Group Takes In Southern California Sights

Several Saddlemen staffers, including Director of Sales, Stan Alicki, recently got together with friends for a Sunday day trip up to Ventura, California. It was a great chance to test some Saddlemen seats, visit a major area dealership, and to simply enjoy the open roads.

Starting out at their homes in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, the group met and headed north, leaving Interstate 405 and taking the winding, up-scale, residential western end of Sunset Boulevard (seen above) to Santa Monica, and the coast. Then, it was up the shoreline on Pacific Coast Highway, through Malibu, on to Ventura County.

In Ventura County, they stopped off and paid a visit to the good folks at Ventura Harley-Davidson, in Camarillo, (above), and then enjoyed more of the day touring around the hills and agricultural valleys of this area north of L.A. (below).

The trip proved to be a lot of fun, and gave our Saddlemen engineering, customer service and sales people some valuable insights into new product ideas and materials.

Pomona Race Secures Championship For Saddlemen-Sponsored Racer

Jared Mees, receiving his new “#1″ plate on the podium in Pomona (left) , and congratulated by Saddlemen (and Saddlemen Racing) president Tom Seymour(right).

Jared, #21, at the pole position, readies for the season’s final race.

Jared Mees secured his first AMA Grand National Twins championship by placing fifth in the final race of the season on the 5/8-mile dirt oval at the Pomona Fairplex.

The Pomona track, Saturday afternoon, shortly before the start of the evening’s races.

Henry Wiles won the race on a Harley-Davidson XR-750.

Jared had to transfer from a semi-final heat after he placed fifth in the third heat race. But once in the main, he only needed to place eighth or better to hold his points lead over the two other racers still in strong contention for the championship, Bryan Smith and three-time defending champion, Saddlemen-sponsored Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory rider Kenny Coolbeth.

Smith led early in the race but dropped out on lap 10 with a mechanical failure. Coolbeth finished second, 2.9 seconds behind Wiles. The win was the first for Wiles as a Grand National Twins rider. Saddlemen-sponsored Sammy Halbert finished third on a Harley-Davidson XR-750.

“I just couldn’t get the motorcycle working right in the first heat,” said Mees. “We adjusted the suspension and then I felt great in the semi. I think if we were starting on the first row for the main I had a chance to run up front, but once I saw Smith drop out I knew I didn’t have to kill myself, just bring it home for the championship.”

Jared Mees becomes the first champion in the long history of the Grand National series to claim the title without winning a race during the season. Mees finished second three times and was third twice, and never finished worse than eighth place in nine Twins events. Mees has won six Grand National Twins races since he was named the Ricky Graham Rookie of the Year following the 2004 season. Mees finished second in the Grand National Twins championship standings to Coolbeth in 2006 and 2007.

Mees wrapped up the 2009 AMA Grand National Twins season with 142 points and a nine-point lead over Coolbeth, who earned 133 points. Halbert finished third with 125 points. Smith was fourth with 119 points, followed by Kopp with 117 points.

Jared signing posters and photos, and at right, Mees fans celebrating his championship.

Jared, surrounded by sponsors, officials and team members, with his newly-earned #1 plate, and getting a “thumbs up” from Saddlemen’s Annie Seymour.

Our thanks to Jennifer Gruber from Harley-Davidson for an excellent, informative press release that helped in creating this posting.

Our Technology And Craftsmanship Combine For Excellent Riding Comfort And Off Road Performance

As we get deeper into fall and approaching winter… Although most of the continent is no longer in prime touring and cruising season, many areas, and especially the Southwest, are at the height of off-roading time. A reminder Saddlemen also makes a range of products for dual-sport bikes.

The seats for Suzuki machines seen above are being produced on our California factory floor, and are awaiting covers. In this image, our special “Black Magic” foam is visible, along with our famed, pioneering Saddlegel inserts.

Saddlemen makes seats and replacement “seat kit” foam-and-cover combinations as well as replacement “Saddleskin” seat covers for a wide range of dual-sport machines. They can be ordered directly from Saddlemen by telephone, or online, or through the nationwide network of dealers that work with Part Unlimited, a major distributor of products for “metric” motorcycles.

We invite you to see what our expertise and technology can do to make riding (whether on the road or off) more enjoyable.

