Photo Source: MileHighHarley.com
Lots of new adventures coming up this new year. Hang on…
Bonneville Salt Flats – Speed Week
Note: Copyrights and Trademarks are the property of their owners. No infringement is ever intended. See footer area of this website for more information.
The LA Auto Show is the first big production auto show every year and is known as one of the best auto shows in the world. As usual, the new debut vehicles from all the key manufacturers were prominent but this year was epic as there were a total of 22 world debuts.
One of my favorite concept cars of the show was the Mercedes Gran Turismo Vision – WOW! This is one sexy automobile. Very aggressive and futuristic looking as it was built for video game creativity as opposed to drivability at this point. I sure would love to see a re-worked, road-practical version in the future.
Mercedes Gran Turismo Vision Concept Car. Photo: Mercedes
Check out the rear side trunk view and the sleek lines of this beautiful concept car.
Rear Trunk View – Gran Turismo Vision – MJB Photo
As you can see, this is a long, wide and super low looking concept car.
Heavy too! Weight is estimated at almost 3,100 pounds.
The engine needed to push such a sexy beast? At least 575 horsepower generated from a big V8 in my opinion. Stay tuned for more information on this concept car in the future. While this may only be a concept in Mercedes’ AMG line, for now, there are still other AMG models available to buy now, like the used examples over on the Autozin website.
Mercedes Gran Turismo Vision Concept – MJB Photo
Click on the photo to the left for press releases from AutoBlog.
Another futuristic-looking vehicle was the 2014 BMW K 1600 GTL Exclusive Touring Motorcycle.
I’m not sure I like the “Luxury in Motion” approach to motorcycling myself. This bike, like the Honda Goldwing, is basically a Cadillac on 2-wheels but hey, one has to give credit where credit is due.
The equipment on this machine is exceptional from all I could see. The bike comes with a 6-cylinder, liquid cooled, 4-valves per cylinder powerhouse. This engine puts out a whopping 160 horsepower at 7,750 rpm. Torque is hefty at 129 pounds/foot at 5,250 rpm. Engine displacement is 1,649 cc.
BMW K 1600 GTL – Click on photo to see AutoEvolution photos.
Fact is, this BMW is a beautiful motorcycle. The bike’s wheelbase is 63.7 inches. Seat height range is relatively high at 29.5 inches to 31.5 inches. Full 7-gallon gas tank bike weight is 794 pounds. Maximum permitted total weight is 1,235 pounds. Brakes come standard ABS. The frame is cast aluminum. Gearbox is 6-speed with a shaft drive on a single-sided swingarm. Click here for a review of this bike from the good folks at RoadRunner.
Speaking of luxury vehicles, let me share my 2-cents with you on the Chevrolet Silverado High Country.
Me & the Chevy Silverado High Country – 2014. Click to CarAndDriver for more information on this luxury pickup truck.
This is one high-end, good-looking, workhorse of a pickup truck. Chevrolet make some great trucks (if you want to see an example, check out a used Chevy Colorado). Chevrolet trucks are great quality and quick, what more could you want!? With this particular model, I really like the saddle-brown leather interior and the dash controls looked really functional and easy to reach. The 20-inch chrome wheels look really cool and fit the overall luxury look of the truck nicely. The big news with this new Chevy truck is the powerplant. It comes with a 355 horsepower, 3-liter V8 or for you guys needing even more power, you can get a whopping 420 horsepower, 6.2-liter engine. The difference between driving trucks to smaller and lighter cars is that with the added weight, you may find you quickly wear out the condition of the brakes due to additional stopping distances. Some advice if you already own, or are planning on owning a truck is to always remember on looking to change out your brakes a little sooner than you would with a car, so you can keep braking efficiently. It was something I came to notice when owning my old truck. If it wasn’t for my love of motorcycles I might think about getting a new one. Otherwise this is a great truck from all I could tell. If you’re looking to drive this very capable truck home with you, you could check out the availability of both used and new examples of the vehicle at a Wichita Chevrolet Silverado dealer.
