind spot.” It’s this simple fact more than any other than means biker’s are often sideswiped (or struck at intersections) by vehicles that simply did not see them.

The cold hard facts go like this: statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that motorcyclists are 32 times more likely to die in an accident than passenger vehicle occupants, and an equally horrifying 6 times more likely to suffer serious  injuries.

But if you ride, you already know that.

It’s also important to remember that biker’s are entitled to compensation for injuries due to someone else’s negligence every bit as much as passenger vehicle operators, and to make sure you having a fighting chance at making things right and protecting your family from financial harm, you need to be properly insured.

If you are involved in a motorcycle accident it is important to remember the following things:

1. Report the accident to police, pronto, no waiting until later. The police report is critical to your insurer or lawyer in determining fault.

2. Record the names and statements of witnesses to your accident. Take pictures and record any unusual circumstances or whether that may have contributed to the accident. This will be especially useful should your case go to court.

3. Do not speak with any insurance agents or adjusters that may show up at the scene. This is an unscrupulous tactic sometimes used to get people to admit fault or say something that could hurt their claim.

4. Call your insurance company to report the accident, and do this immediately. Do not speak with the other party’s insurance carrier. Let your motorcycle accident injury lawyer or insurance company deal with them.

5. Even if you feel you’ve beaten the odds and failed to sustain a serious injury, it’s a good idea to get checked out by a physician. Some brain injuries don’t show up right away and insurance companies will be reluctant to pay for an injury later on if you haven’t documented the cause at the time of the crash.

6. Take as many pictures as your cell phone or camera will hold, and do it for your friends if they’re involved in an accident.

Related posts:

1. What To Do If You’re Involved In A Motorcycle Accident – Ten Essential Things You Need To Do
2. British Motocross Community Mourns Death of Rider Tom Smith In Racing Accident
3. Indy Bikers Sue Drunken Cop, City After Fatal Accident

First, it should have some sort of roadworthy pedigree. It needs to have “classic bike” appeal. It needs to handle without drama. It should be capable of decent top-end speed. A low-slung stance doesn’t hurt. A bulletproof motor is a plus. Simple, easy-to-reweave electrical systems are a bonus as well.

And above all?

Brakes. A cafe racer needs stop-short-of-everything-on-the-road brakes to bring you to a halt if anything pops up in your way as you crank it through the twisties.

A real aficionado will tell you, and I heartily concur, that a true cafe racer has to be capable of meeting or exceeding 100 mph flat out when you screw on the throttle. It was, after all, the credo of the original cafe racers, so “doing the ton” should probably factor into the equation somewhere along the line.

So there’s my list of must-haves for the delightful cafe racer.

And here’s how the team at Kaffee-Maschine go about putting one together:

Moto Guzzi´s classic V2-engine and frame are the basis of these unique cafe racers and custom builds. To fulfill your individual ideas and wishes, all motorcycles and parts are exclusively handcrafted. By optimization of engine and suspension plus elementary technical reduction, pure riding machines are created.

www.kaffee-maschine.net/html/en/html/machine4_7.php/

Le Mans 4 basis, 1040ccm, 90hp, 102NM, 191kg (dry)
Built for: Jost Uhrmacher, DE

Le Mans 2 frame, Le Mans 4 engine/transm., tuning by HTMoto, 1040ccm, 95hp, 173kg (dry)

Le Mans 2 frame, Le Mans 4 engine/transm., tuning by HTMoto, 1040ccm, 95hp, 173kg (dry)

Le Mans 3 basis, 950ccm, 82hp, 180kg (dry)
Built for: Gustav Larsson, MC

The oldest example from the gallery above, photographed in Florence, Italy, is a reasonable facsimile of the Guzzi that raced at the  Isle of Man TT in 1926 and shown in the video below:

And if you’re so inclined (and within riding distance of ChiTown) check out the Mods vs. Rockers event this year on the weekend of of Friday and Saturday, June 15 and 16:

Chicago Mods vs Rockers 2012 Teaser

Related posts:

1. Cafe Racer Mag to Sponsor Builder Show and Track Day at Road Atlanta
2. Cafe Racer TV A Motorcycle Show Home Run
3. Does A Kit Cafe Racer Subvert the Idea of Custom Building

The Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, IN,  is offering up a gallery exhibit  of sublime motorcycles. Assembled by curator White Wolf James, the current exhibit pays homage to Western culture and two-wheeled transportation.

The motorcycle as high art? About damn time if you ask us.

At their best, motorcycles have a built-in set of metaphorical connections to human experience and the the very idea of a motorcycle strikes a chord within nearly everyone on the planet. The list of associations and imagery related to motorcycles is  a long one indeed. From freedom to anarchy to danger and fear, the motorcycle inspires nearly the whole range of human emotion – for good or for ill depending upon your frame of reference.

