Hey,
Wow, it’s December, and there’s three shows in the next two weeks in SoCal. Is it like this in your area? I’m going to witness a wind tunnel at Northridge State University for the first time. Then the IMS show opens in Long Beach, Moon Eyes has their annual Christmas Party nearby on Saturday and The David Mann Tribute Show rocks the Ventura Fairgrounds Sunday.
I thought all this shit would slow down in December. My calendar is packed for the next couple of weekends. I need to write two stories for Sucker Punch Sally and an install of the Pegasus EFI system on the Assalt Weapan.
Now check this project out. I’m going to build another Panhead desk, but this one will have a fiery twist. Let’s hit the Sunday news:
BIKERNET UNIVERSITY STUDIES RELEVANT LOGIC– Everyone concentrates on the problems we’re having in this country lately; illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, alligators attacking people in Florida .
Not me. I concentrate on solutions for the problems. It’s a win-win situation.
+ Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.
+ Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levies.
+ Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.
Any other problems you would like for me to solve today?
–from the Tinman
CUSTOM CHROME HOLIDAY OFFERS–Custom Chrome has just released the latest edition of the Dealers EDGE for December 2007 with special holiday offers just in time for Christmas. Special seasonal products are available for great gift ideas for the biker in your life such as ‘Easy Tie’ tie downs by DaddyMack, Namz Flexible Antennas, Oxlite Motorcycle Ramps, 2008 Calendars, Air Force Blaster motorcycle dryers and much more. For a dealer nearest you go to
–Michael Eastman
Custom Chrome
DAREDEVIL EVIL KNIEVEL DEAD AT 69– CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Evel Knievel, the hard-living motorcycle daredevil whose exploits made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.
Knievel’s death was confirmed by his granddaughter, Krysten Knievel. He had been in failing health for years, suffering from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs.
Knievel had undergone a liver transplant in 1999 after nearly dying of hepatitis C, likely contracted through a blood transfusion after one of his bone-shattering spills.
Longtime friend and promoter Billy Rundel said Knievel had trouble breathing at his Clearwater condominium and died before an ambulance could get him to a hospital.
“It’s been coming for years, but you just don’t expect it. Superman just doesn’t die, right?” Rundel said.
Immortalized in the Washington’s Smithsonian Institution as “America’s Legendary Daredevil,” Knievel was best known for a failed 1974 attempt to jump Snake River Canyon on a rocket-powered cycle and a spectacular crash at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. He suffered nearly 40 broken bones before he retired in 1980.
“I think he lived 20 years longer than most people would have” after so many injuries, said his son Kelly Knievel, 47. “I think he willed himself into an extra five or six years.”
Though Knievel dropped off the pop culture radar in the ’80s, the image of the high-flying motorcyclist clad in patriotic, star-studded colors was never erased from public consciousness. He always had fans and enjoyed resurgence in popularity in recent years.
His death came just two days after it was announced that he and rapper Kanye West had settled a federal lawsuit over the use of Knievel’s trademarked image in a popular West music video.
Knievel made a good living selling his autographs and endorsing products. Thousands came to Butte, Mont., every year as his legend was celebrated during the “Evel Knievel Days” festival, which Rundel organizes.
“They started out watching me bust my ass, and I became part of their lives,” Knievel said. “People wanted to associate with a winner, not a loser. They wanted to associate with someone who kept trying to be a winner.”
For the tall, thin daredevil, the limelight was always comfortable, the gab glib. To Knievel, there always were mountains to climb, feats to conquer.
“No king or prince has lived a better life,” he said in a May 2006 interview with The Associated Press. “You’re looking at a guy who’s really done it all. And there are things I wish I had done better, not only for me but for the ones I loved.”
He had a knack for outrageous yarns: “Made $60 million, spent 61. …Lost $250,000 at blackjack once. … Had $3 million in the bank, though.”
He began his daredevil career in 1965 when he formed a troupe called Evel Knievel’s Motorcycle Daredevils, a touring show in which he performed stunts such as riding through fire walls, jumping over live rattlesnakes and mountain lions and being towed at 200 mph behind dragster race cars.
In 1966 he began touring alone, barnstorming the West and doing everything from driving the trucks, erecting the ramps and promoting the shows. In the beginning he charged $500 for a jump over two cars parked between ramps.
He steadily increased the length of the jumps until, on New Year’s Day 1968, he was nearly killed when he jumped 151 feet across the fountains in front of Caesar’s Palace. He cleared the fountains but the crash landing put him in the hospital in a coma for a month.
