Need Motorized Cinema, Head To New York City

1st Annual Motorcycle Film Festival in NYC

From Cyril Huze Blog

"The Motorcycle Film Festival is an idea whose time has come. We are in the midst of the biggest creative boom centered on motorcycles since the 1970s. Every motorcycle custom builder wants to hire a filmmaker to shoot his work and his rides. The massive, youthful rise of moto-mania has excited big motorcycle manufacturers to collaborate with rising garage artists, and has inspired professional filmmakers that now is the time to produce that long-dreamt two-wheel feature film.

The Motorcycle Film Festival was founded in 2013 by a group of NYC motorcyclists and independent filmmakers, to provide a home for motorcycle films from around the world, and give moto/film enthusiasts an event to gather, discuss, and celebrate their favorite subject. Film categories include Short and Feature Length Narratives, Documentaries, and Experimental Films. Interested filmmakers can submit work to Motorcycle Film Festival motorcyclefilmfestival.com, by Aug. 23rd. For further information, contact motorcyclefilmfestival@gmail.com"

Interview With Head Industrial Designer About The New Indian Motorcycle Engine, From Cyril Huze Blog

Greg Brew, head of Industrial Design at Polaris

Link to Cyril Huze Blog for original post

"Greg Brew is the Head Director Of Industrial Design at Polaris Industries inc., and as such, is overseeing all designs for all products the company is making. With his talented team he is the man who designs the Victory motorcycles and just created the all-new Indian Chief. He is also a very passionate motorcyclist who, after-hours, enjoy building his own custom motorcycles (watch the video at end of feature). In an exclusive interview, Greg Brew answers my questions and reveals the creative process that led to the conception and production of the first Indian model by Polaris.

Cyril. Polaris acquired Indian from Stellican (Indian Motorcycle of Kings Mountain) in April of 2011. Do you remember when your learned about it, who told you, what were your first reactions?

Greg. I heard about it in-line at the cafeteria from Scott Wine, our CEO, when we were considering buying it. Initially I was skeptical about how it would fit together with Victory and whether we could support such a campaign with 2 brands. That was mostly because I didn’t understand how much effort and money Scott was going to commit to the cause. It quickly became a beautiful thing once I saw we were going “all in”. After that I was just concerned whether I could pull it off.

CAD drawing of the new Indian Motorcycle engine

Cyril. When was your first creative meeting regarding Indian? What was said about what would be your assignment? What was your time frame?

Greg. The first real “Indian meeting” was organized off-site in a hotel between our Medina and Wyoming facilities. We had all parties at the table, marketing, product management, engineering, design. We hammered out the basic outline for what became the Chief. It was there that I gave an engine presentation and brand presentation that set out what we wanted to do for the first design. We also did a drawing of the motor on a big piece of paper that described the V angle, the head proportions, push-rod tubes, exhaust placement, right side drive. Wish I could find it now… We did a bit of work before that, early on, looking at different ways we could get to a bike quickly. There were many ideas about re-use of Victory components and how it would speed the development process and reduce costs. That off-site meeting is where we really decided that it would not be right to do anything other than a stand-alone bike that was purely Indian.

Cyril. Tell us about the process by which Polaris concluded to go first the Indian Chief route, not the Scout, not the Indian Four or other platforms? Did you belong to this decision making process? What are the marketing rationales for such a decision?

Greg. God those were fun discussions. At the beginning there were many different opinions and options, everything was open as far as possibilities. As you know there are lots of really smart guys at Polaris Industries, Inc. that know tons about bikes. I learned a lot. Plus we can build anything you want as far as powertrain, frame material, whatever. It was a time of open possibilities, big discussions, debates, campaigning behind the scenes. We had a huge discussion at our dealer meeting in Las Vegas. The whole team was there. We talked about an Indian 4, about a V-twin, about the American motorcycle. We had a few beers in us so it was pretty animated. It was very Polaris. It felt to most of us that the best path to acceptance was to do a Chief first as a v-twin.