Saddle brown leather interior. Photo: CarAndDriver
I visited the LA Auto Show with my son, Ryan, this year. This video hit home. A man, his son, and his truck…click here to see the new video on the new Chevy Silverado.
Ride Safe Out There.
Bikers4CleanWater – Motorcyclists Making A Difference. Click here to donate to my Charity:Water Campaign, Bikers4CleanWater
Note: Copyrights and Trademarks are the property of their owners. No infringement is ever intended. See footer area of this website for more information.
FYI – The Los Angeles Auto Show is operated by ANSA Productions and is endorsed by the Greater LA New Car Dealer Association.
I got to thinking the other day about the brave English souls who made the courageous decision to get outa town and away from the corruption that was rampant in the Church of England way back 406 years ago in 1607. Imagine this for a moment. They were so pissed off at their lack of freedom that they got on a wooden cargo ship in September 1620 to cross the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean during the sea’s storm season. From all accounts, the voyage from Plymouth, a port town in the south of England to Plymouth, Massachusetts, (New England) was a miserable trip that took 60 days with all 102 getting seasick at one time or another. Â
The Mayflower Pilgrim Ship of 1620. Click on ship for complete history.
The sea voyage was the easy part of their adventure.
The ship only lost one passenger during the crossing, a young man was swept overboard during a major storm. The remainder, 101 brave new colonists, landed near what is now called Cape Cod, Massachusets – just north of where they were supposed to. Not bad for a troop without GPS I say.
These new “Colonists” are now referred to as the “Pilgrims“. 40 or so were religious types known as Protestant Separatists or “Saints” as they apparently like to call themselves. The rest were simply brave Strangers looking for freedom and adventure.
Their first winter was killer.
Only 53 passengers and half the crew survived the first brutal winter in New England. Those who perished died of malnutrition, disease and literally froze to death. They all lived in cramped quarters on the ship that first winter as there was too much snow and temperatures were too cold to build on-land shelter. These people were tough. Real tough.
Native People of New England. Gotta give credit where credit is due.
As the story goes, it is unlikely that any of the Colonists would have survived their first winter had it not been for the help of the local Natives —the local Wampanoag Indian Tribe. The Natives were friendly and taught them how to hunt, fish and grow corn, beans and squash. At the end of their first summer on land, the Pilgrims celebrated their harvest with a 3-day festival of Thanksgiving…an amazing story and a big holiday we Americans still celebrate today.
The Pilgrim Fathers Memorial…
There’s a small granite obelisk mounted on a granite block located in Lincolnshire, England that commemorates one of the first known attempts by a group of people looking for religious freedom.(1607). It was this group that were the precursors of the Pilgrims who crossed the Atlantic Ocean to New England in 1620. Click here for more information about this memorial.
Pilgrim Fathers Memorial. Located at Boston-Lincolnshire, England
The inscription on the front of the memorial reads:
The Pilgrim Fathers were the original seekers of freedom of religion and freedom in general. You’ve got to admire their bravery and independent spirit that’s for sure. Click here for more information on the Pilgrim Fathers.
Give Thanks Everyday Folks.
Thanksgiving is my favorite time of year. What else feels better than being able to officially give thanks no matter how little or how much you have. It’s a time for family bonding. A time of appreciation. A time for reflection about just how fortunate we are to be living in a free country able to live life, seek liberty and to pursue happiness.Â
And, a special thanks to our brave warriors, the keepers of our freedom. Thank you very much to all our military personnel.
Big Thanks To All Our Military Personnel.
Ride Safe Out There. Thank you for reading my blog.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.
Bikers4CleanWater – Motorcyclists Making A Difference. Click here to donate to my Charity:Water Campaign, Bikers4CleanWater
Note: Copyrights and Trademarks are the property of their owners. No infringement is ever intended. See footer area of this website for more information.
