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BridgeWorks launches BikeShop Full ThrottleBikeShop Full Throttle (BSFT) is the latest version of BikeShop– the electronic parts catalog for the v-twin industry, which was launched by BridgeWorks in 2005. Upon its original launch, the concept of the electronic package was to remove the need for multiple paper catalogs and replace them with a single electronic catalog, including all of the major distributors and manufacturers.
The latest version ? BSFT ? is a web-based version, allowing subscribers to access the material from multiple locations, and lists parts from over 850 manufacturers along with cross-referencing between them and multiple distributors.
BridgeWorks claims that: “No matter how many distributors are selling the same part, whoever’s part number you enter, you’ll get a search result with all of the suppliers it can be purchased from and their relevant part numbers.”The system operates on two patent-pending processes, the first of which is BridgeWorks’ make/model/year fitment guide, which matches parts listed in the database to a specific model of motorcycle across multiple suppliers.
This is backed up by the ‘Availability Module’, which pulls availability information from participating manufacturers’ web sites to indicate which have the user-selected part in stock, and allows for price comparisons side-by-side on screen.An additional benefit to dealers who subscribe to BSFT is that, besides using it as their shop’s primary ordering system, they can integrate it within their own existing websites to direct customers’ on-line orders to their business.
Also, the company is pleased to announce the appointment of Kent Reed, former General Manager of MC Advantages. Kent is now on staff to help drive post-launch sales development as BridgeWorks’ new Global Operations Director, effective immediately.
BRIDGEWORKS INC
San Mateo, California, USA
Tel: 877 295 7462
E-mail: info@bridgeworksinc.com
http://bikeshopft.com
RESCUE RIDERS TO GET GRANT– With the rise of motorcycle crashes, in part due to more bikes on the road because of high gas prices, there is an increasing need for trained volunteer emergency responders. Rescue Riders, based in northern Illinois, is a volunteer group of bikers who are trained in emergency response. Hupy and Abraham, S.C., the largest financial sponsor of Accident Scene Management, Inc. (ASMI), has agreed to donate enough money to Rescue Riders to train an additional 350 new volunteers for Illinois and Wisconsin.
?There is a great need for trained volunteer responders not only on the scenes of accidents but also in the event of larger emergencies,? said Michael Hupy, president of Hupy and Abraham, S.C. ?We commend the efforts of the Rescue Riders in educating motorcyclists, and are pleased to present this donation to help support this endeavor in Wisconsin and Illinois.?
The donation will be used to recruit and educate motorcyclists to provide emergency assistance in times of need, with training offered by Accident Scene Management, Inc. ASMI is based on the national First Responder curriculum.
?We are grateful for Hupy and Abraham?s support of our program,? said Dean Akey, founder of Rescue Riders. ?This will provide a critical resource for motorcyclists across the region.?
Dean Akey is an Allstate agent and earlier this year, he won the 2008 Ray Lynch Award for Exceptional Community Service. He was singled out among 13,000 other Allstate agency owners for his outstanding service. Dean?s agency is located in St. Charles, Illinois.
For more information on Rescue Riders, visit www.rescueriders.orgFor additional information on Accident Scene Management, visitwww.accidentscene.org
DEAL OF THE WEEK–Just got word that a friend of mine is selling his Harley for $12,500. Here are the pics. Just thought I’d pass this along.
