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Read More April 24, 2003 Part 2
By Bandit |
Continued From Page 1
BIKERNET CARIBBEAN REPORT–Here we go again, another week goes by, and I’m still around. I’m guessing it’s been three years now that I have been helping out here in Bikernet, week after week, plus the super acclaimed reports….Wow ! That is a long time, and a lot of e-mails and stuff to say and rant about. Guess what? I’m not changing a bit, I will still say what I want, when I want. I refuse to be one of those stiff ass reporters full of make up like the CNN dudes, I refuse to be unbiased, or tell the story ” like it is”….Nope, no fucking way.
So let’s make something really clear, in case you have not noticed by now, I am not a reporter, writer nor journalist. I have a shop and build bikes, that’s what I do. I write stuff for fun, because sometimes I’m lucky enough to be there and many people are not. I just try to bring stuff into this web site that will make some people laugh, some people wonder if I’m a total flake, or some people get really pissed… But always being me, and no one, absolutefuckin’ no one telling me what to do or how to do it. I try not to offend anyone, but sometimes people reflect their own faults in what I write. That is their problem , not mine. Then again, I have nothing against no one, why should I bother.
At the same time it’s great when people enjoy the reports and the news and express it, via e-mail or at Your Shot. It’s even cooler when we have three or four people attending the same event and we get all the different points of view. No one in this industry can do that. Sometimes by the time you see stuff in magazines it’s old news…..
We are really lucky to be “working” with the ” family” we have here, and our readers are extremely fortunate as well. You have the best of the best in various fields of this industry and then you have me.
It’s a true complete World Wide coverage. It’s fair to say that all the corners are actually covered, and the best part is that this ” family” keeps growing.I don’t know if our readers realize this, but we have people that religiously log in week after week, not only from all over the USA, but Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and the Caribbean. That’s a very amazing accomplishment for a web site, more so for a web site about this life we love….Motorcycles.2.3 million hits a month is an absurd feat……Think about it….that amount of people are reading this as well as you…That is fucking freaky…. In simple math, if I piss off 300 thousand people, I still have 2 million that like what I’m doing, ( and I usually piss off 15 or 20) so the odds are pretty good.
Then again, it’s good to receive feedback. It lets us know that people are actually reading what we write. To tell you the truth, the day that people start telling me to get the hell out of here (let’s say like 50 % of the hits) I will pack my bags and do something else with my limited free time, that is a promise. Or maybe not….I kinda like the fringe benefits…
So I will keep working on this for as long as it’s possible, and sure keep fucking up stuff, which proves we are only human. Maybe saying things that push people thru the roof, but then again, don’t take everything so seriously….I certainly don’t. Enjoy all this for what it is, a venue to express some points, even whacky ones, not the gospel according to Jose….
By the way…. Thanks to all.
So let’s hit the news…… Last week end Viva las Vegas took place, where else but Sin City. Some of our friends were there and claim that it was greaser heaven, cool old rods, chops and people re-living the past eras. Americana at it’s best. We are hoping to get our paws on some cool photos of hot chicks dressed a la Betty Paige and stuff like that, plus the cool cars.
Speaking of cars, The Horse (the most read magazine by Bikernet readers) is coming out with a sister magazine about Old School rods. As soon as we have the complete info I will be posting it here. One thing it promises there won’t be quarter of a million cars, only cool low buck rods. Fuck! I’m even putting my 52 chevy together for the mag.
Laughlin River Run will take place this coming week end. If you remember the stuff that happened last year? We are hoping it’s a safe rally for everyone. I will be expecting the upcoming report. I believe they are expecting Geraldo Rivera, since he has been kicked out of Iraq. You can expect a true story from him….For sure…Yeah right.
By the way, How was your Easter week end? Hope you had fun. We were finishing the trophies for the Run for Breath (since Meanest promised to introduce me to some of her CUTE friends) and finishing the Bob/chops we are taking to the Smoke Out. We were going to play around the British Virgins (the islands, since there are no Brit virgins left but the queen) on our new speed boat, (sponsored by Bandit) but the rain kept falling and we had some work to do. I promise one of this days, I will do a report on island life. Be ready for plenty hot babes in thongs…
I can’t remember of other stuff that went on, so there it is…Have a nice week and play it safe in Nevada…
–Jose, Bikernet (not CNN, FOX, MSNBC) Caribbean report
NEWS FROM WHITEHORSE PRESS —Here’s a quick note to let you know that David Hough’s new book, MOREPROFICIENT MOTORCYCLING, has just been published and is now in stock atWhitehorse Press. Friends and fans of this popular author will definitelywant to add this sequel to their collection.
MORE PROFICIENT MOTORCYCLING: MASTERING THE RIDE, by David Hough, 256 pages,b/w illustrations throughout, item code W-PM2, $24.95http://www.whitehorsepress.com/email.asp?cn=50245&en=en0304a&id=pm2
As many of you know, generations of motorcyclists have grown up with thebenefit of Hough’s wisdom, some owing their lives to advice dispensed in the”Proficient Motorcycling” columns he’s written, first for Road Ridermagazine and then for its successor, Motorcycle Consumer News. Readersreport that they are often amazed at how they have improved their riding andgained increased enjoyment just from studying one idea or gaining a newinsight from a single illustration. Two-time winner of the MotorcycleSafety Foundation’s award for “Excellence in Motorcycle Safety Journalism,”we strongly urge riders at all levels to add David Hough’s complete work totheir knowledge base.
And, a special offer just for Enews customers: Receive a free MedicalInformation Carrier (item code W-INFO) just for the asking when you orderDavid Hough’s newest book, MORE PROFICIENT MOTORCYCLING, online before May1, 2003.
SADDAM WRITES BUSH–After numerous rounds of “We don’t even know if Saddam is still alive”,Saddam decided to send George W. a letter in his own writing to let hisfriend know that he is still in the game.Bush opened the letter and it appeared to contain a coded message:
370HSSV-0773H
George W. couldn’t figure it out so he typed it in and emailed ColinPowell. Colin and his aids had no clue either so they sent it to theCIA. Noone could solve it so it went to the NSA and then to MIT and NASA andthe cclist got longer and longer.
Eventually it arrived at the desk of Dr. Greenspan who looked at it andreplied the next second:”Perhaps the President would wish to look at the messageup-side-down….”
–from Chris T.
SPEED FREAKS BREAK OUT THE BIG STICK FOR THE NASCAR TRIFECTA– Hollywood, CA (April 23, 2003) – SpeedFreaks call in the big guns this week as they host, at the very least, three NASCAR themed events. We say at the very least, cuz The Freaks seem to think they’re a bunch of big time happy boy party planners with a VIP driver guest list that ranges from Dale Jarrett to Ron Hornaday, David Green to Robbie Gordon… well, I be damned, I guess they are!
1) The Freak Nation gathers tonight at the Ontario, California Dave & Buster’s for the legendary SpeedFreaks Freakin’ Pre Race Party (see 2) Thursday afternoon, in conjunction with their Los Angeles radio affiliate KSPN, SpeedFreaks’ Kenny Sargent will slide over to the Ontario Outback Steakhouse. The Sarge will don a bib and host a lunch with 1999 Winston Cup champ Dale Jarrett and a room full of winners from the Freak Nation. Gettin’ full? Tres) Then, the Freak Nation faithful will be treated to a Friday night shindig at the ESPN Zone in Anaheim, California as the SpeedFreaks and ‘Cuper – Busch series star Todd Bodine greet the masses. It’s part of the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Salute to the Troops and yet another warm-up for the Auto Club 500 Winston Cup race at California Speedway. Bonus: Sunday night will be a another ‘large marge’ for the Freaks as they go from NASCAR’s Busch and Winston West winner to Superbike’s Tommy Hayden to the NHRA’s number 2 in Pro Stock points, pilot Greg Anderson…’nuff said… OUT. SpeedFreaks affiliate listing, log on to THE LORD WILL MAKE THE WICKED YOUR STEPPING STONE– There was a little old lady who would come out every morning on thesteps of her front porch, raise her arms to the sky and shout, “Praise the Lord!” One day an atheist moved into the house next door. Over time, he became irritated at the little old lady. So every morning he would step outonto his front porch and yell after her, “There is no Lord!” Time passes with the two of them carrying on this way every day. Thenone morning in the middle of winter, the little old lady stepped onto her front porch and shouted, “Praise the Lord! Lord, I have no food and I am starving. Please provide for me, oh Lord!” The next morning, she stepped onto her porch and there were two hugebags of groceries sitting there. “Praise the Lord!” she cried out. “He has provided groceries for me!” The atheist jumped out of the hedges and shouted, “There is no Lord. I bought those groceries!” The little old lady threw her arms into the air and shouted, “Praise the Lord! He has provided me with groceries and He made the devil pay for them!” –from Chris T. New In The Gulch!– Road Weary Films presents “Sturgis ’02: Voices of The Culture”. This video not only provides what you’ve come to expect, the bikes, the babes and the rally’s events, but it also includes scenes that display the raw essence and personalities of the rally and its goers. It’s a must-have for your video collection. Also available on DVD. Headwinds Headlights Also In The Gulch–Can you say– the best damn headlights and accessories around? Sure you can and you’d be speaking the truth. Purchasing directly from Headwinds online is now just a click away here on Bikernet. As I’ve said before, “Don’t take my word for it, CHECK THEM OUT! Click on their logo above and see for yourself. Continued On Page 3
April 24, 2003 Part 1
By Bandit |
–Train-stoppin’ news from Bob T.
It’s one of those wacky weeks. The Road King is up and running. The rear wheel spacing is somewhat straightened out. I’m hoping CrazyHorse’s ol’ man can help me with a single spacer that will dial it in completely. I’m still pondering about centering the wheel and whether that’s wise or not.
Laughlin is this weekend and I’m tempted to blast out for a day, for business, then again… There’s a swapmeet on Sunday, rides on Saturday, a Panhead to work on and a book to finish, edit and publish. So what’s a poorboy to do? I’m also pondering a ride to a truck stop. I want to see who publishes Trucker’s books. Maybe they would like to publish a biker’s ramblings. Who the hell knows. Let’s hit the news:
NEW MANUFACTURER?–A couple, Donald and Wendy Atchison, in Idaho Springs, recently built a sport bike. The 35-year-old mechanical engineer and MBA took two years and $100,000 to design and tweak this monster to work. Yet he plans to build 100 Ecosse Heretics next year for $48-$60,000 apiece. Hang on.
TAPS–We in the United States have all heard the haunting song,”Taps.” It’s the song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually tears in our eyes.
But, do you know the story behind the song? If not, I think you will be interested to find out about its humble beginnings. Reportedly, it all began in 1862 during the Civil War when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison’s Landing in Virginia. The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land.
