Hey,
We have always been a blue-collar effort. The world is changing fast, but we will remain the guys who build shit and ride our stuff into the sunset.
Even our Salt Torpedo is not being built by engineers. It’s the first Streamlined trike to be registered for Bonneville Salt Flats racing. We are building it around a WWII belly tank configuration with hope of setting the first streamlined trike record. Consider becoming a sponsor. I’m about to launch the 16th chapter of the Salt Torpedo build process on Bikernet over the weekend. Check it out.
The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. Most recently the Smoke Out and Quick Throttle Magazine came on board.
JIMS TOOLS AT SLY DOGS SHOP–
Our friends over at Sly Dog Cycles sure know what tools to use! From our Cam Bearing Tools to our Manual Compression Release Tool! Terry and Josh from Baton Rouge, Louisiana know exactly how to work on bikes, make sure to check them out!
Use the #MyJIMS tag on your Instagram account and let us see your stuff! All you need to have is a JIMS® Product in the shot! Whether you’re riding, wrenching, or just taking a beauty shot we’ll see it!
@slydogcycles
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ST. PAUL Police department disbands motorcycle unit, turns focus on distracted driving–
The police department in St. Paul, Minnesota, faced a tough call this year.
Their motorcycle officers and historic equestrian unit (dating back to 1865!) were popular with the community. But new challenges, like the rise of distracted driving and increased injuries for officers on motorcycles and horses, prompted a drastic reorganization within the department.
“In an effort to improve efficiencies, effectiveness and better respond to emerging public safety concerns,” the SPPD ultimately chose to end its Mounted and Motors units.
The move affects 12 officers, who will be moved off their mounts and into patrol cars. The SPPD explained the reasons for ditching the bikes and horses. First, calls for service have increased in Saint Paul, and the SPPD mostly needs patrol cars to dispatch these calls, not bikes or horses.
Then there’s officer safety. “Mounted and Motors officers are hurt more frequently than traditional patrol officers — and their injuries tend to be more severe,” said Saint Paul police spokesman Steve Linders.
In the past four years, SPPD motorcycle police have been injured 15 times.
One officer lost his career to his injuries. Now, riding on the streets has been deemed too dangerous for Saint Paul officers.
That’s partly due to the third reason: “the growing public safety risk that is distracted driving.”
Yeah, you read that right. The SPPD says it’s too dangerous for their officers to ride motorcycles, and distracted driving is part of the problem.
“We are seeing an increase in distracted driving,” observed Linders. “And the consequences can’t be ignored.”
Here’s the good news. Some of the officers from the disbanded motorcycle unit will join a new unit that specifically targets distracted drivers.
The SPPD records show more than 500 crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists in just the last two years. Too many of these crashes involved distracted driving, leaving hundreds injured and six dead. Additional crashes involving motorcycles only add to the city’s safety concerns.
The SPPD hopes their dedicated anti-distracted driving units will bring those numbers down. After all, distracted driving laws don’t mean much if they go unenforced.
–By Andy Greaser
Revzilla
–from Rogue
BAD NEWS FROM Vee twin–
Tak shigematsu, designer & manufacturer of the AIM clutch told me some slimeball person copied his design and is having them made in China. The copies are being sold thru Tedds and J&P. VVP and AIM are the real ones. The fakes even come with a copy of Taks actual instructions.
Make sure if your buying one it’s the real one & not a Chinese knock off.
–from Rogue
Senior Editor
Bikernet.com™
SWITCHFOOT TO PERFORM ON
“PICKLER & BEN” FRIDAY, MARCH 22–
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – After multiple sold-out shows on the Native Tongue Tour, SWITCHFOOT takes their electrifying energy to the nationally-syndicated daytime talk show “Pickler & Ben.”
The episode, which airs Friday, March 22, features the GRAMMY®-winning rock band performing “Native Tongue” and chatting with hosts Kellie Pickler and Ben Aaron about releasing Native Tongue, joining Bon Jovi for select European dates this summer, giving back to their community through their Bro-Am Foundation and more.
Pickler & Ben
Friday, March 22
The Native Tongue Tour coincides with the release of SWITCHFOOT’s chart-topping, critically-acclaimed album, Native Tongue, via Fantasy Records. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder, they say. And that seems to be the case for SWITCHFOOT and its fans” (The Oakland Press/Gary Graff) as the multi-platinum selling quintet, accompanied by support acts Colony House and Tyson Motsenbocker, has sold out shows in Asheville, Nashville, Toronto, Dallas and Seattle.
