Motorcycle Photo Gallery

Hi,

Just a reminder…  We have a gallery which we add to every few days.  We feature some of our favorite motorcycles, favorite motorcycle builders and favorite motorcycle artists.  Don’t forget to check in.  We have Indian Larry, Kendall Johnson, Matt Hotch, The Martin Brothers, David Mann, and other beautiful motorcycle creations posted now with much more to come.

                                                                Beach

Magazine Review

Hi,

The June issue of V-Twin just came in and I thought I would give you a brief review.Paul Yaffe built a really cool bobber for a charity event called the Children’s ride in Seattle.It’s a 2005 PYO.The proceeds went entirely to the Childrens hospital in Seattle.The bike is really nice.It’s got a 124 cu tp engine so,it moves.Congratulations to Paul for buiding a beautiful bike for a great cause.The bike was sold to Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners for $100,000.A little rich for me but not for Edgar.

  There is a feature on a bike built by Paul JR. of OCC.This is another Military bike by JR.The bike is “The Blue Bike” He built the bike for auction.It has a 131 cu h+L engine.It is of course a chopper.It was one of several bikes that OCC built for the men and women who serve this country.The Bike sold for $150,000.I think it is both nice and wierd that OCC bought the bike for it’s own collection yet Paul says they paid a ridiculous price for it.Well,I don’t get it but I ususlly don’t get the things JR.says and does.The auction raised $400,000 for Military personnel so,that’s a good thing.It’s berthed in N.Y.C. as part of the Intrepid sea,air,and space museum.

  There is an article on Daytona.It’s worth a read and a look.It mentions V-Twin magazine awards.They do this every year.They gave the awards at the 10th anniversary of The Bikers Ball.Winners were Bill Streeter(Painter),Rick Fairless(best builder component bikes),Bruce Mullins(Best custom fabricated bike),Jim Nasi(best custom fabricated builder),Roland Sands(innovator of the year),Darrian Teff(most unique design),(Mike Pugliese,Staten Island,(best bike of the year).He called his motorcycle” Knuckle Sandwich”.Mike builds amazing motorcycles.Motorcyle Builders of the year went to the guys at Indian Larry Legacy(Paul Cox and Keino).The life time award went to the great Ron Finch.Maybe I’ll get invited one year.They made some excellent choices.

  I want to leave you with a reason to get this issue so,I won’t mention what else in in there but it is an issue well worth having.There are other motorcycle articles and photos,motorcycle equiptment and it’s just very well done.

                                                                   Beach

Victory Motorcycle Review

Victory Motorcycle Review  by Bo Noss

So, what is this other American made motorcycle? You probably have been hearing more about - Victory motorcycles -, as well as, seeing more of the Victory motorcycle models on the road. Sales of Victory motorcycles increased 56 percent during the fourth quarter 2005, as compared to the fourth quarter of 2004. This increase is attributable to improved brand recognition, the success of the Hammer and Vegas Jackpot models, a more powerful 100 cubic inch engine and a new six speed transmission, and improvements in the dealer network. Full year 2005 Victory motorcycle sales increased 34 percent over 2004, totaling $99.5 million. Victory is part of the Polaris Industries Corporation. With annual 2004 sales of $1.8 billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), Victory motorcycles and the Polaris RANGER for recreational and utility use.

In 2003 Victory motorcycle released what would become a new revolution in American motorcycles. The - Victory Vegas -. The Vegas was built on the Victory 92 cubic inch 5 speed Freedom engine which boasts approxiamtely 82 horsepower. The Victory Vegas was also revolutionary in that it was oil cooled. Yes, you will no longer have to worry about over heating while sitting in traffic or at a stop light much like you do if you owned a Harley Davidson. With oil cooled, the oil is shared between the engine and the transmission.

It will take 6 quarts of AMSOIL V-Twin Sytnthetic motorcycle oil to fill this engine. The AMSOIL full-synthetic motorcycle oil goes well with these V-Twin engines. Providing reduced engine wear and smoother shifting. Also longer oil change intervals make using AMSOIL a smart choice. 

