26/05/2010 by info.

Staged at the port city of Norrtelje, an hour North East of the Swedish capital Stockholm, Custom Bike Show is set to again be the Scandinavian Affiliate event for the World Championship of Custom Bike Building; the sixth time that the event has been a part of the program.

Organized by Twin Club MC, and believed to be one of the oldest established custom bike shows in the world, the one-day ride-in event will be staged in its usual Societets Park in Norrtelje on Saturday June 5th.

The event draws large crowds, on what is Sweden’s National Holiday weekend, with competitors from all over Scandinavia, Finland and elsewhere in Europe.

Prior winners have included Stellan Egeland, whose June 2007 win with ‘Hulster 8 Valve’ came just two months before Stellan went on the become Europe’s still one and only Official World Champion.

Traditionally Custom Bike Show sees one of the highest standards of custom bikes at Europe’s shows, and other prior winners such as Hogtech, Mr. Moore Custom Craft, Chemical Chopper, Anders Göth and Flying Choppers have all gone on to do well at the European or World Championship.

Custom Bike Show is operated by the members of Twin Club MC on a volunteer basis, and gets generous support from aftermarket vendors such as Motorcycle Storehouse, Custom Chrome Europe, MotoSpeed and others who put up several thousands of Euro of parts and accessory prizes.

Twin Club MC provides the winner with a 5.000 Euro ‘bike freight prize’ to compete at the World Championship, and prize money for second and third to compete at the European Championship.

This year, Harley-Davidson Sweden is to sponsor the Modified Harley class in the latest international extension to Harley-Davidson’s partnership with the World Championship program.

www.custombikeshow.se

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21/05/2010 by info.

Press release below:

MINNEAPOLIS (May 20, 2010) – In an effort to improve its long-term competitive positioning, increase operational efficiencies and position the company for future growth, Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) today announced plans to realign its operations and refocus on its core strategic manufacturing processes. The Company will create manufacturing centers of excellence for Polaris Products by enhancing the existing Roseau, Minn. and Spirit Lake, Iowa, production facilities and establishing a new facility in Mexico.

The Company is currently evaluating several possible locations in the Monterrey/Saltillo area of Mexico for the new facility. The realignment will lead to the eventual sale or closure of Polaris’ Osceola, Wisconsin manufacturing operations over time. The realignment allows the Company to dedicate capital for strategic investments in painting, welding and assembly operations by outsourcing certain non-strategic component manufacturing processes. The Mexico facility is expected to maintain Polaris’ industry leading quality while improving the Company’s on-time delivery to customers and provide significant savings in logistical and production costs.

“While this was a difficult decision for us, given the impact on our employees at the Osceola facility, we believe the creation of these manufacturing centers of excellence will strengthen our company over the long-term and enable us to maintain our lead in a competitive market,” said Scott Wine, CEO, Polaris Industries Inc. “Pursuing opportunities in new markets outside the United States, while concurrently evaluating our cost structure to improve our long-term competitive positioning are key components to our growth strategy. This decision was based on a thorough review of our worldwide operations and will allow us to improve our ability to meet the quality, delivery and cost standards desired by our dealers and customers.”

The realignment of Polaris’ manufacturing footprint will strengthen the Company’s position in the powersports industry, as it will enable Polaris to have production facilities closer to customers in the southern United States and global markets the Company currently serves or expects to serve in the future. When the manufacturing realignment is completed the Company will have capabilities to manufacture ORVs (both ATVs and side-by-side vehicles), which represents more than two-thirds of the Company’s sales, in multiple locations depending on customer demand.

Snowmobile assembly will remain in the Roseau facility and Victory motorcycle assembly will remain in the Company’s Spirit Lake facility. As part of the manufacturing realignment, certain Osceola manufacturing processes will be moved into the Roseau, Spirit Lake and Mexico facilities to more effectively utilize Company resources. In addition, certain manufacturing processes and equipment are intended to be sold to suppliers whom will continue to supply components to Polaris. Other non-strategic component manufacturing operations currently performed in the Osceola facility will be outsourced. The realignment will begin immediately and is scheduled to be complete in 2012. The Company will look to have the new production facility in Mexico operational beginning in the first half of 2011.