During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention. Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment. When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead. The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.
The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy status. His request was only partially granted. The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral. The request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate. But out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him only one musician. The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the dead youth’s uniform. This wish was granted. The haunting melody, we now know as “Taps” … used at military funerals was born. The words are:
Day is done … Gone the sun ….
From the hills… From the sky …
All is well … Safely rest … God is nigh.
Fading light … Dims the sight …
And a star … Gems the sky…
Gleaming bright … >From afar …
Drawing nigh .. Falls the night .
Thanks and praise …
For our days … Neath the sun ….
Neath the stars,.. Neath the sky …
As we go … This we know … God is nigh.
I, too, have felt the chills while listening to “Taps” but I have never seen all the words to the song until now. I didn’t even know there was more than one verse. I also never knew the story behind the song and I didn’t know if you had either so I thought I’d pass it along. I now have an even deeper respect for the song than I did before.
Please send this on after a short prayer, for our men and women in Iraq and all around the world.
–from Mr. Giggie, from Compufire
LOUISIANA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS-APRIL 27–Coming your way Shreveport, LA so watch out for NITRO HARLEYS, UNLIMITED TOP GAS HARLEYS, NOSTALGIA FUEL HARLEYS AND JUST ABOUT EVERY OTHER TYPE OF HARLEY YOU CAN THINK OF!!!!!!!! It’s coming your way and Quick!! APRIL 27TH!!AT RED RIVER RACEWAY -: GATES OPEN AT 9am – TRACK OPENS AT 10am. and ELIMINATIONS START AT 2pm.
Also coming up is SWAP MEET -WACO at the H.O.T. Fairgrounds!We will be there SUNDAY MAY 4 – Wheelin & Dealin parts, leathers, bikes in full! and all other lifestyle necessities. Live Band, Parts & Party, Door Prizes & other contests. This is another “Can’t Misser”!! Come See us.
Also want to remind you of our “Big Drags in Big D”! Coming May 18th we are going to rock Dallas our Style!! All Harley All the Way! IF YA’ DON’T KNOW……..YA’ GOTTA GO!Visit us on the web for more info…. www.texasscooter.comor give us a call at (254) 687-9066
Behind the scenes shots of biker chicks by Miss Kriss.
STEVE MCQUEEN AND THE GREAT ESCAPE–Becomes a video game after 38 years. That’s all I know. You’ll have to chase it down.
THIS WEEKEND–LAUGHLIN, Nevada (AP) — The tens of thousands of bikers at this year’s Laughlin River Run motorcycle rally will find twice the usual number of police, plus motorcycle searches for drugs and weapons, a ban on cans and bottles, and a curfew for those under 18.
The changes come a year after a brawl with guns, knives and wrenches killed two Hell’s Angels and one Mongol motorcycle gang member and injured at least 12 other people at Harrah’s Laughlin hotel-casino. Another Hell’s Angels member was shot to death in California.
The bikers attending this year will have to cross checkpoints before they even enter the town for the rally, which is scheduled to begin Wednesday.
Police at checkpoints and volunteers will distribute fliers listing laws and event rules — including a 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew for anyone younger than 18.
Most hotels will ask the expected 80,000 motorcyclists not to wear gang emblems or logos, said Andre Carrier, an executive at the Golden Nugget hotel-casino and chairman of the town’s organizing committee. Some hotels will have metal detectors at entrances.
“What we’re trying to do is ensure their safety,” said Lt. Thomas Smitley, head of the Las Vegas police substation in Laughlin, a town of 8,000 on the banks of the Colorado River. “We’ll be proactive and highly visible.”
After last year’s brawl, the town briefly considered canceling the five-day rally.
“But it’s an important event for us — important for our brand, important for our economy,” Carrier said.
–from CNN.com
TRAFFIC SAFETY OFFICIALS SEE SHARP RISE IN MOTORCYCLE FATALITIES–April 22, 2003By DANNY HAKIM. DETROIT, April 21 – Both the fatality rate of motorcycleriders and the actual number of deaths have risen sharplyin the last five years and hit their highest levels in morethan a decade, traffic safety officials said today.
Regulators cannot say precisely what has led to thereversal because, for lack of financing, no comprehensivestudy of motorcycle deaths has been done since the 1970’s.
“More and more people are dying on motorcycles, and weneed to figure out why,” said Rae Tyson, a spokesman forthe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and amotorcycle rider himself.
The nearly 60 percent increase in death rates reversesyears of decline.
Federal regulators see several potential causes. Only 20states have laws requiring all riders to wear helmets, downfrom 47 in 1975. The median age of riders has risen, from24 to 38 since 1980, as baby boomers start or return toriding; older riders have a harder time recovering fromserious injury. Horsepower is increasing – DaimlerChrysleris even considering producing a small number of motorcyclesthat top 300 miles an hour. Safety training programs havebeen cut back and drunken diving is a perennial troublespot.
Deaths rose from 21 per 100 million estimated vehicle milestraveled on motorcycles in 1997 to 33.4 in 2001, comparedwith just 1.3 deaths for passenger car occupants, accordingto the traffic safety agency. The rise in motorcyclefatality rates comes while the death rates of car and truckoccupants are declining. Motorcycles are the only majormotor vehicle category in recent years in which death rateshave risen.
–from TBear
They’re missing one crucial element–motorists. How many deaths were caused by motorists?
THE FRENCH CONNECTION–The makers of French’s Mustard made the following recent statement:”We, at the French’s Company, wish to put an end to statements that ourproduct is manufactured in France. There is no relationship, nor hasthere ever been a relationship between our mustard and the country of France.
Indeed, our mustard in manufactured in Rochester, NY. The only thing wehave in common is that we are both yellow”.
–from Miss Kris
EVEL KNIEVEL TO BE SUBJECT OF NEW OPERA– LOS ANGELES ? Former professional daredevil Evel Knievel has signed over exclusive rights to allow the production of Evel Knievel: the Rock Opera.Jef Bek, a musical director and composer with the small Los Angeles theater company Zoo District, recently flew to Clearwater, Fla., to get Knievel’s blessings after working for two years on the project.
Knievel, who has homes in Las Vegas and Florida, and spends summers in Butte, said he instantly liked Bek and his seven-song demo and signed over rights to stage his story.
“I think it’s a wonderful compliment,” said the 64-year-old, who gained fame in the 1970s by jumping his motorcycle over cars and canyons. His daredevil career left him with 37 fractures, including broken bones in both legs, before he retired in 1980.
Bek, 40, said he envisions the rock opera as an homage to Knievel and to the musical spirit of 1970s bands such as The Who, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Knievel inspired a 12-year-old Bek to become a stunt rider while he was growing up in Des Plaines, Ill., but Bek said he abandoned that dream after riding his bicycle into a tree stump.
“He was a living superhero,” Bek said. “He knows I get him, and he knows I understand what’s really significant about his legacy.”
–from Mike Osborn, Associated Press
ONLY FOR CALIFORNIANS– Once upon a time in the kingdom of Heaven, God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael the archangel found him, resting on the seventh day. He inquired of God. “Where have you been?” God sighed a deep breath of satisfaction and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, “Look, Michael. Look what I’ve made.”
Archangel Michael looked puzzled and said, “What is it?” “It’s a planet,” replied God, “and I’ve put Life on it. I’m going to call it Earth and it’s going to be a great place of balance.”
“Balance?” Inquired Michael, still confused.
God explained, pointing to different parts of earth. “For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth while southern Europe is going to be poor.
Over there I’ve placed a continent of white people and over there is a continent of black people,” God continued pointing to different countries.
“This one will be extremely hot and while this one will be very cold and covered in ice.”
The Archangel, impressed by God’s work, then pointed to a land mass and said, “What’s that one?”
“Ah,” said God. “That’s California the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful beaches, deserts, streams, hills, and forests. The people from California are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent and humorous and they are going to be found traveling the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking and high achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats and carriers of peace.”
Michael gasped in wonder and admiration but then proclaimed, “What about balance, God? You said there would be balance!!!”
God replied wisely, “Wait until you see the idiots I put in Sacramento.
–from Chris T.
EMBARRASSING MOMENTS– A radio station recently ran a phone-in competition to find the most embarrassing moments in listeners lives. The following are the finalists:
4th place “While in line at the bank one afternoon, my toddler decided to release some pent-up energy & started to run amuck. I was finally able to grab hold of her after receiving looks of disgust & annoyance from other patrons. I told her that if she didn’t start behaving herself right now, she would be punished.
To my horror, she looked me in the eye & said in a voice just as threatening, “If you don’t let me go right now, I will tell Grandma that I saw you kissing Daddy’s pee-pee last night!”. The silence was deafening, after this enlightening exchange. Even the tellers stopped what they were doing! I mustered the last of my dignity & walked out of the bank with my daughter in tow.
The last thing that I heard as the door closed behind me were the screams of laughter.”
3rd place, “It was the day before my 18th birthday. I was living at home, but my parents had gone out for the evening, so I invited my girlfriend over for a romantic night alone. As we lay in bed after making love, we heard the telephone ringing downstairs. I suggested to my girlfriend that I give her a piggy-back ride to the phone. Since we didn’t want to miss the call, we didn’t have time to get dressed. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, the lights suddenly came on and a whole crowd of people yelled “surprise”. My entire family, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and all of my friends were standing there! My girlfriend and I were frozen to the spot in a state of shock and embarrassment for what seemed like an eternity. Since then, no-one in my family has planned a surprise party again.”
2nd place, “A lady picked up several items at a discount store. When she finally got up to the checkout, she learned that one of the items had no price tag. Imagine her embarrassment when the checker got on the public address system and boomed out for all the store to hear, “PRICE CHECK ON LANE 13.TAMPAX, SUPERSIZE.” That was bad enough, but somebody at the rear of the store apparently misunderstood the word “Tampax” for “Thumbtacks”. In a very business-like tone, a voice boomed back over the public address system: “DO YOU WANT THE KIND YOU PUSH IN WITH YOUR THUMB OR THE KIND YOU BELT IN WITH A HAMMER?”
AND THE WINNER IS! This one happened at a major University in September this year. In a biology lecture, a professor was discussing the high glucose levels found in semen. A young female freshman, raised her hand and asked, “If I understand what you are saying, there is a lot of glucose in male semen, as in sugar?”
“That’s correct.” responded the professor, going on to add some statistical data. Raising her hand again, the girl asked, “Then why doesn’t it taste sweet?”
After a stunned silence, the whole class burst out laughing; the poor girl turned bright red and as she realised exactly what she had inadvertently said (or rather implied), she picked up her books, and without a word walked out of the class, and never returned.
However, as she was going out of the door, the professor’s reply was classic. Totally straight-faced, he answered her question, “It doesn’t taste sweet, because the taste-buds for sweetness are on the tip of your tongue and not in the back of your throat!”
