General Posts

    Meets Charmaine and Luck Changes Photos By Jack Mcintyre, Story by Bandit Here’s a classic. It was featured in the HORSE years ago as one of the Smoke Out 8 Show Winners. It’s currently featured on Shovelhead-Bobbers.com but without Charmaine. “The bike has been around a while, Lucky Charm Choppers went out of business about 6 years ago maybe…” Jack McIntyre, the photographer said. “ Her name is Charmaine, posed for my last calendar at about that same time. She is or was a part of the suicide girls awhile back.” CLICK TO READ  

To mark the 110th anniversary of the motorcycle brand, Pope Francis was presented with the 1,585cc Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide in June 2013. Now, in what is a rare and exceptional opportunity, the machine is to be auctioned for charity by Bonhams at the Grand Palais on 6 February 2014. The Sale, which is taking place as part of Rétromobile Week, will see the motorcycle raise funds for Caritas Roma, which works on behalf of the Roman Catholic church to support those in need around the world. It was donated to the charity by Pope Francis, who is famous for his work with the poor and his preference for modest modes of transport. Keeping charity and transport at the forefront of his mind, the Harley-Davidson, which has an estimate of €12,000-15,000, is to be sold with no reserve in aid of Caritas Roma. Funds raised by the sale will go towards the renovation of the charity’s Don Luigi di Liegro hostel and soup kitchen based at Rome’s Termini railway station. The hostel opened 30 years ago to help the homeless, jobless and the poor, and the money raised by the Harley Davidson’s sale will allow it to continue to provide food and accommodation to more than 1,000 people in need every day. Signed on the tank by his Holiness at a special ceremony at the Vatican in November, the machine is also offered with a certificate of conformity from Harley-Davidson. Ben Walker, head of motorcycles at Bonhams, said: “We are incredibly honoured to be selling this item on behalf of Caritas Roma. We hope to be able to do both Pope Francis and Harley-Davidson proud by raising a significant amount of money for a very worthy cause.” The Harley-Davidson will be sold on 6 February 2014 as part of Bonhams’ Les

It’s not too early to start thinking about this year’s J&P Cycles Open House Rally! In fact, while most of the country is in a deep freeze, it’s the perfect time to start planning that trip to the heartland of Eastern Iowa this June (when it’s almost guaranteed to be much warmer). Since 2014 is J&P Cycle’s 35th anniversary, the rally is extended to 3 days! The rally will kick off on Friday, June 27 and continue through Sunday, June 29. That’s not it – for the first time, there will be live music on the grounds Friday evening. See MySelfishMe on stage first, followed by Hairball. Saturday and Sunday will be just as energetic! Meet two of the cast members from Sons of Anarchy – Mark Boone, Jr. (Bobby Munson) will be on site Saturday while Tommy Flanagan (Filip “Chibs” Telford) will be here on Sunday. 1 Wheel Revolution will wow the crowd and bike shows will take place on both days. Plus, don’t forget the great shopping – 110 vendors will be on site promoting the latest in motorcycle ware, and so much more. Trust us, and the more than 30,000 visitors last year – now is the time to starting planning that trip and make a weekend of it.   Advertisement

Hall of Famer Craig Vetter — motorcycle inventor, designer and racer — will be the featured guest at its annual AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Breakfast at Daytona, on Friday, March 14, at 7:00 a.m., at the Daytona 500 Club on the infield at Daytona International Speedway. “Craig Vetter’s impact is far-reaching, starting with the design of the iconic Windjammer fairings of the 1970s, continuing with motorcycle designs like the Triumph X-75 Hurricane and the limited-edition ‘Mystery Ship,’ and enduring more recently with a resurrected series of motorcycle fuel economy runs that push the boundaries of everyday streamlining,” said Jeff Heininger, chairman of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, which oversees the Hall of Fame. “We’re proud to host motorcycling’s design professor emeritus for this year’s Breakfast at Daytona.” Taking place during 2014 Daytona Bike Week, the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Breakfast at Daytona fundraiser will feature a live interview with Vetter on stage, an audience Q&A period and an autograph session with Vetter and other Hall of Famers in attendance. The event is open to the public, and tickets are available now at www.motorcyclemuseum.org. Proceeds benefit the AMHF and the Hall of Fame. Craig Vetter founded the Vetter Corporation, a company that became famous for its touring and sport fairings for motorcycles from the late 1960s into the 1980s. Vetter’s designs always inspired new directions in motorcycle design. Vetter was a racer himself at Daytona in 1976. Later, his company sponsored the Kawasaki team when Reg Pridmore became the 1978 AMA Superbike Champion. He also sponsored famous Vetter Fuel Economy Contests where motorcycles squeezed more than 400 miles out of a gallon of gas — a program he continues doing to this day at the annual AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days event in Ohio Vetter said he’s looking forward to

Not content to let builders build unridebale two-wheeled sculptures, and call them motorcycles, the editorial Director of Hot Bike and Baggers Magazine, Jeff G. Holt came up with the concept of a bike show where the builders actually have to ride their creations over a series of days to be considered into the judging competition. “Over the past decade or so we have really became bored of the slapped-together and wacky style of show bikes that were never intended to even be ridden and think our fans, readers, and riders have as well. That’s why we decided to invite the world’s best bike builders to put their metal where their mouth is and build a badass bike that they can and will actually ride.” States Jeff G. Holt. The Hot Bike Invitational Bike Build-off will be held in conjunction with the Hot Bike Tour, which takes place August 16-22 2014, starting in Springfield, MO. The bikes will be ridden daily and judged upon by event attendees via ballot boxes at every event stop. There will be a Daily winner per stop and well as a Grand Champion that wins the title with the most total votes over the five days of the tour. Click here to see the invited builders attending.