Polaris is currently in negotiations with several suppliers to sell certain non-strategic component manufacturing processes and equipment in the Osceola facility. If successful, Polaris’ intent is that the suppliers will continue to manufacture these components in the current Osceola location. Polaris will operate the Osceola manufacturing facilities during the transition period. Upon completion of the transition, Polaris will provide the affected employees severance benefits and work closely with the Wisconsin Department of Labor and other state and local agencies to offer employment assistance and other services.

The Company expects to record pretax transition charges to its income statement in the range of $20 million to $25 million and incur capital expenditures up to $35 million over the next few years related to the implementation of the manufacturing realignment. The Company expects the Osceola facility exit costs, comprising largely of one-time employee termination benefits, to amount to approximately a third of the total transition charges, while the start-up costs related to the new Mexico facility and other centers of excellence will comprise the balance. Transition charges to be incurred in calendar year 2010 are expected to be in the range of $8 to $10 million. The Company’s current earnings guidance of earnings per share of $3.48 to $3.60 for the full year 2010 will not change as a result of this announcement. The realignment is expected to generate pre-tax costs and expense savings in excess of $30 million on an annual basis when the transition has been completed. The Company expects to begin realizing some of the cost savings as early as 2011.

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20/05/2010 by info.

BAGGER Werx used the V-Twin Expo to launch its new ‘Bay Area’ drop seat conversion kits for use on FL Touring equipped models.

The kits, which are available with a solo or two-up seat, lower the seat height on ‘09-’10 FL bikes with ABS brakes (excluding FL Softails) by 3in.

Each kit includes a custom designed Corbin seat, formed side cover sub frame rails and all necessary mounting hardware.

BAGGER WERX
Gilroy, California, USA
Tel: 408 848 8444
Fax: 408 848 8443
E-mail: npanzica@revengecycle.com

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19/05/2010 by info.

RIVERA Primo is re-establishing ART as a brand synonymous with performance motorcycle parts with the introduction of its new hydraulic transmission end cover.

The new ART polished billet aluminum cover has been designed for use on four-speed transmissions with a hydraulic clutch and a kick start. The 6061 aluminum piece requires the use of a 5/8in master cylinder.

RIVERA PRIMO
Whittier, California, USA
Tel: 562 907 2600
Fax: 562 907 2606

E-mail: info1@riveraprimoinc.com

www.riveraprimoinc.com

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17/05/2010 by info.

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17/05/2010 by info.

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14/05/2010 by info.

MUSTANG Motorcycle Products is celebrating its 30th anniversary of hand making bike seats with the introduction of the one-piece Super Touring for ‘08-’10 FL model Harley-Davidsons.

Lower than stock, the new seat places the rider in a deeply pocketed, 19in wide front bucket and also moves them 1.75in further back than stock. Behind the rider, the pillion has a 14in wide seat area, which is fully supported by Mustang’s unique internal support wings that eliminate any sagging at the edges.

The Super Touring is available plain or with studs (either chrome or chrome with black pearl centers), and with or without a fully adjustable driver backrest that folds flat for ease of getting on the motorcycle and removes easily without tools. A matching wrap-around passenger backrest with thicker, extended arms is also offered to complement the seat.

MUSTANG MOTORCYCLE PRODUCTS
Terryville, Connecticut, USA
Tel: 860 582 9633
Fax: 860 585 0407
E
-mail: info@mustangdealer.com

www.mustangdealer.com

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14/05/2010 by info.

Some 3,000 riders and a total attendance of around 20,000 people turned out for the 2nd annual Mad Builders Motorcycle Rally and Custom Show held over Mexico’s National Holiday weekend (May 1st to 3rd, 2010) at Jocotepec, Jalisco.

Operated by Caballos Salvajes (Wild Horses), a local motorcycle club, the event was, again, an AMD Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building Affiliate.

An increased bike entry competed for prizes in Modified Harley-Davidson, ‘Metric’ custom, and ‘FreeStyle’ classes with the Best in Show prize being expenses to compete at this year’s 7th annual World Championship at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August.

