Hey,
Well I’m out of the Coporate world, sorta, and back to the Bikernet frey. You would think that suddenly my life would be calm. To be honest it feels damn good to have it back and to be back at the headquarters.
I keep asking myself for a handle on what that company lacked. I suppose a key feature was passion. There’s lots of guys and girls over there busting their asses to produce world class mags and the company doesn’t get it or give them credit for what they create.
So did I sip margaritas and hang out all weekend. No, Don Whalen called Friday night and announced his departure from LA to Hanford, California for an antique meet and swapmeet. No deadlines, I took him up on the invite. I had to rise and shine at 3:45 and be on the road at 4:30. It was a 45 minute freeway split to Don’s then three hours north into the central valley for a one hour stroll through a half-assed antique meet. I had a list tucked neatly in my back pocket: I needed a Schelbler carb for a 1912 Pope engine, an exhaust pipe or plumbing and the front legs for a stock VL springer.
Let’s hit the news and I’ll tell you how it all worked out:
A wealthy old lady decides to go on a photosafari in Africa, taking her faithful aged poodle named Cuddles, along for the company.
One day the poodle starts chasing butterflies and before long, Cuddles discovers that she’s lost. Wandering about, she notices a leopard heading rapidly in her direction with the intention of having lunch.
The old poodle thinks, “Oh, oh! I’m in deep doo-doo now!” Noticing some bones on the ground close by, she immediately settles down to chew on the bones with her back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap, the old poodle exclaims loudly, “Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more around here?”
Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. “Whew!”, says the leopard, “That was close! That old poodle nearly had me!”
Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So off he goes, but the old poodle sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up. The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.
The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, “Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what’s going to happen to that conniving canine!”
Now, the old poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, “What am I going to do now?”, but instead of running, the dog sits down with her back to her attackers, pretending she hasn’t seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old poodle says: “Where’s that damn monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!”
Moral of this story.. Don’t mess with old farts…age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill! Bullshit and brilliance only come with age and experience!
–from Bob T.
Watch for a Bikernet Sturgis Run Update this Thursday.
Does anyone besides myself, remember Boyd DeFrance ? His shop was on San Fernando in Pacoima back in the 60s. It was called D&D Cycle.
He built (though Norm Grabowski might argue the point) the Corvair powered “Six Pack”. He also built a Ford V-8 powered trike called the “Boneshaker”.
I know, because when he was working on my old 47 Knuckle, he had photos of the progress in building the Six Pack, and the Boneshaker was sitting in the shop at the time.
I know I’m not imaging all of this (or am I ), so if anyone has info and pics of those scoots, I would really appreciate it and will drink an Anchor Steam in your honor.
Bill Prowse aka “Preacher”
MADCAPS MC LLC.
Ada, Ok.
–By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau
HARRISBURG — You wouldn’t have known it from the tough-girl outfit she was wearing at the Capitol yesterday, but Teresa Forcier is a state legislator.
The petite Crawford County woman also is an avid motorcyclist, which is why she was decked out in “biker chic” — black jacket, blue T-shirt, black pants and black bandanna tied around her head.
Speaking to several hundred bikers at a rally in the rotunda, she said, “You’re the No. 1 grass roots lobbying group in Pennsylvania.”
Regarding their long but finally successful effort to have the Legislature repeal the state’s mandatory motorcycle helmet law in 2003, she added, “There were times we were kicked down, but every time we got up.”
The revision to the law, which took effect in September 2003, means that adults 21 and older who have at least two years’ experience riding motorcycles don’t have to wear helmets if they don’t want to. An adult with less than two years’ experience can skip a helmet if he or she takes a safety course.
And in what may surprise a lot of people, the number of Pennsylvania motorcycle fatalities actually dropped in 2004, about 25 fewer than the 171 of 2003, said Kevin Snyder, state coordinator for ABATE, or Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education.
For years, bikers around the state had protested, and often disobeyed, the mandatory helmet law, before the Legislature finally rescinded it and Gov. Ed Rendell signed it.