Indian motorcycle by renowned motorcycle photographer Michael Lichter

The Focus of the Exhibit

James, the curator of this particular paean to all things bikes, says the focus of his collection is very specific.

“All of the bikes are related to the West,” James said. “They have Western subject matter or are related to Western people. Evel Knievel jumped in Butte, Mont. Most of his famous jumps were in the West. People should come see the exhibit and see how it fits into our mission.”

And putting them all in one place? Not an easy climb for him at all as he had to badger the owners of these prime machines to get them to museum.

Among them, Former U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado was convinced to  send his ’98 Harley-Davidson Road King to be included, and it was no mean feat to cajole the Smithsonian to send Evel Knievel’s bike (along with a priceless 1902 Indian)

According to James, most of the bikes are from private collections and many have rarely – if ever – been displayed for the public .

“It was by the skin of my teeth that I was able to get some of these bikes. I still can’t believe it all came together, ” he said.

So What Can You Eyeball in the Collection?

There are some 24 bikes which include six Indians, 13 Harley-Davidsons and custom-built machines from Orange County Choppers and Cowboy Customs. The oldest? The 1902 Indian. The newest? A custom board track racer designed and built specifically for the museum show by Cut Throat Customs.

You’ll recognize several. A special section with three movie bikes includes the Harley-Davidson “Dragon Bike” ridden by Peter Fonda in “The Wild Angels,” 1968 Harley-Davidson “Captain America” motorcycle used in “Easy Rider” and a copy of the 1953 Harley-Davidson “Chino” Bobber ridden in “The Wild One.”

The most famous machine in the exhibit is easily Evel Knievel’s 1972 Harley-Davidson XR750. This is the bike the American stuntman and cultural icon crashed during his attempt to jump 13 buses at London’s Wembley Stadium.

James has also done his home work and has a clear understanding of the evolution of cultural attitudes toward motorcycles and the people who have felt compelled to ride them over the years.

“Before World War II, motorcycling in America was clean wholesome fun,” James said. “They were popular with women and movie stars.”

Related posts:

1. Last Chance To Score At the Classic Indian Motorcycle Parts Bonanza
2. Former Superbike Champ Plans Coast to Coast US Motorcycle Trip On A Harley
3. The History Channel Takes You Through the Evolution of Motorcycles

Detectives say they’ve yet to come up with a motive the killing of Clyde Thompson Jr., 51, known to his fellow club members as “Wild Dogg.” Thompson was the president of the original chapter of the Black Sabbath Motorcycle Club. They say Thompson was working on his bike with a friend when an SUV pulled up and a passenger in that vehicle opened fire. The San Diego police say Thompson was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

According the the club’s Facebook page:

“We continue to struggle to cope with the sobering reality that despite four decades of peaceful, non-violent existence, we awake this Mother’s Day Sunday having suffered the cowardly, brutal assassination of a Black Sabbath M.C. President, Wild Dogg.”

According to the club, Black Sabbath MC was founded in 1972 by seven black men who liked to take Sunday rides together. The group calls itself “a multicultural club headquartered in Atlanta with 17 chapters nationwide.”

It was only late last year that Thompson took over as president of what is now known as the “mother chapter” in San Diego.

John, “Black Dragon” Bunch, the group’s national president who lives in Georgia, said members have historically been servicemen and tradesman who adopted their colorful nicknames to avoid misunderstandings with employers.

“We don’t have a motorcycle club that has a reputation for trouble, so we can’t imagine who would have the need or the desire to hurt one of our members.” Bunch said. “Clyde was a problem-solver, he was not a troublemaker.”

Thompson was survived by a long-term girlfriend and two daughters.

BSMC member Larry Blackman said Thompson was a “family man” and a “real nice guy.”

“He was well loved and like by everyone especially on the motorcycle side. I want him to be remembered as a real loving guy, family guy, brother and President of our Club,” Blackman said.

According to Blackman, the Friday night when the shooting occurred was a “Bike Night” at the group’s clubhouse and the group of bikers were playing cards, dominoes and watching television when the shooting occurred.

Related posts:

1. Riding While Black The Story of Wild Bill Johnson and HD
2. Police Officer and Alleged Bike Gang Member Resigns Over Dustup With the Outlaws Motorcycle Club in Ohio
3. Member of Iron Coffins Motorcycle Club Becomes First Casualty of 2012 In Battle Creek Party Dustup

1916 – WWII

In 1916, two companies, Flugzenmaschinenfabrik  and Flugwerke Deutschland, merged to form the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke or Bavarian Airplane Works intent on designing and manufacturing airplane engines. Later, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke was renamed the Bayerische Motoren Werke and it became what we now know as Bavarian Motor Works in 1917. The brainchild of  Karl Rapp and Max Friz, the company’s logo represents an airplane propeller in the blue sky, and it has become one of the most recognized pieces of design in the world. It is, of course, still used today on all BMW motorcycles and automobiles.