Westminster H-D’s New Model Year Demonstration Features Saddlemen Seats

Over the weekend of October 16th and 17th, Westminster Harley-Davidson in Orange County, California hosted a large test drive event for Harley bikes and trikes. Saddlemen’s Director of Sales, Stan Alicki got the chance to visit and meet the public. He was very pleased to see that a number of the 2010 H-D machines there were equipped with Saddlemen seats, as was the green machine (below) from Champion Trikes, an excellent local firm with products available at Westminster HD as well.

The entire 2010 Harley-Davidson lineup was represented, and test drives were available for qualified riders. On Saturday there was a band and a mobile Carl’s Jr. kitchen truck for hamburgers and sandwiches.

Saddlemen makes seats for a wide range of Harley models and are available through local H-D dealers, nationwide. Southern California riders can stop by Westminster Harley-Davidson and to see the new 2010 HDs and take a look at the new lineup from Saddlemen for 2010 as well.

We at Saddlemen were glad we could be there to enjoy the festivities, and want to thank the people at Westminster Harley-Davidson for their hospitality and support.

We’ll continue to be out across the country all through the year. Most often, we’ll be affiliated with a Drag Specialties display, and will always be looking forward to answering questions and proudly showing what our expertise and technology can do to make riding more enjoyable.

Fall Inventory Reduction Offers Immediate Shipping And Selected Discounts

As the busiest seasons for riding wind down each year, we sometimes end up with some extra seats on our shelves. This can be a great opportunity for buyers to get a top-of-the-line Saddlemen seat shipped out to them immediately. We’ve opened a new section on our web page listing these seats on our shelves, ready to head home to you, and your motorcycle.

For a limited time, some of the seats for Harley-Davidson motorcycles from this offer will be available at 10% to 20% discounts. Discounts are available for telephone orders only at Saddlemen’s toll-free number at (800) 397-7709.

These items are likely to clear out fast, so we strongly advise calling our sales staff here, toll-free, at (800) 397-7709 when ordering from this “on the shelf” list, to make sure that the saddle in question has not been sold. Some of the types listed have only a single seat left.

As always, Saddlemen produces new, made-to-order seats throughout the year. Any of the motorcycle saddles highlighted in this section will still be available as standard items. These featured items are normal production-run seats, and are not “seconds,” and are under full warranty. We offer this listing of inventory to help clear our shelves, and so that the riding public can immediately get Saddlemen saddles installed on their bikes before prime riding weather fades across much of the nation…

Saddlemen Workmanship And Technology Gets Customer “Back In The Saddle Again”

Rick H. of California recently had us construct a custom seat for him, to help get back into riding (comfortably) after suffering a bad tailbone injury. Working with Rick, our customer service staff and seat builders made a seat based on our Explorer design to help him out.

Within days we received an email response, with images, from Rick – “the guy with the crushed tailbone.”

“Thanks for the great seat. Use these [photos] for the next guy that wants a custom seat. It is perfect!”

Click the images above to see them at full size.

To learn more about the experiences of satisfied Saddlemen customers, and the benefits our technology and workmanship can offer to you, please click on the following link: Saddlemen Feedback and Testimonials

Upcoming Race To Decide Dirt Track Title

The final flat track race of the year will be held this Saturday, returning to the historic Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona, California, with Saddlemen Racing’s Jared Mees poised to capture his first AMA Pro Grand National Championship. Racing fans know that for many years Pomona was the site of epic two-wheeled battles where racers of courage threw their 750cc mounts sideways chasing wins and championships.

Join us this weekend at Gene Romeros Flat Track AMA National race at the Fairplex in Pomona to root for Saddlemen-sponsored Jared Mees as he races to take his first AMA Pro #1 plate. After a very consistent season, Jared holds a 15 point lead heading into this final round of the season.

Grand National Championship returns to the super fast 5/8-mile track at the Pomona Fairplex for the first time in a decade. The AMA Pro motorcycle races will be co-sanctioned with Gene Romero’s West Coast Flat Track Series (WCFTS) and will be run under current AMA Pro Flat Track rules and regulations.

There are a limited number of reserved seats still available at $40.00. General Admission tickets are also available at all Ticketmaster outlets for $30.00; and tickets for children 12 and under are just $10.00. Tickets are available online at www.LoveRide.com, www.Ticketmaster.com and at participating Southern California Harley-Davidson dealers. Get your tickets now, as the season finale at Pomona is expecting a capacity crowd to witness this first-time co-sanctioned National Championship event.

