What Harley-Davidson Exec’s Want For Christmas
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
Santa wasn’t good to the motorcycle industry in 2009. A weak economy, company layoffs, a housing melt-down, credit freeze, higher manufacturing costs and an ever discriminating consumer to boot. As Harley-Davidson executives ponder over what happen this year, I can’t help but believe there are some major things on their wish lists to Santa. So I’ve taken a scientific (parody alert!) guess of what some of H-D’s top executives want for Christmas:
Keith Wandell, CEO, Harley-Davidson: I got the head honcho job with the industry’s most iconic motorcycle manufacture in history, that has a cult-like following, with vendors tripping all over themselves to copy what we’ve done and I didn’t even have a motorcycle endorsement. I can’t think of anything more to ask for. Oh wait, all those government stimulus funds – listen up Santa, I’ve been to the White House twice for dinner. Have I not been nice enough? Please let the spinner land on my project.
Mark-Hans Richer, Sr. VP & Chief Marketing Officer: What the ho? Please, Santa send us Tiger Woods! As the leader of the world’s foremost authority on brand marketing, our team of cutting edge hoo-ha marketers developed a new strategy with Tiger as the spokesperson! It’s set to appeal to the outlaw in every man. We plan to dump that “ludicrous” campaign in favor of “Night of the Tiger”…complete with an exclusive Elin ghost flame paint scheme…
Bill Davidson, VP Core Customer Marketing: Please Santa let 2010 be the year for H-D in professional motorcycle racing. Nothing but wins – in the dirt or drag or NHRA Pro – whatever it says on my t-shirt. Wait, can you also help people forget about that botched firing of Anne Paluso. Really our plan is to go racing – go “team scream” or something like that.
John Olin, CFO: Motorcycle sales! Santa it’s not my fault. Please let me milk this “new in my job” for just a while longer. What do they expect? Miracles on Juneau Avenue! Doesn’t it matter that I’ve been here less time than Keith? I do have a motorcycle endorsement. And, my calculator is newer than Lawrence’s!
Matthew Levatich, President & COO: Santa please get the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to approve and recognize my heroic role in getting the special license plate commemorating Harley-Davidson through the political red-tape as the state’s official motorcycle. Yep, 2010 is shaping up to be a good performance review! Memo to Enrico… get the bottle of Chianti ready!
Lawrence Hund, President & COO of H-D Finance: A new platinum edition HP 12C calculator. The minus button on my last one quit working.
Gail Lione, EVP & General Counsel: Santa please tell us who is behind that NWHOG?! Send us that macrant email address. We have an important legal document gift we wish to serve send over to Northwest Harley Blog.
Paul James, Harley-Davidson Company Spokesperson: Please let me graduate the training class called “If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t matter” — a.k.a. the Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf school of bubbling optimism to distract the media and bloggers with superfluous BS so they ignore our fundamental problems.
James McCaslin, EVP Corporate Product Planning: Santa can you get me a copy of Keith’s industry information? I’ve never heard of “vendors tripping all over themselves to copy what we’ve done?” I do remember a blogger at the 105th Anniversary trying to take a photo of a plant tour and we ran his butt right out the building before he was able to take pictures of the lunch room.
Karl Eberle, Sr. VP Manufacturing: Please make Indian go away. We are tired of being embarrassed in our own back yard when it comes to American cruisers and we don’t want that company bragging about their superior performance anymore.
Enrico D’Onofrio, Managing Director – MV Augusta: I already got what I wanted. Thanks for the early Christmas present H-D! That sale notification surprised Wall Street… as you say in your home land… my golden shute is priceless. All this talk about motorcycles when the grape reigns supreme here in the zone of Tuscany… please pass the Chianti.
Jon R. Flickinger, President & COO of Buell: A job! Also could you unload some of those dusty Buell’s in the warehouse? My exit bonus is on the line.
Thanks for your readership during this past year. You may not have agreed with what I had to say at times, but it made for some lively discussions nevertheless. Merry Christmas, happy holidays and best wishes to you in 2010.
Photo courtesy of Flickr.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Harley-Davidson Racing
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
“…They may be disappointed now, but someday they will be able to look back and see what great things were accomplished this season.”
This quote from Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso who this past November was commending the racing team after Eddie Krawiec rode a Harley-Davidson V-Rod to win his fifth NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle event at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway.
Anne Paluso was laid off Monday. Harsh! Ms. Paluso had been involved with H-D’s racing activities for the last 10 years and had been with the company for more than 16 years. I’ve written about other budgetary racing changes HERE.
Harley-Davidson spokesman Paul James was quoted Monday afternoon to say, “I can confirm her position was eliminated today due to budgetary reasons and that she has left the company,” and went on to say “Racing teams will continue to report to [Vice President of Core Customer Marketing] Bill Davidson. Our plan is to go racing in 2010 in dirt and drag racing, but final plans have not yet been set.”
At this accelerated budgetary reduction pace it’s unclear if H-D can continue to be an influential motorcycle in the professional sport.
Photo courtesy of H-D.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Broadcast Film Critics nominees announced
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
As a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), I usually publish a list of the organization’s major nominees for year-end honors. The 15th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards will be announced Friday, January 15. The list — more expansive than most other such lists — provides you with plenty of fuel for your own year-end awards and also gives you something to argue about as the year draws to a close. I voted, but the nominees don’t all reflect my taste, an inevitability with any critics’ organization. Stay tuned for more.
BEST PICTURE
Avatar
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Nine
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up In The Air
BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up In The Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Viggo Mortensen - The Road
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
BEST ACTRESS Emily Blunt - The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Saoirse Ronan - The Lovely Bones
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Matt Damon - Invictus
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Christian McKay - Me And Orson Welles
Alfred Molina - An Education
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard - Nine
Vera Farmiga - Up In The Air
Anna Kendrick - Up In The Air
Mo’Nique - Precious
Julianne Moore - A Single Man
Samantha Morton - The Messenger
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Jae Head - The Blind Side
Bailee Madison - Brothers
Max Records - Where The Wild Things Are
Saoirse Ronan - The Lovely Bones
Kodi Smit-McPhee - The Road
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Precious
Star Trek
Up In The Air
BEST DIRECTING
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Lee Daniels - Precious
Clint Eastwood - Invictus
Jason Reitman - Up In The Air
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal - The Hurt Locker
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen - A Serious Man
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber - (500) Days Of Summer
Bob Peterson, Peter Docter - Up
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach - Fantastic Mr. Fox
Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell - District 9
Geoffrey Fletcher - Precious
Tom Ford, David Scearce - A Single Man
Nick Hornby - An Education
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner - Up In The Air
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Barry Ackroyd - The Hurt Locker
Dion Beebe - Nine
Mauro Fiore - Avatar
Andrew Lesnie - The Lovely Bones
Robert Richardson - Inglourious Basterds
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Princess And The Frog
Up
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Broken Embraces
Coco Before Chanel
Red Cliff
Sin Nombre
The White Ribbon
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Anvil
Capitalism: A Love Story
The Cove
Food, Inc.
