BIKERNET NEWS FLASH–REMBER 9/11, TAX THOUGHTS AND BIKER DEALS

It’s 9/11, a day that we will never forget. Our people died to teach us a valuable lesson. We learned, in the blistering explosive haze, that freedom isn’t a right but a responsibility we must be constantly vigilant around. Responsibility is the key. Lawsuits need to be band. Stand up and take the lumps for your actions and watch your back. Take a moment to congratulate one of our fighters and to mourn the loss of our fellow Americans.

The Beach Ride was last weekend and some will report that it didn’t do so well. Others will say not bad for being down a year and returning to a new venue. We’ll see?

I have so much on my mind that I can’t sort it out. Let’s get to the news. Maybe it will make more sense later:

HORSE’S MOUTH–DEPARTMENT NEEDS NEWS–Gennaro “Chicago Greaser” Sepe has accepted the taskof writing and coordinating our new product section of the mag called Horse’s Mouth.Please send him your new chopper products/services press releases in the future.

Gennaro’s e-mail is
gennaro@ironcross.net

Mailing address is:
Gennaro Sepe, Horse’s Mouth Editor
c/o The Horse BC
2061 NW Boca Raton Blvd.
Suite 203
Boca Raton, FL 33431

I HATE OLD FART JOKES–Two old men decided they are close to their last days on earth and thoughtthey’d have one last night on the town.After a few drinks, they ended up at the local brothel. The madam takesone look at the two old geezers and whispers to her manager, “Go up to thefirst two rooms and put an inflated doll in each bed. Those two are so oldand drunk, I am not wasting two of my girls on them. They won’t know thedifference.”

Her manager does as she is told and the two old men go up the stairs andtake care of their business.

As they are walking home, the first one says,”You know, I think my girl was dead!”

“Dead?” says his friend. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, she never moved or made a sound all the time I was loving her.”

His friend says, “I think mine was a witch.”

“A WITCH!!!! Why the hell would you say that?”

“Well, I was making love to her, kissing her on her neck and I gave her alittle bite…then she farted and flew out the window!!!

–from Stacy

2004 FAST DATES, RIPPED PAVEMENTand GARAGE GIRLS Calendars– The official SBK World Superbike Championship endorsed FAST DATES 2004 Calendar sponsorship by Performance Machine returns as the world’s most popular Racebike Pinup Calendar featuring all the top factory racebikes of the SBK World Superbike Championship and the AMA Nationals. They’re pictured together with the beautiful SBK FastDates.com calendar girls, including Miss Great Britain 2003 and team Ducati Corse umbrella girl Nicki Lane. The 2004 edition of FAST DATES was shot on location at Laguna Seca SBK World Superbike and the California Speedway AMA Nationals by Jim Gianatsis with all the top factory Superbikes. Included are World Champion Colin Edwards’ Honda SP-2, Troy Bayliss’ Ducati 998 F 02, Eric Bostrom’s giant killer Kawasaki ZR750RR and Gregorio Lavilla’s Suzuki GSXR750 factory superbikes.

The Ripped Pavement 2004 Calendar sponsored by MotoWheels.com features exciting action photography from the MotoGP and SBK Superbike World Championships. You’ll find exciting action photography of the reigning World Champions including Valentio Rossi and top contenders from the current 2003 racing season, close-up detail shots of the factory bikes together with trackside personality shots of the riders, their teams, and the beautiful umbrella girls of the GP circuit. Photography is provided by the world’s premier roadrace photographers Dave Goldman and Patrick Gosling (Gold & Goose).

And for those of you who can’t get enough of the beautiful FastDates.com Calendar girls there’s GARAGE GIRLS 2003 Calendar featuring a close up look at the prettiest, sexiest, most beautiful of the FastDates.com Calendar girls, but without the motorcycles getting in the way!

Bob, Henry and the Fiqueroa Gang hanging out with the Beach Ride Bike built by Bikernet.

BIKERS ARE RIDING FOR CHILDREN–ANNUAL BEACH RIDE DRAWS 2,000 TO QUEEN MARY–Sunday, September 07, 2003 – LONG BEACH — Legions of leather-clad bikers roared into Long Beach on Sunday, but the only rumbling involved was the throaty thrum of engines as riders eased their motorcycles into the parking lot at the Queen Mary Events Park.

The bikers came, not to settle old scores, but to take part in the 11th Annual Beach Ride, a fund- raiser for the Exceptional Children’s Foundation.

Beach Ride publicist Kate Bilger estimated that 2,000 people paid $35 each to listen to concerts by acts such as Brian Howe, the former lead singer of Bad Company, check out the customized cycles on display and break bread with fellow motorcycle enthusiasts.

This year’s Beach Ride raised approximately $70,000 for Culver City-based ECF.

“ECF operates a variety of programs throughout Los Angeles County for about 2,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities,’ said Scott Bowling, the organization’s president and CEO.

The Beach Ride co-founded by Art Naddour, a biker and ECF board member is the organization’s largest annual fund-raiser.”Bikers from all over the western part of the United States come to this beach or, in the past, to Ventura, to raise money for ECF,’ said Bowling. “We’re very fortunate to have their support.’

This was the first year that the Beach Ride was held in Long Beach, and Bowling suggested that the change of venue may help to explain a significant drop in attendance. In previous years, the event has attracted between 5,000 and 7,000 bikers.

This year’s grand marshal, former “Dallas’ and “I Dream of Jeannie’ star Larry Hagman.Hagman enjoyED himself, nonetheless, amiably working the throngs browsing through displays of leather clothing, chrome helmets and other cycling accessories. The actor, a longtime member of the Uglies motorcycle club, certainly looked the part, wearing a black cowboy hat with a Harley-Davidson emblem on it.

DAT’S ITALIAN–Why do Italians hate Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Italians hate all witnesses.

Do you know why most men from Italy are named Tony?
On the boat over to America they put a sticker on them that said TO NY.

You know you’re Italian when . . . . You can bench press 325 pounds,shave twice a day and still cry when your mother yells at you.

You carry your lunch in a produce bag because you can’t fit twocappicola sandwiches, 4 oranges, 2 bananas and pizzelles into a regularlunch bag.

Your mechanic, plumber, electrician, accountant, travel agent andlawyer are all your cousins.

You have at least 5 cousins living in the same town or street.All five of those cousins are named after your grandfather orgrandmother.

You are on a first name basis with at least 8 banquet hall owners.

You only get one good shave from a disposable razor.

If someone in your family grows beyond 5′ 9″, it is presumed hisMother had an affair.

BIKE DEALS OF THE WEEK–That’s an accurate replica of the famous David Mann Ghost Rider Bike. It runs fine, is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the famous Ghost Rider Centerspread in Easyriders, and it’s for sale.

The other classic Denver’s Chopper stands tall on the salesman’s block. It’s fresh and ready to ride. Both are priced below 25K. If interested contact: jourdan.rg@gte.net, quick!

THE PARKING TICKET– I went to the store the other day, and I was in there for only about 5 minutes. When I came out there was a damn motorcycle cop writing a parking ticket. So I went up to him and said, “Come on, buddy, how about giving a guy a break?”

He ignored me and continued writing the ticket. So I called him a pencil-necked Nazi. He glared at me and started writing another ticket for having worn tires!

So I called him a piece of horse shit. Hefinished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he started writing a third ticket! This went on for about 20 minutes.

The more I abused him, the more tickets he wrote. I didn’t care. My car was parked around the corner.

–from Jay H.

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BIKERNET NEWS ALERT–JOSE REPORT FROM A SMALL ISLAND IN THE CARIBBEAN

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LET’S TAKE A BREAK AND DISCUSS SEX–“What do I know about sex? I’m a married man.” –Tom Clancy

“I believe that sex is one of the most beautiful, natural, wholesome things that money can buy.”–Steve Martin

“You know that look women get when they want sex? Me neither.” –Drew Carey

“Sex without love is a meaningless experience, but as meaningless experiences go, it’s pretty damned good.” –Woody Allen

“Having sex is like playing bridge. If you don’t have a good partner, you’d better have a good hand.”–Unknown

ON-2 CUSTOM JACKETS–CHECK ‘EM OUT–TEL: 707 795 6172,FAX: 707 795 6182,

–Mike Reynolds
Mike@sfemb.com>

Arlen Ness on his first custom bike.

BANDIT’S CANTINA INVESTIGATES THE HISTORY OF CHOPPERS–Join and take a look at the history of H-D from ’03 to 1920, then the history of the bobjob and now the East Bay Legacy. You’ll find shit you never dreamed of.