Metalsport, Inc. makew the world’s first 32″ billet wheel/tire combination which will be released at the V-Twin Expo next month. Metalsport, Inc. makes the world’s largest wheels including the NEW 32″ front and 18″ x 14″ rear, as well as all of the standard Harley and custom sizes. Being design pioneers, Metalsport always has a variety of other wheel designs and products on the drawing board getting perfected. Ron Loynds, President of Metalsport, Inc. stated, “We chose Matt Hotch and Shannon Davidson as an integral part of our marketing efforts launching this new 32” wheel due to their reputations and respect of their peers. Both of their new Metalsport creations with the new 32’s will be displayed in Metalsport’s booth in Cincinnati. Loynds concluded “We are very happy to have the exclusive rights to VEE Rubber’s 30″ and 32″ tires.” VEE Rubber Tires are available in all sizes including 26″, 30″ and NOW 32″ tall for the front and 310 and 360mm wide for the rear. Metalsport, Inc. offers wheel sizes to match all 25 of VEE Rubber tire sizes. For more information on Metalsport, Inc., call them at 562-776-9594, email them at info@metalsportwheels or check them out online at Metalsportwheels.com. Follow Matt Hotch, Shannon Davidson and Metalsport, Inc. on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and other popular social media sites. Advertisement

  Andie has been featured here in Bikernet’s Celebrate Women department, and also contributes regularly to Andie’s Garage. Please go and VOTE for her Entry!! You may win some swag! The entries are in and Champion is ready to award $125,000 in racing sponsorships for the 2014 season! 15 Racers will win $5,000 Champion sponsorships and move on to compete for the Grand Prize Sponsorship of $50,000. The first round of voting runs from January 6 through February 2 and we need your help selecting this year’s winners. Vote early and vote often as we will randomly select 200 voters to win FREE Champion swag for helping us determine this year’s winners. The more votes you cast the better your chances of winning the voter’s sweepstakes.  

    Learn the steps needed to maintain your own ride. By Andie Gaskins from Fast Andie Racing The first step is to go shopping and gather up all your needed supplies. If this is your first project, you may require more supplies the first time. You need to have something to catch the oil (oil pan), oil filter wrench to remove and reinstall the oil filter, wrench to remove oil drain plug, funnel, rags, the proper oil for your machine, oil filter, and possibly o-rings. You can find such items at your local motorcycle dealer, motorcycle repair shop, or local parts chain stores, such as Napa, AutoZone, etc. If you go to your local motorcycle dealer or repair shop, chances are pretty high that the person at the parts counter will be able to gather up the correct oil filter, oil, and o-rings. They usually have the knowledge readily available to access that information for you. If you are shopping without guidance, you may want to purchase a service manual specific to your motorcycle (for many reasons-we will discuss again in a few steps!) The parts people can make mistakes because they get in a hurry, are really busy, etc., so it’s important to educate yourself and know if you have the correct parts. If you get home and something doesn’t feel right, it’s ok to ask someone. A part could have been removed at one time from the original packaging, and the wrong part returned. Again, trust your gut and ask if necessary. CLICK HERE TO READ  

    Riding with Arizona’s Ancient Pueblo People Text and Photos by J. Joshua Placa As we wander the planet with no real destination except that place in our motoring mind pushed by adrenalin, the sensual beauty of a sweeping curve, and the pure, exultant thrill of discovery. As the miles and years roll by it gets harder to find that fresh road and soul-stretching horizon. But there is one particular place, little known to man and biker alike. Wupatki National Monument, just north of Flagstaff, AZ, haunts its visitors with ancient Indian ruins, dormant but not dead volcanoes, rivers of cold lava and booming vistas of the Painted Desert. In one 35-mile loop, riders can see centuries of human and geologic history. Entering from the north end of the park, the landscape shifts from desert scrub to towers of petrified dunes and shades of red sandstone to fir and pinon pine forests and rolling fields of volcanic cinder. The high desert is dotted by the stone remains of pueblo settlements whose people mysteriously vanished after centuries of habitation. At the south end of the park, scores of cinder cones gather like children to the towering mother volcano, Sunset Crater. The big, black conical pile of volcanic rubble stands at a foreboding 8,049 feet. Snow topped its crater only a day after I rode by on an early fall afternoon.   CLICK HERE TO READ