Hey,
Never a dull moment. It rained last night so I spent an hour this morning drying off the Bikernet Van and the glass tables in the rarely used Bikernet patio. Of course Sin Wu sticks her head into my office to report more rain in the next couple of days. Last night, I rolled to a private blue grass concert in the Ontario hills with Dr. Nutboy and his lovely wife Debbie.
I spoke to a couple of business owners who survived the economic downturn, but lost half of their staff or more. It was economic war. On the way home Sugar Bear called and wanted to meet me at the shop to check my FXRs. Like so many brothers, he owned one then sold it and always wanted it back. Now he has the chance.
Sugar Bear talked about not building anymore full-on customer bikes. Sure, he will continue to modify frames and build his classic springers. But as we talked he started to build more bikes. He wants to build a long rigid like the old days, then he mentioned building a Sportster like he built for customers in the ‘70s. By the time he left the shop, close to midnight, he had a list of eight project bikes. We just can’t stop.
Let’s hit the news:
BACK TO THE BIKERNET GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FILES–You know you live in a Country run by idiots if… Hard work and success are rewarded with higher taxes and government intrusion, while slothful, lazy behavior is rewarded with EBT cards, WIC checks, Medicaid, subsidized housing, and free cell phones.
You know you live in a Country run by idiots if… The government’s plan for getting people back to work is to provide 99 weeks of unemployment checks (to not work).
You know you live in a Country run by idiots if… Being self-sufficient is considered a threat to the government.
You know you live in a Country run by idiots if… Politicians think that stripping away the amendments to the constitution is really protecting the rights of the people.
You know you live in a Country run by idiots if… The rights of the Government come before the rights of the individual.
You know you live in a Country run by idiots if… You can write a post like this just by reading the news headlines
You know you live in a Country run by idiots if… Being stripped of the ability to defend yourself makes you “safe”.
You know you live in a Country run by idiots if… An 80 year old woman can be stripped searched by the TSA but a Muslim woman in a burka is only subject to having her neck and head searched.
This report is not quite finished. See the finale in the Thursday this coming week.
–from Rogue and Miami Mike
RIGHT TO REPAIR ACT–Summary Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act of 2011 – Requires the manufacturer of a motor vehicle sold, leased, or otherwise introduced into U.S. commerce to: (1) provide to the vehicle owner and service providers all information necessary to diagnose, service, maintain, or repair the vehicle; (2) offer for sale to the vehicle owner and service providers any related tool or equipment; and (3) provide the information that enables aftermarket tool companies to manufacture tools with the same functional characteristics. Exempts trade secrets, so long as the information is not disclosed to authorized dealers or service providers. Authorizes enforcement of this Act by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and civil actions by state attorneys general.
At the National Level, HB 1449 has 47 Co-Sponsors – ask your rep to sign on if they haven’t already.
Bill Summary: http://legiscan.com/gaits/view/307634
Bill Sponsors: http://legiscan.com/gaits/sponsors/307634
Bill Text: http://legiscan.com/gaits/text/254082
–Doc D’Errico
Vice Chairman, Massachusetts Motorcycle Association
MA State Representative, Motorcycle Riders Foundation
MRF State Representative to the Board
This has been a national issue for years now. This is a recurring item on the MRF’s Legislative and has been part of our lobbying packages that we ask all SSMROs to use when they come to DC.
Dave Dwyer
Legislative Director
ABATE of Wisconsin
SSMRO Rep
MRF BOD
BIKERNET UNIVERSITY POETRY SUBMISSION–Throttle dirge
By Buckshot
I roll on the throttle and feel the surge
as wild and urgent as a primal urge.
The blacktop before me has a life of its own;
it beckons me forward like lovers I’ve known.
I lean into curves like the swell of hips
and the narrow bridges like puckered lips.
Excitement builds as I round each curve;
how far can I push it if I have the nerve?
Sparks are flying as I make the turns,
the pipes are scraping and the asphalt burns.
