If you’ve been staying on top of this mess, fine. If you just stumbled in here, you’re in for a surprise. I’m supposed to write a stunning motorcycle related news column weekly, but I can’t. No, I wasn’t run over by four old golfers in Palm Springs. I’m on a tramp freighter traveling around the world–from Los Angeles to, hopefully, Los Angeles, and from Houston to Houston by ship. I’m nearing the halfway point as I sit dead in the water in Port Said on the coast of Egypt.
This is the MV (motorized vessel) Leon owned by the Rickmers Shipping Company (since 1834). I found out yesterday that MS stands for Majesty’s Ship. It use to be HMS for Her (or his if the king was on top of the heap) Majesty’s Ship.
Before I get to the news, I want to mention how fortunate I am to be able to send these reports and stay in communication with the site. Thanks goes to my old pal Bob Bitchin, who owned Biker Magazine and Tattoo, and who now owns the sailing magazine “Latitudes and Attitudes,” of which I own a small portion. Since Bob deals with sea-going communication systems, he turned me onto an iridium satellite phone. The phone works, although I will write a report on the foibles of its use for the sailing magazine. It’s a costly device and for the Bikernet girls to call me and whisper in my ear ranges from $2.47 a minute to seven bucks. That’s fuckin’ outrageous and if anyone knows anything cheaper for satellite phone calls, holler quick. We’re going broke trying to bring you these reports.
On a more positive note, and I may have mentioned this before, when I packed my sea bag and hit the trail, I put the site in the hands of my trusty crew: Layla, Sinwu, Nuttboy, Digital Gangster and Jon Towle. I confess that I had no notion of what I was doing and was sure that they could spring a vast, more glorious site on the Internet world. They proved me right. Hits surpassed the 1.7 million hit mark last month, more new customers than ever before. They must be doing something right.
BIKERNET STOCK TIP–I just couldn’t resist giving you this opportunity to make some moneywith me! I’m buying this stock for sure!
Pfizer Corp. (NYSE PFE) is making the announcement today that VIAGRAwill soon be available in liquid form and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola(Pepsi Bottling Group NYSE PBG) as a power beverage suitable for useas-is,or as a mixer, under the name “Mount And Do”.
Pepsi’s proposed ad campaign suggests: “It will now be possible for aman to literally pour himself a stiff one.”
Sharing the Victory Experience: Victory Motorcycles Launches Victory Riders Association and Ride Program
Victory riders are a diverse lot. They come in all shapes and sizes, live everywhere from California to Maine, and they have customized their bikes so no two Victorys look alike.Yet all Victory owners share one defining characteristic: A love of the Victory motorcycle experience. They love to ride their Victorys and they love to develop friendships with fellow Victory riders.To help Victory owners share their experiences with more of their fellow riders, the Victory Motorcycle Division has introduced the Victory Riders Association, the VRA, the official Victory riders group.Every registered owner of a Victory motorcycle is automatically a member of the VRA. There is no membership fee and no obligations for members except to enjoy the ride.
There is, however, an official quarterly magazine and a new series of organized group rides for Victory owners.”We are developing the VRA methodically,” said Victory Marketing Manager Darcy Betlach. “The first element of the VRA was Victory Magazine, which we introduced in the spring of 2001. Now we are introducing Victory Rides and the Corporate Ride Coordinator program, and we all continue to add elements to the VRA.”
Victory Rides are exactly what the name says: Group rides for Victory owners. The rides are planned by Corporate Ride Coordinators (CRCs), Victory riders who volunteer to plan successful Victory Rides in their local areas.Victory owners who have experience organizing events and who know what it takes to create a great ride are applying to become CRCs, Betlach said. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of their riding experience, organizational skills, ride proposals, and three references, one of whom must be a Victory dealer.
CRCs work with area Victory dealers to ensure that all area VRA members are aware of the events, and to utilize the dealers’ resources and event-planning experience, Betlach said, but CRCs have final responsibility for planning the details of each ride.
In the programs first year, Victory Rides are expected to be held in 16 metropolitan areas with strong concentrations of Victory owners: Washington, D.C., New York City, Boston, Atlanta, Orlando/Tampa, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, and Phoenix.VRA members will be informed of upcoming rides in their home area by mail and e-mail, and dates of all Victory rides will be posted on the Victory Web site (www.victory-usa.com). Every Victory Ride is open to all VRA members (and their riding buddies), so Victory owners are more than welcome to travel to events held long distances from home.”Knowing Victory owners and how they love to ride, I expect they all view Victory rides in other regions as opportunities for road trips,” said Betlach.
For more information on Victory Motorcycles, including a dealer locator, visit the Victory Web site at: www.victory-usa.com. A dealer locator service is also offered at (800) POLARIS.Victory Motorcycles is a division of Polaris Industries Inc. Information about the complete line of Polaris products is available from authorized Polaris dealers or from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.
Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), Victory motorcycles, watercraft, and the Polaris RANGER for recreational and utility use. Polaris is the largest snowmobile manufacturer in the world, and one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of ATVs and watercraft. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris apparel, accessories, and parts available at Polaris dealerships. Consumers can also purchase apparel and vehicle accessories around the clock online at www.polarisindustries.com.
Eight Inches Of Pure??
This had most of the state of Michigan laughing for two days and a veryembarrassed female news anchor who will, in the future, likely think beforeshe speaks.
What happens when you predict snow but don’t get any …. true story …
A female news anchor who, the day after it was supposed to have snowed anddidn’t, turned to the weatherman and asked “So Bob, where’s that 8inches you promised me last night?”
Not only did HE have to leave the set, but half the crew did too they werelaughing so hard !
Bikernet Caribbean Report
The year is over and now it really feels like it. We are already planning forDaytona and the dealer expos. We are getting used to writing ’02 on checksand invoices and new projects are already on the building tables. We have alocal party called Fiestas de San Sebastian, which lasts five days andmarks the end of our holiday season and hence the beginning of this newyear.
Bandit should be around the coast of Sardinia, close to isola Magdalena andCosta Esmeralda. This is a lovely area, where the Italian creme de lacreme go to vacation. Nice seas when they want to be, but the nastiest thistime of year. I hope the USS Rust Bucket takes him to safe harbor.
I?m guessing a lot of us have seen the new Jesse James show, “MotorcycleMania 2.” I’m guessing there’s no stopping now for the custom bike builder(in general). Let me tell ya’, not only Jesse benefits from these specials,but so does all of the industry.If the viewers were actually paying attention (and not only drooling overthe bikes), you might have noticed that:
A) A segment of film was transposed, the primary and jockey shift were onthe right side of the bike.
B) Chopper Dave’s hard-to-find carb was an S&S (how hard are those tofind?)
C) Giusseppe (the Italian guy) was very lucky, the black bike was a lenderfrom Pete.
D) Jesse’s new red Ferrari at the shop.
E) Shaq drinks shitloads of pop.
Anyway, it was very interesting and I believe mere mortals (non riders) gota good idea of all the different stages of bike building, painting, chrome,etc. And I bet it was a blast riding with all those characters. We hopethere is a third one, or maybe the Discovery Channel expands to otherbuilders and more motorcycle stuff.
We decided to take time off and ride to theWest Coast of Puerto Rico with some friends. The new bikes needed adecent break-in period so we put in about 200 miles this week end. Check out thephoto. This is how the Caribbean is in the winter, also a group of uson a break from the rigids.
The Storm Riders MC, a local club, joined us in the ride and also celebratedtheir yearly party at one of the west side resorts. It was a good time forall, and good riding back and forth.
We are already working on the WCC bikes 3,4 and 5. We want to takethese to Daytona Bike Week. We will report as the bikes start to takeshape. And as I was mumbling in the beginning, the end of the year bringsthe end of the two projects WCC 1 and 2. Here they are in finished form.
The Sporty chopper project will be done in less than two weeks. The paintis being done as I type.
Coamo, the largest concentration of bikes in the island, is near. More than 10.000motorcycles ride through the mountain roads and show up in this tiny town.Will let you know as prepping events take shape.
Since this is kind of a closure week, I would like to thank all thereaders and the Bikernet crew for putting up with my crap week after week.Also to the people who have shown up at our shop or have taken the timeto say hi at some events, we plan on having more stuff going on, morebikes, and maybe now and then some babes. Thanks again.
Jose Bikernet Caribbean
Jose @ChopperFreak.com
TACO BELL
For all of us who have or have had small children…we canrelate!
My 3-year-old son had a lot of problems with pottytraining; and Iwas on him constantly. One day we stopped at Taco Bell for aquick lunch inbetween errands. It was very busy, with a full dining room.While enjoyingmy taco, I smelled something funny, so of course, I checkedmy 7-month-old daughter’s diaper, and she was clean. Then I realizedthat Matt had not asked to go potty in a while, so I askedhim and he said,”No.”
I kept thinking, “Oh Lord, that child has had an accidentand I don’thave any clothes with me.”Then I said, “Matt, are you sure you did not have anaccident?””No,” he replied.I just knew that he must have, because the smell wasgetting worse.
So I asked one more time, “Matt, did you have an accident?”Matt jumped up, yanked down his pants, bent over and spreadhis cheeksand yelled…. “SEE, MOM, IT’S JUST FARTS!!!”While 100 people nearly choked to death on their tacos, hecalmly pulled uphis pants and sat down to eat his food as if nothinghappened. I wasmortified!
Some kind elderly people made me feel a lotbetter when theycame over and thanked me for the best laugh they had everhad! Another oldgentleman stopped us in the parking lot as we were leaving,bent over to myson and said, “Don’t worry son, my wife accuses me of thesame thing all thetime…I just never had the nerve to make the point like youdid.”
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