Harley-Davidson Softail Motorcycles in Townsend, page #24

Moto blog

Harley-Davidson and an American Hero

As motorcyclists, we’re drawn to the freedom two wheels represent; just man, machine and the open road. The feeling rings true today as it did 72 years ago, when Wallace Van Sandt, of Birmingham, Alabama, took delivery of his 1941 Harley-Davidson WLD Special Sport Solo, purchased new in 1940 for $365 (roughly $5800 in today’s money) by his father as a high school graduation gift. The WLD Special Sport Solo was a ringer in its day.

Bruce Willis Auctioning Motorcycles to Benefit Active and Retired Military

Actor Bruce Willis is auctioning five motorcycles from his personal collection to benefit the Boot Campaign, a Texas-based non-profit organization supporting active and retired members of the U.S. military. The motorcycles will be auctioned off every two months, starting from December 2012 to August 2013, with each auction running for up to 30 days at CharityBuzz.com.

Bonhams To Sell Garelli Grand Prix Collection At No Reserve

Mark your calendars for February 5 and 6, 2013, as those are the dates when Bonhams — one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine arts and antiques — will put for sale two motorcycle collections which include some incredibly rare and historic machines. The Grand Palais in Paris, France will play host to the auction, which includes the entire Garelli Grand Prix collection as its headliner. Founded in 1919, many famous Italian racers got their starts on Garelli motorcycles.

Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary Party Tickets Go On Sale in December

Harley-Davidson knows how to throw a party, and next year’s 110th anniversary celebration will be a big one. The Motor Company has already got things underway with its “110 Years of Freedom” world tour kicking off in Tibet in August. The tour will continue around the world through to the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary Celebration in Milwaukee, Wis., Aug.

Apple Lightning Connector Trademark Acquired from … Harley-Davidson and Buell?

Apple is one of the world’s most powerful brands, and it looks like it recently enlisted the help of another top brand: Harley-Davidson. The two companies are among the top 100 brands in the world, as ranked by brand consultancy firm Interbrand. Apple is #2 on Interbrand’s rankings for top brands of 2012 with a brand value of $76.57 billion, while Harley-Davidson is ranked 96th overall with a value of $3.86 billion.

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.

AMA Pro Racing Announces Preliminary 2013 Road Racing Schedule

AMA Pro Racing released a preliminary calendar for its 2013 Road Racing season. The tentative schedule contains nine confirmed rounds with another two to be confirmed. Next season will again see four classes of racing: AMA Pro National Guard Superbike, AMA Pro GoPro Daytona Sportbike, AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport, and the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson series which returns under its new name.

Motorcycle.com Adds a New Editor

While some moto publications are cutting back and constricting, Motorcycle.com is proud to announce the addition of a new editor to our masthead. MO readers, meet Jon Langston, our new Associate Editor. I knew Langston was a cool cat when I first met him at the Harley-Davidson Blackline unveiling in January 2011.

Harley-Davidson Secures NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Title With One Round Remaining

The indomitable Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines drag racing team has set the stage to claim another championship in motorcycle drag racing. Ed Krawiec raced to his ninth Pro Stock Motorcycle win of the season and third in a row at the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past weekend, ensuring the 2012 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship title will go to the Harley team. Krawiec now carries a 111-point advantage going into the last round; only his teammate, Andrew Hines, remains as a contender to claim the crown as champ.

2012-2013 Harley-Davidson VRSCDX Night Rod Special Recalled for Loose License Plate Bracket

Harley-Davidson is issuing a recall on all Night Rod Special models from 2012 and some from 2013 because of a potentially loose license plate bracket. According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the mounting screws connecting the VRSDCDX‘s license plate bracket to the tail may loosen, potentially causing the plate to rub against the rear tire. This may cause the plate bracket to rotate as well as damage rear brake lines.