Michael Jackson’s This is it
Mt Hood Déjà Vu
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
Mac (red) — Mt. Hood Peak At 11,239 Feet
The names have changed, but once again experienced mountain climbers get into trouble on Mt. Hood.
Something went wrong for climbers Luke Gullberg, Katie Nolan and Antony Vietti. This past Saturday, rescuers found Gullberg’s body and retrieved a digital camera that recorded the group at 10,000 feet on the Reid Headwall, the steep rocky face that rises above Reid Glacier. This part of the mountain is complex and best climbed in May-June under cold conditions. Rescuers are continuing to search for the other climbers.
It was just three years ago, almost to the day that we learned about rescue efforts to find 3 other missing climbers (Kelly James, Brian Hall and Jerry “Nikko” Cooke), on Mt. Hood.
All this made me reflect on the one-and-only time I climbed the mountain. Of course it wasn’t in the middle of December, but none-the-less it was a challenging adventure for someone with no mountaineering background.
It wasn’t until I was 3 hours into the mountain climb with the crunch of crampons on ice and a heavy fog filled the predawn air that I fully appreciated the skills, hurdles and human conditioning required to do this every other weekend. Let alone execute a rescue like Portland Mt. Rescue in poor weather conditions, with extremely high avalanche hazards and with hurricane force winds. Here are my summit stats:
Mazama – Summit Certificate
Ascended MT. Hood (South side) on May 16, 1978
Leader: Dick Sawyer w/ assistant Steve Rearder
Mt. Hood is one of several volcanoes on the west coast of the U.S. It is located about fifty miles east of Portland, Oregon in the Mt. Hood National Forest near Hood River. It is very easy to reach the trailhead since it starts at the parking lot of Timberline Lodge at an elevation of 6,000 feet, which is the base for the ski runs located on Hood’s southern slopes. It is common to see skiers high up on Hood. In fact, last year/season the ski area Meadow’s broke the all-time skier/boarder attendance record with 1.83 million visits.
But the mountain can also be very dangerous as noted by the deaths in May 2002 of climbers falling into a crevasse and a helicopter rescue gone bad. The nine climbers were swept into a 50-foot wide and 20-foot deep crevasse, known as the Bergschrund, early in the morning. Three of the climbers were killed and four more were critically injured.
And despite being the site of one of the worst climbing disasters in the U.S. in 1986 and that in the past 100 years, there have been more than 130 deaths on Mount Hood, it is very popular for various skill levels and some 40,000 people fill out permits to climb it every year.
But I’ve moved off topic. I summited Mt. Hood in May 1978 (yeah, I know that was before Al Gore “invented” the internet!) with two college buddies along with a number of other climbers who we never met before. We used the standard route named the “Hogsback“. It is a very long, but straightforward day. We climbed independently most of the time, but roped up near the summit since the final ridge is exposed, slippery and can be windy.
The previous day we met up at Timberline Lodge to get final information and register with our guides from Mazama and the Park Service. We got the paperwork filled out and proceeded to an orientation as we spread all our gear on the floor for a final check and a quick refresher course on the “rest-step”, crevasse rescue and harness/rope travel. My friends and I looked at each other…”refresher”…we didn’t know about crevasses, or ropes, but we all thought the ice axe was cool. After the “lesson”, we killed a few hours in the lodge giving Heidi some love (a St. Bernard dog who has since past away) who was the lodge’s goodwill ambassador. Bruno has since replace Heidi and is doing a fine job continuing the role. We over nighted in the Chalet Rooms. These are European-style bunk rooms with shared access to a public bathroom with showers centrally located in the hallway. We had a 3am wake up call and everyone knew it would be difficult to sleep. The “snorer’s” seem to be asleep in seconds and kept most of us from any quality shut eye in the bunks.
We started the climb at 4:00am after a big bowl of oatmeal from the cafe. The route was clearly marked (by our flashlights) with a big sign stating “Climber’s Route” as well as discs on tall poles. This route takes climbers along the east side of the ski runs. The starting elevation is about 6,000 feet. The steady slope rises two miles to the top of the ski runs (oh how we wished for a chair ride on Palmer!) at a 30 degree grade. You are cold for the first 30 minutes then the steady grade gets the blood flowing in the legs and you begin to peel off layers.
MC (L) — Mt. Hood Peak At 11,239 Feet
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I was surprised to see so many other people climbing on this foggy morning. There was no wind, but the heavy fog made it cold anytime you took a rest.
As the sun came up we were treated to the burn off of fog and the shadow of Hood off to the west. I was a little slower than my friends, but I plodded along…step-rest-step-rest. We took a longer rest at the base of the Hogsback about 10,000′. I remember the strong smell of rotten “eggs”…sulfur…I expect from the out-gassing of the mountain. Looking up at the ridge, it was clear as we needed to rope up for safety otherwise it would be a quick slide down the mountain! So, on with the harnesses as I latched onto the rope.
I plodded along near the end of the rope for the short climb up the ridge. I remember someone shouted “FALLing” so, we all fell onto the snow with ice axes to prevent an accident. The person only slide 10-20 feet. We were all down to short sleeve shirts by this time as the sun was in full force. At Bergshund we split the ridge about halfway to the twin rock towers called the “Pearly Gates.” We took a path to the left to reach a narrow gap in the Bergshund. Once across, we continued our climbing to the Gates. Waiting for a number of people already on the way down and everyone else to arrive, I enjoyed the views of the “Kitchen” and surrounding pinnacles and ridges. And that sulfur smell continued on… We disconnected from our rope and quickly headed for the summit saddle. About 200′ at an aggressive angle and then we were…
On top! It was about 11:00am and it had taken seven hours to climb the 5400′. Everyone enjoyed the views and took pictures as well as made a quick climb to the true summit about a hundred feet away and maybe 50′ vertical.
On the downclimb, we roped up again until we were at the bottom of the Hogsback. From there it was a simple matter of tracing our steps back to the parking lot. With the steep slopes, we enjoyed some glissading in the black trash bags we packed and that sped things up quite a bit. It took us about 3 hours to return.
I think Mt. Hood is more challenging than advertised, especially if the weather is poor. The route is straightforward as long as you use Crater Rock as a guiding landmark. The crevasses are grouped off the primary route but climbers have been known to “find” them during whiteouts or storms.
As I reflect I remember it was a quiet May afternoon and my body was absorbing the warmth from the midday sun. In fact, it was too much sun. As we down climbed Hogsback a lot of people coming up were covered in Zinc Oxide? Later, as I unbuckled my harness in the parking lot and felt the stiffness in my body…in particular my sunburnt face.
I’ve never forget this positive experience with good friends. I hope only the best for the 2 remaining climbers.
