Comedian Dan Aykroyd says he offered to bring his Blues Brothers act to Harley-Davidson‘s 110th Anniversary celebrations but was turned down because H-D executives said the act was too old for the company’s target demographics.

Aykroyd, playing the role of Elwood J. Blues with the late John Belushi playing “Joliet” Jake Blues, posted a statement on his official Facebook page suggesting Elwood is trading in his Harley-Davidson motorcycle for a Can-Am Spyder. The post reads:

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Offered Blues Brothers to open for Kid Rock at Harley-Davidson 110th anniversary. H-D execs. say B.B.’s too old for desired demographics. FOR SALE – ELWOOD’S HARLEY. WANTED – 1 SPYDER OLD MAN TRIKE.

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On Friday, May 10th, motorcycle and music fans alike can gather at Newcombs Ranch Roadhouse at the base of the Angeles National Forest, where Ziggy Marley, Bob’s eldest son, will perform a concert to benefit the Chepstowe Basic School in Port Antonio, Jamaica.  Continue Reading »

James LaVitola, a former Hollywood stuntman whose work includes Friday Night Lights, The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift and the first Transformers movie, is attempting to make a movie about motorcycle road racing, oddly titled “Trackdays, The Movie.” However, he’s attempting this without help from the major studios and is need of financial assistance. Continue Reading »

Harley-Davidson and Marvel Comics are teaming up once more for another cross-promotional promotion, this time in support of the upcoming film “Iron Man 3“. Harley-Davidson had previously worked with Marvel for last year’s “The Avengers” and before that, with 2011′s “Captain America: The First Avenger“.

For the third installment of the Iron Man series starring Robert Downey Jr., Harley-Davidson and Marvel announced the “Iron Man 3 – Man & Machine” contest. One winner will win a custom Street Bob, and will be featured, along with four other selected winners, in a special edition comic book as members of a motorcycle riding group of super heroes known as “Road Force”. All five winners will also receive a trip to Comic-Con International in San Diego for the unveiling of their comic book likenesses.

A similar prize was awarded for the “Assemble Your Freedom” contest for “The Avengers” where five winners were portrayed as members of Road Force (pictured above). The winners of the new Continue Reading »

Hollywood memorabilia dealer Profiles in History is auctioning off a prop from the upcoming film The Place Beyond the Pines. In an effort to benefit Variety, The Children’s Charity of Southern California, Focus Features has offered up the Firstgear red leather motorcycle jacket that Ryan Gosling’s stuntman-turned-outlaw character wears in the film. Adding to the authenticity is the lack of the jacket’s lining, which was removed due to its use during the extensive motorcycle sequences seen in the film.

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John Penton was one of the most influential figures in the development of off-road motorcycle racing in America during the 1960s and ’70s. His life’s story is triumphant and tragic. When his attempts to convince Husqvarna to produce a smaller, lighter motorcycle fell on deaf ears, Penton created his own design and commissioned KTM, a small moped and bicycle maker in Austria, to build it. The motorcycle was an instant success in off-road competition and led KTM to expand its efforts in the motorcycle realm, initially in conjunction with Penton and ultimately on its own. Today, KTM is the largest manufacturer of motorcycles outside of Japan and winning championships around the world.

When inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998, Penton still lived on the family farm not more than a couple hundred yards from where he was born. One of his sons, Jack, became a renowned rider in his own right and competed in 12 ISDE events and was named to the Hall of Fame a year after his father. Continue Reading »

You may remember last fall’s release of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R was accompanied by a mind-blowing short video commercial of a rider screaming around the 37.33-mile Isle of Man TT course aboard the new 636 Ninja. Now, Team Green has just released a “Making Of” video about the production of that video, featuring TT star James Hillier.  Continue Reading »

The semi-futuristic 1987 film, “RoboCop,” starring actor Peter Weller, told the tale of fatally injured Detroit cop effectively resurrected to life, but in the form of mostly metal, cyborg-like being. RoboCop was the ultimate crime-fighting tool, and the public loved the premise of the movie to the tune of two sequels, lots of merchandising and even a short-lived television series.

“RoboCop” has been resurrected again, the film that is, and is currently shooting in Toronto according to the Daily Mail. And as you can see by these images from the Daily Mail, RoboCop is now fighting crime on two wheels.

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James Bond films are probably better known for their exotic cars but the British superspy does get to ride on motorcycles once in a while. The latest motorcycle to be featured in 007′s vehicle dossier is the Honda CRF250R.

Honda supplied 20 CRF250R models for the upcoming James Bond film “Skyfall”, set to open Oct. 26. Two of those CRFs will be featured in the opening chase scene, with Bond, played by Daniel Craig, riding the model pictured above, chasing a mercenary character named Patrice, played by Ola Rapace.

The scene, shot in Turkey, has Patrice fleeing on a CRF250R seized from a crashed police officer while Bond gives chase on a CRF commandeered from a Turkish merchant. Both models were heavily modified by Academy Award-winner Chris Corbould’s special effects team. Continue Reading »

Nicholas Cage is back with another Ghost Rider movie, opening Feb. 17. In the new sequel to the 2007 film “Ghost Rider”, Cage’s character Johnny Blaze rides a fiery Yamaha V-Max.

The first film had Cage riding a custom hardtail chopper but the sequel, “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”, Cage’s stunt rider-turned-demon  character rides Yamaha‘s flagship muscle cruiser. Even with the CGI-produced smoke and flames and charred appearance, the V-Max’s distinctive air intake scoops.

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