David and Heidi Winters are my favorite kinds of people – entrepreneurs and inventors. David saw an opportunity to make his motorcycle riding experience better, and he used his knowledge, experience and expertise to invent a device – the ATLAS throttle lock – to improve his ride. His wife Heidi capitalized on the invention, turning it into the basis for a small business that has grown a good bit since its inception.
Throughout the course of my preparation for the discussion with David and Heidi, I constantly referred to them in my notes as “David and Heidi Atlas,” which I only mention because I’m pretty sure I said it out loud to them at least twice. In this episode we find out not only about how the ATLAS throttle lock came into being, but why – and you’ll want to listen in, because it involves personal injury during an epic overlanding journey!
In the news, we get into what’s going on in MotoGP – including a new, highly configurable “racing simulator” (i.e. video game), RiMS Racing due out in August. Aprilia signed a new five-year contract with MotoGP, and ace racer Valentino Rossi will command his own team starting in the 2022 season.
In slightly slower racing news, Royal Enfield had a good showing with American Flat Track; veteran rider Johnny Lewis rode his parallel-twin RE to a fifth-place finish at the recent Atlanta Super TT. RE and Lewis’ team, Moto Anatomy, are touring a flat track school all around the USA, so check it out if you can.
We touch briefly on Arai’s success in getting their new Quantic sport-touring helmet through the new, tougher ECE 22.06 certification process and how 3-D printing might change the face of motorcycle restoration in the near future.
In electric motorcycle news, we’ve got an electric MV Agusta bike in the works, and Husqvarna’s new (and odd looking) Vektorr (yes, two Rs) electric sit-and-ride scooter prototype, and we finally get to see some art related to Triumph’s TE-1 electric superbike. Still no prototype – that’s probably coming later this year – but the hype remains strong. Hit the link to learn more and see a cool video about the TE-1 on webBikeWorld.
Thanks to webBikeWorld for funneling news our way, and be sure to check out their website for the latest motorcycle news and in-depth product reviews.
Since we don’t have a Patreon page for you to visit, the easiest way to support Chasing the Horizon is by joining the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Digital memberships are $39 a year and traditional memberships are $49 a year; each come with a wide range of member benefits, including access (digital or in your mailbox) to BMW Owners News, the MOA’s monthly magazine. You also get access to one of the best roadside assistance programs for motorcycles available (sorry, only applies to the US), become eligible for a $250 motorcycle training scholarship every year, up to $750 off a new BMW motorcycle, discount tickets to great events and much, much more than a Patreon subscription can offer you. Join today!
The next episode of Chasing the Horizon will be out on May 24 and my guest will be Rod Woodruff, owner of the Buffalo Chip, a well-known feature of anybody’s visit to the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally.