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Tour South America With Compass Expeditions Motorcycle Tours

By Bandit | November 21, 2013 | General Posts
Now include the “Best of Brazil” tours based around the 2014 FIFA World Cup Compass Expeditions just enhanced their South American tour packages for 2014, which now include tours around the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil in June and July. Two Best of Brazil tours of 14 days each (June 8-21 and July 2-15) will enable guests to ride and watch matches/finals depending on their chosen itineraries. They join these previously announced exceptional itineraries: Compass Expeditions at Torres del Paine Southern Lakes Explorer (9 days; January 1 2014 – January 9 2014) Highlights of Peru (15 Days; August 28 2014 – September 11 2014) Atacama to Machu Picchu (16 days; April 1 2014 – April 16 2014) Agua y Salares (17 Days; July 12 2014 – July 28 2014) Patagonia Explorer (18 days; November 10 2013 – November 27 2013) Los Andes (23 days; April 30 2014 – May 22 2014)Andean Discovery (23 Days; September 29 2014 – October 21 2014) Atlantic to Altiplano (27 Days; July 2 2014 – July 28 2014) South America Coast to Coast (42 days; July 2 2014 – August 12 2014) South America 360 (128 Days; February 21 2015 – June 28 2015) With 2.4 million FIFA World Cup Brazil tickets sold within the first 24 hours of sales and the United States within the top 3 countries requesting tickets, potential guests should book early to reserve space (Note: these packages do not include World Cup Tickets – tickets can be purchased here.) Compass Expeditions now offers Brazil tours for individuals, groups of friends, riding clubs, and business associates who wish to ride one of its late model BMW F700 GS models around Brazil and be in proximity of the World Cup events. When it comes to creating outstanding motorcycle adventure memories – no one comes close to Compass Expeditions. Learn why National Geographic awarded Compass Expeditions “Tours of a Lifetime” and experience why Adventure Motorcycle Riders Charley Boorman, Simon Pavey, and Lois Pryce lead some of its exciting tours. To arrange a tour with Compass Expeditions, contact www.compassexpeditions.com
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Cruise-Mate Cruise Control

By Bandit | November 21, 2013 | General Posts

CRUISE-MATE operates in less than 1/2 turn, simply flip the lever forward (toward front of bike) to turn it on and set your throttle where ever you wish. Flip the lever back (toward rear of bike) to turn it off and return your throttle to normal operation. All CRUISE-MATE components are manufactured from solid 303 stainless steel. The polished 303 stainless handle will never corrode, chip, tarnish or peel. SEE INSTALL STORY

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Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Experience for November, 2013

By Bandit | November 20, 2013 | General Posts

 

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From the Archives: Rally Special Editions

For many years, the local Sturgis newspaper (Meade County Times) put out a special edition newspaper after each Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Looking through the archives at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame, we found a stack of these special editions from various years starting in 1984. Each edition was a full newspaper with as many as five sections. They all boast full color covers on each section, and plenty of advertising from local and regional businesses. If you were around any of the years prior to 1988, you could snag one for only $1. From 1988 through the last edition we’ve found in our archives (1999), you could get your copy for $2.

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NCOM COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS for November 2013