BIKERNET MEDICAL RESEARCH–The American Medical Association researchers have made a remarkable discovery.It seems that some patients needing blood transfusions may benefit from receiving chicken blood rather than human blood.It tends to make the men cocky and the women lay better

–Rogue

BEACH RIDE BIKE ON THE BIDDING BLOCK–POSTERS AVAILABLE– We do have an interested bidder on the bike, in Texas. We are goingto post a photo spread on our new web site: hotfudgeraffles.com. Check itout next week.I will be happy to bring posters to you for distribution to your readers. Iwill confirm the event on Sunday and if it works for you, we can makecontact then. By the way you might want to check out the Gravity Races atthe Korean Bell. It sounds like a lot of fun.

–George

If you will send us one buck, the Bikernet girls will send you a Beach Ride Poster with the knockout blonde, not the guys, and some Bikernet stickers. That’s just a buck to cover some of the postage to: Bikernet, P.O. Box 1168, San Pedro, CA 90733–1168. We’ll send out all the posters George will donate. Don’t forget to include your mailing address.

BIKERNET CARIBBEAN REPORT– I almost forgot that my weekly report was due today, and in reality I have nothing to talk about. So, whatever comes to mind while I write this is what you will receive. I’m not going to bitch or anything like that, I’m just going to share what’s up with you, maybe this will help understand what goes on inside a shop, since I’m not a journalist, not even close, I just build and sell bikes, parts and clothing.

Biketoberfest is near and we are trying to complete 3 customers? bikes for the event delivery. 3 more bikes that I want to complete by Bike Week (keep pushing them back) and a few, let’s say two or three more for customers and friends here. So I guess that’s a lot of work. I enjoy putting those bikes together a lot more than riding them. It?s a challenge and you always find something new to create or something different to do. In part, the entire Discovery shows are opening minds up of the amount of work that creating these bikes takes. I mean for 200 hours of work into 35 minutes of show, mere Joe’s can see the skills of these builders in different ways, metal work, welding TIG and MIG, mechanics, creativity, etc…

It takes much more than buying a kit bike and bolting it together, or going to the local shop and buying all the latest gadgets and put them on. Like Indian Larry said, it’s art, to some extent, some things are repetitive, but most comes from imagination into form and function, it’s kinda of tuff to be able to apply all the ideas, more so when putting a chopper together is not cheap. So every bike built has new stuff, new ideas are applied into it, and let’s not even talk about how hard it is to come with new, unseen before stuff, when there’s so many people building bikes. Again, and another one of the plus is that suddenly stuff is cool when it was not before. Let?s take a look at gas tanks and such, people hated sportser and mustang tanks, I bet some people are looking at them on a different light since the shows aired, that kinda makes life simpler to builders who liked to use them in the first place.

Another big pain in the ass is tools, I guess most people don’t have an idea what it takes, money wise and space wise to have all those gizmos that are needed to build a bike, plus knowing how to use them all. Now with the English wheel, planners, hammers, sand bags and all, there’s a lot of added skills that need to be learned, and to top it off the most precious commodity of all, time to do it.

It’s a different world now, stick welders, imagination and a couple tools don’t cut it, in a sense I admire Chica since he makes miracles with his magic hammer and a couple pieces of wood, but still he has to be a jack of all trades to be able to pull it off, and very important, surround yourself with people that are talented and eager to better themselves and create as well. Sometimes, if not most times, the right hand man is as important or even more, as the man himself.

I guess that’s all I have to say for today,gotta get back to the shop.

–Jose Caribbean Custom Cycles

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BIKERNET NEWS ALERT–JANKLOW NEWS, MAYBE NOT A BAD GUY

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ABATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA ON JANKLOW ACCIDENT– Rep. Janklow has had a long and successful career here in SD. He has serve one term as Attorney General, a total of 16 years (4 terms) as Governor (longest sitting Governor in our history), and now a term as US Representative. During all this time, Jankow’s driving record has been well known and even still, he has been elected each and every time he has ran for an office. The reason is that he is a down to earth person that gets things done. Very important for a state as small as SD.

In addition to the above, he is a motorcycle rider himself (something the press seem to not want to mention). During his tenure as Attorney General, and Governor, he was one of our most steadfast allies in the battle against helmets. He has also been appointed to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

There are those that make him out to be a bit of a loose cannon, and to some degree, it is earned. Never the less, he has never been one to shirk his responsibilities. He has always accepted the penalties given him for his driving habits and without complaint. In fact on one occasion, while he was Governor, a patrolman offered to let him out of a speeding ticket, and he told the patrolman to either issue the ticket or find another job. I wonder how many of us would have done the same if we were in the same position?

Having said all that, you are probably thinking that I am defending him. Well you would be incorrect in this thought. I am simply giving you some insight into the man. ABATE of South Dakota, like most citizens here in South Dakota want justice. It has nothing to do with who Rep. Janklow is, or that a motorcyclist was killed. It is simply a matter of a man died because of another man’s negligence. The man who died could have just as easily been driving an automobile.

The facts are simple and straight forward. The driver of the automobile did blow through a stop sign, traveling in excess of the speed limit by approximately 16 miles per hour. The decedent, traveling within the legal speed limit collided with the automobile resulting in his death. Both men were tested for foreign substances in their blood, and both passed in accordance with the laws of South Dakota. The driver of the automobile tested 0.0, and the rider of the motorcycle tested 0.01.

It is axiomatic that a wrong has been committed and that the driver of the automobile should be subjected to charges and a trial. That is exactly what State Attorney Bill Ellingson has done. I have known Mr. Ellingson for many years, and I know him to be a straight forward, dedicated and tenacious prosecutor. We are comfortable that Mr. Ellingson is doing everything within the laws of this state and his power to assure that justice is done.

At this point in time, we have absolutely no reason to believe that the investigation and legal proceedings are going anywhere but where they should be. Namely, bringing the driver of the automobile to justice just as the system would do with any of the rest of us in the same circumstances.

Rest assured if the process begins to fail, it will not go unnoticed and we, in conjunction with the MRO’s I mention above, will do everything possible to insure that the process stays on track and that justice is served.

Once again, thank you for your inquiry.

Darrel Killion
State Coordinator
ABATE of South Dakota

ART’S REPORT– I got a couple more pic of my project FLH.

–Art

QUESTION OF THE DAY–
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
Capital Gains Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Court Fines (indirect taxes)
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel permit tax
Gasoline Tax (42 cents per gallon)
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax Interest expense (tax on the money)
Inventory tax IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax

Local Income Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Septic Permit Tax
Service Charge Taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Taxes (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Road Toll Booth Taxes
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal, state and local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax
Telephone state and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax
Toll Bridge Taxes
Toll Tunnel Taxes
Traffic Fines (indirect taxation)
Trailer registration tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

QUESTION: Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago and our nationwas the most prosperous in the world, had absolutely no national debt,had the largest middle class in the world and Mom stayed home to raisethe kids.

What the hell happened?

–from Rev CarlR

THE KING GETS STRIPED–Check the King 12 tech about adding color and detail to a 2003 Road King. The link is on the home page. Don’t miss it.

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BIKERNET NEWS FLASH–JOKER PARTS, SPRINGERS AND ATLAS FRAMES

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I HATE OLD FOLKS JOKES– An elderly couple, Sam and Bessie, are “snowbirds” in Arizona.Sam always wanted a pair of authentic cowboy boots.Seeing some on sale one day, he buys them, wears them home,walking proudly. He walks into the house and says to his wife,”Notice anything different about me?”

Bessie looks him over, “Nope.”

Frustrated Sam storms off into the bathroom, undresses, andwalks back into the room completely naked except for the boots.Again he asks, a little louder this time, “Notice anything differentNOW?”

Bessie looks up and says, “Sam, what’s different? It’s hangingdown today, it was hanging down yesterday, and it’ll be hangingdown again tomorrow.”

Furious, Sam yells, “AND DO YOU KNOW WHY IT’SHANGING DOWN BESSIE?!IT’S HANGING DOWN BECAUSE IT’S LOOKING ATMY NEW BOOTS!”

To which Bessie replies,”Shoulda bought a hat Sam….ya shoulda bought a hat.”

–from Chris T.

ANTIQUE BIKE DEALS OF THE WEEK–I have a lead for you on 2 OHV peashooters,1926 & 1929, in Oregon. The guys name is Mike,503-655-5428.www.antiquemotorcycleworks.com

–krash.

ATLAS COYOTE–SPORTSTER AND BUELL FRAME–The COYOTE is a stretched frame for Sportster powerplants ’79 to present. The Coyote comes with a 3- inch top-tube stretch, straight top tube for custom tank applications, 4 or 5 speed transmission mounts, stroker motor clearance, any degree of neck rake and any stretch dimension. Has a boxed tail section, and will accept up to an 8-inch (200 tire) wide rear tire (belt or chain drive).

