I’m still sorting through our goals for the year. I don’t know about you, but I’m still trying to slow my blazing life down. Seems you can’t do that and make a living. We believe, in our distraught minds, that we are doing a helluva job with Bikernet with a small staff. The site grows and changes constantly. Yet, the bottom line could improve.
Look at it this way. At the top of the goal list is sex, Book writing and time to ride. Making money is at the bottom of the stack with doing taxes, but unfortunately my code doesn’t pay the bills. Hell, I don’t know what to do. You tell me. Let’s hit the news:
BIKERNET LITIGATION INVESTIGATION FINDINGS–Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP represents Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners in two separate types of lawsuits. The first is a consumer fraud lawsuit based upon alleged defects in 1999 or early-2000 model Harley-Davidson motorcycles equipped with Twin Cam 88 or Twin Cam 88B (together ?TC-88?) engines. The second litigation consists of personal injury lawsuits against Harley-Davidson based upon high speed wobble accidents.
Twin Cam Engine Consumer Fraud Class Action
In Tietsworth, et al. v. Harley-Davidson, Inc., and Harley-Davidson Motor Company, a consumer fraud class action lawsuit, Lieff Cabraser serves as plaintiffs? co-counsel.
The lawsuit was brought by California resident Steven C. Tietsworth and four residents of Wisconsin. All are Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners with 1999 or early-2000 models equipped with Twin Cam 88 or Twin Cam 88B (together ?TC-88?) engines. Plaintiffs allege that the TC-88 engine was defectively designed and potentially dangerous due to the propensity for premature cam failure, which causes sudden and total engine failure. This failure could allegedly result in economic and physical injuries, including out-of-pocket repair costs, property damages, and serious injury or death.
On January 14, 2003, in a unanimous decision, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals today reversed the trial court’s dismissal of the lawsuit, finding that plaintiffs had properly alleged the necessary elements of claims under the Wisconsin Deceptive Trade Practices Act and for common law fraudulent concealment.
To read a copy of the appellate decision (in Abode Acrobat format), It is estimated that over 100,000 model year 1999 and early-2000 Harley-Davidson motorcycles were sold with the alleged defective TC-88 engine. Plaintiffs allege that Harley-Davidson knew and knows about the defect in the engines, and even sells a $500.00 ?fix kit? designed to remedy the problem with the engines. High-Speed Wobble Defined Lieff Cabraser represents motorcyclists against Harley-Davidson in personal injury lawsuits allegedly as a result of what are commonly referred to as “high-speed wobble” (or “tank-slapper”) accidents involving Harley-Davidson motorcycles. High speed wobble motorcycle accidents typically involve shaking or instability in the front end of the motorcycle. In certain cases, the front wheel can thrash from side to side, something bikers refer to as a “tank slapper” because the handlebars suddenly seem intent on battering the fuel tank into submission, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Harley Cycles and High Speed Wobble On September 13, 2002, the Raleigh, North Carolina News and Observer reported that a local police officer had lost control of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle after its front wheel began to wobble as he was passing a tractor-trailer at 85 mph, and died. A spokesman for Harley’s corporate office said the company “is not aware of any issues with any of our motorcycles at this time.” The News and Observer, however, stated that other sources noted stability problems with the FLH series of Harley-Davidson, also known as the Electra Glide, Road King and Ultra Classic, which are widely used by law enforcement officers nationwide. “A Harley, when you get it to high speed, has what you call a high-speed wobble,” Sgt. R.N. Stallings of the North Carolina Highway Patrol was quoted as stating. In an otherwise glowing article in 1999, Motorcycle Consumer News described “an oscillation in the chassis that keeps the bike from feeling steady, both while cornering and at elevated speeds.” The writer attributed the problem to an offset between the front and rear tires. Riders of Harley motorcycles who suffered injuries allegedly due to high speed wobble and would like to learn more about their legal rights, please –from Jose, Bikernet lawful investigator BIKERNET PET DEPARTMENT–On reaching his plane seat, a man is surprised to see a parrot strapped into the seat next to him. The man asks the stewardess for a cup of coffee and the parrot squawks, “And why don’t you get me a whiskey, you bitch.” The stewardess, flustered by the parrot’s outburst, brings back a whiskey for the parrot but inadvertently forgets the man’s cup of coffee. As the man nicely points out the omission of his coffee to the stewardess, the parrot downs his drink and shouts, “And get me another whiskey, you slut.” Visibly shaken, the stewardess comes back with the parrot’s whiskey but still no coffee for the man. Unaccustomed to such slackness, the man decides that he is going to try the parrot’s approach: “I’ve asked you twice for a cup of coffee, you bitch. I expect you to get it for me right now or I’m going to slap that disgustingly ugly face of yours!” Next thing they know, both the man and the parrot are wrenched up and thrown out of the emergency exit by two burly stewards. Plunging downwards to the ground the parrot turns to the man and says, “For someone who can’t fly, you sure are a cocky bastard.” –from Al Friedman NEW AND EXTREMELY UNIQUE!