Hey,
Another interesting day in paradise and I’m still wonderings what the hell happened. I had three missions yesterday. First, I had to work on another drawing for the city regarding the building.
I hoped to have it finished by noon, then the Redhead of Redheads finished proofreading the second Chance book and had made a list of corrections. We needed to review it and send it to David Barnett who will include the corrections, complete the layout and ship it to the printers. That project was supposed to take about an hour.
Then I would return to finishing the Biker’s Choice tech on my American V-Plus Evo styled engine. Damn, I’ve learned a lot. It’s now running and I’ve performed several tests. Need to take her for a ride.
But at one point I ended up covered in gasoline. Hang on, I’ll tell you about it at the end. The redhead came to my rescue.
LOVE JUGS TESTIMONIAL–I have had my Love Jugs Cool Masters for just over 1 year and I can confirm these fans work great. I am on the Harley Davidson of Scottsdale Drill Team here in Arizona. Our performances are a lot of low speed tight maneuvers and our engines get very hot very quick.
My fans do not blow any more hot air across my right leg than what comes off the engine normally. I have a Power Vision tuner on my bike and it has in the Gauges a display for Engine temp. Without the fans running in stop and go traffic at 95 degree outside temps (or Drill Practice) my engine temps can get to almost 315.
With the fans running the temps stay much closer to 265 – 270. I forget to turn them on sometimes and get the engine hot then remember to turn them on and they will overcome the high heat and get back to the 270 range within 15 min while still riding.
As far as their customer service goes I was most impressed. My set was purchased at AZ Bike week last year and I finally got around to installing them on Easter Sunday. Missing were the instructions for the Frame mount kit. I emailed the company Easter Morning figuring I would hear back at Mon or Tues. I received a email response and a call from the owner walking me thru the install that afternoon.
This tells me how much he cares about his customers and believes in his product. – Jeff, Scotsdale, AZ
NEW REPORT COMING TO BIKERNET– Hey, I heard it through the grapevine: Builder Max Hazan is in your neighborhood, a few blocks from Lock Baker’s new-ish shop Eastern Fabrications LLC. Just an FYI.
–Marilyn Stemp
All supreme Editor
Iron Trader News
Nestled into an alleyway in the busy streets of Downtown Los Angeles, Lock Baker is putting together some of the most insanely well engineered forward-thinking custom motorcycles ever built.
Lock is a builder’s builder. There is a reason that among the 30 or so people at the shop opening were some of the biggest and most impressive names in customs. He isn’t just putting an engine in a custom frame, he is engineering every single component from engine to frame in order to make the ultimate machine.
The latest bike on the lift: The Interceptor MK2 is one of the most brilliantly engineered bikes I have ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. There isn’t a component on this machine that hasn’t been carefully assessed and run through the “how can we do this better?” grid. This is the sort of bike you can easily get lost looking at and still never understand the full amount of work and thought that went into it. I recognize some of the other bikes around the shop as pieces from earlier in Eastern Fabrications story, namely “Icarus,” whose Twin-Cam engine was treated with Continental aircraft cylinders as well as a ton of other insane pieces that are an absolute wonder to me.
Lock works on another level and sitting talking to him about his bikes, you’re talking to an artist more than a mechanic. The passion he has for what he does beams out of his eyes as he excitedly explains the details of his mechanical masterpieces to you. There aren’t a lot of builders pushing themselves the way that Lock is with Eastern Fabrications, and with the new space: it’s only getting better.
For more information on Lock Baker and his awesome new shop in Downtown Los Angeles, visit his website EasternFabrications.com
–M
We discussed a feature on Los Angeles shops with the master photographer and note taker, Markus Cuff. He’s on the case.–Wrench
SERIOUS CHAINSAW— We don’t know who made it, but we’re looking.
–from Rogue
FROM THE BIKERNET CONTROL FREAK DICTATOR FILES– Sign the Petition: U.S. Bureau of Land Management proposal would limit local input
BLM seeks comments on landscape level planning
Take Action
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has released for public comment its proposed land use planning regulations and handbook. Combined, they provide the basis for Resource Management Plans, which underlie every on-the-ground decision on nearly 250 million acres of BLM-managed land.
