1991 was a pretty good year as far as I’m concerned. You see back then you could still by a performance car that didn’t track your every burnout via computer, Times Square in New York City still had some shady spots, and movies like “Harley Davidson & the Marlboro Man” were in theaters. The 1990′s were young and wide open and so were everyone’s ideas about the new millennium that lay only 9 short years away. There was no real internet so to speak of and cell phones, thankfully, were in their infancy. So… why is this important? It’s important because it was one of the last times in history when I can remember going to the movies because I wasn’t glued to a computer screen. After that, work and responsibility started and lets just say that life hasn’t been the same since. Click through and watch one of the greatest movie openings in 1990′s history.

Oh, and by the way, it’s NSFW, so if your bashful just move along…

Buried deep in the wilds of Collier County, FL, is a test track that backs up against the Everglades. To call it “remote” and “inhospitable” is like calling the Mojave Desert “sandy”; you’re guaranteed to have alligators, snakes and mosquitos, but you’re also guaranteed that you won’t have too many pesky neighbors to worry about. The location made the track ideal for hot-weather testing, which is why Ford originally built the facility. Ford sold it to Harley-Davidson, and Harley is now looking to divest itself of unneeded real estate. If you’ve got the $7.5 million asking price, the test track can be yours.

Your money buys you a two-mile-long runway, several skidpads, a small road course and an assortment of administrative buildings. If you like driving really fast in a straight line, the two-mile long straight has unbanked curves to allow use as a road course. There’s even a small-but challenging circuit on the property, with lots of run-off. Not that we’d recommend sinking a car axle-deep in the soft Florida soil, since walking back to the track would probably involve encounters with fire ants, snakes and hordes of mosquitos.

The track would be ideal for the enthusiast owner as well, but only from November through March. Florida in the summertime, next to the Everglades, isn’t exactly our idea of a vacation paradise.

Source: LoopNet, via Autoblog and Visor Down

I’ve always said that motorcycle cops are some of the best riders on the planet. Their training course, in virtually any department, is among the most challenging things you can do in law enforcement. These guys throw around 700 pound Harleys like they were scooters, and their low-speed bike handling skills are second to none.

This video comes from a recent “rodeo” event in Grand Prairie, TX. I’ve been riding for a lot of years, and I’ll say this flat out: I doubt I could run the course without hitting a cone on a 250cc bike, let alone a full size Harley. I know for certain that I couldn’t match this guy’s time, no matter what I was riding. Despite the comments at the end of the video, a single training course won’t have you riding like this: what you see here takes years of practice, and a lot of low speed crashing.

Source: You Tube

Having logged over 100,000 miles in the saddle of various motorcycles, I can tell you that if I had one way in which to travel that this would be it. Those that don’t ride will never understand the feeling of freedom, exhilaration and pure connection to the road that riding offers. The fact is that most people are afraid of motorcycles. They hear of horrid accidents and think that most riders have a death wish, when in fact it’s totally the opposite. Ever hear the phrase, “Live to Ride, Ride to Live”… well, it’s 100% true. Motorcycles make you feel alive. They bring to light every sense in your body and offer an almost out of body experience when your cruising down the road on that perfect sunny day. Sure there’s an element of danger in riding, but hell, that’s part of the fun. If you’ve never ridden a motorcycle then please do yourself a favor and try it just once. If you don’t like it, then fine, however don’t simply dismiss it because of what others say as you’ll be missing out on one of the greatest experiences of a life time.

Shaw Harley-Davidson in the UK has earned the prestigious title of best UK dealer 6-times. They pride themselves on service, custom building and customer support, and to celebrate this they wanted to build a motorcycle that was a representation of their commitment to excellence. Their goal was to team up with master watchmakers Bell & Ross, as Shaw Harley-Davidson viewed them as the personification of performance, precision and engineering. The bike gained its inspiration from the Bell & Ross BR01-94 Carbon Fiber Chronograph. Once devising a plan the professional speed shop at Shaw HD literally built the bike around it.

“We wanted to mirror the Bell & Ross timepiece wherever we could on the motorcycle and to ensure that the essential piece was never compromised by superfluous design or items,” said Steve Willis, Shaw Harley-Davidson Sales Director and Head of the Speed & Custom design wing of the dealership.

“We were immediately excited by this project”, explains Bruno Belamich Designer and co-founder of Bell & Ross. “We identified with the values portrayed by Harley-Davidson, values that we share like the search for the extremes, adventure and precision”

There is no question that this machine is a drop dead stunner of a motorcycle. From the matte black paint, to the anodized frame and triple clamps, to the inlaid BR01-94 Carbon Fiber Chronograph in the tank. Shaw HD and Bell & Ross set out to create a bike that was the picture of excellence and hot damn if they didn’t do just that.

Source: BornRich.com

I’ve never been huge into custom choppers, in fact I think most of the ones out there roaming the streets are completely hideous. Gaudy paint jobs and mass amounts of chrome generally ruin what are otherwise beautiful cruising machines. Sometimes however a bright spot shows up and when that happens I feel that I must bring it to everyone’s attention. This drop dead stunner is called the “Glasgow Kiss” and it was crafted by one Robbie Kerr, owner of Kootenay Motorcycle Art in Canada. The inspiration for this mad machine came from Robbie’s love of the 1945 Harley Davidson Flathead. His goal was to craft a new age interpretation of that machine complete with a unique feel and modern performance.