My in-laws had the good fortune of having a beachside home in the quaint town of Huanchaco Trujillo, Peru for many years. My Babe (aka: Loving Wife) went to visit the family in Peru a while back and came home with this super cool T-shirt…I wear it proudly and it got me thinking that I need to get to this great South American country myself sooner rather than later to check out the roadways of this amazing place, Peru.
My New T-Shirt From Peru.
As you know, we are big fans of the good riders at Edelweiss Bike Travel. My brother, Rocky and his wife Lisa, did the Alps Tour in Europe last year and loved their professionalism, local knowledge and riding skill. Top notch organization for adventurous motorcycle riders.
Edelweiss has what looks like an amazing motorcycle tour of Peru coming up in 2014. Riders will be riding on part of the longest road in the world, known as the Panamericana, during this ride. The tour will take you along the spectacular Peruvian coast and you’ll play in ancient ports (i.e. Puerto Inka). Then, you’ll enjoy a 500 mile ride to the amazing mountain top city of Machu Picchu. There will be all kinds of spectacular riding experiences…desert, mountains and even jungle.  Â
.Â
Machu Picchu – 15th century Inca site. 7,970 ft above sea level!
.
WOW!!! is all I can say. Click here for all the details from Edelweiss Tours.
.
Check out the basic 10 Day Riding Route. Includes a 3 Day side trip through The Amazonas.
| DAY 1 | Arrival in Arica |
| DAY 2 | Arica – Moquegua |
| DAY 3 | Moquegua – Puerto Inca |
| DAY 4 | Puerto Inca – Nasca |
| DAY 5 | Nasca – Abancay |
| DAY 6 | Abancay – Ollantaytambo |
| DAY 7 | Ollantaytambo – Cusco |
| DAY 8 | Cusco – Tambopata |
| DAY 9 | Tambopata |
| DAY 10 | Tambopata – Cusco |
| DAY 11 | Cusco – Puno |
| DAY 12 | Puno – Chivay |
| DAY 13 | Chivay – Arequipa |
| DAY 14 | Arequipa – Arica |
| DAY 15 | Departure from Arica |
The PanAmerican Highway – Now there’s a road!
Map of the Peru section of the PanAmerican Highway.
The first and last days mentioned in the Edelweiss itinerary are the arrival and departure days for tour start and end.
Depending on the country you start in, you may have to leave a day early, subsequently, you will arrive one day later back home.
Book your flights accordingly! Route and overnight places may change due to unforeseen events.
From all I’ve heard and seen, the Edelweiss Motorcycle Tours, while somewhat expensive, will exceed your wildest motorcycle riding expectations. So go ahead! Start saving your money…you only live once afterall.
Ride Safe Out There,   Â
Northeast Coastal Ride: 2004 HD Electra Glide Classic
.
Motorcycle Marc’s Riding Adventures are sponsored by INSURYU.COMÂ
Bikers4CleanWater – Motorcyclists Making A Difference. Click here to donate to my Charity:Water Campaign, Bikers4CleanWater
Note: Copyrights and Trademarks are the property of their owners. No infringement ever intended. See footer area of this website for more information.Â
Beginning Saturday, November 23, 2013, we motorcycle riders will have another great location to ride to…the new San Diego Harley-Davidson Dealership on Morena Blvd. WOW! This is one impressive biker destination. I made a pre-opening visit there this past weekend. Let me tell you about it.
Address: 4656 Morena Blvd., San Diego, CA 92117
The new SDHD Change Room is a replica of the original 1903 factory building in Milwaukee. How cool is this?
The new dealership is huge! There’s a state-of-the-art, 20,000+ square foot Service Department, a Bike Wash Bay, a Riders Training Area, several Customer Lounges, a Barber Shop, Tattoo Shop, Convenience Store and a large Events Room with an area for a stage, bar, pool table and other games. The Sales floors and Rental Area must be near 50,000+ square feet themselves if my math is correct.