Victory followed up the 2003 Victory Vegas with a twist. Victory enlisted the help of legendary motorcycle builder — Arlen and Cory Ness –. The Ness team took the Vegas and made a Ness Vegas vmodel for 2004. Victory also came out with the wonderful Victory Kingpin cruiser. Same engine and frame as a Vegas but with a beefier front tire and fully dressed up for long rides. A very nice machine with deluxe touring and chrome upgrades. With the release of these bikes and the decline of the Indian motorcycle company. Victory has become a very popular motorcycle line. For the motorcyclists that does not want to follow the crowd and buy a Harley which looks like every other bike and does not perform that well. Victory offers the preferred solution. No doubt you will be seeing several Harley owners trading in their overproduced 100th anniversay Harley Davidson for a sleek, high performance, excellent handling Victory.

With the 2003 release of the Vegas and the 2004 release of the Kingpin, more Victory motorcycle enthusiasts are appearing on the market. For the Victory motorcycle rider, there are also high-quality online Victory Motorcycle Clubs such as the — Victory Kingpin Enthusiast’s Group –. The Kingpin Cruisers (www.KingpinCruisers.net) site is free and offers its members loads of — free technical advice, custom Victory Kingpin T-shirts, and an online Victory aftermarket parts store. The club really is for all late-model Victory motorcycles and we encourage anyone that currently owns a Victory or even if you are looking — check out the Kingpin Cruiser’s site.

With Polaris backing the Victory motorcycle products and the popularity growing each year, Victory decided to not rest on its laurels. In 2005 they released the drag-style Vicotry Hammer. With a real beefy rear tire and dragster looks. This bike never lasted more than one day on the showroom floor. Most were pre-ordered through the Victory custom order program. An excellent review about the Victory Hammer can be found here.

Now with the Victory Hammer winning all of the “Bike of the Year” awards and given very positive reviews in all of the motorcycle trade magazines. Victory decided to go for a grand slam and introducs the Victory Vegas Jackpot. Wow, Victory motorcycles pulled out an “end-run” attack on us this year. First the much awaited Victory Hammer motorcycle was released. These Victory Hammers were quickly sold. That fat rear tire and dragster cool looks made the Victory Hammer irresistable to the V-Twin cruiser shopper. Ok, while we are still in the afterglow of the Victory Hammer and trying to figure how we are going to go about asking the wife to let us buy one to add to the stable, Victory motorcycle performed the end-run sneak attack on us by announcing the Victory Vegas Jackpot for 2006.

January 2006 for Cycle Solutions www.CycleSolutions.net

About the AuthorBo Noss contributing editor to Cycle Solutions. www.CycleSolutions.net http://www.CycleSolutions.net

Hello Bandit

We at thebeachcruiser.com want to say hello to Bandit who passed up the Laughlin River Run to work on his bikes for Bonneville.

  The Bandit chose to honor those who support him and are rooting for him instead of partying,slapping hands,oogling women and seeing friends to put his nose to the grindstone.Let’s here it for The Bandit.

Back to my passion(motorcycles)

  Hi,

  After a brief departure from the motorcycle world to the sports world we are back.Ther’s not a lot of news right now but,there is always something.

  The Laughlin River Run is this weekend.It’s a show in Laughlin Nevada.Billy Lane will be there(surprise,surprise) where he will premiere his new film on the Blood,Sweat,and Gears tour.

I have not yet attended this event but I am told it is fun(except for the violence that occured there awhile back).There are events and builders showing their stuff.I will be at Las Vegas Bike Fest so,I got to save my pennies for that.

  Roland Sands goes against Jesse(I’m a star) Rooke this weekend for their Biker Build Off competition.We’ll all get to see that on Discovery later this year.The competition is at Willow Springs.I have read that Rooke is running a KTM.

  Andrea and I just became sponsers for Bandit’s build for Bonneville later this year.What the hell,Bandit is a brother.                                 Beach

The History of the Motorcycle, Part 2

         

2002 Harley-Davidson Heritage

Up until the First World War, the largest motorcycle manufacturer was Indian. After that, this honour went to Harley Davidson, until 1928 when DKW took over as the largest manufacturer. After the Second World War, in 1951, the BSA Group became the largest producer of motorcycles in the world. The German NSU was the largest manufacturer from 1955 until the 1970s when Honda became the most prominent manufacturer, a title it retains to this day. British manufacturers held a dominant position in some markets until the rise of the Japanese manufacturers (led by Honda) in the late 1960s and early 1970s who were able to produce designs faster, cheaper and of better quality. Today, the Japanese manufacturers Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha dominate the motorcycle industry, although Harley-Davidson still maintains a high degree of popularity in America.   