The American Motorcyclist Association has the tools to make it easy for you to submit comments by signing our petition. Act now. Sign the AMA’s petition to voice your concern.
The proposed BLM rules:
• Minimize input from local and state governments, public officials and private citizens;
• Fail to address economic impact and administrative costs of the proposed changes; and
• Result in comprehensive changes that can be reversed easily under new secretarial leadership.
We cannot overstate the significance of the fact that these proposed changes are based on a Presidential Directive and four Secretarial Orders – all of which circumvent the U.S. Congress, states and a wide range of national, regional and local stakeholders.
This process appears to be similar to the way the failed Washington, D.C.-led effort of the Wilds Lands designation (described in an AMA blog post at this link) would essentially allow officials in the BLM to manage public land as if it had received a “Wilderness” land-use designation from Congress without requiring congressional approval or local and state input.
Deadline: The AMA needs your signature by 5pm eastern time Monday, May 23. We will submit every name and address collected with our comments to the BLM.
Read AMA’s Comments: You can read AMA’s comments to the BLM here.
There is nothing more powerful than thousands of riders joining to express their concern about rules that favor Washington agencies over local and state officials and the affected public. Riders like you join the AMA to unite for a common goal – to protect our freedom to ride. As an AMA member, you will stand with hundreds of thousands of advocates nationwide fighting anti-motorcycling forces that threaten our right to ride and race. That’s why the AMA is where you belong. Visit www.AMAJoin.com or call (800) AMA-JOIN today. To encourage your friends to join, tell them about the AMA benefits you appreciate and share the link with them.
Please follow the AMA on Twitter @AMA_Rights and like us on Facebook. Please share with your friends on Facebook.
Take Action
Watch the U.S. House Hearing on BLM Planning Rule 2.0
BIKERNET READER/CORRESPONDENT COMMENT– Read the Thursday news and like the closing about the code we live. I see people the same way everyday. “I can’t afford that bike but I can afford the beer, the cigarettes, the weed etc.”
It is like you said it is all about focus and what you want and how bad you want it. This made me think back to my younger days of wanting that Harley when I was in the 10th grade. Took me sometime, but I worked and committed myself to getting it. Yeah, did not throw what money I had on things I did not need!
Never let anyone tell you that you can not do it or you can never afford it! I was told all of this about getting my first Harley, never listened to any of it because I was focused on getting it!
I have been told I am obsessed with bikes, not really it is just what I enjoy and what I love. There are more important things in life I know but for every bike and every part have bought, I earned and paid for because I was focused.
I don’t see this focus oftened today. Loved the news!
–Stealth
METAL SPORT TESTIMONIAL OF THE WEEK–
“if your goin’ to get dressed up”…… you might as well were the best shoes…. and that’s MetalSport wheels…. period !!!!”
– Todd Anglani
After Hours Bikes
QUICK, OPEN THE BIKERNET BAD JOKE LIBRARY– A frustrated wife buys a pair of crotchless panties in an attempt to spice up her dead sex-life. She puts them on, together with a short skirt and sits on the sofa opposite her husband.
At strategic moments she uncrosses her legs… enough times till her husband says, “Are you wearing crotchless panties?”
“Y-e-s,” she answers with a seductive smile. “Thank God… I thought you were sitting on the cat.”
He never heard the gunshot
–from Jerry and Rogue
ALL NEW REDUCED REACH CLUTCH LEVERS– SoftBrakes’ new Reduced Reach Clutch lever for 2014 and new touring bikes with hydraulic clutch is certain to enhance the ride experience for many touring and sport riders alike.
The unique lever reduces reach 1” less then stock, providing smoother, easier operation. A real convenience for riders with smaller hands.
Reduced Reach Levers are available in polished $49.95, black $56.95 and chrome $64.95. All sales are on an exchange basis only. Call direct at 208-561-5031 or catch them on the Web at www.softbrake.com
AMAZING SHRUNKEN FXR RETURNS TO BIKERNET, UPDATED– Once upon a time there was a bike built called the Shrunken FXR. It was built by Keith “Bandit” Ball, of Bikernet and other assorted fame. By a stroke of good fortune the bike became mine through the generosity and trust of Keith Ball.
