t was the first year of a new century and the news then was similar in many ways to today: The Love Ride had recently raised $1.3 million for charities and companies throughout the industry were gearing up for a big year. Drag Specialties announced a 29-stop series of events that it would be at, K&N moved into a new 280,000 square foot facility and SuperTrapp was “Ready to Roar” with a full line of exhaust systems for virtually every Harley on the road. Vance & Hines and Drag Specialties teamed up that year in drag racing to sponsor riders in both the AHDRA and NHRA. Dynojet introduced its new Power Commander II in 2000, while Samson brought out its Big Guns, Challenger and Rolled Thunder exhausts. Touring riders were cruising with T-Bags’ Dekker travel bags, BUB had some new Straight pipes and Memphis Shades introduced gradient windscreens. Barnett made another giant step in motorcycle clutch design with new Carbon Fiber Segmented plates, and riders were rolling on Pirelli MT66, Metzeler ME880 Marathon, Michelin Commanders, Kenda Challenger and Dunlop Cruisemax tires. Edelbrock’s Quicksilver carburetors and Performer cylinder heads were bringing Harleys to life, while Saddlemen brought comfort with style and craftsmanship in every seat and saddlebag they made. Vance and Hines went “Blue-Proof that year, and Progressive Suspension introduced its new Inertia Active System shock absorbers. Performance Machine had new brake calipers for the new Harleys, while SBS had the pads. AFX was keeping riders safe with half helmets that were full of value, Jagg Oil Coolers were helping engines stay cool and Deltran was keeping batteries charged up with the Battery Tender Plus. Russ Wernimont was banging out custom fenders and Drag Specialties Seats hit the market. Motion Pro had the right tools for the right job that year…and still do. V-twins were filled with Maxima lubricants, while Accel coils and Comp Cams’ tunable ignitions provided the needed spark. RK Chains connected the motor to the rear wheel and Jardine raised the bar with a new line of handlebars, backrests and mirrors. Compu-Fire starter motors made it easier to get the motor running, and Mikuni’s new HSR42 and 45 mm smoothbore carburetors. Cycle Shack Y2K Compliant exhausts helped the horses get out, while James Gaskets kept everything inside flowing right.

These were our newsmakers in the year 2000, just one year in the 14 we have covered so far. Watch for a look at other years in our upcoming issues.