Jonathan Ellis, jonellis@argusleader.com
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a woman whose husband was killed when the tire on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle suffered a catastrophic failure.
The trial between Judith McAllister-Lewis and Goodyear was scheduled to begin Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Sioux Falls.
McAllister-Lewis was a passenger on the motorcycle when the accident occurred on Aug. 7 2010. She and her husband, Robert Lewis, were on their way to the Sturgis Rally from their home town of Manawa, Wis., when the rear tire blew out on the Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic touring bike on Interstate 90 near Salem, S.D. Lewis suffered fatal injuries and McAllister-Lewis suffered serious and permanent injuries, including mental anguish, according to the lawsuit she filed in 2014.
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Lewis had purchased the bike in 2004. The tire was produced in 2007 in Goodyear Dunlop’s manufacturing facility in France. Lewis bought it in May of 2007 when it was installed on his bike.
The lawsuit accused Goodyear of knowingly selling a defective tire leading to the death of Lewis.
In a note to Judge Larry Piersol, who was presiding over the case, Richard R. Gordon, a lawyer representing McAllister-Lewis, announced that the parties in the case reached an “amicable resolution” to the case.
In an email, Gordon said the terms of the settlement were confidential
Harley-Davidson Inc. is unveiling a new bike, but it’s powered by pedals, not a rumbling V-Twin engine.
The olive-green cruiser is a tribute to a bicycle sold by Harley in 1917. It’s the first of 10 hand-built bicycles the Harley-Davidson Museum will offer for sale this summer for approximately $4,200 each.
Harley was in the bicycle business for a short time, from 1917 through 1922, with a line of about six models each year.
The bicycles were intended to introduce young riders to the Harley-Davidson brand and were styled to look like the company’s motorcycles.
For Harley’s 115th anniversary this year, the museum staff wanted a bicycle that would represent the style and character of the original 1917 Model 7-17 Standard model.
Heritage Bicycles, of Chicago, created the replica.
“Harley asked us to replicate the original as closely as possible,” Heritage owner Mike Salvatore said in a statement.
“We were not going to just pull a frame out of the basement and paint it green,” he said.
Heritage modified the replica’s frame to make it a little bigger than the original.
“We wanted the adults we assume will be buying the new bike to be able to ride it comfortably,” said Joel Van Twisk, Heritage’s bike operations director.
The replica has the “H-D” logo stamped into the front sprocket, a distinctive feature of the original Harley bicycles.
St. Francis artist Jeff Williams hand-applied pinstripes.
These are hand-built bicycles, so names will be taken to reserve one when it’s available. An online purchase option is coming in the near future.
The first replica will be displayed Thursday during “Bike Night” at the Harley-Davidson Museum. Those who arrive at the event by bicycle will get a discount on the museum entrance fee.
Wisconsin Bike Fed will have a group ride to the museum Thursday, starting at 5:30 p.m., from its office at 3618 W. Pierce St., and from the Red Arrow Park Bublr Bikes station.
NEWSER) – By the time police arrived early Wednesday morning, a Washington man had managed to dig a hole two feet wide, two feet deep, and eight feet long. It wasn’t deep enough to reach Hector Apodaca’s coffin, which is what Bremerton police say the man was trying to do. The unnamed 27-year-old is reportedly Apodaca’s brother, and allegedly told police he was seeking a gold cross that had been buried with Apodaca following his February 2017 murder.
In addition to the hole, police say the man had managed to remove the headstone marking Apodaca’s grave at the Miller Woodlawn Cemetery. The man reportedly confessed to using meth hours prior and was told to leave the cemetery; he subsequently returned and was arrested and charged with third-degree malicious mischief and second-degree criminal trespass, reports the Kitsap Sun.