Cyril. Can you summarize the first creative briefing you received to conceive the all-new Indian Chief?

Greg. I’d have to say that it was more a series of confirmations rather than a standard brief. I built a proportion study bike to nail down the overall size. I wanted something I was calling “majestic but manageable”, I felt the King’s Mountain bike at a 68” wheelbase was too long and that the bike felt too tall and top-heavy as well. I wanted a lower, more horizontal feel much like the historic bikes, and something where you wouldn’t feel like you were taking your life in your own hands if you had to get gas in a gravel parking lot. But I still wanted it to be impressive, one thing the size did for the KM bike was to wow people. I still wanted that. We also knew that it needed to be “historically informed.” It needed to recall a Chief. It needed to show we understood what was important to the brand, that we knew what to do with it. I also mentioned above the presentation I did for the engine. It can’t be stressed enough how important it is to get the damn motor right. If that doesn’t work then all bets are off.

Molds being created for new cylinder design

Cyril. Please, describe your creative team, number of people, responsibilities and how you managed the creative process.

Greg. There’s a bigger team to do all of Polaris’s products but for bikes it’s a small team. We mixed it up a bit by bringing in one outside consultant to compete as well. All the creative team reports directly to me and since I’m busy and distracted most of the time they’re all very self-sufficient. We do a lot of group critics to refine the 2-D designs, we all vote on which ones are best (you can’t vote on your own work) to down-select to the final design. They’re an amazing team, I fear one day people will see how little I actually do and get rid of me! Once we’re into the clay modeling the process is si
milar but with less people involved. There’s only one full-size model with one designer, plus a team of clay modelers. we still do reviews with the whole group and you’re working a lot with engineering by the time you’re in full-scale. Depending on how far off-base I think the design may be going I spend time with the designers. If I’m not around much, you’re doing good. If I am, you might be missing something. The work we do is never easy, most of the stuff Polaris makes leads the industry so everything gets attention.

Cyril. Was the creative process any different from the one you usually use for the elaboration of new Victory models? If yes, why?

Greg. No, our process is pretty well understood. We follow the same steps no matter whether it’s a Snowmobile or a Ranger.

Interview with Greg Brew, head of Industrial Design at Polaris

Cyril. Personally, do you sketch first, go directly to a CAD program?

Greg. I no longer sketch on vehicle programs and haven’t for at least the last 15 years of being a director, that’s why there are designers. Personally I think you better have done what you needed to do by the time you’re a manager. If you’re still competing with your own guys, something’s wrong. That said the design staff is free to work as they wish, traditional sketching, Photoshop, etc… Our process is tailored to Polaris’s needs. We try to get into full scale modeling quickly so we can give accurate info to engineering as soon as possible, but we are not very sexy in terms of CAD, animations, virtual models in the creative phase. We don’t want to spend the money or time on that. We look pretty old fashioned except for white light scanning of models and killer CAD surfacing work.

Cyril. Did you work knowing what should be the final retail price or worked first without any financial constraints?

Greg. I suppose someone in the company knows what it should cost. For most of the program I could care less and that’s how it should be. Do you really need to be thinking about that when you’re trying to bring back a brand like this and do the next Chief? I know our engineering director will kick over when he hears that…

Brand new Indian engine design created after their being newly owned by Polaris

Cyril. Do you like to present only one design, the one you believe in the most, or several directions to choose from?

Greg. We always have multiple versions, we generally pick the final one from 4-5 concepts. At the end we do just one full-scale model, I’ve often wished to do more than one model but it actually helps drive the decision process when you have to focus on one design.

Cyril. Was one full mock up of the bike made by you for presentation and approval? More than one? Or was the Chief approved on sketches before going to engineers?

Greg. We pick the final direction from drawings then we go to full size clay model. Sometime I would like the luxury of making more than one model for consideration but Polaris is a hard driving company and we go fast, straight to the final design.

