2013 Harley-davidson Ultra Classic Electra Glide on 2040-motos

Moto blog

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.

Laguna Seca Added to 2014 AMA Superbike Schedule

AMA Superbike will be racing at Laguna Seca this year after all, with AMA Pro Racing announced the addition of the Monterey, Calif., circuit to its 2014 schedule, joining the World Superbike Championship on July 11-13. Laguna Seca was not included in AMA Pro Racing’s calendar, but its addition now increases the number of rounds in the series to six. That’s still down from the nine rounds held in 2013, but the absence of Laguna Seca and its famed Corkscrew would have been an especially tough loss.

Harley-Davidson Reports Q2 2014 Sales Results

Harley-Davidson reported a net income of $354.2 million over the second quarter of 2014, thanks to a 12.4% increase in sales revenue. Actual motorcycle sales volume stayed about even, however, with unit sales increasing to just 90,218 motorcycles from 90,193 sold in the same quarter last year. Though sales were statistically the same as they were last year, Harley-Davidson generated $1.48 billion in revenue from motorcycle sales alone, up 16.2% from the $1.27 billion reported in the second quarter of 2013.