An interesting article in Ethanol Producer Magazine about the conversion and tuning process of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle to run E85 fuel (85% ethanol and 15% ordinary gas). 

The use of E10 Unleaded is approved under warranty by major motorcycle manufactures including Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha.  In fact, Harley goes so far to actually promote/recommend the use of renewable, clean air fuels such as E10 because of their environmental benefits.  Their stance is on E85 is bit less clear.  However,  Ronald M. Hutchinson (Sr. VP Product Development; bio) recently provided some insight in an interview with QuickThrottle.com (October 2008 edition):

Question: Is Harley doing any initial research on alternative fuels and energy sources?  Answer: I can't really talk about future products.  But I can tell you that we are looking at and have run and currently have motorcycles that run on a much higher level of ethanol because we sell a lot of motorcycles in Brazil.  Fuels there are sugar-based ethanol that have slightly higher energy content than stuff we get here.  But regardless we already hve the capability of providing products that do just that - that run on a higher percentage of ethanol and we are also looking at a variety of different alternatives.

More than 40 percent of the gasoline sold across the U.S. contains oxygenates such as ethanol.  There has been an dramatic increase in the availability of E85 as well as the number of automobiles that can operate on E85 (called Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV's)).  It will be interesting to watch how this progresses for motorcycles.  For a current list of E85 station visit E85.

Photo courtesy of Ethanol Producer Magazine web site.

Just two months after the "Ride Home" and a couple weeks after Street Vibrations - it was starting to feel like the world was coming to an end.  Two major hurricanes (Ike, Gustav) scattered riders and dealer personnel from Texas to Tennessee to Florida...all being affected in some way by the hurricanes.  Then as if all those wind "jabs" were not enough along comes this right-handed wallop of a punch with the financial/stock market implosion. People tried to shake off the fear, but it seemed hell-bent to keep stumbling down.

To make matters even worse were the stories of people at the end of their ropes and talk of a plan to see martial law declared with certain scenarios or "trigger" points anticipated!  Those triggers include a continuing economic collapse, bank closures, social unrest, financial institutions shuttered due to withdrawal of cash or a fraudulent presidential election which entices outrage and violence.

So, over the weekend I vowed to eliminate all the talking-heads or any negative hyperbole and nurse my pessimistic ‘tude back from the abyss.  I learned a couple of things...first was that the mint leaves (in Mohito's) are not a vegetable.  Second I learned more than 20 nifty things you can do with Alka-Seltzer boxes while making a "surrender flag".  And lastly I learned that getting out and enjoying the fall weather, ride the motorcycle or do a little wrenching or [your choice here] is about seizing the opportunity, keep a clear head and to enjoy life.

I doubt today's rally means the worst has passed, but it feels good to have a day that isn't so grim.  That's my $0.02 cents (a.k.a. my 401K balance!)

Here is few pictures from the 2008 BikeFest in Raleigh,NC.

Did you know that motorcycle crashes in Oregon have risen from 443 in 2002 to 736 in 2006? There were 51 motorcyclist fatalities in 2007; 200 motorcyclists have died from 2002 to 2007. Oregon's motorcycle fatalities are higher than they have been for 20 years.  I've written previously on motorcycle safety HERE, HERE and on alcohol related accidents HERE. 

To help address motorcyclist fatalities the Governor's Advisory Committee on Motorcycle Safety (GAC-MS) was commissioned and consists of members appointed by the Governor from throughout the state. This committee is charged with the responsibility to advise the Governor and the Transportation Safety Division of ODOT on motorcycle safety. They developed the 2008 Safety Strategic Plan which has the following 6 objectives along with a number of tactics to help decrease motorcycle fatalities:

1. During 2008, the GAC-MS will hold public "listening" meetings not only in Salem but also around the state in the Portland, Ashland, Bend and Medford areas.
2. Provide motorcycle operator training to all who need or seek it; increase motorcyclists' knowledge of methods to increase their safety on the road, including awareness of hazards, motorcycle operating techniques, and conspicuity.
3. Reduce crashes in which motorcyclists are impaired by alcohol or other drugs.
4. Ensure that all motorcycle operators riding on public roads are properly licensed.
5. Increase motorists' awareness of the presence of motorcycles on the road.
6. Education, Enforcement, Engineering and EMS issues pertaining to motorcycles will be identified.

View the full strategic plan is HERE (PDF file).

