The American superbike, past, present and future The story of the American Superbike is written in the parlance of the four-cylinder, four-stroke, longitudinally-mounted engine and begins in 1909 with Percy Pierce. Son and heir to the Pierce automotive concern, young Percy was smitten with motorcycles and, upon discovering the amazing Belgian FN four-cylinder, dedicated the might and engineering excellence of the Pierce Automobile Company to the... By JT Nesbitt News - Sep 24 2012 -
Circle your wagons Harley, Indian is on the warpath That legendary American brand that just can’t seem to finally rest in the sacred burial ground of its ancestors is now set for archaeological excavation by those noble savages over at Polaris. The first all-new Indian has just lumbered off the assembly line at Polaris global HQ in Spirit Lake, Iowa. The smoke signals are all saying the same thing: this Chief definitely ain’t the last of the Mo... By JT Nesbitt News - Sep 3 2011 -
My summer vacation A Bimota, a wind tunnel, the Tail of the Dragon and some Land Speed Record racing. Sounds like a fun week, right? Add in hitchhiking through the Deep South in summer and it can only be one man’s idea of the perfect holiday. That crazy person is JT Nesbitt. — Ed. The difference between a good decision and a bad decision hinges invariably on the outcome. When I decided that there was room in... By JT Nesbitt News - Jul 30 2011 -
GoGo, Bozo and the neo-moto hipster hobo/bobo-nouveau (with an afro). It’s the next big thing! How many of them are out there? Half finished, taken apart, half-assed “Café Racers” languishing away in living room corners, in basements, in lawnmower sheds, under blue tarps and on the street. Yamaha RD350s, XS650s, Honda CB350s, CB550s. All with wiring pulled apart and vacant spark plug holes. Most got as far as a set of clubman bars that caused giant floppy loops in throttle cables and b... By JT Nesbitt News - Jul 25 2011 -
An open challenge to make Indian good I’ve rarely heard JT Nesbitt as upset as the night after Polaris announced it was acquiring Indian. The motorcycle designer had high hopes that the brand could be revived as an honest-to-god American motorcycle company that didn’t have to make excuses for its products and feared the last chance for that to happen went up in a puff of smoke with Polaris, Victory’s parent company. What can a w... By JT Nesbitt News - May 11 2011 -