A former Daimler employee, Joseph Popp, became BMW’s managing director.

Back in the day, and using funds from the German air force, BMW began manufacturing the Fokker DV II, but the fortunes of the company took an evil turn in 1919 with the end of WWI and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. At that time, Germany was forbidden to manufacture airplanes, so without a viable alternative,  Max Friz, BMW’s head designer, turned his attentions to  motorcycle and automobile engine manufacturing to keep the company in business.

And that proved to be an excellent choice.

It took Friz less than a month to design the horizontally opposed twin cylinder engine known today as a “boxer” engine which gives the BMW motorcycle it’s instantly-recognizable profile. The first boxer engine, M2B15, was based on a British design, and while it proved to be a moderate success, the development of the first light alloy cylinder head led to the creation of a second, more successful version of the powerplant. In 1923 with the debut of the first BMW motorcycle, the R32, the new aluminum alloy cylinder heads found their ideal application. Friz designed a 486cc engine with an 8.5 hp output – and a top speed of 60 mph – which took the motorcycling world by storm. That engine and gear box formed a single unit and featured a recirculating wet-sump oiling system – very advanced stuff for 1923. The design laid waste to the total-loss oiling systems of the time, and this advancement proved so successful that it stayed in production  until 1969.

As it turned out, the innovations of the R32 were to become the foundation for all future boxer-powered BMW motorcycles. By orienting the boxer engine with the cylinder heads sticking out horizontally to aid cooling, BMW went manufacturers who aligned the cylinders with the frame (one cylinder facing towards the front the other towards the back), the company solved a major problem and went other makers one better.

But what made the R32 such a monumental success was the inclusion of a shaft drive system, and BMW continued to use shaft drives in all their motorcycles until the introduction of the F650 in 1994. The F650 series is, to this day,  the only model BMW which does not use shaft drive.

Another killer innovation came in 1935 as BMW introduced the first production motorcycle to use telescopic forks.

Add some overhead cam technology to the improved handling of the era’s BMW bikes and what do you get? You get one Ernst Henne taking a supercharged 500cc overhead cam BMW 173.88 MPH – in 1937. Henne’s ride set a world record which stood for 14 years. Henne went on to live a long and placid life in business and philanthropy and died at the age of 101 in 2005.

World War II – 1960

The end of World War II left BMW, as it did most of Germany,  in a pile of rubble. The company’s plant near Munich was leveled  by allied bombing and an entire assembly line at the BMW Eisenach facility was dismantled by the Soviets as part of the spoils of war and shipped off to Russia. That line and tooling were reassembled in Irbit, Russia as ultimately used to make what we now know as Ural motorcycles. The company took another brutal hit following the war as the terms of Germany’s surrender forbade BMW from manufacturing motorcycles. The lion’s share of BMW’s top engineers were whisked off the United Strates and Russia to continue their work on jet engines which BMW had only begun designing and producing at the close of  the war years.

When the ban on motorcycle production was finally lifted, BMW once again set to work. As no plans, blueprints, or schematic drawings survived the war, BMW’s new roster of engineers took what prewar motorcycles they could find to reverse-engineer  new sets of plans, drawings and tooling. It took until 1948 for the first run of  postwar BMW motorcycles to make it into production, but by 1949, BMW had produced 9,200 units and production reached 17,000 units by 1950.

By 1951 BMW introduced the first true sport motorcycle, the R68, and it featured a 594cc single cam engine with 7.5:1 compression ratio, improved carburetors and larger valves. A crushing dropoff in motorcycle sales in 1957 sent three of BMW’s major German competitors  out of business, and the company pounced while the iron was hot. BMW produced 30,000 motorcycles in 1954 and by 1957, while that number fell to 5,500, the company exported 85% of its boxer twin powered motorcycles to the United States in the late 1950′s through Butler & Smith, Inc.,  the exclusive U.S. importer of BMW motorcycles and cars.

The company once again found a foothold as in June of 1959, John Penton took his BMW R69 from New York to Los Angeles in 53 hrs. and 11 min. That record smashed the previous mark of of 77 hrs. 53 min. set by Earl Robinson on a 45 cubic inch Harley-Davidson, and it gave the company the notoriety it needed to push into the growing – and enormous – American market for motorcycles.