I push the limits of my bike and skill,
as the Twin Cam engine drinks it’s fill.
Life holds no wonder without the ride;
it’s hollow and empty with nothing inside,
and the warm amber whisky, it takes me away
to places I’ve been but couldn’t stay.
So I revere the throttle and the thrill it brings,
and the whisky that promises angel’s wings;
the end will be fast, with no time to linger,
when that terrible Reaper points his finger.
Do I fear his touch? No, not at all!
He reaches for me like a siren’s call,
and from the carnage my soul will fly,
then we’ll ride forever, my lover and I.
But she does not care; she does not feel,
for I am flesh and she is steel,
so I’ll lavish her with paint and chrome
till a host of angels takes me home.
–Buckshot
BIKERNET UNIVERSITY WEEKEND TARDY STUDENT ENGLISH DEPARTMENT VOCABULARY LESSON–veloce ve-LAW-che, adjective:
Played at a fast tempo.
And when I tired of reading I would swim in my pool, parting the azure blue water like a veloce human knife.
–Sergio De La Pava, A Naked Singularity
Ah, I mention his name and your eyes, they light up veloce come un razzo—fast as a rocket.
–Jacquie D’Alessandro, Summer at Seaside Cove
Veloce stems from the Latin word v?l?cem which was the accusative form of v?l?x meaning “quick.”
SCREAMIN’ EAGLE TAPPETS FIT HIGH-PERFORMANCE TWIN CAM ENGINES– Bearing Size Increases by 25 Percent for Improved Durability
New Screamin’ Eagle Tappets (P/N 18572-13, $249.95) from Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Accessories are designed to deliver superior tappet life in high-performance Harley-Davidson Twin Cam and Sportster engine applications. Large, high-capacity needles in the roller bearing assembly improve reliability when operating with high-lift cams, high-pressure valve springs, and in high-RPM applications. The needle bearings are 25 percent larger to increase the dynamic load rating by approximately 20 percent when compared to the Original Equipment Twin Cam tappets. Sold in a set of four, these Screamin’ Eagle tappets may be used in 1999-later Twin Cam engines, and in 2000-later Sportster Evolution engines.
Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, riding gear and apparel, and general merchandise. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson’s Web site at www.harley-davidson.com.
NEW TOOL FROM JIMS–Introducing the new JIMS Mighty Bite Flywheel Lock Tool No. 753. Designed to hold Twin Cam flywheels in place while performing service work to the connecting rods or pistons with the cylinders off the engine.
You simply take out the flywheel position sensor and install the “Mighty Bite” into the case and your flywheel is now locked from being able to turn or rotate.
ANOTHER BONNEVILLE DREAM– I’m always thinking about my Buell and Bonneville. It just comes down to money.
1. XB heads are still available $700.00
2. Bigger valves, guides, seats $300.00
3. Custom CP pistons, rings, etc. $600.00
4. Baker 6-speed tranny $2500.00
5. Tar’s, ceramic bearings. $400.00
6. Cast Buell wheels (better aero)
7. Kendon trailer to haul all the stuff. $4000.00
The list goes on as the bucks go up. Excuses, yes, but they are a reality. I appreciate Bikernet’s support for something I want and will do someday.
Remember how long it took for Burt Munroe to get to Bonneville. He was retired and able to realize his dream. I can see it in my own dreams. With the help of my friends and Bikernet it will become a reality.
–Paul Davis
Hey Paul, check the video on the home page. A guy bought a $300 bike on Craig’s list and hauled ass to Bonneville. You’re make it!–Wrench
HAMSTERS IN THE SUNDAY NEWS–
Nicole Huey’s Hamster Taken Into ‘Protective Custody’ When Woman Accused Of DUI.
Beaverton police pulled over Nicole Huey, 27, at around 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday on a suspicion that she was driving in an impaired state, the Oregonian reports. When officers approached the vehicle, they noticed the woman had a hamster in her lap.
