Sons of Anarchy - New Motorcycle TV Show on FX

Check out The Sons of Anarchy on the FX TV channel this Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at 10 pm ET. This is an original series centered around both a family that rides motorcycles and the motorcycle club family of which they are a part.

I had heard of the new HBO series, 1%, but it's going to come out much later than this one on FX. There was controversy about 1% because Sonny Barger, founder of the Hells Angels, had brought a lawsuit against HBO. The folks involved with Sons of Anarchy do not seem worried about any legal action by anyone.

Here are a couple of links to stories about this drama that some are referring to as "Easy Rider Meets the Sopranos."

http://blog.meevee.com/my_weblog/2008/08/sons-of-anarchy.html

http://vtwinshow.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/biker-wars/

The show also has its own fancy website:

http://fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/soa/#Nav/Homepage

I'm sure there will be mixed reviews on this new show. It will be portraying the lives of motorcycle riders who come from a small segment of motorcyclists. It will be dramatic and might result in non-motorcyclists tending to paint you with the same brush that the creators of Sons of Anarchy used to define its players.

This new series may not be as great as The Sopranos -- which took early barbs for misrepresenting the Italian population -- but give it a chance. It could be like most of the big screen motorcycle club movies of the past with emphasis on violence and mayhem. Then again, with the extra time accorded by episodic TV, it may allow character development so we can begin to know the people involved in the story.

I know I'll be watching. Expect a review after I've seen the pilot and one episode.

Buell Recalls 2007-2008 Blast for Fuel Leak Defect

Buell has issued a recall of certain 2007-2008 Blast motorcycles.

The fuel tank may experience some local deformation under high-heat conditions that creates contact of the tank with the cylinder head. In some of these cases, the cylinder head rubbing on the fuel tank has created a fuel leak. This could result in a crash or fire, which could cause injury or death to the rider.

1307 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Motion Pro Recalls Aftermarket Brake Levers for Suzuki Motorcycles

I usually only publish motorcycle recalls specific to the manufacturer but I'm making an exception in this aftermarket case involving Motion Pro and Suzuki.

Motion Pro, Inc. is recalling 10,000 aftermarket brake levers, model no. 14-0415, sold for use on certain 1999-2008 Suzuki motorcycles.

The lobe height on some of these levers are smaller and do not properly engage the stomp lamp switch which will not deactivate when the drive releases the brake lever. If this occurs, the stop lamp will remain on which could possibly result in a crash.

10,000 Suzuki motorcycles are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Wear a Motorcycle

What a concept! Just walk up to your motorcycle, strap it on, and move off at up to 75 mph.

One future-looking college student, Jake Loniak, has come up with a design concept and even has a realistic animation of how it might work.

Read the complete story by Annemarie Conte and Esther Haynes, view the animation, and glimpse into the future.

Motorcycle Pictures - Our Readers and Their Motorcycles

I think everyone likes to show off their motorcycle to others. That's why I started a motorcycle picture gallery nine years ago on the old site and continued it here on Motorcycle Views.

When I started my motorcycle pictures galleries, I didn't realize that it would be desirable to break down the pictures into sub-galleries. One of the first sub-galleries was Women on Motorcycles. That was a widely successful picture gallery since it allowed other women who were thinking about learning to ride, an opportunity to see other women motorcycle riders and their motorcycles and read descriptions of the motorcycles firsthand from the women riders. In essence, we were motivating women to learn how to ride a motorcycle.

All the pictures on the site come from visitors. I have a submission link to get the motorcycle pictures and motorcycle descriptions to me.

Here are all the motorcycle pictures galleries on this site. Click on the links to go to the gallery. If you want your bike in one of these galleries, send me a picture and description:


Motorcycle Pictures of the Week


Women on Motorcycles


Men on Motorcycles


Motor Scooter Pictures


Chopper Pictures


Trike Pictures


Old Motorcycle Pictures


21 Years of Honda Shadow Pictures


29 Years of Honda Gold Wing Pictures


47 Years of Sportster Pictures


58 Years of Indian Motorcycle Pictures


81 Years of BMW Motorcycle Pictures


100 Years of Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Pictures


All Motorcycle Pictures


All Motorcycle Pictures by Year, Make, and Model

Harley-Davidson Recalls 2008 FLH and FLTR for Fuel Filter Shell Defect

Harley-Davidson has issued a recall of certain 2008 FLHP, FLHPE, FLHR, FLHRC, FLHRSE4, FLHT, FLHTC, FLHTCU, FLHTCUSE3, FLHTP, FLHX, and FLTR motorcycles.

These motorcycles may experience a cracking of the fuel filter shell leading to loss of fuel pressure. This loss of fuel pressure can cause diminished performance and, in some cases, may cause an engine stall or a no-start condition. This condition could lead to a crash which could cause injury or death to the rider.

47579 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - Chloe and Winter Warrior

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery.

See new rider, Chloe, on her 2007 Kawasaki 125cc. Also, see Winter Warrior on his 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.

New Motorcycle Runs on Air?

A couple of university researchers from Taiwan have developed an air-powered motorcycle. Here's an excerpt from a report by Jessica Marshall from Discovery News:

"We may be driving on air in the next few years. That is, we may be driving vehicles powered by compressed air, instead of gasoline or diesel fuel.

Researchers Yu-Ta Shen and Yean-Ren Hwang of the National Central University in Taiwan have developed an air-powered motorcycle, which uses the energy in compressed air, rather than gas, to drive the motor." -- Jessica Marshall, Discovery News

Of course, the real benefits of such a system might best be achieved in an air-powered automobile that has more room to house the bulky mechanism necessary to pull this off.

Let the alternative fuel games begin.

Here's the complete story. Feel free to comment on this story in the Comments section, below.

Motorcycle Pastimes in the August Sun

It's been a slow week. Maybe people have finally decided to take a motorcycle vacation since gas prices are starting to inch downward again. Some have gone to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally but I hear that vendors and attendance there are taking a hit this year.

A lot of people are taking staycations this year. I guess I'm one of them. I have to save up to be able to participate in the Polar Bear Grand Tour that starts the last weekend of October. Gasoline for two trikes could end up costing $1000 for that six month tour throughout the winter. I take all the pictures at the various runs and maintain their website.

For those not out on their motorcycles, here's a few things you can do on my website:

• Take my Motorcycle Quizzes to test your knowledge of bikes.
  
• Play around with my online Motorcycle Jigsaw Puzzles. These puzzles use pictures I took on Polar Bear runs.
  
• Check out my Motorcycle Tattoos gallery. Got your own tattoo? Send it in.
  
• Look at my Women on Motorcycles gallery. Be inspired by women who ride their own motorcycles.
  
• Look at my Antique Motorcycle Ads gallery. See how motorcycles were advertised when they sold for only a few hundred dollars.
  

Now if only they had motorcycle racing or motorcycle trials in the 2008 Summer Beijing Olympics, there would be more to do.

BMW Recalls Certain 2007 Motorcycle Models for Steering Damper Problem

BMW has issued a recall of certain 2007 F800S, F800ST, K1200GT, K1200R, K1200R Sport, and R1200R motorcycles.

It is possible for the coating to separate from the inside face of the steering damper housing. If this happened, the coating could partially clog the oil bores within the damper. If this occurred, the steering damper could become stiff increasing the risk of a crash.

428 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.