–from Chris T.
Continued On Page 2
April 24, 2003
By Bandit |
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
From TheGUNNY’S SACK
WAR STUFF: By the time a lot of you folks read this in print in your newsletters, the war in Iraq, I HOPE, will be long over with. But our boys and girls are out there are fighting hot and heavy as I write this, so I hope you’ll let this old Marine give a little of his own perspective on all this. I saw one e-mail I agreed with, so I’m going to give you a little edited version of what he had to say. He needs to know he isn’t the only one in this country that feels the way he does.
“I’m venting tonight because I’m angry about what I saw tonight I watched as a bunch of misguided ‘citizens’ protesting in Portland tonight. We all have the right to lawful assembly, however last time I checked stopping traffic on freeways, blocking bridges, and unprovoked attacks on law enforcement officers didn’t fall under peaceful demonstration, nor is burning the stars and stripes while chanting we love Iraq. I must conclude that these people are either FOOLS OR COWARDS and if they love some other nation more by all means please leave! I KNOW most of you have a friend or family member who paid some price for freedom in blood or the ultimate sacrifice, [so that] these cowards have the chance to show they enjoy the freedom they [have]… hoo-ya semper-fi, crzycooter roger”
Regardless of what you think about the politics of this war, I agree with this man and say that if YOU burn my flag I will consider you a traitor subject to the laws governing such behavior. If you don’t like the way we do things in this country, if you don’t like the freedom you have here, if you don’t like our laws, change things legally, or move to a country you do like…. I’ll help ya pack!
NEWSBITS’N’PIECES: PHOENIX. AZ: Here’s another celeb that got banged up due to a reckless driver. Los Angeles Dodgers batting coach Jack Clark remained in stable condition at a Phoenix hospital, a day after he was injured in a motorcycle accident. Clark broke eight ribs and had cuts to his head when he was clipped by a car on his way to Bank One Ballpark for a Dodgers workout. No helmet law in AZ. Yet Clark didn’t die! Imagine that.
I have to tell you, if it were one of US, instead of a celeb, no one would even hear about it. The driver who caused the accident was cited for “an unsafe lane change.” Some states are working to change the law to call for stiffer penalties against negligent drivers who cause injury or death…good for them.
WEBSTER, N.Y.: American Motorcycle Corporation has signed a letter of intent to purchase Royal Ryder Motorcycle Manufacturing Company, Inc., of Hudson, Florida. Another Harley clone starting up. Hope they make it, but history tells us a different story. I remember Titan and some others who aren’t on the scene now. The EPA, with their ever-tightening noose around the neck of the motorcycle industry, probably had something to do with it too.
WASHINGTON: I was reading this article about our two-wheeled brothers on the road, the bicyclists. There’s a paradox that has long puzzled those folks, and it applies to us as well. Fact is, under some circumstances, commuters who burn a precious resource – oil – to drive to work get a tax break! Those who use their own muscle power to pedal bikes to the office don’t.
“Why should we discriminate in terms of tax treatment for somebody who is not polluting the air, not causing traffic congestion and not taking away from our petroleum reserves?” asked Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a democrat from here in Oregon.
How about a tax break for motorcycles too? WE burn MUCH less gas and pollute WAY less than cars or busses, even when we lay on the throttle a bit. We have fun and live a lifestyle we love, and we’re very environmentally FRIENDLY. Why don’t our lawmakers like Earl here ever talk about that? Something to think about.
MINNEAPOLIS: Norton Motorcycle Company has announced that it has changed its name to the Viper Motorcycle Company, and Viper has released all trademark rights to the Norton brand. Merch Performance Inc, is to supply engines for the new motorcycle. According to their new CEO, “The initial response to our first model, the Viper Diablo Power Cruiser, has greatly exceeded our expectations.” The goal for Viper Motorcycle Company is to be a full-line manufacturer of high-end motorcycles. The company will introduce 3 additional models sometime this year. Now THIS one just might be worth watching. My boss Sam Hochberg says that the Norton Commando was the very first bike he lusted after as a kid. Too bad for Sam: These new ones are NOT likely to look much like Nortons at all – especially since they aren’t even going to CALL ’em Nortons.
IRVINE, CA: According to the Business Wire news service, motorcycle sales for 2002 are up a remarkable 9.4 percent, and the U.S. motorcycle market is celebrating TEN consecutive years of rising sales! In 2001, new unit motorcycle sales topped 850,000 in the fourth straight year of double-digit increases. Strong demand for two-wheelers beat that mark in 2002, with total motorcycle sales of more than 937,000. ONE little contribution to the 2003 statistics will be that our Oregon AIM Attorney Sam Hochberg just picked up an Anniversary Edition Heritage Softail Classic. Old Sam just looks like a kid at Christmas. Sam’s not the type to splash out on big fancy cars – he hasn’t bought a brand new car since 1974. His last brand new BIKE was a little two-stroke he picked up in the Bronx in 1971! Sam, you ride safe on that new bike. His old shovel is now for sale, if anyone has a mind to inquire. His office is 503-224-1106, or you can just email him at sambikelaw@aol.com anytime.
Like most of our AIM (Aid to Injured Motorcyclists) Attorneys, Sam has been an avid rider most of his adult life. Ain’t it nice when we can go to one of our OWN if god forbid, we go down? The whole AIM system is set up like that. You get ’em by calling 1-800-ON-A-BIKE, or at www.ON-A-BIKE.com. You can get lots of info about Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), of course, plus news, motorcycle laws, and plenty of links. Sam’s personal website is www.YourInjuryLawyers.com.
KAMPALA, UGANDA: Bikers here in America are always doing toy runs, poker runs, and other fundraisers, usually for sick kids. Turns out we aren’t the only bikers concerned about the welfare of others. In Uganda, Africa, there are bikers too, and they recently staged a rally and ride for the benefit of AIDS-stricken kids, so they could go to school. The ride was to raise funds for school supplies. This was a two week ride that netted $7,600 for the children. That will do a lot of good for those 60 kids. Hooray for the Ugandan bikers who care for kids. I guess bikers are the same the world over.
GUNNY AGAIN: As you good folks are reading these pearls of wisdom, my wife and I are riding on my motorcycle to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to attend the NCOM Convention starting on May 8th. I sincerely hope to see many of you there. Come over and say hi to me. I will be there the Tuesday preceding the festivities, and I’ll be part of the AIM Chiefs of Staff meeting held on Wednesday, the day before the Convention actually starts. These Conventions are the lifeblood of the AIM and NCOM programs. The very purpose for the existence of NCOM is to be a clearing house for information for any motorcycle organization or even individual, needing help with information relating to bikers rights. AIM of course is the vehicle to help those who are hurt in a mishap, either in their car or motorcycle. Our hardworking attorneys (who ride, as most Sack readers know) are working daily in our best interests. They never charge us up-front fees for their injury cases, and they do just about all their accident work on a contingency basis. They get paid when they get you paid. Then, of all things, they GIVE a large chunk of their fees to support the work of AIM/NCOM. That includes sponsorship of the Confederations of Clubs all over the country.
I’ve never been a big fan of lawyers, but over these ten years I’ve worked with Sam Hochberg, and for all the Conventions I’ve been to and all the Oregon Confederation meetings I’ve seen, I can tell you that THIS BUNCH IS ACES. These attorneys provide legal advice for SMRO’s all over the country, usually pro bono (for free). I hesitate to try and list all the free work they do for the motorcycle world for fear of missing someone important. If you want more good info, get in touch with the AIM/NCOM folks at 1-800-ON-A-BIKE or 1-800-531-2424.
Keep the round side on the bottom. Gunny, Oregon AIM Chief Of Staff
All-New Fuel Injection Controller
By Bandit |
Daytona Twin Tec LLC Announces New Fuel Injection Technology for2001 and Later Harley-Davidson( Motorcycles with Delphi Controller.TCFI Twin Cam Fuel Injection controller with optional WEGO Wide-bandExhaust Gas Oxygen sensor interface allows quickly auto-tuning fuelcurves on highly modified engines without dyno time.
Daytona Beach, Florida April 21, 2003: The new TCFI Twin CamFuel Injection controller solves tuning problems with highly modifiedengines.
Fully programmable plug-in replacement for the Delphi controller
Robust alpha-N (throttle position and RPM based) fuel controleliminates problems with long duration/high overlap camshafts
Fast on-road auto-tuning with the optional WEGO Wide-bandExhaust Gas Oxygen sensor interface. Competitive “band-aid” productssuch as the Dynojet Power Commander III require extensive dyno tuning.
Built-in data logging (free software available for downloadon our website)
The TCFI and WEGO are competitively priced with other vendors’units. Product shipments will begin in June 2003. Major distributorsthat have committed to carrying these new products include: ArlenNess, Axtell, Drag Specialties, Head Quarters (Canada) and TECDistributing.
About Daytona Twin Tec LLCDaytona Twin Tec LLC has a simple philosophy – do one thing and do itwell. Our product focus is electronic fuel injection and ignitionsystems for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Our Twin Tec product line isbased on the most advanced technology and manufactured locally in ahighly automated ISO9000 rated facility.
How does the Twin Tec TCFI compare to the RevTech DFO, DynojetPower Commander, and Screamin Eagle EFI Tuner?
Each system has optimum applications, where it is the most costeffective alternative or offers a clear performance advantage:
Stock engines and engines with basic mods (aftermarket aircleaner and exhaust). The most cost effective choice is the RevTechDFO. This unit sells for under $200 retail and allows the user toeasily trim the fuel delivery by means of screwdriver adjustments.The biggest drawback is that hookup requires cutting the OE wireharness and splicing in connections using crimp terminals. Ouch!
88 CID engines with performance camshaft and aftermarket aircleaner and exhaust. The Dynojet Power Commander III will get the jobdone for about $400 as long as the camshaft profile is not tooradical. The Power Commander modifies the stock ECU injector drive,but is still a speed-density system. Past a certain point, manifoldpressure becomes too erratic and the injector pulse width varies allover the place at idle and low RPM cruise. At this point, you need arobust alpha-N system like the Twin Tec TCFI. Also, Power Commandersystems have no built-in auto-tune capability for fuel tables. If youget lucky you can download a table from their website that may work -else plan on spending a lot of time and money on the dyno. At$100-150/hour for dyno time, it doesn’t take long to burn through thedifference between the cost of the $400 Power Commander and acomplete TFCI+WEGO kit for $950. The TCFI also features extensivedata logging capability that will help you resolve any driveabilityissues.