SWITCHFOOT recently gave fans an inside look at their “dazzling array of genre-bending” (Local Spins/Ricky Olmos) through the blistering new live video for “Native Tongue.” The live performance clip, produced by SWITCHFOOT and directed by Erick Frost, was shot at Atlanta’s historic Tabernacle, and captures the band’s signature high-energy performance and passionate connection with their audience.
Throughout the tour, SWITCHFOOT is partnering with Food for the Hungry, an international relief and development organization, to raise money for programs that help communities in 17 countries around the world move from extreme poverty to self-sustainability.
NATIVE TONGUE TOUR DATES:
March 21 Iron City – Birmingham, Ala.
March 22 The RITZ Ybor – Tampa, Fla.
March 23 House of Blues – Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
March 24 Revolution – Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
March 27 State Theatre – Minneapolis, Minn.
March 28 Sokol Auditorium – Omaha, Neb.
March 29 Uptown Theater – Kansas City, Mo.
March 30 Fillmore Auditorium – Denver, Colo.
March 31 The Depot – Salt Lake City, Utah
April 03 Rialto Theatre – Tucson, Ariz.
April 04 The Van Buren – Phoenix, Ariz.
April 05 The Wiltern – Los Angeles, Calif.
April 06 Arlington Theatre – Santa Barbara, Calif.
April 07 Warfield Theater – San Francisco, Calif.
April 09 McDonald Theatre – Eugene, Ore.
April 10 Crystal Ballroom – Portland, Ore.
April 11 Neptune Theatre – Seattle, Wash.
April 12 Neptune Theatre – Seattle, Wash.
April 13 Queen Elizabeth Theatre – Vancouver, British Columbia
NEWS FROM LOWBROW--Videos, man.
We have some gooooood stuff cookin’ for everyone out there reading this. In the past week alone, we have put out two new videos.
In the first I go into detail and show one way to install a Gasbox Battery Box on a rigid Triumph bobber. We have a bunch more fabrication how-to videos coming soon…
The second video is the final installment (part 13!) of Todd’s Triumph 650 Engine Rebuild video. This series was two years in the making because of the endless hours that Mikey put in to filming, organizing and editing. We are proud of it and it seems that people all over the world are really enjoying it and finding it useful.
Click below to subscribe to the Lowbrow YouTube channel and check out all of our videos.
Until next time… – Tyler & the crew at Lowbrow Customs
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS–
Hurry! Registration Is Closing for the MIC Capitol Hill Fly-In
There are only two days left to take advantage of one of the best perks of MIC membership. Click the banner below to register for the annual MIC Capitol Hill Fly-In so you can meet your legislators and tell them how important the powersports industry is to their districts.
In January, 75 new House and Senate members were sworn in, and they are quickly getting up to speed on the many issues facing the 116th Congress. We are a nearly $40 billion industry employing more than 77,000 people across the country. Now is the time to visit both the new and seasoned elected officials to show them how the motorcycle and powersports industry impacts their districts and their constituents.
The annual Fly-In is a platform for our voices to be heard. Join OEM, finance, aftermarket, apparel, powersports media and other MIC members as we blanket the Hill to raise awareness about how pending legislation and current policies are impacting your businesses. Registration is free for members, so sign up now and make sure your voice gets heard on Capitol Hill.
The MRF hosts a similar event.—Bandit
FROM THE BAD FED FILES–Federal Ticket Quota Drove Massachusetts State Police Scandal.
Former Massachusetts state trooper Eric Chin will spend three months behind bars if US District Judge Richard G. Stearns later today agrees with the recommendations of federal prosecutors. Chin is one of forty troopers who were caught cheating taxpayers by claiming overtime that was not worked. He faces sentencing at the Boston federal courthouse.
Not all the officers involved will face justice, as Chin and seven fellow troopers are the only ones indicted for embezzlement so far. The members of Troop E ran speed traps on Interstate 90 between Boston Harbor and the New York border, but they could pad their salary with a time-and-a-half bonus through a federally funded speed trap detail called AIRE, the Accident and Injury Reduction Effort.
Current federal law requires local and state law enforcement to meet ticket quotas to qualify for federal funding, as prosecutors confirmed last week. Officers who did not play along would lose out on bonuses that stretched into six figures.