This bike was my daily commuter for a handful of years. It was and is always a challenge and a ton of fun navigating the streets and freeways of Los Angeles on two wheels and especially on a custom built motorcycle.
I decided after some years it was time to update the look of the bike as well as do some fine tuning of a few mechanical items that I wanted to switch up a bit. Below is a brief summary of what was done, again primarily with the help of friends and some extra cash from my Pops to help get it all finished up proper.
–Buster Gates
Technician
The Famous Island of ARCH Motorcycles
Watch for the full report on Bikernet next week. –Bandit
THE TRIKING VIKING TEMPLE TOURS—
The terrazzo steps are still intact, perched at cliff’s edge like a gateway to the vast expanse of ocean and sky beyond. However, the majestic Golden Lotus Temple once attached to the steps surfed down the cliff at Swamis Point only five years after its construction.
The beautiful Golden Lotus Temple which was a landmark at Encinitas slipped away from its foundations in 1942. Subterranean earth movement due to seepage of a lake of water under the temple was the culprit. Before the temple fell, Paramahansa Yogananda was tempted to hold a last Sunday Service there, but refrained from doing so, realizing that the weight of the congregation may cause a major disaster.
Don’t miss the tales from the Triking Viking on Bikernet Trikes.
First Look: 2016 Indian Chieftain Dark Horse
Perfect, just the way it is!
–Anson
Houma, LA
AGE OLD HELMET DEBATE NEVER STOPS– Florida Today Newspaper – Brevard County. Florida’s motorcycle helmet debate continues.
Helmet or helmet-less? Motorcycle riders, groups and medical professionals are still weighing in on the Sunshine State’s policies.
(Photo: Tim Shortt, FLORIDA TODAY)
Tom Taylor has years in the saddle of a motorcycle.
That experience in all kinds of traffic and weather – plus a scary hit-and-run wreck – buys him the knowledge to make his own decisions on wearing a helmet, he says.
Taylor says he rides both with a helmet and helmet-less, depending on the situation. But he emphasizes that his choice is personal and doesn’t think it’s for everyone to make.
“If I’m comfortable on the roads and the people I’m with, I choose not to wear a helmet, but saying that, I feel inexperienced riders should wear a helmet until they get that riding skill to a point where they’re comfortable to make the decision,” said Taylor, who was hit by a drunken driver in 2011 and was injured without so much as a scratched helmet.
Since 2000, it’s been legal in Florida to ride without a helmet, provided the rider:
Is at least 21 and holds medical insurance coverage of at least $10,000.
But it does up the risk of serious injury, medical experts say.
“I think a lot of people think that a lot of fatalities are going to be without the helmets, but there are a lot of crashes that are un-survivable because of the nature of the crash,” said Florida Highway Patrol Public Affairs Officer Kim Montes. “There is no trend one way or another.”
Statewide in 2014, according to FHP, 450 motorcycle drivers or passengers died in wrecks, with 210 of those confirmed to have not been wearing a helmet. In 2013 there were 462 combined fatalities with 216 confirmed to have not been wearing a helmet. Montes noted that those numbers are higher than in many states due to the fact that motorcyclists “can ride year-round” due to the warmer weather.
In Brevard, nine of 14 motorcyclists killed in 2013 wore a helmet. In 2014, it was three of five. In 2015, it was three of 12. Across the central Florida counties of Brevard, Seminole, Volusia, Lake, Orange and Osceola, the ratios were about the same:
2013: 57 deaths, 32 with a helmet
2014: 50 deaths, 23 with a helmet
2015: 62 deaths, 31 with a helmet
According to Rob Spivey, trauma program manager at Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, more than 70 studies since the year 2000 “support that the use of motorcycle helmets in decreasing the incidence of lethal head injuries, death and non-lethal head injuries related to the use” of helmets for motorcyclists.
Some riders say they take no chances.
“I wear a helmet 100 percent of the time I ride. There are too many factors that are not under control of the motorcycle rider,” said Rick Teresi of Palm Bay. “Other drivers’ lack of attention to their surroundings create deadly situations for those of us on two wheels.”
