Hey,
How much of life is a roll of the dice, or fate. Of course, in order to test fate you must roll the dice or play the game.
We feel very fortunate around the headquarters. We have succeeded in building a pure unrelenting motorcycle nirvana. We do whatever we want, whenever we want.
Our mantra is all about helping our industry, and working with anyone who will help with those goals. We support almost any company in the industry that wants to work with us. It doesn’t matter if they advertise or not. We know it’s tough out there, today.
I once told a brother, if we wanted to get rich we would build custom toasters, not custom motorcycles. Think about markets for a second. If you want to be in a big market, make toasters. Okay, so you reach into the transportation sector. If you’re smart you build car parts. All right, build motorcycle parts for all motorcycles. Wait, you’re a Harley guy, so you stick with the V-Twin industry.
But no, we’re rebels and outlaws. We don’t ride stock shit, we build choppers. As you can see our market keeps getting smaller. But there’s a Trump card for many of us. It’s not about the money. It’s about what we love. If you love this lifestyle, you find a niche and ride right into the middle of it.
The Bikernet crew did and here we will stay. And we will fight anyone who gets in the way of the freedom to ride and build custom motorcycles.
Let’s hit the news.
NEWS FROM THE RED CROSS–
NOV 5: REMEMBER TO TURN AND TEST
Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 a.m. Sunday, and the American Red Cross has a reminder for you and your family: When you TURN your clocks back one hour, also TEST your smoke alarms. After you test your alarm, remind your friends and neighbors to #turnandtest too!
VINTAGE DEAL OF THE WEEKEND– Hey Bandit, my neighbor has these two bikes for sale. He also has a sidecar for the Indian. It is a ‘48 Chief and the other is a ‘42 WLC Canadian military 45.
It was chromed up in the ‘70s. They are mostly original bikes. He is going to put them in Bonhams auction in January but cash would buy them sooner.
The 45 runs great. I think the Indian will too. I am waiting for some brass floats. Today’s gas destroyed the foam ones. They are located in Boulder City, Nevada. Thought I would let you know. If anyone is interested I will put them in touch with the owner. He also has a ‘50s era services. I’ll get a pic soon.
The 45 runs great. It is smooth and tight and strong. I was surprised. First time I ever rode one that wasn’t all whacked up. The rubber float swelled up and blocked the needle valve shut.
The Indian had the same thing. They both have linkers M88s. I ordered three brass floats on eBay. They have a servicar I haven’t checked out yet but it probably needs a float too.
The Indian is an original bike. It was repainted in the ‘70s and has a homemade wiring harness. If anyone you know is interested in purchasing one just give them my number: 702 985 4042.
Peace brother, Bill May
I think what ATK needs in its street bike line is a design shift. The bikes remind me of American Motors styling. Fugly
–Sam
TX
SAMSON’S END OF YEAR BLOWOUT SALE– Samson Exhaust is hosting a HUGE blowout sale during the final two months of 2016!
Old inventory MUST GO! Full exhaust systems starting at just $99! Hundreds of Softail, Touring, Dyna, Sportster and even Metric exhaust systems are available for the taking. Steal your own set of Samson’s today at www.SamsonUSA.com/blowoutsale.
A MESSAGE FROM THE CODE OF THE WEST– “Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate.”
–Sidehack Jerry
IT’S ALL ABOUT STEPPING UP–
At the heart of effective grassroots advocacy is the distinctive voice that can be heard above the din, whether an individual voice or the chorus of many. To be truly heard a lasting impression must be made.
The NMA sends out several dozen legislative alerts to members via email each year. Each alert profiles a particular bill or set of bills, provides a recommendation for motorists to support or oppose, gives the reason(s) why, and identifies the legislators who should be contacted.
We have written about this process several times in the past, most recently here. Many members contact us and suggest that we send out a form letter with the requisite talking points, something that could be signed and sent in very efficiently. The benefit is obvious: The easier we make it to send in a letter of endorsement or opposition, the greater number of people who will respond by forwarding it to their state representative. The louder the chorus, the better we are heard. Right? Well, not exactly.