“Troopers were expected to issue a minimum of eight to ten citations for each AIRE shift,” assistant US attorney Mark Grady explained in court filings. “Any failure to issue the required number of citations had to be explained to supervisors and command staff. Repeated failures to meet this quota often resulted in a trooper being blocked from receiving such overtime opportunities.”
–NMA
BIKE WEEK 2019–Tucker Films
Daytona Beach is the place to be each March for Bike Week. This year the event celebrated its 78th anniversary and once again the week was packed with festivities including bike shows, swap meets, and racing action; plus plenty of good music, food, and libations. Here’s some of what the Tucker Team experienced at this year’s event.
Embed Code:
Direct Link to Video: https://youtu.be/wEwZCAIbd7A
Tucker Powersports
–Dale Spangler
HANG ON FOR THIS--You’re invited to attend Friday night’s performance of Cherry Boom Boom: American Woman: A Rock n’ Roll a Go-Go. Being held in the historical Harvelle’s venue in Long Beach on Friday, March 22nd.
As part of media and press, we can provide complimentary tickets to attend and review LA’s best secret.
What: A seamless flow of red-hot music, artistic style and iconic images with contribute to an immersive experience that is visually stimulating, Cherry Boom Boom was created by industry veteran Robin Lindsley Allen. Having worked with Prince and the Pussycat Dolls, Robin Lindsley Allen is excited to present the exciting show to the LA Audience. https://www.cherryboomboom.com
Let us know if you can attend to secure your seats!
CHERRY BOOM BOOM’S 2019 LA RESIDENCY PREMIERES
201 E Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802
DOORS 8:00PM | SHOW 9:30PM
I might just make it!–Bandit
THIS JUST IN FROM THE WEEK MAGAZINE—More than 150,000 Americans died of alcohol and drug-induced fatalities and suicide in 2017—the highest number since the Centers for Disease Control began collecting the figures in 1999. Nearly a third of the total dead, 47,173, were suicides.
–The New York Times
And more than 14,000 communities across the nation have closed down local newspapers over the last 15 years. According to the Associated Press this has caused a lack of coverage of local sports and activities.
Actually, it’s eliminated snooty journalists and opened the door to vast internet self-reporting from agencies, schools, you name it.–Bandit
RACECAR SAFETY EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER CELEBRATES–Here at Stroud Safety we will be celebrating our 30th year in business! None of this would be possible without our wonderful, loyal customers.
So, we’re reaching out to ask if you have pictures you can share of you using any of your Stroud Safety products. You can share on any of our social media platforms. We’re on Facebook and Instagram.
Give us a follow so you will know about monthly specials we’ll be doing all year long. We’d love to see or hear from you! And if you’d like an invitation to our Anniversary Open House on June 15th let us know.
Thank you for being a part of the Stroud family and letting us supply you with all your safety needs. Here’s to another 30 years!!
–Stroud Safety
Spectro Oils Launches Ride1 Rally to Kickoff the New England Riding Season–
BROOKFIELD, CT- Spectro Oils is excited to announce that they have partnered with the historic Lime Rock Park race track to launch a riding season kickoff event for New England called the Ride1 Rally.
The inaugural event will take place on Saturday, April 20, 2019, and will run from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT. The event is a combination of group rides along some of the most scenic roads in Connecticut, a rally destination full of activities for all powersports enthusiasts and a fundraiser for Autism Speaks.
The day will start at various “coffee stops” at host locations such as the Spectro Oils manufacturing facility in Brookfield CT, where riders can meet, have coffee, tour the factory and then ride to Lime Rock together as a group.
“When working on the concept for the Ride1 Rally we envisioned an event that we as riders would want to attend,” said Spectro Oils President Alex Josefson. “We feel that we have put that together and more!” Host locations will be open and available to riders from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. and attendance is not required for access to the rally.
The Ride1 Rally will kick off in full at 11:00 a.m. when the gates open at Lime Rock Park. Riders will have access to park in the paved B Paddock. Admission and parking are free; however, donations to Autism Speaks are welcomed. In the Upper Area, riders will find vendors, motorcycle museums, stunt shows, food trucks, and more that will provide hours of entertainment and activities for riders of all ages.
