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by Bandit and Sam Burns

The ultimate destination for motorcycle enthusiasts this last weekend

Bike builders, bike riders, and bargain hunters went to see cool shit, meet people, and score deals on the best riding gear, parts and accessories available in rain- soaked SoCal.

Click Here to view this Photo Feature Article on Bikernet.com

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Get to your motorcycle event in style – have a look at the leathers and bedrolls
at https://5-ballgarage.com/

by John Stein with edits from Bandit and John Martinisko

Or what might happen to your beloved bikes when you’re not around

Note: I’m not pretending that this is the definitive work on winding down your collection or living your life. But if it gets you to at least consider what steps should be taken, and how, the article will have done its job.

As motorcycle fanatics, we’ve all laid awake nights wondering how we could add to our collections. At some point in our lives, doing exactly the opposite probably makes more sense. The reason, of course, is advancing age while hanging onto a deeply misguided belief that our family shares our passions.

Click Here to Read the revised article on Bikernet.com

P.S.
The previous version of this ‘priceless’ article was published on Bikernet.com dated March 2022.
To view the same, click here. For more ‘valuable’ information and news, follow Bikernet Free Weekly Newsletter, referred below.

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Biltwell Parts & Labor Custom Motorcycle Expo was the ultimate destination for motorcycle enthusiasts this last weekend.

Bike builders, bike riders, and bargain hunters went to see cool shit, meet people, and score deals on the best riding gear, parts and accessories available in rain- soaked SoCal.

For ten years the Biltwell crew through an annual, get over the holidays Biltwell Temecula Headquarters parking log sale.

This year they stepped up and indoors. All day, bikes, peeps, and good times ‘o plenty filled Exhibition Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The annual Biltwell Parts & Labor Custom Motorcycle Expo in San Diego, California kicked ass. Check out the bikes.

I confess, I wasn’t there. Working on my Knucklehead in snow-packed Sturgis, South Dakota.

–Bandit

www.biltwellinc.com

January 28-29

When it comes to cool customs, parts and entertainment, you’ll find the best of the west in the Mile High City during the Colorado Motorcycle Expo. This two-day event is the largest motorcycle show and competition in the Rocky Mountain region and the largest indoor parts swap in the country.

Make sure you pay a visit to the Sturgis Buffalo Chip® display while you’re there for a chance to win passes to the Best Party Anywhere® during the 2023 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Visit: https://www.coloradomotorcycleexpo.com/

• 100 Bikes Competing
• Used Motorcycle Corral
• Live Music
• Tattoo Contests
• Adult Big Wheel Races
• Vendor Shopping
• Kid’s Activities
• and lot more

Reserve Now Before PRESALE PRICES END
1/25/23 AT 5 P.M. MST

Styx, REO Speedwagon, Whiskey Myers and George Thorogood & The Destroyers are the first of dozens to be announced as part of the Buffalo Chip’s diverse 2023 lineup that features rock, classic rock, and country rock. You won’t want to be anywhere else this August. It’s the Best Party Anywhere.

Cure Parked Motorcycle Syndrome with These Custom Motorcycle Shows
It can be tough being a motorcycle enthusiast during the first few months of the year. Thankfully, winter and spring provide time for builders, manufacturers and aftermarket companies to develop their latest creations. You’ll have the opportunity to get out of the house and see all their amazing handiwork during these upcoming custom motorcycle shows.

Get On! ADV Fest
Get On! ADV Fest is back for 4 days of adventure in the Black Hills July 20-23, 2023. Friends, fun and world-class ADV riding await.

Free Ride Pin & Patch with Rally Registration
Heading to Sturgis in 2023? With a few simple clicks, you can receive a free Sturgis Rally Ride Pin, Patch and Welcome Packet.

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Gear up to ride to your favorite Motorcycling Events in Style – Click Here to view the all-new 5-Ball Racing Shop

by Chris Callen

There is true Motorcycle Passion behind each Issue, fueled by Motorcycle Nuts

Click Here to read this Feature Article on Bikernet.com

Bandit, after reading your article, I realize two things: I have been fortunate to take part in this ride with you. Two, more specifically towards the content of the state of the magazine article, we are in a great place…. Kinda!