We’ll see you at the races!

The EXR1000 – A Great New Addition To Our Luggage Line

Keep an eye open for the latest addition to Saddlemen’s expanding family of motorcycle luggage.

Available soon will be our EXR1000 Accessory Bag. The EXR1000 features a seat harness system that easily attaches under a motorcycle’s seat for secure mounting. This mounting harness can also function with Saddlemen backrest, seat and sissy bar bags and other accessory motorcycle bags. An under-seat harness-and-strap mounting system holds the bag in place – better than using straps or elastic cords alone, and quick-disconnect mounting straps allow removal of the accessory bag from a motorcycle in seconds.

The EXR1000 also works well as a generously sized handlebar bag, and will come in both a studded “Desperado” style and a non-studded version, as seen above.

The EXR1000 with come with thorough instructions and all necessary mounting gear. Its another addition to Saddlemen’s range of standard-setting luggage, maintaining our reputation for value, convenience and flexibility.

Military Focused Retailer Features Saddlemen Products In Special Promotion

Our friends at online retailer Black Hawk Customs are promoting Saddlemen products this month. We recently posted images of their tough looking company truck, complete with camouflage patterning, “guns,” and our logo.

We’re glad to know that businesses like Black Hawk Customs are out there, providing our nation’s service members worldwide with efficient and convenient (as possible) sources for powersport products, whether for recreation or daily use.

Pig Trail Harley-Davidson Hosts Display During Massive Gathering Of Riders

Saddlemen’s Director of Sales, Stan Alicki visited Pig Trail Harley-Davidson in Rogers, Arkansas in conjunction with the gigantic Bikes, Blues & BBQ event held in the Fayetteville/Rogers area from September 23rd through the 26th. We got the chance to have a featured display at Pig Trail Harley-Davidson, while literally hundreds of thousands of riders converged on the area.

Stan got the opportunity to match up numerous riders with Saddlemen gear, and meet and greet the motorcycling public that converged on the area for the big festivities.

We at Saddlemen were glad we could be there to enjoy the festivities along with demonstrating and selling lots of our luggage, and want to thank the fine folks at Pig Trail Harley Davidson for their hospitality and support.

And even as we “ride off into the sunset” we’ll continue to be out across the country all through the year. Most often, we’ll be affiliated with a Drag Specialties display, and will always be looking forward to answering questions and proudly showing what our expertise and technology can do to make riding more enjoyable.

Strong Positive Review Of Our “SaddleStow” Large Fastback Sissy Bar Bag

Dennis Mahan of K & N Engineering recently sent us a testimonial based on his experiences using our Large Fastback Sissy Bar Bag.

“After riding to Sturgis and back from here in Southern California using this bag, I’m very happy with it. The design is fantastic with the either-side-opening it is convenient to get into while still mounted on the bike. I found the semi-rigid construction was a perfect backrest on those long open roads. The side pockets are perfect for a few water bottles, your camera, cell phone, maps and other items you might want to get during a gas stop or along the highway. I used the straps on top to secure my rain suit giving easy access without opening the bag. Yes, I did have to use my rain suit, and the included rain cover for the bag which kept everything dry. The movable shelf inside was perfect in its highest position to keep my laptop handy but away from possible damage. All in all, your designers have done a fantastic job on this bag.”

To learn more about the experiences of satisfied Saddlemen customers, and the benefits our technology and workmanship can offer to you, please click on the following link: Saddlemen Feedback and Testimonials

Saddlemen Retailer Salutes Our Military With Eye-Catching Truck

Black Hawk Customs, an online retailer that focuses on providing motorsport accessories, parts and apparel to members of the armed services, just unleashed this military-themed company truck out onto the roads. A number of the company’s big sellers are featured on the tailgate, and we are proud to say Saddlemen is one.

James Campbell, the CEO of Black Hawk Customs told us, “The wrap is perfectly done by Kaieos here in San Jose, California. Keith Vu was great to work with and put in way too many hours into the design. He took our idea of a Powersport themed military design and came up with a vehicle wrap that will blow our competition away… especially with our door gunners!”

James tells us that Saddlemen items are big sellers at Black Hawk, and we are pleased to know that our products are being enjoyed by the hard-working, brave and sacrificing people protecting our nation.