–Lorna ANOTHER DEAL OF THE WEEK–I realized how bad things were economically when I went to a store yesterday to buy a toaster, and was offered a free bank along with my purchase. –from Art Freidman THE LATEST DEAL OF THE WEEK–10 over Jeri’s Springer with 13″ Springer Apes, HD 80 CU in Evo 5 speed,Mikuni 42mm Carb with Kuryunkin Hyper Charger, New HD motor cases with .005over rings & pistons (motor & motor work has only 7000 miles on it), HDScreamin Eagle heads with compression release valves, HD high torquestarter, Crane Fire Ball HI-4 ignition system with 8-3001 coil, S&S oilpump, original HD frame cut raked & powder coated by Racing Innovations OKC(40 deg), Andrews EV-27 cam, Sampson BG3 pipes, Corbin seat with 2 removablebackrests, HD shop custom paint job (numbered), Progressive Suspension rearshocks (hand twist adj.), ONE OF A KIND custom made front fender, 80 twistedspoke wheels front & back, All cables & hoses are braided. Has acorn nuttheme all over it. $18,250 Comes with saddle bags, fork bag & Clymer repair manual. ~Mike VERY COOL ?45? BOBBER 4-SPEED CHASSIS–Talk about a long time coming! This awesome new frame from Paughco will allow you to build yourself a very cool chopper using that ole 45-incher that?s been serving as a door stop for the past few of decades. Better yet the new Paugho 45 frame allows you to toss that old 3-speed and replace it with a 74 4-speed. The new bare frame retails for right around $1000.00, and that includes offset 4-speed tranny plate. The frame is set up for BDL belt or chain drive and can be ordered separately or with a host of optional accessories like the Paughco Springer, wheels, tanks and fenders shown here. With that in mind make sure you ask the salesman about a complete roller. You?ll be surprised at just how affordable one of these rides can be. Certainly would make a sweet father and son project or cool putter for shop or enthusiast. Probably shouldn?t sleep on this one as the new Paughco ?45? BOBBER frame is certain to be in big demand. For complete details call 775-246-5738 or catch the entire line-up at www.paughco.com ROAD CONTRACTORS AND MOTORCYCLE SAFETY–The August 29, 2008 issue of the Daily Reporter, contained an article by Attorney Jason Abraham entitled, ?Attorney Says Contractors Should Be Bike-Minded.? The intent of the article was to raise awareness that contractors working on road projects need to post warning signs to alert motorcyclists about adverse conditions. Attorney Abraham wants this signage to be a requirement. Hupy and Abraham, S.C. hosted a large meeting two years ago at their office in Milwaukee dealing with this exact problem. It was attended by over 100 area bikers and local and district supervisors of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. A Power Point Presentation explained the hazards most likely to cause problems for bikers, including loose gravel at work sites, uneven surfaces during repaving operations, steel plates across roadways and reflective deceleration striping. The recent article which appeared in the Daily Reporter reminded George Torres of the meeting at Hupy and Abraham, S.C. Mr. Torres is a Director/Highway Commissioner for Milwaukee County. In an email dated September 5, 2008 to Hupy and Abraham, S.C. investigator, Tony ?Pan? Sanfelipo, he indicated that he was passing the article with Attorney Abraham?s concerns along to his Transportation Engineering section and they would incorporate a signing policy that will require their contractors to put up signage at County managed construction projects to let bikers know about these dangerous conditions. We hope other counties in Wisconsin will follow the lead of Milwaukee County and we?re grateful that Attorney Abraham took the time to remind contractors to ?think about motorcyclists? when doing these projects 25TH ANNUAL LOVE RIDE AND CONCERT BY FOO FIGHTERS AND ZZ TOP ON OCTOBER 26 CAP THE 2ND ANNUAL CALIFORNIA BIKE WEEK, TAKING PLACE OCTOBER 24-26 AT POMONA FAIRPLEX– Los Angeles, CA, October 20, 2008: The 2nd annual California Bike Week (CBW) rolls into Southern California next week and the three-day rally ? taking place October 24-26 at Pomona Fairplex ? climaxes with the 25th Annual Love Ride on Sunday, October 26. That morning, the Love Ride convoy of bikers, led by Grand Marshall Jay Leno, will start their engines at Love Ride founder Oliver Shokouh?s Harley-Davidson/Buell of Glendale and cruise to the Fairplex for festivities including a concert co-headlined by ZZ Top and Foo Fighters. The world?s largest one-day motorcycle benefit event, Love Ride has raised over $20 million for charitable organizations since its 1984 inception. In addition to Leno ? who has served as Grand Marshall for