Shrinking motorcycle sales are forcing manufacturers to think small. In an effort to attract women, minorities and riders of smaller size to the sport, some of the industry’s biggest companies are building smaller bikes. Several will make their U.S. debut at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show, which opens Friday at the Long Beach Convention Center. Among them are downsized machines from Honda, Kawasaki, Ducati and BMW. An estimated 50,000-plus attendees…
Read MoreEBR Motorcycles Debuts Black Lightning Bike
EBR Motorcycles will debut the new Black Lightning motorcycle on Friday November 18, 2016 at the Long Beach International Motorcycle Show. The Black Lightning is an “accelerated” version of the 1190 platform, designed for superior street performance with improved rider ergonomics, higher torque delivery, and improved performance handling for all rider styles. “When you combine the upright seating with intense acceleration, you have the ultimate all around superbike. It has striking looks…
Read More2016 Vintage Motorcycle Cannonball Race
Thomas Trapp sells new Harley-Davidson motorcycles in Germany, but for the next two weeks, he’ll be riding 3,300 miles coast to coast in the United States, aboard one made 102 years ago. He’s one of about 100 riders set to straddle century-old machines as part of the Motorcycle Cannonball, a biennial run for vintage motorcycles starting from Atlantic City on Saturday. “There’s nothing else like this ride,” said Trapp of…
Read More2016 Police Motorcycle Skills Competition
The Orange County Traffic Officers Association’s 44th annual Police Motorcycle Training and Skills Competition is Southern California’s premier Motor Rodeo and draws officers from all over the western states. This year’s event will include: Individual Competition Team Competition All New Patterns Top Gun Competition Raffle and Prizes Competitor Awards Achievement Awards Exhibitors & Vendors Wednesday, September 14, 2016 Location: Huntington State Beach (Enter at Newland from PCH) Time: 0700 to…
Read MoreIndian Sponsors AMA Finale Weekend at Sonoma
Indian Motorcycle, America’s first motorcycle company, today announced it is sponsoring the Pro/Am Hooligan and RSD SuperHooligan races during an action-packed AMA Finale weekend in Santa Rosa, California on Sept 24. In all, nine classes will compete in a day of handlebar-to-handlebar action beginning at 4:30 pm PDT at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in the Chris Beck Arena. Participating in the SuperHooligan race class will be Roland Sands as well as…
Read MoreCalifornia Officially Legalizes Lane Splitting
California is now the first state to formally legalize lane splitting for motorcyclists. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill Friday to allow motorcyclists to move around stopped or slow moving traffic, under certain conditions. Under the legislation authored by Assembly member Bill Quirk, (D – Hayward), California Highway Patrol will create guidelines on lane splitting, in collaboration with other agencies and organizations involved with road safety and motorcyclist behavior. In…
Read MoreAlta Electric Motorcycle Factory Opens in CA
Motorcycle makers Alta Motors have just opened the doors to their new factory in Brisbane, California. A quick trip from downtown San Francisco, the factory is in a low and unassuming concrete structure. Inside, it’s surprisingly quiet, thanks in part to the fact that the motorcycles Alta makes are all-electrics, and final assembly of these bikes is ultimately done by hand. The startup’s flagship product, the Redshift MX, is a…
Read MoreHelp Save California OHV Parks
The California State Parks Transformation Team’s recommendations are finally out, and it doesn’t look good for the future of motorized off-highway vehicle recreation. The California OHV Division of State Parks runs the popular State Vehicle Recreation Areas and provides critical grant funding to riding areas on other public lands statewide. These lands include those under the control of the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, where the vast…
Read MoreCalifornia Lane Splitting Law Passes Senate
On Monday, August 1, 2016, California bill AB 51, the lane splitting bill, passed the full California State Senate in a 38-0 vote. AB 51 recently passed the Senate Transportation Committee in an 11-0 vote. The bill now returns to the California State Assembly for approval. All California motorcyclists who are interested in seeing AB 51 passed should contact their state senator and ask them to support the bill. You can find out…
Read MoreLane Splitting Law Heads to Senate
One June 14th, AB 51, which codifies the act of lane splitting and finally provides some legal guidelines, passed the California State Senate Transportation Committee with absolutely no opposition. Thanks to an 11-0 vote, AB 51 will now makes it way to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Lane splitting advocates, LaneSplittingIsLegal.com, posted the entire video testimony regarding the bill. Of that, many arguments that shined a positive light on lane splitting…
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