Hey,
It?s Sunday and I?m sitting in front of a brand new IMac. Don?t they know computers are supposed to be like refrigerators? You buy one and it lasts for 25 years. One of these days a hacker will find out the ploy behind the computer giants to make computers die after a couple of years and we?ll see the largest class action suit known to man. Hell, I can buy a Toyota or Ford and drive it successfully for 15 years. It?s bullshit, I tell ya. My computer master is still trying to retrieve the last chapters of my first Chance and the entire second Chance book from the old hard drive. How?s that? A life?s work down the tubes.
I?m pissing and moaning, but all is never lost. I have the Chance two book on a disc and the other chapters of Chance one are on Nyla?s computer, I hope. I dislike being negative. Gypsy wrote this morning to tell me her daughter?s unborn baby died and her son was in an accident. They were both in the same hospital. I told her to watch a sunset. Just about the time I think shit is bad, I roll out the Panhead and buzz to a high spot around town, have a beer or margarita and watch the sunset. The magnificence of it all puts the world into prospective. In other words, we have it damn good, and if you ain?t enjoyin? it, you?re burnin? daylight. Let?s hit the news. Then I?ll show you a couple of shots of the chopper comin? together.
she was flagged down by a man whose truck had broken down. The man walked up to the car and asked, “Are you going to San Diego?”
“Sure,” answered the blonde, “do you need a lift?”
“Not for me. I’ll be spending the next three hours fixing my truck. My problem is I’ve got two chimpanzees in the back which have to be taken to the San Diego Zoo. They’re a bit stressed already so I don’t want to keep them on the road all day. Could you possibly take them to the zoo for me? I’ll give you $100 for your trouble.”
“I’d be happy to,” said the blonde. So the two chimpanzees were ushered into the back seat of the blonde’s car and carefully strapped into their seat belts. Off they went.
Five hours later, the truck driver was driving through the heart of San Diego when suddenly he was horrified!! There was the blonde walking down the street and holding hands with the two chimps, much to the amusement of a big crowd.
With a screech of brakes he pulled off the road and ran over to the blonde. “What the heck are you doing here?” he demanded, “I gave you $100 to take these chimpanzees to the zoo.”
“Yes, I know you did,” said the blonde, but we had money left over—so now we’re going to Sea World.?
The first, shot is caption “Mired in Mud” and shows the conditions the motorcyclists had to deal with in Russia.
Watch for this story of struggle and death on the Russian front in the November issue and on Bikernet in the future.
–Bandit
I’m sure you scared some people who thought they were going to get Easyriders. I didn’t get this old without doing lots of that stuff. KEEP up the great tech and new product updates. Nothing wrong with some pretty faces either.
–Big Mike
I saw an ad for the Hot Bike Kentucky Super Show Sept 10 & 11 in a brand new publication in Louisville called Bikers INK…this is only their 2nd issue.
Free Wheelin’, the magazine that me and my wife Darlene are editors of, distributes nearly 20,000 issues every month throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Eastern Indiana, Western Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia. Next month will mark our 3rd year. If you really want to promote your bike show, you should run an ad in our publication. It’s a color glossy table-top magazine, and is carried in virtually every motorcycle business within our distribution area.
We’d also like to cover the event in our magazine. We’re working on the July issue now, and our drop dead deadline is next Friday. Please let me know. Hope all is well with you.
— Bill
I just returned to NY from attending the TwinClub M.C. custom bike show in Norrtelje, Sweden as well as a kick ass ride there and back from Helsinki, Finland with the crew from Finland’s Kopteri magazine and Peter Jonsson from Sweden’s MCM magazine.
I got some kick-ass shots for our readers of the show winners and the rides we met up with on the trip, including a 1936 Socool made in Poland. You won’t believe what the guys there are building. They do it all themselves during the looong cold winters.
It was great to visit many of the Finnish and sweedish biker club houses. The clubs there all get together and share huge warehouse type club houses where every member has their own building space. Most of the club houses have every type of machine avaliable to them to make all their uniqui custom one-off parts. I also shot a feature of 2 of the wildest bikes I’ve ever come across… how about a 1963 Ural Chopper and a mono-forked 1953 Triumph T-100 that you have to see to believe.