Cyril. Did you conceive and design the overall shape of the new Thunder Stroke 111 motor?

Greg. Yes, there are 55 man months of industrial design labor in the engine, we made multiple clay models and thoroughly sorted out the design before we went into CAD. It was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever worked on. I’m not a nostalgic guy about stuff we’ve done. I’m always ready for what’s next but God I love that motor.

Cyril. Did you pre-test some designs? If yes, explain the process used. By focus groups? Only with current Harley riders, which age, socio-demographics?

Greg. We do qualitative focus group work, with large scale detailed drawings. Some was with Harley riders, some Indian, some aspirational. Age brackets were driven a bit more by who could afford it so they tended to be older.

Brand new Indian Motorcycle engine

Cyril. How many people have a final say on a brand new model? Can you mention their names and official titles?

Greg. Normally not many people are involved in the process at Polaris which is one of the reasons we are so fast to market. This time we had a lot of additional interest due to the high profile of the brand. Managing all the input was challenging.

Cyril. We all know about the usual “conflict” or “struggle” between creative people and engineers. Was that the case? Any design or feature where you had to be extremely convincing, or any concession(s) you were obliged to make? In both cases, which aspects of the design, for what reasons? Design, cost. feasibility?

Greg. I can be a real a-hole when it comes to this, and yes there were fights to get things the way we wanted. However, if everyone just goes along and there’s no friction, no discussion, then there’s no heat and thus no cooking. Passion for the profession means heat and we have a lot of passion… If we aren’t’ pushing and the ideas aren’t crazy then there’s no advancement. That said, if there’s no engineering, support and buy in, then it’s all time-wasting and there’s no bike, no production, no quality, no reality. Engineering totally stepped up and we got their A-game. There were seriously shit-hot motorcycle guys on this program. Amazing.

Cyril. Are you already working on new Indian platforms? Which ones (I know you will not answer this one…). For 2015 model year?

Greg. Oh yeah. You ain’t seen nothing yet. We’ve got a lot of work to do to build a full Indian brand. You can bet we aren’t even close to done yet.

Cyril. We go together for a long day ride. If I ask you to choose in my garage between a 1946 Indian Chief and a 1937 Scout, which one do you pick?

Greg. I’m lucky enough to have spent some time on a 46’ Chief, so I might pick the Scout. But I’d want to know the story behind each one. The first Indian that I really bonded with was a 46’ and the guy that let me ride it bought it in 69’ and it was his daily driver. That bike was so much a reflection of its owner, it was amazing to ride it."

Victory Motorcycles: Greg Brew’s Motorcycle from David Shelleny on Vimeo.

The Flying Millyard Or The Coolest New V-Twin Motor

Recognize the engine? Used to seeing it in this format, now check it out as a V-Twin

"This is the first test run of my 5 litre V Twin engine based on two Pratt & Whitney R1340 aircraft cylinders, all other parts are hand made including the crankshaft, con rods and crankcase wooden moulds, the crankcases were then cast in aluminium. The engine runs a dry sump with twin pumps, twin SU carbs, points ignition with manual advance / retard and twin plugs per head."

Check out Cyril Huze's Blog for the original link and a lot of other great stories

1953 Indian Motorcycles Being Assembled At The Factory

Feeling a tad bit nostalgic? Check out this promotional commercial from Indian Motorcycles during the early 1950's. Also, link to over to Cyril Huze as that is where we picked up the link from.

Dive into all that is Indian Motorcycles

Vintage German Motorcycles of the Concours d'Elegance, Repost from Cyril Huze Blog

There is just something special about old iron. We know it has aged and been worn in by use, but is that what gives it soul? Or is it our mind wandering around the details of the stories it has been a part of. Any of these ideas could be applicable just depends on how you relate to the story.