His son, Robbie, successfully completed the same jump in April 1989.
In the years after the Caesar’s crash, the fee for Evel’s performances increased to $1 million for his jump over 13 buses at Wembley Stadium in London ? the crash landing broke his pelvis ? to more than $6 million for the Sept. 8, 1974, attempt to clear the Snake River Canyon in Idaho in a rocket-powered “Skycycle.” The money came from ticket sales, paid sponsors and ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.”
The parachute malfunctioned and deployed after takeoff. Strong winds blew the cycle into the canyon, landing him close to the swirling river below.
On Oct. 25, 1975, he jumped 14 Greyhound buses at Kings Island in Ohio.
Knievel decided to retire after a jump in the winter of 1976 in which he was again seriously injured. He suffered a concussion and broke both arms in an attempt to jump a tank full of live sharks in the Chicago Amphitheater. He continued to do smaller exhibitions around the country with his son, Robbie.
Many of his records have been broken by daredevil motorcyclist Bubba Blackwell.
Knievel also dabbled in movies and TV, starring as himself in “Viva Knievel” and with Lindsay Wagner in an episode of the 1980s TV series “Bionic Woman.” George Hamilton and Sam Elliott each played Knievel in movies about his life.
Evel Knievel toys accounted for more than $300 million in sales for Ideal and other companies in the 1970s and ’80s.
Born Robert Craig Knievel in the copper mining town of Butte on Oct. 17, 1938, Knievel was raised by his grandparents. He traced his career choice back to the time he saw Joey Chitwood’s Auto Daredevil Show at age 8.
“The phrase one-of-a-kind is often used, but it probably applies best to Bobby Knievel,” said U.S. Rep. Pat Williams, D-Mont., who grew up with Knievel. “He was an amazing athlete… He was sharp as a tack, one of the smartest people I’ve ever known and finally, as the world knows, no one had more guts than Bobby. He was simply unafraid of anything.”
Outstanding in track and field, ski jumping and ice hockey at Butte High School, Knievel went on to win the Northern Rocky Mountain Ski Association Class A Men’s ski jumping championship in 1957 and played with the Charlotte Clippers of the Eastern Hockey League in 1959.
He also formed the Butte Bombers semiprofessional hockey team, acting as owner, manager, coach and player.
Knievel also worked in the Montana copper mines, served in the Army, ran his own hunting guide service, sold insurance and ran Honda motorcycle dealerships. As a motorcycle dealer, he drummed up business by offering $100 off the price of a motorcycle to customers who could beat him at arm wrestling.
At various times and in different interviews, Knievel claimed to have been a swindler, a card thief, a safe cracker, a holdup man.
Evel Knievel married hometown girlfriend, Linda Joan Bork, in 1959. They separated in the early 1990s. They had four children, Kelly, Robbie, Tracey and Alicia.
Robbie Knievel followed in his father’s footsteps as a daredevil, jumping a moving locomotive in a 200-foot, ramp-to-ramp motorcycle stunt on live television in 2000. He also jumped a 200-foot-wide chasm of the Grand Canyon.
Knievel lived with his longtime partner, Krystal Kennedy-Knievel, splitting his time between their Clearwater condo and Butte. They married in 1999 and divorced a few years later but remained together. Knievel had 10 grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
TOYS FOR TOTS HAWAIIAN STYLE– Here are a couple pick’s I thought you might enjoy from when you were over here.
As for us Tomorrow is Toys for Tots, and can’t wait to see all the other bikers & there rides. I will send you some photos of the event. It always a blast ’cause it seems to bring everybody to participate. We are having a Caravan to the event with all our customers, it should be a blast, as long as the weather holds out. It is forecasted for some heavy rain for this weekend.
–Darren
BIKES HEADED TO THE LONG BEACH IMS SHOW NEXT WEEKEND– Had a request to share last years bike I created. This bike is currently owned by Lil’ John out on the Olympic Penninsula. The Evo machine is just for fun … I kind of hate the headlamp though!
Here’s a few shots of how our, Downtown Harley-Davidson’s, parts department V-rod turned out. Hope you like. Folks at the show this year seem to dig it. We’re also right next door to the Motor Companies display area and they keep coming over to check it out.
–Don Alder
Jeff Alder don_jeff_alder@yahoo.com
BIKERNET TATTOO STUDY BECOMES MATHEMATICAL–While looking into new tattoo ideas for my upcoming scar decorating sessions, I came across this bright little piece of writing. Felt like sharing it
This is strictly a mathematical viewpoint and it goes like this:
What makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?
