Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing/RMR rider Danny Eslick took a thrilling victory over teammate Jake Holden in the debut of the AMA Pro Racing Vance & Hines XR1200 Series at Road America June 6.
Eslick, the reigning AMA Daytona Sportbike champion and current points leader, dominated the time sheets all weekend, but had his hands full during the back-and-forth 10-lap race, nipping Holden at the line to take a narrow 0.055-second margin of victory with a last lap drafting pass at the finish line.
“It’s a super fun bike to ride, and I had a really fun race with Jake,” Eslick said. “He was struggling in a few spots to get it turned and on the last lap he missed a shift and hit the limiter. That killed his drive and kinda handed me the win. But I’d been practicing drafting him to the line on a few laps so I think I had it figured out anyway.”
The battle for the third step on the podium was equally thrilling, with brothers Kyle (Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing /RMR) and Travis Wyman (Harv’s Harley-Davidson Racing) battling with Jones Brothers Racing’s Eric Stump. The trio put on an impressive battle, with Stump eventually prevailing over Kyle Wyman by a mere 0.025-second gap. Travis Wyman finished fifth, followed by Shawn Conrad (WFOracingonline.com/Spyke’s Harley-Davidson), Joseph Rozynski (Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing/RMR), Aaron Frank (HOG Magazine/Vance & Hines), and John Ashmead (Brady-Schwemmer Racing).
Sunday’s race finished late in the afternoon after a four-hour delay caused by two separate red flag incidents, the first of which was caused by a loose oil filter on Kyle Wyman’s bike that resulted in he and another rider crashing in Turn five on the third lap of the race. During the restart, James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing rider Paul James got tangled with another bike just past the start/finish line, causing a second red flag. James returned to the track after a medical check, but was unable to join the final restart.
Harley-Davidson will share the road with its customers this summer when Motor Company executives and employees enjoy the ride from the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee to Sturgis, S.D. for the 70th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
The Harley-Davidson Ride to Sturgis starts in Milwaukee with Bike Night at the Harley-Davidson Museum on Thursday, August 5 then journeys through the heart of the Midwest and Black Hills stopping at eight Harley-Davidson dealerships and landing in Sturgis on Tuesday, August 10.
Harley-Davidson executives scheduled to ride from Milwaukee to Sturgis include CEO Keith Wandell, President and COO Matt Levatich, SVP and Chief Styling Officer Willie G. Davidson, Vice President of the Harley-Davidson Museum Bill Davidson and SVP and Chief Marketing Officer Mark-Hans Richer. Harley-Davidson riders and customers are welcome to join the ride and relax with the groups at various stops and dealer events.
“We’ve enjoyed riding many miles with our customers over the years,” said Bill Davidson. “Riding from the Harley-Davidson Museum in our hometown of Milwaukee to Sturgis in the heart of the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota continues a tremendous tradition while giving us the chance to meet new friends along the way.”
The schedule (subject to change) of events for the Harley-Davidson Ride to Sturgis is as follows:
•Thursday, August 5: 5:45 p.m. – Bike Night at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee
•Friday, August 6: 7:30 a.m. – Riders pancake breakfast and depart from Harley-Davidson Museum
10 a.m. – Capital City Harley-Davidson, Madison, Wis.
2 p.m. – Bala’s Harley-Davidson, Mauston, Wis.
5:45 p.m. – La Crosse Area Harley-Davidson, La Crosse, Wis.
•Saturday, August 7: 8:30 a.m. – Rochester Harley-Davidson, Rochester, Minn.
◦11:15 a.m. – Mankato, Harley-Davidson, Mankato, Minn.
◦5:30 p.m. – J&L Harley-Davidson, Sioux Falls, S.D.
•Sunday, August 8: 3:30 p.m. – Peterson Harley-Davidson, Pierre, S.D.
•Monday, August 9: 2:30 p.m. – Black Hills Harley-Davidson, Rapid City, S.D.