“I always wear a helmet. You could trip walking on a sidewalk hit your head and possibly die or be seriously injured,” added Searphiel Goss. “Now add speed with a crash and possibly being hit by a car and your chances of death or horrible injury are high. It’s not worth the risk.”
And one woman even told FLORIDA TODAY that her husband was saved by wearing his helmet while driving her car.
“My husband was in a motorcycle accident a few years ago, that involved sliding for about 100 feet, essentially on his face. His full helmet (with face shield) did its job admirably,” said Tracy Howard of Melbourne. “That, along with other protective gear, saved him from what could have potentially been much worse.”
(Maybe, if he wasn’t wearing a helmet, he would have avoided the accident completely—Bandit)
Though Montes and FHP support the right of motorcyclists to not wear a helmet, she notes that they “encourage people to wear all safety equipment.”
The debate as to whether or not motorcyclists should be permitted to ride without helmets continues nationwide. Currently, 19 states have laws requiring all motorcyclists to wear helmets, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Three states (Iowa, Illinois and New Hampshire) have no laws mandating that any riders wear helmets.
Spivey feels there really shouldn’t be much of a debate.
“Several national studies have shown an increase in traumatic brain injuries and fatalities in areas where helmet laws have been repealed,” Spivey added. “There are standards that have been developed based on these outcomes (of motorcycle crashes) and research to help match helmets for their intended use.”
(There shouldn’t be any debate. We live in a free society. It should be our choice. –Bandit)
Employees with Champions Honda Kawasaki offered tips for motorcyclists looking to buy helmets:
First, they recommended buying SHOEI helmets, as that’s the brand that produces the highest-quality helmets that offer the most proection. “There’s a lot of people that aren’t going to want to pay for SHOEIs, but they’re the best of the best,” said Fehnel. A SHOEI helmet costs at least $400.
Beyond that, they say to make sure all helmets are DOT certified, mandatory for all helmets and that they’re also Snell certified, a certification which isn’t mandatory but is strongly recommended. “Snell does an impact test, a flame-resistant test, a puncture test, a couple different things,” said Julia Fehnel, parts manager at the store.
Getting a helmet that has good visibility with protection from the sun is also important.
They also stress the importance of trying on a helmet before purchasing it to make sure it fits right, kind of in the way a person tries on pants even if they know what size they are. “We sized me up to the right size just ’cause we matched by helmet size up with my hat size,” says Alex Drabek, parts specialist of his process of buying a helmet at the store.
Purchasing a metal quick clip over plastic if possible is also considered optimal.
Finally, they noted that motorcyclists shouldn’t wear a helmet too long. “Five years is the max,” said Drabek
–By ChrisBonano-Cropped.jpgChris Bonanno, FLORIDA TODAY
–from Rogue
Annual Straw Art Festival in Japan since 2008– students at the Musashino Art University in Tokyo have ventured to Kamizeki Lagoon Park in Niigata City, Japan to erect huge sculptures made from straw.
Every year the students build large wooden frames which serve as the base for the woven straw artworks.
–from Vern
[page break]
LAST CHANCE FOR SMOKE OUT DISCOUNTS– The clock is ticking. Discount tickets are available till May 15th.
Secure your tickets and camping passes today. Click here to getr’ done.
GOOD TIMES ARE JUST A CLICK AWAY
Get your discount tickets now so you won’t miss:
Kick A$$ Music
Chop-Off
Drag Racing
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Drift Triking Falderal
Painted Lady Contest
Bike Show
Stunt Show
Click here for your camping tickets and passes.
FLORIDA HELMET LAW REPORT— This report wasn’t bad, but it missed a couple of major points. First, Helmets can cause accidents through a loss of peripheral vision. They can cause severe injuries and death during a minor accident because of the dangers to the spine. But here’s a major concern, FREEDOM.
The press acts as if they want to support anything that will save a life and disregard Freedom completely. I’m not opposed to saving lives, but I’m an ardent supporter of Freedom and we are losing our Freedoms fast.
