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Over the years, Jerry Booth has seen many patriotically themed motorcycles but never one as ornate as the one he saw when he traveled to Tennessee a few years ago. Booth, a veteran and the organizer of this year's West Virginia Harley Owners Group Rally, saw the bike at a rally there three years ago. He loved it and the message it carries so much that he invited the owner to the event in Charleston. Tod "Weirdo" Wooldridge, owner of the 1986 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide, happily accepted. The bike is decked out in American regalia. It's painted front to back...

NEW YORK -- The Federal Reserve on Wednesday reluctantly opened the books on its monumental campaign to save the financial system in the midst of the recent crisis, revealing how it distributed some $3.3 trillion in relief. The data revealed that the Fed's aid was scattered much more widely than previously understood. Two European megabanks -- Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse -- were the largest beneficiaries of the Fed's purchase of mortgage-backed securities. The Fed's dollars also flowed to major American companies that are not financial players, including McDonald's and Harley-Davidson, through unsecured short-term loans. The measure, initiated in Jan....

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Let's go back, audio sound bite-wise, to me on my program, this program. This is March 12th of this year... RUSH ARCHIVE: The TARP money was not used for its original purpose. There's something else out there, Jordan, you need to know. The Federal Reserve, before the TARP bailout, made loans totaling $2 trillion and they will not tell us to whom. We don't know who got the money. Whether the Fed loans it or the government prints it, it's our money. So you can talk about the $700 billion TARP. You can talk about the $787...

 When it comes to being an All-American supermodel, Marisa Miller knows she needs to be more than just a pretty face and fabulous figure. The swimsuit stunner confirmed to Pop Tarts that she has shed her “Victoria’s Secret” wings and is now devoting time to projects supporting the U.S military. (edit)Speaking of the military, Miller has also teamed up with Harley-Davidson to show support for the brave men and women who serve in the U.S military. Ever since the first American troops rode Harleys during the Mexican Expedition in 1916, the motor company has committed itself to showing appreciation to...

"As the popularity of motorcycles increases, loud pipes become offensive to the general public out there," Scott added. The roaring motorcycles -- primarily Harleys -- have led to a bill that would target motorcyclists who remove factory-installed emission control devices mandated by the federal government and replace them with custom, aftermarket parts that often make their bikes louder and more polluting. SB 435 had been approved by the state legislature and now is sitting on the Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk. The Harley-riding governor has until Sept. 30 to sign the bill into law or veto it. If the governor puts...

With the future of Harley-Davidson Inc.'s Wisconsin factories at stake, union workers in the Milwaukee area and Tomahawk on Monday ratified a seven-year labor contract that's likely to result in hundreds of job cuts the company says are needed to keep production in the state where it was born. "I am too young to retire and too old to start over," said Harley assembler Jill Huffman, summing up a pervasive feeling of uncertainty among many Harley employees who voted on the contract Monday at the Waukesha County Expo Center. United Steelworkers of America Local 2-209 accepted the concessions-filled agreement, which...

Harley-Davidson Inc.'s three Wisconsin unions approved a labor contract Monday laden with steep concessions, reacting defensively after the motorcycle company threatened to move hundreds of jobs out of the state. The proposed deal freezes employees' pay, slashes hundreds of production jobs and assigns large volumes of work to part-time workers. But it also saves hundreds of other jobs, at least in the short-term.

The chief executive of Harley-Davidson Inc. has urged Wisconsin employees to approve an unpopular labor contract Monday, telling them the motorcycle company is prepared to move on without them if they turn it down. CEO Keith Wandell wrote a letter last week telling the workers it's up to them to decide whether they want to remain part of Harley's future. "We are on a course to build a competitive company for the future and a business that is sustainable long term," the letter said. "Nothing can get in the way of this objective." The workers, who make motorcycle engines in...

It's the roar that made Milwaukee famous — the distinctive throaty rumble of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. But that much-loved racket could be rumbling away to another state if the company cannot bring down its labor costs. Harley-Davidson warned employees in April that it will move its Wisconsin manufacturing operations elsewhere if it cannot cut millions of dollars at the factories that build the bikes known as "Milwaukee Iron." Harley's corporate headquarters would remain here, but that's small consolation to a community that has already endured repeated blows to its civic identity. Loading stock quotes… Index Last Change HOG 27.84 +0.45...

It's been quite a ride for Harley-Davidson (HOG). The iconic motorcycle company has been cranking out bikes since 1903, and it's one of only two major motorcycle manufacturers to have survived the Great Depression. The first Harley rolled off the line just one year after the first telegraph cable was laid across the Pacific Ocean, and nowadays you can log on to Harley's website to customize your "Hog" or find a dealer on your smart phone. But now there's a rough road ahead for the company. The plant that cranks out Harley's choppers in Milwaukee may finally be at its...