April is World Autism Month, and with that in mind, the Ride1 Rally is working to help raise funds for the nonprofit organization Autism Speaks. “Motorcycle riders are some of the most supportive and generous people out there,” said Luke Calzone, Director of Marketing for Spectro Oils. “By partnering with Autism Speaks we are utilizing that positive force to help raise awareness and funds for their advocacy programs” One in 59 children are diagnosed on the autism spectrum, so this is something that touches many lives. In addition to fundraising, the event will offer a “quiet room” to provide a soothing, sensory deprivation environment for guests with Autism and their friends and family.
For more information, go to www.Ride1Rally.com.
[page break]
BARNETT CLUTCHES TO THE RESCUE–
chance@barnettclutches.com Is who I spoke with. The Bel Ray helped tremediously over the ATF.
I put in the lighter springs that Barnett offers with the conversion kit and it is much better….still stronger than stock diaphragm.
I also went with the SoftBrake reduced reach levers, much more control. All in all I am pleased, I have a better clutch, no slippage but it still squawks once in a while.
Chance guarantees if I put the stock
judder spring back in it will never do that again, but he we give up certain things for performance,,,right? All I can say is with the solid sprocket, no compensator and the new clutch setup Dam thing is smoother, no more clunk and I can speed shift better than a sport bike.
–Barry G
5-BALL RACING LEATHERS—Now includes a couple of exclusive items. That mean you can’t get them anywhere else. We carry the Hal Robinson line of limited-edition art prints and T-shirts.
We are now carrying the Long Road Bedroll for traveling outlaws this summer.
Check them out in the shop.
–Bandit
Bikes on The Bayou Returns to Downtown
Apr. 26-28, 2019 at Eleanor Tinsley Park
HOUSTON –Bikes on the Bayou celebrates motorcycles, bicycles, and scooters in Eleanor Tinsley Park and along Allen Parkway Apr. 26-28, 2019. This all-inclusive festival unites enthusiasts to celebrate music, culture and riding communities.
In its second year, event organizers have added even more vendors, music and additions like Crawfish Cove and a dedicated Jeep Zone. The designated Stubbs H-D area will host various events, including ice carving by The Reverend Butter, a Miss Lone Star Rally appearance, and a visit from Jimisu and Her Beauties. Guests will also be thrilled by the Insane-O-Ball of Death and its various stunt riders.
“Houston is known for its diversity in cultures, restaurants, and events,” said ‘Outlaw’ Dave Andrews. “We’re excited about the second year of Bikes on the Bayou and bringing back a festival that these rider communities have been asking for.”
Friday, April 26:
7 p.m. Hold on Hollywood
9 p.m. Hinder
With a special appearance by Lil’ Troy
Saturday, April 27:
11 a.m. Soulshine
3 p.m. Troublemaker featuring Kat James
5 p.m. Badhouse
7 p.m. The Drugstore Gypsies
9 p.m. Jackyl
Sunday, April 28:
11 a.m. Zach Tate Band
1 p.m. David Touchton & The Nowhere Band
3 p.m. Rich O’Toole
5 p.m. Ray Wiley Hubbard
“Houston is an events city and we have one of the largest civic celebration programs in the nation,” said Susan Christian, Director, Mayor’s Office of Special Events. “When the opportunity for “Bikes on the Bayou” was first presented, I was immediately interested because of the success of this style of event staged in Galveston and other cities around the country. The motorcycle riding community is prolific throughout Texas and this is an audience that we look forward to hosting annually.”
Various groups are hosting charity rides leading to the festival including Houston radio personalities, Walton & Johnson, which will benefit the Sunshine Kids. Riders will also have the opportunity to participate in cruises throughout the festival space and secure overnight parking on festival grounds.
The 2019 Bikes of The Bayou motorcycle festival is open daily, Friday, Apr. 26 through Sunday 28, 2019. Tickets are available now for $20 per person and include motorcycle and scooter parking with 24-hour security. For more information, visit http://bikesonthebayou.com/.
Harley-Davidson Sales Hardly Hit by Indian Duties–Harley roots for free and fair trade policies.
Sajeev Rajasekharan, Harley-Davidson’s Managing Director for India, told Economic Times that 13 of the 17 motorcycles in its lineup are assembled locally and, therefore, import duties have nominal impact on the company’s operations in the country.
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump may be on the verge of waging a trade war with India over high import duties on US goods such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles, but a top executive of the bike maker said the taxation structure in India has negligible impact on sales in the country.
