Where have all the tourists gone?

Things are very quiet in Melbourne right now. Maybe its the economic climate, or that people aren't travelling from the USA or Europe in as greater numbers as in the past. I wish I knew why more people aren't coming out for a Harley Ride with us.The most common question I get asked when someone is sitting on the back of my Harley Davidson (a 2012 Heritage Softail BTW) is, "How many time a w...

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Did You Buy Yourself a Biking Christmas Present?

.•*”˜˜”*°•. ˜”*°•?•°*”˜ .•°*”˜˜”*°•.***?*** HAPPY CHRISTMAS ***?***.•°*”˜.•°*”˜.•°*”˜? ˜”*°•.˜”*°•.˜”*°•I wish you a great time and an even better 2013.This year’s Christmas present to myself.Roll on the 2013 riding season! I am planning a road trip here....

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Harley-Davidson 1915 KT Board Racer

Harley-Davidson did not participate in team racing until 1914, when it decided to exploit the potential benefits of publicity and development that could be derived from racing success. Board-track racing was reaching new levels of popularity, with promotors able to attract huge paying crowds to the meetings, so Harley’s decision to enter into competition made a lot of sense. Board racers were...

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Video Competition - Win A GoPro Camera!

Some of you will remember the ABCD photograph competition I ran some time ago. It is time to have another competition, but this time even bigger and better!The new competition is for motorcycle videos. They can be filmed from on-board a motorcycle, they can be about anything to do with motorcycles,...

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My son Charlie in HOG Magazine

Some of my readers may remember seeing this picture of my eldest son, Charlie, that I included in an earlier posting about the trip we did on our motorcycle to Portugal.The Harley Owners Group (HOG) magazine wrote an article about young riders, especially Charlie, and he appears in the Winter 2012 edition...

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How to fix luggage to a custom motorcycle

When designing my custom motorcycle Amelia, I knew two things for sure.1. I would be touring long distances on this motorcycle.2. I needed to be able to fix luggage to the bike, but I didn't want an ugly rack to spoil the look of the bike.Good looks and practicality don't always go well together, so, it became clear that we needed to be quite innovative in devising a solution for fixing luggage to...

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Harley-Davidson 1912 Silent Gray Fellow

By the time Harley-Davidson built this X-8 single in 1912, the company was well on the way to establishing itself as a major motorcycle manufacturer, and the motorcycle was a more refined mode of transportation. This bike was a direct development of the original 1903 model and continued in production until 1918. Though it still had belt final-drive, an atmospheric inlet valve, and no gearbox,...

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Guide to Planning a Motorcycle Road Trip in the USA

Planning to a motorcycle road trip in the US? Then you might want to read this guide.As a Englishman who planned and then rode 21,000 miles in America on a road trip, I learnt a lot about what to consider if planning a motorcycle road trip in the US for the first time. Thinking it would be useful...

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France In America - Free Book!

At the end of my 21,475 mile motorcycle tour of the USA, I made a promise on my blog that I intend to keep. I said anyone that commented on my blog before the last day of the trip, would receive a free copy of my book about the tour.That promise will be kept.With a few things still to do, the book will...

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Book Update - France In America

My regular readers already know I went on a pretty long ride on my motorcycle across America. It was 21,475 glorious miles of getting to know the country and its people. The journey was a tremendous experience, as I visited 27 different states and witnessed many of the great places America has to...

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My New Motorcycling Website!

Today, my new motorcycling website www.garysfrance.com was launched.Containing information about different aspects of motorcycling, the site has sections about my forthcoming book, touring guides, my videos, a competition (win the latest GoPro camera), a bit about me, reviews of motorcycling books,...

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Harley Davidson 1905 Model No.1

Only 16 of the 1905 Harley-Davidson models were built. It was not much more to the first Harleys than these two main components, motor and bicycle. Although William Harley Davidson brothers used a bigger engine than most of their current producers, the pedal force is an essential complement to the internal combustion engine on hills meant that the bicycle layout should be maintained.Harley...