Legislative staffers have been consistent in telling us that sending in cookie-cutter letters virtually guarantees that the lawmaker will won’t see them. Regulations.gov, the site where government agencies post proposed rules in order to solicit public comments, relays that best in its Tips for Submitting Effective Comments, including:
Organizations often encourage their members to submit form letters designed to address issues common to their membership. Organizations including industry associations, labor unions, and conservation groups sometimes use form letters to voice their opposition or support of a proposed rulemaking. Many in the public mistakenly believe that their submitted form letter constitutes a “vote” regarding the issues concerning them. Although public support or opposition may help guide important public policies, agencies make determinations for a proposed action based on sound reasoning and scientific evidence rather than a majority of votes. A single, well-supported comment may carry more weight than a thousand form letters.
So what is the most effective way for an advocacy organization to encourage a large and effective response? It appears that balance was struck rather nicely with regard to Docket NHSTA-2016-0087, the request by the federal transportation agency for comments to the proposal of putting speed limiters on heavy trucks.
The speed limiter issue has been the topic of recent NMA e-newsletters. We recognize the names of many members among the posted comments to the NHTSA docket, and are especially pleased at the way they absorbed the NMA talking points that resonated with them, re-crafted the language, and then added their own observations and experiences to create unique, powerful messages in opposition to creating split speed limits on the nation’s highways. Those are the individual voices that stand out above the white noise.
–From NMA President Gary Biller
P.S. Docket NHTSA-2016-0087 remains open until December 7th in an extension of the public comment period just announced by the federal agency. If you haven’t added your response yet, pull up this NMA alert which frames the issues and fashion your own statement. The message needs to be loud and clear that we don’t want another national maximum speed limit fiasco caused by capping the speed of some – or as some have commented, all – vehicles.
P.P.S. If you aren’t on our legislative action email list but would like to be, drop us a note at nma@motorists.org. We’ll make sure to include you on future alerts.
In reference to the article LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING TO TERMINATE BIKERS?
There is an update on the MPP site saying that the company making the targets has removed them from its website.
Note it does Not Say they have Stopped Selling Them.
I suspect they are still available and Law Enforcement will be receiving a different form of advertising for them.
Need to try and find out what agencies are continuing to use them and Get Them To Stop.
–Rogue
Bikernet Baggers
Empirical Editor
rogue@bikernet.com
Palm Bay, FL
THUNDER BY THE BAY 2017 BAND SCHEDULE–
“Rockin’ & Ridin’ At The Ranch” Festival – Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Location: The Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch
(5895 Post Blvd. – Lakewood Ranch, FL)
12:15 pm Color Guard Presentation / National Anthem & Bike Blessing
12:30 pm – 1:45 pm Twinkle & Rock Soul Radio
2:15 pm – 3:30 pm Diary Of An Ozzman (Ozzy Osbourne Tribute)
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Keep The Faith (Bon Jovi Tribute)
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm KISS America (KISS Tribute)
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm Def Leggend (Def Leppard Tribute)
“Rockin’ & Ridin’ At The Ranch” Festival – Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Location: The Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch
(5895 Post Blvd. – Lakewood Ranch, FL)
11:15 am Color Guard Presentation /National Anthem & Bike Blessing
11:30 am – 1:00 pm “Enjoy The Ride” Sugarland Tribute
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Bobby Friss
4:00 pm Blue Oyster Cult
LAST CHANGE FOR NEW WALTHER– This Sunday, November 6th the auction ends!
Show your support for the brave men and women who selflessly Protect & Serve everyday by bidding on this one-of-a-kind Walther PPQ 40. All proceeds will benefit The Officer Down Memorial Page. #WaltherBacksBlue
-Click Logo to visit GunBroker Auction-
UNCLE MONKEY ON GREED– The problem is complicated. I absolutely insist people watch “Decadence: Decline of the Western World”. It does a very good job laying things out about the western world (Europe and North America).
I see a few problems. Everyone is obsessed with greed. I think you would agree not that long ago that if a company was netting a few $100 million profit every quarter it was a hugely successful company.