“There are people who still don’t get it [about helmets],” he said. “What motorcyclists want is to be treated like responsible adults. We want to choose whether to wear a helmet. We won’t allow [legislators] to take this away.”
There are a group of people in office who swore an oath to uphold the constitution of the U.S.
“ART VI; Clause 3: The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution.” Seems pretty plain right?
This group has tried to subvert the constitution, and take away your freedom of choice. They want you to be subjects, not free people. They wanted to make a national helmet law, take away the States right to decide for it’s people. That is against the constitution
It’s right here in black and white
Well here is the list of those, who for their big dollar backers would break the very oath they had sworn; Bill is their god, Dollar Bill. Remember these names come election time, they don?t care about truth and their word means nothing, vote them out.
California: Boxer (D-CA), Yea Feinstein (D-CA),
Yea
Connecticut: Dodd (D-CT), Yea Lieberman (D-CT),
Yea
Delaware: Biden (D-DE), Yea
Florida: Martinez (R-FL), Yea
Hawaii: Akaka (D-HI), Yea Inouye (D-HI), Yea
Illinois: Durbin (D-IL), Yea
Iowa: Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Louisiana: Landrieu (D-LA), Yea
Maryland: Mikulski (D-MD), Yea Sarbanes (D-MD),
Yea
Massachusetts: Kennedy (D-MA), Yea
Michigan: Levin (D-MI), Yea
Nevada: Reid (D-NV), Yea
New Jersey: Corzine (D-NJ), Yea Lautenberg (D-NJ),
Yea
North Carolina: Dole (R-NC), Yea
Ohio: DeWine (R-OH), Yea
Oregon: Wyden (D-OR), Yea
Rhode Island: Chafee (R-RI), Yea
Tennessee: Frist (R-TN), Yea
Virginia: Warner (R-VA), Yea
Washington: Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Murray (D-WA),
Yea
West Virginia: Byrd (D-WV), Yea Rockefeller (D-WV),
This information brought to you by the Sons of Liberty Riders, who along with MRO?s from across the nation, helped soundly defeat this psudeo-commie ploy by almost 3-1
Hey good job, help out where ever you can, everyone can do something.
–UR
During a state meeting on Sunday May 15, 2005 ABATE of West Virginia’s Executive Board voted to support ABATE of Colorado’s Boycott of Red River.
ABATE of Colorado has called for a boycott of Taos County New Mexico in order to bring attention to the injustices perpetrated by the elected officials in that county. We are not citizens of New Mexico so our voice has little, if any, effect on your state and local elected officials. Therefore, while we regret the fact that our actions will directly affect area citizens and businesses, we have no other recourse until the citizens of New Mexico begin to hold their elected officials accountable.
This is not simply an ABATE of Colorado issue. This is not only about the two motorcyclists that were killed in May, 2004. This is about the protection and safety of all motorcyclists that ride through Taos County roads and highways. The incident of 2004 is not an isolated one and, until such time that accidents begin to be properly investigated, and reckless drivers are properly charged and held accountable under applicable state statutes, we will not withdraw our call for a boycott.
–Don “DUCK” Smith
ABATE of West Virginia
Editor/Webmaster
Check the Sheet metal and the air damn. It’s getting close.
–Kent
Biker Backlash Benefits Defendant in Harley Suit
OKLAHOMA CITY — Interest in the first fully automatic transmission motorcycle, the Auto-Glide, designed and built locally by upstart Ridley Motorcycle company has grown steadily among enthusiasts ever since motorcycle giant Harley-Davidson filed suit November 18, 2004 claiming Ridley’s pending trademark application for the model name is likely to cause “confusion, mistake, or deception” about the source of Ridley’s distinctive bikes.
“There has never been an instance where a customer has been confused whether the Auto-Glide was made by Ridley or Harley-Davidson. They know the Auto-Glide is not a Harley-Davidson,” said Scott Houpt, vice president and general manager of Suburban Harley-Davidson in Thiensville, Wisconsin.
