Wheels Of Grace Magazine

Volume 11, Issue 6

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WheelsOfGrace.com | Volume 11 Issue 6 | 29 HANDLEBAR NEWS added to Florida's COVID-19 death count, according to a state health official. FOX 35 News found this out a er asking Orange County Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino whether two coronavirus vic ms who were in their 20s had any underlying condi ons. One of his answers surprised us. "The first one didn't have any. He died in a motorcycle accident," Pino said. Dr. Pino was asked if the man's data was removed. "I don't think so. I have to double- check," Pino said. "We were arguing, discussing, or trying to argue with the state. Not because of the numbers -- it's 100…it doesn't make any difference if it's 99 -- but the fact that the individual didn't die from COVID-19…died in the crash. But you could actually argue that it could have been the COVID-19 that caused him to crash. I don't know the conclusion of that one." There are s ll two people in their 20s that we know of on Orange County's data list for coronavirus deaths. So is this a contradic on to how the state says it's coun ng deaths? The Florida Department of Health sent FOX 35 News a statement that a empted to clarify that a "COVID death" is determined if, "COVID19 is listed as the immediate or underlying cause of death, or listed as one of the significant condi ons contribu ng to death. Or, if there is a confirmed COVID-19 infec on from a lab test – and the cause of death doesn't meet exclusion criteria – like trauma, suicide, homicide, overdose, motor-vehicle accident, etc." "The only thing that I can say to people is the data I provide you with is the data we consume from the state. We offer you the best data that we have," Dr. Pino said. Dr. Pino tells us the medical examiner has to cer fy all COVID-19 deaths. We also reached out to that office and haven't heard back. Update: Kent Donahue, from Dr. Pino's office, said the motorcyclist's death "was reviewed and he was taken off the list for COVID fatali es." Two days a er a FOX 35 inves ga on, health officials confirmed that a motorcycle death that was ini ally counted among COVID-19 fatali es has been removed from the state's data. But how many deaths were not removed from the Covid19 fatali es list? INDIAN MOTORCYCLE TEAMS WITH S&S FOR KING OF THE BAGGERS TYLER O'HARA TO RACE S&S-BUILT INDIAN CHALLENGER AT LAGUNA SECA B Y M O R G A N G A L E S This October, for the first me in MotoAmerica history, baggers will line up to race at California's WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. An all-new class, King of the Baggers invites 14 teams to race American V-twin touring bikes, and up un l now, it looked as though they were all going to be modified Harley-Davidsons. But behind closed doors, S&S Cycle has been working with Indian Motorcycle, stripping weight and building power on a 2020 Challenger. The obvious ques on is: How do you modify an American touring motorcycle for the racetrack? These bikes, meant to cover long miles with comfort and ease, are great for that purpose but, as stock machines, have no business on a racetrack. So how do you make a bike that weighs more than 800 pounds go, stop, and turn like a racebike? We talked to S&S's lead project engineer Jeff Bailey to find out. "Our bike weighed about 805 pounds on our scales and I'm hoping we can take at least 200 pounds out of that," Bailey says. "Instead of the engine, we're focused on adjustability—so we're doing adjustable triple clamps. Looking at the rear suspension. Ride height and ergonomics are really where we're focusing most of our energy." Which isn't to say the engine won't be modified. This is S&S, a er all! For more on this story see page 31. HARLEY-DAVIDSON REPORTS LOSS, PLANS TO REDUCE FUTURE MODELS B Y L A N C E O L I V E R Harley-Davidson's retail motorcycle sales have been steadily declining since 2015, but the company remained profitable during that slide — un l now. In its quarterly financial Harley reported a $92 million loss, provided more details on its restructuring and dropped hints that the Bronx stree ighter model could be delayed or even killed outright. The net loss of $92 million for the second quarter of 2020 resulted from retail sales of new Harleys that were 27 percent lower in both the U.S. market and globally in the quarter, compared to the same period last year. That resulted in a loss of $0.60 per share when financial analysts were expec ng a profit of a few pennies per share. The company was hampered by most of its dealers being closed at the height of the COVID-19 restric ons. Produc on was also halted, so when dealers did reopen, inventory was well below normal. Harley's Thailand factory was closed during the month of April and the York, Pennsylvania, factory was closed for two thirds of the quarter. By the end of the quarter, 93 percent of Harley-Davidson dealers were open for retail sales. In recent weeks, the company announced the elimina on of 700 posi ons, which included layoffs of 500 current employees, including CFO John Olin. A search for a new CFO is underway, Zeitz said. And while the prac cal effect may be minimal, it is perhaps symbolic of the company's decline that its stock was dropped from the S&P 500 index in June. Harley also announced a forthcoming social media campaign featuring actor Jason Momoa, a long- me Harley fan. As Zeitz talks more about The Rewire, it's becoming clearer just how firmly he is rejec ng the strategy implemented by his predecessor, Leva ch. "Complexity needed to be drama cally reduced. Goals set needed to be achievable and realis c," Zeitz said, in what I read as a reference to the 100 models promise. "We are streamlining our motorcycle models by approximately 30 percent with plans to further refine our product

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