Welcome back for another news column, this week brought to you by the women. While Bandit is off to Alaska for week, we?re defending the headquarters from crack heads and meth zombies. Let me tell you about my day so far?
I had to get up at 3:30 this morning to take Bandit to the airport. Once back home, I had two hours to sleep before taking my daughter to school. I?m almost asleep when a ruckus breaks out across the street. Two homeless women and one man are screaming at a pack of dogs fighting, their dogs. Homeless people with dogs? whatever. This goes on for fifteen minutes then settles down. Now I?m up and can?t go back to sleep wondering if the dogs are all right.
Back from taking my daughter to school, my son calls. He?s up the street, out of gas. I grab a gas can and head out, but one step out of the gate and the local Meth Queen greets me. Toothless and twitching she asks for someone who used to live here/deal here, I don?t know. She?s looking at me talking but I can tell nothing I?m saying to her is registering. I end up walking away from her pissed that I have to waste my time explaining there is no ?Cindy? here. When she finally realizes she?s not getting anywhere she tells me she?s got a problem and do I want to hear it. Fuck no I don?t want to hear it! I have to get my son some gas so he can go to school, then get my bootay back home and get started on the news.
Usually I?m a very patient person and I will try to help anyone to the best of my abilities. However, I have no patience for people who just want to get loaded all day then beg for help or money. They choose that life, the life of the streets and I?ll be damned if I hand over one penny to them. OK, I?ve vented, I feel better. Now for the news?
SCREAMIN’ EAGLE DRAG TEAM IN SEMI-FINAL ROUND AT U.S. NATIONALS–Andrew Hines Holds NHRA Pro Stock Bike Points Lead after Big Weekend at Indy.CLERMONT, Ind. (Sept. 6, 2004) – The Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines drag racing team put riders GT Tonglet and Andrew Hines into the Pro Stock Bike elimination rounds at the 50th Annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park-the most prestigious stop on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Hines rode his Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod to the semi-final round of eliminations and maintained his lead in the chase for the NHRA Pro Stock bike season championship.
Five rounds of qualifying runs put 16 of 34 Pro Stock Bike entries into the U.S. Nationals elimination rounds. Tonglet qualified his Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod fourth with a run of 7.191 seconds at 186.92 mph. Hines was right behind his teammate with a 7.194/186.10 run, which was good for fifth position. Chip Ellis was the top qualifier with a run of 7.115/186.85
Hines and Tonglet faced off for the fifth time this season and for the second race weekend in a row. Tonglet took a shot at a quick light but was just early, handing the red-light win to Hines, who had his best run of the weekend with a 7.145/187.96 pass.
The semi-final round found Hines facing Shawn Gann. Both riders had amazing starts with identical 0.004-second reaction times and it was a dead heat for the first 330 feet before Gann pulled slightly ahead. At the line, it was Gann (7.264/183.37) just beating Hines (7.268/183.99) to take the win by 0.0046-seconds, or about 15 inches.
In the final round, Gann (7.238/185.74) lost to Antron Brown (7.213/185.77), who claimed his second final-round win in a row.Brown now trails Hines by 153 points in the Pro Stock Bike championship race with three events to go on the season. After 12 of 15 rounds, Hines has 1038 points, followed by Brown with 885 points, and Gann with 839 points. Savoie is fourth with 821 points, followed by Craig Treble with 789 points and Tonglet in sixth with 695 points.
On Sept. 4, Hines and Tonglet faced off in the final round of the 14th Annual K&N Filters Pro Bike Klash, a special bonus event for Pro Stock Bike competitors held during the 50th Annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Eight riders qualified based on points earned for qualifying performance during the year. Hines defeated Michael Phillips and Brown to make the final, while Tonglet advanced by beating Scali and Angelle Savoie. Hines (7.203/186.10) beat Tonglet (7.270/183.99). The Screamin’ Eagle teammates agreed to split the $20,000 purse evenly beforehand, so the race was for bragging rights only.
The next Pro Stock Bike event on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series is the 20th AnnualLucas Oils NHRA Nationals, Sept. 16-19, at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa.
Screamin’ Eagle Performance Parts are inspired by and built in the spirit of the raw adrenaline and power of motorcycle racing. Screamin’ Eagle Pro parts are specifically designed for race-use applications, while Screamin’ Eagle parts offer street-use performance options for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle owner. Visit www.harley-davidson.com for more information.
The Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Bike team is sponsored by Dunlop, Ford Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned, Matco Tools and S100.
ORIGINAL NARROW SPRINGER FROM PAUGHCO– WITH the introduction of the latest version of its springer forks, Paughco has updated one of the most enduring products in its catalog.
The choice of sizes covers just about all style options as the new forks are offered in stock length as well as 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21 inches over.
Using 4-? ins bar centers, the forks are suitable for both dog bone and Glide style risers.
Original springers can be ordered with an additional three degrees of rake, although forks of 15 inches over, or longer, are supplied to this specification as standard.