Recent years have also seen a resurgence in the popularity of many other brands, including BMW, Triumph and Ducati.

Construction Variations

Variations exist:

• There are three basic forms of motorcycles: offroad, street and dual-purpose.
• Some motorcycles have floorboards instead of footpegs.
• Some motorcycles can be fitted with a sidecar, this converting it into a 3-wheeler or “hack”.
• There are other 3-wheeled variations, commonly referred to as a trike or motortricycle.
• Motorcycle manufacturers often also produce All-terrain vehicles or ATVs. These have two or more back wheels, usually two front wheels, an open driver’s seat and a motorcycle-type handlebar. (Early models had a single front wheel, but these were prone to rollovers.) ATVs are used off-road for utility and recreation. However, a proper motorcycle has fewer than four wheels in contact with the ground.

 

Riding Position

Modern motorcycle riding positions are evolutions of horse riding saddles. The riding position of American style Cruisers and Choppers evolved from the saddle and riding position used by Western Cowboys (See Western Saddle). This position allows greater long distance comfort, with some compromise of control. In contrast, Sportbikes, Standards and Dirtbikes derive their seating position from the more sporting oriented English Saddle.

 

Chassis

         

A British motorcycle from 1966, the 250 cc Ariel Leader

Biker Build Off

Hi,

  It seems that Matt Hotch has something new for his upcoming build vs Roger Goldammer.It  He is building a motorcycle based  on a British Vincent V-twin.It will have a 26 inch front wheel which should be interesting.He is also incorporating a very expensive watch into his gas cap.The bike he is building is from the 1950’s which was the fastest production bike of it’s era.

  Matt respects Roger as “the best” as Roger respects Matt as “the best”.They have won most of the major awards for the last 2 yrs and the build is one I am really looking forward to.They will race at Bonneville but not each other.It sounds like a class way to compete.The filming is set for August.

  Matt builds his motorcycles with a starting price of $150,000 and his work averages $200,000.He prides himself on being exclusive and for most people he is beyond their reach.He does however sell 4 or five motorcycles a year and is very selective about whom he sells to.The average age of his clients is mid-30’s.It seems that having a lot of money isn’t enough.You have to go through an interview process.Matt guarantees his work for life and considers his customers to be part of a fraternity.He is supposedly very down to earth and goes to bike shows to meet his fans and sell t-shirts and sign autographs.By all accounts Matt is a good guy.If you have seen his work,you know he is an artist.He seems to have an artists personality and he has earned it.He seems to be the Rolls Royce guy in the motorcycle industry.There are people out there who buy his art so,good for Matt.There is around a  four year wait for one of his motorcycles so,business is good.I have noticed him hawking some products so,he has endorsement deals as well.The guy is amazing and although his motorcycles are out of the reach of most,he is in my opinion a lot more talented than the men and women in sports and entertainment who make many millions for average work.You can’t ride or look at what they create and you can’t take it home and marvel at the work that is Matt Hotch

  Roger Goldammer is not cheap either.You can go to his website and see that even his apparel is way up there in price.I am a big fan of Matt Hotch and less a fan of Goldammer.I do however recognize that Goldammer is also a creative genius whose work puts him in the same league.This build off should be awesome.

  (credit to Paul Garson)

                                         Beach

The Gallery is Now Online!

Hello everyone!

I have just started putting pictures up in the gallery, so please take a look and let us know what you think.  Beach has tons of cool rides ready to display.  I hope you enjoy this new feature. Just click on the Gallery link above.
Andrea

Beachcruiser hall of fame(bikes I love)

Hi,

  In the next day or so we are going to set up a gallery where you can view motorcycles that I really like.There are no metrics yet although I have nothing against them.I love most bikes that represent something special to me and others.Great work is great work.

  Now I fully realize that there are other styles,other builders,other motorcycles that might not turn me on but do it for others.Please feel free to comment or perhaps,send me a photo of your favorite.I will mention your name and show your choice.You can email me at beach@thebeachcruiser.com

  We want to recognize all of you that love the life and would enjoy seeing your ride and posting that as well.See you in the movies.

                          Beach

Hey, look at this!!!

Okay, so maybe I’m like a proud parent showing off pictures, but we are definitely indexed in MSN search!  Yippeee!!!!

  After only a couple of weeks, that is VERY good.  Go here if you want the proof, or just type in www.thebeachcruiser.com on the MSN search page!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

Andrea

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