Mees wins Springfield Mile II as Indian take another podium sweep
Jared Mees continued his march toward the 2017 AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines crown in an epic Harley-Davidson Springfield Mile II at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on September 3. It was a win that may go down as Mees’ signature victory in a season which has been lined with them.
When the series last visited the venue back in May, Bryan Smith, the reigning champ, was in full control. On that day, the flat track faithful witnessed the “Master of the Mile” work his magic to perfection, upping Smith’s win streak to four with a trademark 0.005 of a second win over Mees.
Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle Rogers Racing Scout FTR750) returned to Springfield motivated to demonstrate just how completely the tables had turned since that defeat. Smith has yet to win since his Springfield Mile I triumph, meanwhile Mees has assembled an imposing championship advantage on the strength of five wins since then.
Mees took the checkered flag 0.021 seconds ahead of Smith, with Baker narrowly edging Halbert to claim third by 0.051 seconds back to secure the Indian Wrecking Crew’s sixth podium sweep of the season.
Sammy Halbert (Yamaha FZ-07) was fourth, with Brandon Robinson the top-placed Harley XG750R rider fifth; Kenny Coolbeth Jr brought his Harley in 16th.
The Springfield victory stands as Mees’ eighth in the season, upping his career mark to 30 to move equal with Bart Markel for 10th on the all-time list. Additionally, Mees now boasts a 46-point championship advantage (317 to Smith’s 271), with three races remaining.
That means Mees could clinch the 2017 title two races early by claiming his ninth victory of the season at the September 9 Harley-Davidson Williams Grove Half Mile presented by Appalachian Harley-Davidson at Mechanicsburg, Pensylvania, followed by Round 17, the Lone Star Half Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle at Fort Worth, Texas, on September 23 before the series finale at Perris, California, on October 7.
Metalsport 18” rotor and caliper sets
Southgate, California based Metalsport Wheels is now offering new 18” rotor and caliper sets for their new 34 inch 3D wheels.
With the “Big Wheel craze” still going strong, Metalsport President Ron Loynds and his crew have kept themselves at the cutting edge of the trend and innovated product lines that have allowed dealers to offer their customers convincing design solutions.
They were first to create the really big wheels and to develop Vee Rubber’s monster tires to fit them, and offered one-piece stainless steel rotors in 11.5”, 11.8” and 13” sizes to match their big wheel designs.
These new 18 inch floating rotor and caliper sets “offer unique and beneficial characteristics,” says Ron. “The larger diameter provides more leverage to slow the wheel, and the greater surface area offers more efficient cooling that will provide longer life.”
Mark Ashton, Metalsport’s General Manager, began development of these 18” rotor sets through a joint manufacturing effort between Metalsport and Brembo Brakes. The result incorporates heat-treated 420 stainless steel outer rings and 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum carriers, cut to match Metalsport wheel designs.
The rotors are ‘floating’ on the carriers and are connected by specially designed stainless steel buttons for long lasting performance. Sets include a 6061-T6 caliper bracket and stainless steel hardware.
Ron went on to say that “quality is over the top. Our engineering team has gone all out on these brakes.” Metalsport claims their new rotor set will outperform any 18” rotor/caliper kit on the market.
“We displayed our 34” wheel and 18” rotor and caliper set at Daytona Bike Week, and the response was overwhelming. The question everyone was asking was when we’d have them available! Well, the answer is now!”
The new 34” monster wheel and 18” rotors are now available in the following Metalsport styles: Don Juan, Torque, Whip, 15-Spoke and Corleone, but can be ‘special-ordered’ in any Metalsport 2D or 3D style including their Chip Foose designs. Standard finishes are chrome, polished, black or black and machined.
Metalsport say they “also provides 2D and 3D wheel blanks of the finest grade forged aluminum and rotor blanks as well, so dealers and builders can cut their own wheels if they choose.”
METALSPORT WHEELS
www.metalsportwheels.com
Ultimate Ride air suspension kits Tri Glide
Merritt Island, Florida based specialist Arnott Motorcycle Air Suspension, noted for their “True Onboard Adjustable Air Suspension kits for motorcycles” has added the 2009 to 2017 Harley Tri Glides to height-adjustable FOX air suspension system applications.
Arnott's Ultimate Ride kit features two nitrogen charged FOX shock absorbers, a powerful air compressor and black or chrome handlebar inflation switch. Arnott says the kit has been “custom-designed to replace the OE shocks on these 1,200 pound three-wheelers.
“Our patents-pending kit features TruAIR technology with rugged Goodyear multi-ply air spring bladders coupled with the FOX shocks. It provides the rider, and the passenger, with superior ride comfort regardless of road conditions or any added weight on the Tri Glide. The extended shock length (14 inches vs. 13 inches) increases the ground clearance for the trikes's exhaust tips, helping eliminate pipes scraping on the pavement during turns, a common occurrence with stock shocks on Tri Glide models.”
Arnott pairs the FOX shocks with a small but powerful compressor, application-specific mounting bracket and an air distribution valve block which includes a muffler to control how fast air is released.
Arnott says the kit is fully inclusive – with detailed installation manual, compressor, distribution valve, fused wiring harness and relay assembly, handlebar-mounted inflation switch, all required tubing and wiring, cable ties, fittings, matching bolt covers and mounting accessories for a fast install.
“Each shock is custom-crafted and rigorously tested in our Florida manufacturing facility and backed by our Limited Lifetime Warranty.”
Established in 1989, Arnott lay claim to being “the global industry leader in manufacturing and distributing quality aftermarket air suspension products and accessories.” In early 2017, Arnott was awarded ISO 9001:2008 Management System Certification and TUV Rheinland Product Safety and Quality Certification. Arnott's products also meet GOST ISO 9001-2011 Certification and the EurAsian Conformity (EAC) Mark for Arnott's Quality Management System.
