Guy Martin on the TT: ‘if you get it wrong, you’re dead’

You’ll probably have to watch the interview several times before you have a clue about what Guy Martin said at the premiere for TT3D Closer to the Edge. I still can’t figure out what he says he does for a living besides racing, but the faces he makes are priceless when he tries to remember how many years his dad raced the TT. Sadly, there’s still no word about the film coming to the States, so consider Guy’s interview on the red carpet as training for when TT3D gets released to video. :continue:

Grant Ray. April 18th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (32)

Video: partying at the Indianapolis GP

Rumor has it that this year could be the last for the Indianapolis GP. Riders are unhappy with the track and organizers are unhappy with the level of sponsorship it’s been able to attract. Jamie Robinson, who yesterday raced a $650 Yamaha at the Catalina Grand Prix, sure makes it look like a good party though. :continue:

Wes Siler. April 7th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (19)

Racing Catalina on a $650 Yamaha

Back in December, the Catalina Grand Prix was held for the first time in 52 years. Our buddy Jamie Robinson, with the help of Alpinestars, took part on a 1979 Yamaha YZ400 that he bought for just $650 on the Monday before the race. Here’s his story. :continue:

Wes Siler. April 6th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (26)

Is KTM doing as well as it says?

The 2009/10 KTM annual report, issued this morning, is full of phrases like, “all expectations exceeded,” “significant improvement” and “world market leader.” Hell, it begins with, “KTM back at the top” and makes the claim that, “market shares could be doubled.” But, even with sales of 85,000 vehicles during the financial year, is KTM as healthy as the sunshine and lollypops would lead you to believe? :continue:

Wes Siler. March 25th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (12)

Harley CEO awards self $6.4 million bonus

Potato, potato, potato. That’s the sound of Keith Wandell paying himself a $6.4 million bonus for Harley’s worst sales year since 1999, a year in which it was also disclosed that The Motor Company accepted a secret $2.3 billion bailout in 2008. HD actually turned a $146.5 million profit in 2010, up from a $55.1 million loss in 2009. 2010 was a big year for Harley, new union contracts saw a total of 2,300 job cuts in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin plus reduced wages and benefits for the remaining union employees, for a total cost saving that will eventually add up to $50 million annually. How do you like dem potatoes?

via York Daily Record

Thanks for the tip, guy who would be fired if his evil corporate overlords found out he sent this to us.

Wes Siler. March 18th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (49)

Photos: MV Agusta F4 RR 312 1078 Edizione Finale

The all-new, 2010 MV Agusta F4 is faster, lighter, smoother, cheaper and just all-round a better motorcycle. But, it’s not the original. Considered by many the most beautiful bike ever made, Massimo Tamburini penned the original F4 way back in 1998. The bike you see here will be the last of that original F4 ever produced. :continue:

Wes Siler. February 2nd, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (6)

Why the American motorcycle market is irrelevant

On Monday we reported that US motorcycle sales shrank 15.8 percent in 2010 to just 439,678 units. Compare that number to these global figures from the largest motorcycle maker on Earth, Honda. Big Red sold 17,952,000 motorcycles worldwide in 2010, not only an improvement of over 2 million units from 2009, but a new record. Want to feel even smaller? Compare North American Honda sales — 192,000 — to other continents. Even South America, at 1,640,000 sales, is many times larger.

Source: Honda

Wes Siler. January 27th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (43)

20 years of American spending power, in Harleys

As an expensive, discretionary luxury good frequently purchased on credit, there’s perhaps no better indication of the health of the American economy than sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Tonight, as President Obama prepares to lay out his plan for economic recovery, let’s take a look at what Harley can tell us about how bad we’re hurting.

This graphic illustrates domestic shipments of all Harley motorcycles by year from 1991 to 2010. As you can see, it dovetails nicely with historical GDP data. Why the discrepancy between the GDP increase and Harley sales decrease in 2010? Maybe that’s those jobs everyone keeps talking about.

Illustration: Grant Ray

Wes Siler. January 25th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (17)

2010 US motorcycle sales fall further 15.8 percent

Sales for all motorcycles fell 15.8 percent in the US last year, according to figures released by the Motorcycle Industry Council. Just 439,678 on- and off-highway motorcycles were sold in this country in 2010. While that may sound like the decline is slowing from 2009’s dismal 40.8 percent fall, the big picture looks bleak — in 2005 motorcycle sales peaked at nearly 1.1 million, this year’s results return us to 1998 levels. :continue:

Wes Siler. January 24th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (17)

Ural sales up 39% in 2010

“Urals are low-tech as they are based on 70-year-old technology,” says Madina Merzhoyeva, the better half of the team that runs Ural. “They are heavy as hell, thus you can only drive them at 65mph. they do have an electric starter now, but also the kick-starter — just in case. Disk brakes were adapted 20 years behind the industry and only for one of the three wheels. Urals are expensive too.” But in a year that saw motorcycle sales industry-wide plummet yet again, Ural sales are up. And not just a little bit, 39 percent year-on-year. Why? :continue:

Wes Siler. January 11th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (29)

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