95 CID engines with high compression, performance camshaft andaftermarket air cleaner, throttle body and exhaust. The Dynojet PowerCommander III will still work OK at wide open throttle, but dependingon the camshaft profile, you are likely to be left with some residualidle and cruise driveability issues. The more radical the enginemods, the better the Twin Tec TCFI will perform in comparison, andyou won’t have to spend much time on a dyno. The TCFI also gives youthe ability to change warmup enrichment and idle air controlparameters–very important with the more radical camshaft profiles.The data logging capability will help you resolve any driveabilityissues.
Screamin’ Eagle Stage I and II kits. At $460, the EFI Tuner ishard to beat – with fuel and ignition tables carefully mapped out bythe factory. But deviate from the exact Screamin’ Eagle combo and youare back to the same scenario as the Power Commander – lots of timeon the dyno. The EFI Tuner provides two additional benefits: scantool capability for reading and resetting diagnostic codes andminimal data logging capability. The biggest drawback is that the EFITuner “marries” itself to your ECU’s serial number and can never beused on another bike.
Do I need a load control dyno with exhaust sniffer?Regardless of what some people may claim, it is impossible toproperly tune a fuel injection system on a modified engine withoutsome means of covering the entire engine load range (from decel towide open throttle) and exhaust gas analysis. If you use a systemlike the Dynojet Power Commander III, you had better find a shop withthe DynoJet Model 250 load control dyno and optional air/fuel ratiomonitor.
You can accomplish the same result with the TCFI and optional WEGOby simply riding the bike on the road for several hours. As you runthrough different engine loads and RPM levels, the system auto-tunesthe fuel tables.
Will the TCFI work with the older Marelli fuel injection system,the fuel injection used on new Buell® models, or with the V-RodTM?
No, the TCFI is specifically intended for use with 2001 and laterH-D® models with the Delphi® ECU. The Delphi® ECU has a 36 pinconnector. The older Marelli system has a 35 pin connector. NewerBuell® models use a small ECU with two 12 pin Deutsch connectors. TheV-RodTM uses a more complex Delphi® ECU with additional outputs and alink to the electronic instrument cluster. Due to the limited market,we have no plans to support these applications.
Can I use the TCFI on a custom engine?
Probably not. The TCFI is not intended for fuel injectionretrofit. It requires all the same sensors and actuators as the stockDelphi ECU. This includes the crankshaft position sensor.
What applications has the TCFI been tested with?
We have tested and qualified the TCFI with modified 88 CID and 95CID engines. Setup files are provided for these applications. Intime, we will test the unit with larger engine displacements.
What are the limitations of the stock throttle body?
The stock throttle body is inadequate for engines greater than 88CID. With a 95 CID engine, the stock throttle body will not flowsufficient air above 4500 RPM. Maximum power will be limited to about105 HP. Our tests have shown that boring out the stock throttle bodyis ineffective. An aftermarket throttle body greater than 50mm isrequired for maximum power. The stock air cleaner is grosslyrestrictive and must always be replaced for any performanceapplication.
You can easily verify air flow restrictions with the TCFI Log datalogging software. Examine MAP (manifold pressure) at wide openthrottle. If MAP drops off as RPM increases, you know you have aproblem.
If the WEGO is used for auto-tuning fuel tables, should it beleft hooked up?
There are pros and cons. Modern race cars run wide-band exhaustgas oxygen sensors that continually make corrections as track andengine conditions change. You will have the same benefit – automaticcorrections, if your operating conditions change or if you makefurther engine modifications. However, the WEGO sensor is delicateand expensive. It will not tolerate exposure to any leaded fuel. Ifthe sensor degrades, engine performance will be affected. If sensorlife is not an issue in your application, leave it hooked up. If youwant to remove the sensor, we sell an 18 x 1.5mm hex plug.
The WEGO-LCD unit is intended for fair weather use or dyno labenvironments. Water splash may damage the LCD display. If you use aWEGO-LCD for initial tuning, you should later relocate it near theTCFI module under the seat or side cover where it will be protected.The standard WEGO unit is fully sealed and impervious to moisture.
How do I set up and tune the TCFI for a particular application?We provide setup files for common applications based on using theWEGO for auto-tuning fuel tables. Some tweaking of idle fuel andignition advance is generally required. We suggest that you downloadand the latest version of the TCFI instructions and PC Link TCFIsoftware for more details.
Do I need to spend time on a dyno?
On-road auto-tuning using the WEGO generally gives much betterresults as the operating conditions are more realistic. Do theon-road auto-tuning first. Then, if you want to get maximumhorsepower at wide open throttle, do dyno runs to fine tune theignition advance and air/fuel ratio.What kind of engines can I tune with the WEGO (Wide-band Exhaust GasOxygen Sensor System)?
The WEGO system can be used to tune most four stroke gasolinepowered internal combustion engines:
Harley-Davidson® Twin-Cam 88® with fuel injection and Twin TecTCFI unit. The WEGO or WEGO-LCD can be used to auto-tune fuel tables.This is the primary application that the WEGO technology was designedfor. It eliminates the need for a load control dyno with exhaustsniffer and allows for tuning under more realistic on-road operatingconditions.
Harley-Davidson carbureted engines. The WEGO-LCD is an idealtuning aid, either for on-road or dyno tuning. Knowing the exactair/fuel ratio greatly simplifies the task of carburetor jetting.
Other motorcycle engines and small engines in general. The smallsize and low power consumption make the WEGO-LCD an ideal tuning aid.For applications without an alternator, the WEGO-LCD can be run froma small 12 volt gel cell lead acid battery such as the type used forbackup power in alarm systems. The WEGO-LCD should not be used withtwo stroke or marine engines where oil or water vapor in the exhaustwill cause serious problems with the sensor.
Can I use the WEGO in place of an exhaust sniffer when dyno tuning?
Regardless of what some people may claim, it is impossible toproperly tune a fuel injection system on a modified engine withoutsome means of exhaust gas analysis. Shops can use the WEGO in placeof expensive exhaust gas sniffers. If your dyno has a dataacquisition system with a spare 0-5 volt input, you can connect theoutput of the WEGO and log air/fuel ratio during dyno runs.
Will exhaust reversion affect the WEGO?
The WEGO system will give inaccurate results if your exhaustsystem suffers from reversion effects. Reversion is the term for anegative pressure wave that can suck ambient air back into theexhaust. Open exhausts, such as drag pipes, always suffer from severereversion effects and are not suitable for use with the WEGO. Werecommend slip-on type mufflers such as the Cycle Shack “M” type.These eliminate the crossover and have a moderate amount of bafflingthat limits reversion while still allowing maximum power at high RPM.
Reversion effects will also occur with certain exhausts used on”bagger” style motorcycles, where two pipes split off near the rearcylinder. You may have to block off the pipe running to the leftside.Reversion effects will be most noticeable at idle, part throttle lowRPM cruise, and decel. If you see a very lean mixture under theseconditions, the cause is most likely reversion of ambient air. If youare using the WEGO with a TCFI unit, you can disable closed loopoperation under conditions where reversion occurs. Refer to the TCFIinstructions for details.
What is the difference between a wide-band and conventionalexhaust gas oxygen sensor?
Conventional (narrow-band) exhaust gas oxygen sensors have beenwidely used in automotive applications since 1981. Conventionalsensors have one to four wires and can only sense air/fuel ratio overa relatively narrow 14.5 to 15.0 range. They are intended to be usedwith 3-way catalytic converters that require operation near thestoichiometric point (14.7 air/fuel ratio). The range of thenarrow-band sensors is inadequate for closed loop control outside ofidle and cruise conditions. Wide-band sensors were developed for laband specialized automotive applications. The 5-wire NTK/Honda sensorused with the WEGO operates over a range of 10.4 to infinite air/fuelratio. This allows closed loop control under all engine operatingconditions.
Where can I find out more information about wide-band sensortechnology?
For more information about wide-band oxygen sensors, we suggestthat you visit the Tech Edge website. The NTK L1H1 UEGO sensormentioned on this website is similar to the Honda sensor used withthe WEGO.
What are the limitations of the wide-band sensor?
The sensor will be quickly degraded if leaded racing gasoline isused. Under these conditions, expected sensor life will be less than10 hours. As the sensor degrades, free air calibration will becomeimpossible.
Oil or other hydrocarbon residues in the exhaust will affect thesensor readings. Likewise, gasoline containing ethanol will result isslight air/fuel reading errors.
The sensor responds to the partial pressure of oxygen. Excessiveexhaust back pressure will affect sensor readings. This should not bea problem with any performance exhaust system. When used with aturbo, make sure the sensor is located downstream of the turbo.
Make sure the WEGO power is on whenever the engine is run. Withoutpower to the internal heating element, the sensor will clog withhydrocarbon residues and may be permanently degraded. If you want toremove the sensor, we sell an 18 x 1.5mm hex plug.
If the WEGO is used for auto-tuning fuel tables, should it beleft hooked up?
The O2 sensor is installed in the rear pipe as close to the exhaust valve aspossible what this does is take the air fuel ratio and gives the info to theWego which converts the info to the TCFI unit and the TCFI adjust the airfuel and adjusts it to the optimum for the best performance for whatmodifications the bike has had done to it.
Modern race cars run wide-band exhaust gas oxygen sensors thatcontinually make corrections as track and engine conditions change.You will have the same benefit – automatic corrections if youroperating conditions change or if you make further enginemodifications. However, the WEGO sensor is delicate and expensive. Itwill not tolerate exposure to any leaded fuel. If the sensordegrades, engine performance will be affected. If sensor life is notan issue in your application, leave it hooked up. If you want toremove the sensor, we sell an 18 x 1.5mm hex plug.
Why do I need a Twin Tec ignition?
If you like to go slow and don’t mind being embarrassed when yourbuddies leave you in the dust, you don’t need our products!
Most Harley® owners want to improve their motorcycle’sperformance, it’s just part of the scene. You can easily add 20-30 HPwith relatively simple and low cost modifications. You will get thegreatest return on investment with the following modifications:
· Twin Tec ignition
· Low restriction air cleaner and exhaust (typically slip-on mufflers)
· Carburetor tuning (jetting)
· Performance camshaft and related valvetrain components
The Twin Tec ignition gives you several important benefits:
Adjustable RPM limiter. Depending on the camshaft and othervalvetrain modifications you make, peak power will likely be around6000 RPM, well above the RPM limit of the stock ignition.
Adjustable advance. You can fine tune the advance to meet yourrequirements. The Twin Tec systems comes with enough adjustment rangefor most applications. You can also program a custom advance curveusing our optional PC link and free software.
Single fire (further explained below). Note that all Twin Cam 88engines are already factory equipped with single fire ignition. OtherHarley-Davidson engines will benefit from conversion to single fire.If you make certain camshaft and carburetor jetting changes,conversion to single fire may be required to avoid backfiringproblems.
Multiple spark (further explained below). Enhances starting andidle quality. Reduces plug fouling – especially if the carburetor hasbeen re-jetted.