Sajeev Rajasekharan, Harley-Davidson’s Managing Director for India, told ET that 13 of the 17 motorcycles in its lineup are assembled locally and, therefore, import duties have nominal impact on the company’s operations in the country. He said the company has had no dialogue with the Indian government to reduce taxes and, as in all other countries, will stick to the “rule of the land” to do business.
Terming India “a very high-tariff nation”, US President Donald Trump recently said he will end preferential treatment for a host of Indian goods that now enter the country “duty-free”. India will no longer receive benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which was set up to promote trade from developing countries.
The action comes after months of simmering trade tensions between the two countries. Trump had particularly cited the instance of Harley-Davidson at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) earlier this month saying, “When we send a motorcycle to India, they charge 100% tariff. When India sends a motorcycle to us, we charge nothing.”
Rajasekharan said, “As a company, our position on the trade and tariffs has never changed. We work with all the governments across the world in terms of having a free and fair trade practice because it helps Harley-Davidson, our customers, our dealers and all our stakeholders. we follow the rule of the land, wherever it is.”
Harley-Davidson sells 17 motorcycles in the country priced between ?5.3 lakh and ?49.9 lakh. The company assembles over a dozen of these models at its facility in Bawal, Haryana.
“Out of the 17 bikes that we have in our lineup, 13 of them are either manufactured or assembled in India. There are four which come (in) so the volumes are very less. That is a niche segment also. The impact of the CBUs (completely built-up units) is minimal because it is only the 1600 cc+ which comes in,” he said on the sidelines of the launch of Forty-Eight Special and Street Glide Special models, which are priced at ?10.9 lakh and ?30.5 lakh, respectively.
The company sold 2,471 units in the local market in the first 11 months of the ongoing financial year — a decline of 16.5% compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. It expects sales to pick up in 2019. The company also plans to increase the number of dealer outlets to 33 and lifestyle stores to 10 in the course of the calendar year.
BIKERNET UNIVERSITY ENGLISH DEPARTMENT VOCABULARY LESSON-
obscurantism
[uhb-skyoor-uhn-tiz-uhm, ob-skyoo-ran-tiz-uhm]
noun
1.
opposition to the increase and spread of knowledge.
QUOTES
New ideologies manipulate religions, push a contagious obscurantism.
— Emmanuel Macron, “Commemoration of the Armistice,” translated from French, November 11, 2018
ORIGIN
English obscurantism ultimately comes via the French noun obscurantisme from Latin obscurant-, the stem of obscurans, present participle of obscurare “to dim, cover in darkness,” a derivative of the adjective obscurus “dim, dark, dingy; insignificant, doubtful,” the obvious source of English obscure. Obscurus is a compound of the preposition and prefix ob, ob- “to, toward, in front of“ (and in compounds usually having a sense of confrontation or opposition), and the unattested adjective scurus. Scurus is a Latin development of the Proto-Indo-European root (s)keu-, (s)ku- “to hide, cover.” The Germanic form of this root, skeu-, has a derivative noun skeujam “cloud, cloud cover” that becomes sk? in Old Norse, adopted into English as sky. Obscurantism entered English in the 19th century.
CRAZY, War on Cars Watch–Welcome to the War on Cars Watch, a weekly blog to bring together all the stories that affect motorists with regards to street planning such as road diets, and traffic calming as well as programs such as Vision Zero and Complete Streets.
Please read this blog and let us know what you think by commenting below! Check out the NMA’s War on Cars Watch Facebook Page where we feature a story a day!
–NMA
See the whole tamale in Special Reports. It’s incredible.–Bandit
APPAREL NEWS REPORT–FunTagger.com – Gucci is Selling Sneakers that purposely look Dirty for nearly $900
You no longer need to dirty your pair of sneakers since you can buy them dirty from an exclusive brand store.
The men’s Screener Leather Sneakers features Gucci’s famous red and green colors, sporting an $870 price tag.
Inspired from 1970s classic trainers, the sneakers feature the Web Stripe on the side and vintage Gucci logo and is treated for an allover distressed effect.
There is the cleaning instructions of course: “Clean when the shoe is dry, using only neutral or same-color products to avoid staining.”
Preserve the vintage look by not falling for fake knock-off muddy looking sneakers.
Stupid News at : http://www.funtagger.com/2019/03/gucci-is-selling-sneakers-that-purposely-look-dirty-for-nearly-900/
–Wayfarer
The Boob Ride CA April 13th 2019 – Not Your Mama’s Kind Of Charity.