Riders bringing their Harleys in for service will be able to ride right up to the Service Counter. Décor throughout the dealership features Harley-Davidson posters from the Motor Company Museum and there’s all kinds of decor honoring our military, including the Military Star built into the Sales Floor area. Very impressive.
There will be a big American Flag atop a 70 foot flag pole outside the facility. This is one awesome dealership design and facility folks. Great job done by all involved.
SDHD’s hard-working Managers, Mike Willer & Chris Perea, standing in front of the new Sales Office area wall Eagle.
“git-er-done” SDHD Managers on the work site.Â
The San Diego Harley-Davidson Team has been working their butts off over the past 12 – 14 months to bring this amazing new location to life. Two of the hardest-working managers deeply involved with the project are SDHD Operations Manager, Mike Willer and SDHD Infrastructure Manager, Christopher Perea. From all I’ve seen so far, they have left no stone unturned. The new location is sure to be a superb riders destination dealership.
Directions to the new location.
The new dealership is just under seven miles west of the current Kerney Mesa Road location and is situated about half way between I-52 and Balboa Avenue on Morena Blvd.. You’ll be able to see the location’s new Bar & Shield Harley-Davidson sign as you travel on Interstate 5. Look for the Garnet Avenue/Balboa Avenue exits off I-5 then follow the signs to Morena Blvd.
The new building is white in color…you won’t be able to miss it. Address: 4656 Morena Blvd., San Diego, CA 92117.
SDHD Rooftop Sign
San Diego Harley-Davidson is one of the most successful Harley-Davidson Dealerships in the USA.
New York Myke (Myke Shelby) and his family have been successfully operating San Diego Harley-Davidson since 1993. They are known for being champions of freedom, very community service oriented and for providing top notch, customer service.
Opening Day, November 23, 2013.
The company will operate three locations in San Diego effective November 23, 2013. The new company headquarters, a full service dealership and biker destination, will be located at 4645 Morena Blvd. The 5600 Kearny Mesa Road location will continue to offer full dealership products and services as well. The Seaport Village location will continue as a gift shop.
SDHD also offer a broad selection of Harley-Davidson products online. Click here to visit their online store.
I would like to personally wish New York Myke and his entire SDHD team much success as the new location opens on November 23, 2013. It takes a lot of hard work, tenacity and patience to bring a big project like this new destination dealership to life in the state of California. Good job SDHD. Good job indeed.
Ride Safe Out There.
Motorcycle Marc. Happy SDHD Customer since 2003.
.
Bikers4CleanWater – Motorcyclists Making A Difference. Click here to donate to my Charity:Water Campaign, Bikers4CleanWater
Note: Copyrights and Trademarks are the property of their owners. No infringement is ever intended. See footer area of this website for more information.
Thank You Veterans. Thank you very much.
How fortunate we are in America to have such brave men and women protecting us from evil. We sure do appreciate our military heroes. Thank you for your service. Thank you for keeping freedom alive in the USA.
Doug has a new card under drawing construction being prepared for sale around the 110th Anniversary weekend.  I love it! It’s got a bit of an old style edge to it and it’s even a little quirky. Simply charming you could say.
Biker By Doug…heading to the Anniversary
                                              Â
Sierra Mountains Ride, California 2007
Â
Note: Copyrights and Trademarks are the property of their owners. No infringement is ever intended. If you see something you don’t like or feel that we have used your copyrighted or trademarked material inappropriately, let me know asap and I will immediately correct attribution or remove your material. Please contact me via the comments field of the article in question should you need to regarding material. Thank you. – Motorcycle Marc.
Think about it riders! How many American companies can say they have survived for over 100 years?
According to Yale University Professor, Richard Foster, in his article, “How to stay in business for 100 years”, the average lifespan of S&P 500 Index companies has decreased by more than 50 years in the past century, from 67 years in the 1920s to only 15 years today.
