In an open letter sent out yesterday, AFT CEO Michael Lock writes:

Dear Friends of AFT,

American Flat Track is now producing audience and viewership dashboard reports for all stakeholders – and they tell a compelling story.

These reports, the first of which is attached here and downloadable via the link below, help shed light on the growth and health of our sport, which is measurable by the size and makeup of the audience we reach and entertain.

In the three years since 2015 we have risen from 193,000 total season fans (event ticket buyers and FansChoice.tv viewers) to 2,695,952 so far in 2018 – and with five telecasts and four rounds still to go!

Our viewership and fanbase isn’t just expanding, it’s also becoming more diverse. Our regional fanbase is spreading, as well, and rider-counts on track this year are up, too.

We are enjoying an era of rapid growth: more manufacturers competing, more sponsors and supporters becoming involved, and better social media content ensuring our message gets out quicker and to more people.

I invite you to download this dashboard report and take a look at what we’ve all accomplished. I’m hoping it’ll inspire everyone in our community to continue the hard – and fun – work that will make 2019 and beyond even better for everyone – paddock, sponsors, AFT and fans alike.

Thanks for all your contributions and your support for AFT,

Micheal Lock

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If you want to know more than you thought you would ever want to know about who watches flat-track racing and how, it’s all here in this AFT Metric Dashboard.

American Flat Track has Found Its Groove, Man appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

Pirelli Moto Mixer, Sept. 8, P Zero World, L.A. appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

If you live in the area, you might want to participate in this event! Lighthouse Central Florida, Standard Motorcycle Co., and Ural are doing a great thing for these people

Begin Press Release:

CHARITY RIDE FOR LIGHTHOUSE CENTRAL FLORIDA

On September 9th, we’ll be riding to raise awareness and funds for our friends at Lighthouse Central Florida and the vision rehab services they provide to Central Floridians who live with blindness and vision loss. We’ll be joined by Sky PowerSports & Ural Motorcycles — and we’d love for you to ride with us in support of this cause!

We’ve got a fleet of Ural’s lined up and will be taking a group of blind and visually impaired clients of Lighthouse Central Florida through Winter Garden up around Lake Apopka on gorgeous backroads for an opportunity to feel the wind in their faces.

After the ride, we’ll be partying down at Standard with live music, BBQ & refreshments — come join us!

Details & RSVP

Lighthouse is the only private, nonprofit agency offering vision rehabilitation services to Central Floridians of all ages who live with blindness or any degree of vision loss. For more information please visit their website here.

Lighthouse Central Florida Charity Ride For Visually Impaired appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

For the parent, especially the moto-parent, who wants their child to have the trickest balance bicycle out there, Strider brings you the ST-R. Cost? $899.99. Because your kid needs a carbon fiber balance bike.

Begin press release:

You could go out and get your child some bike with a bunch of flashy sounds and noise and shoddy plastic handlebar shield that vaguely represents a superhero. But you know better than that.

If Luxury and Performance got together and decided to create the pinnacle of what a Strider 12 Bike should be, they’d make the Strider ST-R. Sleek? Yes. Elegant? Double yes. Lightweight? Triple yes. Totally, incredibly, jaw-dropping, head-turning, amazingness on two wheels? A gajillion times yes.

So let’s skip the marketing mumbo jumbo for a minute. Check this out. The Strider ST-R has a carbon fiber frame with a carbon fiber fork and carbon steerer. The headset is a Cane Creek AER with bearings. We also threw in a custom stem, handlebar, grips, and seat clamp. Then we thought about what else we could add. How about Schwalbe “Big Apple” tires? That do anything for ya? Top it off with 10-spoke carbon fiber rims that scream style. Then we added custom Strider alloy hubs with cartridge bearings and a thru-axle. The ST-R is magnificently lean and mean, and there’s no telling what your little one can accomplish when they get into the saddle.

With the Strider ST-R, your little speedster will blaze a trail of fiery epicness that will make everyone on the race track drool (not counting the ones who are teething). The Strider ST-R is for those little speed demons who won’t compromise speed for comfort and luxury. They keep racing once they’ve crossed the finish line, and they fall asleep dreaming about the need for speed on a bike built for performance. They don’t have time to pause for a juice box break, because, let’s face it…ain’t nobody got time for that.

For more information visit the Strider site, and click here to join the waitlist.