Map photo courtesy of Steve Cowden/The Oregonian.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
30th Annual Shriners Toy Run
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
This past Saturday was Portland’s annual Shriners Children Hospital Toy Run.
The major organizer and motorcycle advocacy group for the event is ABATE and this year marks 30 years.
The weather was dry, but it was cold. In fact, the temp gauge registered a new low (28 degrees) on the motorcycle. As I left the neighborhood I noticed leaving tire tracks on the frost covered asphalt. I met up with the posse for breakfast and the main roads had already received a quick spray of glycol-based de-icers on the overpasses and bridges. By the time we finished breakfast and drove toward the Tri-Met parking lot the frost had mostly evaporated.
This year’s turnout was nearly as large as last which brought out more than 6,000 riders. But, more importantly it’s a lot of toys collected for sick kids. The Toy Run brings together Harleys, Hondas, clubbers, and even the occasional Vespa. The ABATE members held a motorcycle raffle to help raise money for the hospital and shortly after noon the police escorted riders followed a Tri-Met bus full of toys to the Shriners Hospital.
It was a great toy run and I want to provide a major shout out to the organizers and sponsors: ABATE; Tri-Met; Paradise H-D; Latus H-D; Columbia H-D; Thunder Mountain MC Rescue; Star Rentals; Megan James Band; H.O.G.; Schulz Clearwater.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Supporting Veterans
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
On this Veterans Day we still feel the shock of the 13 who were killed and the 43 injured on the base of Fort Hood just 6 days ago.
I have not been injured or nearly killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Nor do I personally understand the trials and long road to recovery that the injuries of war demand. In war, these events are called battles. In our own country, by the hand of an American soldier, these events are called a massacre. The victims were hit not by an exploding IED, responsible for close to 85 percent of the injuries and deaths in Afghanistan, they were hit by bullets, dozens of shots fired from a pistol by a psychologically disturbed individual. The victims of this tragedy are not only those who were physically harmed, but also their families, loved ones and comrades. They will need our support, on Veterans Day, and beyond.
Today I say thank you as we commemorate, remember, and honor those who have put themselves in harm’s way for their country.
Photo take in Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, HI.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Motorcycle Discrimination
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
Craig Bramscher (Brammo CEO) and Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden
Equal treatment from the state and federal government. It’s a topic that many motorcycle groups and individuals invest a lot of time to ensure.
Whether it’s fighting against profiling of average citizens who ride motorcycles or “anti-gang bills” that defines a gang as “an association of three or more individuals who share a symbol or name either formally or informally.” Or maybe it’s calling out press organizations who use motorcycle club sensationalism to sell advertising which has the added benefit of isolating the motorcycle riding segment of our population from the mainstream and tries to “criminalize” motorcyclists in the court of public opinion.
But, today economic factors have me advocating on behalf of the motorcycle “Eco-Activist”. Specifically the manufacturers that make electric two-wheeled vehicles. They have been largely discriminated against and cannot benefit from the numerous government incentives designed to spur the growth and adoption of electric vehicles. Remember the Clunker Program? Motorcyclists need not apply!
However, there are some positive signs with HR 3246, which is called the Advanced Vehicle Technology Act. The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the amendment giving two-wheel electric vehicles manufacturers access to Department of Energy funding for further development of electric vehicles. For the EV industry this will allow, for the first time, two wheel vehicles to benefit from federal Department of Energy funding which automobiles enjoy.
Plug IN America was instrumental in getting this legislation passed in the house, but as you may recall a bill must pass both the House and Senate and then be signed by the President. And while it’s gratifying to see the House of Representative approve and show support for electric motorcycles, the Senate needs to follow suit. I encourage motorcyclists to take a moment to tell their U.S. Senator’s to support and pass this measure when it comes up to vote. A complete list of Senators and their contact information can be found here.
Photo courtesy of Brammo. Full Disclosure: I don’t work for or have an investment or ownership in Brammo.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Veteran Disturbia
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
The Fort Hood, TX., shooting spree yesterday by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is disturbing. He had duties as a psychiatrist to help treat soldiers returning from combat with P.T.S.D. and it’s being reported that he shouted “Allahu Akhbar” (phrase meaning “Allah is great” in Arabic) as he opened fire on returning soldiers assembled from combat duties in the middle east.
The commander-in-chief was being constantly briefed on the shooting situation and stated “Let’s not jump to any conclusions” during publicized remarks in the wake of the shooting. This from the same person who said a couple months ago that police in MA., were “stupid” for arresting a Black college professor – who was a personal friend – and was thought to be breaking into a home?! The contradiction is disturbing.
And instead of a somber commander-in-chief offering expressions of sympathy and compassion to the Veteran’s and their families, the President maintains his previously scheduled meeting and makes inappropriate and light-hearted remarks at the Tribal Nations Conference. Backslapping and providing “shout-out’s” to attendees. A full three minutes into the speech the President finally spoke of the shooting – one of the worst killing’s in military base history! They should have cancelled the meeting realizing a disconnect between the horrific killing played out at home and the light hearted banter coming from President – the Frater Infinitas (“brothers forever”) disconnect is disturbing.
But I digress.
In a few short days another Veteran’s Day will be celebrated. It’s about honoring military veterans. There will be parades large and small celebrating those who stepped forward to serve our nation. I can’t forgive Hasan for the betrayal and I’m not going to allow a psychologically disturbed individual cast a shadow on remembering them either. I have a lot of respect for our soldiers and appreciate the service you do for this country.
Photo courtesy of itmon.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
The Perfect Storm
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
It happens this Saturday, October 31st. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year and it’s a particularly deadly night due to impaired drivers.
The ODOT Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data reveals a startling fact. It turns out that 90% of the fatalities (10) on Halloween night (6:00 p.m., October 31st to 5:59 a.m., November 1st) between 1998 and 2008 in Oregon occurred in alcohol and/or drug-involved traffic crashes. And according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2008, 58 percent of all highway fatalities across the nation on Halloween night last year involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, which is illegal in every state.
Now let’s add the fact that Eugene and Corvallis will see a significant traffic increase associated with UO and OSU home football games. All of this mixes with excitable trick-or-treaters, and costumed party-goers — we have the perfect storm of people taking the party to the roadways.
Everyone plays an important role in keeping the kids and roads safe. Please be safe out there and enjoy the weekend.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Reconsidering Happiness
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
Keith Urban
Whoa! My two previous posts on the current state of the Harley-Davidson state was clearly like a sad country song in an old rundown coffee shop, yup one of those “bummer zones” so, we need a change of scenery.
Speaking of, have you been to Nashville? If you haven’t been to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum you’re the worse for it. Yeah, you may think you don’t care about boot-kickers, but you’re missing out on the history of America. From slavery to the Dust Bowl to Elvis and the tragedy of the Williams family. To go to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is to become a fan. And to insure that it lives on, Vince Gill proposed a “All For The Hall” event where every artist cough up one night of revenue for the Hall.
