GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas,- Longhorn Harley-Davidson is excited to announce the arrival of the new 2014 Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Developed under the name Project Rushmore, Harley-Davidson's 2014 touring and trike motorcycles have liquid-cooled engines and touch-screen electronics bringing a luxury feel to the Harley-Davidson experience.
Eight models were enhanced under Project Rushmore, making it the largest new model launch in Harley's history. The bikes were unveiled to celebrate its 110th anniversary in Milwaukee over Labor Day weekend.
There will be 8 new models with the Project Rushmore features: the Road King, Street Glide, Street Glide Special, Electra Glide Ultra Classic, Ultra Limited, Tri Glide Ultra, CVO Ultra Limited and CVO Road King.
Longhorn Harley-Davidson will be holding its first Demo Day on Saturday, Sept 21st from 10:00 to 4:00. All motorcycle enthusiasts are invited to test ride the new 2014. Then stay and celebrate with us. Live music starts at 12:30 and Mixed Up Burgers will be in the house!
Longhorn Harley-Davidson is located in a 50,000 sq. ft. building at 2830 West I-20, Grand Prairie, TX. 75052. They are a family owned business with one of the largest selection of new and previously enjoyed motorcycles in DFW.
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Source: The Sacramento Bee (AP, 09/20)
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
Killeen native revamps, renames biker bar and grill
Located at 704 E. Veterans Memorial Blvd. in downtown Killeen, the bar has fed and entertained the motor heads of Killeen since opening Aug. 15.
“Our goal is to make everyone feel welcomed here,” said Wayne “Wiz” Whisenhunt, owner of Texas Proud Custom Cycles and Texas Proud Bar & Grill. “This is not just a biker bar. Texas Proud is a place where anyone can come in and feel accepted. We’ve got good food, a family-style atmosphere and good live music.”
Whisenhunt, a Killeen native, has had gasoline running through his veins from the time he was born. His father, a soldier stationed at Fort Hood and an avid drag racer, got the young Whisenhunt interested in mechanics and motorcycles from a very early age.
“I got my first bike when I was 15, a 3½ horsepower Rupp mini bike,” Whisenhunt said. “I ended up wrapping it around a tree and had to start working at the Harley-Davidson dealership my father managed to pay for the repairs, and I’m still working on Harleys 35 years later.”
Whisenhunt’s first business, Texas Proud Custom Cycles, began small in 2001. Over the years, it has grown into an almost unrecognizable mecca for Central Texas bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts.
With a full garage offering powder coat, painting, fabrication and distribution of parts, Texas Custom Cycles produces two-wheeled art for clients in and around Central Texas.
At Texas Proud Bar & Grill and a tattoo shop now on the premises, customers can get inked up and grab a beer and some food while waiting on their motorcycles to be worked on in the garage.
“I love this place,” said Matt Numm, a painter by day and bassist by night. “I’ve been coming since the beginning, back when it was called Joker’s. I’ve played a few shows in here back in the day, and this is one of my all-time favorite bars in Texas. The acoustics in here are amazing and are perfect for a show.”
Texas Proud Bar & Grill started out as Joker’s Ice House in 2009. Whisenhunt and the owner of Joker's parted ways this year and Joker's moved to Stan Schluter Boulevard. Whisenhunt reopened his restaurant as Texas Proud Bar & Grill, offering hungry customers a variety of interesting menu options.
“My favorite thing here is the fried armadillo eggs,” Numm said. “They are a jalapeño stuffed with chopped beef and cream cheese, then fried … they are the best.”
Sees bright future
With the early success of his newest venture, Whisenhunt looks ahead and sees a bright future for his business.
“I want to start franchises ... if Hooters can do it, then why can’t I?” Whisenhunt said. “If Texas Proud continues to grow in popularity like it was when we first opened up (as Joker’s) in 2009, then I think I could definitely see another franchise popping up in the next two years.”
Whisenhunt gives credit to the military for making his businesses, and others in the Killeen area, successful.
“Without the military, none of this would be possible,” he said. “I thank God every day that he has gotten me through so much and allowed me to stay in business for close to 13 years. But I’m not doing this for the money; I am doing it because it makes me rich in heart serving the soldiers and the city of Killeen.”