1960 – 1984

Sales of BMW motorcycles were strong in the U.S., but BMW was once again in financial trouble overall, but the sell-off of the company’s aircraft engine division and some financing from German industrialist Herbert Quandt insured the survival of the company. Quandt’s investment proved a shrewd move which garnered him outlandish returns, as part of the turnaround in the company’s fortunes came from BMW’s increasing success in the automotive division. It was during this period that BMW offered the last of their single-cylinder models, the R27, and those bikes are now highly-prized by collectors.

1984 – 2012

Early in 1983, BMW introduced a 1000cc, in-line 4 cylinder, water cooled engine to the European market.

This bike, the K100 was introduced to the US market the following year and the company hoped it would be the basis for new models and serve as a  replacement for the boxer flat twin engine. It just didn’t happen and demand for the venerable boxer-powered models did not suffer with the introduction of the new powerplant. The inline four turned out to be relatively popular after a cool initial reception, but the demand for models with the new engine did not meet the company’s expectations. BMW stayed the course and continued to produce boxer models and the new models began to get a foothold with riders as well.

In 1985, a 750cc, three cylinder version of the new 4 cylinder water cooled engine debuted, and it featured counterbalancing and was very, very smooth.

The R100RT boxer-powered sport touring bike which followed featured a monolever rear suspension. BMW introduced new rear suspension on their K-model bikes as well, and those included a double joined single sided swing arm.

In 1989 BMW introduced a full-fairing sport bike, the K1 which was essentially based on the K100 engine. It too featured  4 valves per cylinder and a beefy output close to 100 bhp.

In 1988 BMW introduced ABS on their motorcycles, yet another first for the motorcycle industry, and ABS became a standard fitting on all BMW K models.

Now dubbed BMW Motorrad, all company motorcycle production is done in Berlin, Germany with some engines which are  manufactured in Austria, China, and Taiwan. BMW Motorrad produced 82,631 motorcycles in 2009, and that compares with 104,220 in 2008. That 20% dropoff coincides with a like drop in sales industry wide.

The most popular current BMW models, the R1200GS and the R1200GS Adventure, sold 24,467 units and accounted for more than a quarter BMW’s annual motorcycle production. The current lineup includes a variety of shaft, chain, and belt driven models and engines from 450 cc to 1,649 cc.  In 2008, BMW introduced the DOHC Boxer HP2 Sport, and began to compete seriously in offroad events with the G450X.

The current BMW Motorrad output is categorized by “product families,” each family being assigned a different letter prefix:

• C series – Maxi-scooters called Urban Mobility Vehicles by BMW
• F series – parallel-twin engines of 798 cc capacity, featuring either chain or belt drive. Models are F650GS, F800GS, F800R, F800S and F800ST.
• G series – single-cylinder engines of 449 to 652 cc capacity featuring chain drive. Models are G450X, G650GS (available in some markets), G650 Xmoto, G650 Xchallenge and G650 Xcountry. The 450 cc engines are manufactured by Kymco in Taiwan. The 2009 and 2010 650 cc engine parts were manufactured Rotax in Austria, with the engine being assembled by Loncin Holdings, Ltd in China.
• R series – twin-cylinder boxer engines of 1,170 cc capacity featuring shaft drive. Models are R1200GS, R1200R, R1200RT and R1200S.
• K series – four-cylinder engines of 1,157 to 1,649 cc capacity featuring shaft drive. Models are K1200LT, K1300GT, K1300R and K1300S. In 2011, BMW Motorrad launched the six-cylinder 1,649 cc K1600GT and K1600GTL.
• S1000RR – sport bike with transverse-mounted, 999 cc inline-four engine

Related posts:

1. The History Channel Takes You Through the Evolution of Motorcycles
2. The Art Deco BMW R7 Bike Find of the Day
3. The History of More Things That Were, And Now Are, Sort of Motorcycles

Shares of Harley-Davidson nosedived yesterday due mostly to concerns that there might be a slowdown in demand for H-D’s high-end bikes. The stock tumble comes on the heels of a 26 percent jump in sales during the first quarter of this year, but  Harley-Davidson dealers say U.S. retail sales only went up between 1 percent and 3 percent in April and early May.

So why the sudden drop in fortunes after a stretch of solid performance?

The Motor Company recently announced that first-quarter profits were up a healthy 44 percent on strong U.S. demand for its machines, but company spokespersons said unusually warm winter and spring weather around the U.S.  prompted some riders to buy early, and those early-season buyers drained off sales which would usually occur as the weather improves. They added that the company was ready for the slowdown and weren’t taken by surprise when sales moderated during the initial stages of the second quarter.

There are other forces in play among investors. They may well be worried about the news that some Harley-Davidson dealers says sales are hurting due to shortages of inventory, and while growing scarcity should help boost prices and margins for dealers, it does slow down traffic in showrooms over the long haul.