Keith Urban is one who took him up on it and at the Sommet Center (the Staples Center of Nashville), he hosted some of country music’s finest as they raised money for the Hall. Keith and his band played one my favorites, “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me“:
“I got no money in my pockets
I got a hole in my jeans
I had a job and I lost it
But it won’t get to me”
That’s the power of music. It crowds out all the negative and replaces the bad thoughts with joy and inspiration. And when you watch Keith Urban ride his Harley and hear him wail on his guitar, you’ll smile with a good feeling. I don’t know about you, but after yesterday’s jaw-dropping news from H-D and the layoffs at Buell I needed some “sunshine blown up my skirt.”
Life. It’s full of hopes and dreams. And victories and losses. What gets you through is your friends, family and the music.
Photo courtesy of Keith Urban.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Are You Significant
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
This is the question I’ve been pondering over after having an opportunity to spend a couple of hours with “No Barriers” founder Neal Petersen.
To save you some time the short version of Neal’s story is — He is a black South African who grew up poor and disabled during apartheid yet achieved his dream of racing/sailing solo around the world. He now does motivational speaking and is involved in peace talks in multiple countries across the world. During Mr. Petersen’s speech he routinely ask the audience; “Does what I do on a daily basis at work have a positive impact?”
This resonated with me and while I personally reflect on this I can’t help, but ask the question of Harley-Davidson’s CEO, Keith Wandell.
Today, Harley-Davidson reported out the Q3’09 quarterly results and announced a massive 21.3% decline in revenue for the 3rd quarter and an 84.1% decline in net income from a year ago quarter. Apparel and general merchandise represents 23% of H-D revenue to date. Then the news got interesting. They announced that 14 dealers have closed year-to-date and set the expectation that 15-30 additional dealers will close in the next 6 months as the company reduces inventories to match sales. They discussed the HDFS bad loan/delinquencies and financial progress. The Harley-Davidson brand value (note: its moved down from 43 to 71 position) and the more important announcement was to shutter the Buell product line as well as divest its MV Agusta unit. A busy day of spin as Mr. Wandell went on to discuss the going forward 4-piller strategy of: growth; continuous improvement; leadership development and sustainability.
On the Buell front I can’t say that I’m not surprised because it was reported a couple weeks ago in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that Erik Buell didn’t renew his employment contract with the motor company and there were a number of rumors circulating as to what that might mean. I want to personally thank Erick Buell and the Buell employees. I believe what they did on a daily basis at work had a positive impact. They should be proud of what they accomplished. They are an American innovation poster-child and represent what passionate and inspired people can do through engineering and manufacturing some of the best-handling bikes in the world. But, in biker speak… it’s WTF? An American designed and manufactured motorcycle that out performed Asian manufactures all year in the AMA Pro Roadracing circuit and Mr. Wandell dumps it? This is forward thinking? 2009 marked the first year H-D had a non-motorcycle enthusiast running the company and I have to ask if he really got out there to see what all that (Harley) race stuff was about and how it enhanced the brand?
Since I was rather harsh in a blog post last year about the $108 million MV Agusta deal and describing it as a train wreck, I agree with the decision to abandon it. Sure this happened under ex-CEO James Ziemer shift who retired shortly after cutting the deal, but the board members clearly approved Mr. Ziemer’s compensation package who walked away with only $5.6M compensation, up 26.5% from 2007. And in part the compensation was based on the boards admiration of the MV Agusta deal, right? The board members should be put on notice as there are now another 180 employees set to hit unemployment due to the management of the company and we all know they had line of sight just 12 months ago to the economic issues.
The shocker in the financial call was the statement of investing more in emerging markets up to and including local market design and manufacturing! Is this a precursor to moving manufacturing off-shore? A lot of talk about taking Hogs to China and India, but nothing about how well the strategy has worked to woo women, African-Americans and Latinos. The value of the brand was weaved into the growth strategy, but nothing about why it dropped 43% in 2009. They’ve talked for two quarters about reducing inventory yet made little progress. And loans made to iffy borrowers aren’t just taking down housing.
The push by H-D corporate for dealers to build increasingly larger and high-end-glamorous retail outlets meant more dealer debt and subsequent failures. Chapter 11’s continue to stack up across the northwest. Three locations of Shumate H-D with one in Kennewick (owner hub), another in Spokane and a satellite location in Lewiston, ID. I blogged earlier this week about Dave Tuomisto’s, $16M and 6-acre mega-expansion at Timpanogo, UT which went under. It’s not clear when or if any of these dealers will reemerge and the real downside will be H.O.G. groups folding, lengthy drives for service or to hang and drop in which overall effects customer service and having a healthy Harley community.
Harley is in major trouble. The spin, baby, spin from Mr. Wandell is not good enough, my friend.
Photo courtesy of H-D. Financial call transcript courtesy of SeekingAlpha. Disclosure: I have no investment in HDI
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Harley-Davidson Fanaticism Can’t Save Timpanogo
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
GM, Rick Story and Owner, Dave Tuomisto
It’s starting to look a lot like a “job-less recovery”… and the R-word continues to take a toll as bankruptcy filings nationally surged past the 1 million mark during the first nine months of 2009. Many states have similar statistics, but in Utah the U.S. Bankruptcy Court received 10,706 bankruptcy petitions in the first nine months of this year — a 62% increase from the same time last year.
And speaking of Utah, the owner of Timpanogos Harley-Davidson (Dave Tuomisto) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month to help stall an acrimonious legal battle over millions of dollars in alleged unpaid debts to several lenders. I previously blogged on the July 2008 opening of the mega-dealership HERE and it’s unique history after a $16 million renovation complete with green building awards.
The 6-acre complex and building was resort-like and often written about in a very positive profile that focused on Harley-Davidson’s growth strategy, branding efforts, and future opportunities. Overall, it was a great story and a source of pride as a memorial to the Geneva Steel power plant. For the city it was a way to talk up the merits of building green and reusing historical icons. It was like a mini-museum and it’s very unfortunate to witness its rapid fall – again.
As the economy continued to falter, the overextended Mr. Tuomisto structured an agreement with Nu Skin founder Blake Roney (Tupelo Investments LLC) to transfer the dealership to them after getting bailout assistance to keep the dealership’s assets from being seized and shut down by Harley-Davidson Credit Corp. Tupelo Investments LLC owns the 60,000 square-foot building and the motorcycle-themed restaurant called Marley’s. In bankruptcy court filings the list of creditors include: Harley Davidson Credit, which is owed $4.3 million; Monarch Recreation Sales is owed $760,922; Scrub Oaks is owed $400,000; the Utah State Tax Commission is owed $151,363; and millions more owed to hundreds of other businesses and individuals.