The Atlas Coyote frame kit includes: boxed tail section, aluminum top motor-mount plate, front motor mount, billet aluminum rear motor mount, FXST style oil-tank mount, sissy-bar fender brace mounting bungs, fender mounts, bung type brake anchor tab for universal mount and 1 rear axle section for Buell. The Atlas Coyote Sportster rigid frame CUSTOM kit features: Custom axle adjusters, chromemoly rear axle kit (3/4-inch diameter) chrome neck bearing cups, polished stainless fork stops, and polished stainless steel motor-case protector.

Options: Atlas Sportster style oil tank with or without wings.

Tell ’em Bikernet sent ya: http://www.atlasprecision.com/

HELL RAISERS SPRINGER FRONT ENDS– Here is a pic of the new springer front end. We won’t release this on our site until we have them on our shelves.

–Rene

CHICKEN STORY–Zebediah was in the fertilized-egg business.He had several hundred young layers, called pullets, and eight or tenroosters, whose job was to fertilize the eggs.

Zeb kept records, and any rooster that didn’t perform well went intothe souppot and was replaced. That took an awful lot of Zeb’s time; so, Zeb gota setof tiny bells and attached them to his roosters. Each bell had adifferenttone so that Zeb could tell, from a distance, which rooster wasperforming.

Now he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report simplybylistening to the bells.Zeb’s favorite rooster was old Brewster. A very fine specimen he was,too. Buton this particular morning, Zeb noticed that Brewster’s bell had notrung atall! Zeb went to investigate.

The other roosters were chasing pullets, bells a-ringing! The pullets,hearingthe roosters coming, would run for cover. BUT, to Zeb’s amazement,Brewsterhad his bell in his beak, so it couldn’t ring. He’d sneak up on apullet, dohis job and walk on to the next one.

Zeb was so proud of Brewster that he entered him in the county fair.Brewsterwas an overnight sensation. The judges not only awarded him the No BellPiecePrize but also the Pulletsurprise.

(Old age and treachery wins again)!

–Rogue

BAYLEE (Poem From Your Daddy)–

Baylee My Daughter To Be
I Wish I Could
Hold You Now
I Need That So Bad
You Will Help Daddy
In So Many Ways
Teach Me To Laugh
Give Me The Childhood
I Never Had
Show Me How
To Enjoy The SImple Things
Jumping In Mud Puddles
Smelling Pretty Weeds
Chasing Lightning bugs
When You Get Here
My Life Will
Completely Change
I Can’t Promise
To Be The Best
Daddy A Girl
Could Ask For
But I Promise To
Be There For You
Day And Night
Your Daddy WIll
Never Be To Busy
To See Everything
You See
I Love You More
With Each ‘Lil Heart Beat
Unconditional Love
That Only A Daddy
Can Give
God Blessed Me
The Day He Gave
You To Me

Written By Panhead Josh And Dedicated to Baylee Brunetta Griffith MyDaughter to be.

NEW FROM JOKER MACHINE–Introducing the ultimate in supplemental lighting for those who want to give their bike added Safety-With-Style.These all billet lights feature 8 Red-Output L.E.D.’s hidden beneath a clear prismatic polycarbonate lens and has no external visable color until light is activated.

MAIN FEATURES
? Two Stage L.E.D.’s (for brake and running light use.)
? Simple to install…….using your existing rear foot peg mounting holes, and includes bushing for use of either 1/2″ or 3/8″ dia. mounting bolts.
? May be wired in conjuction with your existing taillight’s running and stop lights easily.
? Top grade CNC machining, polishing and chroming is evident throughtout the contruction of these units.
? Although compact in size, the eight L.E.D.’s really “pack-a-punch” when turned on!.

LED Peg Mount Marker Lights (pair)$149.95

QUOTE OF THE DAY–“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”

…H.L. Mencken

–from Rev CarlR

TAKE TIME FOR 9/11–Take a minute to ponder 9/11 and the folks who died. Remember the efforts we’ve made to kick ass world wide and what it will mean to the future of freedom–that is if they don’t take all our freedoms in the process. I wish all our fighting brothers and sisters the very best.

The old true Jesse James stopped by today. He’s a custom painter, neon sign maker, fabricator and bike builder. He was a member of the Monks MC years ago and still wanders the streets of Los Angeles looking for direction. He’s building the Bikernet Headquarters a neon tribute to the 5-Ball. We’ll report as it comes together.

Tomorrow we’ll post the build on a sharp custom bike from Oahu. Wait until you see the detailed shots of a show winning custom bike come together. Above is just a small example of his delicate creative abilities. Hang on.

This weekend we may pinstripe the 1928 Shovel and install the mid controls on the Amazing Shrunken FXR. We ordered our cables from Barnetts and hydraulic lines from Goodrich. It may burn San Pedro pavement by the end of the month.

I’ll do my damnest to launch another line of new H-D models over the weekend. Have a helluva weekend.

Ride Forever,
–Bandit

THE GUNNY SACK NEWS–FUNERAL MOTORCYCLES, OREGON HARRASSMENT and JEANS

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. For more information, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit us on our website at <>

Freedom Fighter for Life, Gunny.

From TheGUNNY’S SACK

Just last month I had a few words to say about safety at motorcycle runs. I just returned from our ABATE Summer Run near Estacada, Oregon, and unfortunately there were more injuries. Folks leaving the run late at night hit a deer on the twisty road near the run site. The man was life-flighted and I don’t know about the gal on the back. These roads are curvy, wooded, and the night was DARK. My boss Sam Hochberg says he almost NEVER rides after dark in the countryside – although he’s not exactly Farmer John, being a Bronx boy. Please folks, these injuries are not only expensive as hell, they ruin otherwise great times; sometimes, lives. In this case it was a deer, but it could have just as easily been a car coming the other direction and crossing the line just a little bit. We gotta start keeping our eyes open and our minds on what we are doing – and if you can, like Sam says, just stay OFF those country roads late at night!

NEWSBIT’N’PIECES: TOKYO, JAPAN: It appears from the article I read online that the expertise Honda has in building transmissions for motorcycles is the driving force behind their start-up of an automatic transmission plant for their cars in Indonesia. They say the move will cut costs and they will have better control over the quality of the product. I wonder when they will start to build automatics again for motorcycles? They useta have that Hondamatic on one or two models. I don’t think I’ll wait for the day when we’ll see a Harley-matic.

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA: One person’s dream may not come true, but pursuit of that dream is filled with truths other dreamers can go to school on. That’s why Dan Hanlon, the former president of the Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycle company, sat down and wrote a book on the rise and demise of the company. Anybody with the idea of starting a company from scratch should nose through this publication. It might just save you some grief. The book called Riding the American Dream, is a chronology of the successes of his dream to resurrect Excelsior-Henderson. Its reported to be a good read just to find out the history behind the dream. He says no matter what happened to him it shouldn’t stop you from your dreams. Maybe the book will keep ya from making some of the mistakes he made.

TRENT, SOUTH DAKOTA: Representative Bill Janklow says he feels “anguish” over the death of Randolf E. Scott, the motorcyclist who was his victim the night he blew a stop sign in a hurry to go nowhere special. Janklow is well known locally for his disregard of speed limits. Now, he ignored a stop sign, it cost a biker’s life, and he feels “anguish”.

The law says you are innocent until proven guilty, but the facts in this case make it all pretty damned obvious what happened. The good Representative and former governor (home of Sturgis) has been formally charged with second-degree manslaughter in this incident.

I have very little sympathy for the man for what has happened. This kind of accident was absolutely preventable. If I’m a little out of line I’m sorry, but if he’s guilty they should throw the book at him. This guy is supposed to show the rest of us how things are correctly done. I think he has fallen far short of his obligations to his people, and it cost the life of yet another biker on the road.

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA: Wrangler Jeans has entered the motorcycle attire market, competing with Diamond Gusset. Many of us have worn these for years, mainly because they fit well and went over the tops of our boots. Rodeo riders have long worn these critters because they can take the punishment of falling off wild four-footed beasts doing their best to kill their riders. Now we have jeans specifically made for riding motorcycles.

They put the pockets higher up, so we don’t sit on that hard wallet with no money in it.

Wrangler will continue to make their regular jeans, and they’re good scoot britches even without all these doo-dads. But these new biker jeans will have, along with the high pockets, seams that are reversed to prevent chafing from long rides, and a little extra room in the thigh and knee so they don’t bind when sitting. They even flattened out the little copper rivets to protect your saddle. And, they’re longer. Boots stay covered so we don’t get that cold blast of air up the crotch when riding in cooler weather. Who needs THAT!?