By Bill Bish | November 20, 2013 | General Posts
THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. If you’ve been involved in any kind of accident, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit www.ON-A-BIKE.com.
NCOM COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)
CDC TASK FORCE CALLS FOR HELMET LAWS
A task force operating under the auspices of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is recommending that all states have a mandatory helmet law in place to require motorcycle riders of all ages to wear a helmet.
Citing reduced injuries and fatalities, as well as economic benefits, the Community Preventive Services Task Force, appointed by the director of the CDC, will make its recommendations to the federal agency and report its findings to the U.S. Congress in early December.
The CDC, whose primary mission is to fight disease, issued a report last summer recommending that all 50 states enact universal helmet laws in response to a sharp increase in motorcyclist fatalities; but ignoring the fact that the number of motorcycles in use nationwide has increased substantially over the past decade, and that costs associated with un-helmeted cyclists involved in fatal accidents represent a tiny fraction of overall U.S. healthcare expenditures.
In the meantime, U.S. Representative Tom Petri (R-WI) has authored a joint letter from members of Congress calling for the CDC to stop investigating motorcycling issues such as helmet laws, which they have no experience or expertise with, and “…to direct your attention and resources to areas that are not currently already being addressed elsewhere in the government.”
URGE CONGRESSIONAL ACTION TO BAR E15 GAS
The US Defenders (www.usdefenders.org) issued a Call To Action on October 26, 2013 calling for support of House Resolution 1462 “to Stop the Sale of Ethanol 15 (E15).”
The bipartisan RFS Reform Act would “eliminate the corn-based ethanol mandate currently required by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), reduce the overall requirements of cellulosic ethanol not filled by other advanced bio-fuels, and rescind the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waivers allowing gasoline blends containing up to 15-percent of ethanol.”
Introduced by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Steve Womack (R-AR), and Peter Welch (D-VT), H.R. 1462 would effectively overhaul the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which mandates that 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels be part of our nation’s fuel supply by 2022, almost all of which being fulfilled by corn ethanol which in turn diverts nearly 40% of our nation’s corn crop from food and feed.
Congress created the RFS program in 2005 to promote the ethanol industry by setting the minimum amount of renewable fuel that must be blended into motor fuels annually.  E10 (10% ethanol blend) has become widely accepted and helped kickstart the ethanol industry, but in 2010 the EPA approved E15 for use in newer vehicles even though many automobile manufacturers claim its use can damage engines and void warranties, and no motorcycles or ATVs are currently approved to use the alcohol-laden fuel.
Rep. Goodlatte has also introduced the RFS Elimination Act (H.R.1461), “which eliminates the RFS altogether and makes ethanol compete in a free market.”  Both the RFS Elimination Act and the RFS Reform Act have been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Meanwhile, on November 15, the EPA recommended reducing the total amount of ethanol required by the RFS to be blended into U.S. transportation fuel nationwide in 2014 from 18.15 billion gallons down to 15.21 bg, though the move to reduce the minimum volume of renewable fuel next year does not provide a permanent solution to the inflexible short-term mandates nor the long-term diversion of feed stocks to fuel.
ROCHESTER, MINN ACCUSED OF DISCRIMINATING AGAINST BIKERS
An attorney representing the Confederation of Clubs of Minnesota claims that Rochester bars and restaurants illegally deny access to people wearing clothing that displays affiliations to certain motorcycle clubs and that the Rochester Police Department advises the establishments to do so.
In a letter dated October 31, 2013 to Rochester Police Chief Roger Peterson and City Attorney Terry Adkins, A.I.M. Attorney Michael M. Bader of St. Paul, MN states that by denying access to people displaying affiliations to these clubs, the establishments are violating Minnesota Statute 604.12. The statute, the first and only biker anti-discrimination law in the country, says that access cannot be denied to “a person who operates a motorcycle or is wearing clothing that displays the name of an organization or association,” unless the person’s behavior is endangering other people or property, or the person’s clothing “is obscene or includes the name or symbol of a criminal gang.”
Bader’s letter states that he has been provided “irrefutable evidence” that Rochester restaurants and bars violate the law by practicing “discrimination” against members of motorcycle clubs, and told the Post-Bulletin newspaper that the evidence includes taped recordings of conversations with bar owners who say police advised them to deny access to people wearing jackets or other clothing with certain motorcycle club colors and insignias. “The reason given by police, as evidenced in recordings, is: ‘that these groups have a history of violence,‘” but Minnesota Statute 609.229, which pertains to gang crime, requires a gang or club to have a “pattern of criminal activity” before establishments can deny access to its members.
“Our suggestion would be for Chief Peterson to send a memo to all licensed clubs and restaurants in Rochester with a copy of Minn. Stat. 604.12, advising the license holders that discrimination upon dress alone violates the statute and makes each establishment liable for damages and attorney fees for each person who suffers the discrimination,” Bader wrote in his letter.
Peterson told the paper he has no plans to send the type of memo Bader suggested because the police department is not violating any statute, saying it is well-known and well-established that the motorcycle clubs Bader represents have histories of violence in the Rochester area and the police department has advised bars and restaurants to deny access to people wearing any kind of gang colors or insignias, and that includes those of motorcycle clubs with violent histories.
If Peterson refuses to do so, “the next step is litigation,” Bader said in a recent interview. “And then it would be incumbent upon the city to prove this pattern of criminal activity.” According to Minnesota Statute 609.902, it requires at least three separate criminal acts within 10 years of the beginning of the criminal proceeding.