But wait, there’s more… quick to smell a deal, Joe Timmons (Owner of H-D Salt Lake, South Salt Lake) is trying to buy the building which housed Timpanogos H-D. Likely for pennies on the dollar.
Photo courtesy of H-D.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Motorcycle Freedom And NCOM
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
NCOM Agenda — Portland, OR
Some things are immutable. You’ve got to show up for appointments on time.
And speaking of meetings the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM (Region 1)) meeting and seminar is set for Saturday, October 17th in PORTLAND, OR. The venue is the Holiday Inn (Portland Airport) at 8439 NE Columbia Blvd., Portland OR 97220.
Speakers at the daylong event includes:
James “Doc” Reichenbach – Chairman, National Coalition of Motorcyclists — “Freedom of the Road Throughout the Nation”
Sam Hochberg – A.I.M. (Aid to Injured Motorcyclists) Attorney, Oregon — “Other Legal Issues In Our Region” and “Trademark Defense Update”
Jim Hernandez – Professor Criminal Justice — “New Federal Gang Bill”
Guest Speaker — “The Defender Program”
NCOM was founded in 1986 with the idea that motorcycle groups from across America could “come together” and address the overwhelming need for a national voice to protect our life-style and right to ride. NCOM is not another association, but rather a bringing together of existing motorcycle groups for the purpose of mutual exchange of information, legislative strategy and to combine strength to fight all that is adverse to the freedom of the road.
All motorcyclists are invited to this free event. Hopefully you can join your fellow riders as it’s your opportunity to hear about the status of the fight for personal freedom across the country and weigh in on the various motorcycle topics effecting the northwest. I received information that the WA CoC will be riding in as a master pack which should make for an interesting entrance visual in of itself.
True, I’m on a mini blogging timeout this month, but the meeting is important and I wanted to help get the word out.
Photo courtesy of NCOM.
Blogging Timeout
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
According to a 2008 survey by Technorati, which runs a search engine for blogs, only 7.4 million out of the 133 million blogs the company tracks had been updated in the past 120 days. That translates to 95% of blogs being essentially abandoned, left to WOW (wallow on the web), where they become public remnants of a dream — or an ambition — unfulfilled.
I started blogging in 2006 which seems like a long time ago… then in 2007, prior to taking off on an extended motorcycle trip I started the Northwest Harley Blog. The thinking at the time was that a mix of hobbies (motorcycle and photography) would be a natural fit and thus was born — rantings of a motorcycle enthusiast.
Many people start blogs with lofty aspirations — try to build an audience and leave their day job, land a book deal, get attention from traditional media or simply to share their so-called genius with the world. I did not! Some even assumed that once they started blogging, the world would beat a path to their digital door. Getting started is easy, since all it takes to maintain a blog is a time commitment and inspiration. Some actually believe those TV advertisements about some mommy blogger making $4,000 a month?
As a “closet journalist” I like to provide a unique voice and work to accurately report and find unusual angles on stories related to motorcycle causes and the industry. I also like to provide chronologies of my various ride and rally wanderings. After two+ years, or put another way — after 500 posts, 873 photo’s edited/uploaded, and several thousand moderated comments later I feel the blog is a successful hobby after obtaining on average 24,000 unique monthly views, but it’s also at a cross-roads.
The internet is different now. It used to be about research, accuracy and quality entries. The good bloggers had something to say about the big motorcycle issues of the day. Now it’s about snippets from people who pump out dreck or large excerpts of other articles. Original and high-quality content has become dumbed down. Bloggers are required to spend more time ‘digg-n’, ‘tweeting’, ‘facebooking‘, ‘youtubing‘ and SEOing their posts than they do on the actual posts themselves. Even H-D is pushing their social media outreach staff to pump up the noise level on marketing messages in non-traditional channels — i.e. bloggers.
Sure it’s cool to have all this media presence, you can tweet ad infinitum and make videos clips if you’ve got a burning desire to do so… especially if you love new media and are thrilled to be in constant contact with your fan base or “tribe.” In other words, if its an end unto itself.
But, that’s what bothers me. There is a point of diminishing returns and a mental cost to all the work. In the early days all that was required to “win” at blogging was to show up early each day. Today? You need a team of social marketers to get your message out, a second team to manage any fall-out from whatever you’ve said and a third to manage all the SPAMers and deletion of bad behavior rolled up by the Google machine in the form of drive-by trolls and haters who try and take up residence. As a result blogs have a higher failure rate than restaurants!
Not all blogs fade from lack of reader interest. Some bloggers find themselves too busy — what with, say, band-camp, and swim practice, or perhaps even housework. Others graduate to more immediate formats, like Twitter or Facebook and drop evangelizing via the blog platform. And a few — gasp — actually decide to reclaim some small slice of their personal time. This brings me full-circle about a decision.
I’m going to take a blogging timeout. Little if any new material will appear during the month of October. I plan to resume in November. Why? Having blogged consistently for over three years now, I think it would be wise to take a step back and evaluate the effects (both good and bad) and determine what if any new direction should be taken. If you have an opinion or viewpoint I’m sure you’ll let me know.
I appreciate the allegiance of the blog reader base who subscribe and those who visit the site regularly. If you happen on to this site during the month of October I hope you’ll enjoy looking through the archives.
Enjoy fall and ride safe out there…
Road Trippn’ To Street Vibrations 2009 – Part 3
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
Street Vibrations is a 4-day event that brings two-wheel enthusiasts from all parts of the country to show-off customs, parade the vendor booths and enjoy the entertainment. Oh did I mention the local rides? Yes, there are plenty from Virginia City to Lake Tahoe as well as the various poker runs.
The weather (mid-90’s) really made for a positive experience this year. Our entourage spent time riding out the Virginia City loop, but mostly we stayed in downtown to mingle with the crowds, talk motorcycles with riders and vendors and take in all that the casinos had to offer up in terms of entertainment. The vendor booths were busy with crowds most all day long. Of course there was the monster jump at the Grand Sierra Resort by Ryan Capes who broke the (ramp-to-ramp) record on a motorcycle.
Left Of Center
And there were lots of bands with some top tier talent, but I enjoyed the non-headliners more. There was Saddle Tramps on the Jagermeister Super Stage and most notable was Left of Center who played the Brew Brothers pub at Silver Legacy on back to back nights. Our group also caught a comedy club act in the Catch A Rising Star lounge which made the $15 per ticket expense seem like a bargain after all the craps table losses!
The motorcycle festival didn’t pass without incidents, however. There were several motorcycle accidents including one fatality which I posted previously HERE. In fact, on our ride back from Virginia City we came upon a motorcyclist who lost control and struck a wall on Griner’s Bend, a sharp curve at the south side of Virginia City on State Route 342. In addition, Police reported there were 72 arrests made at Street Vibrations even though it was considered one of the more peaceful events! Most of the arrests were alcohol related, including 23 for public intoxication. The police also issued 77 traffic citations and responded to six reports of stolen motorcycles. It was a busy weekend for LEO, but what I most appreciated was the lack of SWAT teams armed with semi-automatic rifles marching in Virginia City and other areas.
