Harley-Davidson’s ‘Big Twin’ timeline stretches back to 1914 and the introduction of the 1000cc F-head. And in the following century and a bit it’s only gone through seven distinct engine ranges. This is the eighth. That alone might be enough alone to warrant the name ‘Milwaukee-Eight’, but there’s a second, more important reason for the designation, and that’s the number of valves. Insiders say there are eight of them, four…
Read MoreFlat Track Races at Black Hills Speedway Sturgis
South Dakota is known for its celebrations of all things motorcycles, and on this special Tuesday night, August 9, it will be a celebration of speed and fierce AMA Pro Flat Track racing in Rapid City on the half-mile oval at Black Hills Speedway. Defending Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines champion Jared Mees appears to be hitting his stride at just the right time with the 2016 season approaching…
Read MoreDucati XDiavel Xperience Tour at Sturgis
Italian performance motorcycle leader Ducati is heading to South Dakota this August for the first time to thrill the hundreds of thousands attending the Sturgis® Motorcycle Rally™. Ducati will be hosting various events throughout the rally between August 5 and August 13, which will include unveiling an XDiavel customized by Roland Sands Design (RSD) as well as test-riding opportunities. “Sturgis is always a great place to get together with motorcyclists…
Read MoreSuzuki Files Small Displacement Motorcycle Patent
Suzuki has registered a design patent for what appears to be a new small-displacement sportbike. The patent design, registered with Australia’s intellectual property agency, shares many styling cues with Suzuki’s larger sportbikes, and we expect the design will eventually become a GSX-R 250. The filing only patents the look of the bike and provides no technical details save what we can see. The engine appears to be a parallel-Twin, likely…
Read MoreU.S. Motorcycle Fatality Demographics Changing
If middle-age men don’t have enough to be concerned about in relation to their longevity, add another trend to the threat: motorcycle riding. Once a pastime that was dominated by youth, both in the number of riders and fatalities, that trend has reversed. In 1995, 1,229 people were killed on motorcycles on the nation’s roads. Of those, 1,057 were under the age of 29 and 172 were 50 and over. In…
Read MoreLarge Motorcycle Groups Unregulated by Police
If sunday was the ninth annual La Carne Azada motorcycle stunt ride through Aurora, it was a surprise to city police. Some 350 motorcyclists from around the Midwest popped wheelies, performed a variety of other stunts and ran red lights to stay together as they traversed the city’s streets Sunday. Aurora police said organizers did not warn them the ride would be coming through town this year or any other…
Read MoreOfficials Promote Safety en Route to Sturgis
Hundreds of thousands of motorcycle riders are starting to head to Sturgis, South Dakota, this week for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Not all will make it home, though. Each year, several motorcycle fatalities are recorded on the way to and from Sturgis. But law enforcement and highway safety officials hope 2016 is different. “This year, we would like that to be zero,” said Col. Kebin Haller of the Wyoming…
Read MoreSuzuki Wins NHRA Pro-Stock at Sonoma
A five-year dry spell has ended for Nitro Fish Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle racer LE Tonglet who won his first race since the Brainerd event in 2011, defeating the Harley-Davidson of Andrew Hines in the NHRA Sonoma Nationals final round on Sunday. Tonglet, the 2010 PSM world champion, had the winning run of 6.813 seconds at 196.73 mph to the losing time of 6.864 seconds at 194.52 mph. “It has…
Read MorePolaris and Costco Team Up on Slingshots
Costco Auto Program and Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) have teamed up to bring Costco members a limited-time special offer from Aug. 1, 2016 through Oct. 31, 2016, Costco members will receive promotional benefits on most brands. Costco Auto Program and Polaris have partnered since fall 2014 to bring Costco members exclusive, limited-time savings on Polaris products. To reach yet another group of powersports enthusiasts, the Polaris Slingshot moto-roadster is…
Read MorePrattville PD Chooses Victory for New Bikes
Sgt. Donnie Walker of the Prattville Police Department likes his new office. It has two wheels, 97 horsepower, flashing lights and rumbling exhausts. The department has taken delivery of 10 Victory motorcycles for its traffic division. The city started using motorcycles in 1995 and has always used Harley-Davidsons, the iconic police bike. “The Victorys are cooler,” Walker said, quickly explaining he meant running temperature of the engine, as well as the…
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