Trouble In Hogtown

The financial situation is bleak. But at least some consumers can justify buying new cars. Imagine the situation at Harley Davidson (NYSE:HOG), the manufacturer of the ultimate discretionary item.

Wisconsin - Andrew Snyder (TodaysFinancialNews.com) - If I were a General Motors (NYSE:GM) dealer, I would be holding onto every penny I have and praying it gets better. If I were a Toyota (NYSE:TM) dealer I would be saying, “So this is what it feels like to be from Detroit.”

But if I were a Harley Davidson (NYSE:HOG) dealer, oh boy, I would checking the value of my property and working my way into a new franchise. Even during a severe repression, consumers and businesses need new cars and trucks. But almost nobody can justify a must-have motorcycle.

Read the rest of the article at Brain Bucket Magazine.

Who are the real bikers?



OK, here's an unpopular opinion for you -- all who ride are not "bikers." Somehow American pop culture has merged the word "motorcycle" with visions of tattooed nonconformists who all stand around with belligerent expressions on their faces and who wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything but black leather.

Wake up, America! There's an entire world of motorcyclists out there who'd rather be out riding than posing around Quaker Steak and Lube's parking lot admiring each other's overpriced driveway jewelry.

Read more at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Core Concept




I'm not really a VTWIN Cruiser kinda guy, but I think this concept bike is cool. I like it because it's different, and because it has a purpose. 469 pounds dry weight -- it's a "chopper" in the original sense of the word. Cut out all unnecessary stuff, have only what is needed for function. There's beauty in that.

Who says Honda doesn't get it?


Check out Honda's new experimental race bike!

Honda Just Doesn't Get It


Honda kills the Valkyrie, the Magna, the CB919, and then adds the Fury?!?

WTF?

Read the rest at The Kneeslider.com...

To Wave or Not to Wave

r.m.h (rec.motorcycles.harley) website had this gem. I found myself in complete agreement.

To Wave or Not to Wave

This seems to be the most dull and frequent thread in all the motorcycle newsgroups.

"Some people wave and some people don't. What they ride is not the issue. [...] Just wave if you want or don't wave if that's what you want. If you've got time to be fascinated by somebody else's waving habits you need to get a hobby. Why not take up motorcycling?" -- Mark Cronenweth

Loud Pipes Save Lives




Loud pipes aren't just for the Harley set.

Indiana In The Top 5

This isn't a ranking to be proud of, but here is a news article listing Indiana in the top five.