If you have an opinion or want to voice any concerns there are meetings planned on October 19th and November 21st.  The next two meetings are:

Sunday, October 19th at 4:00PM
7 Feathers Center, 146 Chief Miwaleta Lane, Canyonville, OR 97417

and

Friday, November 21st at 6:30PM 
Transportation Safety Division Office, 235 Union Street NE , OR 97301

If you can't attend the meetings send written input to -

Michele O'Leary
ODOT Motorcycle Safety Program Manager
Governor's Advisory Committee on Motorcycle Safety
235 Union Street NE
Salem, OR 97301-1054
Email

Image courtesy of Texas Department of Safety.

I was a little nervous going into this event as I had finished second place at this race track in July. I knew what I was capable of, and if I could get it done then I could place top five in the championship. If I didn't I could finish as low as 10th.

The track was a little bit inconsistent in qualifying. I had a couple of big slides early on so I didn't ride very aggressive, and I ended up qualifying 10th.

I was in the third heat race with Bryan Bigelow, Chris Carr, and Robbie Pearson among others. I had a decent start and was running third to Bigelow and Pearson, on lap two Pearson got a little sideways coming off turn two so I took advantage of the opportunity at hand and ran it in under him in turn three taking the spot. At first I thought I would be able to run down Bigelow but I just didn't have it in me. I finished second which would be good enough for a front row start in the main event.


I knew we didn't have the speed to win but had a shot at it if we could make the right adjustments so we changed a couple things on the bike and rolled it out for the last national of the year.


I did not get a great start and ran 6th on the first lap, then I settled into fifth for the next seven laps. I was trying to hang with Coolbeth but I was definitely not catching him. Then Jake Johnson passed me and I knew I was in trouble if a Suzuki was passing me, so I desperately tried to get back ahead of him but I just couldn't seem to get it working as I got passed again putting me back in seventh place when the red flag came out for a fallen rider on lap 12.


I was sitting in seventh place on the restart looking at the riders in front of me and realizing there were three of them that were gonna beat me for fifth in points if I didn't do something about it. So with the pack all bunched up going into turn three I ran it into the corner really deep all the way on the bottom of the track passing my way all the way up to third. As I drifted back to the outside of the track I was able to get the bike turned and it actually worked. I can't believe I went from seventh to third in one corner. For the next couple laps I was running around the top of the track thinking I might actually be able to hold onto third, but it wasn't to be as two laps later Mees got me back. Then I ran 4th for the next five laps until Coolbeth passed me on lap twenty, then my brother the next lap. I think I must have smoked my tire or something as I was just not getting any traction. I was back in seventh when Mees fell, bringing out the red flag and another restart with five laps to go. It was a very exciting five laps as we were having an epic battle going four and five wide at times. At the end I was trying to keep Carr behind me and almost did but he just got me at the line putting me in 6th place, which was good enough to put me in a tie for fifth place in points with my brother Jethro. We both ended up with 126 points, luckily the tie breaker goes to me as my best finish (2nd place) was better than his (4th place).


A big Thank You goes out to the many people who made it possible for me to have a successful 2008 racing season.

I will keep you updated on my racing activities during the GNC off-season.

09/27/08 I was happy to be on a fun race track and going fast. I won the fastest heat race of the night by over four seconds to set me on the pole position for the main event.


I got a pretty bad start and was behind a few guys, but was able to make a good first lap putting me up to second place in no time. I quickly got around Jared Mees for the lead and as I started riding my own line I encountered some problems with the slick surface, it was so wet it was like riding in mud and I made a few mistakes allowing Jared to get back by me. When he did I tried riding outside of him, but the mud out their made me fall back a few bike lengths so I had to put my head down and try really hard to catch back up and when I finally did, I made a great pass running it in super deep into turn one. I thought I would run wide but I was able to get it turned and complete the pass. I went into turn three just a little higher to try and bump the cushion but it was still muddy and my front tire just washed out putting me on my face. I picked the bike up really quick knowing they wouldn't restart the race. I put in about five hard laps making a couple passes in the process to put me in fourth place at the finish.

09/28/08 Today I was determined to get good starts and it worked as I pulled a holeshot and won the fastest heat race which put me on the pole for the Vizzo Racing Dash for Cash and the main event.


In the Dash I was able to pull a nice holeshot and lead it all the way to the checkers setting the fastest lap time of the weekend in the process.


