Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, B & B, BDN, MCN, Huze, AP, Revzilla / CT
NEWS
BRIEFS
Harley was in 6th spot in market share terms in Germany for the first half of 2017( 6.8 %), selling 5,975 units there – down by some- 20 % on the 7,488 units it sold in Germany in the first six months of 2016 for a 7.48 % market share. Its top sellers so far this year are the XL 1200X( 673 units), Dyna Street Bob( 654 units) and the Breakout( 652 units).
Making their debut at AIMExpo next month, Blud Lubricants of Skippack, Pa., is a division of American Synthol( Medina, Ohio) who will be introducing its HawgBlud V-twin formulated performance engine oil.
BOOTH #
2461
Bill Werner has been selected as the 2017 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legend. Wernerbuilt Harley-Davidson XR750s have won more AMA Grand National Championships and more races than any other machine, including those that powered Hall of Famers Gary Scott, Jay Springsteen and Scott Parker to a total of 13 AMA Grand National Championships. Werner has garnered many honors over the years, including AMA Mechanic of the Year a remarkable 13 times, and he won the inaugural AMA Pro Racing Award of Mechanical Excellence in 1996. Werner retired from Harley-Davidson in 2004, but he continues to stay active in professional American Flat Track competition as owner and tuner of the Bill Werner Racing team, which has pioneered the development of the Kawasaki EX650 in AMA Grand National Championship competition.
Norton has struck a 20-year‘ Design & Licence’ agreement with Chinese manufacturer Zongshen over a new 650cc twin jointly engineered and developed by Norton and Ricardo. The Euro 4 compliant engine will allow Zongshen to“ fast track” into larger displacement production. Although the value of the deal is to remain private, the initial consideration paid to Norton is described as being in the“ millions of dollars” with an ongoing royalty on each engine produced; last year Zongshen produced around 4 million engines.
Kawasaki and Indian share the honors at Sturgis
At the first of the two AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines races at the Sturgis Rally, the inaugural Buffalo Chip TT presented by Indian Motorcycle( Round 13, Sunday August 6), the win was taken by Briar Bauman( No. 14 Zanotti Racing Kawasaki Ninja 650), who secured his second victory of the season after a dramatic race in front of a huge crowd that featured three red flags, an all but certain winner who didn ' t win, and a crasher who did. Title leader Jared Mees( No. 9 Indian Motorcycle Rogers Racing Scout FTR750) finished a strong second in sharp contrast to chief rival Bryan Smith( No. 1 Indian Motorcycle Racing backed by Allstate Scout FTR750), who crashed in the early-going and could only salvage 12th place after remounting. Jake Johnson( No. 5 Harley- Davidson Factory Flat Track Team XG750R) came up big to score the first podium finish of the 2017 season for the works Harley-Davidson outfit. That success came much to the delight of the raucous Harley- Davidson fans who flooded the Buffalo Chip Campgrounds. The final spot in the top-five went to winner Briar Bauman ' s younger brother, Bronson Bauman( No. 37 Bill Werner Racing Kawasaki Ninja 650), who equaled his career-best finish. Brad Baker came home sixth on the third of the factory Indians; Robert Pearson, Kenny Coolbeth Jr and Danny Eslick came ninth, 11th and 13th respectively on Harley XG750Rs. Just 48 hours later at the Harley-Davidson Black Hills Half-Mile in Rapid City, S. D.,( Round 14, August 8) Jared Mees took another important step towards the 2017 American Flat Track championship with a victorious performance( his 27th career win) aboard the No. 9 Indian Motorcycle Rogers Racing Scout FTR750 that saw him rack up a crucial 45 points over two fruitful days at the 77th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and saw the Indian Wrecking Crew return to its early-season dominance with
Jared Mees won( for the seventh time this year) at the Harley-Davidson Black Hills Half-Mile at Rapid City during the Sturgis Rally. As the series was headed back to Illinois after 13 of the 18 AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines series, he had established a 36 point lead over his Indian Wrecking Crew teammates Bryan Smith, second, and Brad Baker, third
another podium sweep. Mees’ teammates Bryan Smith and Brad Baker( No. 1 and No. 6 Indian Motorcycle Racing backed by Allstate Scout FTR750s) came second and third respectively. Jeffrey Carver Jr.( No. 23 Carver’ s BBQ Kawasaki Ninja 650) notched up his fourth Half- Mile top-five of the season in Rapid City finishing fourth, just ahead of Sunday ' s TT standouts Briar Bauman( No. 14 Zanotti Racing Kawasaki Ninja 650) and Henry Wiles( No. 17 DPC Racing Kawasaki Ninja 650). The factory Harley-Davidson squad enjoyed a strong showing in front of the partisan Sturgis crowd at an event title sponsored by Harley- Brandon Robinson( No. 44 Harley- Davidson Factory Flat Track Team XG750R) came home with an encouraging seventh, one position better than teammate Kenny Coolbeth( No. 2 Harley- Davidson Factory Flat Track Team XG750R). The weekend before Sturgis, at the Harley-Davidson Calistoga, California Half-Mile( Round 11, July 29), Mees had taken another AFT presented by Vance & Hines win for Indian, with Sammy Halbert( No. 69 Estenson Logistics Yamaha FZ-07) second following his impressive X Games gold medal performance a couple of weeks before, and Brad Baker( No. 6 Indian Motorcycle Racing backed by Allstate Scout FTR750) third, with Bryan Smith( No. 1 Indian Motorcycle Racing backed by
Allstate Scout FTR750) fourth. Lima Half-Mile winner Briar Bauman( No. 14 Zanotti Racing Kawasaki Ninja 650) was fifth; Jeffrey Carver Jr.( No. 23 Carver’ s BBQ Kawasaki Ninja 650) sixth. Factory Harley-Davidson riders Brandon Robinson( No. 44 Harley-Davidson Factory Flat Track Team XG750R), Kenny Coolbeth, Jr.( No. 2 Harley- Davidson Factory Flat Track Team XG750R), and Jake Johnson( No. 5 Harley-Davidson Factory Flat Track Team XG750R) all qualified for the final, finishing ninth, 12th and 15th, respectively. As this edition of AMD Magazine went to press, the series was headed back to Illinois to complete a run of four races in 15 days at the fabled Peoria TT on Sunday( Round 14), August 13. After another threeweek break battle will be resumed at the second Springfield, Illinois Mile of the season( Round 15, September 3), followed a week later by the Harley-Davidson Williams Grove Half-Mile( Round 16, September 9) at Mechanicsburg, PA. After the Indian Motorcycle presented by Lone Star Half- Mile at Fort Worth Texas( Round 17, September 23) the AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines series will reach its crescendo at the AFT Finals presented by Indian Motorcycle at Perris, southern California( inland from Los Angeles), on October 7.
www. americanflattrack. com
8 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER- AUGUST 2017 www. AMDchampionship. com