ENGLAND: Dying to go? Well, the English have one-upped us again. This is from an article Sam’s associate attorney, Leah Johnson, found on the Internet. There is now a motorcycle funeral service in the UK that will give you your last ride in a Motorcycle Hearse. How about that? I think it would be a nice way to send our brothers and sisters onto the ride in the sky. The hearse part is sort of a long sidecar with open sides and a top high enough so the casket fits and rides high.

If you’re on the net, go visit them at . Their online material says that they offer “Distinguished Motorcycle Hearses for a Dignified Final Ride.” Hell of a deal.

WHAT THE DEVIL? Here in Oregon, we’ve had enough harassment on runs lately, as reported here in the Sack. So, when the all-woman Devil Dolls MC came up here from California to have a poker run with the Gypsy Joker MC and other riders, they made a point to invite our AIM lawyer Sam Hochberg to ride with them. If only EVERY run could have a lawyer riding shotgun! Turns out there were no problems, and Sam says the Devil Dolls are serious bikers and really good people.

Aid to INCARCERATED motorcyclists: To add another service to the riding community, AIM has been offering AIM Criminal Defense in our network, to help us if we are in a pickle. Same number: 800-ON-A-BIKE. We’re proud to announce our NEW Oregon AIM criminal lawyer, JIM RICE. Jim spoke about the US PATRIOT ACT at last year’s Regional NCOM Conference in Portland, and he’s a member of OVMA – The Oregon Veterans Motorcycle Association. Welcome aboard, Jim!

GUNNY AGAIN: As I’ve said so often, we need to remember the people who can save our asses when we find ourselves mired in the goo. Sam Hochberg, of Oregon, and all the other Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) attorneys around the country, with the help of Richard M. Lester, spend untold hours of their own time, many times at no cost to us, to further our rights as motorcyclists. Whenever we find ourselves on the pavement due to an accident they’re available.

If you haven’t walked in their moccasins, do some simple research into what they’re all about. The motorcycle community is fortunate that these motorcycle riding attorneys are on our side. You can reach these AIM folks by dialing 1-800-ON-A-BIKER, and for a whole lot more information from AIM and NCOM, go to www.ON-A-BIKE.com.

If you’re a SACK fan, there are YEARS of old Sacks archived on the site, if you want to catch up on old news!

Keep the round side on the bottom.

Gunny, Oregon AIM Chief of Staff

BIKERNET NEWS ALERT–BAGGER ROAD TEST, BEACH RIDE UPDATE AND BAD JOKES

Continued From Page 1

BIKERNET RELATIONSHIP ADVICE– A husband and wife were shopping when the wife said, “Darling, it’s my mother’s birthday tomorrow. What shall we buy for her? She wouldlike something electric.”

The husband replied, “How about a chair?!?”

BEACH RIDE UPDATE–IT’S THIS WEEKEND!– “There are a small amount of brochures leftover but not many,” George Hayward said after attending the Long Beach, California motorcycle swapmeet. A consistent promoter for the Beach Ride to benefit the Exceptional Children’s Foundation, he’s work his ass off.

“Once again the Long Beach Swap meet proved to be fertile (& hot) ground. I am guessing @ 600 brochures for the Beach Ride Bike were peeled from my grubby mits. Once again the Beach Ride Bike built by Bikernet was the hit of the show. Onward and upward to the Beach Ride!”

SIGNS OF THE TIMES–On a Septic Tank Truck sign:
“We’re #1 in the #2 business.”
**************************
Sign over a Gynecologist’s Office:
“Dr. Jones, at your cervix.”
**************************
At a Proctologist’s door
“To expedite your visit please back in.”
**************************
On a Plumber’s truck:
“We repair what your husband fixed.”
**************************
On another Plumber’s truck:
“Don’t sleep with a drip. Call your plumber.”
**************************
Pizza Shop Slogan:
“7 days without pizza makes one weak.”
**************************
At a Tire Shop in Milwaukee:
“Invite us to your next blowout.”
**************************
On a Plastic Surgeon’s Office door:
“Hello. Can we pick your nose?”

**************************
At a Towing company:
“We don’t charge an arm and a leg. We want tows.”
**************************
On an Electrician’s truck:
“Let us remove your shorts.”
**************************
On a Maternity Room door:
“Push. Push. Push.”
**************************
At an Optometrist’s Office:
“If you don’t see what you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place.”
**************************
On a Taxidermist’s window:
“We really know our stuff.”
**************************
In a Podiatrist’s office:
“Time wounds all heels.”
**************************
On a Fence:
“Salesmen welcome! Dog food is expensive.”
**************************

–from Ladd

BIKERNET BAGGER TEST RIDE–You asked me to send you a report on my ride back to Virginia, on the bagger this past weekend. Well here goes, I headed out Friday morning and it was a beautiful day. I was riding solo. “THE MEANEST” was heading to the beach for the weekend. I needed to go back to Va. to see my family and to see the paint job my brother Gary laid down on his Sporty. He flamed it and handled the whole job himself. It turned out great. I was impressed. His first flame job and first time painting a bike.

The bagger ran great and I got used to the saddlebags quick. I didn’t have to strap anything down. As I got into the trip and into the scenery of the mountains, the ride became a time to relax and think and do some soul searching to realize and appreciate how great riding. There is nothing I like doing better.

The trip up was un-eventful, just taking my time and stopping when I felt like it. Oh yeah, before I left I did the thing from the movie Easyrider, where Peter Fonda takes his watch off and throws it on the ground, except I put mine in the saddlebag!

Saturday my brother Gary and I rode over to Waugh Enterprises, the local H.D. dealer. He has been a dealer since the 70’s. They’re good people. Then we headed out to visit relatives that I had not seen in many moons. Sunday morning we rode to the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains(Skyline Drive). It is a beautiful ride, rolling hills, old buildings and gas stations from the past. Old general stores took me back in time. Speaking of taking you back in time, I am sure everyone remembers the T.V. show, “The Dukes of Hazard”. Well at the foot of the mountains is “Cooters Place”, the guy that played the character “Cooter” owns and operates this place. The car “The General Lee” is parked out front, the one used in the show. The joint is cool, and they even host “biker appreciation” days.

Monday morning snuck up on me, and it was time to roll back to Charlotte N.C., and boy did the skys look bad. But I jammed through the whole stretch and never hit a drop of rain. By the time I hit Greensboro the sun was shining.

So my impressions of the bagger? It was comfortable and the bags made the trip convenient. It was too quiet, and this week it gets a set of Vance+Hines mufflers, dyno jet and S.E. high flow air cleaner kit. Is it my favorite bike? No, I will always be a chopper guy at heart but it is not bad to have different bikes for different rides!

— Mike P.

FROM THE BIKERNET ZOO–Two alligators were sitting at the side of the swamp. The smaller one turned to the bigger one and said, “I can’t unnerstand how you kin be so much bigger ‘n me. We’re the same age, we was the same size as kids..I just don’t get it.”

“Well,” said the big ‘gator, “What you been eatin’ boy?”

“Lawyers, same as you,” replied the small ‘gator.

“Hmm. Well, where do y’all catch ’em?”

“Down at ‘tother side of the swamp near the parkin’ lot of that law firm.”

“Same here. Hmm. How do you catch ’em?”

“Well, I crawls up under one of them Lexus and wait fer someone to unlock the door. Then I jump out, grab ’em on the leg, shake the shit out of ’em, and eat ’em!”

“Ah!” says the big alligator, “I think I see your problem. You ain’t gettin’ any real nourishment. See, by the time you get done shakin’ the shit out of a lawyer, there ain’t nothin’ left but lips and a briefcase.”

–from Buckshot

–photo by Rogue

IMPRESSIONS FROM MILWAUKEE–I really can’t believe after three days of a build up to the “Party” H-D’s secret headlining guest was fucking Elton John!!!What the fuck does that guy have to do with motorcycling or Harley-Davidson? Harley had everything else laid out very well. Milwaukee welcomed every biker with very open arms, great city!I didn’t see one fight, very well behaved crowd, even the Milwaukee police department was very tolerant of bikers doing what bikers do.

I was donating some of my rear tire to the Milwaukee pavement and looked over to see a local cop eyeing me. He did nothing but gave me the thumbs up, too cool!

All in all other than the let down of the headlining act, The 100th Anniversary Party was a great time, in a great city, celebrating a great American product.

–Jef Kors

Continued On Page 3

BIKERNET NEWS FLASH–HARLEY’S 100TH, MAJOR SUCCESS AND EPA WILL END MOTORCYCLING

–Photo by Rogue

Hang On. The Thursday News steams underway with the first reports on the Anniversary of Harley-Davidson. Our e-mail system went down this morning. Shit was flying. The hectic schedule overflowed. We have devoted Thursday to Bikernet content. Here’s the best laid plan. First we tackle the news and try to launch it by noon. Then we review all the content that’s in the holding pattern buzzing above the highrise Bikernet Headquarters.