I have about 10 gig of pix from my camera and will be sorting them out and getting them to you real soon. I was amazed how many people knew my face from Bikernet and the mags I write for. I was blown away to find that I was almost as well known as Billy Lane.
TBear, International Biker God…lol
Panel Votes to Delay Lawnmower Rules WASHINGTON (AP) – Tighter pollution controls for lawnmowers, leaf blowers and small engines would have to await a government safety study under legislation approved by a Senate committee.
The language, added to a big environmental spending bill on Thursday, is a compromise between a Missouri Republican who wanted to put the new federal rules on hold for even longer and California lawmakers who are trying to reduce their state’s smog problems. Environmental groups called it a setback for cleaner air standards.
After some last-minute negotiating, the Senate Appropriations Committee watered down a provision by Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., that requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a safety study before issuing new pollution controls for small engines. Bond says the clean-air regulations would make small engines less safe and hurt manufacturing jobs in his state.
The committee action, on a voice vote, sends the bill to the full Senate.
Bond said catalytic converters that would be added to outdoor power tools to make them cleaner may be a fire hazard.
“I always believed the critics would come to see that this study was vital to protect the safety of consumers and prevent accidental fires,” Bond said in a statement. “It just doesn’t make sense to have a 1,100 degree catalytic converter three inches from your hand, as you use it in dry grass.”
Under the new language, the EPA now has only six months after the spending bill is passed to complete its safety study. Bond’s original amendment set no time limit.
Rogue
I took my RK Custom for a 200-mile cruise around western Washington today, and as I cruise through Bellingham, I spot a local H-D dealer and decided to stop in. I backed in next to a Bellingham police bike, some little foreign thing, and noticed yellow tape across the doorway to the dealership.
Before I can get off my bike a DEA federal cop comes out and tells me the dealership is closed. I ask “what’s going on?”
And he repeats, “They are closed for the day.?
So I continued my trip, which ended with a ferry ride. I got home and turned on the news and there it is, top story, 40 plus members of the Bandido MC Club including high-ranking club officers arrested in several local communities, including the Bellingham dealership, the center of the investigation. Drug trafficking, guns, violent activities and other “nefarious” activities were the reasons for the arrests and investigation
–from Badbob
A major research institution has just announced the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element has been named “Governmentium”.
Governmentium has one neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 224 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 311.
These 311 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected, as it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact.
A minute amount of Governmentium causes one reaction to take over 4 days to complete, when it would normally take less than a second.
Governmentium has a normal half-life of 4 years; it does not decay, but, instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.
In fact, Governmentium’s mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as “Critical Morass”.
When catalyzed with money Governmentium becomes Administratium, an element which radiates just as much energy, since it has 1/2 as many peons but twice as many morons.
–from Bubblehead
Marijuana! Supreme Court Just Says No Now how can you relieve pain?
The Supreme Court’s liberal bloc–Stevens, Ginsburg, Souter and Breyer–ensured Monday with the support of Justices Kennedy and Scalia that people sick from cancer treatment will have to think first about a house call from the federal drug police before using marijuana to relieve their symptoms. Even the Court’s language was unfeeling: “The case comes down to the claim that a locally cultivated product that is used domestically rather than sold on the open market is not subject to federal regulation. Given the . . . undisputed magnitude of the commercial market for marijuana, Wickard and its progeny foreclose that claim.”
Liberalism to cancer patients: Drop dead.
Meanwhile, dissents on behalf of medical marijuana were written by Sandra Day O’Connor, a cancer survivor, and Clarence Thomas, whose nomination was fought by recreational pot users.
Medical marijuana sounds simple. Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy often endure extreme nausea, and many say that smoking marijuana during chemo makes it bearable. Many of us know sober folks who have done this. So why is this a Supreme Court case? Because this is America, where nothing is so simple that it can’t be turned into a federal case.
If the Court’s four liberals had ruled in favor of state laws allowing medical marijuana, which federal law forbids, that precedent would have helped conservative efforts to reduce federal clout in other areas, such as environmental authority in the West. Thus Justice Stevens wrote that the Controlled Substances Act, a Nixon-era law, “is a valid exercise of federal power, even as applied to the troubling facts of this case.” Liberals with cancer should take solace in knowing they will be vomiting to save the snail darter.