In the main event I was able to once again get the holeshot and was cruising along putting in some good laps. The track was getting very slick making it difficult to put in good consistent laps on my Harley, but I still had a decent lead until a rider I was about to lap put his hand up and pulled to the outside of the track right in front of me. I had to go wide to miss him and that put Mees right on my tail. This was on the last lap and Mees made an aggressive move to take my line away from me almost putting me in the bails. I was able to hang on to it to finish a disappointing second place after leading every lap except the one that counted.

Wayne Ransom of Ransom Motorsports is unique.  Not because of the fact that he designs custom motorcycles, fabricates and finishes them himself or that he makes his own frames, suspensions and every piece of the body work is aluminum -- hand pounded and smoothed by his hands -- he's unique because he lives life in a way that sets the bar high for many of us.  Before anything else Wayne is a devout Christian and reflects it in the way he lives his life and conducts business.  A bible-based bike builder if you will!  That is not something we routinely hear or observe from the custom bike industry! There are lots of examples that seem in conflict with this life style and I've written about biker celeb wrecks previously HERE and HERE.

Even the name of Ransom's motorcycles (Genesis, Cain, Abel, and Serpent) take on a faith based vernacular.  Clearly the custom motorcycle industry prides itself on originality and Wayne is helping set a positive tone in the industry that is a public asset, not a public burden.

My hats off to Wayne!  Especially in this day where a lack of financial integrity is standard operating procedure.  I for one would like to hear his insights and personal experience, rising up through the ranks of the industry and how his Christian faith assisted his leadership skills in running a business.  Fidelity to the Word of God and a commitment to integrity is both inspiring and thought provoking in the world of custom motorcycles.

Photo courtesy of Ransom Motorsport web site.  Photographer is Dino Petrocelli.

During WWII the U.S. Army established numerous airfields in Arizona for training pilots and aircrews of the USAAF fighters and bombers.  Just east of I-40 and about 25 miles south of Kingman, AZ is the Yucca Army Airfield.  In 1946 the property was declared surplus and in 1954 the Ford Motor Company acquired the facility and began using the runways for automobile testing.  Ford eventually built an extensive automotive proving ground and used the airfield known as the Arizona Proving Ground Airport.

In November 2007, Chrysler bought the facility (3,840-acre test site, which has 50 miles of test roads) for $34.9M from Ford Motor Company. Chrysler also made another $10M in upgrades, including a new 70-foot-high test grade along with other new test surfaces. The facility is open 24/7 and the Yucca site is the primary hot weather testing grounds. Chrysler tests about 2,000 vehicles a year at the site.  As a side bar, Toyota's desert proving grounds is 128 miles away in Wickenburg, AZ and runway information is HERE.

Harley-Davidson recently closed an agreement with Chrysler to use the facility effective July 2009 as their desert proving grounds.  Harley will occupy several buildings and use the banked, high speed, five-mile, three-lane oval track as well as many of the twisted asphalt and checkerboard tile concrete roads.

I don't know about you, but I can see a day in the future where the Laughlin River Run in coordination with the Route 66 Motor Sports and "Mother Road" Harley dealer in Kingman might include facility tours and/or sport track demo rides.  Let's hope so!

Marisa Miller, es una de las chicas que modela para la línea de ropa interior de Victoria's Secret, es la segunda norteamericana en sumarse a la empresa.

Su rumbo en el modelaje parece estar dando un giro, ya que esta siendo la cara de la nueva campaña de motos de Harley-Davidson, para la cual posó muy sensual.

Según declaró, ella y su familia están muy contentas con esta nueva campaña, porque se sienten muy identificadas con el concepto de la marca, por ser clientas desde hace años.

Marisa Miller, de 30 anos, é uma das modelos recém-contratadas da grife Victoria' Secret e está em alta. A loira foi escolhida para ser garota-propaganda da marca de motos Harley-Davidson e fez poses sensuais para a nova campanha da empresa.

Marisa Miller is picking up endorsements left and right these days: she just became a Victoria’s Secret Angel, and now she’s appearing in a series of ads for Harley-Davidson’s new V-Rod Muscle.

No doubt, these ads will get your attention! Do you even notice the bike? If you need more, check out behind the scenes video of her sizzling photo shoot here.

[Source: backseatcuddler.com]

At any rate, the Indian Motorcycle Company, owned largely by Stellican Limited (a London-based private equity firm) has quite the history and you can learn much more about Americas first motorcycle HERE.