You’ll notice that everything on the Glasgow Kiss is over sized. For instance the frame was constructed of 1 3/4? tubing, the wheels are massive 18-incher’s with a 280 mm in front and a 300 mm in the rear. And how about that front fork tubing for the springer front end… that was made from massive 2 1/2? tubes. Look closely at the details in this machine and you’ll notice that it truly is a work of art. The split fuel tank with custom recesses for the cylinder heads, the machined front spindle and masterful frame gives the bike the appearance that it was milled out of a solid block of metal.

Powering the Glasgow Kiss is a 120-inch JIMS motor that is equipped with an S&S carburetor and altered rocker boxes that were specifically designed to clear the gas tank as well as the top of the frame. Shifting is done via a 5-speed Baker RSD transmission. Mr. Kerr then decided to finish off the bike with a matte blue paint with semi gloss used for the outlying components. Like I said, I’m not big into custom choppers, but this sucker definitely gets me all amp’d up.

Source: Cyrilhuzeblog.com

When Harley-Davidson launched the Sportster line in 1957, it was the baddest bike on the block. Nothing on this side of the pond went as fast or handled as well, which helped to solidify Harley-Davidson as the bike to have if you were serious about riding. Even the legendary XR750s, which dominated flat track racing for decades (and were Evel Knievel’s bike of choice) were based on the Sportster, so the bike has probably racked up more race wins than any other model. Over the years, public perception of the Sportster has dropped off, and I once overheard a biker-wannabe tell his young son, “You don’t want that. It’s a girl’s bike.” So much for a legendary reputation.

Roland Sands Design gets it, and has built a Sportster that is truly worthy of the name. Dubbed the Cafe Sportster, the bike is RSD’s interpretation of exactly what a cafe racer should and shouldn’t be, and it’s a rolling catalog of their custom parts. They’ve pioneered an new two-tone black finish (called, “Black Ops”) that has mil-spec strength; in other words, if it doesn’t wear off the barrel of an assault rifle, chances are it won’t wear off your air cleaner or fuel cap. It’s a stunning finish, and if I rode a Harley (and had disposable income) I’d be all over the RSD Black Ops catalog. I’m seriously loving the air cleaner and wheels, and check out the detail work on the bike’s triple clamp. Even their clip ons are equal parts art and function, and that’s what bikes should be about.

Used 1200 Sportsters shouldn’t be that hard to find, and God knows there are plenty of go-fast parts available for them. They’re simple enough to spin wrenches on, and they have plenty of personality. Spring is just around the corner, and I’ve been getting the urge to tackle a new project…

Truth be told I’m not a huge Harley-Davidson fan as I always thought of them more as rolling couches, then I did actual motorcycles. It’s not a slight on the brand in any way, it’s just that I like my bikes to be a little more performance oriented. There are however those bikes out there that make me question my feelings towards the brand. Take this amazing creation from Swiss bike builder Fast Attack AG for instance. Dubbed “The ONE”, this beautiful machine was the brain child of Fast Attack’s head honcho Urs Erbacher, and was built to showcase their stellar craftsmanship. One look at this machine will tell you that it was built to not only turn heads, but to perform as well.

Erbacher has more than 25 years of drag racing experience in European Top Fuel Drag Racing and wanted to build a machine that would showcase it. Almost every part of the bike was hand fabricated using liberal doses of aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber. Things like the beautifully sculpted carbon fiber tank, two-into-four custom exhaust and wicked single-sided swing arm are bits that prove that Fast Attack AG is more than capable of building some of the baddest custom motorcycles the world has ever seen.

Source: Bornrich.org

Specifically, a cusomized V-Rod. Photo: Harley-Davidson

When you’re famous and work to promote motorcycling to women, Harley-Davidson will style a bike any way you want it. Fitness guru and TV star Jillian Michaels recently worked with Harley-Davidson’s Willie G. Davidson Styling Studio to come up with the design for her custom built V-Rod, seen above. The bike sports polished engine cases, an orange motor, a custom seat, revised bodywork and Reactor wheels. There’s no word if Harley-Davidson tweaked the intake, exhaust or cams, but even in stock form the V-Rod is plenty entertaining.

Michaels' last bike was a custom Yamaha FZ1

Michaels has worked with Harley Davidson in the past, to promote motorcycle riding to women. As part of the Motor Company’s “National Garage Party Month”, women riders could enter to win a “transformational” weekend, including a meeting with Michaels. Garage Party attendees were also given a review of motorcycle skill basics, motorcycle customization and motorcycle safety gear. No longer content to target just male riders, Harley sees women riders as their next big market opportunity. The company is pulling out all the stops to regain the momentum they enjoyed before the economy tanked.

Source: Autoevolution

One of the first things that you’re taught when you learn to ride a motorcycle is not to target fixate if someone goes down in front of you. This rule applies to the street as well as the track and has saved me from many an off-road excursion.

Wikipedia defines target fixation as: “a process by which the brain is focused so intently on an observed object that awareness of other obstacles or hazards can diminish.”

Here we see a few Harley-Davidson riders behaving badly at what looks to be Deals Gap down in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. First off these two jackasses pull a complete bonehead move by trying to pass someone over a double yellow line on a tight corner. Rider one simply fails to lean the bike over to make the turn, causing rider two to hone in on him like a cruise missile and follow him right off-road. Let it be known that the driver of the car did absolutely nothing wrong, and while I hate to see any biker go down, I have to say that with behavior like this those bikers had it coming.

Source: Youtube.com