The Boob Ride is back for its 10th year of raising funds for low income breast cancer patients in their last mile of treatment. Our grassroots non-profit is different than other charities because we are slightly irreverent and put on a fun event that challenges social norms with its tongue-in-cheek nature.
Not only is it an all-volunteer organization, but 100% of the riders’ registration fees go directly to cancer patients who need support to get to treatment, pay bills, have food delivered, and clean their houses.
Despite our humorous atmosphere, we also understand what is at issue. Three of our board members have had family members directly affected by breast cancer and one of the members is currently fighting stage four colon cancer. We get it, but we also want our event to celebrate the lives of those who are fighting cancer and those who have beat it in a boisterous, in-your-face, laughter-is-the-best-medicine kind of way.
Don’t be a boob, sign up today!
LIFESTYLE DEAL OF THE WEEK–2006 Harley-Davidson FXSTB – Night Train
$9,995.00
Harley-Davidson’s Softail line is well known for its showy, chrome cruisers. However, nestled within the family is a rogue that does things a little differently—the 2006 Harley-Davidson Night Train—not to be confused with the high alcohol-content wine favored by derelicts—is a retro-modern cruiser motorcycle distinguished by its blacked out details, bobtail fender, and narrow, raked front end.
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT:
Beautiful 2 tone Vivid Black/Gold paint is awesome. NO dings, dents, or scratches. Vivid Black console with black leather pouch strap. Chrome pullback bars on 8″ curved risers with toolbag mounted, black mirrors, and Performance Machine grips.
Black headlamp, chrome blinkers with smoked lenses, polished fork and black lower legs. Gloss black fat spoke on 21″ black rims with black axle caps. Powering this guy is a fuel injected 95ci motor. Black Bassani Road Rage 2:1 Short Megaphone exhaust. Upgraded rider and passenger pegs with chrome brake/toe shift arms and H-D brake pedal.
Black powder rocker covers, vivid black push-rod tubes, chrome tappet blocks. Black powder horn, coil, battery and primary with finned derby. Black powder cam with ‘Old No 7’ gloss black cover. Black powder oil tank with pressure gauge. Black powder circular air filter. Vivid black swing arm and chain guard. Fender brake light and fender support blinkers. 18″ fat black spoke vivid black rear rim. This is a beautiful bike…
This bike has passed Lifestyle Cycles rigorous 100 point safety and mechanical inspection.
–Dan Leadbetter
Director of Marketing
Lifestyle Cycles
CHOW HALL OF THE WEEK— The Parrillada at Sammy’s Mexican in Roselle, IL is mind blowing!!
It is their signature dish that serves two or four people.
It has Chicken and Steak Fajitas, Marinated Pork, Grilled Chorizo, Shrimp, Prawns, and Cactus. Accompanied with Cheese Sauce and Grilled Jalapeno Peppers! Amazing!
The Owner’s Mom makes all of their Salsa’s for both locations. Sammy’s is worth the trip just for those salsa’s! Get some!
Subscribe to A Biker Dude here, youtube.com/c/ABikerDude
–BikerDude
[page break]
LOWBROW BIKE OF THE WEEK–
We met Tom at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2010…
Myself, Kyle and Tom were all at Speed Week to race for the first time, going through rookie orientation and getting really busy catching salt fever. Nine years later it is great to see that we are all going faster, setting more land speed records, and having as much fun as ever.
Check out our coverage on Tom’s 1955 Harley-Davidson Panhead, and expect updates on his race efforts later this year. Enjoy.
THE FIGHT OVER DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME—As Senate and House bills suggest, the answer is not to end DST but to extend DST year-round. Standard time is the villain.
It’s about time.—Bandit
–portion from the Week magazine
BRAND New Bikernet Reader Comment!–Weekend Roundup for March 12, 2019
https://www.bikernet.com/pages/Weekend_Roundup_for_March_12_2019.aspx
“I had to make a safety harness out of a piece of rope”
Jesus, what in the heck did you tie that to?? Don’t tell me it’s that one hanging off the ladder, is it??
In any case, that door repair was an incredible “aerial” fab fix!
–Pauly D.
pdispensa@plrb.org
Chicago, IL
Somehow I survived.–Bandit
FIRST-EVER “Male Slapping Championship” —Comes To Siberia
The first “Male Slapping Championship” took place in Krasnoyarsk as a part of the Siberian Power Show sports festival.