Today that is not enough to even consider as a startup. Samsung lost a billion in profit last quarter and investors are scattering like rats. The company still made something like 4 billion in the quarter. But that wasn’t the five billion it made in the same quarter a year before.
Think of the first time you heard the word billion. It was unimaginable. It was so rare to hear that you took notice when it came up. Now everything is billion this, billion that.
I suggest Michael Moore’s “Where to Invade Next” to watch too. He cherry picks the better ideas from different countries. The first one is a clothing factory in Italy. The employees get several weeks of paid holidays, an extra paycheck in December for Christmas. They get two-hour lunches and make a good wage.
The owners still make a great deal of money and everyone is happier and healthier. It cost them $40 to make a pair of jeans (Granted they are a premium clothing company so they can pass much of the cost onto the consumers – Moore forgets to mention that).
In the US the clothing company has their clothes made in Thailand for $5. They both sell their jeans to a high-end store for $50 a pair. On the surface and western business schools teach that the American company is smarter because it made $4.5 million more than its Italian counterpart.
What they miss is that the Italian owner still earned $1 million but they employed a couple hundred people in their town giving them a living wage who dined out, went to the movies, bought grocers, put their kids in sports so that $4.5 million was reinvested into the whole community and not just one person’s bank account.
The next problem I see is that being a politician is now a career, not a civic duty. At one time a person said “I want to make the world a better place.” Now they say “I can make a huge pile of money if I get in government from lobbyists and special interest groups.”
The myth that anyone can grow up to be the President died a long time ago. Quick, join a career agency now and fight to stay relevant, fight to stay apart of the general budgets. An agency is created to eliminate a specific problem. If they eliminate problem, then the agency is no longer needed and they are out of work. But if they don’t actually solve the issue and can convince people that another problem should be theirs as well, they double their budget and keep the money well pumping.
Is Big Oil the bad guy? Yes from a career politician point of view. Lobby groups should 100% be outlawed. Big Oil, Big Sugar (watch “Sugar Coated” to find out how they are killing us), Big Banks, Big Pharmaceuticals, everyone. Corporate donations should be 100% outlawed.
Personal donations should be capped at $1000. Big Oil shouldn’t be allowed to throw millions of dollars at Washington to push through the oil line across South Dakota. I’m sure if they offered that money to the First Nation reservations that they want to build across they could come to a deal or been able to find alternate routes to the refineries.
Again a lot of that comes back to the greed I was talking about before. Why give it to a Native when they can give it to a rich white guy? A pharmaceutical company is making 12 billion a quarter but they have to jack the price of a life saving medication 3500% so they post a 20 billion quarter. Why do they need a 20 billion quarter? Because their investors are greedy.
They demand 5% return on their investment instead of the 0.05% a savings account offers. Why can the bank only offer 0.05%? Because they have to earn 3 billion dollars more this quarter then a year ago.
The middle class was gutted out because those that were greedy enough moved up and they drove everyone else down into poverty.
Is Big Oil bad from a people point of view? No. A company has a right to be profitable – within reason. Exploration, refining, transportation all cost money but there is no way we should be paying as much as we are when they are posting the quarter profits and throwing around seven and eight figure bonuses to their CEOs.
Want to build an oil rig a mile off shore. Can you do it safely? Can you do it without upsetting the ecosystem? Yes. Then go right ahead. Want to fracture the bedrock into millions of small pieces to extract natural gas trapped in hundreds of small pockets. No, that sounds like a really, really bad idea – sorry you have to develop an alternative energy.
–Uncle Monkey
[page break]
THE AMAZING NEW 2017 INDIAN MOTORCYCLES ARE WAITING FOR YOU– Choose The Indian Motorcycle That Stirs Your Soul And Treat Yourself To A Powerful Life-Changing Experience Each Day.
It’s been a really solid year for us here at Indian Motorcycle Charlotte and we sincerely thank all of our friends and supporters for the kind words and purchases. When we started back in 2008, we were more than just passionate Indian believers, but had no idea of what would evolve over the next eight years. The acquisition of Indian Motorcycle Company by Polaris will be a major footnote to Indian motorcycle history in the decades to come.