You see, in the hay days of the motorcycle culture, when things got crazy big and popular culture fell in love with us, there was money for the corporations to come in and dominate our culture, especially the space in print. But the problem for them was the very thing that fuels this lifestyle, and that is passion.

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Click here to get your Kickstart today

Bandit, after reading your article, I realize two things: I have been fortunate to take part in this ride with you. Two, more specifically towards the content of the state of the magazine article, we are in a great place…. Kinda!

I have watched the ups and downs of the motorcycle industry over nearly three decades now and understand that to make a living in this is totally possible, but to strike it rich, well, that’s a fool’s paradise.

Yeah, there are times that the motorcycle business may do better, other times way worse, but the constant that keeps us opening the door, turning the wrench, and tackling another deadline is the love affair we have with the subject matter.

In that, I remind myself that the original purveyors of motorcycle media were just that, enthusiasts. They did this just like your article points out, for the love of it. Names like Easyriders, Supercycle, Colors, American Iron and IronWorks, just to name a few, were driven by staff, if not a principal that was a diehard motorcycle nut. As long as there was some raisin pie and gas for the tank after paying the printer bills, all was good with the world, and they started working on the next issue.

As money poured into the American Custom Motorcycle segment, it became appealing for big publishers to buy up or launch a motorsports division with a title for our culture. Many of them employed people with the same passion I’m speaking of, but none were at the top.

The owners were a board of directors immune from the code, the culture, and the deeper meanings we all share. For me, telling the stories of the men and women in the motorcycle life has been my lifelong privilege. I can’t imagine doing anything else, nothing of a higher calling.

Now the corporate-owned publications, on the other hand, when things got challenging, well, they wouldn’t suffer a financial loss, so paper quality went down, they forced the good people that worked for them to shoulder the extra workload of smaller staffs and in the end, many pulled the plug in favor of a more viable business model.

So, when you asked me for a report on the status of Cycle Source, I was conflicted. On the one hand, I want to dive into our platform’s minutia and why I think incorporating live broadcasting every week with ShopTalk, a weekly video magazine, our event activations, and do-it-yourself approach towards tech and fabrication articles. Setting very strict standards for the newsstand and our performance on it, so there is less waste is critical. Or that we have included social media, the weekly show, our blog and video content as added value.

We’ve promoted opportunities to our advertisers rather than going to them with additional costs to buy into the part of what we do that works best. To that end, I want to tell you that some level of mastery has helped us navigate those waters, and while some of that is very true, it also requires I go to the other hand.

There, I have to say that it is only because we love this culture so much we sacrifice family time, personal time, and economic hardships more than you can ever explain to anyone outside of this business. Not in an attempt to get rich or to be canonized, but because this is what it takes.

I learned my way into this from people like you, Rogue, Dennis and Marilyn Stemp, Chris Maida, Howard Kelley, Balls and John Green. All of you did the work as rule number one. I can’t think of one of those people who are sitting on a yacht today reading this, thinking about what a solid financial investment they made through the motorcycle life.

Some may even have been looked over by posterity. All of them, however, have governed themselves, to one degree or another, by a tenant that I have decided to do with my life, and that’s being “In Service” to your community.

For me, that’s the motorcycle community and the people who make it what it is. I get to wake up every day and tell their stories, show their talents, defend their causes, and share their burdens. For a tenth-grade dropout with very few skills I possess today, I am the luckiest man in the world, not because I will ever be rich or famous but simply because I got to be part of the history of this life.

I got to do the thing I have loved for the past 25 years. I have met all my heroes and introduced them to other people. I’ve ridden the greatest roads in the country and some overseas. I’ve shown people where they are and what great spots are on the way to them. Someday, I’m sure, like many of my mentors, I will run out of the energy to go after all of this as feverishly as I have for the past quarter of a century, but I bought the ticket, and I’m taking the ride!

