Team Bike India

No, this is not a prank, the Pope does actually own not just one but four Harley Davidson hogs, two of which he now intends on auctioning off to raise funds for a soup kitchen and hostel for the homeless run by the Caritas charity located near Termini station in Rome.

The Pope came to acquire these fine automotive specimens after he blessed 35,000 odd Harley Riders in June at the Vatican, where they had ridden down to in celebration of Harley completing a 110 years of existence. Watch this short video of the Pope interacting with a leather clad biker at the Vatican:

There’s another video of him addressing the massive throng of bikers gathered to seek his blessings

Harley gifted the Pope the four prized rides after this event as a gesture of appreciation, but sadly any hopes of seeing the Pope astride one of his massive cruisers, tearing up the streets of the holy city are all but dashed after he announced his intention of selling the bikes to raise funds. If you’re still clinging to the idea that he might take a quick spin on one of the remaining two Harleys forget about it, as it is being reported that they will be donated to the Vatican Police.

So if you happen to be in Rome, and have always wished to own a wicked Harley, but with a proverbial halo around it’s head,and resplendent in a godly aura, you can actually make that dream come true!

Picture Courtesy: Reuters

Story: Harket Suchde

The fourth edition of Harley Davidson’s yearly Rock Rider’s gig brought the house down at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai on the 12th of October 2013. Featuring the biggest names in India’s rock and roll dynasty, the show was bigger (and louder) than ever before. Check out the nation’s most celebrated growlers and shredders in action from the show.

KTM will début its brand new 450 Rally bike at the upcoming Morocco OilLibya Rally. The Rally in Morocco will be used by KTM and partners Red Bull as an opportunity to suss out the bike’s biggest issues and prepare to have it firing on all cylinders for The Dakar Rally next year.

The 450 Rally is a completely new design developed by KTMs Motorsport focused engineering division, The same team that has churned out the eventual conquerors of the Dakar Rally since 2001, an undefeated streak stretching back over 12 editions of the competition.

The 2013 world rally champion will also be crowned based on how the race pans out in Morocco, so it’s more than just a training exercise, with KTM’s Spanish maestro Marc Coma holding a slender 3 point lead over his closest rivals. KTMs riding team is completed by Kurt Caselli from the United States, Portugal’s Ruben Faria, and Francisco Lopez of Chile, who will all ride the new 450 Rally in the Dakar Rally come the 5th of January in South America.

Story: Harket Suchde