Finish can be chrome plated or black powdercoat.
PAUGHCO
Carson City, Nevada, USA
Tel: 775 246 5738
Fax: 775 246 0372
E-mail: info@paughco.com>info@paughco.com
BIKERNET STEALTH REPORT–Hey Bandit,Here is a little something for the Thursday News(9-9-04)
This is going to be short and sweet this week or maybe not so sweet. I finally got back to work this week (4 hours a day), still getting over my back surgery. It has been good to get out of the house.Since I have been stuck in the house though I have not had a chance to get out and find things to write about.
It has been a tough time all around and not being able to ride has taken a toll on me. So I am going to end for the week right here. No need to bore you any longer! I go back for a check up next week and maybe I will be able to ride after that. Sorry for such a SORRY report!
Until next week!
Later!
STEALTHMAN
BROS CLUB ? INSURANCE INFO YOU WON?T WANT TO MISS–BROS Club National Director?s Take on Motorcycle InsuranceBy E.Villaverde
Motorcycle Insurance is just plain boring. But in my recent interview with BROS Club?s National Director, DJ Coates, you?d think he was a friggin CRUSADER FOR JUSTICE for their members.
Coates has managed the BROS Club and CycleServices MOTORCYCLE INSURANCE division for the past 14 years. ?Over the years I?ve seen some pretty interesting things happen in the MOTORCYCLE INSURANCE marketplace. My job is to help keep things generally stable for our members; the companies we work with have been genuine in their efforts to help us to do just that.
Coates went on to say that he pretty much thinks ?INSURANCE SUCKS, but to be without it when the incident happens, is a lot worse than working through the initial placement of coverage or making the monthly payments to keep the coverage in place.? Not to mention the reality that IT CAN AND DOES HAPPEN TO YOU.
On July 4th, 1981 Coates survived a serious freeway accident wherein a drunk driver crossed four lanes and clipped the front wheel of his motorcycle sending him and the bike into a 70 mile an hour slide in the No#1 lane of the 210 Fwy.
Coates recalls, ?It was like everything went into slow motion, I felt like I had all the time in the world to react. I basically hopped on top of the shiny side and road it till it stopped. It was a while before I even realized the injuries I had sustained in the initial impact. As the bike slowed down I heard this voice say, ?Move fast when you stop.? as I scrambled off the highway, an 18 wheeler zoomed by and totally demolished my bike which was directly in the path of the truck, there?s no way he could have avoided me.? Coates says, ?That?s when I got a peak at the Holy City, and truthfully, my life was changed?.?With the help of a good samaritan, the witnesses and I found the drunk hiding out; a bystander had tailed him as he tried to flee the scene of the accident. After the crap was beaten out of him, he spent the night in jail, but the guy didn?t have a pot to piss in. I was glad for the insurance coverage I had arranged.?
Coates pointed out that some of the modern day policies are better than the ones that were available back then. BROS Club?s program includes an option for something Coates says many of their members really like, called ?Full Value? coverage. This changes the ?depreciation? wording in the policy and makes the coverage more favorable to the policyholders that purchase it.
After speaking with BROS Club and CycleServices National Director, I joined. These people seem truly dedicated to the well being of their members, right down to their quality control survey following each dispatched emergency rescue call.
Recently BROS Club and CycleServices announced how the surveys they conduct impacted their organization by uncovering a service problem within their (former) dispatch team. On September 1st 2004 they announced the termination of their former dispatch service in favor of the No #1 quality rated dispatch service in America, as rated by J.D. Power & Associates. Coates, as usual, is enthusiastic about how this change will help their members to receive even better service in their times of need.
BROS Club and CycleServices seem to have found their true niche, providing quality service and attention to the details on behalf of their members, all across America & Canada, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Don?t take our word for it, check out their website and call for yourself. See if Bros Club is just what you need for Bikers Insurance peace of mind.
Hey all,
Here’s a landmark that I photographed today on the way back from the4-Corners rally in Durango, Co. This is actually in Farmington, New Mexico.
Too Funny.
John
Very cool JD bobber I brought back from Davenport
–Don Whalen
Subject: Top 9 comments made by the NBC Olympic commentators–Here are the top nine comments made by NBC sports commentators during the Summer Olympics that they would like to take back:
1. Weightlifting commentator: “This is Gregoriava from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing.”
2. Dressage commentator: “This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother.”
3. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: “I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father.”
4. Boxing Analyst: “Sure there have been injuries, and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious.
5. Softball announcer: “If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again.”
6. Basketball analyst: “He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn’t like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces.”
7. At the rowing medal ceremony: “Ah, isn’t that nice, the wife of the IOC president is hugging the cox of the British crew.”
8. Soccer commentator: “Julian Dicks is everywhere. It’s like they’ve got eleven Dicks on the field.”
9. Tennis commentator: “One of the reasons Andy is playing so well is that, before the final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them… Oh my God, what have I just said?”
–from Kendra
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