The hamster “was not using any safety equipment,” wrote Officer Mike Rowe in a post, titled “A Hamster Was Taken Into Protective Custody,” on the Beaverton Police Department’s Facebook page.
Huey got out of the vehicle, “leaving the hamster to watch from the dashboard,” according to the post.
She reportedly told an officer that there was no one who could come pick up the hamster, and said they “should just kill it.”
Not one for murder, the officer told her that they would not harm the animal and would take it to a safe location.
“It took three officers to capture the furry little passenger,” according to Rowe’s post.
Huey was arrested and jailed on an accusation of driving under the influence of intoxicants.
The hamster was brought to a local veterinary clinic, and police say Huey arrived to retrieve the animal later that morning.
EXCLUSIVE BIKERNET INVESTIGATION—When we heard about MetalSport wheels mounting Vee Rubber tires for shipment direct to customers and dealers, we had to ask the question. Does anyone else offer this level of service? We immediately reached out to the Bikernet Bagger Extreme Editor in Charge, Buck Lovell, the former editor of American Bagger, and Hot Bike, who lives in Sturgis, South Dakota. Following is his response:
Nobody…but…nobody mounts tires prior to shipping. Balancing is a bitch….although Dyna Beads work well…they must be installed prior to having the second bead popped…..otherwise they must be installed thru the valve stem, which is time consuming and sometimes clogs the stems.
Dyna Beads work well according to everybody I’ve talked to. . A One ounce dose of
Dyna Beads (very tiny ceramic beads) in the tire eliminates unsightly wheel weights. Two ounces are required for 23 and 26-inch wheel tire assemblies. (http://www.innovativebalancing.com/motorcycle.htm).
I will be doing a tech piece on this product soon.
–Buck Lovell
The Metalsport wheel and tire packages come balanced, but here’s another balancing solution from Biker’s Choice:
Biker’s Choice now offers Centramatic Wheel Balancers. They are a unique line of “On Board” Balancing Systems for tires and wheel’s that maximizes tire life and smooth’s your ride and that’s Centramatic’s primary goal. They mount between the brake disc and the wheel hub and require no service whatsoever. Centramatic Balancers will balance the tire and wheel every time you ride.
These increase tire life by 35-50%, reduce vibration, increase stability, improves braking and lowers tire temperatures. They are made of 304 polished stainless steel and a high tech combination of balancing media. The center hole measures 2.265” and the bolt hole pattern measures 3”.
Fits Harley Davidson models (except V-Rod, Buell, Screaming Eagle with cone shaped brake rotors and custom wheels.)
Quality and reliability are of utmost importance, which is why Centramatic backs their Balancers with a Five-Year Unlimited Mile Warranty. Over 1,000,000 Balancers have been produced and many are still in service with more than one million miles of operation. Made in the U.S.A.
MSRP starts at $98.95 to $289.95; visit your local Biker’s Choice® dealer for application information and pricing.
[page break]
–from Charles Plueddeman
NEW BAKER ROGUE TECH COMING– Rogue, we are sending you an Attitude Adjuster primary chain adjuster to replace the H-D self-adjusting ratcheting chain tensioner that causes engine and transmission bearing failures. This uses the stock H-D primary gasket, which can be re-used. I hope this clears confusion.
You are correct, the throwout bearing kit will not fit with F6R. Perhaps after we see what you do with the Attitude Adjuster, we can possibly arrange a TBK-56L throwout bearing kit for your 2004. Cool?
–James
Baker Drivetrain
BIKERNET 5-BALL RACING TEAM WHEELER REPORT–Not much to report, we managed to mount the oil filter and ordered the tool to replace the wheels bearings mid week.
Will be returning to the headquarters next week to take care of my Cantina members.