almost every Love Ride ? other celebrity riders on Oct. 26 include actors Peter Fonda and Robert Patrick, and Harley-Davidson legend Willie G. Davidson. Also joining them on the motorcade are cast members from FX?s new outlaw biker gang drama Sons Of Anarchy: Charlie Hunnam, Mark Boone Junior, Tommy Flanagan, Johnny Lewis, Kim Coates and Theo Rossi, as well as William Shatner, two-time X-Games Gold Medalist Mike Metzger and the former Mrs. Steve McQueen, Neile Adams. The morning of Love Ride, bikers will begin gathering in Glendale at 6AM for the 9:15 start. A morning of music performances is planned to gear up the crowd: singer-songwriters Magda Hiller (sets at 6:45AM and 9AM) and Cydney Robinson (7:05AM); and southern roots rockers the Georgia Satellites, from 8:00-8:40AM. On Love Ride Sunday, Pomona Fairplex gates will open at 10AM, and the venue remains open until 4PM. All-day activities include a motorcycle trade show Vendor Village, Harley-Davidson demo rides, stunt shows, the ?wall of death,? on-site tattoo artists and Love Ride?s famous BBQ lunch spread. Grand Marshall Jay Leno will make celebrity introductions at 11AM, with the concert immediately following. Opening act The Tubes take the stage at 11:15AM, Foo Fighters are up at 12:30PM and ZZ Top caps it off with a 2:15PM set. At approximately 3:30PM, a drawing will take place to determine raffle winners based on opportunity tickets distributed during the course of Love Ride 25?s fundraising efforts (one ticket was awarded per $100 donation). The Grand Prize is a new Harley-Davidson FLSTSB Softail Crossbones motorcycle. California Bike Week is jointly presented by the Love Ride Foundation (www.loveride.org) and the Southern California Harley-Davidson Dealers Association (www.harley4fun.com). It is a motorcycle & lifestyle event designed to become a signature, landmark West Coast rally in the tradition of long-running, world-renowned bike weeks such as the ones in Sturgis, SD and Daytona, FL. In addition to the marketplace, demo rides, stunt shows and tattoo tents at the Fairplex, the two days leading up to the climactic Love Ride and all-star concert will offer a full itinerary of special events: Friday Oct. 24: CBW?s opening day features a one-day-only Hot Rod exhibition and a 7PM concert featuring L.A. favorites The Blasters and rockabilly icon and former Stray Cat, Lee Rocker. Saturday, Oct. 25: CBW Fairplex attendees will be treated to the thrill of world class Pro Flat Track Racing ?featuring factory teams, the H-D Wrecking Crew and top pros ? produced by legendary racer Gene Romero. Flat track spectator gates open at 3PM, and the first race begins at 6:30PM. Also on Saturday, there will be a special Love Ride Bonham?s Breakfast & Auction at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles from 9AM-12Noon. Among the many items up for auction to benefit the Love Ride Foundation is a 1998 Harley-Davidson Softail FXSTC in mint condition. For information on participating in the 25th annual Love Ride, donating to the Love Ride Foundation, and purchasing tickets to all Love Ride related events and concerts, please log on to: www.loveride.org and www.californiabikeweek.com BIKERNET PHOTOGRAPHER RETURNS FROM TAHITI AND HAWAII–After lengthy assignment for Tattoo Magazine.Ms. Wu, Aloha, I’m back.Hope all’s well, did speak briefly to 5Ball yesterday. We’ll have to get together and talk Hawaii, Tahiti.Here’s a shot of Jim Russi (famous surfing photographer) at Mike Ledger’s shop on Oahu–I hooked them up, as Jim’s after new portrait work. Had dinner with him afterwards. Great guy. –Markus D’ Cuff TALON MIRROR FROM IMAGE PRODUCTS–Camarillo, CA – October 22, 2008- Image Motorcycle Products is proud to announce the long awaited release of our new Talon Mirrors. IMP Talon Mirrors feature an eagle claw holding the mirror frame. These mirrors pivot at the joint to adjust. Talon Mirrors coordinate with our Talon kickstands and footpegs. Mirrors retail for $420.00 a pair. We are now taking holiday season orders. IMP Mirrors are cast in aerospace quality stainless steel and finished with a high polish. No chrome to peel or chip! We offer a 100% money back guarantee against breakage for life. Fall new releases also include kickstands for 2007 and newer softails. You can now order American Eagle, Mumbly Peg, Skull and Bones, Talon, and most of our sleek kickstands. We are now taking holiday season orders. For more information contact: Image Motorcycle Products, 918 Calle Portilla, Camarillo, CA 93010. (800) 304-5838, www.imagemotorcycle.com ANTIQUE CAR DEAL OF THE WEEK–I am sending this to a couple of you guys who I think would appreciate this. I think that this is the coolest driver I have seen in a while!