Recently Indian opened the first dealership in Charlotte, NC and provided factory tours in Kings Mountain.  Here is a video of the tour.  I know people who have several old Indian's and it's exciting to see the brand return.  I hope they are very successful as they represent the only other American-made heavyweight cruiser to compete with Harley-Davidson.  Competition is good.

I'm not talking about scientific modeling of stress joints in the R&D department! 

Harley-Davidson announced a new ad campaign that will start Oct. 10th featuring Marisa Miller.  She will be the person promoting the new V-Rod Muscle motorcycle, a sporty, sleek bike that targets a younger, urban and affluent demographic. 

Miller is a Victoria's Secret model and has made the rounds of late on reality television shows, men's magazines such as Maxim and this year, she was on the cover of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition.

Miller was quoted to say in an interview:

"My uncle rides a Harley, my dad rides bikes,"... "I've been around it my whole life."

Miller has likely had more "offers" than she can count on her fingers and toes, but her uncle riding a V-Twin doesn't make her a motorcycle enthusiast or an authentic spokesperson for the industry.  It does mean that Harley is guilty of the ‘ol advertising adage that "sex sells", but what?

Almost everything from toothpaste to deodorant is sold with the promise of sex so why not Harley-Davidson as they go on an endless pursuit of trying to reach out to a younger, hipper demographic... Sure, Miller is recognizable and I'm sure lots of teenage boyz will flood the web site to download videos, wallpapers and photos.  The video of the ad shoot is HERE.

Wake up guys!!!  Exploitation is a stale marketing idea.  But, if anyone has line-of-sight on a large autographed poster let me know...I've got a special spot on my garage wall!

Photo courtesy of Miller web site.

Who's this hot piece of woman on a new Harley Davidson V-Rod Muscle motorcycle? It's Marisa Miller, who you might know from Victoria's Secret catalogs and of course, the infamous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. Al loves her and I think she's cute. Sure... you don't see any cleavage but this pic is still hot!

G2 Ergonomics announced their new G2 Delrin Throttle Tube which now offers Harley-Davidson riders the proven G2 control cam options with new Delrin bushings.  As the throttle is twisted, the flat spot in the G2 CAM keeps the throttle cable from being pulled as much as the stock cam so the new G2 throttle tubes are an improvement over stock tubes - offering riders improved rider stamina and smooth operation. Delrin is lightweight, low-friction, wear resistant and self-lubricating -- a far superior alternative to ball bearing tubes which degrade over time.

G2 has been highly visible in the motorcycle performance market and now with the G2 Quick-Turn Throttle tube and Quick-Turn throttles for Harley-Davidson the ‘cruisers' can benefit from their innovations.

Check ‘em out.

Photo courtesy of web site.

Military life is a lot about adrenaline (shooting weapons, parachuting out of planes, repelling from Blackhawks, etc.), not to mention the amount of testosterone filled "hoorah" recruits go through during basic that gives many the feeling of invincibility.

However, military personnel and motorcycles are a lethal combination as the News Observer reports that since 9/11, more American troops have died in off-duty motorcycle accidents than fighting in Afghanistan.

I'm not going to debate if the military personnel buy high-powered motorcycles and hit the streets to burn off adrenaline, testosterone or boredom.  Or if it's due to a lack of maturity, a lack of training or inexperience riding powerful sport bikes.  Or if it's due to psychological stress that lingers returning home from combat.  I'm interested, but will leave that to the experts to determine.

I want to talk about motorcycle accidents and Dealer responsibility.  But, first a couple of background facts:

All military branches of the armed forces have seen significant increases in motorcycle fatalities.

As of October 1^st, 24 deaths have occurred in the Marine Corp which breaks the previous record of 19 fatalities set the year before. Nine of the 24 were from Camp Pendleton. In 2000, when the Marine Corps started keeping track of motorcycle fatalities, seven riders died.

The Marines have had a higher fatality rate than the civilian population, according to Peter Hill, head of engineering with the safety division at Marine Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C.

A survey of motorcycle use in the Marines, has so far counted 17,348 riders nationwide, 56 percent of them on fast sport bikes, and the count is projected to reach about 25,000.

Military personnel are required to take a three-day basic rider course or a one-day experienced rider course before they are allowed to ride on/off base. However, most know how to get around the requirement by storing motorcycles off-base either at dealers or friends home.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there are about 7.5 fatalities per 10,000 civilian riders. In the Marine Corps, the rate was about 9.5 per 10,000 riders this year, according to Marine Corps statistics.