See ya soon,
–Ray
EMBEDDED IN DAYTONA BIKERTOBERFEST–From Flagler to Main to New Smyrna, Biketoberfest cranks up. By Frank Fernandez STAFF WRITER
Kevin Rupp held a Coors Light as he watched two women washing a pair of motorcycles outside of Finn’s in Flagler Beach, where the parking lot was packed with two-wheeled transportation.
Rupp, of Mount Pleasant, N.C., was waiting his turn to pay the pair $10, plus a $10 tip, to wash the ocean spray off his Harley after rides along the coast.
“It keeps the salt off the bike,” Rupp said. “Plus, they are pretty to watch.”
Rupp was one of an army of about 100,000 strong bikers — leather-wearing, skull-bearing, tattoo-loving, long beard-flowing or some combination of the above for most — who have rolled into Volusia and Flagler counties for Biketoberbest, which rumbles into its biggest day Saturday before winding down Sunday.
Some could argue the biggest night was Friday, when GOP presidential and vice-presidential nominees Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan hosted thousands at the Bandshell in the heart of Biketoberfest headquarters in Daytona Beach. The Republican faithful just added to the mix of people in town throwing dollars around.
And the two bike washers in bathing suits, Lisa Ali, 31, and Noelle Wade, 20, both of Palm Coast, said they were doing a brisk business.
“It’s better than last year,” said Wade, who also wore a T-shirt as she used a leaf blower to dry a bike.
“We have to watch it when they come in hot,” said Ali, who works in real estate but said the bike wash is a good way to make a little extra money. Farther west in Flagler County at the Thunder Gulch Campground along U.S. 1, Vince Thomas, 23, J.T. Thomas, 68, and his brother Glenn Thomas, 42, were getting ready for another day of riding with some friends. While his father has been coming to area bike events since 1971, this was the first time for Vince Thomas, who just finished his enlistment in the Army infantry in September after pulling tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
They all drove down from North Carolina where Vince Thomas said it’s already getting cold, making his stay here all the more enjoyable.
“I’m loving it,” Vince Thomas said.
The group rode along A1A in Flagler County on Thursday.
“It was gorgeous,” Vince Thomas said. “You could see the waves rolling in. It was nice.”
The rumble of motorcycles mixed with the roar of the sea rolling ashore along A1A. Some bikers headed north. Others headed south to the epicenter of this bikerpalooza on Main Street in Daytona Beach.
There — amid the shiny chrome, the many dark-hued bikes growling down the street, amid the man and woman walking around each with a snake dangling from their shoulders — was a flash of pink, lots of pink, with some dyed ostrich leather to boot.
Diana Restrepo, 42, of Orlando sat on her very pink Kawasaki Ninja 600, which she said cost about $5,000 to $6,000 to deck out in pink, including some diamond designs and ostrich leather accents. She said her husband, George Restrepo, 43, did a wonderful job of turning her vision for the bike into reality.
“I love it,” Diana Restrepo said. “I wanted a diamond girl bike. I wanted something that was very girly girl.”
She wore pink boots, a pink jacket with a patch that read “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”
Just down the street among the hubbub of people and music blaring from the bars, Elmer and Mary Luedke of New Smyrna Beach brought their great-grandchildren Ashlynn, 14-months-old, and Jennie, 5.
Jennie watched the parade of motorcycles and covered her ears in response to the roars from the engines.
How did Jennie like Biketoberfest? “Good,” she said with a smile, adding an exclamation point by bouncing up and down.
To the south at the No Name Saloon in Edgewater, owners Todd Johnson and Jim Kelly were ready for big crowds to “feel the noise” of ’80s pop/metal band Quiet Riot.
“People are thinking we might have 5,000 people here,” anticipated Johnson a couple of hours before the concert. Johnson and his partner were putting on their first Biketoberfest festivities since purchasing the venue just three days before March’s Bike Week began.
Not everyone came for the band. Andy Roughley and friends from Manchester, England stopped by the saloon in hopes of bringing home a trophy in the longest beard contest.
