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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Groppetti tries new approach for motorcycle sales in Visalia - Visalia Times-Delta

Posted: 17 Aug 2009 04:46 PM PDT

Don Groppetti is trying a new way to sell motorcycles.

His Kawasaki motorcycle dealership at 730 E. Mineral King Ave. in Visalia will hold its first-ever liquidation auction from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. About 100 motorcycles, quads, SUVs, scooters and watercraft will be available, and Groppetti said he's willing to take losses to get the cash flowing.

"We just have a little extra inventory," said Groppetti, owner of Groppetti Automotive.

Most models will be 2008, Groppetti said, but some 2006 models will be included.

"Motorcycles are different than cars in that there's not much distinction between model years," he said. "So, in a lot of cases, there's little or no change [from one year to the next]."

A preview is planned for 8 to 10:30 a.m. Friday at the showroom on Mineral King Avenue. A second preview will be held from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

The auction begins at 11 a.m.

No bids will be taken ahead of time, but an auction Web site has been set up at www.GAMotorSportsAuction.com with reduced pricing, he said. Though financing will be available at the auction, Groppetti said he's "hoping to bring some cash buyers out."

"The motorcycle business is not much different than the car business, and financing is a challenge," he said. "It has certainly taken its toll on traffic."

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State vies for Harley-Davidson site - Indianapolis Star

Posted: 20 Aug 2009 07:03 AM PDT

Indiana is trying to edge out Kentucky and Tennessee and land a Harley-Davidson motorcycle assembly plant that could employ at least 1,000 workers.

Economic development leaders in Indiana have met with executives of the motorcycle company and touted the state's pro-business tax climate, a state official confirmed Wednesday.

Harley-Davidson, based in Milwaukee, has told Pennsylvania union officials that it has begun to study the future for its aged production complex at York, Pa.

The company, the nation's premier motorcycle maker, employs 2,800 in a complex about 200 miles west of Philadelphia that accounts for more than half of its motorcycle output.

Relocating part or all of the complex to Indiana could be the state's largest industrial windfall since Honda opened in October in Greensburg with 900 workers on its Civic assembly line.

Harley-Davidson officials appear to be interested in Indiana sites that include property in Shelby County northwest of Shelbyville along I-74, said an Indiana businessman familiar with the state's economic development activities.

In Shelby County, economic development official Dan Theobald said no company identified as Harley-Davidson is considering the area for a project.

It is not unusual for county leaders to work with anonymous prospects whose names are divulged only after they are certain the site is suitable for a plant.

In Pennsylvania, the York Daily Record reported Harley-Davidson officials confirmed sites in Shelbyville, Ky., and Murfreesboro, Tenn., and that two unidentified states are being considered.

The project appears almost certain to produce offers for heavy tax incentives from politicians eager to land the jobs. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has committed $15 million and promised more to secure jobs in York.

Incentives for large automotive plants have ranged from $168,600 per worker at Mercedes' Alabama plant to $55,000 at the Subaru plant that opened in 1989 in Lafayette. Incentives consist largely of training grants, tax breaks and, especially, government-funded road, water and rail upgrades. Incentives at Honda Greensburg totaled $70,750 per worker based on the addition of a second shift bringing employment to 2,050.

By that measure, a motorcycle plant with 1,000 workers could get incentives of about $70 million.

Harley-Davidson officials have put little emphasis on securing incentives from Pennsylvania but insist the York complex's future hinges on cutting production costs.

Earlier this year, the company disclosed a "two-path" study that will consider relocating work or revamping York. The study is under way. Much of the complex dates to a World War II bomb-making facility that is regarded as less efficient than modern industrial plants.

The company also has approached International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 175, which represents most workers in the plant, about changing work rules and encouraging less absenteeism.

Local 175 won a 12 percent pay raise over three years after a two-week strike in 2007 that disrupted the company's other production operations at Milwaukee and Kansas City, Mo.

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Jim Mateja - Chicago Tribune

Posted: 22 Aug 2009 11:57 PM PDT

Jim Mateja

August 23, 2009

Move over, Aztek. You've lost the ugly crown to the Cube.

Nissan says its Cube, a compact crossover, looks like a "bulldog in sunglasses."

Maybe -- after misplacing your eyeglasses.

A young woman paid the ultimate compliment: She smiled and gave it a big thumbs up, after putting down her doll as she surveyed Cube out the back window of dad's car. A young man piloting a sports coupe, however, made decidedly the opposite gesture.

A motorcycle rider stopped to ask, "How do you like that little bus?"

Regardless of the reaction, Cube always gets one.

Cube is Nissan's answer to the Scion xB, Kia Soul and Honda Element, weird-looking boxes aimed at those 18 to 25 who want their wheels to say something about them.

Cube is offered in base, S, SL and Krom versions, with a 6-speed manual or continuously variable automatic with infinite gear ratios. Prices start from $13,990 for the base to $19,370 for Krom with its sound and decor upgrade.

We tested the S with a supersmooth manual. Cube's mileage with that manual is 24 city/29 highway, yet rises to 28/30 with optional ($1,000 -- ouch!) automatic.

It comes with a 1.8-liter, 122-horsepower 4-cylinder. And you don't need to note that the 4 in Soul achieves 142 h.p., xB 158 h.p. and Element 166 h.p. to show Cube could use more kick. Just expend time and exhaust patience getting to cruising speed.

But the ride is surprisingly well cushioned: Two railroad crossings within half a block didn't send ripples into seat, steering wheel or teeth.

With its boxy profile, Cube tends to lean rather than dart into or out of corners. This is no Z car. But standard stability and traction control ensure you don't wander, slip or slide when starting out on slick pavement. Larger, 16-inch radials, standard on the higher-trim levels, would offer better road grip, and larger wheel-well openings would make Cube look bolder.

With a base of $14,690, the Cube S is more into cheap frills than high fashion. While a VW Beetle sports a bud vase, Cube offers a swatch of shag carpet on the dash, perhaps for your cat to snooze on while motoring.

There's also a trio of cupholders in the center console, a pair in the dash left of the steering wheel, one in front and rear doors, one in back of the center console and two inside the pull-down center armrest in the back seat. That ensures each of the five passengers it holds at least two beverages.

The cabin is blessed front and rear with abundant room, especially for the melon. Seats are soft and ideal for long-distance comfort. Rear seats slide fore or aft for room where you need it and recline to let occupants stretch.

Seat backs also fold to provide more cargo space for gear, though the cargo hold is roomy enough for a couple small suitcases or duffel bags. The test car came with an optional cargo organizer: two large, plastic compartments (one lockable) in the floor to store items or cool pop. The rear door swings out, not up, so leave ample room when parking.

Slots in the dash and rear doors contain removable plastic holders for bags, the dash has a cell phone holder/power plug, and front-door slits can accommodate mini bungee cords to keep assorted junque in place.

The test car had a $490 illumination package with mood lighting in 20 colors for cabin and cupholder, and soft and soothing blue background lighting for the word Cube in the door sills.

AM/FM/CD player, power windows and locks (manual seats) and air conditioning are standard. Though they seem out of character and price point for the car, push-button start, fog lights, Bluetooth phone connectivity, satellite radio and sonar rear-backup sensors add $1,600. No navi.

You may suffer a few snickers for its styling, but with a decent price, great mileage and so many novel features, you'll get the last laugh.

Read Jim Mateja Sunday in Rides. Contact him at transportation@tribune.com.

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