THREE-WHEELERS EXEMPTED FROM MOTORCYCLE LICENSING & HELMET LAWS
The Michigan legislature has approved a bill to change the state’s motorcycle laws to allow Elio Motors to sell a three-wheeled car in the state without buyers being required to get a motorcycle endorsement.
The “Elio” (pronounced EE-lee-oh) is considered a “motorcycle” under federal and state safety regulations because it has three wheels and weighs less than 1,600 pounds. Nonetheless, it handles like a car according to inventor Paul Elio, who says Michigan’s old law would have required buyers of the Elio to take a motorcycle safety test that teaches things like, “the throttle is on the right handlebar” and you should “lean into a curve.“
The company is banking on other states with similar laws to have them modified by the time Elio Motors plans to start production of the Elio in late 2014, but their main concern is the five states that require drivers of three-wheeled vehicles to wear a helmet.
Joel Sheltrown of Elio Motors says those laws must be changed by the time the Elio is for sale, because wearing a helmet in a car obscures the person’s vision and hearing, and the weight of the helmet also has the potential to cause severe neck damage in an accident.
Such laws could also hinder sales of the three-wheeler, which will be manufactured in Shreveport, Louisiana, where the state recently amended their laws to allow Elio occupants to ride without a helmet and operators won’t have to get a special “M” endorsement on their driver’s license as required of motorcyclists.
GLOBAL TIRE MARKET PROJECTED TO GROW, DRIVEN BY MOTORCYCLES
The worldwide market for tires is projected to grow at a 5% annual rate for the period 2014-2015, and motorcycles will be a key driver.
According to an industry report, the increasing demand for motorcycles positively influences the demand for tires and hence leads to the growth of the Global Tire market. The demand for motorcycles comes from developing and under-developed countries where the penetration rate of cars is low.
Also, it is expected that the adoption of tubeless tires in the Global Motorcycle market will increase and will have a positive impact on the Global Tire market.
1 IN 4 DRIVERS ADMIT SURFING THE WEB WHILE BEHIND THE WHEEL
Texting while driving used to be an offense identified with younger vehicle operators, but a new poll shows how it has spread to older drivers as well. The poll also found that one in four drivers are now accessing the Web while driving, yet another dangerous distraction, and the increase is driven by older drivers using smartphones.
The number of drivers who report using their cell phones to access the Internet while behind the wheel continues to rise, to a point where nearly one of four drivers are going online while driving, according to a national survey that has tracked the potentially deadly practice over the past five years.  There were also jumps in the percentages of people who read or respond to e-mail, and who read or update social media networks while driving, according to an article appearing on the front page of USA TODAY on Tuesday, November 12th.
Insurer State Farm began asking drivers in 2009 whether they went online while driving. The percentage of drivers who said they do so has nearly doubled, from 13% in 2009 to 24% this year. Among drivers ages 18-29, that number rose from 29% to 49%.
Most research on distracted driving — and most laws against it — has focused on texting while driving, which creates a crash risk 23 times greater than not doing so, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  But the rise in ownership of smartphones, which allow users to surf the Web, access social media and send and receive e-mail, means there are more opportunities than ever for driver distraction, and over the past three years the sharpest increases in smartphone ownership were among drivers 40 and over. For drivers ages 40-49, the percentage that owns smartphones rose from 47% in 2011 to 82% in 2013; for those 50-64, it went from 44% to 64%, and for those 65 and older, from 23% to 39%.
Perhaps reflecting the nation’s sustained campaign against texting while driving, that problem is growing much more slowly than surfing the Web. The percentage of people who report texting while driving rose slightly over the past five years, from 31% to 35% of all drivers. Among those 18-29, the number who report doing so has actually decreased, from 71% to 69%.
Chris Mullen, State Farm’s director of technology research says, “We need to keep an eye on social media, reading e-mail, all these other functions folks can use. … That could be legislation, it could be enforcement, it could be education and awareness.”
DRIVERS WOULD OPT TO LOSE CONTROL
A new survey finds that one in five Americans would never take the wheel again if a self-driving, or autonomous, car were available.  CarInsurance.com asked 2,000 drivers whether they would buy an autonomous car if it meant they never had to drive again, and 20% of them said yes. That number soars if cheaper car insurance is part of the deal.
While 1 in 5 licensed drivers surveyed said they would gladly turn over the keys and let computers do the driving, more than a third of those surveyed said an 80% discount on car insurance rates would make purchase of an autonomous vehicle “very likely,” and 90% of respondents said they would at least consider the idea.
Cars that park themselves, navigate stop-and-go-traffic or avert an impending collision are already on U.S. roads today, and Nissan has promised to deliver a fully autonomous vehicle — one that allows a computer to assume control under the right conditions — to showrooms by 2020. A fully automated vehicle that doesn’t need a human operator could someday follow.
“Our survey shows cheaper insurance will greatly influence consumer acceptance,” said CarInsurance.com managing editor Des Toups. “Some of the liability of operating a car will doubtless be assumed by the manufacturer,” Toups said. “But a lot of the decrease in rates could come simply because there would be many fewer accidents.”
Trust will be a big hurdle, the survey results show, as 64% said computers were not capable of the same quality of decision-making that human drivers exhibit, and 75% said they can drive a car better than a computer could. Asked what they would do with their additional free time, 26% responded that they’d text/talk with friends, 21% would read, while 10% would sleep and 7% would work.
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QUOTABLE QUOTE:  “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American poet and practical philosopher
–Photos and images from the Bob T. collection–
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Luminor Paint REALLY Glows In The Dark!