Strider Bikes Introduces A Carbon Fiber Balance Bike appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

Even if you weren’t around yet in 1978, most motorcycle fans are aware of Mike the Bike Hailwood’s out-of-retirement win at the 1978 Isle of Man TT, on a very special Ducati. Now  Ducati have given permission for the bevel-drive Ducati experts at Vee Two to build 12 replicas of that machine, made possible by Brook Henry’s acquisition of the original drawings that laid out the Hailwood bike’s very special and stout 905 cc motor.

Meanwhile, Paul Taylor of Taylor Made Racing, in beautiful Van Nuys, CA, will be responsible for the bodywork and appearance of the bike, a responsibility he takes extremely seriously. If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford one, but you can read all about the project – including what Mike kept stuffed inside that tennis ball – here.

Vee Two Is Building 12 Hailwood Replicas appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

The most notable change to the 2019 Indian Scout family is the inclusion of ABS in all models – with the exception of the black base models in which ABS remains an option. 

Begin Press Release:

INDIAN MOTORCYCLE ANNOUNCES 2019 SCOUT® LINEUP

Expanded ABS Offering, New Paint Options & USB Charging Port Headline Upgrades to 2019 Indian Scout Lineup

MINNEAPOLIS (August 27, 2018) – Indian Motorcycle, America’s first motorcycle company founded in 1901, today announced its 2019 Scout lineup with new paint options on Scout Sixty, Scout and Scout Bobber. Key feature upgrades for 2019 include an expanded ABS offering and a new USB charging port on Scout and Scout Bobber models.

2019 Indian Scout Sixty

New for 2019, an ABS (anti-lock braking system) is now standard on every non-black Scout Sixty, Scout and Scout Bobber model. For the Thunder Black color option, riders can choose between a model that’s equipped or unequipped with ABS. The Scout and Scout Bobber will also receive a USB charging port in 2019, a convenient feature that allows riders to charge a personal device while riding. The charging port is located near the speedometer for easy access.

“The iconic Indian Scout family is a favorite amongst riders across the globe,” said Reid Wilson, Senior Director for Indian Motorcycle. “Since the addition of the Scout Bobber in July 2017, we’ve continued to evolve our Scout offering to meet the tastes of various riders, whether they prefer the classic, heritage-inspired look of Scout Sixty and Scout or the stripped-down, blacked-out attitude of Scout Bobber. The refinements we’ve made for 2019 and the new paint options accentuate the wide appeal of the Scout line.”

2019 Indian Scout Bobber

Color options for the Scout Sixty, which packs a 60-cubic-inch, liquid-cooled and blacked-out engine, include Thunder Black, White Smoke, Ruby Metallic and Star Silver over Thunder Black. The iconic Indian Scout, which packs a 69-cubic-inch, liquid-cooled engine that puts out 100 horsepower, is offered in Thunder Black, Deep Water Metallic, Metallic Jade, Indian Motorcycle Red over Thunder Black and Willow Green over Ivory Cream. Rounding out the lineup is the aggressively-styled Scout Bobber, now offered in Thunder Black, Thunder Black Smoke, White Smoke and Bronze Smoke.

For current Scout owners looking to add the benefits of the USB charging port, Indian Motorcycle will now offer a USB Charging Port Kit, which can be installed on any 2015-2018 Scout or Scout Bobber model and any 2016-2019 Scout Sixty model.

2019 Indian Scout

Indian Motorcycle offers a full line of Scout touring accessories, including bags, passenger seats, and windscreens and a full line of Scout performance accessories, including shocks by Fox®, Stage 1 Slip-On Exhaust, and Air Intake. With Indian Motorcycle Accessories, a rider can customize their Scout with reduced and extended reach seats, handlebars and foot controls to achieve the perfect fit.

Pricing for the 2019 Scout Sixty starts at $8,999 in the U.S. and $10,999 in Canada, while the Scout starts at $11,499 in the U.S. and $14,499 in Canada. The Scout Bobber starts at $11,999 in the U.S. and $14,999 in Canada.

Arriving at dealerships now, riders can learn more or test ride by visiting a local Indian Motorcycle dealership. For more information on the 2019 Scout lineup, or to find the nearest dealer, visit IndianMotorcycle.comand follow along on Facebook, Twitterand Instagram.

ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®

Indian Motorcycle Company is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.

2019 Indian Scout Line-Up Announced appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

The only thing better than minimizing your carbon footprint is maximizing your spiritual one. The proprietor of Montgomery Distillery in Missoula, Montana, had a Yamaha lying around that didn’t run, some gallons of distilling byproducts resembling ethanol, and a little time on his hands. He may be blazing upon the burning sands as we speak. Read the full story over here and see Kurt Wilson’s very nice photos at The Missoulian.