Sometimes the list is daunting, dancing around in our heads, challenging us to stay clear of the garage or women. Often we have our own tech or action articles to launch. Today we’re looking at Sturgis from Frank Kaisler, Frank Falco’s 911 tribute event, a chunk of wild fiction is waiting on a illustration from George Fleming, a young collegian illustrator. From Harley-Davidson and Marty Roseblum we have extensive Sportster history, which will be launched in the Cantina History department. Let’s get to the news, then I’ll try to make a point out of all this blither:

BIKERNET REPORTS ON MILWAUKEE–At around 9:00 A.M. Saturday August 30th the first of 10,000 Harleys came to life in the Milwaukee County Zoo Parking Lot. As they pulled out of the parking lot the crowds that lined Blue Mound and Wisconsin Ave. Cheered them on.

The parade was led by members of the Harley family and followed by those who made major donations to Muscular Dystrophy Association then the different chapters of HOG and those with special randomly drawn passes.

The parade route was lined with hundred of thousands visiting Bikers and locals 3-15 deep along the 7- mile route. Many displayed Welcome signs and banners. Of course cameras and videos flashed every where. The Bikers were a colorful sight and responded to all the watchers who shouted,” Rev Your Engines.” Exhaust ricocheted off the surrounding buildings as they headed to the Summerfest grounds.

It was wild and if you were one of the ones who didn’t attend, I hope the photos will give you some idea of this 100-year tribute to Harley-Davidson.

–ROGUE

SONS OF LIBERTY RIDERS E-NEWS– Janklow charged:DENVER – Moody County prosecutors charged South Dakota Rep. Bill Janklow,a legendary political figure in his state, with a felony and threemisdemeanors on Friday following his involvement in a traffic accidentearlier this month that ended in the death of a motorcyclist.

The charge, filed Friday, is second-degree manslaughter, which carries asentence of up to 10 years in prison. Fines imposed could reach $10,000.

Prosecutor Bill Ellingson also charged Janklow with three misdemeanors –failure to stop at a stop sign, going 71 miles-per-hour in a 55 miles-per-hour zone and reckless driving.

The first two misdemeanors carry a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail anda $200 fine. A reckless driving sentence can land Janklow a year in jailand a $1,000 fine.

According to police reports, Janklow, 63, sped through a stop sign onAug. 16 and hit 55-year-old Randolph E. Scott, who was riding his Harley-Davidson (search).

Authorities say corn growing eight feet high on either side of the roadprevented either man from anticipating the collision.

“I don’t believe that either of these individuals saw each other untilthe moment of impact,” said Tad Jacobs, Moody County coroner.

Janklow is known for speeding, often joking about his lead foot. Hisdriving records show he paid nearly $1,000 for 12 speeding tickets in afour-year period. He wasn’t in office during that time.

Data recorders in the congressman’s Cadillac were used to measure howfast Janklow was traveling.

Scott lost his life, so perhaps by comparison Janklow’s losing his careeris not as bad a fate. Still, for one of South Dakota’s most powerfulRepublicans, the blow could be earth-shattering.

The EPA is Trying to Outlaw YOUR Motorcycle?–In November of 2000, the EPA proposed Docket A-2000-01- the “Control ofEmissions From Non-road Large Spark Ignition Engines, Recreational Engines(Marine and Land-Based), and Highway Motorcycles.” The EPA proposes torequire that the federal class III motorcycle standards match the recentlyfinalized California program. Tier 1, which applies to all Class IIImotorcycles starting in the 2006 model year, proposes a 1.4 g/km HC+NOxstandard. Tier 2, which applies starting in the 2010 model year, proposes a0.8 g/km HC+NOx standard. This differs from the current federal standard inthat NOx is not included in the current 5.0 g/km HC federal limit.So what does this mean to me?Motorcycles will be forced to be built with electronic ignitions (nocarburetors), electronic ignitions (no points), catalytic converters (nocustom exhaust), no tuning modifications (shear bolts), only the originalreplacement parts put on by authorized service centers (no aftermarket or”mom & pop” shops), more expensive motorcycles (to offset the cost ofresearch and development to meet these new standards), a reduction inmotorcycle usage and the death of small manufactures (who don’t have theresources for the cost of R & D).

What is anyone doing about it?

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, countless State Motorcycle RightsOrganizations, the American Motorcycle Association, Independent ShopAssociation of Wisconsin and many individuals have spent hours talking tothe EPA and elected representatives in Washington. The EPA’s response hasbeen the only thing we’ll be able to change is “Color and Chrome” and that”You have no say” on this issue. We motorcyclists disagree. Through hardwork we have extended comment periods, lobbied lawmakers, introducedlegislation and have succeeded in preventing the EPA from introducing theadministrative rule up to this point.

Take this bike to the EPA.–Ken M.

What are the arguments?

1. Motorcycles are responsible for only a tiny portion of the pollutionattributable to all street vehicles.

2. Tougher standards will kill the $14 billion aftermarket industry some10,000 custom shops and neighborhood mechanics nationwide, franchiseddealers and small-volume motorcycle makers.

3. Tougher standards WILL REDUCE MOTORCYCLING IN AMERICA the result will bemore gas consumption, more road wear, more gridlock, hence MORE POLLUTION

4. The EPA ignores the issue of rider safety – where will the 1500-degreeconverter go?

5. The EPA did not meet its obligations under Executive Order 12866 toconsider a less stringent alternative to the proposed emission standards.

What can I do to help keep motorcycling a viable mode of transportation?

1. We need to understand the issue. The MRF has an amazing amount ofinformation on their website at: http://www.mrf.org/epa.php.

2. We need to let our elected representatives in Washington DC know how wefeel about this issue. Contact your local county courthouse or www.house.govand www.senate.gov to find your rep and/or senator.

3. We need to let the EPA know how each of us feels about this. Marianne L.Horinko (Acting EPA Administrator) Environmental Protection Agency, ArielRios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20460 (202)272-0167

4. We need to get this information to every motorcyclist and smallindependent motorcycle shop we can find. Find the ones in your area bylooking in your phone book and share with them how this proposed rule willkill their business.Finally.

This issue has not and will never get national news coverage. The onlypeople it affects are motorcyclists. We HAVE to win this fight on our ownand the only way to do it is to get involved, make some noise and make adifference. It’s up to us! Spread the word and preserve motorcycling as weknow it for future generations!

For more information contact the MRF Office in Washington D.C. at202-546-0983, www.mrf.orgOrVisit the Sons of Liberty Riders at http://www.solrpa.com/issues/hd.html

This information paid for and brought to you by the Sons of Liberty Riders

Later
Hawk
ICQ 34668186
AOL SoLRHawk

Click For More Information, Or To Order

AMAZING WRAP STRAPS–These wide, super-strong velcro straps can be used for anything. They just built a little website that shows theirproducts, www.odlobproducts.com. They not only manufacture the Wrap Straps, but also Soft Ties.

“We use asize #207 {saddle grade} thread, which gave a tested rating of 950lbs,” said the boss.

Wrap Straps retail $9.95,Soft T.w/Fur-$9.95-Plain-$6.95. They’ll hold most anything to your ride. We’re going to test them with Bandit’s Bedroll.

Wholesale prices available to bike shops,with sales tax #. Check out our Wrap Straps and give us some good feedback.

Thanks, Janice Chamness

Designed to Strap jackets on handle bars, can be folded up & stored in pocket while wearing jacket. 2″ webbing forms Velcro Loop. Eliminates Hooks and Buckles that scratch paint!!

Continued On Page 2

BIKERNET NEWS FLASH–JOSE DIDN’T GO TO 100TH–HE’S BUMMED, MIKUNI TUNING TIPS AND SINGLE-FIRE NIGHTMARE

Continued From Page 2

LIGHTWEIGHT BIKE LIFT STANDS UP FOR STORAGE–If your excuse for not owning a professional MOTORCYCLE LIFT is excessive size, high price, or lack of space in your garage, your excuse is no longer valid. Kendon, the STAND UP motorcycle trailer company now offers a lightweight bike lift that out performs most of the heavy, clumsy lifts currently available. Kendon’s ALL NEW bike lift has the same stability factor as the big heavy lifts, yet is portable, and easy to transport. It also “stands up” and stows in the corner of your garage for space saving efficiency. Features include: Manual or optional air operation, 1,000 pound weight capacity, easy roll casters, integrated wheel chock locks onto front wheel when bike is loaded, with wheel jack to lift front or rear wheel for wheel/tire access, and a full 32 inches of working lift height. Optional tool trays, and other features make this a bargain at any price. This FULL FEATURE lift is extremely compact when folded and stored in vertical (“stand up”) position (76-inch standing height with a 24 X 24-inch foot print) for convenience.