By Bandit | November 20, 2013 | General Posts

Andy Zsinko has 25 years of expertise in aftermarket painting. One day, he set out to craft a glow-in-the-dark paint for a custom bike, and with equal ease applied the paint job to it. The problem, however, is that the glow effect was extremely short-lived and could not be controlled. But this was the first step to developing what is now known as LumiLor, the world’s first and only sprayable electroluminescent (EL) coating system.

Check it out.

“The principles of electroluminescence are fairly basic,” offered Zsinko about his night of revelation. “The trick to LumiLor was to turn a highly controlled process (that used to make EL panels) into something a professional painter can apply with current air gun technology. With a little research into advanced materials, some time perfecting techniques, and appropriate amounts of serendipity, I was able to unlock the secret.”

In June 2010, Zsinko pulled his 1976 Kawasaki Police 1000 into the parking lot of the Marriott in Berea, OH to show it to his fellow Cleveland Browns fans, who had gathered there for the evening. Painted on the rear box with one of LumiLor’s ancestral formulations was a crude rendering of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” album cover. Inside the box, electronics, which when activated demonstrated Zsinko’s apparent madness to be a touch of genius: you can make paint that lights up.

Zsinko’s friend Shawn Mastrian was there in Berea to witness the first paint job that had ever lit up, an unveiling that Zsinko was not proud of, but one that convinced Mastrian to help his friend take his product to market. Shortly thereafter, the two of them teamed to form Darkside Scientific, LLC.“What Andy showed me in that parking lot was something I had never seen before,” said Mastrian. “I just thought the technology was cool, and wanted to help my friend be successful with it. I never dreamed of all the real-world applications we now believe the product to have.”     The real difference between LumiLor and other EL solutions in the marketplace is that LumiLor becomes one with the surface to which it is applied, unlike EL laminates, tapes, and wires. It is applied in less than 3 mils total thickness, and will conform to any surface and any shape, as it is a spray-on coating system. It is durable and bright, and able to be top coated, dip coated, and even chromed, and still provides illumination without the possibility of delamination. Essentially with LumiLor, any object can become a light.

Zsinko’s dream really came to light in Daytona this year as he drove his fully painted Cleveland CycleWerks Heist down the strip, brightly illuminated with LumiLor. For a crowd that believed that they had seen everything over the years, this was something definitively new. The bike had back fender and the gas tank fully illuminated, and had a dragon theme airbrushed on the vehicle. Zsinko’s helmet was even fully illuminated.

The possibilities LumiLor offers are remarkable to consider. Just from a motorcycle safety point of view, illuminating the helmet and/or bike provides an enhanced visibility and awareness for the rider, not to mention that it looks pretty cool too. Automobiles interiors and exteriors, watercraft, airplanes, commercial trucks, public safety vehicles, and signage are just a few applications that the team at Darkside are exploring. “LumiLor excites the imagination in people when they realize what they are seeing ” offered Scott Smith, Darkside’s VP of Sales and Marketing. “Artists have a whole new medium to work with now.”  According to Scott  “ the revolutionary capabilities of LumiLor will really develop when designers and engineers re-imagine what objects can be transformed into a lamp. It is mind boggling to consider the possibilities.”

Darkside Scientific is in the process of establishing its network of Certified LumiLor Laboratories, which will greatly expand their current production capability, but for those customers who want to be the first to benefit from this innovative product, now is the time to come and talk to them. http://lumilor.com

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Gray Ghost II BUB Video

By Bandit | November 20, 2013 | General Posts

The Gray Ghost II project team of Warner Riley, Mike Witt and Jim “Jimbo” Fischer had a stellar year in 2013 showing the young pups how its done. Not only did the team tear up the track during the summer by setting records in Ohio and Loring, Maine; they then topped off the year by blistering the salt at the AMA/BUB Grand National Motorcycle Speed Trials at Bonneville while notching 2 more records. You can watch a couple of Jimbos record runs at BUB. You can watch more of the teams videos from Bonneville Stories here. “Jimbo” Fischer says the team is looking forward to the 2014 racing season.