We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. What makes up 100% in life? How about achieving 103% or even 118%?
Math once again has shown us where the answers may lie.
If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Then: H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11= 98%
and K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5= 96%
but, A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5= 100%
And B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T 2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20= 103%
AND, look how far ass kissing will get you A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G 1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7= 118%
So logically one can conclude with mathematical certainty that while HARD WORK and KNOWLEDGE will get you close, and ATTITUDE will get you there, it’s the BULLSHIT and ASSKISSING that will put you over the top.
See math was worth learning
–from Joel
PRO-BILLET FORKS– PRO-ONE offers one of the largest selections of custom front ends and components on the market. Available with fit with the popular MILLENNIUM trees shown here, they provide custom builders with the very finest in contemporary styling and road performance. PRO-ONE forks feature hard chromed 41mm tubes in popular lengths, PRO-ONE chrome and black billet lower legs, contoured “Millennium” or “Thin” triple trees, custom flush mount axle, handlebar damper kit and all necessary hardware.
These exclusive forks are available in a variety of styles. Smooth trees with or without directionals, select tube lengths and lower legs in Standard, Missile and Rocket styles.
The new front ends are set-up for single disc applications and are easily converted for duals with the use of a PRO-ONE dual disc conversion kit. PRO-ONE also offers their own universal fork stop and internal lock kits a nd tube and internal fork components.
Pricing starts at just $799.00. For complete details check them out on the Web at www.pro-one.com or call 800-884-4173.
W8LESS ROTORS ARE UP AND RUNNING– Finally up and running , too much fun . The photos enclosed are my 2004 Dyna that we ran at the salt flats 2 years ago, 134.394 mph. Fresh paint and a 124-inch power plant, look out 2008 .
Rotors have aprox. 300 miles on them, brake pad material started embedding on rotors immediately . First block or so I scrubbed the pads onto the rotors, first stop was solid as well as predictable . Then came my favorite escape route to the freeway, about 15 miles of up hill, down hill and curvy road. Suspension has a much lighter feel. On straight-a-ways at ( well) over 100 mph, a couple of firm pulls on the front brake and your nearly stopped, great lever feel.
Will be in Ventura for the David Mann Memorial, Vagabond Inn Saturday night.
–Ray
831 594-7783
JIMS BIKERNET SUNDAY TOOL–Balancer Shaft Retention Pins. Use this tool to secure the engine balancers on Twin Cam 88 B engines when servicing the flywheel assembly. This tool locks into the balancer’s sprocket pin holes to prevent the balancer from turning out of sync with the flywheel.
No.1163 – Use on Twin Cam 2000-present B model Softails.
Suggested Retail Price: $14.65
–JT Lepien
www.jimsusa.com
NEW NC RED LIGHT LAW– Here are a couple of other items of interest. New red-light law in N.C., and a kick ass letter from a Chaplain in Iraq. No, I didn’t fuckin’ “snope it”. I’ll take the word of the bro who sent it to me. It’s a real fuckin’ shame everything is so goddam suspect these days.
–Tinman
New N.C. Motorcycle Law: http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/new_8067___article.html/motorcycle_vehicle.html
And This Righteous Letter:
Subject: Fw: From a Chaplain in Iraq I recently attended a showing of “Superman 3” here at LSA Anaconda. We have a large auditorium we use for movies as well as memorial services and other large gatherings. As is the custom back in the States we stood and snapped to attention when the National Anthem began before the main feature. All was going as planned until about three-quarters of the way through the National Anthem the music stopped.
What would happen if this occurred with 1000 18-22 year-olds back in the States? I imagine there would be hoots, catcalls, laughter, a few rude comments and everyone would sit down and call for a movie. Of course that is if they had stood for the National Anthem in the first place.
Here the 1000 Soldiers continued to stand at attention, eyes fixed forward. The music started again. The Soldiers continued to quietly stand at attention. And again, at the same point, the music stopped. What would you expect to happen? Even here I would imagine laughter as everyone finally sat down and expected the movie to start.
But here you could have heard a pin drop. Every Soldier continued to stand at attention. Suddenly there was a lone voice then a dozen and quickly the room was filled with the voices of a thousand Soldiers finishing where the recording left off.
“And the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ‘er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”
It was the most inspiring moment I have had here in Iraq. I wanted you to know what kind of Soldiers are serving you here.
Written by Chaplain Jim Higgins on 5/14/07. LSA Anaconda is at the Bagdad Airport in Iraq north of Bagdad.
