Articles by Michael Uhlarik
Mad Men and Motorcycling
Oh how bubbles burst. We North Americans are used to the popping sound that accompanies the sudden destruction of a previously cherished truth. We understand the consequences of calling bullshit when we see it, like Bostonians did in 1776 when some perky English tax collector tried to justify his work; or when Coca-Cola finally admitted that New Coke was not the revolution it promised, despite wha...
Dailies
Polaris & the Orient Express
It seems that the gaze of the powers that control the levers at Polaris Industries is cast far and wide. An announcement today reveals that the mid-western power sports company has formed a joint venture with Eicher Motors Ltd. of India, a manufacturer of light commercial vehicles and Royal Enfield motorcycles. This news comes on the heels of a long line of investments made by blue-chip motorcycl...
Dailies
A continuing discussion on electric motorcycles
Last wednesday, I participated in a discussion in the comments section of HFLʼs last installment of the Life Electric series, something that lead to a very spirited exchange between myself, designer JT Nesbitt and a bunch of regular readers. The crux of the article concluded that electric motorcycles, while interesting and fun, have not arrived to a point of development which makes them practica...
Dailies
Robb out, Heinrich in at BMW design
After 19 years, the last decade as Vice President of Design for Motorrad, David Robb is leaving BMW. He is being replaced by Edgar Heinrich, another long time BMW designer. No reason has been given for Robb's departure, but the Boston native certainly has earned his keep, and with personal hobbies that include high performance aerobatic flying, he is certainly not likely to end up wasting away a...
Dailies
What 2011 meant for motorcycles
The past three years have cast a pall over manufacturing world wide. For the motorcycle industry, its hue has been particularly dark. We have witnessed the death of brands, from the historic to eager start ups, written long essays theorizing why and what next, and have slowly come to accept that the old business templates no longer apply. It has been a very long recession, with recovery only comin...
Dailies
A Rebuttal to Frederick Seidel
On November 5, Mr. Frederick Seidel, respected poet and writer asked the question “Is the iPhone Replacing the Motorcycle?" and expressed his view about the decline of the motorcycle as an object of desire among the youth of today's America. His piece in the New York Times, with the thought-provoking title “Is the Era of the Motorcycle Over?” aroused curiosity among the industry elite. As a ...
Dailies
Claudio Castiglioni's legacy: a counterpoint
News of the recent death of Claudio Castiglioni has made the rounds in the motorcycle community, which has been quick to offer sympathy and heap praise on a man seen by some as a visionary. Certainly many of the fruits that came from the companies controlled by Castiglioni (pictured, center) became some of the most desirable motorcycles of the modern era, indeed of all time. But calls in various o...
Dailies
Rough Idle: the motorcycle industry’s chances in the global debt crisis
This week, the United States and the countries of the Eurozone both sustained a new wave of economic crisis, largely as a result of sovereign debt. While these issues are far too large and not the specific domain of this magazine to bear detailed examination here, their effects have very real and deep ramifications on the motorcycle industry and its future as a viable business in North America and...
Dailies
What Indian means for Polaris
A lot has been written about the acquisition of the Indian brand by Polaris Industries last week, and for good reason. The American motorcycle industrial landscape is in tatters, with the wreckage of failed dealerships, recently deceased OEMs and radically reduced unit sales littering the country. Not one area of the US market is secure, not one corner has shown significant cause for cheer. Ever...
If you want an electric motorcycle designed right, you’ve got to design it yourself
Ever since I saw the first modern electric scooters in the middle of last decade, I’ve felt the time was right to start approaching motorcycle design like that of an airplane, integrating the body, frame and battery into the same structure. Doing so can drastically reduce size, weight and complication, all of which I hope I’ve achieved with this, the Amarok P1. Unlike the giants it will race a...
Dailies
Why the Motus MST-01 needs design strength
I honestly am not trying to be unkind or snarky. As the product of a tiny American startup, the Motus MST-01 is the kind of product Hell For Leather wants to champion. Truth is, I really think this small company needs the right kind of start or it will not make it. Here's why Motus needs to re-think its design. Modus Operandi Creating something new, something that is genuinely new, is very hard...
Found: the missing link
I am not a motorcycle journalist. I have many years of experience designing and developing them and nowhere near the experience of professional road testers who typically write new motorcycle reviews. But, owing to the fact that I have been a loud proponent of small, modern bikes and the industry's need to stop ignoring young and beginner riders, the people at Honda invited me down to Los Angeles ...
Design Analysis: MV Agusta F3 and Aprilia Tuono V4R
EICMA in 2010 gave us a number of things to think about. Among the Chinese made, European-branded scooters and scantily-clad presentation girls, the Italian industry found some time between political scandals and a crashing economy to actually produce some new motorcycles. Over at MV Agusta v4.0, we got the very pretty and long awaited F3 middleweight, Ducati presented the Diavel power cruiser, Pi...
Dailies
A rebuttal to Kevin Ash’s Super Tenere review
How long will it take for western motorcycle media to understand that pure enthusiasts are not the volume drivers of this industry? Many will think Kevin Ash's recent review on HFL for the 2012 Yamaha Super Tenere is fair and balanced, but it's just as possible the criticisms leveled against the new Yamaha are misdirected and narrow in scope. I admit to having a pro-Japanese tilt, but the fact i...
Design Analysis: 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R
Superbike design is, perhaps, the least forgiving segment in this industry to work in, because the intense competition and the colossal pressure to be the “best” tends to force conservative decision making. From choosing engine layout, to altering suspension geometry, to styling and Industrial Design, taking risks on the flagship model is frowned upon by top management. We see the orthodox thi...
Dailies
Bred obsolescence: why 2011 won’t be a bumper year for bikes
The Great Recession has hit the motorcycle industry hard, evaporating disposable income and cheap credit. In many Western markets, where motorcycles are seen as luxuries and toys, sales virtually disappeared, unsold stock piled up and dealers deeply discounted sales in efforts to stem the disaster. Predictably, new model launches were significantly reduced, postponed or canceled. Now with the worl...
Dailies