So yeah, at Cycle Source, we’ve had to learn terms like ROI and CPM. We’ve had to learn digital broadcasting and more than I ever wanted to about the greasy underbelly of the American Newsstand, but none of that is why print media will succeed or fail. It simply comes down to passion.

Those with that spark that keeps them up at night dreaming of building, riding, traveling on, rebuilding, painting, and sharing motorcycles, that’s who it has to be to keep this thing alive. Whether it’s a magazine, parts distributor, event promoter, or local motorcycle mechanic, start looking into their story, find those that are true enthusiasts and doing this all for the love of it, and support them. In doing that, you will ensure that our culture continues and will have good stewards of its storied history.

Industry & Legislative Motorcycle News from USA and the world
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish

This Month’s Edition covers:

• HARLEY-DAVIDSON GOING ALL-ELECTRIC
• WYOMING LAWMAKERS PROPOSE BAN ON ELECTRIC VEHICLES
• STURGIS CHARITABLE DONATIONS SURPASS $2 MILLION
• LEGENDARY MOTORCYCLE DAREDEVIL ROBBIE KNIEVEL — R.I.P.
• U.S. HOUSE JOINS SENATE IN OPPOSING MOTORCYCLIST PROFILING
• NHTSA CHALLENGED ON ANTI-MOTORCYCLIST PROFILING
• SAVE THE PATCH: MONGOLS M/C KEEP THEIR TRADEMARK LOGO
• UGANDA TO GIVE RIDERS A FREE ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE
• 2023 NCOM CONVENTION IN PHOENIX — MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Click Here to Read this latest edition of NCOM Newsbytes on Bikernet.com

ABOUT AIM / NCOM: The National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) is a nationwide motorcyclists rights organization serving over 2,000 NCOM Member Groups throughout the United States, with all services fully-funded through Aid to Injured Motorcyclist (AIM) Attorneys available in each state who donate a portion of their legal fees from motorcycle accidents back into the NCOM Network of Biker Services (www.ON-A-BIKE.com / 800-ON-A-BIKE).

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KNOW YOUR CHOPPER LEGACY —  Click to Join Bandit’s Cantina and grab an Online Archive from 1996 to present.

 

On December 23, 2022, in one of the last actions of the 117th Congress before adjourning, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H. Res.366; “Promoting awareness of motorcyclist profiling and encouraging collaboration and communication with the motorcycle community and law enforcement officials to prevent instances of profiling.”

The House now joins with the U.S. Senate in passing separate resolutions opposing the discretionary profiling of motorcyclists by law enforcement, defining it as; “motorcyclist profiling means the illegal use of the fact that a person rides a motorcycle or wears motorcycle-related apparel as a factor in deciding to stop and question, take enforcement action, arrest, or search a person or vehicle with or without legal basis under the Constitution of the United States.”

Sponsored by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), House Resolution 366 garnered 103 bipartisan cosponsors, and is similar to Senate Resolution 154 passed by the U.S. Senate in 2018 which likewise urges state law enforcement officials to condemn the discriminatory policy.

Accordingly, H.Res.366 states;

“Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives –

(1) promotes increased public awareness on the issue of motorcyclist profiling;

(2) encourages collaboration and communication with the motorcyclist community and law enforcement to engage in efforts to end motorcyclist profiling; and

(3) urges State law enforcement officials to include statements condemning motorcyclist profiling in written policies and training materials.”

Meanwhile, in addition to the federal efforts to prevent anti-biker profiling, the five states of Washington (2011), Maryland (2016), Louisiana (2019), Idaho (2020) and most recently New Hampshire (2022) have all enacted laws at the state level to curb profiling.

On December 20, 2022, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives agreed to a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending measure that will fund the federal government through September, avoiding a government shutdown, but attached within the funding section for the Department of Transportation is language from House Report 117-402 inserted at the request of Rep. Susie Lee (R-NV) that questions the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about their role in the promulgation of anti-motorcyclist profiling;

“The Committee is concerned that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) may be conducting activities that encourage states to adopt legislation, regulation, or other policies that unjustly profile motorcycle riders. The Committee directs NHTSA to report to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations on the extent to which the agency works with states on motorcycle passenger policies within 120 days of enactment of this Act.”