Harley-Davidson Inc. stock prices fell $2.40, or 4.7 percent, to $48.27 after dropping as low as $48.04 earlier in the day on Friday.

Overall, the news is nothing but good for the Men of Milwaukee as vver the past 52 weeks, the Motor Company’s shares have traded between $31.50 and $54.32. Since the beginning of this year, Harley shares have gained about 30 percent, and that makes the long-term outlook good for the iconic maker of American motorcycles.

Related posts:

1. Harley-Davidson Back In the Game, Sales Up 5 Percent in Q1
2. Harley Davidson Forging Ahead With Solid Q1 2012 Earnings Report Expected
3. Is Harley-Davidson Stock A Good Buy For Investors? The Market Says Yes

Jimmy Vanderhaar runs the course at the Isle of Man TT

It took a crash to keep five year old Jimmy Vanderhaar off a motorcycle for 15 years, but once he got back on, he was obsessed with the need for speed – in a big way.

Vanderharr is putting his ducks in a row in preparation for  his third trip to the Isle of Man TT, and it’s a place where riders take on one of the fastest – and most dangerous – road courses in the world. The Tourist Trophy is run on a snaking road course on the tiny, picturesque British island as a time-trial format race. The four days of racing begin their two-week run on May 26, and Vanderharr will be among the mad dogs willing to test their limits – and the limit of their machines – to the ragged edge of sanity.

So how did a guy from the middle of America find himself racing at stunning speed in a foreign land for the first time?

“If I had watched it in person before I rode, I might never have done it,” he said. “I sat and watched one day after testing, and they’d come down and wheelie over this little bump and then wobble, then disappear between these houses, and I started shaking, saying, ‘I couldn’t do that.’ And everybody around me looked at me and said, ‘Well, you’re on a 1,000 (cc bike). You’re going faster than that. You are doing it.’”

His preparation for the event was a little more pedestrian.

“I’d go to track days and pay $100 to ride around the track, did some driving schools,” Vanderhaar said. “And I did like most motorcycle guys — I used to ride around the backroads a lot, riding really stupid, way too fast, dumb things, not wearing full leather, just in a jacket and helmet, and I crashed twice on the street and after that said I can’t do this anymore, got rid of the street bike…”

And he studied the course in his living room. To steel himself and prepare for a race on a track thousands of miles away, Vanderhaar  watched video and found an Isle of Man video game for the Sony Playstation which, it so happens, includes an version  of the TT course.

As crazy as it might sound, Vanderhaar says the race is more of a mental hurdle to overcome than a physical battle. He says the course requires riders to keep the throttle screwed on in sixth gear for several miles, and says the focus required to stay on it that hard pushes the mind to the limit.

“Mentally it’s very demanding because of the speed involved,” Vanderhaar said. “When you get finished, it’s not that you’re physically tired, you just want to take a nap. You’re mentally fried.”

The Isle of Man is a hellaciously dangerous test. Last year alone two racers met their untimely end, and since the race was first run in 19o7, 232 ridden their way into the Wild Blue Yonder. That’s sobering stuff, indeed.

If you want to help out with financing what is a hugely expensive undertaking, check out Vanderhaar’s site and follow his progress during the race at his website, www.jimmyvracing.com.

Related posts:

1. The Isle of Man TT Race Like You’ve Never Seen It Before
2. Take A Look at Video of the Mugen TT Zero Class Entry For the Isle of Man Race This Year
3. Isle of Man TT Zero Electric Class Motorcycle Race To Get Electric Honda Entry

Bombardier Embrio

Designers love to get a commission to take on the problem of what a motorcycle should look like.

And what’s not to like about that gig?

You get a comfortable chair in the product development department of a motorcycle factory, and nice play on the motorcycle web worldwide to display your imaginary wares and express your vision.

Though, like the vast majority of “concept cars,” most of these wildly imaginative machines don’t make it past the initial sketch stage, once in a very great while a manufacturer sacks-up and takes a flyer on the decision to build a prototype to trot out to the assembled motorcycle press. What purpose to these fevered visions of the future serve? They are statement from the boardroom which clearly says: practicality, economy and safety concerns be damned – this is the depth of our vision.

And then, one and all, manufacturers head back to the plant and get on with the business of creating safe, conservative designs and ultimately, making them real.

But as crazy as the “concept motorcycle” process might sound, some of the outlandish imaginings actually become motorcycles.

Cast your eyes, then, to the conceptual machine on the right from the drawing boards at  Bombardier Recreational Vehicles. Ignore for a moment the fact that it’ not really a motorcycle but more of a Shrine Circus unicycle clown-car thing. It would be an electrically-powered toy which uses hydrogen fuel cells and balances itself with the aid of  gyroscopes like a Segway on steroids.