How do I set a safe RPM limit?
Twin Tec ignitions have an adjustable RPM limiter. You can set theRPM limit from 3,000 to 9,900 RPM in 100 RPM steps by means of tworotary switches. The only exception is our Model 1005-OE that has afixed RPM limit.
Harley-Davidson stock ignition modules generally have the RPMlimit programmed at 5,600 RPM. If you modify the valvetrain, peakhorsepower will probably occur above 6,000 RPM and you will need toincrease the RPM limit. Check with the manufacturer. They canrecommend a safe RPM limit. We do not recommend increasing the RPMlimit of a stock engine above 5,800 RPM.
How can I optimize the timing advance?
Twin Tec ignitions allow you to easily tailor the ignition timingadvance to your application. Most Harley-Davidson owners makeperformance modifications in stages. The advantage of a Twin Tec unitis that you will always be able to optimize the timing to match yourexact requirements.
Models 1005, 1006, and 1007 come with two families of advancecurves: street and race. The actual curves are listed in theinstallation instructions that you can download. Use the streetadvance curves for stock or mildly modified engines. The mode switchis used to select the advance curve family. Once you have selected anadvance curve family, you can use the advance slope switch to changethe shape of the curve. Higher switch settings result in a moreaggressive curve. You can experiment with progressively higher switchsettings. As a general rule of thumb, you will obtain maximum powerby sing the highest setting possible without audible spark knock.Additional details are given in the instructions.
The TC88 unit has a 3D advance surface based on RPM and manifoldpressure. Since Twin Cam 88® engines have a non-adjustable crankshaftposition sensor, there is no mechanical means for setting the initialtiming. The TC88 unit solves the problem. Initial timing can beadjusted over a ±5° range by means of a rotary switch. A secondswitch allows you to change the slope of the advance surface. Higherswitch setting result in more aggressive advance. The use of a 3Dsurface and the wide adjustment range afforded by the two switchesallows you to accommodate most applications.
If you are doing dyno tuning or have specialized requirements, youcan program your own advance curve or surface by using our optionalPC link and free software. The software allows you to graphicallyedit the advance. You can also offset the rear cylinder timing over a±5° range. Harley-Davidson engine tuners have found that the rearcylinder often runs somewhat hotter and thus reaches the knock limitfirst. Slightly retarding the rear cylinder allows more overalladvance and may generate more power.
What is the difference between single fire and dual fire?
Single fire and dual fire refers to the number of times the sparkplug fires during each four stroke cycle. The terminology is somewhatunique to Harley-Davidson engines and is by no means consistentlyapplied. For example, Custom Chrome Industries, one of the largestdistributors of Harley-Davidson aftermarket parts, uses the oppositeterminology. Their single fire systems correspond to what most othercompanies refer to as dual fire.
With the exception of the new Twin-Cam 88 and late model Sportster1200 engines, all carbureted Harley-Davidson engines have been dualfire. A single coil winding with two high voltage output terminalsfires the spark plugs on both cylinders simultaneously. Each plug isfired twice during each four stroke cycle. This approach was used tocut costs as it eliminates the need for a dual-point distributor or asecond coil and additional electronics. Dual fire results in a numberof potential problems.
Most late model automotive engines are distributorless. Many ofthese engines use coil packs where a single coil winding fires twospark plugs. When one spark plug fires on the compression stroke theother spark plug is firing on the exhaust stroke. This approach istermed “wasted spark” and is widely used. The wasted spark alwaysoccurs on the exhaust stroke because the engines have even firingintervals (i.e. 90° for a V8) and cylinders are always paired so thatthe pistons are 360° out of phase (i.e. one on the compression strokewhen the other is on the exhaust stroke). The wasted spark causeslittle energy loss and no harmful effect on the exhaust stroke.
The situation is quite different with a dual-fire ignition on aHarley-Davidson V-twin engine with 315° and 405° firing intervals.The graphic shows what occurs. When the rear cylinder is fired on thecompression stroke, the front cylinder is on the exhaust stroke -which is OK. But when the front cylinder is fired on the compressionstroke, the rear cylinder is already on the intake stroke! Under someconditions, a combustible mixture may exist in the rear cylinder atthis point and the wasted spark causes a backfire through thecarburetor. Long duration camshafts and improper carburetor jettingcan contribute to the problem. Additional information on this subjectmay be found on the Mikuni web site.
The Problem with Dual Fire IgnitionA single-fire ignition eliminates the backfire problem and enhancesidle quality. The single-fire ignition uses separate coil windingsand electronics to fire each spark plug independently. Spark firingoccurs only on the compression stroke. Conversion of older carburetedHarley-Davidson engines to single fire is highly recommended. Thereis no downside to single fire, other than the cost of the conversion.
Twin Tec Models 1005, 1006, and 1007 have switch selectable singleand dual-fire operating modes. You can initially install one of ourunits and run in dual fire mode with your original equipment coil.You can then easily upgrade to single fire by adding an appropriatecoil. If you have a tach, it will continue to operate properly whenconnected to the tach output from the Twin Tec ignition (somecompetitive systems require that you purchase a tach adapter).
How does multiple spark work?
Many readers may be familiar with automotive multiple sparkignitions, such as the MSD 6-series. These are capacitive dischargesystems that fire a series of short sparks. The Twin Tec multiplespark technology works on a somewhat different principle but the endresult is similar. Coil primary current is repeatedly switched on andoff by the processor. When the current is switched on, energy isstored in the coil’s magnetic field. When the current is switchedoff, the stored energy is discharged as a spark. All Twin Tec unitscan fire a continuous series of sparks from the advanced timing pointto top dead center.
Multiple sparks are of no benefit if conditions of homogeneousmixture distribution and good swirl turbulence exist in thecombustion chamber. Under these ideal conditions, a single spark(even of relatively short duration) can generate a flame kernel thatwill rapidly propagate into a well established flame front. Multiplesparks can provide significant benefits under less than idealcombustion conditions. If a flammable mixture is not present at thespark plug when the first spark is fired, better conditions may existduring subsequent sparks. Instead of a complete misfire, it may stillbe possible to initiate combustion and generate some power.
Multiple spark will improve starting and idle quality. It willalso reduce lean surge during part throttle cruise.
What spark plugs wires are recommended for optimum performance?
Three types of spark plug wires are commonly available: originalequipment style carbon core suppression, low resistance spiral core,and solid core. Carbon core suppression wires cause some energy lossdue to their high resistance (about 5,000 ohms/foot). Replacingcarbon core suppression wires with low resistance spiral core wiresonly increases spark energy by about 10%. Contrary to any claims, youwill not see a performance improvement by changing spark plug wires.On the other hand, carbon core wires can deteriorate over time andany wires more than a few years old are candidates for replacement.If you are going to install new spark plug wires, buy a set of lowresistance spiral core wires. Most are less than 500 ohms/foot.At that point, almost no energy is lost in the wire. There are somenew versions with very low resistance (50 ohms/foot), but theadvantage is insignificant for the short lengths encountered inmotorcycle applications.
Do not use solid core spark plug wires. These radiate excessiveelectromagnetic noise that will cause radio interference and may evencause the processor in the ignition module to glitch. We do notrecommend Nology spark plug wires. These have a partially shieldedjacket that forms a energy storage capacitor. When the spark plugfires, energy stored in this capacitor is rapidly discharged causinga short but intense arc discharge. There may be some advantage if thespark plugs are fouled, but the Nology wires tend to radiate moreelectromagnetic noise.
How about spark plugs?Contrary to much of the marketing hype, novel spark plug designsgenerally fail to show any measurable performance improvements. Don’twaste your money! The biggest problem with spark plugs forHarley-Davidson engines is fouling. The trick is to find a heat rangethat is a good compromise between fouling and pre-ignition. Aplatinum tipped plug would also be a waste of money, since it wouldlikely foul long before it eroded. Stay with the recommended plug gap.
Use only resistor type spark plugs. The non-resistor type radiateexcessive electromagnetic noise that will cause radio interferenceand may even cause the processor in the ignition module to glitch.
Daytona Twin Tec ProductFeatures
1. Provides fuel auto-tune capability when used with Twin TecTCFI fuel injection controller
2. Versatile tuning aid for all carbureted and fuel injected engines
3. Requires wide-band oxygen sensor P/N 36531-PHM-A01 availablefrom Honda car dealers. Sensor fits standard 18×1.5mm exhaust fitting.
4. Highly accurate with less than (0.1 AFR error over 10.4- 19.5 AFR range
5. Easy free-air calibration procedure corrects for sensor aging effects
6. 0-5V analog output (other ranges available on special order)
7. Optional LCD display provides great readability in bright sunlight
8. Wide supply voltage range from 11-18V allows operation frombattery on small engines. Current drain is approximately 1 amp.
9. Compact size: 3.7-in. L x 1.7-in.W x 0.75-in.H. Standard WEGOunit without LCD is fully encapsulated and impervious to moisture.The WEGO is a versatile instrument with multiple applications. Whenused with the Twin Tec TCFI fuel injection controller, the WEGOallows fuel auto-tuning capability during actual on-road ridingconditions. WEGO units with the optional LCD display can also be usedas a tuning aid for almost any gasoline powered engine. The compactsize and wide supply voltage range allows operation from smallrechargeable batteries in a broad range of applications.
Wide-Band Oxygen Sensor on Rear Pipe
The WEGO uses a high tech sensor originally developed for the newHonda Insight hybrid vehicle. By utilizing miniature surface mountelectronics technology, digital signal processing techniques, and aswitching power supply for the sensor heater, the WEGO provides thesame level of accuracy as lab systems costing thousands of dollars.WEGO units have a 0-5V analog output that is compatible with the TCFIfuel injection controller and most data acquisition systems.
Part Number DescriptionSuggested Retail
WEGO, Wide-band Exhaust Gas Oxygen Sensor Interface(Requires $254.00Sensor P/N 36531-PHM-A01 Available from Honda Car Dealer)
WEGO-LCD Wide-band Exhaust Gas Oxygen Sensor Interface with$419.00Optional LCD Display (Requires Sensor P/N 36531-PHM-A01Available from Honda Car Dealer)
EGO-36531 Wide-band Exhaust Gas Oxygen Sensor Kit (for WEGO or $358.00WEGO-LCD. Consists of sensor P/N 36531-PHM-A01 and18x1.5mm weld nut for exhaust pipe)WEGO Wide-Band Exhaust Gas Oxygen Sensor Interface
Daytona Twin Tec LLC,
933 Beville Road, Suite 101-H
S.Daytona, FL 32119
(386) 304-0700
Contact:
Allen Alvarez
Sales Manager
386-304-0700
allen@daytona-twintec.com
April 17, 2003 Part 4
By Bandit |
Continued From Page 3
BRAND NEW TRIPLE OIL SEAL–New triple lip oil seal, spacer, installation tool (required for properinstallation) en route. Works in all 5-speeds, install answers on web sitetwistgear.net> seals and spacers. (Note: champfer on spacer matches chamferon seal lip.)
