Free Republic

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - For Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, there's something awkward about the Harley-Davidson motorcycles that he has been posing on at presidential campaign stops: each one bears a sticker on its frame that reads "Union made in the USA." Walker has made the iconic American brand a centerpiece of his campaign kick-off tour this month, visiting four dealerships and sometimes showing off his own 2003 Harley Road King as he seeks to harness its appeal to older white male voters. But there is another side to Harley that the Republican candidate has been less vocal about - it is...

Apples and oranges: or shall we say, Harleys and Abrams. On this evening's Ed Show on MSNBC, guest John Nichols of the far-left Nation mag and guest host Michael Eric Dyson lamely tried to analogize Scott Walker riding a Harley to the infamous episode of Michael Dukakis in a tank. The difference? Walker is a for-real biker and Harley owner. Dukakis did serve two years in the Army, but there's no evidence he did tanks before his ill-fated ride during the 1988 campaign. Check the photos at the foot to see the difference. You'll note that the hopelessly buttoned-down Dukakis...

One more lying Obama agency – The Parks Department. As you know, the permit for a no-stop ride through DC tomorrow September 11, 2103 was denied. A Park Department employee Sheila Gotha allegedly told media the Biker’s application for a permit was never received and that’s why it was denied. Odd since the organizer, Belinda Bee says: “From my understanding, [Gotha] has told two other media outlets that she had never heard of our permit, that we have never had a conference call. I shot them the email showing where she scheduled the conference call and on that conference call...

In 1917, the United States entered World War I and the military demanded motorcycles for the war effort. Harleys had already been used by the military in the Pancho Villa Expedition, but World War I was the first time the motorcycle had been adopted for combat service. Harley-Davidson provided about 15,000 machines to the military forces during World War I. - Wikipedia

Pope Francis will welcome thousands of Harley-Davidson bikers to the Vatican and give them a 'Blessing of the Motorbikes'.Around 100,000 Harley-Davidson owners will descend on Rome next month to celebrate the motorcycle's 110th anniversary.The highlight of the four-day meeting will be the blessing by Pope Francis in St Peter's Square on 16 June.Space for 1,400 bikes will be set aside in the pedestrian piazza. Other bikers are to attend on foot after parking elsewhere.The entire length of Via Della Conciliazione, leading from St Peter's Basilica to the River Tiber will be turned into a giant Harley-Davidson bike park.

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....