But it is definitely not, and never would be, a motorcycle.

Some of the following visions do meet the “what is a motorcycle” test, so here they are…

Suzuki G-Strider

Unveiled to the world back in 2003, the G-Strider has stood the test of time. Although the bike was never put into production, at least in this form, it did have an enduring influence on motorcycle designers, particularly those in Japan.

Suzuki Biplane

The Suzuki Biplane was a brutish-looking cruiser design which tried to marry the sportbike with an updated bobber feel. The look of the bike is engaging and streamlined, and the technologies proposed for it were forward-looking as well. The massive front forks are reminiscent of another bike on our list, the Confederate Wraith.

Indian Speed Racer

The outlandish styling  of this concept Indian by designer Dan Bailey for the Indian Motorcycle company, while it totally missed the mark of what an Indian ought to be, throws out the baby with the bathwater. Interesting but wholly inappropriate for an iconic brand which will – at least for the near future – rely on styling from the storied past of the marque

RAM1000

While you have to wonder what kind of handling would result from the bike’s vertically-oriented handlebars, the RAM1000 at least reflects the sportbike heritage of the Aprilia brand. It never got built and sprung from the mouse and pad of Finnish design student Heikki Naulapää, but it does represent a plausible concept considering the brand for which it was proposed.

Confederate Wraith

Designer Ed Jacobs actually saw this outrageous creation hit the road. The Confederate Motor Company has turned Jacobs loose and continued to produce variants of this fast and stylish creation. There’s even talk afoot that the next iteration of the Confederate breed, the X132 Hellcat, will come in somewhere under $45,000, so it not only made the production cut, you might actually be able to afford one.. .

Norton M28

Norton is back in the game, but not with any version of this project by design student Arron Rogers. It does, however, pay enough homage to the storied classic British manufacturer’s cafe-racer and race-track heritage.

Victory Vision 800

This sleek and innovative concept, the Victory Vision 800, may well be the harbinger of things to come from Polaris and Victory. The company’s latest production machines already feature styling which marks a departure from the old school machines favored by rival Harley-Davidson, so a toned-down production version of this bike may not be too far from reality.

Related posts:

1. Would This Slick Concept Bike Strike A Chord With US Buyers? The Yamaha 125 MOEGI Concept Motorcycle
2. Can the French Make A Legitimate Motorcycle Contender
3. How Far Out Is Out There For a Honda Concept Chopper

The “Indian wars” between Harley and the makers of “the other American motorcycle company” back in the 1920s were a bitter series of battles fought on the roads, tracks and showroom floors, but the latest resurrection of the company won’t be serious challenger to Harley’s decades-long dominance of the market.

Indian Chief Darkhorse

The original Indian Motorcycles bit the dust in the 1950s. and since then numerous attempts to revive the fabled company have ended in miserable – if noble – failure.

This time around Indian has a real chance to make it as Polaris Industries – a $3 billion company located in  Medina, Minn., bought rights to the brand last year. Polaris is no neophyte in the power sports business and is well known for making snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and perhaps most critically -  Victory motorcycles.

Polaris now is redesigning Indian bikes from a clean sheet of paper. The goal is to capture the spirit of the Chief and other Indians from a half-century ago, but to use a modern engine and other components to make the bikes rider-friendly.

“The bikes will appeal to open-minded Harley riders,” said Indian marketing director,  Darren Bassel.

According to Polaris, the first newly designed Indian motorcycles will be ready to roll off the factory floor late in 2013 sporting engines manufactured in Wisconsin and assembled in Spirit Lake, Iowa. The company had considered moving the Wisconsin operations to Minnesota, Iowa or (heaven forbid for their brand identity) Mexico.

Polaris say they’ve added 250 jobs in Iowa over the past year and a half and plan to add jobs at the Wisconsin plant soon.

“Between Iowa and Wisconsin, these bikes will be made in the heart of America,” said Polaris Chief Executive Officer Scott Wine.

It might seem like a no-brainer to make a brand with the historical importance of Indian here in America, but Wine’s pronouncement and the very idea they might be made elsewhere is an indication of the disarray which has surrounded all the previous attempts to revive Indian. In another savvy more sure to soothe fans of the Indian marque, Polaris says it won’t make Indians clones of the company’s Victory motorcycles. Polaris says they want the new Indian to appeal to riders who want a classic look to their machine.

Polaris have done the leg work in their quest to revive a brand with fierce adherents by visiting motorcycle museums. They company has also done one other thing which will prove critical to the success of the venture – they actually sought out longtime Indian enthusiasts to discover which design elements actually make up the core of what is “an Indian motorcycle” to discover what made them wildly popular a half-century ago.

“It has been a monumental task,” Wine said.

