October 2008 Archives

Harley-Davidson has announced some slow downs in production, but even with the economy struggling the company has continued to move motorcycles.  Sales in and around the Las Vegas area have been strong enough that on October 28, 2008, the new Red Rock Harley-Davidson opened its doors for business.  This 104,000 square foot Harley superstore will celebrate its grand opening with their "Rock Hard, Ride Harder" event.  This is open to the public, running from November 7 to November 9, with features food, drinks, Hawaiian Tropic girls, test drives, a look at the 2009 HD lineup, and a charity poker tournament, with a chance for the general public to play in a tourney with poker legends like Doyle Brunson.

From now until November 6, 2008, visitors to Harley-Davidson's Customizer website have a chance to win a free bike of their choice, with any available option and accessory from the company.  How? 

Simply by going to http://www.harley-davidson.com/customizer , and clicking on the link for "Launch the Customizer".  It opens a new window, and you can select any model, any trimline.  Once you have picked your bike, you can go through the online catalog, adding everything from bags to a big bore kit.  As you add things to the bike, the additions are shown in the Customizer window, and at any point you can click the estimated payment box for a price on your custom bike.

Considering that Harley-Davidson has been atop the list for best selling motorcycles for over a century now, with a long history of quality and freedom helping to sell the bikes, the launch of their new V-Rod Muscle is likely an event that will make a great deal of noise in the industry on its own.  However, with a struggling domestic and world economy, HD took some measures to see that this sleek new motorcycle has an advertising campaign that will be likely to catch the eye of the male market, and what better way to do that than to employ the help of one of the most beautiful women in the world?

The ad campaign, which was launched on October 13, 2008, features Supermodel Marisa Miller, who was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Issue, as well as being ranked the Number 1 on Maxim Magazines 2008 Hot 100 list.  Miller, whose family has long been involved with the Harley scene, jumped at the chance to be involved with this project.

The videos and imagines pairing the new V-Rod Muscle and Marisa Miller are available for both viewing, and as downloadable wallpaper on the Harley-Davidson site.  Along with the pictures and videos of the two, there is also a ton of information about the newest installation in the Harley-Davidson saga.

In 1903 the Wright Brothers made their historic first flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and while that flight brought us an innovation that would change the world, from the travel industry to the face of warfare.  However, there was another big event in 1903, although many at the time didn't notice due to the fuss made over two brothers flying a short distance 20 feet off the ground.  1903 was also the year that Harley Davidson Motorcycles was founded.

105 years later, the airplane has become an everyday form of transportation for some people, and Harley-Davidson has become one of the most well know companies around the world, even though both have changed greatly since their early days.  In order to commemorate the 105^th anniversary of both, Million Air, a private jet company with locations around the world held a contest drawing for a 2008 HD Heritage Softail Classic featuring a custom paint scheme in honor of the two 1903 events.

The winner of that drawing was announced on October 8, 2008, and Kim Yensen of Edmond, Oklahoma is the lucky new owner of this one-of-a-kind Harley.  Along with the many events that have gone on this year to commemorate the 105^th anniversary of the company, the 2008 Softail raffled off by Million Air has helped to further promote and celebrate 105 great years of the best motorcycle company in the world.

Over the past three years, Harley-Davidson has seen a massive amount of growth in the European markets, and to aid that growth, HD purchased popular Italian motorcycle company MV Agusta in early August, 2008.  This new branch of the HD empire will help the company increase its foreign market sales, and while the popularity of the Harley has grown around the world, the distinctly Italian design of the MV Agusta bikes, such as the Brutale 1078RR.

The MV Agusta company stormed onto the scene following World War II, offering low price, small motorcycles as a low-buck vehicle option, but in the 1960s and 1970s, the demand for small displacement motorcycles declined.  Over time, their focus became racing and performance rather than low cost and efficiency, and with that came the extinction of their smaller engine models, and in their place were larger, more powerful, and more excusive (low volume) bikes.  This caused a decline in sales, and by the 1980s, the company stopped producing bikes.  It would be some 17 years and the company's first buyout before they were start producing MV Agusta bikes again, but when they did, they did so with a bang.  The new Agusta's were direct competition for some of the hottest sport bikes in Europe, and when they released their Brutale lineup, their intention was to introduce a sort of Ferrari of motorcycles....super high performance and super low production volume, making them among the most expensive motorcycles in the world.  Even with that high price tag, the MV Agusta models have earned respect around the world; on both the street and the track.

This 108 million dollar acquisition gives HD not only a stronger foothold in the European market, but the variety of ultra high performance "Sport bikes" add a new element to the Harley-Davidson family, and this new division of the HD family will surely help to continue to spread the growth of the brand around the world.

Rising fuel costs have caused growth in unique areas of the transportation market, and motorcycles offer a far more exciting alternative to an egg-shaped, battery powered foreign car.  Some companies have begun offering more "everyone friendly" alternatives, such as the Can Am Spyder (pictured on the right), which is marketed as a roadster, but is little more than a sport bike with dual front wheels for ease of use.

While certainly not in the same league as a Harley, this bike has given people an alternative and in seeing the popularity, there is a chance the HD could be debuting a trike concept at a large show later this year in Cologne, Germany.  Many had expected a more typical setup with dual rear wheels and a single front wheel, but the rumors suggest that HD will be releasing a dual front wheel layout to compete with the market currently controlled by the Can Am Spyder.

It has also been reported that rather than the common 45 degree air cooled engine used in most of the Harleys, the new trike concept could be powered by a liquid cooled, 90 degree Revolution V-Twin.  Again, while these are all rumors, we should see in the next few months what Harley Davidson has in store for the ever changing motorcycle market.