Link to the original post on CyrilHuzeBlog.com

Check out some other photos from the 2012 Concours d'Elegance

1932 BMW R32

1930 Opel Motoclub Model T

1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller

 "Only the finest machines ever built by man will ever grace the Pebble Beach Fairway, and all entrants of this event are here by invitation because of their machines are of historic significance. Chronologically, you are going to see:

1 - 1885 Daimler Reitwagen 0:05. This is the world’s first gasoline-powered motorcycle. Built by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. 2 - 1968 Munch Mammoth 1:07. The world’s best performing superbikes between the years of 1966 and 2001. 3 - 1951 Konsul II 501 OS-T 1:56. 68 mph on 2 wheels. 4 - 1965 DKW Hummel 155 2:36. Das Kleine Wunder (the little wonder) was capable of cruising at 45 mph and was a legendary shock to conventional motorcycle design in Germany. 5 - 1954 BMW Rennsport 3:16. Riders complained it was unstable. Sidecars fixed the stability issue. It did become one of the most successful side-car racing bikes anyone could want. 6 - 1932 BMW R32 4:15. It was the first motorcycle produced by BMW. Designed by Max Friz, top speed on this motorcycle was just under 60mph. 7 - 1934 BMW R7 5:24. This bike never saw production, thanks to Hitler. This one won Best-In-Class! It was a prototype. 1 of a kind. 8 - 1953 Adler M250 6:36. One of the most winning motorcycles in European racing. Adler became the strongest driving forces pushing racing competition on both circuit courses and endurance events and powering the careers of many of Germany’s finest road race riders. 9 - 1930 Opel Motoclub Model T 8:02. Restored to its original appearance. 10 - 1950 Imme R100 10:50. Germany’s steel industry was devastated when it was constructed, which contributes to its minimalist design. 11 - 1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller 13:29. This is the world’s first production motorcycle. A 1.5L single-can machine with “no real brake”. Listen to the engineer who restored it. Priceless."

Update on Erik Buell Via Cyril Huze Blog

If ya haven't ridden a Buell, well ya haven't ridden a modern sport bike built right here in America. Forget about taking a sportster motor out of the older tube frame models and popping it into a chopper frame. You are basically robbing yourself of one of the best riding torque beasts in existence. Erik Buell has been an amazing innovator in the Harley realm and we can thank him for many innovations. Its great news to see that he is carrying on after the debacle with corporate Harley Davidson and hopefully many more racing championships and innvoation will be coming the way of Erik Buell Racing.

Link to original post on Cyril Huze Blog

175 HP 389-pound EBR 1190RS

On October 15, 2009 Harley-Davidson announced that production of Buell motorcycles were immediately discontinued. The economy started to tank in 2008 and in 2009 sales of new motorcycles crashed. At the time, Harley-Davidson CEO Keith Wandell statement to the media was “The fact is, we must focus both our effort and our investment on the Harley-Davidson brand, as we believe this provides an optimal path to sustained, meaningful, long-term growth”. In a press conference a couple of hours later, a very emotional Erik Buell confirmed the sad news he received from Harley-Davidson. What was not disclosed at the time and that only Erik knew was that he had lost it all, even the rights to the Buell Motorcycle name. A musician, Erik turned to his guitar for therapy, then decided to start a new independent venture called Erik Buell Racing (EBR)

175 HP 389-pound EBR 11, aiming for championships in 2012

From the liquidation sale of Buell Motorcycles Company, Erik kept a small building in East Troy, a 40-minute drive from Milwaukee. Erik Buell Racing is financed by his own money and other small private investments. To help cash flow, some income comes from design consulting jobs for other companies. Erik is now looking for a $20 million investment to finance development and production The goal with Erik Buell Racing is to focus on being an American manufacturer of race bikes and parts to challenge foreign manufacturers with invention and intellectual property. To go beyond by doing radical things that the rest of the racing world has never done. Last summer at the Superbike series in Lexington, Ohio, Buell debuted a pro racing version of the 1190RS, the first offering from his new company. The rider finished a respectable 10th. Later, at the German Superbike Championship, an early customer entered with an EBR bike and won, beating out established competitors on Ducatis, BMWs and KTMs…