•Tuesday, August 10: 2 p.m. – Harley-Davidson Motor Company riders arrive in Sturgis with the 10th Annual Dakota Thunder Motorcycle Run followed by a moving veteran’s tribute and B-1 fly-by over Main Street.
In addition to the Ride to Sturgis, Harley-Davidson will be hosting free events at two all-new locations in the heart of Sturgis this year. Visit 3rd and Lazelle streets from Friday, Aug. 6 through Saturday, Aug. 14 for the Harley-Davidson Road Tour featuring the newly released 2011 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, other Harley-Davidson products and H.O.G. members-only pin stop. Demo rides for the 2011 Harley-Davidson motorcycles will be available in Sturgis near Interstate 90 at Exit 30 beginning Saturday, Aug. 7 through Friday, Aug. 13.
Harley-Davidson India announced it will bring 12 motorcycles from its 2010 model portfolio to India.
The broad selection, with bikes from each of its five model families, will give riders in India maximum choice and opportunity to join millions of Harley-Davidson owners worldwide in pursuit of adventure, freedom and self-expression.
The 2010 Harley-Davidson® models introduced across Harley-Davidson’s five motorcycle families in India include:
Female motorcyclists have been the fastest growing demographic in the motorcycle industry since 1990, when women represented just three percent of riders.
Today, women represent 23 percent of all motorcyclists, and in an effort to encourage this growing trend of women hitting the open road, Harley-Davidson is celebrating National Garage Party Month by hosting nearly 400 Garage Party events at dealerships across the country in March.
“Garage Party events have encouraged thousands of women to learn to ride over the past few years,” said Leslie Prevish, women’s outreach manager for Harley-Davidson Motor Company. “The events help educate and build confidence for new female riders, and March kicks off the beginning of riding season, so it’s the perfect time to get women involved.”
As part of National Garage Party Month, the Motor Company is kicking off a sweepstakes that will run March 1 – 31, 2010, where one woman and three of her friends will be rewarded with a spa retreat weekend in Los Angeles to learn to ride through the Rider’s Edge® New Rider Course. The lucky women will also meet TV wellness expert Jillian Michaels, and get some tips on leading a healthier life. Michaels, a Harley-Davidson rider and life-long motorcycle enthusiast, recently forged a partnership with the Motor Company to encourage more women to participate in the sport. Women can enter the sweepstakes by attending a Garage Party event or online by visiting this link.
Harley-Davidson jump breaks record - An American biker has broken the world record for the longest jump on a Harley-Davidson. Seth Enslow spanned 55.99 metres between ramps in Sydney.
Harley is calling you home! For two days we’ll be partying in true Harley fashion at the H-D® Museum downtown Milwaukee.
So don’t miss the biggest party of the year for women riders, no matter what type of motorcycle you ride!
Come out and mingle with fellow riders and non-riders, including Karen Davidson, great-granddaughter of one of the co-founders of Harley-Davidson.
The Milwaukee event is highlighted by a Group Ride on Saturday that ends at the Downtown Street Party, featuring live music, great food, a beer garden and more.
It’s that time of year again when I have to put my motorbike away for the winter, although we are still getting some sunny days!
I do go out when it is cold and when the roads are wet, but it is never as much fun as when it is dry! Also, at this time of year you have to be a bit more careful with the roads, as parts might be dry and then you get a shaded area and the road is still damp. So be careful out there and have fun on your motorbikes!
I was in a motor cycle shop just the other day and I was asked how old my crash helmet was and it turned out that it was over 10-years old!
I thought that this might have been a sales pitch, but they told me it was genuine and you should change your helmet at least every 5-years.
The reason for this is that the outer shell of the crash helmet becomes hard and more likely to crack and the inner cushioning changes it’s protective properties, which is designed to take an impact so that your skull leaves and impression in the material. Over time this material becomes hard so that in the event of an accident it will no longer work properly!
So I decided to renew my helmet straight away and threw my old one away! Please think about doing the same with your old crash helmets for you and your pillions!