–John Siebenthaler, siebenthaler@compuserve.com
STROKER’S LAMENT–I was waking up late after a ruff night. I had 35 minutes to get tothe shop for a quart, hit the bank, fuel up, and run 35 milessouth……. it could be done!
I handed the clerk at the gas station a 20 and checked the receipt forthe time. I never wear a watch because I refuse to live my life by theclock–20 minutes left! Time to let my girl breath. If everyone willkeep the fuck outa my way I can make it…
No such luck. Getting there late caused the oncoming lane to befilled with bikes and I was closing fast on something in the center ofmy lane on this narrow stretch of highway 491. What the hell is thatin the road? It’s big ….. it’s black…. and it’s ugly….. a turkeybuzzard. No problem, they always fly before you get there. Not thisbastard, he must have gone deaf from all the bikes passing the otherdirection. He certainly had no fear of motorcycles, in fact he seemedto be eyeing the riders as his next meal. The feather toting garbagedisposal had his back to me. I figured when he did fly he would headaway from the pack and toward the shoulder of the road, so I picked aline between the vulture and the double yellow stripe. I backed off andstart pulling down my two wheeled pavement eater. It’s now clear theskin headed road kill eater was not going to move. Visions of gettingsmacked in the face by a 30-pound feather duster are looming in mysubconscious. It’s to late. I’m there….. hit the juice andget past before the dumb bastard can move. Did you know that birdscan bug their eyes out. That was one surprised buzzard as I blew pastthrowing enough flame to light his tail feathers. I bet he was evenmore surprised to meet that 18 wheeler on my six.
I manage to make it to Fort Dade Avenue in one piece, almost there. This winding byway is covered by an arched canopy of live oaks, a greatride. What’s this? A dozen more buzzards on the side of the roadgnawing on the remains of a black bear. I hope this isn’t a sign ofthings to come.
So where am I heading? Last weekend was the first annual Nature CoastBikefest and I was on my way to the kick off poker run. Last out atnoon! Did I make it? Oh hell yeah.
Did I win? I pulled two pair, ducks and 8’s. The winning hand held fiveaces to take the 290 clams.
It wasn’t an event you’d travel across the country for but, it was agreat time and their first try at it. We will see what the 2nd AnnualNature Coast Bikefest has to offer.
FTW,
–Stroker
CHARLESTON ORDINANCE BANS “REVVING”– Just days before the Heritage Motorcycle Rally, expected to attract tens of thousands of bikers to South Carolina’s Lowcountry, Charleston City Council passed an anti-revving ordinance that riders view as a rude welcome.
The ordinance, which bans loud revving, amends Chapter 21 of the Code of the City of Charleston by amending Section 21-16 to prohibit persons from “engaging in clamorous singing, yelling, shouting, whooping, bellowing, hollering, or other loud, obstreperous, wanton and unnecessary noises, or from riding, driving, propelling, or otherwise operating any motorized vehicle, including but not limited to cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles, in a manner which emits unnecessary and loud noise or long continued noise, either in the day time or at night which disturbs the peace and quiet of the City, whether in the public street or within enclosures, public or private, and further amending Section 21-16 to provide that operating a motorized vehicle by rapid throttle advancing (revving) of an internal combustion engine resulting in increased noise from the engine is prohibited.”
This is an excerpt from the Bish Report launched today. The A.I.M. sponsored legislative news is posted twice a month. Check out the full story in the Bikernet Biker’s Rights department.
A HERO’S TRIBUTE–Every once in a while, I run across a bike that deserves a bit of special attention. Something out of the ordinary that was built purely on inspiration.
I met up with Paul Teutul Jr of Orange County Choppers while on a Sunday outing in Upstate New York and his bike just blew me away. OCC took the time, energy and money to put together a riding tribute to the 343 NYC Firefighters that lost their lives during the rescue operations at the 9/11 World Trade center disaster.
This bike blew me away. Equipped with a 100″ Rev-Tech motor, fire hydrant carburetor, fire hose exhaust, fire axe and ladder rear chain guard, red and gold NYFD paint, plenty of diamond plate and even a working siren and claxon. Crowds gathered and cheered where ever Paul Jr. pulled up on the bike. God knows how many hours went into this sweet, entirely hand crafted one of a kind creations. My hat’s off to the Paul Teutul’s Sr. & Jr. of Orange County Choppers for their creativity and spirit in remembering our brothers lost.
–Tbear
Old shot from Bob T.
AIR DISASTER– Poland’s worst air disaster occurred today when a small two-seater planecrashed into a cemetery this morning. Polish search and rescue workershave recovered 826 bodies so far and expect that the number will climb asthedigging continues into the night.
–from Chris T.
VICTORY SECRET–Victory Motorcyles, part of the Polaris Industries vehicle product line, is developing a unique customization experience on the Victory Motorcycles Web site
I can’t tell you any more. I’m sworn to secrecy.
WHAT LAYLA WANTS–Layla gets… And right now, all she wants is to show you some really cool items available in the Bikernet Gulch. In case you didn’t know, that little row of building across the bottom of all Bikernet pages is our own little shopping center. You can get shirts, hats, books, the finest leather around and CCI’s complete catalog. Check out a few items from Johnny Suede, Crime Inc., Joker Apparel and HA Leather, to name a few and see if you agree that this shit is bad-ass!
POUR THE JACK–I need a break. We spaced the pulley on the King yesterday and detailed the monster. Just waiting on the Nacelle covers and it will roll again. Can’t wait. Next week, we’ll launch out Powder Coating story. If you need powder, you can find it on the home page of Bikernet. Custom Powder Coating in Dallas. They did a helluva job.
Now for a little color. I’m working with the factory paint department on something special. I’ll report more next week. Another crazy weekend approaching. Laughlin is next weekend, the Hamsters are headed to Paso Robles, I’m trying to kick the King into gear. Who knows where Jose will be.
Ride Forever–Bandit
April 17, 2003 Part 3
By Bandit |
Continued From Page 2
BIKERNET CARIBBEAN/DISCOVERY REPORT– As always I have been receiving a ton of e-mails regarding my reports, now it’s the Discovery report turn. So let’s make something really clear.
Yes it was a bit biased, but if you read my reports as well as the news, you might know were I’m coming from.
I really don’t know the twist the show will take when the guys at Discovery edit it, but I’m guessing. Me, personally have no beef with the Hamsters, nor Dave Perewitz. That does not mean I can’t say what I want either. As I have said so many times here, don’t take what you read so seriously. It’s all for entertainment and fun. In all fairness I will post some more photos of the ride. I did not take the ride nor competition seriously either. It’s a deal so people can get their baddest shit together and build it. The bonus is riding with friends (who needs an excuse for that) and hanging out.
Once more, this is my point of view, and since I am the one writing the report, that’s the only one we have. I’m sure that we will receive lots of e-mails and comments after this, but next time let’s sit down and compare notes on the trip. I can’t do all this by myself…
Dave Perewitz and his Discovery Challenge Custom. The Hamster contender.
To top this off, even though Mr. Perewitz’ bike is not my style, I can still appreciate the workmanship and effort that he and his crew put into it. Maybe I’ll post photos of both bikes and let Bikernet readers choose the winner…Use It’s Your Shot Department to post your vote.Anyway, case closed….Kinda.
Here’s Jose’s bike from Florida. He’s the Choppers Inc. contender.
And now, back to ranting…I have been reading several boards about bikes. It’s very interesting the opinions of people behind a key board. From the latest Discovery motorcycle related TV shows, to the eternal bitching of high priced motorcycles from, ” well known” builders, and a lot of stuff that I’m not even gonna get into, so let’s start with the TV shows…
They are for entertainment purposes. Sure they enhance the careers and sales of certain people, but mostly are edited according to the ” tone ” the producer.
Nothing bad can evolve from these shows, au contraire mes amis, all good for the industry. The more exposure our small industry gets out to the ” normal” world, the better. Have you noticed that since these shows came out everyone and their mothers know what a chopper is, have a slight idea of what it takes to build one of them, and sort of knows that these are regular people with different talents– not thugs trying to take your ” virgin” daughters away in the middle of the night.
Let’s thank TV for those shows, good or bad, and make sure to e-mail Discovery and such channels our appreciation. Do it and do it often. Let them know how you feel about these shows. Remind them that if it wasn’t for Jose, they’d me out on the streets.www.Discovery.com As simple as that.
Which brings me to my next point, $$$$$$$$$. One question before I start again.. How much would you charge for your time and talent?People bitch about how expensive things are, how do people dare charging 150 grand for a motorcycle, how builders do this, how they do that?Ok, I think 150 g’s for a bike is a bit excessive, even 80. On the other hand this is an art. Builders are artists. They don’t get regular paychecks from a company, no bonus from the boss, nope, zip. What we do is what we do, the unseen side, the shops and bikes pay for the kid’s school, their needs, the rent, the utilities, everything….The wives shopping sprees, the cars, the mortgage, well I think you catch my drift.
Builders have to keep building no matter what. We all hope that what is being built is sold. In some cases it’s not sold, but the bills have to be paid. It’s very different to build a bike from the money you earn at your job, than being your job to build bikes, again I’m not excusing the 100 thousand bikes, but how much is time worth?
Again, let’s say that you are asking $20.00 and hour for label (yeah let’s be ridiculous) most of these bikes have over a thousand hours of work into them, do the math, at extreme cheap labor, is it $20,000 alone, not including the major components such as motor, tranny, frame, wheels, front end , etc… and then the other stuff that we always forget and adds up big time, the nick nacks. If I had more time I would provide a list of average prices for stuff and let our readers do the rest…
Then again, why choose the most expensive components when a nice cool chopper can be built rather inexpensively. Sometimes we gotta have the best, the biggest motor, the newest shit. And in reality this “hobby” or lifestyle, or whatever the fuck you wanna call it, is expensive.
That is why I am always impressed by people who do a good job on a cool bike with as little as possible, if it takes you on the ride and you have fun, there’s no need for lots of money. I will always prefer simple stuff, old stuff, things that used to be available for almost nothing and inventive and hard work stuff. Same as the top people, only that there’s people willing to pay for “their” stuff.All that really matters is that you take pride in, what you do and ride the crap out of. It does not matter which bike or which builder. It is all a matter of personal satisfaction.
And now to the very brief news…
Mike Seate from Iron Works has just released a new chopper book, T-Bear has more information on it, I’ve heard that it’s a really cool book…More info later on.