Buell’s innovation include: Zero Torsional Load (ZTL) brake, which lightens wheel weight by eliminating the need for hubs, the underslung mufflers placed under the engine to limit noise and maintain a lower center of gravity, a fuel tank integrated within the bike frame with optional carbon fiber version which reduces vibrations and shaves off even more weight from the frame. Tthe 175 HP 389-pound EBR 1190RS is a full 50 pounds lighter than some competing bikes. The bike has been a hit in motorcycle shows here and abroad with Erik Buell signing 1 and 3-year sponsorship agreements for two riders to race in the American Superbike Championship. EBR is currently building out an international dealer network, and at the end of year 2012 the company plans to reach a production level of about 850 bikes with 50% expected to be exported. The 1190RS will be racing in Daytona in 3 weeks (March 15-17) at the 2012 Superbike Championship. “We found an additional 10 mph in the post season, and the bike can reach 213 mph in race trim,” Buell says. It would make the 1190RS the fastest motorcycle manufactured in the U.S…

Yesterday evening Feb. 22, 2012, Erik Buell Racing announced that it has partnered with Hero MotoCorp. The deal sees Hero becoming the title sponsor for two teams in the AMA Pro Racing National Guard Superbikes Championship — Team Hero and AMSOIL Hero, while Erik Buell Racing will give Hero design and technology inputs for bikes destined for the Indian market.

Metal Church With Jesse James - Parts 3 and 4

We were guessing with Jesse James bike build off on Discovery Channel that he would be working on a new show for the channel and our theories were proven correct. Discovery is a great channel overall, but we have always wondered why they kept the American Chopper show on for so long, as the show is more about high paid advertising and family drama rather than about motorcycles or custom builds. We completely rationalize with the idea that the corporate advertising pays for the channel and gives them the ability to produce more shows, but to what detriment? The family squabbles made a mockery of the Teutels and it became just another soap opera, same as ESPN. Not that their builds were something we enjoy or would ever ride, but imagine yourself as a teenager and thinking on a career path. By being able to see a machinist, builder, fabricator, mechanic etc. as a viable career choice, they are missing a huge opportunity to truly grow their market share. Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs portrays all sorts of tough jobs that are being done and are providing an honest living that aren't cubicle driven.

America has forgotten how we got started and what made us great. Many have forgotten what it is like to fix the random item that breaks at the home or how to do an oil change. College is not always the solution or striving for the proverbial white collar job. Trade careers are continuing to diminish as we are losing our industrial might which is sad. Hopefully with Jesse James new show, Discovery will once again focus on craftsmanship instead of drama. The same as most should focus on his amazing skill set compared to his personal life.

Granted many folks are voyeurs and live vicariously through others, so we ask this. Instead of watching life go by, become an entrenched part of it. If ya don't know how to dial in four carburetors, learn. If ya can't bend sheet metal or weld, go to your local community college and take some classes. Life is too damn short so go out and make something happen that you can call your own.

Leave a legacy and something to be remembered by, take the high road and make it work.

Jesse James TIG Welding - Photo from Cyril Huze Blog

Cyril Huze posted an interview with Jesse about the build off coming up next week with the Teutels and you can read it below or link back over to the original article.

Link to original article and photos on CyrilHuzeBlog.com

Jesse James, Paul Junior and Senior duel in the ultimate TV build-off on the Discovery Channel and you are about to decide who is the best builder. In advance of the 2-day TV event (Episode “Chopper Finale” December 5 at 9 pm when the 3 customs will be revealed, Episode “Chopper Live” December 6 at 9 pm to vote and see the winner), Jesse James took some time to answer my questions…ramping-up the smack talk against the Teutuls… A couple of revelations, too.

