“5 New Middleweight Cruiser Motorcycles: Comparison Test - Popular Mechanics” plus 4 more

5 New Middleweight Cruiser Motorcycles: Comparison Test - Popular Mechanics
Now Live! New Edelbrock Foundries Website - StreetInsider.com
Coda Automotive Appoints Former Volkswagen and MINI USA Head of ... - Earthtimes
EV Maker Coda Automotive Appoints Former Volkswagen and MINI USA Head ... - The Auto Chanel
Officers Elected to American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation Board of ... - Who Won

5 New Middleweight Cruiser Motorcycles: Comparison Test - Popular Mechanics

Posted: 19 Aug 2009 07:33 AM PDT

Motorcycles have an alter ego. On the outside, a husky cruiser bike may look like the two-wheel equivalent of a gas-guzzling muscle car. But despite the big chrome pipes, fat rear tire and bulging V-twin engine, bikes are fantastically fuel-efficient machines.

Even the heaviest, most powerful models deliver hybridlike economy. The smallest ones sip fuel at a pace that would make a Prius owner jealous. So a cool-looking, fun-to-ride cruiser can become a very unlikely and appealing alternative to a hybrid. Who says motorcycles are just weekend fun?

The best-selling of these fuel-efficient cruisers live in the rather nebulous middleweight class. Broadly ranging from 500 cc to 1000 cc, these bikes all pack traditional V-twin engines, pumped-up styling and loads of comfort. The middleweights are lighter, lower and much easier to ride than the big boys. So they won't overwhelm first-time riders. Yet many are rewarding enough for old pros, too. Best of all, these bikes are some of the sweetest bargains in motorcycling.

We gathered up five middleweight contenders from Yamaha (Star), Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki, and rode them nearly 350 miles through some of Southern California's best roads and worst traffic. Professional rider Danny Coe ran each bike through our battery of acceleration and braking tests at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona. And we brought along a seasoned passenger to test each bike's capability for two-up touring. Often it takes big torque to turn our heads. But in this test, we found that the smaller bikes had enough power, efficiency and comfort to impress.

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Now Live! New Edelbrock Foundries Website - StreetInsider.com

Posted: 19 Aug 2009 06:00 AM PDT

August 19, 2009 9:07 AM EDT

TORRANCE, Calif., Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Edelbrock is excited to announce the launch of its all-new foundries services website: http://www.edelbrockfoundry.com . Edelbrock has created this website to showcase their foundry capabilities, specializing in sand-cast and permanent mold aluminum castings for automotive and industrial markets.

Located in San Jacinto, CA, both Edelbrock foundries are touted as the most modern facilities west of the Mississippi, offering unparalleled aluminum molding capabilities. Edelbrock foundries services include concurrent design engineering, traditional and CNC pattern making, tooling production, core production, green and dry sand mold, permanent and semi-permanent mold metalcasting, solution heat treatment and ageing, finishing and machining. Edelbrock foundries ISO 9001:2008 registration, an internationally recognized standard for quality management systems, reinforces their commitment to producing the finest Made in the USA quality castings.

Because the Edelbrock foundries deliver so much more than a basic aluminum foundry, an online tool was necessary to demonstrate the many value added services offered. Besides a complete description of the extraordinary services offered, the new website boasts a contemporary, easy-to-navigate design, a unique photo gallery, video tour of the facilities, and a "get a quote" online fill-in form.

For more information or to request a quote, please visit: http://www.edelbrockfoundry.com

About Edelbrock and the Edelbrock foundries

Founded in 1938, Torrance-based Edelbrock Corp. is recognized as one of the nation's premier designers, manufacturers and distributors of performance replacement parts for the automotive and motorcycle aftermarkets.

Edelbrock Corp. opened its first green sand foundry in 1990 in order to fully control the quality of the castings. A brand new robotically-controlled permanent mold facility was opened in 2007. The Edelbrock foundries are ISO 9001 registered, delivering modern production solutions for aluminum casting and Made in the USA quality.

SOURCE Edelbrock Corp.