The media seems to love any statistical evidence to support loss of freedom while saving lives. So, think about it. What if we came up with a statistical report demonstrating the number of violent crimes in the United States and attribute it to media coverage. So, we start to pass laws against the press overtly covering violence. Or how about we pass a law in a state that forces the press to purchase additional liability insurance if they want to cover violence constantly.
How about we pass laws to force the press to write so man educational reports a week on the benefits of gun ownership. If they don’t agree we can sue them for a loss of lives through the lack of self-defense knowledge.
Let’s pass a law against all control freaks.
–Bandit
THE NEW ACTION BIKERNET WEEKLY NEWS for May 12, 2016
Since I’m writing so much…just remembered Dewey’s hammer heel-shifter. I thought I had seen the Aeromach style shifter before. Probably read about it on Bikernet.com
–Sam
Texas
You’re right.
For the third consecutive year, Team Nitto has taken 1st place at Formula DRIFT Round 2: Road Atlanta. This time around, it was Vaughn Gittin Jr. and his 2016 Ford Mustang RTR on top of the podium. Vaughn also took the top position in qualifying, making it a “Perfect Weekend” not seen since Seattle, 2014.
I’ll bet a car tire report seems strange on Bikernet. It is, but years ago I drove a 1955 Buick. At one point I added wider rims and baby moons, and Nitto tires. I liked the tires but didn’t pay much attention to them. But then I notice folks commenting on my tires.
After a half-dozen favorable comments, I started to pay attention to Nitto tires.—Bandit
–from Vern
THE SHERIFF ’S NEW THREADS– A good friend at ACNE Tomas Skoging made these suggestions this morning.
Feedback please
–Chris
SHERIFF MEDIA GROUP
S-36030 LAMMHULT
SWEDEN
NEW FILMS FROM THE MASTERS OF CHOPPERTOWN–We’ve been given access to the famous Duke Video library and our first imports are the well done ‘Best of British’ series – more info below or click here to download for just $5 each this week. Have a great weekend!
Stay independent,
–Zack and Scott
Download the Best of British movies
BSA, Norton, Triumph – titans of the British Motorcycle industry which still inspire great admiration to this day.
These three documentaries retell the history of the companies from foundation to eventual collapse and, in Triumph’s case, rebirth.
Fascinating interviews with key players, informative narration and a good look at the key models make these an ideal gift for any fan and an essential part of any collection.
TIP: Don’t forget our “Build Your Own Bundle” plan so you can save every time you order. Choose ANY three items from the site (even discounted ones and bundles!) and you save 10%, any four save 15%, and any five take 20% off.
DICTATORS FALSE REPORTS– Below is the only report to date. The FARS reporting in CT has been a complete farce since ATV riding and driving is only legal on private exclusive land.
http://wtnh.com/2016/02/12/hamden-man-arrested-in-fatal-motorcycle-crash/
FARS report ATV OHV
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812193.pdf
Each time CMRA Reps sit in on the DOT Highway Safety peer groups, a relationship and understanding of the false reporting is being worked on.
DMV and DOT said that once $30,000 in revenue has built up in the state in revenue from “autocycle” registrations and taxes, the motorcycle plate will say autocycle. Should NHTSA separate them before the $30,000 is accumulated, then obviously the DMV will follow the Federal standard.
Looking at the ATV FARS report, a dirt bike/quad is the safest thing to ride because in 8 years only 12 fatalities happened. Well, in 2012 and 2013, news reports were printed about ATV fatalities. Five were found from 2013 and the reporting system is being discussed and hopefully amended in the future while working within the DOT peer groups attended quarterly by CMRA reps. There is no expectation that past reports will change, but, it is hoped that future numbers will reflect the difference.
Just a little reminder that despite all of this false reporting, a helmet bill has not been introduced since 2005.
–Sandra Clark
CMRA Legislative Committee Chair
MRF State Representative
203-886-8770 (call or text)
imnamericanwmn@hotmail.com
www.thecmra.com
www.mrf.org
www.ride4ever.org
Greetings to all from your MRF Board meeting! After a successful Bikers Inside the Beltway, we’re discussing many issues that are affecting us as we move forward.
The Board would appreciate your assistance with regard to Autocycle fatalities… This is important in terms of how they impact our statistics and potentially our freedoms of choice.