Back to the rally. I missed the roller derby battle between the Rose City Rollers and the Battle Born Derby Demons, but you have to make a call since you can’t take it all in! The sponsors brought back the firework display which had disappointed many last year when it was cancelled. And then there was the tattoo expo which put body art on display and inspired one of the posse to get inked. A big shout out to Randy Burke, owner of Road Shows who puts on Street Vibrations because it was a great event and the rally was kept fresh with some new activities.
Posse Dinner
On Sunday morning we were up early because it was all about miles and putting on as many of the 546 miles we needed to do before the heat baked the day. From Susanville we took CA-44 through Lassen National Forest. We headed up toward Old Station and then took CA-89 toward the town of Mount Shasta. I like riding this route. The road is good and traffic is moving fast for a two-lane road. It has a varied and interesting scenery. About 60 miles south of Mount Shasta there was a forest fire in early August that raged through the area. I believe it was the Hat Creek Complex. More photos HERE. We didn’t know it at the time, but there was another forest fire filling the air with smoke. A thin layer at first, but it increased through-out the day. It was from the Boze fire, an 11,000-acre fire near Tiller, OR and with the southerly trade winds blowing it meant we rode in it nearly all day long!
We entered the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains, rolled onto I-5 and pressed on through beautiful scenery. Arriving at the Oregon border we crossed the 4300 foot mark at the Siskiyou Summit which is the highest point on I-5. We then dropped down in the Rogue River valley through Ashland, Medford and Grants Pass. Occasionally, I’d catch a whiff of toasted brake lingering in the air, proof that not everyone enjoyed the ride as much as we were! We traversed the three passes of the Umpqua Valley and after Roseburg it was back to rolling hills. We continued to deal with forest fire smoke. There was a small mechanical delay which baling wire fixed in short order with a shift linkage, but otherwise we were all about miles and stops were limited to fast food and fuel. It took just under 12 hours to make the trip home.
It was a good and safe Street Vibrations trip!
Road Trippn’ to Street Vibrations 2009 — Part 1 HERE; Part 2 HERE.
Kawasaki Ninja 250 - Best Introductory Bike for Women
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Let me start off by saying that I HAVE a Kawasaki Ninja 250R and I LOVE IT! My title of course begs the question, or perhaps starts a heated debate from all the guys who happen to now own a “chick bike.”?! So, before I get a ton of responses filled with testosterone, let me start off by stating some of the reasons I feel that this is the best introductory bike for women to start their motorcycle riding adventure (and guys for that matter too):
Lightweight and easily manageable:
Sure, if you “take down” any bike, there is not a great likelihood of being able to easily pick it up again (not by yourself at least)! However, at a mere 304 lbs, this bike can be more readily manuevered with even the smallest of female frames! I am fortunate to have pretty long legs (and for that matter, arms) but many petite women can easily touch the ground with the standard seat height being 29.3 inches.
Excellent gas mileage:
Perhaps this is the cost-conscious part of me jumping up and down joyously because of the 55-75 miles per gallon that I get on this baby, but truely, with a recession in progress, how can you beat these numbers while still having the get-up-and-go that blows a Vespa away any day?! (Now that I have my calculator), I can also tally up the 4.8 gallon fuel tank capacity and wow everyone with the range of 264-360 miles per tank of riding pleasure before having to make a pit-stop!
Parts galore:
That’s right, even though this touches on the not-so-nice topic of potential damage to your new “baby”, this bike has been around since the 70’s and parts are everywhere! This of course goes back to my cost-conscious mentality of supply > demand = I save $$!
It just looks and sounds “cool”:
Ok, I admit I didn’t want everyone to think I was shallow by starting out with this very well known fact, but this bike is “eye candy” to the beholder and the passer-by! And what little tomboy girl didn’t want to play with the boys and have all their cool “toys” anyway?! With the sporty black frame and red flames that splash along the torso of this bike, it is truly a sharp riding machine!
Fast enough:
Yes, that’s right. I said it. This bike is “fast enough” to get me where I want to go. I have taken mine up to 85 mph on the interstate. My brother took my Ninja out for a spin and pushed it past 90 mph!! (Yes, boys will be boys!!) But who really needs to go this fast? If your answer is “I do”, move on to a bigger cc bike!
So, heck yeh, I think the Kawasaki Ninja 250R is the best introductory motorcycle for women!! And nothing against the guys that have the Ninja 250 for their first bike, but why would I take a guy’s opinion for how great a bike feels for a woman? Take mine, you’ll love the ride, the feel and the “Zen” that this bike produces when your riding it! Just don’t forget to wear the helmet to protect your noggin! 
Riding Shotgun On A Trike
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
Delonte West
Do 3-wheeled motorcycle (”Trike”) owners carry more weapons than the 2-wheeled brethren?
Although there is no scientific research or poll which confirms the “packing” attributes of each vehicle type, the recent arrest of NBA player Delonte West is an indicator that we might want to give the 3-wheeled riders a bit little more distance in the future!
Turns out that Mr. West, a D.C. native-turned NBA player for the Cav’s was riding his Can Am Spyder and was pulled over in Prince Georges County, MD at 10pm for — now get this — cutting off a law enforcement canine unit. After being pulled over for “making an unsafe lane change” he was arrested for weapons possession. What was most impressive was the assortment and number of weapons he was carrying on the trike — THREE! One for each wheel. A Beretta 9mm in his waistband, a Ruger .357 magnum strapped to his leg and a shotgun in a guitar case slung over his back. Police charged West with two criminal counts of carrying a handgun for the Ruger and the Beretta, and issued him a traffic citation for driving “in excess of reasonable and prudent speed.”
Either he’s been watching too much “Arnold” (Terminator) or Son’s of Anarchy on FX. Or maybe its time to put down the PS3 controller and give Grand Theft Auto a rest because this is retarded behavior.
My parents always taught me to follow the rules. Don’t run with scissors. Don’t litter. Don’t talk with your mouth full. Don’t swim right after eating. And don’t stick a loaded weapon down your pants (at least with the safety off — right Plaxico!). Clearly I was brainwashed. We have been fed this crap all our lives, that role models are the “gangsters” or rouge professional athletes. The rich and famous are the ones addicted to the drugs. Jail should be full of famous people, but they are so abnormal, and so admired, that we let them go on reduced charges.
Tomorrow, instead of going to Walmart to get a life, I’m going to steal some gasoline from the neighbors and go on a motorcycle road trip. I’ll wear a samurai sword, get a DUI, smack a girl half my size, jump up on the brew pub stage and give Beyonce a video shout-out. I’ll be abnormal tomorrow… just like Delonte… I want to get noticed for impersonating an athlete.
Photo courtesy of Elsa/Getty Images.
