Motorcycle Views Newsletter for 01/03/2016 By Walter F. Kern Motorcycle Views Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 1, January 3, 2016 Articles of Interest on Motorcycle Views: 0. A New Year is Here: Happy New Year 2016! 2016 is a leap year, so we all have an extra day to be productive and to ride our motorcycles. Regardless of your political views, I think we all agree that things will be looking up in 2016. Set some goals and try to achieve them. I expect to be writing more books this year. My Audible audiobook of Motorcycle Kick-Starts should be released in early February 2016. You know I will be reminding you of its progress to market. My fifth book—tentatively titled 50 Wild Motorcycle Tales - Book 2—will depend on my readers, including you. I know you have some Wild Tales of your motorcycle travels buried in your memories. Take some time and put them on paper. Then send them to me for consideration in this new book. I'm writing many of my own stories right now, but I want you to be included too. Submit your stories to me as a goal you set for yourself. See your story and byline in print in 50 Wild Motorcycle Tales - Book 2. Beyond 50 Wild Motorcycle Tales - Book 2, I may even be trying some fiction, only tangentially related to motorcycles. 1. Recent Additions to the Motorcycle Views Website:
2. Best Pictures of the Year 2015:
3. Sportster History: Learn about Harley-Davidson Sportster History
Part 1: Early Sportsters First off, why an article about the Harley-Davidson Sportster? That's easy. I used to own a 1994 Sportster XLH-1200, and I wanted to learn more about the history of the Sportster. Also, this venerable model has been around a long time and has a legion of devoted fans -- and detractors. The Sportster has multiple personalities. We'll explore some of them here. Part 2 of this article will discuss Evolution Sportsters & Racing. The Harley-Davidson Sportster was first sold in 1957. That makes it one of the longest continuously produced motorcycle models. In all that time, a lot of people have ridden Sportsters and a lot of changes have occurred to improve the model. Of course, a lot of rider opinions have been formed too. Much of the information contained in this article came from several books: Harley Davidson Sportster by Allan Girdler and Ron Hussey; Harley-Davidson Data Book by Rick Conner; and Complete Harley Davidson: A Model-by-Model History of the American Motorcycle by Tod Rafferty. No attempt has been made to cover all Sportster models in the following. Consult the books referred to for more details and some good reading. The Sportster was given a model number that began with the letter "X" since X was the next available letter in the alphabet that Harley had not previously used. It was known as the Sportster XL. (Harley also used the "X" for its wartime model, the XA, that was a copy of a BMW model.) Harley applies the "L" to a model as the first step toward more power. The Sportster was developed to compete with imports. It featured a right-hand shift, 4-speeds, and full suspension. Its engine had cast iron heads, developed 40 bhp with a 3.0-inch bore and 3.81-inch stroke. It was a 55 ci OHV V-twin with a 7.5:1 compression ratio. Its displacement was also referred to in CCs, however, to differentiate it from the other Harley models. The factory identified it both as a 55ci and an 883cc machine. The first Sportster cost $1103, and 1,983 machines were sold in 1957. By 1958, the Sportster XLH model was added. Harley historically added an "H" to designate the second step beyond a basic model. Some would say that the "H" stood for High-Compression. In 1966, the "Ham-can" air cleaner cover was added to the Sportster and gave it a distinctive look. Early models had a toolkit, but that disappeared in 1967 when a battery and new electric starter needed the space. The shorty dual exhausts were a $30 option in 1971 but were outlawed in California and Detroit, Michigan. Front disc brakes were added in 1973 but required a strong grip to get stopped. In 1974, Harley added a return spring to the throttle under a government safety order. Up to that time, the throttle stayed where you put it, and riders got used to riding that way. Various other models appeared including the 1983 XLX-61 that was a stripped-down black model with no other name. It had a solo seat, peanut tank, and one front disc brake. Now read Part 2 of Sportster history: Evolution Sportsters & Racing. The picture above is a 1958 Harley-Davidson Sportster model submitted by Rob Roth. 4. Today's Motorcycle Views Poll: I'm running one new Motorcycle Views Poll in each issue of the newsletter. Please participate in each poll so we can all find out what's happening in motorcycling. Here's Poll No. 29 (It may take a few seconds to load, so please be patient.): What was the make of the first motorcycle you owned? The latest Motorcycle Views Poll also appears on the front page of the Motorcycle Views website. 5. Today's How-To: I will be featuring one of my How-Tos in each issue of the newsletter. 6. My New Book, Motorcycle Kick-Starts: Motorcycle Kick-Starts: Getting Started, Stories, Tips, and How-TosMy fourth book, Motorcycle Kick-Starts, has been released and is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback editions.
My purpose in writing the book is to whet your appetite for more while sticking to basic motorcycle information and not overpowering you with details. We start out giving you basic information about motorcycles and showing you how you might proceed to become an active, safe rider. Then we present ten short motorcycle stories (tales) written by actual motorcyclists. These tales allow you to observe some unusual things that happen to people who ride motorcycles. Without a bike, you would most likely never have these experiences. You will find out that your own rides will be different, but they too will result in unforgettable memories. The first story relates my own journey as a newbie rider when I joined a small group and rode cross-country on a 6,000-mile adventure. Between stories, some practical advice about motorcycles is given in the form of ten motorcycle How-Tos and ten motorcycle Tips that you will need to know to become a proficient rider. It's available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. Click the cover picture for more information about how to purchase the book or click here to go to Amazon directly. Work is also proceeding to make it available in an Audible audiobook edition in late January 2016. The book was inspired by my Audible producer who was looking for a 2-hour audio on motorcycles. 7. 50 Wild Motorcycle Tales - Book 2 - I Need Your Help: It appears that there may be a demand for a 50 Wild Motorcycle Tales - Book 2 in my future. It would be my fifth book. I will be writing some new stories of my own, but I want to solicit from you any motorcycle stories you have written or might write to be part of the new book. These stories must involve real events that happened to you while you were motorcycling. You must be the author of the story. Send me stories if you wish to see your work in my new book. 8. Motorcycle Picture of the Month for January 2016: Motorcycle Picture of the Month - January 2016 - 2007 Honda Gold Wing: 9. My Book, 50 Wild Motorcycle Tales, is also available as an Audiobook (Audible) Edition on Amazon, iTunes, and Audible: My new audiobook makes a great gift for those who want to listen instead of read.