Cyril. Although I can’t show pictures of your bike before Monday’s and Tuesday’s episodes, can you explain to my readers your approach for this build-off, what type of bike did you build. Jesse. I just wanted to build a bike purely for myself. I wanted a style and materials that “I” want. At the end of the day I’m keeping this fucker, so I might as well do something that I will dig.

Cyril. How much help did you get? Jesse. Ha! The only real help I had was unloading the truck of raw material coming in the door of the shop. Really I had Bacon with me the whole time helping run parts and this and that. Which I could not have done without him. Jeff Decker and Cole Foster also stopped by for a couple days to help out. It was so great doing this with my friends.

Jesse James getting proper measurements for ride comfort - Photo from Cyril Huze Blog

Cyril. Do you think that the bikes you build today are very different from the ones you were known for years ago? Which way? Jesse. I think this is a big step out of my comfort zone. It’s leaner and meaner and uses a lot of materials and skills that I have been afraid to work with in the past. Mostly because I wasn’t that good at working with them. I think I needed to push myself on this build. Just to prove that I can do what I do from my new shop at home. 17 years of having the power and resources of West Coast Choppers in my back pocket. Now that is all gone. Time for me to prove that I was really the driving force behind all of it. I have to admit I was a bit nervous hanging it all out there on my own.

Cyril. Do you have a personal and/or professional gripe with those 2? Jesse. I doubt if I would piss on either one if they were on fire :- )

Cyril. Would you hire any of them in your Austin shop? To do what? Jesse. Absolutely Not. I have 19 y.o. kids at my Austin Speed Shop that would work circles around any one of them…

Cyril. Your definition of a great custom motorcycle? Jesse. Frame, Motor, Trans, Small tank, Brakes and lots of Love. Minus a reference point.

Wooden mold for a custom tank by Jesse James - Photo from Cyril Huze Blog

Cyril. Do you think it’s possible that one of them, or both, surprise you with a bike your really like?

Jesse. I really wish and hope one of them would build something Bad Ass. Something I would tip my hat too. Sadly I think we all know it will just be more of the same. They really want to beat me so they will be emptying the parts room. Welding as many wings, and scoops, and fins as possible.

Cyril. It seems that it will be a popularity contest more than anything else. Can a bad boy get more votes than 2 “family men”?  

Jesse. Yeah, Jr. started trying to mooch votes and couple weeks ago. Pretty Lame. I have an idea! How about we show people the bikes first, then ask them to vote.

Cyril. There are ultimately 2 possibilities for you. Tell me why you will win? Why you could lose? 

Jesse. I think there are actually 3. I think this is my chance to remind people what I really do. I think there is a large amount of people that think I’m famous just because I married a Hollywood actress. I really hope to show people that since Monster Garage ended that I have done nothing but devote myself to my skills. I really think that I am 100 times better now. I hope people see this and I inspires them to follow there passion like I have.

Cyril. Does the result really matter to you? 

 Jesse. I’d love to win, but if I don’t it will not change my feelings about my bike, not even 1%. It’s a Bad Motherfucker, and I love it!

Cyril. With the result of this competition, is your return on the Discovery Channel with your own show on the line?  

Jesse. We start filming an All New Series in January for the Discovery Channel.

Cyril. What kind of TV show you prefer to have? Building? Teaching? Entertaining? 

Jesse. Bigger Better Monster Garage, Time to Put Discovery on the map again and cut a new Groove in Television.

Sportster Street Tracker

This is one of those bikes that I can honestly say I just envy. Look at the lines, the stance and the overall get shit done attitude of this custom, its pure run what ya brung bravado and thanks to CyrilHuzeBlog.com for posting up the photos of it. Would dig seeing this on track and sliding through those turns with that ever torquey sporty motor. It was built by UK based Shaw Harley Davidson and looks as if they truly honed in on performance.