In the contest, men take turns to slap their opponent on the cheek until one of them gives up or is disqualified.
A tall box stands between the competitors to offer support and balance after each smack. Unlike sports such as boxing, participants in Male Slapping cannot dodge or deflect their opponents’ slaps — they’re required to feel the force of each blow.
The winner, Vasiliy Kamotskiy took home 30,000 rubles (~$470 USD) prize.
NEWS AT: http://www.funtagger.com/2019/03/first-ever-male-slapping-championship-comes-to-siberia/
YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/8nUiC5RrI_A
–Wayfarer
International Reporter
Bikernet News Desk India
NEW FROM JIMS– What do you think of the Livewire?
We have not personally ridden the new Livewire over here at JIMS yet.. But according to the numbers Harley has released.. She’s a ripper! A bike that can hit 0-to-60-mph in 3.0 seconds with a 60-to-80-mph roll-on-time of 1.9 seconds is amazing.
With hardly making a sound? This is something new to all of us. Absolutely surpassing most non-electrics in acceleration!
With or without that legendary Harley-Davidson sound, we’d still love to get behind the bars of this thing and hit the canyons!
What do you all think? Should JIMS get on board with parts and tools for this thing?
–Greg Thiessen
JIMS
LAST DAY TO GET YOUR HANDBUILT SHOW TICKETS AT THE PRE-ORDER PRICE.
BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY. PRE-ORDER PRICING ENDS MIDNIGHT CST ON MARCH 16TH.
Our good friends over at Goodnight Loving Vodka brought us their new Triumph Thruxton R to fit a Revival Limited Palo Duro Pannier and make a matching custom seat.
You can get your own Palo Duro Pannier HERE, or reach out to us about getting your own custom Revival seat HERE. We can help you with choosing and designing your very own Custom Seat with leather, fabric or even a custom vintage material. (You can make your Inquiry from the dropdown menu)
DAYTONA BIKE WEEK REPORT—
It was Hectic. Covered Sons of Speed waiting on some info for story. Went to Capital for Restoration of Rights For Felons
Did Tropical Tattoo – Crowded.
Left Daytona Early to make plans for Son In Laws Memorial Service tomorrow.
I have a couple of other people doing stuff as well.
Got Chris Cox from Bikers For Trump hooked up with Chris Callen
All good next get articles done.
–Rogue
Supreme Senior Editor
Bikernet.com™
FROM THE COUNTRY–One Country Music Legend Just Dropped the Most Epic Song Tribute to Police Officers.
There are some country music singers who don’t fit the persona of a typical constantly outraged Hollywood liberal elitist.
They are notoriously not bogged down in a public perception that screams spoiled multimillionaire who complains about all the trials and tribulations of being a famous celebrity. Largely, country is filled with people who despise that lifestyle.
And that’s the case with a country music legend’s latest song release.
Who are the great country music legends? You might go with Garth Brooks or a new age Chris Stapleton.
Where does George Strait fall in line (pun intended)?
Strait is one of Country music’s biggest icons with a Grammy award nominated track record that spans decades.
He finally received his first win in 2009 with Best Album for Troubadour and he also became the ACM artist of the decade in that same year.
You already know of his accolades.
Well Strait just released new music off his forthcoming album, Honky Tonk Time Machine, and one of the songs “The Weight of the Badge” explicitly glorifies our hard working police officers.
The ballad revolves around a police officer who consistently puts his life in harms way to protect his community while growing tiresome of the demand it puts on his body.
Some of the lyrics are, “He swore that oath to protect and serve / Puts his heart and soul into both those words / Lays his life on the line / The line he walks is razor fine, Tempered strength is always tough / But he ain’t gonna buckle / Under the weight of the badge.”
The full album will be available March 29.
–from Sarge
A Veteran
LATEST FROM THE CLIMATE DEPOT–Media Touts ‘Clear Sign of Human-Caused Climate Change.’ Here Are the Facts.
Associated Press reporter Seth Borenstein has made another attempt to convince the public of global warming, but his latest analysis has climate scientists once again refuting his claims.
On Tuesday, Borenstein cited AP analysis that found hot temperature records in the U.S. were being broken twice as often as cold temperature records. He concluded that this is “a clear sign of human-caused climate change.”
