Friday November 13, 2009
Honda has confirmed five more motorcycles for their 2010 lineup, but don't brace yourself-- the bike's aren't all-new groundbreakers like the
much-ballyhooed VFR1200F. Among the 2010 announcements is the Sportster-like
Shadow RS, the familiar
ST1300 sport tourer, and three
Fury chopper variants-- the
Sabre,
Stateline, and touring-equipped
Interstate... but dude, where's the CB1100?
The naked, 1960s-inspired CB1100F concept and even sexier CB1100R rocked the scene back in 2007, and made another appearance at this year's Tokyo Motor Show. But we haven't heard a peep as to whether or not the bikes are destined for production, which only makes me pine for them more.
Check out the new 2010 models in this updated 2009/2010 Buyer's Guide, and drop a line if you-- like me-- would like to see the CB1100 come to fruition!
Related:
Photos © Honda; click for Buyer's Guide
Thursday November 12, 2009
It's barely been a month since the
shock announcement that Harley-Davidson is discontinuing Buell, and a final reminder of the now defunct brand was released today: this shot of the very last Buell-- a Lightning XB12Scg-- being rolled off the East Troy, Wisconsin assembly line.
26 years and 136,923 bikes after Erik Buell founded his company, Buell Motorcycles is no more. Will they rise from the ashes and get rescued by another corporate giant, or become a footnote in motorcycle history? What would you wish for Mr. Buell?
Related:
Photo © Buell; click to enlarge
Thursday November 12, 2009
There isn't a whole lot of innovation in the motorcycle ad industry these days. Sure, Harley made waves with their
"Screw it, Let's Ride" campaign, but the marketing landscape is-- for the most part-- pretty drab.
But when I read our moderator Carrie's forum thread about a certain YouTube video depicting a helmeted, disembodied Argentinian dude by the name of "Quique," I discovered something refreshing. In contrast to this typically flashy promo that promotes the same product, the "Quique" video comes across as disarmingly different... even if it's not exactly your cup of tea.*
Diesel deserves kudos for producing a viral video that's more concerned with amusement than it is with the hard sell. Though gory stuff like this still makes me hesitant to wear anything less than a full-face helmet while I ride, at least I'm not likely to forget the story of "Quique" any time soon.
Sources: About.com Forum, YouTube, quiquethehead.com
* Which I experienced firsthand when I showed the video to my wife, who didn't see the humor in the piece... does that make me easily amused?
Screen Grab © Diesel
Wednesday November 11, 2009
"Why is it that every time we try to have a relaxing day," Cartman declares at the top of a much-discussed South Park episode, "a bunch of a******s on their Harley motorcycles show up?"
We've seen plenty of Harley hatin' here on our blog comments, but the show adds a whole new dimension to the anti-H-D stance. The episode-- available gratis on South Park's website-- depicts a pack of bikers whose disruptively loud Harleys prove too irritating for the truth-blurting, foul-mouthed lead characters. As the decibel assault escalates, the kids take the matter into their own hands, lobbying to have the dictionary definition of the term "f*g" changed to "annoying, inconsiderate Harley riders."
I won't put too fine a point on the suggested correlation between the Harley-Davidson brand and raucous exhausts, but if you've ever been annoyed by loud bikes, you can probably identify with the outrage expressed in the episode. And regardless of your stance on the ever-popular debate as to whether or not loud pipes save lives, you'll likely find humor (or irritation) in the show that's so controversial, the New York Times has reported that a gay advocacy group is protesting of the episode. Watch the 22-minute show here, and let us know: does South Park go too far, or do Harley riders really deserve a bad rap?
Sources: Hell for Leather Magazine, South Park TV, New York Times
Related:
Photo © South Park Studios; click to enlarge