Beautifully and correctly restored Cord Westchester with Toronado front drive running gear, air, PS, PB, etc. Been driven the past couple of years but still shows well. Professionally built at a cost of over $200K and can be bought for $75K. Runs and drives super, has done the California Mille Run.
Great art deco style!
–Barry Cooney(760) 505-8836
DUANE BALLARD DONATES DIAMOND ENCRUSTED BUCKLE TO THE LOVE RIDE–The new buckles are in. The silver one with the diamond eyes is a donation piece for the Love Ride auction this weekend. The others are for sale.
I have a feeling I may be the permanent owner of a bunch of belt buckles. I think they are funny so that wouldn’t be such a horrible thing.
Silver buckles go for $35.00.
–Duane Ballard Custom Leather
3401 Spruce St.
Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
603-781-7505
http://www.dbcustomleather.com
FULL CONTROL EFI SYSTEM FROM ZIPPERS–Does Your EFI Bike Pop? Spit? Backfire? Start Hard? Run Hot? Crappy Fuel Mileage? Would you like to have full control of your EFI system, freedom to make major or minor adjustments without a master?s degree in electronics and computers? Here is a simple solution?ThunderMax with AutoTune!
The ThunderMax is a completely new product that replaces the factory module, not an add-on box or signal modifier. The ThunderMax is purpose-built to deliver uncompromising performance but you don?t have to be a rocket scientist to program it or make adjustments.
Just how easy is it? Installation is a straightforward replacement of the factory module and oxygen sensors*. The ThunderMax SmartLink software contains hundreds of base maps that cover over 80% of popular factory and aftermarket combinations, dyno-developed by Zipper?s on real motorcycles. Choosing a map is a quick and easy process thanks to SmartLink?s sorting filters; loading a map takes less than a minute. After that, you?re ready to start the motorcycle. Once running, let the bike warm up at idle to operating temperature while the Smartlink software automatically dials in idle and warm-up settings for that particular engine and you?re ready to ride! During your ride, every time you ride, the ThunderMax AutoTune module analyzes the air/fuel ratio read by the wide-band oxygen sensors at warp speed after every cylinder fire and makes any necessary adjustments to the injector pulse width to achieve the desired air/fuel ratio while compensating for variations in injectors, fuel pressure or exhaust flow. With every tank of fuel, at any temperature or elevation. That?s it! All you have to do is ride.
As simple as we?ve made it to install and use, don?t be fooled into thinking that this not one of the most sophisticated systems you can buy for your Harley?. Using the supplied SmartLink software and communication cable, you can adjust or monitor virtually every parameter of the system:
Complete EFI Engine Management!
Closed Loop AFR Targets
Idle Speed
Rev Limit
Igniting Timing
Speedometer Calibration
Decel Pop Control
Read Diagnostic Codes
Running Statistics / Logs
Accel Pump Simulation
Start Fuel Pulse
Engine Temp Alarm
Injector Size Compensation
Live Engine Tuning
Live Monitoring
Live Recording
Digital Tech Compatible
Nitrous Compatible
Supercharger Compatible
Warm-up Settings
And Many More!
The ThunderMax makes sense in the long run as the system can grow and change as your engine does?just load a new map! ThunderMax software, firmware and maps updates are free and accessible 24/7 with an Internet connection so you?re only a mouse-click away from the latest available data. The ThunderMax is designed and manufactured right here in the USA and backed by a 3-year warranty!
*Requires exhaust system equipped with or modified for use with oxygen sensors
Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights?— By Orson Scott Card.
Editor’s note: Orson Scott Card is a Democrat, a newspaper columnist and author, and in this opinion piece he takes on both while lamenting the current state of journalism.
An open letter to the local daily paper ? almost every local daily paper in America:
I remember reading All the President’s Men and thinking: That’s journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know.
This housing crisis didn’t come out of nowhere. It was not a vague emanation of the evil Bush administration.
It was a direct result of the political decision, back in the late 1990s, to loosen the rules of lending so that home loans would be more accessible to poor people. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were authorized to approve risky loans.
