Time to separate the
men from the boys
As you know, we believe a motorcycle magazine should simply be about motorcycles and nothing else. Period.
That’s why we’ve decided to once again dramatically step up our efforts this year with even higher quality articles and coverage of the motorcycle world we all cherish.
This year in the pages of Throttler magazine you’ll see a few additions. We still have all of our professional writers as well as a few new industry-leading journalists that will grace our pages from time to time. Likewise, we’ve added a few columns exclusive to our repertoire, some high profile industry legends and more motorcycling in general.
First is our new Midwest exclusive monthly column “On the Road with Johnny & Jay” by Johnny Lange and Jay Barbieri. Jay Barbieri is the producer and on air personality of the SPEED channel’s “American Thunder” as well as the author of the “Bikers Handbook.” Johnny Lange is the founder and owner of Strip Club Choppers. These guys have their fingers on the pulse of the industry and we welcome and look forward to their travels across America as they recount them in our pages.
Next, we’ve supercharged our Web site with a huge national online calendar powered by Bikers Welcome USA. They have one of the most complete motorcycle event calendars we’ve found and it’s free for anyone to use. Just go to our Web site and click on the calendar link to enter your event or view others. It will be broadcast all over the nation.
And for you tech savvy folks out there we have a new RSS feed available on our Web site, just click and subscribe to the feed. Equally exciting for us is our own new hopeful venture into the world of electronic media with an iBook version of Throttler magazine downloadable via the iPad/iPhone. We’ll keep you posted on its availability.
Next, online and in print is our “WTF...?” photo caption contest. Simply submit your best caption describing what you think is going on in this photo. If we like your caption we’ll publish it in the next issue.
Also, Throttler’s social networking sites on Facebook and Twitter have exploded with followers from all over the US and the world. Be sure you’re a friend of ours on Facebook and Twitter and get the latest motorcycle news as we get it.
Last but not least, please welcome Lisa Vileta, our new National Account Director. Lisa comes to us with a wealth of experience and has the knowledge to help make Throttler magazine bigger and better than ever.
So when Lisa calls on your business, please remember that advertising is what keeps this merry-go-round spinning and it’s one of the best vehicles you can put your marketing dollars into.
Throttler Motorcycle Magazine covers every manufacturer from V-Twins to custom built, cruisers, street bikes,and motocross. Businesses can be proud to market their products in our pages. Our group of talented and knowledgeable journalists, produce wide-ranging and time-sensitive articles all distributed throughout IA, IL, MN, SD, NE, KS, MO, WI.
Every issue of Throttler Motorcycle Magazine delivers exciting and evocative articles and photographs of the most brilliant, unusual and popular motorcycles on the road. Businesses get front-and-center with the riders who buy motorcycles, parts, services, tools and gear. Come join us, won’t you!
As always, ride hard.
R. & S. Kabel and Scott Chambers
March 2011 online edition:
Motorcycling 2011 New bikes for Two Thousand Eleven
The New Year is upon us. The motorcycle manufacturers have announced their newest offerings to the public. Now it’s our turn to respond to the newest machines with the newest technologies and styling cues. Some bikes represent the latest technologies, others represent new thoughts on styling, and still others blend new with old.
Of all the new bikes that are being brought here, these four are what I consider to be the most significant models to their manufacturer and in terms of importance in the marketplace. The BMW K1600GT/GTL, the Ducati Diavel, the Honda CBR250R, and the Yamaha Super Ténéré all represent the highest hopes for each of these brands. The downside to writing this article is that I have yet to ride any of these motorcycles, which is just killing me, c’ mon weather! I will spell out what I do know though.
When Cindy Tisdale and her Harley-riding husband got together seven years ago, she fell in love with cycling immediately. Unfortunately, he traveled a lot and she ended up spending a lot of time at home — that is, until about a year after they were married and she decided to take up riding for herself.