And that may prove to be a massive understatement. Moving motorcyclists to give Indian yet another look will require overcoming years of disappointment and suffering from those of us who love the brand and what it stands for. Polaris hopes the new models can compete with Harley-Davidson’s most expensive lines like the Ultra Classic Electra Glide, and when you’re trying to persuade someone to part with nearly $40,000,  they’ll need to be very persuasive indeed.

The last incarnation of  the Indian brand suffered as engine problems and a shortage of reliable dealerships conspired to make confidence in the marque take a nosedive. As a result, you can still buy a “brand-new” 2003 Indian Scout for a bargain-basement $16,000.

Industry insiders remain hopeful that the company can survive this time around – if they finally get it right and return to what made the company appealing to riders in days gone by.

“I don’t think it’s too late,” said Aaron Frank, an editor at Motorcyclist magazine. “There’s a lot of value in the name and its incredible history.”

If any current maker is up to the task, it may well be Polaris. A relative newcomer to motorcycle manufacturing, Polaris brought out the Victory line of  bikes nearly 15 years ago and the results of their efforts since then have been spectacular in the heavyweight cruiser market. Victory shot past competitors like Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki to assume the position as the second-largest seller of motorcycles with engines larger than 1400ccs ( behind, of course, Harley-Davidson).

Victory and Indian motorcycle sales combined were up about 40% from 2011, but it’s the company’s total sales, which  increased 25% to a high-water mark of  nearly $674 million, that bodes well for the venture.

Harley-Davidson announced $1.27 billion in motorcycle sales for the first quarter, and that’s up 20% from a year ago. Last year, Harley captured 55% of U.S. heavyweight motorcycle sales, and analysts say Polaris can make the Indian venture a success with only a tiny slice of the global motorcycle business.

“Polaris builds a high-quality bike,” says analyst Craig Kennison. “The Indian brand’s been strong in the motorcycle market for a long time, but it’s never had a world-class manufacturing effort behind it.”

The real key to the efforts to resurrect the brand will come from the business side, and it’s there that this attempt to make a “new Indian” will succeed or fail. Polaris boasts a roster of more than 400 motorcycle dealerships in North America, and that compares favorably with Harley-Davidson’s fleet of 635 full-service U.S. dealerships.

If all goes to plan, Polaris could possibly create an Indian dealership network to take advantage of the company’s 1,500 dealers for all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and Victory motorcycles.

Related posts:

1. Why Can’t Indian Motorcycles Get It Right, Dammit!
2. Indian Actually Planning To Make Motorcycles in the USofA
3. Harley Davidson Throws Down On Motorcycle Social Networking Site

The guys at Blastolene achieve that level of inspired lunacy, and sometimes it takes them 5,000 hours of work to get it done.

But what really gets me going is any and all things motorcycles, and these mid-scale creations from sculptor-mehanic-engineer Michael Leeds are just the ticket.

Leeds takes common objects, like maybe an old Electrolux vacuum cleaner and some salvaged neon tubing, and transforms them into something sure to sweep you off your feet.

They bill themselves as a collective of artists and builders and hang out in the wilds of Oregon, and the Blastolene crew have achieved a sort of northwest hillbilly nirvana on five acres of rusting parts and retro inspiration.

If you think for one moment there aren’t still people in America capable of making beautiful things with their hands, things that look fabulous – and work – you are completely and utterly incorrect.

While the amount of labor necessary to make this kind of creation a reality precludes most of us from owning what these guys do in their shop, it shouldn’t prevent anyone from apprehending the magnificence of their work as they gaze in wide wonder at their mastery of metal and design. While there’s just no way you’re going to get your hands on the DecoLiner, you can support what these guys do and get yourself a t-shirt.

So kick back, get your eyeballs squared away, and take a couple of minutes to examine some truly wonderful vehicles…

Artist and moto-visionary Michael Leeds at his workbench.

Related posts:

1. Hard to Deny the Awesome That Is This Motorcycle Helmet – Iron Man
2. Awesome V12 Lincoln Motorcycle
3. What the Biker In Your Life Wants For Christmas – Awesome Motorcycle Gift Ideas

If not, then put Motorcycles (Modern Marvels: Season 5, Episode 28, Nov. 1999) -  on your must-watch list. It’s a History Channel documentary about the cultural, technological and artistic story of motorcycles through the ages, and it’s good stuff indeed. This exceptional documentary features more recent events, so it must have been updated since it was first shown in 1999.

As the film traces the development of motorcycles through the decades, along the way, it showcases pioneers in the manufacturing industry like Indian, Harley Davidson, and Honda, includes interesting facts from the industry and you get some pertinent insights from  talk show host and wealthy motorcycle looney,  Jay Leno.