Ridley introduced its automatic transmission Auto-Glide models in 2002 and remains the only U.S. motorcycle manufacturer to offer a fully automatic transmission. With Harley-Davidson looking to entry-level riders and women to sustain market share, dealers and riders alike have questioned the suit’s timing. Ridley has been targeting these growth segments of the industry with its popular automatics for nearly three years at a time when Harley-Davidson’s profits have fallen to 17 percent from a previous three-year average of about 27 percent.
Dennis Stovall, sales manager with American Motorcycle Trading Company, an Arlington, Texas-based Ridley dealership also offering a selection of used Harley-Davidsons added, “Not only do our customers not confuse the Ridley Auto-Glide with any of our used Harley-Davidson inventory, they point out the fit and finish the Ridley has over the Harley. The Ridley Auto-Glides have an engine design that is unique to them and they have the only automatic transmission.”
Whatever else may be at work in the case, size is certainly an undisputed factor in this David versus Goliath encounter. Consider the stature of the players: Ridley opened its doors in 1995; H-D got into the motorcycle business in 1903. Ridley’s 25 employees build about 500 bikes a year; Harley’s 25,000 workers build and market more than 300,000 motorcycles annually.
Since word of the suit (Case No. 04-C-1123 in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, United States District Court) hit the streets, the buzz among bikers from showrooms to winding back-country blacktop has been that maybe big guys ought to pick on somebody their own size. The booming voices first raised in support of Ridley’s rockets by Oklahoma riders once loyal to both brands are now being echoed at motorcycle events nationwide. To many observers, the ominous lack of sympathy for the former odds-on favorite in this unlikely mismatch is clearly beginning to sound like a full-scale backfire.
Jay Ridley, Vice President
Ridley Motorcycle Company
35 NW 42nd Street
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma USA 73118
(405) 525-5400 e-mail: mailto:ridley.jay@ridleymotorcycle.com Scott Houpt, Vice President/General Manager Suburban Harley-Davidson 129 North Main Street Thiensville, Wisconsin 53092 (262) 242-2464
If you need more info on this or any other subject just go to the Sons of Liberty Riders Info Zone
http://solriders.com
–Hawk
ICQ 34668186
AOL SoLRHawk
The other day I came home and was greeted by my sweetheart, dressed only in very sexy underwear and holding a couple of short velvet ropes.
“Tie me up,” she purred, “and you can do anything you want.”
So I tied her up and and got out the scoot and went for a ride.
–from Art F.
An executive was in quandary. He had to get rid of one of his staff. He had narrowed it down to one of two people, Debra or Jack.
It would be a hard decision to make, as they were both equally qualified and both did excellent work. He finally decided that in the morning, whichever one used the water cooler first would have to go.
Debra came in the next morning, hugely hung-over after partying all night.
She went to the cooler to get some water to take an aspirin.
The executive approached her and said, “Debra, I’ve never done this before, but I have to lay you or Jack off.”
Debra replied, “Could you jack off? I have a killer headache.
2005 FREEDOM FIGHTERS ANNOUNCED– May 2005 – – The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame is proud to announce the 2005 Freedom Fighters Hall of Fame Inductees, John “Rogue” Herlihy (CT), and Simon Milward (UK).
Hey Bandit, I was looking through Bikernet.com when I saw this article about Simon. Sadly, Simon Milward was killed in a road accident in March while on his World Run. I knew this guy personally and just wanted to let you know about this.There is more information from this link: http://www.millennium-ride.com/start.
–RIP Simon
Jock in the UK
I recently completed my first attempt at a custom bike. Using mostly custom parts and Milwaukee Iron fenders. After a few months of riding and some shows I noticed that my rear fender had begun to split down the middle. I contacted the people at Milwaukee Iron and sent them pictures. They were as surprized as I was to see this. They. without hesitation. were willing to replace it, but with the custom cutting I had done I was concerned.
It was discovered that when I cut the fender I removed a very important “stitch weld”/ Milwaukee Iron was still willing to re-weld my fender at no cost to me. Because of time constraints to get it back on the road for Laconia I asked them if I could bring it to them personally, and they told me to “bring it on up”. I drove it up from Virginia Beach and arrived there at noon. After a tour of their facilities two of the boys got to work on it, Houston, and I’m sorry I didn’t get the other’s name, but when they were done I was out the door at 1:00 PM!!!!
The fact they were willing to take time to care of my fender in this fashion and professionalism makes them a business to be emulated and I will remain a Milwaukee Iron customer for future projects. Everyone I dealt with from the e- mails to walking in the front door made me feel welcome and glad I chose Milwaukee Iron.
I’m sorry I did not get to thank Randy in person, I’m sure he is just as friendly as the rest of his staff, maybe in Laconia!!!
Thank You Milwaukee Iron!!!!!!
— Mike “Umpy” Burgess
Virginia Beach, Va.
kim-mike@cox.net
http://www.aclu.org/pizza/images/screen.swf>www.aclu.org/pizza/images/screen.swf
–Aaron P.
Guymon, Oklahoma
The HR3 line, featuring RevTech engines and transmissions, is the best selling line of bike kits on the market and for good reason; Custom Chrome has taken all the guesswork out of building a custom motorcycle. All the parts have been test-fit to insure compatibility and each kit includes everything except paint and gas making them the most complete kits on the market. Completeness and reliability are only part of the story; selection and price are the other.
With eight styles to choose from, you can build anything from a full-on prostreet custom to a kicked out chopper or cruiser, even a maximum performance sport bike. If you’re working on a budget, the HR3 Bike Kits start at only $13,299.
The merchandise credit does not apply to the Venom or discontinued bike kits.
To find a Custom Chrome Dealer near you call 800-729-3332 and view the complete HR3 Bike Kit line-up at http://www.customchrome.com
Bob, a 70-year-old, extremely wealthy widower, rides into the Rock Store with a breathtakingly beautiful and very sexy 25-year-old blonde who knocks everyone’s socks off with her youthful sex appeal and charm. She even hangs on Bob’s arm and listens intently to his every word.
His buddies are all amazed. At the very first chance, they corner him and ask, “Bob, how’d you get the trophy girlfriend?”
Bob replies, “Girlfriend? She’s my wife!”
They’re blown away, but continue to ask. “So, how’d you persuade her to marry you?”
“I lied about my age”, Bob replies.
“What, did you tell her you were only 50?”
Bob smiles and says, “No, I told her I was 90.”
–from Art F.
Hit the High Desert Road at 5:00 AM this morning met up with some old partners I haven`t seen for a awhile. I know these guys for over 30 years. It was great to hook up with them again, blasting across the desert heat 105 today, but the early morning was perfect.
Be Cool
–Bob T
THE END FOR TODAY AND A NEW BEGINNING–We peeled out from Hanford and landed in smog soaked LA before 3:00 p.m. It’s wild, but I returned with the Shelbler carb and polished it. Although it had some plain plumbing fitting soldered to the back of the carb, it screwed right on.
Then it dawned on me that I had some thin wall 1-inch brass tubing to play with and I went to work, Home Depot, work, Home Depot, work and Home Depot once more. I never buy all I need with one run to HD. Most of the time they don’t have what I need, or just one size off the fitting I need. That was the case, but I made it work.
There you have it, the finished Pope display. Next, I need to find some Peashooter parts. Okay, so the sun was slipping as I cleaned my shop, finished cabinent faces for the walk-in closet we’re building and she walks in all dressed to kill and asked for a ride to town. That meant the party girls were back and it would be a designated driver (me) late evening. And to think that my Primedia departure would mean less miles on my Ford pickup. I hit the road into the city of action again.
The night wasn’t over, I was a mess, the Jack Daniels bottle was full and would remain that way. By the time the evening tapered the shop was clean, the Sturgis Shovel parts were ready for powder, the Pope shinned, I showered and hauled into town (1:45 a.m.) to pick up five slightly tipsty women. The evening was just beginning.
Ride Forever,
–Bandit