What is a risky loan? It’s a loan that the recipient is likely not to be able to repay.
The goal of this rule change was to help the poor ? which especially would help members of minority groups. But how does it help these people to give them a loan that they can’t repay? They get into a house, yes, but when they can’t make the payments, they lose the house ? along with their credit rating.
They end up worse off than before.
This was completely foreseeable and in fact many people did foresee it. One political party, in Congress and in the executive branch, tried repeatedly to tighten up the rules. The other party blocked every such attempt and tried to loosen them.
Furthermore, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were making political contributions to the very members of Congress who were allowing them to make irresponsible loans. (Though why quasi-federal agencies were allowed to do so baffles me. It’s as if the Pentagon were allowed to contribute to the political campaigns of Congressmen who support increasing their budget.)
Isn’t there a story here? Doesn’t journalism require that you who produce our daily paper tell the truth about who brought us to a position where the only way to keep confidence in our economy was a $700 billion bailout? Aren’t you supposed to follow the money and see which politicians were benefiting personally from the deregulation of mortgage lending?
I have no doubt that if these facts had pointed to the Republican Party or to John McCain as the guilty parties, you would be treating it as a vast scandal. “Housing-gate,” no doubt. Or “Fannie-gate.”
Instead, it was Senator Christopher Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank, both Democrats, who denied that there were any problems, who refused Bush administration requests to set up a regulatory agency to watch over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and who were still pushing for these agencies to go even further in promoting sub-prime mortgage loans almost up to the minute they failed.
As Thomas Sowell points out in a TownHall.com essay entitled “Do Facts Matter?” ( http://snipurl.com/457townhall_com These are facts. This financial crisis was completely preventable. The party that blocked any attempt to prevent it was … the Democratic Party. The party that tried to prevent it was … the Republican Party. Yet when Nancy Pelosi accused the Bush administration and Republican deregulation of causing the crisis, you in the press did not hold her to account for her lie. Instead, you criticized Republicans who took offense at this lie and refused to vote for the bailout! What? It’s not the liar, but the victims of the lie who are to blame? Now let’s follow the money … right to the presidential candidate who is the number-two recipient of campaign contributions from Fannie Mae. And after Freddie Raines, the CEO of Fannie Mae who made $90 million while running it into the ground, was fired for his incompetence, one presidential candidate’s campaign actually consulted him for advice on housing. If that presidential candidate had been John McCain, you would have called it a major scandal and we would be getting stories in your paper every day about how incompetent and corrupt he was. But instead, that candidate was Barack Obama, and so you have buried this story, and when the McCain campaign dared to call Raines an “adviser” to the Obama campaign ? because that campaign had sought his advice ? you actually let Obama’s people get away with accusing McCain of lying, merely because Raines wasn’t listed as an official adviser to the Obama campaign. You would never tolerate such weasely nit-picking from a Republican. If you who produce our local daily paper actually had any principles, you would be pounding this story, because the prosperity of all Americans was put at risk by the foolish, short-sighted, politically selfish, and possibly corrupt actions of leading Democrats, including Obama. If you who produce our local daily paper had any personal honor, you would find it unbearable to let the American people believe that somehow Republicans were to blame for this crisis. There are precedents. Even though President Bush and his administration never said that Iraq sponsored or was linked to 9/11, you could not stand the fact that Americans had that misapprehension ? so you pounded us with the fact that there was no such link. (Along the way, you created the false impression that Bush had lied to them and said that there was a connection.) If you had any principles, then surely right now, when the American people are set to blame President Bush and John McCain for a crisis they tried to prevent, and are actually shifting to approve of Barack Obama because of a crisis he helped cause, you would be laboring at least as hard to correct that false impression. Your job, as journalists, is to tell the truth. That’s what you claim you do, when you accept people’s money to buy or subscribe to your paper. But right now, you are consenting to or actively promoting a big fat lie ? that the housing crisis should somehow be blamed on Bush, McCain, and the Republicans. You have trained the American people to blame everything bad ? even bad weather ? on Bush, and they are responding as you have taught them to. If you had any personal honor, each reporter