November has two very important holidays for us. On November 11th, we celebrate Veterans Day and thank all veterans for their sacrifices to help preserve our freedoms and way of life. We also want to recognize and thank today’s men and women in uniform for their ongoing service.
On the 24th, we plan to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with family and close friends as we give thanks for the many blessings we receive. Naturally, Indian Motorcycle Charlotte will be closed on Thanksgiving, but we will re-open on Friday as the holiday shopping season kicks off.
It’s the first week in November and we have only a few 2016 Indian Chiefs left. Maybe our crazy low prices and $1500 Bonus Trade-In Credit will help move one of these beauties into your garage?
How about 3.99% financing for 72 months? 2016 Indian Chief Classic buyers get $2,000 In Accessory & Apparel Credit; Chief Dark Horse buyers get $1,000 Accessory & Apparel Bonus. Check our website or stop in to see all the great offers.
Buy any 2016 Indian Scout or Scout-Sixty and get $1,000 in Parts, Accessories & Apparel. Exclusively for Flagship News subscribers, we offer 2016 Indian Scouts and Scout Sixtys at $500 or $300 Off, plus 0% financing to 72 months. We have every Scout in every color, so stop in today, select yours and shop for those special accessories to make it uniquely yours.
We have hundreds of options available.
As we head into the holiday season, you should know that our entire catalog of Indian apparel is online and available for quick shipping.
Visit IndianMotorcycleCharlotte.net to check out the latest styles.
AH, THE BIKERNET BAD JOKE LIBRARY IS STILL WIDE OPEN– My wife and I were watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire the other night I turned to her and said, “Do you want to make love?”
‘No,’ she answered.
Then, like a smart ass, I said, ‘Is that your final answer?’
She didn’t even look at me this time, simply saying, “Yes.”
So I said, “Then I’d like to phone a friend.”
And that’s when the fight started…
–from Sam Burns
QUOTE FROM “EXILE ON FRONT STREET”–
“I learned that being an outlaw isn’t something you find “out there,” it’s inside you. You don’t have to own a motorcycle or wear a patch on your back to be an outlaw. You just have to live life on your terms, and to be true to whomever you believe in even when it’s hard to stand up for those beliefs… If you follow your own compass and know where you’re going, you’re already an outlaw.”—George Christie from his new book
You will hear more about this book, but a topic surfaced over and over, “Where was the brotherhood?”
“You asked the million dollar question,” said George recently. “What happened to the brotherhood? Its interesting I am asked that a least once a day by independents and X-members of many different outlaw clubs. I also am still being petitioned to start an alternative outlaw bike club based on brotherhood. Many riders are drawn to the outlaw lifestyle, but learn very fast the brotherhood no longer exists. That’s a subject we need to explore.”
More reports are forthcoming.–Bandit
METZELER and Fuller Moto Video– Highlighting the Ride to the 12th Annual Barber Vintage Festival is Now Live
METZELER partnered with Fuller Moto to host a motorcycle ride for motorcyclists interested in making the trek to the world-famous 12th Annual Barber Vintage Festival on Thursday, October 6th. The ride welcomed men and women of all ages as they roared out of the streets of Atlanta towards the back roads on route 78, eventually reaching the final destination in Leeds, Alabama.
A video highlighting some of the custom machinery, beautiful scenery and incredible, fun-filled moments along the way is now LIVE on the METZELER YouTube channel. Be sure to check it out as Bryan Fuller takes us through the trip.
Watch the full METZELER and Fuller Moto ride video here
To learn more about METZELER’s full lineup of motorcycle tires Click Here
For more information on METZELER and its line of motorcycle tires, please visit: www.metzeler.com
–Scott Roegner
AMA ALERT-– Election Day is almost here! Remember to Vote Like a Motorcyclist!
With the election just days away, the American Motorcyclist Association reminds you to check out the AMA 2016 Vote Like a Motorcyclist campaign before heading to the polls!