If you’re more into industry insider info,  the doc includes lots of commentary from former Editor-in-Chief of Cycle World, David Edwards, Motocross rider Jeremy McGrath, and lots of other motorcycle obsessives.

Video Documentary: Modern Marvels: Motorcycles Part 1

Video Documentary: Modern Marvels: Motorcycles Part 2

Video Documentary: Modern Marvels: Motorcycles Part 3

Video Documentary: Modern Marvels: Motorcycles Part 4

Video Documentary: Modern Marvels: Motorcycles Part 5

Video Documentary: Modern Marvels: Motorcycles Part 6

Video Documentary: Modern Marvels: Motorcycles Part 7

Video Documentary: Modern Marvels: Motorcycles Part 8

Video Documentary: Modern Marvels: Motorcycles Part 9

Related posts:

1. The History of More Things That Were, And Now Are, Sort of Motorcycles
2. A History of the BMW Motorcycle
3. Motorcycles On Any Sunday? Not In Indiana Until Now

Each and every bike is essentially a one-off work of motorcycle art, and as you well know, it takes some serious money to play around in the art market these days.

On this list, the buy-in to take a seat at the table starts around $100K, so unless you just sold your social networking thingy for more money than it takes to buy Indiana, please step aside and let the real players through to the front of the line.

There are old standbys represented on the following list, like the wild machines from Confederate Motors, but those are the base models on this showroom floor. Hell, you can pick up the latest Confederate X132 Hellcat for the relatively modest sum of $45K, so the action  has moved on into celestially expensive territory in the last few years.

A couple of the bikes on the list come from bespoke racing motorcycle manufacturer NCR, an Italian firm who take already potent and desirable machines from Ducati and squeeze them through a tube until they come out very, very fast indeed.

NCR makes bikes like the Macchia Nera, Italian for “Black Spot,” which will not only burn a hole in your pocket, they’ll burn a hole in the road as well.

Back in 1967, NCR set up shop in Borgo Panigale on the outskirts of Bologna where three gents created a state-of the-art workshop devoted to taking stock Ducati production machines and making them outrageous. What they came up with at the genesis moment of the company, the Ducati 900NCR, took legendary rider Mike Hailwood all the way to the  1978 Formula 1 World Championship on the Isle of Man.

So how did they do their magic? By following the plan which went a little something like this: everything could be improved, made lighter and more powerful. What you got for that was a fast – and horrifically expensive – piece of equipment dedicated to moving at mind-bending speed.

So then, take a walk on the wild side for a minute and allow yourself to dream of what could have been for you had you actually paid attention in school and gone on to become a top swine in the banking industry…

Confederate B120 Wraith – $92,500

Vrus 987 C3 4V – $103,769

MV Agusta F4CC – $120,000

MTT Turbine SuperBike – $150,000

Icon Sheene – $172,000

NCR Macchia Nera Concept – $225,000

NCR M16 – $232,500

Ecosse Titanium Series RR Limited Edition – $275,000

Related posts:

1. The History of More Things That Were, And Now Are, Sort of Motorcycles
2. The World’s Most Expensive Electric Motorcycle – Daniel Simon’s Detonator
3. Stealing The Most Expensive Motorcycle You Can Never Sell

Sundance, a Japanese custom motorcycle builder, clearly has a love and respect for Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

But they, like a lot of riders, just want, well, a little more out of them.

That’s why they place their focus squarely on performance. Machines like this one, a get-fast take on the stock Harley-Davidson XR1200, is packed with punch-inducing parts to crank out more horsepower and handling out of the stock machine. But Sundance’s custom bikes don’t lack for looks and include a cornucopia of specially-crafted parts like a magnificent custom tank and a spot-on tailpiece which go the original one better. A stock XR1200 makes something like 90h bhp, but the Sundance version uses new pistons, cams and heads, S&S connecting rods, carburetion from Keihin FCR and a custom exhaust to add some 30 addition horsepower. Include a beefy Barnett clutch, and this bike can put all that power to the road through a custom swingarm gold-finished Öhlins front forks keep it tracking straight and true.

While H-D are working hard on updating the styling and handling of their stock machines, there are still lessons to be learned from the custom builders who take their product to a very, very appealing level.

Are you listening, Milwaukee?

The “skunk works” at Sundance didn’t stop with this update, they’ve made updated versions of the classic Knucklehead, Springer Softail and Superglide that not only look better than the stock machines, they artfully incorporate a range of suspension and motor improvements as well.

Related posts:

1. Jeremy Cupp Takes Ultimate Builder Custom Bike U.S. Championships
2. Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show Heads North to Minneapolis
3. Bike Find of the Day A Sweet Stripped Down Harley From Kraus Motor Company