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Source: KDH News (Papke, 09/20)
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Vehicle/Motorcycle Accident Regularity Possibly Linked to Brain Miscalculating Time of Impact of Smaller Objects
Newswise — Check the local news, and stories of cars pulling out in front of motorcyclists run regularly in the headlines. Recent research by a Texas Tech University psychologist suggests that the regularity of this problem isn’t necessarily a case of poor driving or carelessness, but may be related to a basic human judgment error.
Pat DeLucia, the coordinator of the Human Factors Psychology Program, said her results show that small, near objects can appear farther away than larger, farther objects. The study is published in Current Directions in Psychological Science.
"Small, near objects can appear to be farther away than large, far objects, and so it is thought that that could contribute to motorcycle car accidents." DeLucia said.
Her finding that an object’s size affects distance perception may be the basis of car drivers miscalculating motorcyclists’ distance and speed.
"You can think about the research in terms of if you had a really big ball like a basketball or a softball and you compared that to a marble and both were approaching you, you would see that bigger one is closer even if it was farther away," she said.
The brain uses two visual information cues for judging time to impact, she said. In the first, a moving object is reflected on the eye’s retina. It expands as it approaches the eye, providing the brain accurate information about when the object will hit. This is called an optical invariant.
However, the brain also uses “rules of thumb” as well, such as various “artist” depth cues as a shortcut, she said. Many times, the brain interprets objects with a larger retinal image as closer. Since motorcycles are smaller than cars, the brain may use this shortcut to judge a smaller motorcycle farther away than it actually is, DeLucia said.
“With computer simulations, we had a big, far object and small, near object approaching the viewer, where the small object would hit first,” she said. “We wondered if people would choose the big one, based on the artist depth cue of relative size or choose the smaller one based on the more accurate optical invariant. Unexpectedly, people picked the bigger object again and again. We found people relied on rules of thumb.”
This effect of size on collision perception violates theories of perception that believe people evolved to rely on the most accurate information, such as optical invariants. Instead, DeLucia’s findings suggest that perception is based on multiple information sources.
This size-arrival effect can lead drivers to misjudge when a vehicle would arrive at an intersection and could be considered a contributing factor in motorcycle/vehicle accidents.
DeLucia hopes to find funding from the Department of Transportation to create an education program to inform drivers of her findings to reduce the incidents of these types of accidents.
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Source: Newswise (AP, 9/09)
Pat DeLucia, the coordinator of the Human Factors Psychology Program, said her results show that small, near objects can appear farther away than larger, farther objects. The study is published in Current Directions in Psychological Science.
"Small, near objects can appear to be farther away than large, far objects, and so it is thought that that could contribute to motorcycle car accidents." DeLucia said.
Her finding that an object’s size affects distance perception may be the basis of car drivers miscalculating motorcyclists’ distance and speed.
"You can think about the research in terms of if you had a really big ball like a basketball or a softball and you compared that to a marble and both were approaching you, you would see that bigger one is closer even if it was farther away," she said.
The brain uses two visual information cues for judging time to impact, she said. In the first, a moving object is reflected on the eye’s retina. It expands as it approaches the eye, providing the brain accurate information about when the object will hit. This is called an optical invariant.
However, the brain also uses “rules of thumb” as well, such as various “artist” depth cues as a shortcut, she said. Many times, the brain interprets objects with a larger retinal image as closer. Since motorcycles are smaller than cars, the brain may use this shortcut to judge a smaller motorcycle farther away than it actually is, DeLucia said.
“With computer simulations, we had a big, far object and small, near object approaching the viewer, where the small object would hit first,” she said. “We wondered if people would choose the big one, based on the artist depth cue of relative size or choose the smaller one based on the more accurate optical invariant. Unexpectedly, people picked the bigger object again and again. We found people relied on rules of thumb.”
This effect of size on collision perception violates theories of perception that believe people evolved to rely on the most accurate information, such as optical invariants. Instead, DeLucia’s findings suggest that perception is based on multiple information sources.
This size-arrival effect can lead drivers to misjudge when a vehicle would arrive at an intersection and could be considered a contributing factor in motorcycle/vehicle accidents.
DeLucia hopes to find funding from the Department of Transportation to create an education program to inform drivers of her findings to reduce the incidents of these types of accidents.
________________________________________
Source: Newswise (AP, 9/09)
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Trail users to benefit from federal funding of Recreational Trails Program
PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Off-highway motorcycle riders and other trail users stand to benefit from up to $82.4 million in federal funding to be apportioned to 49 states in 2014 through the Recreational Trails Program, the American Motorcyclist Association reports. Only Florida opted out of the program for fiscal 2014.