Borenstein wrote:
The AP looked at 424 weather stations throughout the Lower 48 states that had consistent temperature records since 1920 and counted how many times daily hot temperature records were tied or broken and how many daily cold records were set. In a stable climate, the numbers should be roughly equal. Since 1999, the ratio has been two warm records set or broken for every cold one. In 16 of the last 20 years, there have been more daily high-temperature records than low.
He went on to cite various climate scientists:
The AP shared the data analysis with several climate and data scientists, who all said the conclusion was correct, consistent with scientific peer-reviewed literature and showed a clear sign of human-caused climate change. They pointed out that trends over decades are more robust than over single years.
He concluded:
The analysis stopped with data through 2018. However, the first two months of 2019 are showing twice as many cold records than hot ones.
But the scientists he cited don’t speak for all climate scientists. Some, in fact, are dismissing his “clear sign” analysis.
Climatologist John Christy told me that Borenstein framed the data wrongly:
The occurrence of both record highs and record lows is declining. Record-low events are simply declining more rapidly than record highs. The drop-in record lows is associated with development around the weather stations, which causes low temperatures to increase more than highs for a variety of reasons.
Most climate change activists cite the greenhouse gas theory—that man-made gases are causing changes to the Earth’s temperature. Christy noted that this theory predicts an increase in frequency of record-breaking temperatures. Yet the exact opposite is happening in the U.S.—the frequency of those temps is declining.
The cause? Christy says it’s likely “urbanization and natural variability.”
He added: “I’ve actually done this same analysis for the 682 [U.S. Historical Climatology Network] stations with at least 105 years of record since 1895. It is clear that the occurrence of both record high and record lows has declined since 1895, thanks to many records set from the 1920s to 1954.”
He continued:
The AP … is spinning the story by only noting that record lows are fewer than highs now—but the real story is that in the U.S., both extremes are falling. This is consistent with the decline in number of days greater than 100 [degrees] Fahrenheit (or 105 Fahrenheit or 95 Fahrenheit, etc.). The differential decline in record temps is inconsistent with [greenhouse gas] theory, which predicts an increase in record highs and higher TMax in general.
Climatologist Roger Pielke Sr. expressed skepticism of the AP analysis as well:
Without assessing the role of increased urbanization and other land-use changes … changes in atmospheric aerosols overhead, microclimate around observing site, changes in heights of observations, and concurrent trends in surface air humidity, it is not robust to attribute any changes in extreme temperatures to just human-added atmospheric CO2.
He added: “We have published on each of these subjects, but work remains mostly ignored.”
Borenstein’s claims are also countered in the peer-review scientific literature. A 2018 analysis found that multiple recent studies and long-term data refuted claims that there had been an increase in heat waves. In addition, a 2013 paper published in the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology found that U.S. extreme heat waves have decreased since the 1930s.
It’s also important to note that recent temperatures are not at all unusual, with 2018 continuing a several-year cooling trend. The media-hyped “hottest year” claims do not hold up to scrutiny. Princeton physicist Will Happer ridiculed such claims and explained that “alleged record warmings are tenths of a degree or less, comparable to the statistical error.”
Borenstein, the chief climate reporter for the Associated Press, has a long history of promoting dubious climate claims and essentially lobbying the public to “believe” that man-made climate change is a dire emergency and that government “solutions” are needed.
He has repeatedly recycled Antarctic melt fears despite contrary evidence, and unscientifically claimed that “climate change” has made the Earth “weirder” and “downright wilder.”
Americans who rely on the Associated Press for climate news and information are being misinformed. The AP is serving up nothing short of rank climate propaganda.
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THERE YOU HAVE IT—Micah, the Ugly, who has been working at the shop on the Salt Torpedo for a couple of months, just finished this engine for a customer.
This classic 1950 Panhead engine was in very bad shape, but Micah, with the help of S&S and Barry Wardlaw brought it back to life.
Hopefully, I will bring you his complete Panhead build, David Mann classic chopper bike feature next week. He’s on the cover of Cycle Source right now.
Here’s a shot from the Badlands ’96, with Jim Waggaman a regular Bikernet Contributor, Dr. Hamster, me and Mark Lonsdale who spent 10 years in Afghanistan training troops in close quarters combat. He also trained O.J. Simpson.
As soon as I lock this column down, I need to start on the next Cycle Source deadline, and finish up the Salt Torpedo report. It’s never dull around here.
Ride Free Forever,
–Bandit