ARNOTT AIR SUSPENSION
www.arnottcycles.com
Clutch kit for Street 500 and 750
It is no secret that Harley’s ‘Street’ models are “built to a price,” and one of the component issues that are being widely acknowledged by dealers are the clutches – whether the stock clutch is really “man enough” for serious riding, especially serious urban cycle riding, and if performance upgrades are being installed.
This new clutch kit for the 2015-17 Street 500 and 750 from Californian specialist manufacturer Barnett includes 8 friction plates, 7 tempered steel plates and a set of heavy duty springs. Featuring their exclusive Kevlar friction material, the design of the plates is said to allow more oil flow for cooler operating temperatures and longer clutch life.
Barnett have been manufacturing clutch components since 1948, and this experience means they know how to produce application-specific reliability, durability and performance improvements to the stock items their designs replace. These Street 500 and 750 kits include shot-peened and heat-treated clutch springs with tempered steel drive plates that go through a vibratory deburring process, then are quality checked for flatness to provide optimum performance.
BARNETT CLUTCHES & CABLES
www.barnettcables.com
Gen III exhaust heat shields in ‘Double Black’
Avon Lake, Ohio based thermal barrier and sound control specialist Design Engineering Inc. (DEI) has expanded its award-winning flexible heat shields program to include a new ‘Double Black’ version.
This new iteration combines the excellent heat blocking power of their ONYX series textiles with black Cerakote trim plates.
“These shields will keep your legs from burning and add a sinister look at the same time,” says DEI’s powersports product specialist Brian VanKoevering. “Being flexible, these shields can be adjusted to fit a range of exhaust diameters. They work great as OEM replacements, over exhaust wrap, or even doubling up existing metal heat shields for the ultimate protection. Each shield includes mounting hardware for easy installation.”
Founded in 1995, DEI is a major manufacturer and supplier of high performance automotive aftermarket products selling worldwide to all sectors of the international powersports market. DEI specializes in the development of thermal and acoustic performance products.
DESIGN ENGINEERING INC
www.deipowersports.com
Heritage line beaded heavy-duty windshields
More information on the new Heritage line of beaded windshields that we first reported on a couple of months ago from Maywood, Illinois based National Cycle.
It has been a long awaited return for an iconic design of yesteryear, and National Cycle now has traditional red and blue beaded heavy-duty windshields and separate components back in stock and available to ship immediately.
The National Cycle 5-bolt pattern beaded heavy-duty complete windshield is an authentic three-piece beaded construction manufactured with modern, premium quality materials. The complete windshield is available in polycarbonate with a clear top and your choice of clear, red, blue or black bottom section, and early FL-style notched or standard round middle window.
The outer frame hardware is bright chrome-plated steel and internal hardware has a non-glare zinc finish. Windshield mount kits are available for an extremely wide range of makes and models, from legacy applications over half a century old to today’s newest domestic and import cruisers.
Upper windshields, lower windshields and adjustable middle windows in all four colors are sold separately as replacement components for National Cycle 5-bolt pattern beaded heavy duty windshields and for OEM Harley-Davidson 7-bolt pattern beaded windshields.
All National Cycle polycarbonate windscreens are protected by a 3-year warranty against breakage.
NATIONAL CYCLE INC.
www.nationalcycle.com
M-8 valve spring collar
The new Milwaukee Eight engine boasts an all new head design, utilizing four valves per head. The new valve design is different from previous years’ models and requires a different valve spring collar for assembly and disassembly.
Now, instead of having to buy an entirely new tool for the job, JIMS has designed an adaptor collar for their existing valve spring compressor to get both jobs done. Not only will this tool save space, but it is an inexpensive and versatile addition to your toolbox.
JIMS
www.jimsusa.com
Jensen adds 6.5 inch speakers to its plug n’ play replacement audio
Elkhart, Indiana based ASA Electronics say that “larger than life sound requires larger speakers,” so they have followed up their award-winning HD1BT525 Harley-Davidson replacement stereo package by adding “over an inch more of booming sound” with all-new 6.5 inch speakers.
“This Jensen Power Sports brand audio kit (HD1BT650) still features the true plug n’ play design that customers loved about the old package, allowing for both the stereo and speakers to fit into the factory fairings opening with ease,” the company’s Jordan Lucas explained.
“A 5.25 inch speaker can only reproduce so much bass – more bass needs more cone area, so the larger 6.5 inch speaker allows us to provide deeper sound. The included adaptor rings make it possible to install a 6.5 inch speaker into the fairing opening originally designed to handle the stock-size 5.25 inch speaker and direct replacements.
“Combine these new speakers with the already incredible HD1BT stereo, which features Bluetooth, Sirius XM capabilities and a USB port, and we have one awesome package of in-your-face beauty. It doesn’t only sound excellent, but it is aesthetically built to look great installed in a Harley.”
The UV resistant 6.5 inchers have a 2.5” mounting depth, bridged/suspended dome tweeter, polypropylene woofer, 73 HZ to 20 KHZ usable frequency response, stamped steel basket, EVA mounting gasket and kick out 60 watts peak power (30W RMS).
The Jensen stock replacement audio (HB1BT) has a waterproof unit face (rated IPX6 – Ingress/International Protection Rating) and rear chassis rated IPX5; Bluetooth streaming audio; rear auxiliary input; weatherband with S.A.M.E alert; iPod/iPhone control and charging through a rear USB input and is a true plug ‘n play install - the factory harness plugs directly into the back of the unit and it works seamlessly with the factory handlebar controls.
ASA ELECTRONICS
www.asaelectronics.com