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Biker get away to the sun?

Now is the time of year that most bikers in the northern hemisphere don’t like. The warm days of summer have passed, the grey and rain of autumn have made their unwelcome appearance. Getting out on our motorcycles just isn’t as much fun as it was in the summer. As a biker living in London, England,...

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Ghost Rider's Harley-Davidson, it's halloween time!

It's never too early to get your Halloween costume, if you wait like everyone else, unless you have kool motorcycle on your garage,  you could find all the best costumes are gone! all dressed up for Halloween! Super hero costume are perfect for Halloween parties, and this time, the best Halloween harley davidson is Ghost Rider's Harley-Davidson.Another Marvel Comics blockbuster, starring...

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Long Live The Kings

Don’t you just love inspirational videos?This one is about a group of guys doing something as simple as riding motorcycles together.  It is very cool.  It makes me want to go out and ri...

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Achieving dreams.

Five old men from Taiwan, average age 81, set out on their motorcycles for 13 days, for one simple reason – to achieve their dreams.Dreaming is important.  Achieving those dreams more so.I hope I can still ride a motorcycle with my friends when I am eighty-one years o...

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Harley-Davidson VRSCF v-rod muscle

Intimidating, powerful and beefy are words used to describe The new 2013 Harley-Davidson VRSCF V-Rod Muscle, a fast and powerful and aggressive motorcycle in driving in the street. it is built for riders who want a little extra beef with their horsepower. a power cruiser with an extroverted personality, The 2013 Harley-Davidson® VRSCF V-Rod Muscle model is a power motorcycle with style. it is...

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Harley-Davidson XL883 Sportster

The Sportster 883 features classic Sportster styling motorbike which stylish simple, iconic, efficient and easy to ride, the Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster has been a great first bike for hordes of riders. You'll never forget your first time on an 883 Sportster. In 2005, the XL Evolution V twin engine has been redesigned, having improved cooling, and some nice touch of visual designs. The XL 883...

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Harley-Davidson XL1200 Sportster

I thought you'd like a look at these Harley-Davidson Sportster Xl1200 Motorcycles. It's definitely looking tough and powerful performer that goes the distance in style with classic style, agility and smooth power. Find out what real bikers think of this bike, and you will find almost no differences with what written here.  The Harley-Davidson XL1200 Sportster's engine is undeniably crude, ...

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Never Forget

not many words this time, but..We Never For...

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Trip to the Champagne Region, northern France

What better way to spend three gloriously sunny days than to jump on your motorbikes, take the Channel Tunnel train to France, ride to the Champagne region and drink fantastic bubbly with some friends?That is precisely what seven of us did last weekend.05:30 and the alarm shook to life, but as before...

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Charlie riding back from Portugal

Earlier this year, I rode to Portugal with Ian Solley and my son Charlie.  We went to the HOG Euro Festival and each of us was on a custom motorcycle.  Bearing in mind Charlie had only passed his motorcycle test two months earlier, he did brilliantly well!Each of us had an incident on the...

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London 2012 Olympic Games

I have been ridiculously busy recently and have not posted anything here on my blog for weeks.  I can see light at the end of the tunnel and so will try to catch up with some posts and what I have been doing.The first of these is the London 2012 Olympic Games.  We were very lucky and managed...

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Cool Picture from St Tropez

I was looking on the Harley-Davidson HOG website and found a cool picture of yours truly riding my Amelia bike in St Tropez.....Also, in an e-mail HOG sent out to it's members, there is a video form the recent rally in St Tropez and somewhere near the beginning, is Amelia parked up in the marina....

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Introducing Amelia, my new Harley-Davidson chopper

Many of you know a new custom bike has been built for me recently. I have posted a few pictures of the progress of the bike as it developed and of some of the details of the bike, but it is now time to reveal the completed motorcycle.Called Amelia, the bike is based upon what old school choppers used...

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