Zero Motorcycles Recalls 2013 FX and XU for Water Penetration into the Battery

Zero Motorcycles Inc. (Zero) is recalling certain model year 2013 FX motorcycles manufactured January 28, 2013, through May 21, 2013; and model year 2013 XU motorcycles manufactured January 16, 2013, through May 20, 2013.

A manufacturing defect with the sealant material in the battery may allow water to penetrate the battery and contact the cells. Water penetration into the battery may lead to corrosion of the cells, possibly resulting in a rapid temperature increase and off-gassing of the cells' electrolyte which may cause a burn to the rider.

128 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Is Harley-Davidson Finally Selling to a Younger Customer?

Harley-Davidson appears to be at a crossroads, according to an article by James B. Kelleher, Of Reuters. Harley has been trying to push down the average age of its customers but whether it's working depends on who you ask. Here's an excerpt:

"Some background: In a recent interview, a top Harley-Davidson executive told Reuters that in 2012, for the first time in years, the average buyer of the company's bikes was not a baby boomer. For a brand defined by the emergence and, lately, the aging of the post-World War II cohort of consumers, that's a big deal — proof that the 110-year-old company is gaining traction with a new generation of riders. Yet its top global marketing guru, Mark-Hans Richer, continues to insist it's no big deal — even though investors have long wondered how Harley would survive as baby boomers, who embraced its bikes as totems of rebellion in the 1960s and 1970s and drove its growth in the ensuing decades, rode off into the sunset." -- James B. Kelleher, Of Reuters

Read more.

Motorcycle Picture of the Week - Tammy

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These pictures are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery. See Tammy (literally) on her 2011 Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide under Women on Motorcycles. There are no Trikes Only, Men on Motorcycles, or Bikes Only this week. Send your picture in. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

Happy Father's Day

Here is a picture taken in 1938 of my father, Walter Kern, with me, his first son. I haven't written much about my dad but he had a very technical life. He started out by leaving home at the age of 17 to drive in a Model T Ford to California from Indiana with a friend. He got homesick and returned to Indiana and then to Illinois. Along the way, he worked for Westinghouse, became an inventor, ran his own automobile repair shop, and ran his own radio repair shop. He worked on special projects for a military contractor in World War 2. He never got beyond the fifth grade in school. But he could do anything technical and was often asked to devise prototypes for military products that none of the engineers could figure out how to do. He was pleased that I decided to study electrical engineering and became the first person in his family to become a graduate engineer. He knew cars. When I took up motorcycling in 1989, he said he didn't know anything about motorcycles. He didn't try to lead me in any particular career direction but supported me quietly. The only opposition I ever got from him was when I wanted to learn to drive a car. I was forced to take a school sponsored driver education course to get my license. I found out on his death bed that he lost his first wife in a crash caused by two escaping criminals who smashed into his car containing him and his pregnant wife. I didn't even know he had been previously married. But, he was a gentle man mostly who provided a stable home environment with my mother and my sister and brother. I guess we all have stories to tell about our dads. I have barely scratched the surface here. But on this Father's Day 2013 on the 105th anniversary of his birth, I heap just a bit of praise on him and hope that in some small measure you will think of your own dad and remember all that he brought to your life. -- Walter Kern

Is Bringing Your Bike in for Repair Similar to Taking Your Pet to the Vet?

This article by Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg of theatlantic.com focuses on the work of Cinema Mercantile, a small group of filmmakers whose mission is to document the work of people who make things. One of their first projects was the Spare Parts Company in Philadelphia, a small motorcycle repair shop. Here's an excerpt from the article:

"In business since the 1970s, the Spare Parts Company in Philadelphia is a destination for owners of vintage bikes. The spot caught the eye of Cinema Mercantile, a crew of filmmakers who crafted this short portrait of the shop and its owner, Roland Sotello. 'When customers bring their bikes in,' Sotello explains, 'it's almost like dealing with a pet. A lot of people don't realize what's wrong with their bikes, so if you really give them a good assessment they sort of feel more comfortable that you ... care what's going on.'" -- Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg, theatlantic.com

Be sure to read the complete article and especially view the 4-minute video at the beginning.

Afghanistan Military Forces to Use Motorcycles

Motorcycles have a long history of use in the military. It appears that their special capabilities will be assisting in Afghanistan. Here's an article by Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes that gives a history of military bikes and how they will be used in Afghanistan. Here's an excerpt:

"In the past decade the U.S. has spent $45 billion on armored vehicles designed to protect troops against the roadside bombs which cost the enemy next to nothing to build and emplace. It seems counter-intuitive, but some experts think a safer and more effective way to take on the bad guys might be to ditch the heavy armor in favor of a lighter, faster mode of transport. Many say that in places like Afghanistan, motorcycles would be a cheaper, safer and more effective vehicle for operations than the slow-moving armored personnel carriers preferred by the U.S. military." -- Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes

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Zero Motorcycles Produces a Military Motorcycle with New Capabilities

Motorcycles of a different breed may be coming back to military uses. Zero Motorcycles is leading the way. Damon Lavrinc of Wired.com has the story. Here's an excerpt:

"Electric motorcycles just went from practical to tactical with the Zero MMX, the first all-electric bike developed specifically for the U.S. Special Operation Forces." -- Damon Lavrinc, Wired.com

Read more.