“This is our fourth or fifth Biketoberfest,” Roughley said, adding the fall bike festival might draw more participants if, like its spring counterpart Bike Week, it lasted a bit longer.
“This is a long way to come for only four days,” he said.
As members of Quiet Riot did their sound check prior to the evening’s performance, founding member and drummer Frankie Banali acknowledged bikers are not the group’s traditional audience, although the band has been performing at various biker events since the early 1980s.
“My objective is to make sure the band is louder than the Harleys,” he said.
–from Rogue
Sturgis Freedom Fighters
Motorcycle Hall Of Fame Member 2005
www.bikerrogue.com
BENNETT’S PERFORMANCE RELEASES PRODUCT LINE—Starting with point covers for Twin Cams, Evos, or Sportsters, in several styles and finishes. They come chrome or flat black powder, and they are precision laser etched.
AUSSIE BIKER BANNED FROM 600 HOTELS AND BARS–South Australian police have banned jailed biker Vince Focarelli from entering any of the state’s 600 pubs and clubs for the next two years as they await the outcome of a bail application for the notorious former Comanchero MC gang member to be released from prison.
Police say the highest-level barring order available to them was imposed on Focarelli on July 9, in a bid to help protect staff and patrons from being caught in any potential crossfire. Publicans were notified on Monday morning of the ban on the man at the centre of four public gun battles, two of which erupted at licensed venues, and a wild bar brawl last summer.
It is the first time a Commissioner of Police barring order has been used to control Focarelli’s movements in the community but other motorcycle club members are subject to such orders. The notification came just hours into the state’s new top cop Gary Burns’ first day on the job as Police Commissioner, and on the back of his tough talk about bringing an end to Adelaide’s mrdia dubbed ‘biker war’.
Police are concerned the former Comancheros leader may soon succeed in his bid for release from jail, having made a fresh application for bail last month.
Mr Burns, a former STAR Group leader, says he wants to take back the streets from bikers who he says have terrorized Adelaide with an escalating war that led to Focarelli’s son Giovanni, 22, being killed in a Dry Creek ambush on January 29. The Focarelli ban was issued by Assistant Commissioner Tony Harrison, who is the Commissioner’s delegate for this field.
The order over Focarelli bans him from entering all premises with hotel licenses, all venues with an entertainment venue license, and selected special-circumstances licenses in the metro area of Adelaide. He is also barred from entering selected restaurants within North Adelaide and the city centre.
Mr Harrison said Mr Focarelli was “a former known member of an (outlaw motorcycle gang) and having regard to past behavior and problems experienced at licensed premises, it is a reasonable apprehension that a danger to patrons and staff is likely to result from allowing entry to the barred person listed”.
Focarelli has a current police barring order – not as wide-ranging as the Commissioner of Police barring order – valid until December 21 covering the city centre, Glenelg, North Adelaide and Salisbury. Mr Focarelli survived as many as five attempts on his life over the two years leading to the shooting that killed his son on January 29. The Australian Hotels Association advised its members at the peak of the saga to refuse service to Focarelli and call police if he entered their bars.
Considering the “extraordinary circumstances” surrounding Focarelli and the multiple attempts on his life, the AHA said genuinely fearful hotel workers should call police if he came to their venue and some hoteliers planned to evacuate venues if he entered.
Mr Focarelli and his associates were also linked to the dramatic Caffe Paesano shooting, in which a gunman fired three shots into the O’Connell St cafe as it bustled with evening diners on a Sunday in December. Focarelli will next week return to court to face aggravated affray charges relating to a brawl that occurred at the Highway Inn on Melbourne Cup Day last year. He has been in custody on drug-trafficking charges since January 29. He is listed to appear at a directions hearing over those charges on August 8.
BIKERNET SCIENCE AND FLOW EDITOR REPORTS IN–I’m off work checking out Fox News. Saturday I took my data collector box (electronic manometer) off my flow-bench for a upgrade to the 3rd channel.