All full range of tools trays and other professional accessories is available.

http://www.kendontrailers.com

Kendon
3711 East La Palma
Anaheim, CA 92806
(714) 630 7144 fax (714) 630 7132

CANTINA MEMBER RECEIVES SIGNED BOOK–THANKS FOR THE COPY OF YOUR BOOK. I’M LOOKING FORWORD TO READING IT. HERES SOME PHOTOS OF MY PAN WITH IT’S NEW PAINT AND OIL TANK WITH SPIN ON OIL FILTER.

Thanks,
KEVIN FLYNN, FROM NIAGARA FALLS.

TECH INFO FROM GIGGIE OF COMPU-FIRE–We’ve received several “It’s Your Shot” letters from readers running rich with their RevTech motors or Mikuni Carburetors. Hardcase also wrote us about his dual-plug, single-fire, kick start, ’65 Pan chopper. It wasn’t running right. Here’s some info from Joe Minton of American Rider and Giggie from Compu-Fire:

The Bikernet reader’s bike, “Christine”. She’s aptly named after the evil movie car.

Giggie: “You may need 1.5 ohm coils in parallel if you are running a dual fire ignition,” Giggie said. He needed mo’ info such as: plugs, gap (which should be .035), which coils, is it kick start, his battery size, and the ignition system?

But he gave us some items to think about: For dual fire you need one coil to feed the right and one for the left. For single fire you need to run the hot wire from one positive post to the other. The negative side needs one wire to the front cylinder coil and one to the rear from the distributor. Hope this helps some. If not drop Giggie a note to MrGiggie55@netscape.com.

Mikuni info from Joe Minton:

To lean out a Mikuni change the pilot jet to a #20 for an Evo (any engine size), and #17.5 for Twin Cams. Chance the Accelerator pump nozzle to #50 and adjust the linkage so there is no gap.

The main jet has five notches and is usually set on the center notch. Unfortunately there is not much effect by adjusting the notches until past quarter throttle or 65 mph. The needles are sized #95 to #98. Try number #98 for leaner running.

There’s a Mikuni tuning guide available through Mikuni.com, or they will send you one. Parts are available through Fox Distributing (630) 513-9700. The contact is Bernie. They’re in St. Charles, Ill. They sell jets and mileage kits for 42 and 45 mm Mikunis.

BIKERNET CARIBBEAN REPORT–

There’s lot to talk about this week, and I really mean lots….We all have been choppered out in Discovery, the 100th anniversary and much more. I’ve been receiving calls letting me know how Harley’s biggest party went on. I’ve talked to our friends who were the center of the Biker Build Off’s to see what’s up, I guess their phones have been ringing off the hook and e-mails galore. Choppers have actually gone to the masses, or shall I say, motorcycles in general, well not motorcycles, the kind we like (well not all of us).

I have to start this week’s news with a bitter complaint… I missed Elton John at the Harley party. How could that be? Those ingrates never told me that the favorite performer of all bikers was going to give a concert in Milwaukee; I even had my pink leathers and matching turquoise Twinkie ready for it. Can you say GAY? That performance would have made my trip to the Twinkie Mecca more than worth it, oh well. I guess I’ll have to wait another century for the repeat of such magnificent event. NOT!!!!

The few friends I have talked to said that the best time was had at (Water something), I guess bars lined the place and all kinds of mayhem, debauchery and chaos was taking place, my fucking kind of place, Sodom and Gomorra. I’ve got some reports of the “other” places, which are not worth mentioning here. One thing I really did not think about it and I really regret not being there is that a lot of my good friends were actually there, from magazine people from all over the world to builders and industry people. Sure it was Twinkie, black and orange, official merchandise and wannabe heaven, but I’m sure all these people I call my friends must have had a blast, closed the bars and saw more tits than a party at the Playboy Mansion.

However, all the stories lead back to this (Water whatever) street. Some people claimed to see a few custom bikes, even a few choppers amid the sea of Full Dress Twinkies. Cloning was the word of the weekend. One after the other, playing rowdy bad ass bikers in a fantasy world, let’s call it Harley Land in honor of the peyote induced creator of Mickey.

So now let’s go to Discovery channel. We had the chance to see three biker build off’s. It’s great to see our peers on the tube. I have to congratulate the producers for introducing the chopper world to the masses, which might be good or bad, but it’s here to stay. I’m also glad the chopper builders were recognized by the people as the best, and won accordingly. Even to the ones that lost it was a great opportunity to show what they can do. I’m not even going to mention stuff that I believe was out of place, so I’ll leave it at that. I can only say that being fortunate enough to participate in a couple of them has been the best rides I’ve ever done with my friends and hope there’s many more to come.

Sure some of the best material lies on the floor at the editing room, but I guess it’s a pretty tough job to get hundreds of hours of footage and make it into 35 minutes, and sometimes stuff is lost along the way. Even better yet, there’s one more show coming that will pair Billy Lane and Indian Larry (I guess it was scheduled but someone fucked up!) so we will have to wait for airing dates.

Let’s face it, I’m not being brutal here since I don’t have much time and in reality I don’t feel like it, plus I guess I have created enough controversy with my past reports about the rides, let’s just leave it at that. One thing for sure, if I ever get the chance to be on a Build Off, it will look like Monster Garage in chopper building, since I’m going to get as many friends over to help me out.While I’m on this, our friend Melanie has redone her website and it’s looking pretty good, it’s about what we love, hot chicks and choppers, check it out at www.exoticdancersofhawaii.com

I’m in a hurry, since we have to get all the shit done for Biketoberfest and luckily the newest hurricane has gone someplace into the North Atlantic. Needless to say, the waves are gigantic so figure out what I’m doing tomorrow, yeap tackle the big surf.Oh well, that’s about it, kinda lame, I know, but there will be more weeks and more reports, all we need is more time. Something I don’t have right now.

Jose – Caribbean Bikernet reporter

Continued On Page 4

Hail storm over the Black Hills

I'm late as usual, but painting bikes for 24 years has given me muchopractice at being late. In fact, Eddie Trotta musta gone on 20 minutesbitching about painters when I saw him at Mike Lichter's Show in RapidCity. In fact, he's even trying to do some of the actual artwork on hisThunder Cycles, himself. The guy can race boats and horses, play a meanpiano, so if he turned out to be a halfway good painter, I wouldn’t besurprised.

I got to talk to many cool custom m/c industry people at Sturgis. Hell,everyone was there. You can just be crossing the street and see Billy Lanecoming from the opposite direction or be at Mt Rushmore and run into BigMike of BMC. Or riding along the interstate to find Kendall Johnson ridingalongside. What a rush that was. Maybe you could be gassing up your bikeand right across the pumps is Paul Sr of OCC.

Sturgis was an overload of unreal scenery, everyday folks who become newfriends, famous people, and a kaleidoscope of bikes. People were eitherburning up the street or burning up the film. You couldn't look anywherewithout thinking, 'I need to take a picture of that.' The little miningtowns are full of beautifully restored buildings with bikes lining thestreets, vivid sunsets over the vast open prairie. I couldn’t stay in myhotel room, there was too much to see and do. Sturgis is the kind of eventthat is alive with energy. No matter where I looked or where I went, it wasawesome.

The nights got downright weird. First there was the night I lost a wholebox of Horse issues off my bike. It's 2am, pitch black, magazines scatteredover about 1/8th mile of canyon road, I was shitting bricks. Cops are gonnacome along any minute and bust me for Felony Littering. Sure thing, I'mrunning around picking them up and suddenly it's blue light city. But theywere cool, helped me pick them up and didn't even glance once at myOUT-OF-DATE bike tag. I was WIDE awake after that one. On a very windynight I rode into Sturgis with the Devil Dolls as wicked lighting stormscracked over the hills in the distance. Earlier in the evening I had foundmyself sitting at a fancy press dinner put on my Corbin and PerformanceMachine. I ended up with tablemates like Goth Girl and Sonny Barger. EddieTrotta was nodding off at the table next door and I was about to fling apat of butter at him but Tom Langdon of Rumble Customs looked at me like Iwas nuts. So I buttered my roll and behaved. Eddie looked like he had justfinished working on a bike that spat oil all over him. He said he wasstarting a new fashion trend. It was a crazy night. Flame and I ended up inthe supermarket buying fresh fruit (don't ask.)