Ridin’ Easy
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
It’s iconic. “A man went looking for America and couldn’t find it anywhere.”
Forty years later Sony Pictures prepares to re-release (on October 13th) a newly digitized version of “Easy Rider” on Blu-ray disc and leverage movieIQ technology which allows fans to access relevant cast and crew trivia online. At the same time, Kerr Leathers, a Salem, MA., company has an exclusive contract to produce replicas of the Captain America leather jacket which Fonda (Wyatt) wore. As one of only a couple American leather makers left, Kerr also has the contract to produce other anniversary memorabilia, including Fonda’s vest and T-shirt, a CD of the movie songs, and commemorative posters.
The original leather jacket was designed and manufactured by Clarice Amberg of ABC Leathers in South Gate, California. In 1971, ABC Leathers was bought out by Bates Manufacturing and later the company was renamed Bates Industries. Currently its Bates Custom Leathers. Bates is owned by two women, Dawn and Dana Grindle. At the time, ABC Leathers made two jackets and one set of pants for the movie. The movie secured private financing of $440K and grossed over $19 million. You can hear Fonda speak about the jacket HERE (.wmv file)
Kerr Leather “Captain America” Clothing
Millions of baby boomers who relate to the movie will undoubtedly line up to obtain one of only 3,000 Captain America jackets to be made. All are signed by Fonda, and will retail for $459. In a brilliant coup d’état, all of the gear will be sold by Harley-Davidson dealers worldwide. In addition, each of the dealers will receive a Fonda autographed American flag on one jacket, which will be raffled off for the dealer’s favorite charity.
And speaking of the American flag — the original, one-and-only American flag patch worn on the back of Wyatt’s motorcycle jacket, was sold in 2007 for more than $89,000 by Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas, TX. The flag was featured prominently throughout the movie. Fonda kept the jacket after production wrapped, and wore it until the jacket wore out. He then saved the patch, framed it, and then decided to make some of the memorabilia available to fans. Ironically, for a film so fervently anti-establishment, the Department of Defense pin that adorned the jacket was valued at over $15,000.
The launch of the re-released movie on Blu-ray is set to coincide with the 26th annual Love Ride during California Bike Week (October 23 – 25). As the population ages it’s common these days to see commemorative clothing and products hit the market. Nostalgia sells. The last time Kerr Leathers first produced an “Easy Rider” commemorative jacket was for the film’s 25th anniversary in 1994.
Photos courtesy of Kerr web site.
Buell Adds Viral Marketing Fuell
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
2010 Buell Blast
The public has been manipulated so many times, that when something extraordinary happens and becomes instantly viral in our networked world, many people cross their arms and say – “not real!”
They say the public is cynical. Who’d blame them? What with the Borat and Eminem “butt kiss” at the MTV awards show — it was all for ratings. It seems everything is about seeing misfits behave in the midst of other misfits. Once upon a time we respected honesty. To truly make it these days, you’ve got to be honest, you’ve got to have the goods and talent too otherwise you’re just another “scammer” trying to make a buck.
Speaking of honesty, Eric Buell (Buell Motorcycle Co.) is not some faux character in a vague reality TV script. He’s the real deal and shoots straight about the Buell Blast. Yes, it’s a piece of crap “sport bike”. Not his words. Sure, Eric comes off with ‘tude as if completely independent, not beholden to the parent company (Harley-Davidson), but he does what everyone would like to do — trash compact/compress that little nerdy Buell Blast into oblivion!
The 2010 Buell Blast introduction video is HERE.
The video works because it’s a “first”. Well actually I am pretty sure that it isn’t – but that’s not important as long as it’s perceived as a novel idea. Kudo’s to the marketing dudes. The video contains a bit of a mystery. Something that wants to be solved. Curiosity sets in and you wonder if this is a hoax or a real video. There’s always both the message (the actual video) and the meta-discussions of the message (is this real/stupid/too much?) to drive people to share and view your content. As the buzz grows, people will join only to see what others are talking about – this is when the crowd mentality kicks in.
It’s a battle over clever stuff and this was good product marketing on the failure to convert the non-riding public into Buell owners!
Photo courtesy of Buell.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Obama Is Correct
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
Kanye West is a ‘jackass’. And not because of his 2007 video for “Stronger” which used a genuine Japanese motorcycle gang in the video.
Here’s the 411 — President Obama ‘off-the-record’ called Kanye West a ‘jackass’ for his outburst at VMAs when Taylor Swift won. You can listen to the audio HERE.
Yes, Kanye did hand the microphone back to her, but like the 19 year old she is, she was overwhelmed and couldn’t speak. Thus cementing her status as a singing teenage naif. The ABC reporter, Terry Moran, who overheard the casual between-us-folks chatter — which is often a part of the technical set-up before an interview officially begins — tweeted yesterday that President Obama was “off the record” in an interview with CNBC which a few hundred thousand people @RT the Kanye ‘ass’ outing.
I have a new level of respect for Obama. Calling out Kanye was the right thing to do. Yet, the jackass quote was soon retracted! ABC issued an apology to both CNBC and the White House (and removed the Tweet, but not before folks screen-grab images of it). It’s difficult to know, but what if a Caucasian had stormed the stage and used such language to an African-American entertainer? Yeah, I’m on thin ice with an inference to the “R” word, but it does create a moment of pause. For those who think the entire event was scripted or ”staged” then you’ll appreciate this site.
The losers in all of this is the American public. Real stories can’t get traction. Health care is too complex and we’ve got ADHD. We’ve become a nation of public spectacles, gossip, and misinformation. Sure frivolity has a place, but what we revere in popular culture has almost nothing of value. Furthermore, who didn’t know the “K-man” had been acting like a jackass previously? It’s like his jackassed-ness was his career. Finally now he truly is a superstar! Stay classy Kanye!
You might think I’m over doing it here, but… People spend money dressing and living like rappers, going to the Palms in Vegas to splash in the pool while consuming overpriced liquor and flash hand signs. In a “me” society, who can expect anybody to behave properly, with humility. Twenty four hour news from one celebrity mishap to another not twenty four hours on explaining bills in Congress, or Supreme Court decisions. We indeed need a readjustment. But they need the ratings!
Kanye is, ratings. For anybody who’s got a trinket to sell. And we’re buying it!
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Cajita Feliz
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
That’s Spanish if your uncertain and stands for “Happy Box” (or loosely translated into Happy Meal) and it’s the 30 year celebration of the Happy Meal at McDonalds.
