Hey,
Another whacky week in paradise. Irish Rich, of Shamrock Fabrication, his petite Viking assistant, Steve, and Dennis Goodson, of Goodson Air Cleaner fame, just took off heading out to Yucipa to see Rip’s family and then back home to Denver. Dennis Goodson, designed the best teardrop air cleaner in ages, only to have it stolen by a number of overseas knockoff artists. Bikernet will bring you reports on more of his creative endeavors in the very near future, including a massive, magnificent stainless steel eagle sculpture he created by hand and rivets for David Uhl’s art studio in Colorado.
I’m smack in the middle of a turbid start on this Post, after spicy Mexican food at a local joint and too much coffee, so lets hit it:
INSPIRED BUILDERS DVD NOW AVAILABLE, REVIEW COMING– We have setup a discount for bikernet subscribers to purchase the Inspire DVD they will get 40% off when they enter the following promotion code bikernet001.
–John Dominic – Xplode Film
john@xplodefilms.com>
Polaris outlook attracts investors, 3Q earnings beat analyst estimates– Sales of all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles remain slow, but an earnings report that beat expectations and an improved outlook from Polaris Industries Inc. on Thursday was enough to attract investors attention.
This won’t be a V-shaped recovery, CEO Scott Wine told analysts in a conference call Thursday. Looking to next year, we think consumer demand will be muted by unemployment, he said, adding that more people will be trying to bolster their savings accounts.
In the third quarter, Medina-based Polaris posted earnings of $31.2 million, or 94 cents per share, on sales of $436.2 million. While sharply lower than year-ago results, analysts had expected earnings of 85 cents per share and sales of $423.9 million, according to Thomson Reuters. As the third quarter ended, inventory levels at Polaris factories and its dealerships were down 18 percent from a year ago, a sign that supply is balancing with demand. There are even shortages of certain ATV models with side-by-side seating.
Were seeing surprising strength from our dealer network, Wine said. Polaris stock climbed on Thursdays news, closing at $48.71, up $4.71 or 10.7 percent. The stock had traded near $38 per share as recently as late September.
Consumers appetites for Polaris products still are far below pre-recession levels. Overall off-road vehicle sales were down 30 percent in the quarter, Victory motorcycles were down 56 percent, and the snowmobile-selling season got off to slow start as well, with sales down 13 percent.
But there are signs Polaris has perhaps bounced off the bottom of slack consumer demand. North American retail sales levels declined 17 percent in the third quarter � a smaller percentage drop than was seen in the three preceding quarters.
Snowmobile sales have been weak for the entire industry in recent years. While the early cold snap in North America could help sales, its too early to predict the upcoming season, said Bennett Morgan, the companys chief operating officer. It will come down to weather and when the snow falls, he said.
Polaris full-year projections are for $2.92 to $2.98 per share, up from an earlier range of $2.70 to $2.90 per share.
By John Welbes pioneerpress.com
GLOBAL COLLECTORS CONVERGE ON CENTRAL LONDON AS CURTAIN RISES ON SELECTION OF WORLDS FINEST MOTOR CARS– LONDON, England (16 October, 2009) The focus of the collector car world is set to turn to Central London later this month with the highly anticipated return of RM Auctions Automobiles of London event, 28 October, 2009 at Battersea Evolution.
Presented in association with Sothebys, the single-day auction will showcase 84 of the worlds finest motor cars along with a fine selection of automobilia and is set to capture the attention of discerning car collectors from around the world, many of whom are expected to descend on London for the event.
The London auction will showcase over 100 years of automotive history and feature some truly rare and outstanding vehicles, ranging from a 1900 Clement-Panhard Type VCP Voiture Lre Two-Seater The star attraction is a highly desirable, race-bred 1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra, chassis number CSX3006, the sixth pure-bred competition Cobra built. This car boasts impeccable provenance and race history, including first place in the Ilford 500 at Brands Hatch in 1966, driven by Bob Bondurant and David Piper. Freshly restored and well-documented, CSX3006 was recently rebuilt to its 1966 race specifications and is estimated to bring between £600,000 – 790,000. Also set to garner considerable interest is a super-rare 1963 ATS 2500 GT 3.0-Litre Coup, one of only eight ATS sports cars produced between 1962 and 1965. Chassis no. 2004 was the last example built, one of only two fitted with the 300-horsepower ATS 3.0-litre V8 engine and believed to be one of only five surviving examples. Estimated to fetch in excess of £500,000, the London event marks the first time an ATS has ever been offered at public auction. Automobiles of London will be held Wednesday, 28 October, 2009 at Battersea Evolution, London, England. Interested bidders will have the opportunity to preview the cars on 27 October from 10am 4pm. Doors open on 28 October from 10am with all the auction action getting underway from 3pm. Admission to the event is by catalogue only, which is available for £70 and admits two. The auction action will also stream live at www.rmauctions.com For full event information or to view a complete list of the cars and memorabilia on offer, please visit www.rmauctions.com
BIKERNET PHILOSOPHY CLASS NOTES– Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.