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Filmmaker Explores Why Women Ride Motorcycles

By Bandit | November 20, 2013 | General Posts

20131115_015236_17dcphec_500The song of the motor stills my thoughts. It mutes the chaos around me. I push forward, and with focused relaxation I eye the ground beneath me. The rumble of the wheels gliding across it feels like an act of love. Of silent connection.

All that matters at this moment are my tracks. I’ll just do one more round. Again. Then I’ll turn it off and rejoin society. Maybe two more rounds.

This pattern feels so familiar.

Oh, yes. This used to be the love story between my motorcycle and me. I called it “moving meditation.” She instantly thrust me into a perfect Zen state, where I was focused, yet not thinking; alert, yet not tense.

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Steering Damper for All FLH Models

By Bandit | November 19, 2013 | General Posts

IMG_Parallel Damper

Custom Cycle Engineering has developed the 1st Steering Damper system for the Harley Dresser models. Custom designed clamps and brackets position a Shindy Steering Stabilizer in the optimum location so the damper can be installed with minimum effort. The installation of the Steering Damper stabilizes the front fork and helps with front end wobble. The damper is mounted parallel to the frame. Fits most Dressers up to 2009.
SDS 2013-1 Parallel Steering Damper for FLH’s

 

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Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Experience For November 2013

By Christine Paige Diers | November 19, 2013 | General Posts
 
For many years, the local Sturgis newspaper (Meade County Times) put out a special edition newspaper after each Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.  Looking through the archives at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame, we found a stack of these special editions from various years starting in 1984.  Each edition was a full newspaper with as many as five sections.  They all boast full color covers on each section, and plenty of advertising from local and regional businesses.  If you were around any of the years prior to 1988, you could snag one for only $1.  From 1988 through the last edition we’ve found in our archives (1999), you could get your copy for $2. 
 
 
 
When it comes to archiving items in the museum world, newspapers are notoriously bad bets.  They’re made out of inexpensive paper that tends to age and even disintegrate quickly when compared to other papers.  Handling any textile, and particularly paper, is hard on it, so you can’t have old newspapers out where they can be handled.  Because of the issues associated with saving and archiving newspapers, we try not to keep too many of them on hand.  These special editions are an exception at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.
 
 
 
 
We decided to get them out and give you a little taste of them for this month’s feature.  We’ve got full editions from 1984, 1986-1991, 1994-1995, 1998 & 1999.  In addition, we’ve got a “Legends of Sturgis” special collector’s edition that chronicles historical information.  When we spent a little time perusing these editions we learned that there are some things that seem to have stayed the same over the years and others that have changed drastically.  
 
 
 
There’s an article from 1984 about the addition of extra phone banks for rally-goers.  In this day of personal cell phones, that seems a little odd.  There’s an article from 1988 about Chris Carr – who was a 21-year-old racer.  Since then, Chris has held a land speed record, been inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame and retired from racing.  The 50th Anniversary in 1990 has a headline indicating it’s “Once in a Lifetime.”  Back in 1994, there’s a story about rally-goers opinions on health care reform, gun control and helmet laws.  In 1998, there’s an article about the unveiling of a brand new motorcycle – the Excelsior Henderson – which only lasted one year.  
 
 
 
A big part of our mission here at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame is to keep the history of the Sturgis Rally.  These old publications are just one of the many ways we strive to meet that mission. 
 
 
 
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Big Wheel Fenders Are Here! 

By Bandit | November 19, 2013 | General Posts

 

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Klock Werks 23″/26″ Real Steel Front Fenders are officially in stock and ready to ship!

Fall has arrived in South Dakota, and old man winter is lurking around the corner. This time of year is when we start thinking about winter makeover projects, and we assume you do too! So, welcome to “Metal Mania”. Klock Werks Sheet Metal Mania that is!

When a shipment of fenders arrives at Klock Werks, all departments gather in the shop to start the fender packaging assembly line. It’s actually a fun time together as a team! Fenders might seem like a strange thing to get all excited about, but if you try one of our many Klock Werks steel fenders, you will understand. And don’t forget the original Flare Windshield. 🙂 Your bike will look good, and handle even better.

Keep an eye out for Klock Werks’ Black Friday – Cyber Monday Specials, so visit their website and sign up for their email alerts today.

 

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