Make sure you’re prepared to vote by reading our state-by-state voter guides. Basic voter information is available on your state page. Information is available on your polling locations, polling hours and what you will need to vote.
Now more than ever, it is crucial that you and your riding friends become members of the American Motorcyclist Association to help protect our riding freedoms. More members mean more clout against the opponents of motorcycling. That support will help fight for your rights – on the road, trail and racetrack and in the halls of government.
If you are a motorcycle rider, join the AMA at americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join.
MEANWHILE BACK IN THE BAD JOKE LIBRARY–
Went out last night to a Halloween Party dressed as a chicken. Hooked up with a girl dressed as an egg. A lifelong question was answered. It was the chicken!
A crowded United Airlines flight was cancelled. A single agent was rebooking a long line of inconvenienced travelers.
Suddenly, an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket on the counter and said, “I HAVE to be on this flight and it has to be FIRST CLASS.”
The agent replied, “I’m sorry, sir. I’ll be happy to try to help you, but I’ve got to help these folks first; and then I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.”
The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers behind him could hear,
“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?”
Without hesitating, the agent smiled and grabbed her public address microphone. “May I have your attention, please?” she began, her voice heard clearly throughout the terminal.. “We have a passenger here at Gate 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him with his identity, please come to Gate 14.”
With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man glared at the United Airlines agent, gritted his teeth, and said, “F*** You!”
Without flinching, she smiled and said, “I’m sorry sir, you’ll have to get in line for that, too.”
The Italian Virginity Test
Mario is planning to marry and asks his family doctor how he could tell if his bride-to-be is still a virgin.
His doctor says, “Mario, all the Italian men I know use three things for what we call a Do-It-Yourself Virginity Test Kit – A small can of red paint, a small can of blue paint and a shovel.”
Mario asks, “And what do I do with these things, doc?
The doctor replies, “Before you climb into bed on your wedding night, you paint one of your balls red and the other ball blue. If she says, ‘That’s the strangest pair of balls I’ve ever seen!’,……….you hit her with the shovel.
WEEKEND DEALS FROM CHOPPERTOWN– Hope all is well with you! We have some great new changes coming to the site and some new announcements coming soon about our upcoming Vimeo co-production “Choppertown Nation: the series”…
To celebrate we’ve set up ALL digital downloads for Buy 1 Get 1 Free for the next few weeks, so go ahead and stock up for the holidays. Thanks for all the support and have a great Biker Movie Sunday!
Stay independent,
–Zack and Scott
ANOTHER THOUGHTFUL ADDITION TO THE CODE OF THE WEST–
“When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing; when you see that money is flowing to those who deal not in goods, but in favors; when you see that men get rich more easily by graft than by work, and your laws no longer protect you against them, but protect them against you. . . you may know that your society is doomed.”
“Atlas Shrugged” – Ayn Rand
IT’S ALL NUT— But next week will be a blast. I’m going for a ride to ponder the world and Thanksgiving. I have a lot to be thankful for, we all do. I’m going to attempt to put it in writing over the next couple of weeks.
I feel very fortunate to have accomplished almost everything I’ve dreamed of and more. Maybe it’s my fucking list. I have a constantly changing list in my pocked daily. I love to scratch shit off the list, but it keeps me going.
The list contains articles I need to write, parts I need to find, shit around the Headquarters needing fixing. You name it, from little shit to big goals are on that list until I can scratch them off, tear up the list and start over.
I’m working on two articles with the H-D factory. One about a gray Softail built for the Navy to support veterans. The Navy just launched the USS Milwaukee and they needed a mascot.
I’m working on a story about the new M-8 engine to answer some questions about the new configuration. Maybe we asked secret information question. Hopefully, we will stumble onto the info this coming week. Josh Placa just rebuilt his Softail and I now have his tech.
And finally, I’m working on a new Cantina Episode. I started it. I have some notions inspired by Deb Black from Bartels’ H-D. I need to ask her a couple more questions. It should be a good one. So, there’s just one aspect on my list currently. And so the week is fired up ready to roll.
Ride Free Forever,
–Bandit
