BMW Recalls Boxer-Engined Models

This week Toyota paid a $16.7M civil penalty for not notifying the NHTSA of a dangerous pedal defect. Certainly Harley-Davidson has had its fair share of defects and needed to recall motorcycles in 2008 HERE, 2009 HERE and then again in 2009 HERE. Now it’s the German motorcycle manufacturer BMW’s turn. This week they launched a global recall of [...]

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The Sombrero Challenge

Today was not a good day for leadership. First it was Calderon.   You know — the Mexican President, Felipe Calderon?  His administration has attempted to rid Mexico of the narco-traffickers using thousands of Mexican troops and hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid, but cartel members have killed thousands in an effort to maintain control of the lucrative [...]

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Motorcycle Artwork Fame

For some the price of fame is getting too steep.  Aggressive paparazzi posting up everything which then becomes water-cooler chatter in The Sun or the Daily Star tabloids.  It’s a dilemma.  Celebs need the publicity to remain famous, but in publicizing themselves they trade-in some privacy. Most of us don’t have photographers crawling through the bushes nor have we achieved [...]

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Cash Is The Icing On Iron Pigs HR218 Cupcake

Can embarrassment and personal demons be squelched with money? It would seem so and that $169,800 is all that’s needed! I’m referring to the Iron Pigs MC member and Seattle police detective Ronald Smith. It probably comes as no surprise that Smith, who as you may recall shot a member of the Hells Angels MC [...]

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Excuses

Walter Mitty was a fictional character in James Thurber’s short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” published back in 1939.  Mitty was a meek, mild man with a vivid fantasy life where he imagines himself as a wartime pilot, an emergency-room surgeon and devil may care dreamer. What about daydreaming of wind-in-the-face, and being [...]

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Mark-Hans Richer Man Crush

Uh, that would be a NO. No, I don’t have a man crush on Mark-Hans Richer the Harley-Davidson CMO.  But, we do have some things in common and that is we’re both motorcycle enthusiasts of double-digit years, and proud owners of H-D motorcycles. Mark-Hans Richer is the “Billy Mays” of pitch men for H-D products, [...]

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RSD XR-1200 Build

Roland Sands Design (RSD). This week they finished up a XR-1200 build.  They customized reinvented a stock Harley-Davidson XR-1200 over the course of a 30 day build and clearly created a high-performance work of art. Congrats! After 10 years on the professional level and multiple track records, including the 1998 AMA 250GP Championship, Roland Sands [...]

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OSP News Flash Substitutes For Safety Campaign

I couldn’t believe it when I read it! Last Monday morning the Oregon State Police (OSP) news flash reported that Russell Mathews was seriously injured on Sunday when riding along Hwy 211 in the Eagle Creek area.  He was ejected from his motorcycle while trying to pass a vehicle preparing to turn onto Judd Road.  [...]

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The Harley-Davidson Double-Dog-Dare

A few weeks ago H-D management were passing out accolades to the Wisconsin legislators who were considering a designation of the H-D motorcycle as the “official motorcycle” of the state.  But, that has since turned into a game of “double-dog-dare-ya” or something along the lines of ‘playing chicken’ as the latest management salvo didn’t sound [...]

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Harley CEO Calls For Lazarus-Like Resurrection

First was a slam about H-D imitating and going down the General Motors path.  Then there were calls for a Lazarus-like resurrection! Not my words, but direct from Mr. Keith E. Wandell (Harley-Davidson CEO and President) who states; “Look in a mirror – Harley was already so far down that same (GM) path it wasn’t [...]

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