First introduced by Dick Brams (McD’s Regional Ad Manager) in 1977 and initially called the “McDonaldland Fun-to-Go” meal. Since first hitting the market they have included everything from the puzzles, crayola toys, motorcycles, personalities riding motorcycles and movie tie ins. The McDonalds Happy Meal first movie tie-in was the Star Trek Meal which featured images and games based on the 1979 movie. In fact, the ‘Teenie Beanie Baby’ promotion created a huge worldwide interest with over a 100 million toys selling out in the first 2 weeks. McDonald’s has had a lot of controversy over Happy Meals from poor working conditions at a toy factory in Danang, Vietnam (Keyhinge Toys), to recalls and even legal issues with Devo. Then there is the questionable association with the non-green gas guzzling Hummer and some people even complained over the hearing a four-letter word in the Kidz Bob #6 CD song “I Don’t Want To Be” which turned out to be false. Sure the rap on Happy Meals is that kids are lured by the toys into eating unhealthy food while the execs focus on high value licensing deals, but many still eat them.
And then there was the Custer/Blackhills/Motorcycle tie-in — it was two fries short of a happy meal — the McD’s marketing department poorly vetted the toy “General” (he was Lt. Col.) Custer who rides again on a motorcycle and was distributed in South Dakota. Quick to realize they angered the Sioux/Lakota Indians they withdrew it from the market after complaints poured in.
In the end, millions of Happy Meal items have been produced with a lot items turning into memorabilia and has spawned an entire collectors market. Numerous meals have included motorcycles, people riding motorcycles and even Digi Sportz games which included motorcycle racing. There is a McDonald’s Collectors Club which holds annual conventions for the serious collectors. It turns out cycling artifacts not only include books, magazines, promotional items, but to some Happy Meals which has a rich history of the sport and hobby of motorcycling.
Photo courtesy of Happymeal.com
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Elsie Mae Memorial Ride
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
Since opening its first Oregon facility in 1976, Intel has grown the location to include multiple fabs and seven main campuses, making it Intel’s largest and most complex site in the world.
In addition, Intel Oregon is the largest private employer in the state. Employees are very active in everything from singing groups to flying clubs and many employees actively participate in charity events to support the community where they live and work.
This brings me to the Intel Motorcycle Club (iMC) who has scheduled a charity ride (Elsie Mae Memorial Ride) event that will benefit the Providence Brain Institute (PBI). They have recently opened up the ride to all riders regardless of whether you work at Intel. The ride happens on Saturday, September 26th and all motorcycle types are welcome. The list of raffle prizes is impressive and the number of expected motorcycle enthusiasts who are attending is significant.
If interested you can find more information on the iMC web site. Briefly, registration is at Black Rock Coffee (185th & Baseline Road) between 8:00-10:00AM. The $10 fee per bike includes 1 raffle ticket, free coffee and potential to win prizes. The mystery ride will end at MotoCorsa on NW Wilson, NW 22nd Avenue around 4:30PM. Food and music will be provided.
Those of you not attending Street Vibrations/Reno during this timeframe may want to consider participating and supporting a worthy cause as 100% of the proceeds go to the PBI brain center.
Photo courtesy of iMC.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Numerology And Number Nine
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
It was born in Wisconsin on Sept. 9 at 9:09AM.
It wasn’t a new Harley-Davidson model, but a baby boy to parents Chuck and Polly Berendes of La Crosse weighing in at — are you ready for this — 9 pounds, 9 ounces.
The article is HERE. There are 5000 babies born in the U.S. every day and after last Wednesday they now have a nine oh nine oh nine birth date. In fact, the Wisconsin lottery suspended accepting nine oh nine number combinations when so many players selected them and the potential payout would top $3M.
I’ll let the “birthers” decide whether the scheduled cesarean was a conspiracy theory. After all, to be a bonafide conspiracy, two or more individuals must knowingly conspire, plot or plan a surreptitious act. Clearly more than two people were involved, but maybe it was simply about a vanity birth date? I wonder if the out-of-pocket expenses for the unnecessary elective surgery was paid by health insurance or if the new healthcare bill will cover these “vanity” procedures? But, I’ve digressed.
Here’s the real oddity — Harley-Davidson rolls out NINE new models for next year; AHDRA Finals (Rockingham) starts on October NINTH; there are NINE people in the photo of the top fuel winner, Phil Schmidt at the Northwest Nationals in Oregon and Kenney Coolbeth won the AMA Grand National and was quoted to say “I just put my head down for the first NINE laps…” these number nine and H-D similarities are creepy!
The only thing that would have made it even more bizarre is if little Henry (Berendes) was instead named Harley and his dad (Chuck) worked at the plant!
UPDATE: Okay now it’s become weird — USA Today reports that a Milwaukee man (Walter E. Ellis) was arrested and charged for the slaying of NINE women dating back as far as 1986.
Photo courtesy of Flickr.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Tattered Reminders
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
Like many of you I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing on the morning of 9/11.
The sunrise was starting to peek out and you could tell it was going to be a beautiful fall September morning in 2001. I was up early preparing for a flight to the bay area and in an odd and very uncharacteristic behavior I had the TV on — which I never do — as I prepped. The announcer interrupted the show about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center and in a few minutes I watched the 2nd plane crash. I didn’t know what was going on, but knew it wasn’t no accident. I have friends who work in the city and I went to the PC and sent off a couple emails. I never did make my flight and remember feeling a sense of violation and anger at both the perpetrators and our governments failure as I watched the TV news for most of the day.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 8 years ago. The Alan Jackson song, “Where were you when the world stopped turning?” best sums up my feelings today and I wanted to dedicate this post to the victims and hero’s of 9/11. And while we’re at it let’s not forget the military on the battlefield.
Photo courtesy of NJ Monthly.com
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
Splits-ville
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Submitted by Northwest Harley Blog
Lane Splitting
Lane-splitting — most states do not recognize it as legal maneuver. For those unfamiliar with the “strip-riding” maneuver it is riding a motorcycle between lanes and between automobiles in the same direction as traffic.
It is not legal in Oregon or Washington state. It is legal in California.
Recently a couple buddies were on an extended motorcycle ride to L.A. Reluctant at first to try lane-splitting they quickly took up the maneuver after experiencing triple digit heat and traffic-congested freeways. They returned chatting up the positive merits and ability to move at a faster speed than traffic by way of a “motorcycle-only lane.” I think most people recognize that lane-splitting is a way for motorcyclists to save time and that it reduces congestion.
In fact, I’ve experienced my share — surprise — of motorcycles zipping by the rental car window. And yes, I sometimes resent it as I sit in bay area grid lock. My first reaction was it’s dangerous. Automobile drivers in CA., don’t typically use blinkers to signal intent unless it’s a latte stop. They dart from lane to lane distracted on cell phones and I have this visual image of a biker screeching to a concrete halt as part of a lane change collision.
What do you think:
- Legal or not — it’s a NOT a smart move to split-lanes.
- It can be safe and riders take responsibility for the consequences of their own actions.
- I’m a native California and consider myself exempt from OR and WA laws.
- CHP studies indicate it’s safe so I’m on board with anything the LEO’s say.
- It’s so not “fair” to all the other drivers and we all need to stay in our comfort zone.
Photo courtesy of CA State web site.
All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog
