Life is too exciting, too busy, to hetic and too demanding, yet we find a few minutes a day to have a drink and kick back. As she crawled on top of me this morning I was feeling stressed. We’ve got the King torn down and we’re waiting for extended cables from Barnetts to complete the beast so I can ride the sucker onto a dyno on Monday. Then we’ll begin the process of pouring more coal to the cylinders for additional power.
The bike needs to be running strong for a ride to Arizona next weekend. In the meantime, Nuttboy stopped by yesterday and we debated the handlebars on the Shrunken FXR. No conclusion was discovered so we moved calmly onto the final stage of the exhaust system. We rolled over to San Pedro Muffler for a couple of parts. The owner is absolutely a cool guy and modified a chunk of exhaust we had and sold us a tip. We’re making our own muffler with a baffle ripped out of an old Samson exhaust system. Let’s get to the news before I run on about a strange experience I had this week–jury duty:
BIKERNET INTERVIEWS THE GIRLS OF THE MOTORCYCLING DISCOVERY CHANNEL–Jose, the Caribbean Bikernet reports has submitted 14 question to two of the girls who rode across country with the Discovery Channel on their tails (so to speak).
KEEP YOUR GUNS ACCORDING TO BIKERNET AUSTRALIAN REPORT–from Ed Chenel, a police officer in Australia.
Hi Yanks, I thought you all would like to see the real figures from Down Under. It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced by a new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by our own government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more than $500 million dollars.
The first year results are now in: Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent, Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent; Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent)!
In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent. (Note that while the law-abiding citizens turned them in, the criminals did not and criminals still possess their guns!)
While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms, this has changed drastically upward in the past 12 months, since the criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed. There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults of the elderly.
Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort and expense was expended in “successfully ridding Australian society of guns.” You won’t see this data on the American evening news or hear your governor or members of the state Assembly disseminating this information.
The Australian experience proves it. Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and property and, yes, gun-control laws affect only the law-abiding citizens. Take note Americans, before it’s to late!
–from Cindy
IS THE V-ROD TAKING SHOTS?– hot from the presses…Say goodbye to the V-Rod. Deep inside, secret information.There’s been a leak somewhere…. Let’s see what happens or is it a charade to boost sales on the lackluster, expensive V-Max’s brother…..
–Jose, chopperfreak@earthlink.net
SMOKE-OUT UPDATE– I think we have Ice Cream Man from Hell lined up for this years event. Also, Frank Kozik has greed to do a poster.
CLASS CYCLE TRAILER–DropTear trailer, a product of Wagtail, is a 2 person camper that converts into a bike hauler, or vise-versa. Styled after the tear drop trailers of days gone by, the DropTear uses independent air spring technology to put the deck of the trailer on the ground. Dump, Load, Inflate and Go.
All cabinetry and bedding folds out of the way to make room for your bike. Trailers are built to order with custom options with the idea of matching your tow vehicle and motorcycle. Hit the road with your rod and put your ride inside, with the DropTear trailer.
Call toll free 1 866 803-1836.
ENGLISH REPORTER INVESTIGATES EASYRIDERS–I was interviewed this morning by Gary Inman a reporter for BIKE magazine in the U.K. He asked me about the effort Easyriders made to break the world lands speed record. I was one of the proud members of the team that helped break the world lands speed record on Bonneville Salt Flat, at 321 mph in July of 1990.
Gary would like to speak to any of the 10,000 Easyriders readers who spent $25 to support the effort in lieu of corporate sponsors.
“As I mentioned, I’d really like a five minute chat with a biker who put some of their own hard-earned money into the Easyridersproject, even if it was a few dollars,” Gary said. “I need to speak to them in the nextweek, because I have a deadline.The article is going in Britain’s best-selling motorcycle magazine.They can e-mail me at gary@inmangb.com.”
Drop him a note if you were part of the readership team effort.
BIKERNET GUN FIGHT RULES–1. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of yourfriends who have guns.
2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.
3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.
4. If your shooting stance is good, you’re probably not moving fast enough nor using cover correctly.
5. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)
6. If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.
7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
8. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.
9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on “pucker factor” than the inherent accuracy of the gun.
9.5 Use a gun that works EVERY TIME. “All skill is in vain when an Angel pisses in the flintlock of your musket.”
10. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. Have a plan.
13. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won’t work.
14. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.
15. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
16. Don’t drop your guard.
17. Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees.
18. Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them).
19. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.
20. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.
21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
22. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
23. Your number one Option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.
24. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a “4.”
–from Jose De Miguel
NEW TIM REMUS BOOK FOR HAMSTER LOVERS–Yep, it’s a book full of Hamster customs shot in Sturgis, called the Best of Sturgis. No Billy Lane bikes in this book. Check it out at WolfgangPublications .com or CarTech Auto Books and Manuals.
SMOKE-OUT CHARITY INFO–We are still raising money for kids with asthma to attend Camp Air Care for Mike Pullin’s Run For Breath out of Charlotte. The HORSE, Backstreet Choppers is setting up a booth at the Easy Riders Bike Show in Charlotte, NC January 25th to sell raffle tickets for the chopper we built.
The price of the booth doubled when I mentioned your name and then started to drop as I talked about the kids. What’s up with that? Obviously another female in your path of devastation and destruction.
–Edge
That should be, “Obviously another female on my path to spiritual bliss.”
BIKERNET’S MOST IMPORTANT MEN IN A WOMAN’S LIFE– Who are the most important men in women’s’ life: The Doctor because he says take your clothes off. The Dentist because he says open wide. The Milkman because he says do you want it in front or back. The Hair Dresser because he says do you want it teased or blown. The Interior Designer because he says once it is in you will love it. The Banker because he says if you take it out too soon you’ll loose interest.
–from Chris T.
SAMSON’S BIG GUNS 2 “CANNONS” ARE SLASHING THE COMPETITION–You want pipes that will deliver High Performance and Sound that will clear those roads for you? These Bad and Beautiful pipes are the ones. SAMSON EXHAUST has done it again with the new Big Guns 2 “Slashers” with the tightest fitting 220-degree, full-coverage, heat shields anywhere. The Big Guns 2 “Cannons” are just one of the new, exciting and great series of pipes from the Big Guns 2 family that only SAMSON can guarantee with Awesome Style, Sound and Performance. All “Big Guns 2” come complete with mounting brackets and hardware.
MSRP for the Long Slashers are $431.95 and the Short Slashers are $410.95 for sales contact your local SAMSON dealer or contact SAMSON EXHAUST.
Please visit www.SamsonUSA.com for the ultimate internet experience.
Samson Motorcycle Products, Inc.
3818 E. Coronado St. Anaheim, CA 92807
(800) 373-4217
714-518-2480 BUS.
714-518-2466 FAX
BIKERNET GREAT NORTH WET REPORT–Wednesday………6:30 pm………full moon, but black as hell……….foggy. Wife is fast asleep on the couch. Got my sweats on………..The perfect time to sit on my butt and watch the tube……….Ahhhhhhh! chuuuuuccccckkkkkk………… I look………..nobody there……… CHUUuuukkk………. What’s that? CHUUuuukkk………..
Who’s there? “HEY, YOU!” Oh. It is the riding-beast. It’s calling………. “You have been ignoring me!” Hmmmm………..Why not………… I go downstairs. I pull on the black leather boots. Chaps. Vest. Jacket. I cry out………”Oh, God!’
Leather over sweats? No self respecting hog rider would get caught dead………..Guess I had better be careful. I go upstairs and shake wife awake…….sort of. The man speaks……”I’m going for a short ride.”
She responds………. “Mmmphfff.” Which I interpret as either “So?” or “You are an idiot.”
Oh, well. Down to the garage. Key………lights!……….it starts! (Of course it starts…….you dummy!) And for you readers….it doesn’t leak oil, either! So, there! Roll it outside. First gotta drain the tank………..not the Harley. Man, it is black out here! Black leathers, black helmet, fog………I’m ready! 3 minute warm-up is over and …………I am off!
Gotta watch the wet leaves on the corner at the bottom of the hill. If I can see them, that is. North on Hart Road to 93rd. Can’t see beyond my low beam. 93rd. There is Scott’s house. Looks kinda dark, probably sitting on his butt, watching the tube. Gotta let him know that real men (idiots) go out and ride in most challenging (dangerous) conditions. I turn onto 93rd and wind it out in first and second………there, that did it. By the time he picks up the broken glass, I will be long gone.
South on Case Road and I pick up a pickup. In front of me that is. We are up to the 50 mph speed limit. Fog. If this guy hits something, I should be able to brake down to 20 or so by the time I hit him. Ok. The target is in sight! (again) Scott Lake Grocery.
I unmount…….(Lee Marvin…….Paint Your Wagon. Hey, who said I wasn’t sophisticated?) “Two Lotto tickets, please” ……………………God, I wanna quit! Back on the riding-beast. North on Case Road. Fog. I can do about 30 until it thins and then back up to 50. Turn on 93rd to Hart Road. Wow! Lotsa leaves here. Man, they look slippery! The riding-beast tippy-toes (there’s a picture) through the leaves and then winds out in first and second again. (may not have gotten all the glassware)
The windshield is now totally opaque, need a wiper. Going up the hill is a real trick. Peering over the windshield, it is so black, I am not sure where the pavement edge is……… But then………I’m safe! Now to call up the lottery website………
Guess what! I’m a…………………..LOOSER!
The Seattle area author’s name is Chuck Meyer. He made the 2800 mile run to Sturgis with us last August. On apersonal note, he’s battling cancer for the 4th time in 20 years….. One tough dude. – Digital
NEW FROM AEROMACH BILLET MIRRORS–The ?Sidewinder? Series.A radical looking stem that can be combined with a selection of mirrors.
The prices range from $211.80 a pair to 219.80 pair.
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BIKERS RAISE MONEY FOR SHRINERS BURN CENTER–PAUL CATALA pcatala@hernandotoday.com.
BROOKSVILLE – Dressed in their leather jackets, bearing an array of tattoos on various body parts and blasting their tailpipes into the parking lot, the Warlocks weren’t the type of visitors most people would expect to see at a Shrine club. But the Florida Department of Law Enforcement did.
Saturday, the Warlocks, a Florida-based Harley-Davidson motorcycle group made up of 10 clubs, held their first-annual “West Coast Charity Biker Blow-out” at the Hernando County Shrine Club, 13400 Montour St.
Around 4 p.m., the motorcyclists started motoring in, planning on spending a day with some beer, food and music, with proceeds from sales going to the Tampa Shriners Children’s Hospital burn center.
But joining in on the festivities were officers with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Department, the Florida Highway Patrol and the FDLE. While Warlocks were inside the Shrine hall, having snacks, listening to a Cocoa Beach-based rock band and sucking down some suds, sheriff’s and highway patrol cars were parked along parts of Sunshine Grove Road.
DuPree, 46, said about three weeks ago, sheriff’s detectives tried to keep the Warlocks from holding another fund-raiser in Brooksville. He said his club has raised about $15,000 for area charities over the past year and hoped to raise at least $3,000 Saturday. Cyclists attending the benefit each gave a $10 donation to attend.
“They’re trying to harass and shut us down. They’re uninformed and think that we’re trouble,” he said. “They need to realize there’s a lot of riders here and they’re a lot of voters.”
“We’ll be here anyway. A lot of us here are upset. They’re (law enforcement) coming here just in spite,” he said. “This is an intelligence gathering mission,” is all an FDLE official, who wouldn’t give his name, said as he stood in the dirt lot. The Warlocks raised $2,300 plus they have about $700 worth of T-shirts left to sell, according to DuPree.
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