Inside The Motorcycle Industry
Giving back to Camp Courageous, Armed Forces Foundation (AFF) and Oshkosh Defence Fat Boy Winners, Avon Motorcycle Tires new Cobra fitments, Harley Davidson no more Side Cars, and more news!
**He Will Be Missed**
The motorcycle, automotive, and custom paint industries lost a brother this past August with the passing of Bob Iverson. With a skillful eye, steady hands, and a passion for pinstriping, Bob was well respected and very well liked amongst his peers and anyone who crossed his path. You might remember his work from our Real Fire paint tech in the June 2009 issue. Bob laid the lines around the flamejob on that project bike. He was a talented artist, all-around good guy, and will definitely be missed.
* * *
**Giving Back**
This year, the golf outing, annual poker run (held earlier in June), and water donations during J&P;’s annual open house weekend raised a total of $15,000 for Camp Courageous. This year’s $15,000 donation brings the total donations to Camp Courageous from J&P; to well over $100,000. Camp Courageous is a year-round recreational facility for handicapped and special needs children and adults ranging in age from one to 105. The camp provides opportunities for social and personal growth within a supportive environment. Campers learn to try a variety of creative and challenging activities and experience success. Campers develop enhanced self-esteem, which carries over to work, home, or school environments.
[jpcycles.com](http://jpcycles.com)
[campcourageous.org](http://campcourageous.org)
* * *
**Fat Boy Winners**
The Armed Forces Foundation (AFF) and Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK), recently presented two servicemen with the Rumble With a Cause sweepstakes grand prizes: custom painted Fat Boy motorcycles. The winners, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David Dingman and retired U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Skipper Lee Campbell, both live in Texas and share a background of service to their country. AFF with Oshkosh sponsored the nationwide sweepstakes, which raised more than $150,000 to support the AFF and its many programs available to U.S. military members and their families. Dingman received the “American Soldier” motorcycle in an event at the American Legion in his hometown of Killeen, Texas. Campbell, a retired 14-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps from Seguin, Texas, received the “Semper Fidelis” motorcycle at an event in New Braunfels, Texas. Donations raised through the sweepstakes will support the AFF and its wide range of assistance, including living expenses, funeral arrangements, housing improvements, and counseling. For every dollar contributed, the AFF returns 94 cents to the troops and families it serves.
[armedforcesfoundation.org](http://armedforcesfoundation.org)
[oshkoshdefense.com](http://oshkoshdefense.com)
* * *
**Add Some Bite to Your Bike**
Avon Motorcycle Tires recently announced new Cobra fitments for ’09-10 H-D Touring models. The new Cobra has been designed to sustain heavier loads over long distances as a result of a triple-belted, six-ply construction. For improved handling and stability, the new Cobra utilizes an advanced sport touring tire technology with a solid rubber block tread design that virtually eliminates irregular wear and also extends tire life. For improved reliability and responsiveness when braking in wet conditions, the new Cobra features an Inverted Front Groove (IFG) tread design, while the unique “snakeskin” sidewall design delivers the ultimate style.
[avonmoto.com](http://avonmoto.com)
* * *
**No More Sidecars**
As a result of the decline in retail demand for Harley-Davidson sidecars, Harley-Davidson has made the decision to exit the sidecar business. The company will end sidecar production upon completion of remaining 2011 model year orders. Effective immediately, no new sidecar orders will be taken.
[harley-davidson.com](http://harley-davidson.com)
* * *
**King of the World**
Freddie “Krugger” Bertrand of Belgium was crowned the new king of the custom motorcycle world this past August in Sturgis at the 2010 AMD World Championships of Custom Bike Building. The bike with which he claimed the title was built for Veon Motorcycle’s owner Peer Toftner and features a unique electronically adjustable frame system developed by Peer in conjunction with Dutch designer Mark van der Kwaak. This marked the first time ever in the history of the event that a bike with a Harley-Davidson engine won the prestigious title. At the flick of a switch, the V-Rod-engine-powered bike can be transformed from a low-riding cruiser with long rake to sport bike mode with a shorter wheelbase and steeper rake. The radical machine even has two sets of foot controls to match each style of riding. Freddie’s win in the Championship follows on from Third Places in both 2004 and 2005, a 13th place in 2008, and another Third last year.
[amdchampionship.com](http://amdchampionship.com)
[krugger.net](http://krugger.net)
* * *
**King of the USA**
Second Place in the 2010 AMD World Championships, and the highest ranked American builder honors, was awarded to Mark Daley of Thunder Struck Cycles, out of Medford, Oregon. Mark’s success was based on the dedication and intricate details he put into engineering his entry, Sniper. The bike featured an Indian Powerplus engine with the inlet and outlet ports reversed and the heads welded and machined to allow the correct sized valves to be operated by the reverse grind cam. The multi-piece exhaust bolted together with two separate collectors that in turn had four exhaust tips (two off of each collector) and were Titanium and ceramic coated. The carb setup is composed of Kehin FCR33 downdrafts from a Honda CBR 600 with a special spigot-style manifold to hold the carbs.
[amdchampionship.com](http://amdchampionship.com)
[thunderstruckcustombikes.com](http://thunderstruckcustombikes.com)
* * *
**Harley’s Helping Hand**
Harley-Davidson recently announced the awarding of a second $1 million grant from the Harley-Davidson Foundation Inc. to the non-profit organization, the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Harley-Davidson’s relationship with the DAV dates to 2006 when the Harley-Davidson Foundation made a prior $1 million grant to the organization. The new grant is designated for continued funding of the DAV’s Mobile Service Office (MSO) program over the next four years. The DAV MSO program increases veterans’ accessibility to benefits by literally putting service offices on the road. Since 2007, this program, sponsored by Harley-Davidson, dubbed Harley’s Heroes, has visited thousands of sites across the US to provide important counseling and assistance to help tens of thousands of veterans secure the benefits to which they are entitled from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and other government agencies.
[harley-davidson.com](http://harley-davidson.com)
* * *