In his dissent, Justice Thomas, liberalism’s archfiend, noted: “The majority prevents states like California from devising drug policies that they have concluded provide much-needed respite to the seriously ill.” And: “Our federalist system, properly understood, allows California and a growing number of other states to decide for themselves how to safeguard the health and welfare of their citizens.”
This is an abstruse but important legal debate about the Commerce Clause and federal legal power in the 21st century. Liberals, if they wanted to, could recognize that letting the states take the lead on controversial issues involving behavior among consenting adults–both personal and commercial–might abet their beliefs in this day and age. But they won’t. Thus friends sick with cancer must choke down this decision.
Rucker Performance Provides a Complete Rider Information System in a 2-1/16? Package.
Fort Worth, Texas (June 10, 2005) ? Rucker Performance, a leading custom manufacturer of high performance, highly styled, custom American Muscle Bikes along with the high-performance Choppers has selected Dakota Digital to supply their latest in high-tech digital instrumentation for the full line of Rucker Performance motorcycles.
?Dakota Digital is the largest supplier of digital instrumentation to the high-end custom motorcycle market,? said Bill Rucker, President of Rucker Performance. ?We like their consistent quality, the small 2-1/16? footprint and that they are built in America.?
Each of the Rucker Performance American Muscle Bikes and American Choppers utilize the HLY-3015 Series 2-1/16″ round electronic instrumentation system, which offers a 255 MPH speedometer, quick response bar graph tachometer, adjustable shift point indicator with warning, odometer with trip meter, turn signal, high beam, neutral and low oil pressure indicators to provide complete rider information system.
?Rucker builds motorcycles that are totally different from other production bikes,? explained Scott Johnson, Dakota Digital. ?Our digital instrumentation enhances the smooth look and custom design of a Rucker Performance motorcycle.?
Night time visibility on Dakota Digital gauges is excellent. Rucker Performance utilizes Dakota Digital?s high contrast teal displays with non-glare lenses to provide the best daytime visibility possible.
Rucker Performance motorcycles are available through a national dealer network, which includes American Classic Cycles in Pelham, AL, Hot Bikes of Minneapolis, MN, Rodney’s Cycle House in Little Rock, AK, Apache Chopper in Weatherford, TX, Big Dog Motorcycles of Houston TX, Bikers Dream of Atlanta, GA, Arlen Ness Motorcycles in Daytona, FL, Arlen Ness Motorcycles in Dublin, CA, Rio Grande Big Dog Motorcycles in Albuquerque, NM and Bikers Dream in Colorado Springs and Denver, CO.
For dealership inquires:
Bill Rucker: (817) 838-3200, billr@ruckerperformance.com
Engineered to the highest standards with extra consideration given to clearances for pushrod tubes, circuit breakers, exhaust flanges, intake hardware, and assembly tool fitment.
The material used is the best ductile iron available for this application. Precision machined for square decks with straight and true bores. The cylinder bases are drilled for a 3/8″ studs instead of a 7/16″ stud. 7/16″ to 3/8″ step studs on the cylinder bases allow for plenty of strength at the base nut relief even after they are bored to their final size. Available in 3.500″, 3.625″ and 3.8125″ bores and lengths to accommodate a variety of strokes.
Beautifully coated in a durable gloss black finish. These cylinders are designed to fit Panhead and Shovelhead style engines and they are available in finished or unfinished bores.
Cylinders include precision-made step studs and chrome 12 point base nuts. Complete with instructions and installation tips.
Accurate Engineering
128 Southgate Rd
Dothan Alabama, 36301
334.702.1993
http://www.accurate-engineering.com
SEATTLE (AP) ? Police and federal agents began rounding up members of the Bandidos biker gang across the Northwest today, after a grand jury returned a 19-count indictment accusing them of crimes ranging from racketeering and witness tampering to dealing drugs and stolen Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Why are the Police Not Arresting the Cops that are doing the same things the Bandidos are accused of???
–Rogue
THE NEW Pro-Tranz brake from ProFab makes it possible to alter the lines of a bike’s rear wheel by removing the entire brake assembly. The kit contains all the necessary parts to convert to a transmission brake for bikes using a right-side, chain drive.