If you click the book cover (or click here), you can listen to a 5-minute sample of the audiobook and hear all three narrators, including one female voice and me. Should you decide to buy and download the audiobook, I'd welcome any Amazon online reviews you might want to write after you have listened to the audiobook. Remember, this new audiobook edition is also available for download on iTunes. That means you can access it on all your Apple devices including your iPhone and iPad. 10. Here are some very popular articles on the Motorcycle Views Site. Take a look:
11. Latest Motorcycle Pictures:
See the latest received pictures by category.
12. My Motorcycle Books:
My first book, Getting Started Riding a Motorcycle, was first published in 2011 but only as a Kindle edition. It was revised in 2014 and also made available in a paperback edition. Click the book cover to learn more about the book and how to buy it on Amazon.com.
A surprising number of visitors to my site quickly caught on and enjoyed haiku poetry
that had been submitted to me over the years from motorcyclists. Haiku is a simple poem of three lines
with five syllables in the first and last lines and seven in the second line. Here's a sample haiku poem:
Very Nasty They are easy to write, and most riders like to read them. I coupled each haiku poem with a motorcycle picture and description that tied into the poem itself. I wrote seven of the haiku poems. Click the book cover to learn more about the book and how to buy it on Amazon.com.
I have reduced the price of my four Kindle editions to $0.0 (FREE) IF you also first purchase the corresponding paperback edition. That way you can always have the book with you if you have a tablet or smartphone with you. None of the paperbacks have color pictures in them owing to the high price of producing a book with color. However, every Kindle edition has color pictures, so the Getting Started Riding a Motorcycle and Motorcycle Haiku Poetry Kindle books are in full color. 13. Polar Bear Grand Tour Runs to The Tilted Kilt and Rhodes North Tavern:
All the pictures and videos for these runs can be found by clicking the following links: Tilted Kilt in Monmouth Junction, NJ, and Rhodes North Tavern in Sloatsburg, NY. The Polar Bears consist of 550 riders from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Delaware, who ride each Sunday to a different prescribed destination where they sign-in and receive points. There is, usually, a restaurant at or near the destination. It gets cold, windy, and snowy on these rides. I've been a Polar Bear member for more than 20 years, and I built and continue to maintain their website. The picture to the right was taken at The Tilted Kilt. 14. Help Grow Motorcycle Views: The Motorcycle Views Website is here for you. We encourage you to submit a story, picture, poem, salvage yard recommendation, user review of your own bike, tattoo, YouTube video you made of your bike, motorcycle tip, etc. These will be evaluated for inclusion into one of our major features. Send us a submission today and share part of your motorcycling experience with our many readers. Read how to make a submission. 15. Send In Your Pictures: We love pictures of your motorcycles. Even better is a picture of you with your bike. We also like descriptions of bikes so tell us all about your bike. What accessories do you have? What special paint job do you have? How long have you been riding? Tell us more. Women riders are especially requested to send their pictures in. Submit a Picture. 16. The Motorcycle Views Website is Also on your Smartphone or Tablet: Are you relying more and more on your cellphone or tablet and less and less on your PC or MAC? Remember that all that great motorcycling information on Motorcycle Views is as near as your cellphone. It's also in a new format designed to fit your portable screen. Check us out anywhere you need motorcycle information. Be sure to check out the Home Page on Motorcycle Views. It keeps changing daily, now containing links to hundreds of my original articles and features including Makes and Models, Picture Galleries, Motorcycle FAQ, Motorcycle Tips, Motorcycle How-Tos, Rallies, Videos and Movies, and User Reviews. 17. Social Media: See me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube.
For New Subscribers: Expect newsletters on Sunday afternoon every other week. Please understand that the Motorcycle Views Newsletter is NOT the Motorcycle Views website. The newsletter provides a few links to content on the Motorcycle Views website. Once you click a link in the newsletter, you'll be getting access to content on the Motorcycle Views site. If you'd like to view some recent newsletters, just go to the newsletter sign-up page and look below where my three motorcycle books are described for links. Thanks for signing up for the Motorcycle Views Newsletter. Using this Newsletter, I'll keep you up-to-date with what's going on in the Motorcycle Views Blog, the Motorcycle Views Website, and the Motorcycle Views Forum. The forum has a new look as of February 13, 2015. Take a look. Not sure what a blog is? It's like a daily readout of what I'm thinking about, similar to a diary at times. Most often, I'm using mine right now to tell my visitors what has been added to the Motorcycle Views site. See me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube. The Motorcycle Views Website is Also on your Smartphone or Tablet: Are you relying more and more on your cellphone or tablet and less and less on your PC or MAC? Remember that all that great motorcycling information on Motorcycle Views is as near as your cellphone. It's also in a new format designed to fit your portable screen. Check us out anywhere you need motorcycle information. END OF NEWSLETTER All Previous Newsletters:
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© 2016 Walter F. Kern. All rights reserved.
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