Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/617259
34 nJanuary 2016n www.thunderpress.net by Don Kline LONG BEACH, CALIF., NOV. 20–22—The Progressive International Motorcycle Show came to Southern California's Long Beach Convention Center over the span of three days with a Friday evening show and the two weekend shows. Riders and non-riders alike look forward to this annual event as there is much to see, and a total of 52,000 people attended. So what is there to do at the show? First off, the major motorcycle man- ufacturers, both domestic and import, are here and they have their product lines all shined up and ready for peo- ple to get a hands-on look and feel for them. Of course I paid particular atten- tion to Harley-Davidson and Polaris's two lines of motorcycles, Victory and Indian. Speaking of those motorcycle lines during the Friday morning media pre- sentations, Jen Hoyer, media relations manager for Harley-Davidson, talked about how Harley-Davidson has 38 models of which seven are new this year. Some of the models got some changes, among them the Sportster lineup that has new features such as a new air cleaner and improved suspen- sion, both front and rear. The Softail line now features cruise control, and some of the Big Twin models are get- ting the 110 c.i. engine as standard. The Street 750 has received new brakes, clutch and hand controls and the wiring has been tidied up. Jen also said that Harley-Davidson was, for the seventh straight year, the number-one seller of motorcycles to women and minorities. Globally the company gained 100,000 new riders. After Jen brought the crowd up to date she introduced Dan Smee, a veteran of the Iraqi War, and currently a social worker with the Department of Veterans Affairs where he is a Grant and Per Diem Liaison. He also works with the Wounded Warrior Project and spoke about how riding a motor- cycle was a form of therapy for him. He also talked about having other veterans who ride, which is great for support. Speaking of veterans, Harley- Davidson has their American Heroes Ride Free program which is providing free motorcycle training through the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy to all current and former U.S. military as well as fi rst responders. The Indian Motorcycle Company had their new Scout 60 motorcycle on hand, a smaller-displacement version of the current Scout. It is nine cubic inches (131cc) smaller than its bigger brother. The Scout 60 has a fi ve-speed transmission versus the six-speed found in the bigger model. Indian's guest was Roland Sands of Roland Sands Design who talked about the Scout he built for fl at track racing along with the guys from Suicide Machine Company. Victory Motorcycles talked about their Victory Ignition concept for a new engine based on the Pikes Peak Hill Climb racer. It is dubbed Project 156, named for the 156 turns of the race. The new engine will be a 1200cc 60-degree V-twin. Victory is also involved in land speed racing and NHRA motorcycle drag racing with Matt and Angie Smith. Progressive had an area where you could race on a slot car track, get your shoes shined and get your beard trimmed and a place to get a drink. There was a stage area where musicians from the School of Rock performed, as well as guest speakers. One such speaker was Doug "Danger" Senecal, the stunt rider who broke Evel Knievel's record of jumping 22 cars at Sturgis in 2015. He is also a motivational speaker, describing how he beat cancer and at age 53 is living his dream. He also said he plans to break some of Evel Knievel's other records. The Marketplace had several aftermarket vendors selling motor- cycle-related products and services. EagleRider was here, and the company announced its new Club EagleRider program. The vendors were selling parts, jackets, helmets and communication systems. A couple of touring compa- nies were on site showing where their PROGRESSIVE INTERNATIONAL MOTORCYCLE SHOW LONG BEACH THE BIG PICTURE OF THE COMING YEAR New models and cool customs headline West Coast event Harley-Davidson was offering test rides to interested attendees Andrew Ursich's 1980 Sportster was tricked out with brass plating