If you have a fatality in your state, and can provide any details such as a news link or other specific data including date, type of vehicle, and information about the collision, please share it by replying to ALL on this distribution.
Yours in FREEDOM,
–Doc
Motorcycle Riders Foundation
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HOT ROD ENGINE OF THE MONTH–
Here’s my engine British Beef for American muscle, the rocker boxes can be Shovel or Evo style the shovel style are being made now.
–Jimmy Doom
jimmy.doom@aol.co.uk
Jurgis would clap him upon the back, in his hearty way, crying “Come now, brother, give us a tune.” And then Tamoszius’ face would light up and he would get out his fiddle, tuck it under his chin, and play. And forthwith the soul of him would flame up and become eloquent …
— Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, 1906
Origin of forthwith
Forthwith entered English in the 1400s. The prepositional phrase forth with was in use in Middle English.
CONTROL FREAKS LOSE AGAIN– Report Suggests that Doctors are a Leading Cause of Death–Groups claiming to speak for the medical profession have long criticized America’s gun culture in general and NRA in particular. Besides supporting an array of gun controls and suggesting that firearms do not belong in the same communities as children, the groups bewail limitations on the use of public funding for supposed “studies” that in reality are thinly-disguised advocacy pieces with preordained anti-gun conclusions.
Even fictional doctors have been coopted into gun control efforts.
But a recent analysis by researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine published in BMJ shockingly concludes that medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. (behind only heart disease and cancer), accounting for more than 250,000 fatalities a year. This is almost ten times the number of annual deaths attributable to firearms, including the some 20,000 that occur by suicide.
Perhaps even more ironically, the study (as an NPR report put it), “highlights how shortcomings in tracking vital statistics may hinder research and keep the problem out of the public eye.” According to the report, the coding system used by the Centers for Disease Control to record death certificate data “doesn’t capture things like communication breakdowns, diagnostic errors and poor judgment that cost lives.”
The lead author of the Johns Hopkins study, Dr. Martin Makary, claims that this deficit leads to a “vast under-recognition of the place of medical care as the cause of death,” which in turn, “informs all our national health priorities and our research grants.”
So even as doctors are reportedly making mistakes, killing hundreds of thousands of people as a result, and obscuring that fact with faulty data, they’re pointing the finger at Second Amendment advocates for what their self-appointed spokespersons claim is an epidemic of gun violence. They also criticize Second Amendment supporters for being “anti-science” and supposedly trying to ”muzzle” doctor/patient communication.
That’s ironic, to say the least.
We recognize that medicine has a noble pedigree and purpose, and the miracles of modern healthcare generally lead to better lives for all Americans. Most of us have good relationships with our doctors and appreciate the excellent work they do to save and improve quality of life.
But as a frequent target of high-handed scorn from self-important physicians, we would simply reiterate a point we have made many times in the past. Doctors should stay out of the firearm debate — where they have little subject matter or public policy expertise to contribute — and tend to their own business.
If the BMJ study has any validity, there is plenty of room for improvement in their own hospitals and clinics, and the potential to save lives with reform in those contexts far outstrips the potential to save lives with politically-motivated gun control.
We hope the BMJ study and the publicity it has generated will lead the medical profession to reexamine its priorities and focus inwardly to “first, do no harm,” before pointing the finger at NRA and others who are committed to protecting the Second Amendment.
–NRA
Where’s part two?
–Mark
ON, Canada
That’s a good question. Danny, a very talented young man, got into drugs and is in prison. I took over the XS and started to work with my grandson, Frankie, who subsequently got into drugs and I moved the bike out of my shop. Frankie has since cleaned up and is devoted to a clean lifestyle. He just recently paid off all his fines and is now working with Dominick on the FXR I built for his dad.–Bandit
WACO SHOOTING PROTEST– Dozens of bikers gather outside Waco courthouse a year after shootout that left nine dead to protest ‘unfair’ prosecutions
Nine people died and 20 were wounded in Waco brawl in March last year.
More than 170 bikers were arrested and most now face up to life in jail.
Lawyers have hit out at harsh charges, saying most of the accused did not participate in the violence and were simply present when it occurred.