For every mile traveled, motorcyclists are about 32 times as likely to be killed as someone in a car, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, sport motorcycles generally weigh half as much as a cruiser-style motorcycle and have about twice the horsepower.

In the civilian population, the fatality rate is four times higher on a sport bikes than on a cruiser.

I've written previously on motorcycle safety HERE, HERE and on alcohol related accidents HERE.  I'm sadden by the above statistics and especially dislike reading about our young veterans getting injured or killed on motorcycles.  Many AFTER they've returned from the Gulf.  My efforts here are to bring visibility of a growing problem and maybe in some small way help reduce motorcycle fatalities.

But, let's return to the role of the motorcycle dealer and their prevention responsibility, if any.  First, I fully believe they have a lot of responsibility as the first line of "defense" so-to-speak and doing a good job of "fitting" motorcycle to customer, but unfortunately know they are also simply a corporation that makes money selling motorcycles and motorcycle accessories. The owners of these dealers and the manufactures they represent want you to believe they are biker's best friend, but at the end of the day it's all about business and what will bring them the most sales volume and the best return on their investment.  I'm not arbitrarily discounting their genuine desire to avoid or prevent motorcycle accidents, but most all dealer's have many more requirements to rent/ride a motorcycle from their business than they do to purchase one!  Some dealers pass out vouchers for customers to attend local safety classes, but do you think a sales person would ever say... "You are just not ready for that 175mph super bike, let's put you in a big scooter" or "Sorry, but that chrome laden Ultra Glide is just too heavy a motorcycle for you and might I suggest that you step into a Sporty".  Yeah right like that would ever happen!  

Yet another example of the great lengths that dealers/manufactures will go to catch the military personnel attention is the rising popularity of motorcycle sales at overseas military exchanges, which offer two American makes, Harley-Davidson and Buell, at bargain prices. After the Afghanistan war started, sales jumped nearly 50 percent, to more than 4,000 a year thru this channel, and have held steady, according to figures provided by the different services' exchanges. At exchanges in the two combat zones alone, troops bought more than 1,500 motorcycles in 2005 (last year of stats) and took delivery of them on their return to the U.S.

I know it's crucial to draw a line between courage and recklessness.   Knowing your limits, respecting others on the road, proper training, and being completely aware of what's going on around you are all factors in why people stay alive on a motorcycle.  Now if we could recalibrate the mentality of the dealer network from the operator assumes all responsibility mind-set to more along the lines of it being critical to reducing fatalities and maintain your customer base.  If you're in the "channel" I welcome your comments or ideas...

Want more training info?  Look at a MSF course which is an intensive two or three day classroom and riding course supervised by expert riders. Or if you're a veteran be a life-long learner and take a refresher course.  Team Oregon has consistently been rated very high in motorcycle training too.

Marine photo courtsey of North County Times and Hayne Palmour IV - Staff Photographer

Their next album's release has now been postponed to May of 2009, with record launch set to take place at spectacular Mel's film studios in Montreal.

The new album will include collaborations with well established international artists who's names should be announced early 2009.

During my visit to the Harley-Davidson Museum earlier this summer I spied a XR-750 hanging from the ceiling.  Turns out it's a replica of the one that motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel (Robert Craig Knievel Jr.) used at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1973 when he attempted to jump a 50-car tower. 

Evel having a colorful life is a huge understatement.  Born in Butte, Montana he battled the IRS and Montana over allegedly unpaid taxes; survived abandonment by his parents, who left him with grandparents at 6 months old; endured jail, bankruptcy and divorce - he even ran over a Hells Angel - and survived to tell the story!  The official Knievel web site is HERE.

Evel passed away last year, but as a small tike, I can remember to this day the excitement of watching that X-2 Skycycle launch over the Snake River Canyon to be followed with disappointment of the parachute accidentally deploying and to land only a few feet from the water on the side of the canyon.

In an effort to break Evel's record, last weekend Bubba Blackwell (the professional daredevil) set the record and jumped 52-cars in front of a crowd of more than 6,000 at the Deep South Speedway on his modified Harley-Davidson XR-750.  It was also his birthday.  Next up for Bubba has to be getting his life interpreted via rock opera format?  Then you're golden.

Congrats Bubba in setting a new record and happy (belated) birthday!