Harley-Davidson remains the most popular motorcycle in the U.K., with the V-Rod being the top-rated model, according to a British motorcycle website. But the news service Sky News, in reporting on the survey, makes a mistake that is annoyingly common.
In the famed 1953 movie, The Wild One, it is not Marlon Brando who rides a Harley but Lee Marvin. Brando's character, Johnny Strabler, and the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club he heads ride Triumphs and other British motorcycles. In fact, Brando rides his own personal machine, a Triumph 650 Thunderbird, in the film.
It is Chino, played by Marvin in a striking striped shirt, and a rival biker gang he heads who ride Harleys.
Speaking of dueling biker gangs . . . Sonny Barger has been in the news recently as he is suing HBO over a new biker series set in Arizona that is about to start production. The high-profile Hells Angel, who resides near Phoenix, claims he and a writer pitched the idea for a series to the cable network but it turned to the writer to create it, cutting him out of the picture. Meanwhile, another biker gang show is in development at FX.
If you're looking to buy into the raw Dark Custom theme that the Motor Company has introduced, such as Cross Bones at left, you'll find insight into the design process in, of all places, the mighty New York Times. The Times also recently reviewed the chopper-profile Rocker C.
Another new model, the XR1200, unfortunately is available only in Europe where it has been described as a gem, somewhat flawed, but a diamond nevertheless.
If you like stats and numbers, take a look at this take on Harley-Davidson over the years published by the newspaper in York, Pennsylvania, where one of the Motor Company's seven factories is located.
As you may surmise, I've been away for a few days and have been playing catch up with the news.
—Georgs Kolesnikovs