John and Bianca- the coolest couple atSturgis

Another night, I was hanging at the Discovery Build Off party at the FullThrottle Saloon watching as Billy and Larry blew a mile high column ofsmoke side by side in the burnout pit. People are going nuts over Billy; hecan't keep up with all the autographs. A few nights later, a bunch of usare at the Broken Spoke and hardly anyone comes up to him. Nice, quietevening in such contrast to the previous. But that’s the rhythm of Sturgis,insanity one moment, calm the next. One minute you're riding across the'endless' plain in blistering heat, a few exits down you're deep in thetall, cool canyons- a vivid rollercoaster ride from the seat of a scooter.Now Jose is used to all this stuff. He's so jaded. Just kidding, notreally, who can get tired of beautiful scenery all the time, especiallywhen it poses in Hustler?

Party at Caribbean Choppers WesternHeadquarters

Jose and his family opened their door to me and made me feel right at home.Many thanks to them, people like that are worth going thousands of miles tosee. I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. An endless line of friendswould stop by each night, making for interesting conversion. From Hawaii toNashville to Brazil, that place had a definite international atmosphere.And the food, Deacon from Hawaii's Pro-Street grilling up a storm of ribs.Another night it was mouth watering Caribbean burgers. Plus the food intown wasn't half bad either. I recommend Kevin Costner's Jake's CafÈ inDeadwood. But my favorite restaurant was in the Spearfish Holiday Inn ofall places. Who woulda known? And great prices too. Scoff if ya want, buttry it out next year and tell me I'm wrong. (If their chef quits I'mscrewed.)

Shari, Bianca, and Amanda

Jose covered just about everything we did in his report. The one thing hedidn't do was ride at night. I shouldn't have either, but the cool nightcalled to me, so I took it slow and easy, carefully watching for glowingeyes of deer who plague many riders. A few did jump out and cross the roadin front of me, but I was doing about 45 and had no problem stopping. Manyothers didn't and sadly paid the price. But the night sky out here isintoxicating. The air is so clear, it seems as tho you can reach up andtouch the stars. The black sky is so full of them, there's not muchblackness. Deep in the canyons, the only source of light comes fromthousands of light years away. That kind of realization reaches right intoa person's soul. And there again lies the sharp contrasts of this place-awild, mad dash of daylight activities to soothing the psyche at night. It'seasy to see why the Native Americans regarded these hills as their holyland. It's a very healing place.

Crazy Horse on the latest Crazy HorseChopper

I met so many people. Folks just tend to reach out and leave attitudesbehind. On our ride with Mike Lichter, I met Jennifer, a cute littleredheaded friend of his who takes part in his photo shoot ride every year.She's even in his Sturgis book. I saw her and some friends on the streetsof Deadwood my last night there. Like we had been friends forever, sheinvited me to sit down and watch the world go by. She knew many people whopassed and some stayed a bit and joined us in our observations.

Now I've heard stories for years about Sturgis. People going on and onabout what a wonderful experience it is. I should have listened to them.Now I'm the one, going about it like I was bewitched into a cult. Yes,That’s what it must be, the cult of Sturgis.Sturgis is an event people tend to ride to. Didn't see as many trailers onthe way home as I saw loaded bikes.The only thing missing was Angie. But she'll be there next year. I can'teven imagine. I'm glad it's a whole year away; I'll need that much time torest up.

The Frank Kaisler Report

Hey, Bandit. We arrived in Sturgis in record time. We unloaded our gear in the rickety rental house and immediately headed out to the Full Throttle Saloon to catch the deal with the Discovery Channel between Indian Larry and Billy Lane. You know dipshit, the Biker Build Off thing that's been going on for years?

Well, we jammed to the Full Throttle and . . . nothing. No one knew nothing about anything. Since we were already there, we figured we'd hang out for the bands and the Purfect Angels show (which was ok).

Feature action access would have improved if we could have elbowed our way within' a couple hundred feet of the stage. Man, the place was packed. After a couple of hours encased in that mob, we fought our way downtown to Main Street, where the Roadhouse was set up with a Discovery stage inside. We thought maybe this is was excitement home turf, so we checked with one of the guys (who was trying to look official with a backstage pass and everything) and asked him “where was the Build Off action?”

“It just left, in mass,” he muttered lookin' cool behind jet-black shades. “They're headed for the Full Throttle Saloon-they were only a few hours late.”

We then decided we would wait and catch it on TV rather than fight our way back out to the Full Throttle. Later on in the week, when we finally made our way back to the Roadhouse, we did hear that Indian Larry won the contest.

Early the next morning we rolled eastbound to Rapid City (also in South Dakota), to check out the factory offering. They only brought the new CVOs (Custom Vehicle Operation) and a couple of '04 touring bikes. They saved the new Sportster for the 100th anniversary party in Milwaukee. The CVOs included a tricked-out Deuce and a Road King Custom. From the Rapid City Convention Center, we headed across the interstate to the new H-D dealership . A great place to check out a whole bunch of vendors in one spot, but what a mess bobbing and weaving in and out of the lot. The driveway to the parking area was directly on top of an exit ramp from the interstate. It took us a full 45 minutes of idling around the entire dealership perimeter. Another 20 minutes was burned escaping, it sucked. That was our one and only trip to H-D of Rapid City.

The fight never ends as we struggled twice more blasting into Rapid City. First we attended the first custom bike show sponsored by Metzler Tires. One bike show entrant prerequisite–roll in on Metzler rubber. Boy did they attract some nice sleds. Jesse Rooke from Phoenix, Arizona was there with his new Schwinn/Big Twin custom, first displayed a few weeks earlier in LA at the Calendar Show. In Sturgis it sported a new Indian Chief engine, (Indian just went brankrupt). A crew from the Speed channel clamored down aisles interviewing bike builders and taking riding shots in the Journey Museum parking lot (whose parking area hosted the show).

The Journey Museum, for the second year in a row, hosted a custom motorcycle event. This year the exhibit was titled the “Art of the Chopper” and again famed photographer, Mike Lichter, played a major role by displaying a number of photos from his new book entitled Sturgis. Michael's photos (with captions) were arranged around the perimeter of the room, while the floor space was filled with custom choppers from various builders such as Chica, Indian Larry, Billy Lane and Hank Young.

Suddenly I found myself dodging bikes, RVs with bikes, truck with bike laddened trailers, packs of bikes and pickups loaded with bikes. I pondered the deep meaning of it all, standing in the Black Hills on the western edge of the South Dakota territory. Once an Indian territory where the Sioux ran free, in 1874 Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer confirmed the presence of gold in the Badlands through a Chicago Newspaper. Miners and outlaws stormed into South Dakota. Withing six months the population of Deadwood had blustered to 7,000 uninvited residents. After the gold rush came the onslaught of the outlaw.

Who could resist the natural and man-made wonders linked with pristine roads that wind through and around the many national parks, leading to Mount Rushmore and the monument to Crazy Horse. Sturgis is west of Rapid City and further west are even more fantastic roads that lead through Wyoming and Montana to Devils Tower and the Custer Battlefield. These roads draw a new outlaw, the motorcycle renegade who seeks freedom and adventure in the Badlands. Scattered throughout the web of roads are small towns like Huelett and Sundance. Closer still are the historic towns of Deadwood and Lead just a short ride through some of the most spectacular canyons on the face of the earth.

Regardless of what a man rides or how he rides, the main attractions are the open roads, the natural wonders and the people. People watching occupied most of our time. Colorful folks rode up and down Main Street, doing lap after lap, to be assured they were seen. A block over, on Lazelle Street, many of the motorcycle industry companies displayed their glittery wares. Lazelle Street has steadily changed, year after year, from a residential avenue to a banner waving flurry of new stores and asphalt parking lots for tractor trailer display rigs.

So, what was so different at Sturgis this year? It was the attitude. Hard to describe a feeling or a vibe, I sensed it before arrival from the anticipation of the event. Rumors abounded that the Sturgis attendance would be down due to the impending 100th celebration in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The rumors proved to be unfounded when the population in the area swelled to record levels. Weather plays a major roll in Sturgis anticipation. This year the weather was decent since it only rained a couple of days early in the week and then again at the end. A minor lighting show and light hail, the day before we departed didn't quell the excitement.

During the trip home we scoured our minds, replaying events and scenes, sometimes laughing again at the colorful thoughts. We’ll be chuckling and telling jokes about Sturgis all year long – until we ride out again.

Hawaii To Sturgis – 2003

The Hawaii Choppers Only Show was barely over and Sturgis was scrambling toward us fast. We all had to get ready, take care of our jobs, houses, animals and ready the bikes for airliner shipping to the coast.

We departed Hawaii on July 30th, arrived at LAX at about 4:30 p.m. and jammed straight to Pacific Air Cargo just 5 minutes from the airport. We claimed our bikes and began to prepare for our journey.

My first big mistake, letting my wife, Joerline, packed for the trip. I waschanging my clothes while she stuffed the bike, so I didn't get to see all the crap she had packed for herself, and what she didn’t pack for me.