and editor would be insisting on telling the truth ? even if it hurts the election chances of your favorite candidate. Because that’s what honorable people do. Honest people tell the truth even when they don’t like the probable consequences. That’s what honesty means . That’s how trust is earned. Barack Obama is just another politician, and not a very wise one. He has revealed his ignorance and naivete time after time ? and you have swept it under the rug, treated it as nothing. Meanwhile, you have participated in the borking of Sarah Palin, reporting savage attacks on her for the pregnancy of her unmarried daughter ? while you ignored the story of John Edwards’s own adultery for many months. So I ask you now: Do you have any standards at all? Do you even know what honesty means? Is getting people to vote for Barack Obama so important that you will throw away everything that journalism is supposed to stand for? You might want to remember the way the National Organization of Women threw away their integrity by supporting Bill Clinton despite his well-known pattern of sexual exploitation of powerless women. Who listens to NOW anymore? We know they stand for nothing; they have no principles. That’s where you are right now. It’s not too late. You know that if the situation were reversed, and the truth would damage McCain and help Obama, you would be moving heaven and earth to get the true story out there. If you want to redeem your honor, you will swallow hard and make a list of all the stories you would print if it were McCain who had been getting money from Fannie Mae, McCain whose campaign had consulted with its discredited former CEO, McCain who had voted against tightening its lending practices. Then you will print them, even though every one of those true stories will point the finger of blame at the reckless Democratic Party, which put our nation’s prosperity at risk so they could feel good about helping the poor, and lay a fair share of the blame at Obama’s door. You will also tell the truth about John McCain: that he tried, as a Senator, to do what it took to prevent this crisis. You will tell the truth about President Bush: that his administration tried more than once to get Congress to regulate lending in a responsible way. This was a Congress-caused crisis, beginning during the Clinton administration, with Democrats leading the way into the crisis and blocking every effort to get out of it in a timely fashion. If you at our local daily newspaper continue to let Americans believe ? and vote as if ? President Bush and the Republicans caused the crisis, then you are joining in that lie. If you do not tell the truth about the Democrats ? including Barack Obama ? and do so with the same energy you would use if the miscreants were Republicans ? then you are not journalists by any standard. You’re just the public relations machine of the Democratic Party, and it’s time you were all fired and real journalists brought in, so that we can actually have a news paper in our city. Kustomwerks Announces Expanded 2009 Catalog– Kustomwerks offers the best value and quality on more parts than ever before. The new 2009 catalog will begin shipping in December to dealers across the country and Canada. Among the new additions to the catalog will be expanded product lines of a rigid Sportster frames, gas tanks, Cometic Gaskets, LED Lighting, and many more new products which will be on display at the V-Twin Expo in February. ?Although we continue to grow and add more dealers and product lines each day, we are committed to providing each customer the best service in the industry. We like to say we?re large enough to compete and small enough to care. When you call us, a real person answers the phone and your questions,? stated Don Hannon, President of Kustomwerks. To become a qualified dealer, to locate a dealer or to learn more about Kustomwerks, call 1-800-498-4711, or log onto www.kustomwerks.com. –Kustomwerks, INC. THE END–I’m trying to handle the news on my own. The staff went to attend a memorial for a kid who went wrong and burnt up in a meth lab. Maybe I’m getting old, but I don’t see much use for a life of crime anymore. We’re living in a terror powered society packed with wire-taps and cameras everywhere. Of course here’s an example of my new world wisdom. I thought for sure that kids growing up in an age of anti-cigarette propaganda would cut off their rock and roll ears before smoking. Not so, Ming the Merciless. Half the young punks I know, male and female, smoke. What the fuck? With that I’m going to escape to the shop and finish our burnt Panhead patio table. It’s gonna be cool. Maybe Sunday I’ll have a shot for you with a slab of ?-inch glass on top. Then when my next Paughco order rolls the 1915 5-Ball Factory Racer will slip up on the lift. We have a batch of hot stuff heading your way including a tech on the electric start kit for kick-only bikes. I’m also working on a Rivera Tech primary install. We have a sizzling passel of fiction, but we struggle to find the time to kick back and ponder each high-drama line. Be patient, and Scotty a road-dawg rider who never leaves the highway, sent me several road stories and I can’t wait to slip into one of his envelopes. Coming soon. Let’s ride –Bandit
1200 South Park Drive,
Kernersville NC 27284