Staying alive as an ongoing, profit-making entity, providing good jobs and contributing to society is no picnic today given the weak economic environment, a nasty political bureaucracy and unforgiving customer expectations. Cudos HD, cudos indeed for navigating this roller coaster ride over the decades and “making it”.
The AMF Era…wow, those were difficult days even for the most loyal of customers.
Many companies have experienced near death experiences and have lived to fill out another accounting spreadsheet. We motorcycle enthusiasts have all read (even experienced) Harley’s near demise back in the late 1970s/early 1980s when AMF’s (American Machine and Foundry) ownership led to problems with labor unrest and amazingly poor-quality. Not to mention the serious competition from Honda, Yamaha and other Japanese motorcycle manufacturers that hit the street at that time.
The company has come a long way from those awful AMF era days but, can Harley-Davidson survive another 110 years? Only time will tell of course but, the makings of truly long term greatness for both shareholders and customers are within reach I believe.
                Â
Business is tough. It’s tougher if you make and sell motorcycles. Â
The recession/depression-like economy of the past five years has killed many a family budget. Even for those who can afford it, the uncertainties of sustaining future cash flows has caused everyone to rethink big expenditures like $20,000+ motorcycles. Yet, we bikers ride on. We save and we sacrifice for our bikes…sometimes it takes years of saving but we eventually will buy our Harley.
Note the Pennzoil oil drip pan and tank —–}
This loyalty to the brand is like no other and bodes well for the future of the Motor Company in my opinion…especially if HD can lure a large segment of patriotic young Americans/Canadians/Indian/Asian/European and South Americans. The Hispanic-American and African-American customer pool is huge and a key segment of these good folks, dream of owning a motorcycle someday. Might as well be an authentic, Harley-Davidson bike.
Harley-Davidson Motor Company…an amazing story.
Click here for a summary of Harley’s past. Go ahead and educate yourself before heading out to Milwaukee. The team at Motorcycle.com put together an excellent chronological picture of the Harley-Davison. story. See their webpage for key dates in the making of this great company.
              Great looker. The 2013 Harley-Davidson CVO Breakout Model.
Now for the BIG BASH news. Here’s what you need to know.
Three days of events both big and small were planned to excite all who attend. Rock and roll acts daily. Factory tours, museum tours, demo rides, beer, bars and babes…you name it and the Motor Company likely thought about it and the great city of Milwaukee is ready to entertain you. Click here for all the details.
                  Source: Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary Website
So, will Harley-Davidson survive another 110 years?
My answer is yes…as long as they don’t ever forget who their customers are and why these customers must own Harley-Davidson products.
Plus the company must, I mean it is a ‘must do”… Â
1. Continue to be innovative about every facet of Harley’s social experience.
2. Reinvent continuously. New products, services and experiences matter. Â
3. Train local dealerships to be exceptional providers of that “Harley experience” and,Â
4. Think long term…
By long term I mean, the Motor Company must achieve a healthy balance between quarterly financials demanded of Wall Street investment pros and creating multi-generational lifestyles that champion the American Way of freedom as it is viewed from the seat of a motorcycle.
In conclusion, we Harley-Davidson men and women are a very, very, very loyal bunch. Remember, we actually love our machines. It’s a lifestyle. Harleys are who we are. There’s no posing here…we live the unique brand that is Harley-Davidson.
Me, for one, I have total confidence that the Motor Company will continue to thrive and take care of its loyal customers for many decades to come. Happy Anniversary Harley-Davidson.
Ride Safe Out There Everybody.
Â
Motorcycle Marc’s Adventures are sponsored by INSURYU.COM.
ÂNote: Copyrights & Trademarks.
Copyrights and Trademarks are the property of their owners period. No infringement is ever intended. If you see something you don’t like or feel that we have used your copyrighted or trademarked material inappropriately, let me know asap and I will immediately correct attribution or remove your material. Please contact me via the comments field of the article in question should you need to about your material. Thank you. – Motorcycle Marc.
MJB - AMA member for 40+ years. 
CLICK 