Mike, Claudia, Ryan and Lacey took off for Santa Barbara to meet with the rest of our pals from Hawaii who arrived the day before. There were eleven of us riding in our group, but I knew many more were heading to Sturgis from the islands. Local news had reported that all the people from Hawaii going to Sturgis filled up a whole 747 with bikes.

The weather in L.A. was not so good when we left, but we didn't care, all we wanted to do was to get on the open road. Island riding has its limits.

Up at the crack of dawn, a heavy marine layer hung over the coast. It was cold, but we were ready to go, even with our heads pounding from the Santa Barbara annual Fiesta Week party the night before. Heading up the coast to Monterey, fog draped over us as we hit Hwy 1. Finally, the sun popped thru and the ride was terrific.

The next morning we hit it for Lake Tahoe, facing a black horizon. It started raining, mixed with lot's of thunder and lighting. We didn't mind since we scooted along the Lake Tahoe waterfront. It was cool, I mean cold, but we had a good time gambling and checking it out. From Tahoe we rode to Wendover, Utah and rain followed the whole way there. At one nightmarish point, the traffic came to a sudden stop.

We weaved along the shoulder to see what happened and what we saw was not good. There had been a flash flood that hit the highway median and flipped two cars over so fast, they didn’t know what hit them. The people had to get flown out to the nearest hospital. The water was so deep that the cars couldn’t go through, so we turned around and rode the shoulder to the next off ramp, very grateful we weren’t passing when that flash flood hit. We were lucky to have missed it by 5 minutes.

As we came into Wendover, Utah, you could see lightning bolts hitting the freeway up ahead, it looked cool but after a long day, all we wanted to do was to get off the bikes, out of the rain, and have a drink. Wendover Utah, is no place to be on a Sunday because no one serves booze. However, just up the road was Nevada, and being that we were on the border of both states, that's where we were going.

We headed for Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The rain continued for about 5 hours into the trip, then finally cleared to sunny skies. Wearing only T-shirts and no helmets, we were Rolling at 75 mph and would get passed by a group of twelve bikes doing about 90mph. We didn't think much of it at first. We would go through a town and see them parked at a bar. Then they would pass us again doing 90mph. This happened a few times. As we started into Jackson Hole, it was beautiful as we dropped into the canyons. We encountered lots of hair pin turns, then as we came around one turn, we saw two bikers trying to flag us to the side of the road.

As I got off my bike, I realized it was two from group that had been passing us. As I ran up to the guy, he was in a state of panic asking if I had a cell phone that worked. I had a phone, but no signal. He said his friend went off the side and he thought he was dead. As I looked down the hill, I saw a guy face down in the dirt with a Road King on top of him. He had been wearing a full-face helmet, which was torn off and took part of his scalp with it. There were bike parts scattered everywhere, not what we wanted to see. As I was looking down the hill, he started moving his hands, so we ran down to him and lifted the bike off him. He was in real bad shape, so we did what we could until help arrived.

That was a shock to see for all of us, and the sad part was that all the other guys he was riding with didn't even know he went down. As we rolled into town we saw the rest of them at the first bar you came to. Only made us think to look out for each other and stay together while riding.

Gillette was next, then into South Dakota. When we arrived, everything came off the bike, and I was about to discover what my wife packed. I couldn't believe how much stuff she had, and what little I had! No wonder my bike handled like shit. That was it; time to get some boxes. I told her to pack some of her shit and send it home. My second big mistake. I left her at the Motel to pack, as I headed to Rapid City to see the guys at Legend Air about putting Air Ride on my bike. In less than 2 hours, it was done. It was money well spent and the guys at Legend were all terrific. I only wish I had installed Air Ride before I left, with all that weight I hauled.

While I was killing time, waiting for my bike to be done, I walked into Rapid City Harley and brought a new jacket. You don't really need jackets in Hawaii, although it does get cold during the winter sometimes. I was really looking forward to wearing my jacket on the ride back to the coast.

Sturgis was great. We ran into friends, saw lots of crazy shit, and the weather overall was good. While there, we called Jose from Caribbean Choppers whom we meet in Hawaii at the Chopper Only Show. My friend Deacon was staying with him in Lead so we went to see them. The ride was great with so many bikes everywhere. We found Jose's Filipino bright green house, but no one was home. We waited awhile but no show. Back down the hill we went only hit backed up traffic.

Around the turn someone had laid their bike over too far and took out two bikers in the oncoming lane. There was broken bones and twisted metal everywhere. It took about an hour before we were able to get through. Back in Sturgis and the Motel where boxes were waiting so I could take them to the post office and ship to Joerline’s moms in California, I made one last ride and completed my day’s tasks.

After a week in South Dakota, it was time to head towards home with a lighter load on my bike. The next day in Colorado, it was a bit cold and I was looking forward to wearing the new jacket. I looked everywhere, tore everything apart, but no jacket. My wife not only packed my new jacket, but also my extra pants, shirts and whatever else she could stuff in there, of mine. I think she put maybe two of her tank tops in the boxes.

This is the first time I took her on a long road trip; will there be another for her? Don’t think so, because I can't see myself hauling no damn trailer around. I think that’s why I saw so many guys with trailers behind their bikes. Not for their shit but probably for their old lady’s crap.

We left Grand Junction Colorado heading to Mt. Carmel, Utah on the way home. We stopped at one of the truck stop gas stations to fuel up and get a bite to eat. We covered about 400 miles and some of the crew was getting tired, plus it was 117 degrees out.

My third big mistake. My wife grabbed my wallet to get something to eat while I fueled up the bike. I always keep my license and credit cards in a money clip in my front pocket when I ride, and cash in my wallet. After we fueled up and ate, we were back on the road. About five miles down, my wife asks me,

”Ðo you have your wallet?”

“No, you had it.” I said as I began to flip out. I pulled off to the shoulder. She didn’t have it and I didn’t have it… I had to head back to the last stop, so I told the group to go on without us. There was nowhere to turn around on the freeway so I went right across the median through dirt, rocks and fuckin tumble weeds. I didn't care; my wallet was back there with the last of my cash in it. I must of rode over 100mph, and not a word came out of Joerline’s mouth.

Usually around 85 mph she'll start poking me in the side or clicking her fingernails in rhythm on my helmet. We made it back in record time. She jumped off the bike and ran inside. To my surprise she was back within minutes carrying my wallet. The money was gone, all eight, $100 dollar bills.

We jumped back on our bike and I think I cussed and yelled for about five miles. I had to tell myself that the money was gone and there was nothing I could do about it. At least I had all my credit cards and license. We caught up with our crew and told them. They knew it hurt but it wasn't going to ruin our trip. I hung in the back of the pack as we headed toward Mt. Carmel, or at least that’s where we were suppose to be heading.

The guys in the front missed the turn off and we ended up in Hurricane, Utah. It was so hot, most of the crew didn't want to ride on, they wanted to stay there. I didn't. Las Vegas was 110 miles away and I envisioned the Monte Carlo Casino, good food, drinks and trying to win some money back from the loss that we encountered. So that’s what we did. Joerline was tired but she agreed along with another couple, Hank & Pura. We took off, leaving everyone behind. It only took us an hour and a half to arrive in Vegas. At 8:15 pm perfect time. Mike owed me $100 so I got it from him before we left Utah, and Mark loaned me $400.

We were in the casino for about an hour playing the one-armed Bandit when our first bit of luck hit. I put $20 in the Wheel of Fortune machine and won $500 on the second spin. Then Joerline won $225. We had a great time and walked away with $700. I payed back Mark and still had cash for the ride back to L.A.

We were cutting into Victorville and the road turned into a two-lane freeway with no shoulder. Lots of freeway construction going on and a big-rig was following Ryan and Lacey just as Ryan's back tire blew.His spokes came loose and popped his tire. It could have been serious, but he handled it. As for the big-rig driver he was on it. He saw what happened and blocked the lane for Ryan. Come to find out he was a biker.

The workers across the freeway saw what was happening and the head boss who was running the job came over to assess the situation. He told his crew to bring a truck over which had a crane on it, and lifted the bike up and over the freeway to one of their flatbed trucks. He had one of his worker's run Ryan and Lacey to the nearest H-D shop. The head boss was a biker along with a lot of his workers. Unreal how these people came to the rescue. I wish we could have got all their names, but thanks so much to all of them. It really could have been a nightmare if they didn’t help out.

Well, we made back to L.A., dropped off our bikes to ship back to Hawaii, then stayed for two days visiting friend's and family. At Joerline’s moms, I opened up the infamous box and we all had a good laugh.

It was a great trip, and I can’t wait till next year and a lighter load……..