Back after a 6 year hiatus, the much loved Community Appreciation Parade has returned!  Once an iconic event for several decades, the Bike Week Parade was sidelined in 2005 when the Daytona 200 was moved from aSunday to a Saturday event.  Local officials at the time weren’t convinced transportation officials could effectively move the 7,000 participants from the Ocean Center to the Speedway, along International Speedway Boulevard without bottlenecks and issues for emergency personnel to contend with. (more…)

The Polaris Industries shopping spree that began in May of this year with the acquisition of both Indian Motorcycle and Global Electic Motorcars continues with the announcement that the company has taken a minority stake in prominent electric motorcycle manufacturer Brammo, based in Ashland, Oregon.

That deal gives Polaris access to the proprietary electric technology of Brammo, and it also creates what would appear to be a sticky situation for Vice President of Victory Motorcycles Mark Blackwell. That’s because it was also in May of this year that Blackwell joined the board of directors of Zero Motorcycles of Santa Cruz, California. Zero is Brammo’s chief competitor.

According to a report in the Washington Post, The Motor Company has informed the NHTSA that they’re recalling some 250,757 motorcycles owing to the possibility of rear taillight switch malfunction due to damage from exhaust system heat. The models in question include a broad range of both OE and CVO tourers and trikes produced from 2009 to the present. (more…)

In the wake of the fatal melee that marred the Street Vibrations rally in Sparks, Nevada, over the weekend, the organizers of Las Vegas BikeFest have issued this response:

“While we are disappointed to hear of the incident that occurred earlier this week in Sparks, Las Vegas BikeFest will not let it dampen the festivities and activities that will be occurring several hundred miles away in Las Vegas beginning this Thursday.  Las Vegas BikeFest has never had an incident in its 10 years, and we work very closely with law enforcement and our own private security detail to provide a safe event for all attendees.  We look forward to a great time and seeing everyone in a few days.”

BikeFest kicks off on Thursday, September 29, and I’ll be there along with SoCal correspondant P.J. Hyland reporting on the doings. Stay tuned.

Sparks, Nevada, Sept. 24 — The annual Street Vibrations bike run has been left in turmoil after a gunfight at John Ascuaga’s Nugget hotel and casino between members of the rival Hells Angels and Vagos motorcycle clubs resulted in the death of of one man and the hospitalization of two others. (more…)