FAYETTEVILLE -- Finding the right motorcycle means knowing what you want.
Looking for a 69-cubic inch V-twin engine? A closed loop exhaust system? How important is chrome, leather and LED lights?
At A Glance
Today’s Schedule
Venue Hours
• Dickson Street Beer Garden and Main Stage: Noon-11:30 p.m.
• Baum Motorcycle Village: 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
• Washington County Fairgrounds Saloon and Campgrounds: 3 p.m.-midnight
Events
• Harley-Davidson, Indian, Victory, Yamaha demo rides, Baum: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Blues Train Shuttle, George’s to Baum round trips: Noon-8 p.m.
• Music on the Main Stage: 2-11 p.m.
• Commemorative Air Force, Drake Field ($15 Admission): 2-5 p.m.
• Hambone Express Pig Races, Fairgrounds: 6 p.m., 8 p.m.
• United FMX Stunt Team Show, Baum: 6 p.m.
• Music, Fairgrounds: 8-11 p.m.
Source: www.bikesbluesandbb…
At A Glance
Bike Type
The Motorcycle Industry Council breaks motorcycles into six main categories.
• Cruiser: Styled after machines from the 1930s to early 1960s and typically have large-displacement V-twin engines tuned for low-end torque, making them less demanding to ride. Cruisers have a low, laid-back riding position that many find comfortable.
• Sport: Designed for speed and handling on paved roads or racetracks, they can be less comfortable and have poorer gas mileage compared to other bikes. They have comparatively high-performance engines resting inside a lightweight frame and often feature the latest in motorcycle technology.
• Standard: Versatile, all-purpose street motorcycles that combine the comfort of cruisers with performance and handling closer to those of sport bikes. Standards are often recommended to beginning motorcyclists because of their flexibility, relatively low cost, and upright riding positions.
• Touring: Designed to cover long distances in great comfort. They often have large-displacement engines, and tall fairings that offer significant weather and wind protection, and large-capacity fuel tanks for extended range between fill-ups. They are famous for their relaxed, upright seating position and plush seats.
• Dual sport: Street legal machines that are also designed to enter off-road situations. Typically based on a dirt bike chassis, they have added lights, mirrors, signals and instruments that allow them to be licensed for public roads.
• Scooter: For those looking to run around town without wanting to ride a motorcycle. They typically have smaller wheels and a step through seating position. Models often include under seat storage to fit groceries or an extra helmet for a friend.
Source: Motorcycle Industry Council
Then ask what's most important: speed, comfort, style, sound or all of the above?
Pete terHorst, a spokesman for the American Motorcyclist Association, said everyone wants to avoid buyer's remorse.
"With a little homework and a lot of patience, you can dodge that lead-in-your gut feeling and ride away from any motorcycle deal with a big smile that will last for years," he said.
Attendees of Bikes, Blues & BBQ can take their shopping lists to Baum Stadium to search for the perfect fit.
Motorcycle companies are giving riders a chance to check out new models and take test rides, including the nation's oldest bike companies Indian Motorcycle and Harley-Davidson.
Travis and Toni Cave of Fayetteville were test riding bikes Wednesday afternoon.
"It's about how I fit on the bike," said Travis Cave. He said his 6-foot, 5-inch frame makes finding a bike that fits well challenging. "I need an extension."
Toni Cave is significantly shorter than her husband and said she has the opposite problem.
"I need a bike where I can touch all the controls," she said after test driving Harley-Davidson's CVO Softail Deluxe.
Travis Cave owns a Honda PTX and his wife a Harley Sportster 1200. Both are in the market for new bikes.
Tim Lindquist of Randolf, Neb., took an Indian Roadmaster for a spin. He owns a Harley-Davidson Screamin Eagle Road King and plans to buy a new bike sometime in the next year.
He said power, comfort and looks are important factors in picking a new bike. He is looking for a touring bike.
"My dad had an Indian," he said.
Indian Motorcycle
This is not Indian's first trip to Bikes, Blues & BBQ, but it is the first time a local dealer will be represented.
Heritage Indian Motorcycle of Northwest Arkansas opened Sept. 13 at 1711 W. Hudson Road in Rogers. Justin Vandevort, general manager, said the dealership will have 30 to 40 bikes on display next to the corporate demonstration truck.
Indian Motorcycle was founded in 1901 in Springfield, Mass. The company declared bankruptcy a couple times through the years under different ownership. Polaris acquired the company in 2011 and moved production to Spirit Lake, Iowa.
Polaris also owns the 15-year-old Victory motorcycle line.
"Indian is a brand that won't die," Vandevort said.
The company unveiled three new models -- Chief Vintage, Chief Classic and Chieftain -- during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August. Sturgis is one of the nation's largest bike rallies, drawing hundreds of thousands of riders annually to the South Dakota Black Hills.
Indian launched the Roadmaster and Scout this year at Sturgis.
Roadmaster is a super-heavyweight luxury touring bike featuring heated seats and grips, more storage, LED lights and is a new version of Indian's historic touring bikes, Vandevort said. It has a Thunder Stroke 111 air-cooled 49-degree V-twin engine that tops out at 5500 rpm.
The Roadmaster weighs 930 pounds and has a seat height of 26.5 inches. The bike retails for $26,999.
Scout is a "midweight bike, lighter and at a lower price point than Indian's other super-heavyweight models to date," said Robin M. Farley, an investment research analyst with UBS.
The bike is powered by a liquid-cooled 69 cubic inch V-twin that produces 100 horsepower. Leather seats are standard on all Indian bikes.
The Scout weighs 562 pounds and has a seat height of 25.3 inches. It retails for $10,999.
Farley said she expects to see more models similar to Scout.
"The Scout has a new engine ... and companies don't make new engines for one bike model," she said.
She added the Scout seems to be targeted at Harley's Sportster Family.
Harley-Davidson
Farley said Harley U.S. sales were down about 5 percent in July but predicted sales would pick up because of strong demand for Road Glide.
Road Glide is one of several bikes at the Harley Village at Baum Stadium. Harley-Davidson is teaming up with local dealership Pig Trail Harley-Davidson to show off bikes and provide demo rides.
Harley-Davidson produced its first bike in 1903. Pig Trail Harley-Davidson opened in 2006 at 2409 Hudson Road in Rogers.
Happy Trails Motorcycle Connection, 230 S. Mill Ave. in Fayetteville, has been selling used Harley-Davidson motorcycles for 28 years.
Harley-Davidson also used Sturgis to reintroduce the Road Glide into its 2015 lineup. The bike was out of circulation for a year and Harley brought it back with more power and an updated look.
Chris Urban, core customer marketing lead for Harley-Davidson, said another new release is Freewheeler, a stripped down version of the Tri Glide trike.
"This thing looks fast and tough and has a hot rod look and feel," he said.
The Freewheeler has no fairing up front and the front fender looks similar to a Fat Boy's.
The bike runs on a High Output Twin Cam 103 with integrated oil cooler and weighs 1,045 pounds and has a base price of $24,999.
He said the lower price -- $8,000 less than a Tri Glide -- opens trikes up to new customers.
Harley also is experimenting with an electric motorcycle. The company introduced LiveWire in June and has a limited number of prototypes. Urban said the logistics of getting the bike to Bikes, Blues & BBQ didn't work this year.
"We would love it if everyone could test it out," he said. "We want to get people's input on this."
Urban said the bike doesn't have the traditional rumble riders expect from a Harley, and it sounds close to a jet engine.
"The Harley sound is not just one sound," he said. "It is a work of art."
NW News on 09/25/2014