Motorcycle Coasters® Newsletter

The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) polled 2,472 adults nationwide for the 2018 Motorcycle/ATV Owner Survey. The report they issued November 29, 2018, based on the survey, asserts that 19% of motorcyclists are women. For decades, the MIC surveys have served as the census of motorcycling, and have tracked a steady growth in the percentage of women who own bikes.

The 19% figure is among all age groups, but the 2018 report showed even greater female ownership within younger generations. Among Gen X motorcycle owners, 22 percent were women; among Gen Y, 26 percent were women.

“As the number of Boomer and mature motorcyclists shrink and are replaced by newer riders, we could soon be looking at a solid 25 percent of motorcycle owners being female,” said Andria Yu, MIC director of communications.

In nine years, from 2009 from 2018, the percentage of women riding motorcycles has nearly doubled.

Yu added, “We’ve seen with our own eyes many more women riders — on the roads, on the trails, on the track, with families, at motorcycling events, forming clubs and just being part of everyday group rides. Many people in the industry have worked some 30 years to achieve this, and now the data confirms it: More and more women are getting out there and enjoying motorcycles.”

“Major efforts to increase the number of women riders go back to the late 1980s when top manufacturers and distributors came together and formed Discover Today’s Motorcycling, the industry outreach program built to introduce new riders to two-wheeling,” said Cam Arnold, a longtime industry executive. “The first DTM project in the 1980s spotlighted the historic 1916 Van Buren sisters ride across the country and garnered much media attention. Throughout the 1990s and on till today, the big brands have dedicated increasing amounts of attention to the women’s market, and we’ve simply seen more and more positive imagery on TV, in movies and in many mainstream settings where women on motorcycles are just having fun.”

Interestingly, the 2018 owner survey also found that women motorcycle owners spend, on average, $574 a year on tires, routine repairs, maintenance, replacement parts, and accessories and modifying equipment, compared with $497 by men.

With the number of motorcyclists overall allegedly on the decline, it is refreshing to see a growing segment of the motorcycling industry.

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Unique motorcycle: The Beer Engine

The Hogs Back Brewery is a family owned brewery tucked away in the small village of Tongham, in the heart of the old Surrey, UK hop growing region. The brewery commissioned a custom motorcycle, nicknamed “The Beer Engine”.

The bike was built initially for a custom bike competition by a UK TV station. It competed against five other custom bike builders’ creations, with the winning bike to be given the “Bike of the Year Award”.

The Beer Engine reaches a top speed of almost 140 mph

There are no handlebar controls; the bike is operated with foot pedals and a gear shift that’s actually a beer engine pull handle. It also has a reverse gear to get you out of a tight spot.

The sidecar has its own leather seat and on-board bar facilities, so you can enjoy a refreshing drink (once you have parked, of course).

While The Beer Engine did not win the custom bike competition – as there was not a category for a motorcycle with a sidecar – it is still draws the attention of crowds at festivals and other public events, such as the Great British Beer Festival.

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Historic motorcycles: Italian Harley-Davidson lightweights

Parts of this article are excerpted from the original article Italian Harleys: The European lineup written by Don Van Dusen, which appeared in the Harley's First Century: American Glory special edition of American Iron Magazine published in 2003.

While Harley-Davidson was doing well in the late 1950s, the company still saw the need to expand their line of motorcycles for the future. The large number of baby boomers that would reach driving age in the early 1960s was a very large potential market of new enthusiasts. The Harley-Davidson offering had a large void in the jump from the 2–stroke ST-165 up to the new 900cc Sportster.

Harley found the solution to fill this gap in the town of Varese in Northern Italy. Aermacchi, a small motorcycle division of airplane manufacturer Aeronautica Macchi, had already been successfully building and selling a nice single cylinder 4-stroke 250cc motorcycle. Harley-Davidson purchased half interest in Aermacchi and brought the 250cc Sprint ‘C’ to America as the new model in its 1961 lineup.

Technically, the 1961 Sprint wasn't a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Aermacchi already had the bike in production, so when H-D bought Aermacchi, the bike was released with H-D decals on the tank and marketed as a Harley-Davidson model. The next year, in 1962, would be the official introduction of H-D lightweights built in Italy, with the rollout of the 250cc Sprint C.

Harley-Davidson built lightweights in partnership with Aermacchi from 1961 until the last model year, 1978, when H-D scrapped the lightweight lineup from their product offering. Interestingly, ther were no bikes released in 1977.

One can still find many parts at Charleston Custom Cycle in Charleston, Illinois, who houses the world's largest inventory of NOS Aermacchi parts. Some parts have been made after-market. Charleston Custom Cycle, in conjunction with Moto Italia in California, still import some OEM rubber good and OEM electrical goods from Italy.

Here's a rundown of the Italian models Harley-Davidson offered. Note that this is only the consumer models that were widely available. Not listed here are the racing bikes like the MX-250, the CRTT, etc.

Model	Engine Size	Years Manufactured
Sprint C	250cc	1961-1966
Sprint H	250cc	1962-1968
Sprint SS	250cc	1967-1968
Sprint SS	350cc	1969-1974
Sprint SX	350cc	1971-1974
ML-125	125cc	1968-1972
MLS-125	125cc	1969-1972 (1971-72 called Rapido)
M-50	50cc	1965-1966
M-50 Sport (S)	50cc	1965-1966
M-65	65cc	1967-1972 (1972 only called Leggero)
M-65 Sport (S)	65cc	1967-1972
X-90	90cc	1973-1975
Z-90	90cc	1973-1975
TX-125	125cc	1973
SX-125	125cc	1974-early 1975
SXT-125	125cc	1975-1978
SS-125	125cc	1976-1978
Shortster	65cc	1972
Baja	100cc	1970-1974
SX-175	175cc	1974-1978
SS-175	175cc	1976-1978
SX-250	250cc	1975-1978
SS-250	250cc	1975-1978

1964 Aermacchi Harley-Davidson Sprint H. Owned by Ted Kapner of Arroyo Grande, CA.

1974 Aermacchi Harley-Davidson X-90

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Focus on Crown Advertising, makers of the Motorcycle Coaster®

Leo Briere founded Crown Advertising in 1965 on a simple principle: Offer high quality ad specialties for affordable prices.

Today, Leo's son Jack (Jack The Coaster Guy) continues the legacy and offers the most popular choices in ad specialties for the motorcycling and powersports industries at low prices.

In 1994, Crown Advertising began offering custom imprinted motorcycle kickstand support pads, calling the product the Sure Stand. By 2000, the part was redesigned and given the name it goes by today, Motorcycle Coaster®.

Motorcycle Coasters® are Made in the U.S.A.

Most of the ad specialties Crown Advertising offers are Made in the U.S.A.

In addition to the Original Custom Imprinted Motorcycle Coaster®, Crown Advertising offers:

Key Fobs

Document Holders

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Kan Koolers, Mugs, Sunglasses

Whistles, Decals, Bumper Stickers

Cleaning Cloths

See their page of all US Made Ad Specialties

If you are interested in a product you don't see on the Crown Advertising website, email or call them.

Email: sales@crownadv.com

Phone: (217) 552-4773

Facebook: Crown Advertising

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