Jump ahead to 2008, when she discovered a local chapter of the Chrome Divas, a motorcycle riding organization for women. Tizzy, as she’s known to her fellow Divas, is now the director of that group, and she and assistant-director Rina Jensen met up with Throttler magazine at Metro Harley-Davidson in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to talk about their work.
Harley-Davidson’s Blackline New Blackline is their Softail model pared to the bone
Lean as wire, hard as iron and dark as a tar road at midnight, the new Blackline motorcycle is a Harley-Davidson Softail model pared to the bone. A rebellious creation of the Dark Custom movement, the Blackline celebrates three fundamental elements of motorcycling: mechanical beauty, internal combustion, and the long black line of the road ahead.
The Blackline balances allegiance with rebellion, discarding previous conventions of color and chrome for a Dark Custom look that’s honest, functional and attainable. Visual elements of the original bobber movement are combined with the raw, hand-hewn style embraced by today’s young builders. The Blackline throws new fuel on a fire that burns across generations, an unquenchable desire to ride.
On the Road with Johnny & Jay Whoo! Whoo! Here comes 2011!
The SCC tour ended the 2010 season at the Lone Star Rally in Galveston, Texas. This year John Greene, the same guy who puts on all of the Easyrider shows, ran the rally. The attendance seems to vary depending on who you ask, it’s somewhere between 50 thousand to 200 thousand people. Regardless, the place was jumping. We set up with Rick Fairless, Michael Ballard from The Full Throttle Saloon, Paul Yaffe, and the Martin Brothers.
One of the cool things, or should I say funny things that happened during the weekend was when Carlos Mencia, you know the guy from the Comedy Central TV show “Mind of Mencia” stopped by. Now to look at Carlos he doesn’t exactly fit the “Biker” stereotype… but au contraire. Carlos owns a dozen bikes built by the Martin Brothers and he rides them. READ MORE
Ape Hangers
Got the guts to put “Apes” on your bike?
The evolution to Apes is a personal decision. You have to like the looks on your bike, you have to be comfortable with how they affect your riding style and how they feel over the long haul, and you have to at least be aware about certain laws that govern handlebar height — compliance is your call. Other than that, all it takes is money.
Even if you are comfortable working on your own bike, there’s more to this upgrade than the bars alone. The added height affects many things, and the parts list for a typical handlebar conversion includes longer brake and clutch cables, and electrical wiring extensions or replacements. You might also require new risers and cable brackets.
Once you figure incidental shop materials and labor into the deal, your evolution to apes can cost $1,500 or more. The bars themselves generally range from $100 (13”, 1.25” dia. Santee Bagger Apes from Custom Chrome) to $375 (16”, 1.25” dia. Carlini Design Flyin’ Apes). Cables can set you back about $300, too.
Clash of the Titans
The Supercross season is well underway and the field is so thick with talent that we’ve decided to give you a quick primer on who’s who in Supercross 2011.
The 450 Class – The Big Boys
Previously, we’ve brought you interviews and profiles of two of the sports biggest players, James Stewart “JS7” (riding the San Manuel Yamaha YZ450F) and Ryan Dungey “RD1” (riding the RockStar Suzuki RMZ-450), but at the time of those features Stewart was injured which left the door wide open for Ryan Dungey to capture the 2011 Lucas Oil Outdoor Motocross Championship.
Now Dungey has set his sights on the Big Boy Class in Supercross, and he could win it… But James Stewart is back, and his nagging navicular injury has finally healed.
WTF?...Really! Write your best caption describing what you think is going on in this photo. If we like your caption we'll publish
it in the next issue of Throttler
Motorcycle Magazine.
Click photo to submit
David Mann: Outlaws who
saved biker history
David Mann — an American icon
known for his depiction of motorcycles
and the biker lifestyle — learned as
much from Iowa’s outlaw bikers as
they did from him. CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE
Throttler Magazine's 2009 Hole Shot
at the Iowa Speedway.
Filmed by Jay Knoll