OK, so what’s the speed of dark?
When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.
Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
–from Donna ONeal
I spoke to Oliver, the Love Ride Founder, this morning. He told me the reasons behind the cancellation. The pre-registrations and sponsors were way down, Oliver said. Pomona is actually a less expensive than Lake Castaic, but entertainment fees continue to climb. The economy basically put us out of the ballpark.
All is not lost. We can still help by buying Love Ride bling from their web site. Hopefully some of the pre-registered folks will take merchandise over refunds. Peter Fonda is schedule to make a guest appearance at Glendale Harley, Friday Night. He has a line of Easy Rider 40th apparel, Oliver added. The dealer will also screen the original Easy Rider film on HiDf. Weve donated to charities every year. If we can sell all our Love Ride apparel, well be able to cover our costs and donate again.
For 26 years the Love Ride has supported major and minor charities. We need to keep the faith.
BIKERNET REPORTER EMBEDDED IN THE DAYTONA BIKERWEEK ACTION, LUCKY BASTARD– First wet tee of Biketoberfest 2009 live from Dirty Harrys – the hottie on the far right won the moolah.
Crowd was thin – nasty looking clouds Thurs and Fri – more pics to come.
–Whiplash Biker Photog B O B
DISABLED RIDER BUILDS BOBBER TAKES THE PHOTOS AND WRITES HIS OWN FEATURE– …TBear sent me the link to his story on Bikernet..golly what a guy….
His stubborn determination can teach us all that we can push through, and continue to create, no matter how tough the circumstances… Somehow, he managed to keep his wonderful sense of humour throughout the ordeal, while being faced with physical pain and numerous set-backs during the build… There is certainly a lesson in that for all of us!!
LTW,
–Heather
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*Non-Catalytic Harley FL models from 1995 to 2008 are also 50 State Legal. Mufflers have 4 inch bodies and will fit 1.75 or 2 header systems.
Mufflers are available in Chrome or Black Ceramic finish with Chrome or Black Teflon coated slash cut end caps. Mufflers have the option of two mounting positions –slash up or slash down.
BUB Enterprises
180 Spring Hill Dr Grass Valley, CA 95945
1-800-934-9739
Have A Heart Home Run for Naval Petty Officer Anthony Thompson– Homes for our Troops is a non-profit organization designed to assist those in the military who return home seriously wounded. These men and women need a home that will help them and their families adapt to their new lifestyle of being wheelchair bound or needing other critical care in the home.
This particular soldier, PO2 Anthony Thompson, was on his second deployment to Iraq when a bomb detonated. He has undergone surgeries and therapy for the last two years and it is time to bring him home. However, the VA Hospital will not release him until there is a suitable home to send him to where appropriate care can be given. He is a local area resident; from Huffman, TX. His own son was born while he was overseas and due to the severity of his injuries, he will never truly know his son.
Please visit www.homesforourtroops.org/thompson for more explicit details on PO2 Anthony Thompson and his family.
What we are asking from you is to provide us with donations that will help us raise money at our Have a Heart Home Run and Rally for this seriously injured Soldier this Veterans Day. The Have a Heart Home Run and Rally will be held on Saturday, November 14, 2009. There will be a silent and live auction where items donated will be put up for bid to raise money to achieve our goal. We are also looking for some great items for second, third and worst place in the Home Run Event; as we have secured our first prize donation of a fabulous trip to Las Vegas (roundtrip airfare for two with hotel stay at Bellagio and a car rental). We are thrilled to receive that generous donation and hope that you will show your support by donating a package, basket, service, gift card(s), or creative item to assist us with this fundraiser.
–Trisha Leanne Deary
Project Coordinator
832-338-0973
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