"As a federal grant program that provides funds to develop and maintain recreational trails, RTP is vitally needed to continue expanding and maintaining off-highway opportunities for riders," said AMA Vice President of Government Relations Wayne Allard. "In fact, RTP funds come from excise taxes generated by fuel purchased for off-highway vehicle recreation -- off-highway motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and off-highway light trucks -- so this is money that rightfully belongs to trail users."
RTP was created by Congress in 1991 with bipartisan support. The Federal Highway Administration administers the program.
Since its inception, the RTP has leveraged more than $787 million of federal grants into more than $1.3 billion in monies to fund recreational trails. Without this vital program, many trails would not have been built and without its continuation, many will face reduced maintenance and possible closure.
Authorized funds are allocated annually by the federal government to those states that choose not to opt-out for that fiscal year. Every year the governor of each state has the option to opt-out of the RTP and deploy the funds to other non-recreational projects.
Each state then manages its funds in consultation with an RTP board that represents both motorized and non-motorized recreationists. RTP funds support motorized, non-motorized and mixed-use trails projects. The only stipulation is that 30 percent of obligated funds must go to motorized trails, 30 percent to non-motorized trails and 40 percent to mixed-use trails.
Over the last year, the AMA and the OHV community have successfully fought against the elimination of the RTP by Congress, stressing the economic and social benefits of responsible recreation. The current federal highway authorization -- known as MAP-21 -- provides $85 million dollars annually for distribution to the states. However, OHV users contribute significantly more to the federal highway trust fund.
"With next year's RTP authorization now set, it's time for off-highway vehicle recreationists across the nation to contact their grant administering agencies and work to secure grants to fund trails projects." said Sean Hutson, AMA legislative assistant. "After all, it's the fuel taxes paid by the OHV community in particular that fund the entirety of this important program."
This marks the second consecutive year that Florida has opted-out of the annual RTP allocation, giving up $5.2 million in funding already paid for by that state's off-highway vehicle recreation community. As a result, Florida has fewer funds to create and maintain safe recreational trails for responsible users.
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Source: AMA (AP, 9/03)
"As a federal grant program that provides funds to develop and maintain recreational trails, RTP is vitally needed to continue expanding and maintaining off-highway opportunities for riders," said AMA Vice President of Government Relations Wayne Allard. "In fact, RTP funds come from excise taxes generated by fuel purchased for off-highway vehicle recreation -- off-highway motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and off-highway light trucks -- so this is money that rightfully belongs to trail users."
RTP was created by Congress in 1991 with bipartisan support. The Federal Highway Administration administers the program.
Since its inception, the RTP has leveraged more than $787 million of federal grants into more than $1.3 billion in monies to fund recreational trails. Without this vital program, many trails would not have been built and without its continuation, many will face reduced maintenance and possible closure.
Authorized funds are allocated annually by the federal government to those states that choose not to opt-out for that fiscal year. Every year the governor of each state has the option to opt-out of the RTP and deploy the funds to other non-recreational projects.
Each state then manages its funds in consultation with an RTP board that represents both motorized and non-motorized recreationists. RTP funds support motorized, non-motorized and mixed-use trails projects. The only stipulation is that 30 percent of obligated funds must go to motorized trails, 30 percent to non-motorized trails and 40 percent to mixed-use trails.
Over the last year, the AMA and the OHV community have successfully fought against the elimination of the RTP by Congress, stressing the economic and social benefits of responsible recreation. The current federal highway authorization -- known as MAP-21 -- provides $85 million dollars annually for distribution to the states. However, OHV users contribute significantly more to the federal highway trust fund.
"With next year's RTP authorization now set, it's time for off-highway vehicle recreationists across the nation to contact their grant administering agencies and work to secure grants to fund trails projects." said Sean Hutson, AMA legislative assistant. "After all, it's the fuel taxes paid by the OHV community in particular that fund the entirety of this important program."
This marks the second consecutive year that Florida has opted-out of the annual RTP allocation, giving up $5.2 million in funding already paid for by that state's off-highway vehicle recreation community. As a result, Florida has fewer funds to create and maintain safe recreational trails for responsible users.
________________________________________
Source: AMA (AP, 9/03)
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