Vodka-Powered XS650 Racer Off to Bonneville appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

After a couple of delays, the first electric Vespa scooter is finally ready to enter production. The Vespa Elettrica first debuted in 2016 at EICMA, with Piaggio promising production would begin in late 2017. Fast forward a year to EICMA 2017, and Piaggio presented the Elettrica again, with some changes and more technical details, saying orders would begin in spring 2018.

It’s now late summer, and the Elettrica is finally ready for production at Vespa’s historic Pontedera plant, the same one that’s been pumping out scooters since 1946. Orders will be accepted from European customers in October through a dedicated website. Piaggio says it will expand orders to American and Asian customers in early 2019.

Pricing has not been announced, though Piaggio says the Elettrica will be in line with the high end of Vespa’s current product range.

Begin Press Release

PIAGGIO GROUP: VESPA ELETTRICA TO GO INTO PRODUCTION IN SEPTEMBER

The first vehicles can be booked only online starting from the beginning of October

Electric innovation according to Piaggio takes solid form in the most iconic of its brands, which once again sets new parameters for urban mobility

Vespa Elettrica will be the first Piaggio Group product to adopt innovative machine-man interconnectivity solutions

Milan, 27 August 2018 – Staying true to the programmes presented at the most recent EICMA, the Piaggio Group will start production of Vespa Elettrica in September. The long-awaited electric version of the world’s most famous and beloved scooter will be produced at the Pontedera plant in the province of Pisa, the same one where Vespa first rolled off the line in the spring of 1946 and that today is one of the world’s technological leaders in terms of design, development and production of advanced mobility solutions.

The first vehicles will already be possible to book at the beginning of October and only online on the dedicated website, with innovative all inclusive financing formulas that will join the conventional purchasing systems. The price will be in line with the high-end bracket of the Vespa range presently being marketed.

Vespa Elettrica will then be gradually put on the market starting from the end of October to reach full marketing in November to coincide with the 2018 Milan EICMA show. Sales will begin in Europe to then be extended to the United States and Asia starting from early 2019.

Vespa Elettrica is but a first step for the Piaggio Group in the direction of a new richness of interconnection between vehicles and human operators. Vespa Elettrica will be ready to be fitted out in the near future with solutions currently being developed for Gita, the robot currently on the drawing board at Piaggio Fast Forward in Boston (which will be entering production at the beginning of 2019), such as artificial intelligence systems both adaptive and responsive to all human input. They will be aware of people and other vehicles operating in the vicinity, extend the operator’s ability to sense potential perils and opportunities, and provide real time mapping and traffic data that contributes to improving the design of transportation infrastructures in cities. Most of all, these new generation vehicles will thoroughly know their operators: they will recognize them without key fobs, anticipate their driving choices, interact with other devices and vehicles on the road and allow for degrees of personalization that can barely be imagined today.

Vespa Elettrica is launched as the contemporary icon of Italian technology around the world. By adopting electric drive, Vespa once again strongly makes a name for itself as a symbol of style combined with the best of innovation. Vespa Elettrica is not just a new electric scooter. It is a work of art of our day, with a technological core that is born carrying with it all the values of the world of Vespa, its image, its social and eco-friendly soul, now even more sensitive to the quality of life of our urban environment.

Vespa Elettrica means riding easy, natural. It means advanced connectivity and silence, personalisation and accessibility, values that have always belonged to Vespa and that today have been totally achieved in Vespa Elettrica.

The Vespa brand today is experiencing one of the most successful moments of its history, with over a million and a half vehicles sold during the last decade. The first half of 2018 closed with about a 10% increase in sales volumes compared to 30 June 2017.

2019 Vespa Elettrica Entering Production in September appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

YOU could win $1 Million dollars by entering the Monster Millions Sweepstakes at participating retailers or at monsterenergy.com through August 31. If your chosen rider wins all three main events at the Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas on October 13th, you could win big, too. The Monster Energy Cup is a unique exhibition race where if a rider wins all three 10-lap main events (as Marvin Musquin did last year and Ryan Villopoto in 2011) they win one million big ones, and a lot of bragging rights.

Feld Entertainment:

Unique Monster Energy Cup Track to Test the
World’s Top Supercross Athletes

ELLENTON, FL – August 24, 2018 – Feld Entertainment, Inc., revealed today new track features for this year’s Monster Energy Cup, the sport’s largest invite-only Supercross race on October 13 at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.

