2005 Harley-davidson Vrsc 2005 Vrscse Screamin' Eagle V-rod Cvo Vrod on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Stuck for a gift? Solution No2: Harley-Davidson merchandise

Next year marks a strange anniversary for Harley-Davidson; 100 years of the firm's merchandising operation. Yes, just nine years after getting in on the motorcycle game H-D realised that the real cash was to be found in selling accessories rather than just bikes. And they're masters of the art.

Vespa goes back to the future

IT'S been a while coming, but the gorgeous Vespa 946 - EICMA 2012's Best of Show - has finally introduced something to the two-wheeled world that our four-wheeled counterparts have had for a while.  I call this 'reverse retro-futurism' - the art of borrowing lines from models past and imbuing them with a sleek sense of future direction (as opposed to retro-futurism, the pre-1960s design trend of depicting the technology of the future. The term 'decopunk' may come close, but feel free to tell me if there's a more exact term.) It's what the New Mini and the New Beetle (both 1997 and 2012 versions) have done so well, and so successfully: building an all-new model as a tribute to a classic, something that's modern yet already timeless, with a widely-appreciated, inclusive aesthetic (and here we eliminate the Plymouth PT Cruiser from the conversation). The biking world is great at retro, indeed thrives on it, but not so good at adding in a taste of the 21st century.

Gymnast on a Harley….Wow.

What happens when you take away a smokin’ hot gymnast’s balance beam and replace it with a Harley-Davidson Fat Bob? It’s only 30 seconds but who’s to stop you from playing it over and over again? Now what would be even more amazing is if there was a dude riding that bike on the highway while she did that.  What would be a million times more amazing would be if that dude was me.