It’s being confirmed, The Camel Roadhouse is no more, effective as of now. Too bad it was a pretty good venue for our builders.
Freeway Magazine from France has released their April issue with a cover shot of the Rumble Customs Camel bike, and all the Daytona stuff. I really don’t care if you are boycotting the French, but this mag is very cool indeed.
I’ve got some info on what Indian Larry is building for the next Discovery Build off. Of course I have been sworn into secrecy, but I’m sure someone will send some spy photos pretty soon. Just a little hint..Old School rules !
Just received some information of a new show in Miami. It will take place labor day week end at Coconut Grove. Let’s see what happens there. It would be lot’s of fun to just go fuck around South Beach for a few days.
Anyway, I’m outta here, gotta check the hate mailand get ready for the next adventure. Soon, very soon.
–Jose, Bikernet Caribbean report,and lots more.
BUTT MEASUREMENTS– A man and his wife were working in their garden one day and the man looks over at his wife and says: “Your butt is getting really big, I mean really big. I bet your butt is bigger than the barbecue.”
With that he proceeded to get a measuring tape and measure the grill and then went over to where his wife was working and measured his wife’s bottom.
“Yes, I was right, your butt is two inches wider than thebarbecue!!!”
The woman chose to ignore her husband. Later that night in bed, the husband is feeling a little frisky. He makes some advances towards his wife who completely brushes him off.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
She answers: “Do you really think I’m going to fire up this big-ass grill for one little weenie?”
–from Ken Miller
A YOUNG PROJECT– I was looking on Hank Young’s (The Flying Pan) website:
Young Choppers and Hot Rods Inc –Chuck SCREAMIN’ EAGLE DRAG TEAM IN THE HUNT AT HOUSTON– Hines Qualifies 15th; Tonglet Misses the Bump by 3/100ths Against Quickest Ever Field. MILWAUKEE, WIS. – (April 16, 2003) The Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines drag racing team backed up their history- making season-opening performance by qualifying rider Andrew Hines 15th with a 7.260 second/183.05 mph run for the NHRA Pro Stock O?Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston, Texas. His qualifying effort aboard the V-Rod reset the record for the quickest time ever recorded by a NHRA Harley Pro Stock Bike. Screamin? Eagle V-Rod teammate GT Tonglet?s best pass of 7.296 seconds narrowly missed the qualifying bump time by 3/100ths of a second. The Houston event bump time of 7.267 seconds was the quickest in NHRA Pro Stock Bike history as 34 bikes tried to make the Sunday show. After qualifying in the 15th position, Hines faced an enormous first-round challenge against second ranked Shawn Gann (Suzuki). Hines red lighted his V-Rod with a -0.018 reaction time off the start, giving Gann the easy win. ?I staged as shallow as I could, but still red-lighted,? said Andrew Hines. ?But we proved Gainesville was no fluke and we can compete in this series.? ?We got both bikes running in the 7.2s and 180s, which is really exciting, because we?re still learning what these bikes can do,? said Byron Hines. Angelle Savoie (Suzuki) won the final, retaining her series championship lead with a perfect start on the two-race season. Hines is seventh in points on the season. Continued On Page 4
51 Lakewood Dr. Marietta Georgia 30060
Telephone:1 800 235 4013
April 17, 2003 Part 2
By Bandit |
Continued From Page 1
JOB OFFER OF THE WEEK–
We are a new (3yr) motorcycle repair business located in Naples,Fl. We are looking for a full time mechanic if you know of anyoneinterested in moving to Florida. Please fax resume to 239-593-4806.
Road House Hawgs,
Debra
NEW SITE OF THE WEEK–Advertise your Biker related Business, List your Club Events, List your Website, Sell your Bike or biker related items, Find events in your area, Meet fellow bikers, and just have some fun all for free. This is not a front for an adult site there are no member?s area. This is the original and improved BikerParties.com Built by Bikers for Bikers.
We are looking for Webmasters for 50 states keep you fellow bikers up on what is going on in your back yard. Contact: NorTon_John@bikerparties.comhttp://www.bikerparties.com
–NorTon John
How to tell if your ass is too small.
–from Chris T.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY–Riders Ranch Ready to Rock With Bands,Stunt Shows, Camping & More.
Amazing stunt shows, world-renown bands, massive motorcycle show & competitions, a variety of food vendors & restaurants, a spa, internet caf?, water park, Go-Go Club, professional kickboxing and 200 acres of party fun.
That’s what Harley-Davidson enthusiasts, campers and day visitors will find at Riders Ranch, just minutes from Milwaukee, WI during Harley-Davidson’s 100th Anniversary celebration August 25th -September 1st.
Created by the design team that produced Riders Ranch for the 95th Anniversary of Harley-Davidson and the 25th & 30th anniversaries of Woodstock — Riders Ranch 2003 will have plenty of space for 25,000 campers and 550 RV’s along with 20,000-day visitors on the grounds of the Waukesha County Exposition Center, 20 miles from Milwaukee in Waukesha, WI.
A Party? “You bet!” says Riders Ranch spokesperson Emily Kalkstein, “But there’s space earmarked for ‘quiet camping’ too.”Campers can keep their ride close by or leave it in a paved, secured area at Riders Ranch. Campers can also cook on camp stoves, or pull up a chair in one of the full service restaurants on site.
Riders Ranch will feature RV hookups with electricity and water, hot showers, portable toilets, bank machines, a 24-hour convenience store, a shipping and receiving center, daily live bands, daily helicopter rides, an activity desk, 24-hour arcade & billiards, competitions, bike shows and more.
Three hundred vendors at Riders Ranch will provide plenty of shopping variety for everything from new leathers and shades to carburetors.
Live entertainment at Riders Ranch will be provided free to campers and day pass holders nightly. Catch Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras featuring The Radiators, Tues. Aug 26th, Eric Burdon & The New Animals, Wed. Aug. 27, Double Trouble headlining The Riders Ranch Blues Festival Thurs. Aug. 28 , Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad on Fri, Aug.29, and Foghat on Sat. Aug. 30. A gospel brunch is planned Sun., August 31.
To rev up the excitement level, take in Heavyweight Gladiators Professional Kickboxing on Fri. Aug. 29 to determine who is “King of the Ranch” or catch one of the amazing stunt shows at Riders Ranch.”People who see us think we’ve lost our minds,” says Tim O’Brien of LivFastPro.
O’Brien and his team fly 70 feet through the air, 40 feet off the ground in jumps so amazing, jaws routinely drop in disbelief. In the Riders Ranch Globe of Death, watch Monte Perlin perform heart-stopping feats at breakneck speed. Perlin is the stunt double for Arnold Schwartzenegger in Terminator III opening in theaters nationwide in July 2003.
Riders Ranch is the exclusive campsite for Mega Housing Management, the official housing bureau of the Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary celebration. You can even ship your camping gear in advance and have it waiting for you at Riders Ranch when you arrive.
Target Special Events, hired by Mega Housing Management, is providing regional homes, apartments and condominiums for rent in addition to campsites at Riders Ranch for the hundreds of thousands of Harley enthusiasts expected for the 100th Anniversary celebration.
From $125 per camper for the week at Riders Ranch to $2,600 for a two-bedroom condo that can sleep up to six for seven nights, Target Special Event housing provides a wide range of opportunities for enthusiasts who want to celebrate Harley-Davidson’s 100th Anniversary.
For more information on Riders Ranch or reservations visit www.riders-ranch.com or call 800 773-5069. Accommodations in apartments and condominiums can be found at www.megahousing.com/100 or call 800 773-5069. For private home accommodations visit www.targetsport.com/100housing or call 800 832-4242 ext. 4. For vendor information at Riders Ranch visit www.road-shows.com or call 800 200-4557.
DISCOVERY CHANNEL AND READER’S SHOWCASE–Thanks for the comeback on the Discovery stuff Bandit.I’ll have to dig a lil deeper.Here is a couple of shots of my ride.If you think its up to snuff for a feature in Wrenches barn, let me know, and I can dig up some better shots.Later.
E man….. Bamfield BC..
You can feature your dedicated scoot on Bikernet by yourself. This is the only place in the world where you can post your shots and write your own story about building the bike of your dreams or even wild romantic experiences with your scoot. Check out the Reader’s Showcase on Bikernet.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON REPORTS ANOTHER RECORD FIRST QUARTER Milwaukee, Wis., April 16, 2003 — Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HDI) today announced record revenue and earnings for its first quarter ended March 30, 2003. Revenue for the quarter was $1.1 billion compared with $927.8 million in the year-ago quarter, a 20.0 percent increase. First quarter diluted earnings per share (EPS) were 61 cents, a 56.4 percent increase compared with last year?s 39 cents.
?We are pleased with our outstanding results for the first quarter of 2003 as we continue to execute our long-term Plan for Sustainable Growth,? said Jeffrey L. Bleustein, chairman and chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc. ?While the long winter experienced by much of our nation has delayed some retail sales, dealer confidence and other measures that we use to track Harley-Davidson motorcycle demand remain strong.?
?With these indicators in mind and with construction of our new factory in York, Pennsylvania proceeding to plan, we are raising our shipment target for 2003 from 289,000 to 290,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycles,? added Bleustein. The Company?s new target is a 10% increase over 2002.
For the complete release and tables, please follow this link to the Harley-Davidson Media Website: www.h-dmedia.com.
Continued On Page 3
April 17, 2003 Part 1
By Bandit |
Photo from Bob T.
First and formost. Congratulations to our troops for an excellent job in Iraq. May Iraq become a model democracy for the region and the people live in peace for every more. The world is a strange place. Each situation is not meant for everyone. To some, peace is no fun. Violent conflict makes the day.
Okay, I have a tech question. I installed the new cast black mags on the Road King with a 150 Avon. I thought later models were set up for the 150 tires? Does that new rule only apply to Softails with narrow belts? The belt rubs the tire. Plus the tire seems to be off center. Who knows? Let’s get to the news:
H-D PERFORMANCE HIT HARD–Two nights ago Harold Pontarelli’s shop was broken into and stripped of parts and five state-of-the-art bikes. “These are not run-of-the-mill scoots,” Harold said today. “These are blown, fuel-injected monsters.” Each one will sport a wild Pontarelli’ paint job. We will post shots of these scoots quick. They also hauled off Harold’s Performance Machine inventory, dual carb set-ups and velocity stacks. If you see or hear of anything don’t hesitate to call (707)453-1649. Let’s find ’em. Harold is a good guy in the industry and a talented builder.
This is why I don’t like that, “ride it like you stole it,” shirt.
BIKERNET CHARLOTTE REPORT– My day started off great. Rolled out of the sack, got the coffee a goin. Then I made a killer ham & cheese omelet for breakfast. After doin breafast and old Mr. caffeine starten to kick in I turned on the TV.