SAVE THE PATCH: MONGOLS M/C KEEP THEIR TRADEMARK LOGO

The Mongol Nation Motorcycle Club can keep their trademark logo, a backpatch typically worn on jackets and vests by members, thanks to a Ninth Circuit ruling handed down on January 6, 2023. But the three-judge panel also declined to overturn the 2018 criminal conviction of the organization on federal racketeering charges, reports Courthouse News Service.

Stephen Stubbs, the Mongols general counsel, called the ruling “a victory not only for the Mongols Motorcycle Club, but for all motorcycle clubs, freedom, and America as a whole.”

As backdrop to the now-infamous courtroom battle with far-reaching implications for America’s biker community; after a decade-long prosecution 77 members were convicted, as was the Mongols organization itself, under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). A federal jury ordered the club be fined $500,000 and forced to forfeit a large stockpile of vests, guns and ammunition seized by federal agents in raids. The jury also decided the club should forfeit their trademarked patch over to the government.

Months after the verdict, U.S. District Judge David Carter said the Mongols could keep their trademark, ruling that such a forfeiture would violate its First Amendment rights to free speech and association, and would also constitute an excessive fine prohibited by the Eighth Amendment.

Both parties appealed. The Mongols argued the organization wasn’t an indictable “person” under the RICO statute. The federal government asked the Ninth Circuit to simply dissolve the Mongols’ trademark, effectively allowing anyone to buy and sell products with the design.

In an unanimous opinion, U.S. Circuit Judge Holly Thomas wrote that the RICO law’s forfeiture provision only allows the government to seize property, not destroy it.

  

HARLEY-DAVIDSON GOING ALL-ELECTRIC

American motorcycle company Harley-Davidson, known for its large-engine heavyweight cruiser motorcycles, is transitioning to become an all-electric brand, explains its CEO Jochen Zeitz.

“At some point in time, Harley Davidson will be all-electric,” he told Dezeen in an interview. “But that’s a long-term transition that needs to happen. It’s not something you do overnight.”

The Motor Company launched its first electric motorcycle in 2018, named LiveWire, and according to Zeitz electrification is the next logical step in the evolution of the brand that was established 120 years ago.

“If you look at the past 120 years, the company has always evolved, never stood still,” he said. “Now, like the founders did at the time by trying to reinvent or invent something unique, that’s obviously something that we as a company brand need to do as well.”

WYOMING LAWMAKERS PROPOSE BAN ON ELECTRIC VEHICLES

A group of GOP Wyoming state lawmakers want to end electric vehicle sales there by 2035, saying the move will help safeguard the oil and gas industries, which employ thousands of people in the state.

The measure, introduced to the state legislature on January 13, was sponsored by six state legislators, who said in it that electric vehicles will hinder Wyoming’s ability to trade with other states. According to “The Hill,” the bill states that citizens and industries would be encouraged not to purchase electric vehicles before the ban goes into effect.

“The proliferation of electric vehicles at the expense of gas-powered vehicles will have deleterious impacts on Wyoming’s communities and will be detrimental to Wyoming’s economy and the ability for the country to efficiently engage in commerce,” the bill reads. The legislation further states that adding new power charging stations would require “massive” amounts of new power to “sustain the misadventure of electric vehicles.”

UGANDA TO GIVE RIDERS A FREE ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE

Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is looking to go green, by handing out a free electric motorcycle to all of the region’s riders. President Museveni is planning on tackling pollution by providing riders with a completely free electric motorbike, including the region’s 100,000+ Boda-Boda riders, who are self-employed motorcycle taxis.

The system will be a trade-in, with riders swapping their current petrol bike for a new fully electric motorcycle, and the government is installing a network of charging stations across the country to support the move.

LEGENDARY MOTORCYCLE DAREDEVIL ROBBIE KNIEVEL — R.I.P.