S&S CYCLE RELEASES 50TH ANNIVERSARY CATALOG FOR 2008– La Crosse, WI (November 29, 2007) S&S? Cycle Inc. is pleased to announce the release of their new Dealer Catalog for 2008. In honor of the company’s 50th anniversary, the catalog has been named Catalog 50. With that said, the new catalog was designed with a retro theme and contains a lot of historical photographs and tidbits of S&S heritage.
“Our Marketing Materials Department pulled out all the stops on this one!” says company president Brett Smith. “We wanted this catalog to be something special, and it certainly is.”
“At just under 700 pages, this is the largest S&S catalog ever.” enthused Bruce Tessmer, Marketing Materials Manager. “Many of the historical images in the new catalog are actual family photos that the Smith family graciously allowed us to use in print. Some of them for the first time!”
In addition to the nostalgic theme and images, there are a lot of great new products in Catalog 50. Most notable among them, is the all new S&S X-Wedge engine and the new S&S and Rolling Thunder chassis that go with it. A close second is the new P-Series engine with styling from the ’50s and ’60s, but with modern performance. Also notable are the very economical EZFI fuel injection tuning module, as well as EPA and T?V approved engines and mufflers for emissions controlled vehicles in the US and European markets.
An additional feature of Catalog 50, is that Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) is listed for nearly all parts in the book.
“Catalog 50 is just the start of our 50th anniversary celebration,” said Events Manager James Simonelli. “Our official anniversary party runs June 27-29, 2008 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. We hope everyone can make it to share in the excitement.”
Since this catalog is so special, there will be a limited number of copies available for retail purchase. The price of this collectible catalog is $19.95. You can order one through your local dealer or at www.sscycle.com/shop .
SEND A SOLDIER A GREETING CARD, ANY TIME, ANY DAY–Bandit I ran across a cool web site you need too post.www.lets say thanks .com They will send a thank you card to a soldier. It only takes a minute. And its free .
–WILL ELLIOTT JR
LEXINGTON S.C.
BIKERNET UPS MAN– One Monday morning, Dave (Smith), the UPS man is driving the neighborhood on his usual route. As he approaches one of the homes he noticed that both cars were in the driveway. His wonder was cut short by Bob, the homeowner, coming out with a load of empty beer and liquor bottles.
“Wow Bob, looks like you guys had one hell of a party last night,” the UPS man comments.
Bob, in obvious pain, replies “Actually we had it Saturday night. This is the first I have felt like moving since 4:00 am Sunday morning. We had about> fifteen couples from around the neighborhood over for some weekend fun and it got a bit wild.
We got so drunk around midnight that we started playing the game; WHO AM I.”
The UPS man thinks a moment and says, “How do you play WHO AM I?”
“Well, all the guys go in the bedroom and we come out one at a time with a sheet covering us, with only our ‘privates’ showing through a hole in the sheet. Then the women try to guess who it is.”
The UPS man laughs and says, “Damn, I’m sorry I missed that.”
“Probably a good thing you did,” Bob responded.
“Your name came up seven times…”
JOKER MACHINE FORWARD CONTROL EXTENSIONS FOR PRE-2000 MODELS– ITEM # 08-65, These brackets were designed to extend your Pre-2000 model forward controls 2 inches for a more comfortable riding position.
Full CNC machining with a black anodized finish.
Comes complete with mounting hardware.
BIKERNET READER LOOKING FOR KNUCKLEHEAD LEVERS– I am interested in the purchase of the AM-9400C $154.95 pair which are the gloss black but not sure if the fitment will work. I have a ’07 softail Night Train and was curious to know if they would fit and if not who might carry them. Any info you could provide would be helpful.
–REUBEN
reubenmichels@yahoo.com>
IT’S HOT BUTTER RUM TIME–I forgot, another show circuit kicks off next month. The Easyriders shows come to Pomona the 5&6 of January and the 12&13th in Sacramento. Then they head across country, see below.
On top of a couple of other projects, I couldn’t resist a chance to build another Panhead Desk. I picked up this fried Panhead engine and a matching transmission from Bud Revel of Bud’s Old Bike Parts in Austin, Texas. He scored a pile of Ultra Parts for the recent auction and needed to pick up his score from Tim at Negotiable. The swapmeet was packed with vendors. I have a Paughco Frame for the desk, but will look around for an equally damaged front end. Of the four other desks I’ve built, this will be the craziest, and I can’t keep it. It will be for sale.
Watch for reports toward Christmas.
Ride Forever,
–Bandit