The 3rd channel is used to measure velocity of a port with a pilot tube. Will be upgrading it from 40″ w.c. to 100″ w.c.
Doing this because @ 400 FPS I’m pegging the 40″ sensor. Not good. After I get all that ready for shipping I’ll be working on my drill press motor conversion.
More bracket work and welding. Also I need to check mo’ photos for you to use on Bikernet.
So I’ll have a busy day. I will also use the time to do some brainstorming about a Bonneville
effort.
–Pablo
QUICK, SAVE THE RABBI–At the regular Saturday morning service, the rabbi announced that he was planning to leave for a larger congregation that would pay him more.
There is a hush within the congregation.
No one wants him to leave because he is so popular.
Fred Silverstein, who owns several car dealerships in Newton and Brooklyn,
stands up and proclaims “If the rabbi stays, I will provide him with a new Cadillac every year and his wife with a Honda mini-van to transport their
children!”
The congregation sighs in appreciation and applauds.
Saul Cohen, a successful businessman and lawyer, stands and says, “If the rabbi will stay on here, I’ll personally double his salary and establish a foundation to guarantee a free college education for his children!”
More sighs and loud applause.
Estelle Rubin, age 72, stands and announces with a smile, “If the rabbi stays, I will give him sex!”
There is total silence.
The rabbi, blushing, asks her: “Mrs. Rubin, you’re a wonderful and holy lady. Whatever possessed you to say that?”
Estelle’s 80-year old husband, Jacob, is now trying to hide, holding his forehead with the palm of his hand and shaking his head from side to
side, while his wife replies:
“Well, I just asked my husband how we could help, and he said, “Fuck him.”
NEW FROM MIKE LEARN–FINALLY – after much R&D along with trial and error – we have the official NEW MOJO III Super Hard Needle! The old adage “3rd time’s a charm” held true for our search to improve the MOJO III needle… and it is official. Not only were we able to find a material to meet our performance expectations – but after continued research we were able to do it a minimal extra expense AND source the material in the USA!!
“This particular alloy has a higher Chromium/Nickel content. These added alloys create a highly corrosion-resisent surface resulting in even less tip dry. Harder and less susceptible to bending, the new needles hold a polish and perfectly straight tip longer…. it’s kind of like Viagra for your airbrush!*” ~Mike Learn
The new STAINLESS STEEL material has a higher Chromium/Nickel content and a lower carbon content. The result is a surface with fewer pores, therefor it is less corrosive and allows much-reduced tip dry. In the process of drawing the stock steel out, it becomes much, much harder and is incredibly resistant to bending – even at the super-fine end. Combined with our high-speed polished finish, this needle takes the MOJO III ONE MORE STEP beyond superior performance.
And now for the best part… This new needle is STOCK ON ALL MOJO III Airbrushes!!
–Diana
BAKER DRIVETRAIN NEWS–Have an old, tired, stock transmission? Was your custom chopper impossible to service? BAKER wants to give you cash for it!
The BAKER Cash For Crap Program is back! Between now and November 14, 2012, send us your old worn out transmission and we will apply a 15% off credit on your purchase of a BAKER OD6, DD6, DD7 or OD6R! Don’t miss this opportunity to upgrade with the best of the best! Contact our expert sales staff today and ask about the Cash for Crap program!
1-877-640-2004.
BACK TO THE SHOP—The action is hot and heavy in the headquarters today. Sugar Bear gave me some tips last night on a couple of mechanical issues. Jeremiah just stopped over. He’s helping with some work in the front of the building, and I need to jump back into the shop.
I’m working on a tech tip with Rivera/Primo’s new clear primary cover with my Bonne Belle BDL system. I’m going to give it a shot and bring you the story.
I’m very close to dialing in the Spitfire Girder suspension on my Mudflab Girl, and I will re-align the rear wheel on my son’s Mudflap Girl FXR today and maybe go for a ride. Let’s see how much I can wrap-up.
Ride Forever,
–Bandit