Laws around gangs mean that members of the same group can be guilty of conspiracy even if they do not commit a crime themselves.
Dozens of bikers gathered in Waco on Saturday almost a year on from the Twin Peaks shootout that left nine people dead in order to protest what they see as unfair treatment by law enforcement.
Attorney Paul Looney, who is representing some of the 154 bikers facing charges over the brawl that also saw 20 people wounded, vowed to fight for justice for those due in court.
He said: ‘All these cases need to go to trial. There’s not enough evidence to convict anyone.
‘The only person who might be in deep trouble would be a biker wearing colors, if he were the one who fired the first shot.’
The bikers gathered in the parking lot outside the McLennan County court house which was ringed by police, according to the Waco Tribune.
This demonstration was organized by the Sons of Liberty Riding Club, but attended by members from several different organizations.
Violence broke out at the Twin Peaks ‘breastaurant’ on May 17 last year as members of the rival Cossacks and Banditos motorcycle clubs met to discuss business with one another.
Tensions had been simmering between the two groups for months over a territory dispute and reports indicate fight could have been sparked when one biker ran over another’s foot in the parking lot.
It is not known who fired the fatal shots, but ballistics reports indicate that four of the lethal bullets came from a rifle that is of the same caliber used by police.
In the wake of the brawl 170 bikers were arrested, and last November County District Attorney Abel Reyna won indictments against 106 of them.
Then, in March, another 48 were indicted by a grand jury, bringing the total up to the current 154.
Many of those indicted are not members of the Cossacks or Banditos, but belong to smaller ‘support clubs’ who were there at the time.
All of those are facing felony charges of engaging in organized criminal activity, making them complicit in the killings and facing sentences of between 15 years and life behind bars.
Nobody has yet been charged with murder for the nine deaths, thought Reyna described his investigation as ‘ongoing’.
Speaking at Saturday’s rally outside the courthouse, Looney added: ‘All 170 of the Twin Peaks people were arrested without due process.
‘Every American should be frightened by what they saw here.’
Other attorneys have also been highly critical of Reyna’s approach, saying he is criminalizing people for simply being there when the violence broke out.
Don Tittle, representing around 15 bikers suing McLennan County for wrongful prosecution, said: ‘There were people that were tragically killed, and there is no doubt there’s some individuals that should be charged with criminal offenses.
‘But the overwhelming majority of the people there that day were nothing more than present at the time that the incident occurred.’
Gang laws mean that prosecutors do not have to prove that each of the accused committed a crime, simply that at least one member from each group was involved in criminal activity.
Then prosecutors only have to prove that the accused are part of the same gang in order to establish a conspiracy, Sandra Guerra Thompson, law professor at the University of Houston, said.
Read more:
“IT’S NOT THE WIND THAT MAKES THE FLAG WAVE BUT THE LAST BREATH OF THE SOLDIERS WHOM HAVE DIED TO SECURE OUR FREEDOM”
–from Rogue and Jerry
ANOTHER WILD WEEK AHEAD— Okay, so I’m working on the 5-Ball Vintage Factory Racer and talking with Keith Ruxton, famous engine builder.
I told him about my problems with this engine and he suggested an out of time breather gear. As it turns out, my American V-Plus Engine didn’t have a breather gear but an S&S reed valve. I replaced it with a stock breather gear, timed it and started to put everything back together.
Then I called Keith to report in. “The reed valve should be find,” said Keith, “or nothing at all since the engine has a top end breathing system, not a crank case system.” Then he told me to check the fuel flow. “It needs to flow at least 16 ounce per minute.”
Here’s where the evening got interesting. The Redhead of Redheads reloaded my shop gas can. I poured about 32 ounces into the gas can and turned on the petcock, nothing. So, like an idiot I almost filled the tanks, still nothing. I started at the carb by removing the hose, nothing. I could see the clear filter was empty.
I removed the line from the brass industrial petcock, nothing. I could see the ball valve open and close. Nothing. I started to remove the petcock when gas shot out of the line to the right tank. I had a problem. You’ll see the whole story next week.
In the meantime go for a ride.
Ride Free Forever,
–Bandit