In its eighth year, the 2018 Monster Energy Cup, which posts a $250,000 purse and a potential $1 Million bonus awarded to the winner of all three 10-Lap Main Events, returns to Las Vegas for a stellar spectacle of the world’s top two-wheeled professionals under the bright lights of one of America’s liveliest destinations.

In addition, for the first time ever, one lucky Supercross fan will also have a chance to win $1 Million by entering the Monster Millions Sweepstakes at participating retailers or monsterenergy.com through August 31.

This year, the track will feature dual Monster Energy Cup arches that will rise from the track into the grandstands, plus dual sand sections, dual over-under bridges and the return of the Joker Lane, which will once again be a slower disadvantage that athletes will have to race through at least once during each Main Event. As in year’s past, the track will take full advantage of the stadium’s layout by sprawling into the parking lot and paddock area. Racers will scream back into the stadium at full speed hitting upward of 75 mph as Monster Alley stretches an impressive 1,114 feet in length.

To make capturing the Monster Million as challenging as possible for athletes and more entertaining to watch for fans, this year’s unique hybrid track design inspired by five-time Monster Energy Supercross Champion, Ricky Carmichael, will be unlike any other stadium race in the world with a combination of traditional supercross elements and outdoor, natural-terrain stylings.

“The Monster Energy Cup is always the place where we try to outdo ourselves, from the highest start in history to building sections of the track that traverse into the stands, we’re always trying to push the limits of track design,” said Dave Prater, Senior Director of Operations – Two Wheel, Feld Entertainment. “We had a great 2018 Supercross season showcasing these athletes and this is our time of year where we can have fun and do never-before type things. We love coming here to Las Vegas with another million dollars to celebrate the sport’s marquee athletes, and this year’s Monster Millions promotion adds even more excitement for the fans.”

The Monster Millions Sweepstakes is the biggest consumer promotion in the event’s history. Ten lucky winners will receive a grand prize trip to Las Vegas, VIP tickets to the event and a $1,000 grab-for-cash contest during the evening’s festivities. In front of an exuberant crowd, the contestant who collects the most cash also becomes eligible to win a bonus $1 Million if one of the racers also wins $1 Million by winning all three Main Events. No small feat, but certainly possible as Marvin Musquin proved last year.

The open Monster Energy Cup Class format pits competitors against each other on 250cc and 450cc machines and offers racers the option to choose the bike of their choice. Athletes expected to race include reigning Supercross Champion Jason Anderson, last year’s $1 Million winner, Marvin Musquin, plus Eli Tomac, Justin Barcia and more.

In 2017, Musquin became only the second athlete in the event’s history to capture $1 Million after Ryan Villopoto won the inaugural race in 2011. After finishing the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross season in second place and going down to the wire at the final event in Las Vegas, Musquin could be in the best position to repeat and become the first two-time Monster Energy Cup Champion.

Past winners of the Monster Energy Cup dating back to its inception:

• Ryan Villopoto – 2011 ($1 Million winner)
• Justin Barcia – 2012
• James Stewart – 2013
• Davi Millsaps – 2014
• Ken Roczen – 2015
• Eli Tomac – 2016
• Marvin Musquin – 2017 ($1 Million winner)

Along with the world’s best professional two-wheeled athletes in attendance, the Monster Energy Cup will feature the Supermini and Amateur All-Star classes for top athletes ages 12-15 who have earned the right to compete on the same track as the stars of Supercross as they prepare themselves for the next step in their racing careers.

For more information on the Monster Energy Cup, visit SupercrossLIVE.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross, or follow via social channels:

• Facebook: facebook.com/supercrosslive
• Twitter: twitter.com/supercrosslive
• Instagram: instagram.com/supercrosslive
• YouTube: youtube.com/supercrosslive

Million-Dollar Monster Energy Cup All-Star Race Invades Las Vegas Oct. 13 appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

If you’ve been to an AMA, MotoAmerica, or US World Superbike round in the last 30 or so years, you’ve heard Brian Drebber doing the trackside play-by-play. The 67-year old Drebber was riding his bike, “Franken Wing,” (which he suggested yesterday I should include in today’s “Top 10 Motorcycles for People Over 50”) to the airport from his home in Cherokee County, Georgia, when he struck a deer and crashed. The Cherokee Ledger says Brian was conscious when rescuers arrived on scene, but later died at the hospital.

Mr. Drebber had a big heart, a kind word and a story for everyone.

Moto America sent this Press Release:

MotoAmerica announcer Brian Drebber passed away on Thursday from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.| Photo By Brian J. Nelson

RIP Longtime Race Announcer Brian Drebber appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.