The bolt-on conversion includes a polished S&S disc and two- piston caliper, a chain sprocket and the appropriate hardware. The conversion can apparently be installed without even draining the oil. The Pro-Tranz brake has already interested many builders, including Doug Keim, who is using it on his Hard Rock tour.
PROFAB METALWERKS
St. Catherines, Ontario, CANADA
Tel: 866 683 2228
E-mail: info@profabmetalwerks.com
http://www.profabmetalwerks.com
In the initial release the AMA errantly cited US Representative Ted Strickland as being from Colorado when in fact Rep. Strickland represents the people of Ohio?s 6th Congressional District. We apologize for this inaccuracy. The American Motorcyclist Association reports that a bipartisan bill to end health-care discrimination against motorcyclists and ATVers has been introduced in the U.S. House.
U.S. Reps. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) and Ted Strickland (D-Ohio) on June 8 introduced H.R. 2793 — “The HIPAA Recreational Injury Technical Correction Act” — would bar health-care discrimination against those who take part in legal transportation and recreational activities such as motorcycling, ATV riding, snowmobiling, or horseback riding.
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) introduced similar legislation in the Senate: S. 577, “The HIPAA Recreational Injury Technical Correction Act.”
The measures are in response to action taken by federal bureaucrats that legalized health-insurance discrimination against riders and others. “It’s shameful to allow health insurers to discriminate against individuals who take part in perfectly legal hobbies and activities” Strickland said. “According to this rule, a person injured while drinking and driving would be covered by their health insurance, but an individual who falls from a motorcycle may not. It just makes no sense.” Burgess added: “The development of this bill could not have been possible without bipartisan congressional support and the hard work of the American Motorcyclist Association. I look forward to working alongside the AMA to get this legislation passed into law.”
On August 21, 1996, President Clinton signed into law the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to prohibit employers from denying health care coverage based on a worker’s pre-existing medical conditions or participation in legal activities, such as motorcycling. But later federal bureaucrats reversed the law, writing rules to allow health-insurance discrimination against motorcyclists and others who engage in legal activities like ATV riding, or horseback riding.
The AMA was outraged when federal bureaucrats went against the will of Congress and immediately lobbied Congress to right this wrong. Others involved in the effort include the BlueRibbon Coalition, Motorcycle Riders Foundation, ABATE of Wisconsin, ABATE of Ohio, the American Council of Snowmobile Associations, and the American Horse Council.
“This loophole written by federal bureaucrats must be changed,” said Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. “We need all AMA and ATVA members and all motorcyclists to contact the members of their congressional delegations to support legislation to fix this.” An easy way to send letters of support to members of Congress is through the AMA Rapid Response Center at www.AMADirectlink.com.
–from Custer
Sealed envelope – Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed. (hmmmmmm…)
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Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.
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For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dishwashing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won’t refreeze. (wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)
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Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).
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Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
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Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. And now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get sharpened this way!
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Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time! Now, where to put the body?
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Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don’t wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.
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Spray a bit of perfume on the lightbulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on.
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Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will Smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen.
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Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.
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To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!
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To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop.
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Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won’t be any stains.
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Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it Will keep for weeks.
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When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn’s natural sweetness.
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Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
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To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area And you will experience instant relief.
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Ants, ants, ants everywhere … Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
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Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
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When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.
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Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer. Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets,wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China.
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Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.
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Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
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Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
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Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer Tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.
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HOW?S THAT FOR HELPFUL HINTS FROM BIKERNET–So just when you think that divorce will ruin you forever, you realize that all is not lost. There?s another woman waiting for you on a ghetto street corner, another motorcycle project on Ebay, another home in the dusty panhandle of Oklahoma? I?m exaggerating. But life is like that. One day it stinks and the next it glows. The key is to make your day rate work to your best odds.
For instance: I?m working on the Sturgis Shovel Chop this afternoon while the barbecue warms and the chicken grills. She?ll make up a pitcher of margaritas and I might change out the Battery on the 1928 Shovelhead so it will be ready for the Santa Ana, Boys And Girls Club Ride The Coast event on the 26th. I?m the Grand Marshall, if you?re up for a ride escorted by the Santa Ana Police Dept. Motor cops.
Here?s a shot of the chop as it stood last night before the women attacked me. And check out the final installation of the Crime Scene Choppers speedster gas cap. Wild. Have a helluva Sunday. The Margaritas are waiting.
Ride Forever,
–Bandit