The event was supported by Rivera Primo and local dealer Harley-Davidson Jalisco, with the Best in Show ‘Sturgis’ affiliate event prize win being taken by Gabriel Solis Castillo of Puro Chingon Custom Choppers, of Hermosilio in the desert state of Sonora in Mexico.

His bike, ‘La Joya del Desierto’ (Jewel of the Desert) is a celebration of the colors, landscape and riding experience of the desert region in which he is based. Built on a heavily modified Redneck frame, the bike features a modified 1965 Harley ‘Pan/Shovel’ combination hybrid engine and modified Kiwi Indian leaf spring front-end.

www.madbuildersmotocicletasmexico.com

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11/05/2010 by info.

BARNETT’S newest 3in belt drive is the Black Scorpion. The drive is CNC machined from 6061-T6 billet aluminum, which is polished before being given a black anodized finish.

The drives also feature a Scorpion lock-up clutch capable of handling engines producing in excess of 200hp, making the drive suitable for both street and strip use. The Scorpion lock-up clutch is claimed to increase the clutch surface area, allowing the use of lighter coil springs by using adjustable pressure arms that progressively increase clutch pressure as the engine rpm increases. Extra spring sets are included for added adjustability.

The Black Scorpion belt drive is available for ‘90-’06 Softails and ‘90-’05 Dynas and can be ordered with or without a rear bearing support.

BARNETT PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS
Ventura, California, USA
Tel: 805 642 9435
Fax: 805 642 9436

E-mail: info@barnettclutches.com

www.barnettclutches.com

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07/05/2010 by info.

AMD is proud to announce support from Harley-Davidson for the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building at a new level.

Building on Harley-Davidson’s official sponsorship of the AMD Modified Harley-Davidson class, starting at this year’s 70th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Harley-Davidson will also become AMD’s new World Championship event production and staging partner.”

Following the success of its changed locations at Daytona Bike Week, Harley-Davidson has already announced that after 20 years it is to re-locate its Sturgis activity from Rapid City to the City of Sturgis itself, with the Harley-Davidson Road Tour being headquartered at the Lazelle/3rd site on which the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building has been hosted since 2007.

In a further extension to its world-wide support for the World Championship program, the Motor Company is now putting its considerable event resources behind the AMD Magazine team’s presentation of the four-day World Championship at Lazelle/3rd.

Located at the heart of Rally visitor attendance, the critical mass that Harley-Davidson will bring to the downtown Sturgis Rally experience has been welcomed by the City and vendors alike.

For the World Championship program, it represents an opportunity for attendance and profile to be taken to a new level as it heads into its 4th year on the site, and the 7th annual event.

“We got an excellent response to the changes we made in Daytona for Bike Week,” said Harley’s Steve Piehl. “Moving our displays outside, focusing our show on customization and personalization was the right thing to do. And we loved being where we could hear the rumble of big V-Twin engines all day long.”

“Given the relationship we have with the World Championship of Custom Bike Building, when it came to planning our activities for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the opportunity to be adjacent to the Championship was really attractive. We are excited to be able to work with AMD and partner even more closely with them in Downtown Sturgis.”

As at press-time, some 50 plus custom bikes were already signed up to compete, including 15 international bikes. The class structure will again showcase the latest radical custom projects and craftsmanship, air-cooled v-twin and otherwise. Alongside the ‘FreeStyle’ class, the fast-growing Modified Harley-Davidson class will again be sponsored by Harley-Davidson, with the Motor Company saying that this year they’ll put up a new, crated motor for the Modified Harley World Champion.

The Championship will also include the regular ‘Metric’ and ‘Production Manufacturer’ classes. Bike registrations will be on Saturday August 7th, with the event itself running from the morning of Sunday August 8th to the awards ceremony on the afternoon of Wednesday August 11th. It is anticipated that this year will see the awards ceremony being broadcast live on the internet with regular Facebook, Twitter and blog updates throughout, with the event itself being seen by the largest number of riders yet.

The World Championship can be entered online at www.amdchampionship.com

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