Harley-Davidson Inc. said Tuesday it expects the global market for motorcycles to remain challenging this year as more consumers opt for lower-priced used motorcycles instead of new ones. Chief Executive Officer Keith Wandell said he expects Harley's shipments to be down 5%-10% from 2009, while the preference for used motorcycles and the weaker world economy have pushed year-to-date retail sales down 40% from the company peak in 2006...

Harley-Davidson Inc. shares rumbled 9% higher Tuesday, gaining after the motorcycle maker reported a first-quarter profit that didn't fall as much as Wall Street had projected. The company's financial unit provided a boost, registering a profit after three losing quarters thanks to improved credit performance and lower costs. In early trading, shares of Harley-Davidson /quotes/comstock/13*!hog/quotes/nls/hog (HOG 35.19, +2.42, +7.39%) tacked on $2.95 to stand at $35.72. They have now doubled in the past year on the back of signs of a broader economic recovery. The Milwaukee-based manufacturer posted earnings of $33.3 million, or 14 cents a share, down from $117.3...

He flies through the air with the greatest of ease. Seth Enslow isn’t a man on a flying trapeze, however; he’s more like a tattooed madman on the back of a specialized Harley Davidson. Enslow took a Harley-Davidson XR1200, put a dirt bike suspension and handlebars on it, and then used that bike to break the world record for a Harley jump not once, but twice. His first leap was 175 feet, and his second was a staggering 183.7 feet in length. The Telegraph has the amazing video.

Bruce Rossmeyer, known for building a Harley Davidson empire with 15 dealerships, died Thursday in a motorcycle accident. Rossmeyer and a group of friends were on their way to the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota when the accident happened. Rossmeyer was riding on a Wyoming Highway 28 when he attempted to pass a truck pulling a camper as it turned left. The 66-year-old, who was not wearing a helmet, struck the driver’s side door. Rossmeyer was pronounced dead at the scene.

A very good friend of mine has made a 911 Tribute Motorcycle. He has entered the bike in a contest to have it featured in Ironworks, Magazine. Pierce is a police officer in Stowe, VT and personally built this bike as a tribute to Law Enforcement and those who perished on 911. The fender emblem reads "911 We Must Never Forget." The tank emblem, which is gold leaf, reads the same. Here are some pictures of the motorcycle. Please take the quick moment to follow the link and vote for his bike. He could use the help at this time....

Harley-Davidson Inc. (HOG) has sold $600 million of debt, half of which went to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BERK). Berkshire and money manager Davis Selected Advisers LP, the largest Harley shareholder, each bought $300 million of senior unsecured notes carrying an annual interest rate of 15%, according to a Harley news release. The notes mature in 2014. The sale provides Harley-Davidson with more cash after losses at its financing arm, Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS) led to a 58% decline in fourth-quarter profit. Harley is also cutting 1,100 jobs, or more than 12% of its workforce, over two years. HDFS...

Harley-Davidson Inc. said Friday it will cut 1,100 jobs over two years, close some facilities and consolidate others as it grapples with a slowdown in motorcycle sales. The Milwaukee-based company also reported its fourth-quarter profit fell nearly 60 percent, and said it is slashing motorcycle shipments in 2009 to cope with reduced demand. The iconic motorcycle maker said it will consolidate two engine and transmission plants in Milwaukee into its facility in Menomonee Falls, Wis. It will shrink its paint and frame operations in its York, Pa., plant and close its distribution facility in Franklin, Wis., whose duties will be...

On Debbie Argel’s first motorcycle trip from California to Wisconsin in 2003, she was nervous about the risks, but encouraged by her son, Air Force Capt. Derek Argel. He told her: "Fear of death is really just a fear of life. Go for it, Mom." Two years later, on Memorial Day, 2005, Derek was killed in Iraq. In his memory, and to raise money for children of special military forces killed in the line of duty, Debbie and her husband, Todd Bastian, are riding their cycles from Lompoc, Calif., to Milwaukee for Harley-Davidson Inc.'s 105th Anniversary Celebration. The big party...

Ray and Jeannie Jordan put 105 flags on their bike for the 105th anniversary Harley-Davidson celebration. Ray, a Vietnam vet, wants to remind people flags are not seasonal.

Chris Bishop has bittersweet memories of the Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary Celebration. The 46-year-old advertising professional remembers cruising to a street party in 2003 on his 1984 Honda Aero and squeezing the scooter into a row of parking spaces overflowing with muscular Softails and Fat Boys. "I went down to Water Street and parked it down there, and everybody was smiling, and everyone wanted to hop on the back," Bishop said. "It's motorbike culture. You could be cooler if you had (a Harley), but you're still cool." So much for the sweet. Now for the bitter. "I don't think I'd do...