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Coda Automotive Appoints Former Volkswagen and MINI USA Head of ... - Earthtimes

Posted: 12 Aug 2009 10:04 AM PDT

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EV Maker Coda Automotive Appoints Former Volkswagen and MINI USA Head ... - The Auto Chanel

Posted: 12 Aug 2009 10:54 AM PDT

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 12, 2009 -- Coda Automotive, a California-based electric car and battery company, has hired Kerri Martin as Chief Marketing Officer in preparation for the launch of its four-door, five-passenger, all-electric sedan in 2010. Prior to joining Coda, Martin was Director of Brand Innovation and Marketing Communications at Volkswagen of America.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090812/LA60690LOGO)

"Kerri is a welcome addition to the Coda team and will be instrumental in architecting a fully integrated, customer-centric Coda brand experience," said Kevin Czinger, President and CEO, Coda Automotive. "With a history of taking an innovative approach to automotive marketing and not settling for industry standards, Kerri's leadership style aligns perfectly with our entrepreneurial business model."

Martin has more than 15 years of experience as a creative marketing executive, launching, building and reinvigorating some of the world's most iconic pop culture brands including Harley-Davidson, BMW Motorcycles, MINI and Volkswagen.

"I'm thrilled to be part of the electric vehicle movement, especially with Coda, a company that is intent on disrupting the category conventions and has the vision to reinvent the car buying and ownership experience," said Martin.

Martin, 39, held various executive marketing positions at MINI USA and Volkswagen from 2000 to 2007. From 1997 to 2000, she led the repositioning of the BMW Motorcycles brand and managed the Harley-Davidson MotorClothes marketing programs from 1993-1997. Martin graduated cum laude with a BA in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was the first client ever elected to the Board of Directors of The One Club. She began her career with advertising and public relations agency Laughlin Constable.

About Coda Automotive: Headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., Coda Automotive is a manufacturer and distributor of all-electric cars and transportation battery systems. Launched in June 2009, the company designs, brands, markets and distributes electric vehicles utilizing a manufacturing partnership strategy which allows Coda Automotive to develop vehicles rapidly in a flexible manner - avoiding the traditionally capital-intensive nature of the automobile business. Coda Automotive's first vehicle, the Coda sedan, will be delivered in 2010.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090812/LA60690LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

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Officers Elected to American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation Board of ... - Who Won

Posted: 14 Aug 2009 12:25 PM PDT

Friday, August 14, 2009
Officers Elected to American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation Board of Directors

by Pete terHorst

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is pleased to announce the results of officer elections for the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation (AMHF) Board of Directors, which raises money for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.

Jack Penton, AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame off-road racer with more than 40 years of industry experience, was elected chairman. Tom White, founder of White Brothers and the Early Years of Motocross Museum in Villa Park, Calif., was elected vice chairman. Jeff Heininger, founder of automotive travel product company Heininger Automotive, was elected secretary/treasurer, an office the Directors also voted to combine at the July 26 meeting.

Penton's current term extends through February 2011. White and Heininger's terms expire in February 2012. AMHF Board officers are elected annually.

"The members of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame are among history's greatest defenders of motorcyclists' rights, the most skilled racers on track and trail, and represent motorcycling's premier advocates in the court of public opinion," said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman, who also serves on the AMHF Board. "As the AMA expands its support of the Hall of Fame, we're looking forward to working with the highly capable and dedicated motorcyclists elected to these positions of leadership."

Penton said he's excited about the opportunity to advance the core mission of the Hall of Fame and extend its cooperation with the AMA.

"Our mission is to preserve the history of motorcycling in America and celebrate the individuals who lived that history," Penton said. "I feel a real urgency right now -- a sense that there's much work to be done -- because we have such a rich, living history available to us today that must be documented for tomorrow. I'm looking forward to working with the fantastic group of people who make up the AMHF Board of Directors to elevate the Hall of Fame among the eyes of both motorcyclists and the general public."

Penton added that his immediate focus is the 2009 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, scheduled for Dec. 5 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The 2009 class of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame includes motorcycle apparel pioneer Robert Bates, off-highway rights activist Mona Ehnes, industry entrepreneurs and technological trailblazers Geoff and Bob Fox, off-road racer Randy Hawkins, longtime motorcycle safety proponent David Hough, noted race team manager Gary Mathers, successful dirt-track racer and tuner Chuck Palmgren, and suspension pioneer Gilles Vaillancourt.

The 2009 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony follows the Dec. 4 AMA Racing Champions Banquet, also scheduled for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, where AMA Racing's amateur champions will be honored for their 2009 accomplishments. The two-day celebration will provide a unique opportunity for racers and fans to both honor the accomplishments of racing's present and witness the elevation of individuals from all of motorcycling's past.

Tickets to either the Induction Ceremony or the Champions Banquet are $49 per person, or $89 per person for both events. Tickets can be purchased online now at TicketMaster.com/promo/xft9u7.