‘Kaptain Robbie Knievel’ followed his famous daredevil father, Evel Knievel, into the high-flying, bone-shattering world of motorcycle stuntriding, going on to break all of his dad’s jump records and even successfully clearing the fountains at Caesars Palace that famously nearly killed the elder stuntsman. Decked out in star-spangled leathers, Robbie Knievel landed more than 350 jumps over a death-defying 30-year career, and he died January 13, 2023 of pancreatic cancer at his home in Reno, Nevada at age 60.

FORMER MOTORCYCLE RACER AND OTHER YOUNG ATHLETES ‘DIE SUDDENLY’

A former NFL defensive tackle and a champion motorcycle racer are the latest examples of apparently healthy people dying suddenly amid evidence the COVID-19 mRNA shots are causing serious heart damage at a rate exponentially higher than for previous vaccines.

Citing the available scientific evidence, an article on WND.com claims that “Prominent cardiologists tie alarming trend to COVID shots” and they believe the best explanation for the rampant “sudden and unexpected” deaths and cardiac events in otherwise healthy people, such as 35-year-old Keith Farmer, a four-time British motorcycle racing champion, and 45-year-old Adrian Dingle, who spent five seasons with the San Diego Chargers, is the COVID-19 vaccines.

In the past, long before the COVID vaccines, athletes who died suddenly typically were diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an abnormal thickening of the heart, or premature heart blockage. Nowadays, athletes are thoroughly screened to rule out those conditions.

STURGIS CHARITABLE DONATIONS SURPASS $2 MILLION

Motorcyclists who took part in the Sturgis Buffalo Chip charity events for 2022 raised a generous $400,000 for Veterans, charities for children and the community. The figure pushes the grand total that Sturgis Buffalo Chip has raised for charity during the Sturgis Rally to over $2.1 million.

END OF THE ROAD FOR MAYANS M.C.

The titular Santo Padre biker club is calling it quits, as it’s been announced that the TV series “Mayans M.C.” is set to ride off into the sunset at the end of its upcoming fifth season. The news comes from FX network boss John Landgraf during an executive session at the Television Critics’ Association winter press tour.

2023 NCOM CONVENTION IN PHOENIX — MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The 38th annual Convention is scheduled for Father’s Day weekend, June 16-18, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona, so plan ahead to join with hundreds of fellow concerned riders from the ranks of Motorcycle Rights Organizations (MROs), clubs (Confederations of Clubs) and independent riders, with agenda items dealing with legal and legislative issues affecting all motorcyclists, so check back at www.ON-A-BIKE.com for further details from the National Coalition of Motorcyclists as they become available.

QUOTABLE QUOTE:

“Daredevils don’t live easy lives.”

~ Kelly Knievel, brother of ‘Kaptain Robbie Knievel’ (05/07/62 – 01/13/23)

 

 

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.

from https://www.moneycontrol.com

Buzz Aldrin, second man to walk on moon, gets married on 93rd birthday. Former American astronaut Buzz Aldrin got married to his longtime partner on his 93rd birthday.

Former American astronaut Buzz Aldrin got married to his longtime partner on his 93rd birthday. Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, is the only surviving member of the Apollo 11’s three-member crew that made up the historic moon landing mission of 1969.

Aldrin, who turned 93 on January 20, announced his marriage in a post on social media. He said that he and his “longtime love” Dr Anca Faur had tied the knot in a small ceremony in Los Angeles.

“On my 93rd birthday & the day I will also be honored by Living Legends of Aviation I am pleased to announce that my longtime love Dr. Anca Faur & I have tied the knot,” he said. “We were joined in holy matrimony in a small private ceremony in Los Angeles & are as excited as eloping teenagers.”

This is Aldrin’s fourth marriage. His wife, Dr Anca Faur, 63, serves as the Executive Vice President of Buzz Aldrin Ventures, according to the Daily Mail.

Buzz Aldrin was part of the historic moon landing of 1969 aboard Apollo 11. The jacket he wore while walking on the moon with fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong was auctioned for $2.7 million last year.