– Another added (and very cool) item to our 2003 line-up of products,”The Crystal Joker”. This 2″ x 2″ x 3″ piece of art features finely exploded bubbles in the center of the block produced in 3-D by a controlled laser in a likeness of the Joker. The Joker image inside tends to “glow” when presented to any light source. This is truly an incredible piece that is sure to fascinate everyone in contact with it. Observe the various views of the block in the Auxillary Photo section on the Joker site RICK CAMPBELL ON THE STATE OF THE MC INDUSTRY FOR 2003–Rick is the god of the industry, the publisher of Motorcycle Industry News. Here’s some of his varied of thoughts: “We are facing some huge obstacles to continuing our rate of growth. The general state of the economy, the current condition of the stock market, the specter of a possible war in the Middle East, continuing layoffs in corporate America…these are all things that could have great impact on our future. “However, I look back to similar situations in our past and am encouraged about our long and short-term futures. We grew during the last two or three recessions. We grew during the Gulf War. We continued to grow through the stock market tumble. And, we have been called as close to recession-proof as possible by people in the financial community, like the ‘Wall Street Journal’.” We’re renegades who feed on passion and speed. Who needs a stock market, or any market for that matter. LADIES DON’T FORGET, MARCH 20TH!– A New Holiday was born. Guys, you know the drill. Every 14th of February you get the chance to display your fondness for a significant other by showering her with gifts, flowers, dinner, shows and any other baubles that women find romantic. Every Valentine’s Day you rack your brains for that one special, unique gift that will show your wife or girlfriend that you really do love them more than any other. Now ladies, I’ll let you in on a little secret; guys really don’t enjoy this that much. Sure seeing that smile on your face when we get it right is priceless, but that smile is the result of weeks of blood, sweat and consideration. Another secret; guys feel left out. That’s right, there’s no special holiday for the ladies to show their appreciation for the men in their lives. Men as a whole are either too proud or too embarrassed to admit it. Which is why a new holiday has been created. March 20th is now officially “Steak and Blowjob Day.” Simple, effective and self explanatory, this holiday has been created so you ladies finally have a day to show your man how much you love him. No cards, no flowers, no special nights on the town; the name of the holiday explains it all, just a steak and a BJ. That’s it. Finally, this twin pair of Valentine’s Day and Steak and Blowjob Day will usher in a new age of love as men everywhere try THAT much harder in February to ensure a memorable March 20th. It’s like a perpetual love machine! The word is already beginning to spread, but as with any new idea, it needs a little push to start the ball rolling. So spread the word, and help bring love and peace to this crazy world. And, of course, steak and bjs! –Rogue BUELL RECALL–Buell has recalled the 2003 Firebolt XB9R because the side stand legs have the potential to bend or break. A total of 371 units are affected. –From the Motorcycle Industry Council News, January issue. GEAR FOR THE WEATHER–More and more there is gear developed that can make riding in any weather possible. Hell the current electrical systems and enduring batteries make it all possible. Here’s a company worth checking out. We were impressed with their gear at the Long Beach Dealer Show. Gerbing’s heated clothing (800) 646-5926 or www.gerbing.com. They have everything from heated gloves and vests to jackets and pants. While building the Touring Chopper with Jesse James we discovered a new company, Windvest, that made small sleek windshield for custom applications. They are designed to bolt to any riser/handlebar combination and are designed for custom bikes. Check out www.coolwindshields.com or call (408) 209-6337. ANTIQUE MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF AMERICA–If you’re into antique bikes or just like to see cool old bike ads, restorations and literature join this organization. Membership in the US is $20, $28 in Canada and $40 in all other countries. Check www.antiquemotorcycle.org or call (800) 782-AMCA. V-ROD WINNER–For months I heard about a raffle for a V-Rod from a local dealer. I wanted to share the opportunity with Bikernet reades, but couldn’t get to the bottom of the hunt. Finally Annie from the factory sent me a notice. I found out that the Harley-Davidson New Year National Open House was the source of the Raffle as part of the festivities. I needed to grind my dealer to find out about the open house activities. The Grand Prize winner of the 2001 National Harley-Davidson Open House Sweepstakes was Brian Johlman of Santa Rosa, California. His dealer is Michael’s Harley-Davidson of Cotati, California. I’ll have to watch closer for next year’s Open House. Continued On Page 2