Good news this morning with 7 Pow’s finding safe harbor. I decided to head out and go for a ride up to the North Carolina foothills. Fired up the Buell and headed up the road leaving the madness of the inner city behind.
The sun was shinning and the Buell was sounding real strong at 80 mph. That’s the sweet spot with this bike. You can just roll on the throttle (“Twist the Grip”) and it’s over 120 like now.
I’m ridin along thinkin about this summer, the 100th etc. trying to figure all B.S. from this winter out. Lot’s of stuff goin on in my head, the war, our troops. Ya know just stuff.
I’m on N.C. 321 jammin, I make Hickory, then Lenoir. I’m keeping my eyes peeled goin’ through town looking for my turn off to the twisty’s on N.C. 268. I check the trip meter on the speedo (Old timers gas gauge) and figure I better gas up.
So I roll in to this Amoco gas station right at the cross roads of N.C 321 & 268. I top off the gas tank. It takes 2 gallons, not bad for 93 miles. I find the head, and drain the “Old Lizard”.
Now, I’m ready for the good part of the ride. The twistys through the NC foothills. I turn on the gas, hit switch and the bike turns over but won’t fire!! Wha’da the fuck? It’s spinning over, I have gas but no spark, shit!! I do a quick check for stupid stuff but no luck.
Remember back when you and Layla were out for the “Smoke Out” and “Run for Breath” last summer. It was like a million degrees out and my bike just quit running on the damn highway in the traffic jam!!
Well this fucken grimlin was showing it’s ugly head again this fine Sunday. All I can do is call my buddy “Old Bob”, ask if he can drive up from Charlotte and rescue Pablo. So he says hold on he’ll be up as soon as he can.
So now what. Well, I buy the Sunday paper & read the headlines. Fortunately for me the Amoco station also has a restaurant and a TV goin’. The Martinsville Nascar Cup race is on getting ready to start. So I just try to relax and figure I could be worse off.
Well the wait went fast. I started jawing with the locals watching the race. The people there watching the race were in some kind of Nascar Pool, and we all were really getting into it. Old Bob finally gets there. I say adios to my new friends. Old Bob and me load up the Buell and head back to Charlotte.
Old Bob is a “Boozefighter”. He likes the green of North Cackey Lackey. Me I like the brown of the Southwest. We have had many friendly heated discussions on this, almost daily. Old Bob would give you the shirt off his back but not his hat. Never the hat. It’s his old narly blue Buell hat. The one his beloved “Face” (his Rot) chewed on when left laying around for to long.
Even with the gliches the day turned out to be a very good. Lot’s to be thankful for. The return of the seven Pow’s, my new friends in Lenoir and of course my compadre Old Bob. A real Bro and upholder of the “Code of the West”.
Later, Pablo
P.S. We figure the grimlin in the Buell might be the 30 amp main circuit breaker. Bob had the same symptoms on his Softail. Will carry a extra one with from now on.
BIKERNET GOVERNMENT SURVEY–
1. We took Iraq in less time than it took Janet Reno to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51-day operation.
2. It took less time to find evidence of chemical weapons in Iraq than it took Hillary Clinton to find the Rose Law Firm billing records.
3. It took Teddy Kennedy longer to call the police after his Oldsmobile sunk at Chappaquiddick than it took the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard.
4. We took Iraq in less time than it took to count the votes in Florida in the year 2000! And the Democrats called the Iraq effort a failed plan?
–from Rev CarlR
BIKERNET PETROL INVESTIGATION–You Think A Gallon Of Gas Is Expensive?
Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 ……… $10.32 per gallon
Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 ……. $ 9.52 per gallon
Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 …………. $10.17 per gallon
Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25 ………. $10.00 per gallon
Brake Fluid 12 oz $3.15 ……….. $33.60 per gallon
Vick’s Nyquil 6 oz $8.35 ……… $178.13 per gallon
Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 ………. $123.20 per gallon
Whiteout 7 oz $1.39 ……………. $25.42 per gallon
Scope 1.5 oz $0.99 ……………… $84.48 per gallon
and this is the REAL KICKER……Evian water 9 oz for $1.49 …….. $21.19 per gallon.
$21.19 FOR WATER! ….and the buyers don’t even know the source. Yes, and the name Evian, is Naive turned around, and the Canadians are selling it by the millions of gallons to the US.
So, the next time you’re at the pump, be glad your car doesn’t run on water, Scope, or Whiteout, or God forbid, PEPTO BISMOL or NYQUIL!!!!
Just a little humor to help ease the pain of your next trip to the pump………..!
–from Chris T.
LETTERS REGARDING THE BIKERNET DISCOVERY RIDE REPORT–Jose,it’s interesting to read your perspective on the discovery ride. I’m a Hamster from maine. I went to the ride to have fun, which I did.
I think if Billy and his friends had shown up, maybe we all could of had a better time together. What little time I talked to him, he seemed real cool. When Billy blew his belt, Dave gave him one within 10 minutes. I was there.
You seem to promote an “us against them attitude”. As far as easter egg colors, weren’t Billy’s bikes orange and red?Does it matter what people ride, as long as they like it? It’s cool with me. I ride what I want. If anyone else doesn’t like it, tough.Dave and Billy were both cool. Maybe in Sturgis we’ll have a beer and a laugh.
Mark
Jose,
I was reading with great interest about the most recent “Biker Build-Off” article you submitted to Bikernet. As I read it, you really painted a picture about the animosity between the two crews, and how they just didn’t seem to get along this time, unlike the chemistry from the last build-off. I’ll be interested in seeing if this translates to the video when it is aired sometime in the future.
It’s been great to see the Discovery Channel take such a huge interest in the motorcycle industry the past couple of years. On the other hand, shows like “Monster Garage” and now the weekly “American Chopper” seem to have taken some strange and cartoon-like overtones. While I love to watch these shows to see the fabrication and details put into the project, I think they are losing touch with reality.
I have a proposition for you. I am very serious about this, and extremely committed to this proposal.
Considering you have connections to the Discovery Channel through Billy Lane, or even a few of your own, I’d like you to consider pitching a “Biker Build-Off” to the producers that would involve Caribbean Custom Cycles against myself, and the crew that built my bike. I believe that a smaller shop like yours, and a home builder would bring the show “back to Earth.” It would give it another dimension, showing a more realistic view. It would also open it up to show how a motorcycle can be built without using an “elite” builder, with an unlimited budget. I think more people would relate to that kind of story.
I think Caribbean Custom Choppers would get great publicity, not to mention we would be representing home builders everywhere.
Design, fabrication, construction and paint are already in place on my end. If I had a firm commitment from the Discovery Channel, I could start putting together a parts list. I would only need a filming schedule to complete the arrangements.
I think my bike is as good as the things I have seen on some of these shows. I also know that given a challenge like this, we would be a worthy opponent to you and your crew.
Please let me know if this is something you’d be interested in. If you are not, maybe you can put me in touch with someone at the Discovery Channel who would be interested in taking this idea further.
–Rob
Jose,
Sounds like you had an eventful trip. Too bad Imissed it, I would like to have gone with you guys.So you have no immediate plans to join the Hamsters? Dave’s bike was cool. From the few photos onBikernet, Billy’s looked real cool. I’d like to see somemore photos.
Hit me back, Jesse Rooke
Continued On Page 2
April 17, 2003
By Bandit |
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
COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS
Compiled and Edited by BILL BISH,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists
HOUSE INTRODUCES COMPANION BILL TO ABOLISH HEALTH INSURANCE DISCRIMINATION Legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives as a companion measure to S. 423, which will end health insurance discrimination by prohibiting insurance carriers from refusing to provide benefits to those injured while motorcycling or participating in other so-called “risky” activities.
HR 1749, the “Health Care Parity for Legal Transportation and Recreational Activities Act of 2003,” is sponsored by Representatives Scott McInnis, a Republican from Colorado, and Democrat Ted Strictland from Ohio, and was introduced with 51 original co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle.
The language of HR 1749 is identical to that contained in S. 423, which was introduced in the U.S. Senate on February 14 by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Russ Feingold (D-WI), and states in part that “a plan or issuer may not deny benefits otherwise provided for the treatment of any injury solely because such injury resulted from participation of the participant or beneficiary in an activity such as motorcycling, snowmobiling, all-terrain vehicle riding, horseback riding, skiing or other similar legal activity.”
Both bills aim to promote health care parity for participants in legal transportation and recreational activities, and address a loophole created when the Department of Health and Human Services ruled that employers cannot deny health care coverage to motorcyclists and participants in other risky activities, yet insurers can deny benefits to insureds who are injured while participating in those activities.
CHARLESTON ORDINANCE BANS “REVVING” Just days before the Heritage Motorcycle Rally, expected to attract tens of thousands of bikers to South Carolina’s Lowcountry, Charleston City Council passed an anti-revving ordinance that riders view as a rude welcome.
The ordinance, which bans loud revving, amends Chapter 21 of the Code of the City of Charleston by amending Section 21-16 to prohibit persons from “engaging in clamorous singing, yelling, shouting, whooping, bellowing, hollering, or other loud, obstreperous, wanton and unnecessary noises, or from riding, driving, propelling, or otherwise operating any motorized vehicle, including but not limited to cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles, in a manner which emits unnecessary and loud noise or long continued noise, either in the day time or at night which disturbs the peace and quiet of the City, whether in the public street or within enclosures, public or private, and further amending Section 21-16 to provide that operating a motorized vehicle by rapid throttle advancing (revving) of an internal combustion engine resulting in increased noise from the engine is prohibited.”
Dave Harvey, an organizer of the event, said the action was overkill to placate residents of the city’s historic downtown district. “It is a direct attack on the motorcycle rally,” Harvey said. According to Harvey, the ordinance could be used to hassle bikers, adding that it is difficult to operate a motorcycle without some degree of revving.
Harvey estimates between 25,000 and 50,000 bikers will attend the rally, scheduled for April 16-20 in the small town of Ladson outside Charleston. Similar rallies up the coast in Myrtle Beach have drawn as many 300,000 people.
Charleston Police Major Herbert Whetsell said the ordinance is an improvement from the existing law because it more thoroughly spells out what is prohibited. Police aren’t looking to hassle bikers, he said. The law will be used only when someone revs their engine up high or jets away quickly and loudly, he said.
Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. and others said the city wants bikers to come, and that the ordinance is intended only to help provide a quiet atmosphere for residents and visitors.
Other officials said they are not trying to be unwelcoming. Councilman Henry Fishburne urged the bikers to come and visit – quietly. “Here’s your chance to show how well you can behave,” he added.
“Watch our Charleston,” says James “Gunny” Gregory, former Chairman of the Board for ABATE of California who now resides in South Carolina. “It is now against the law to sing at the sunrise Easter services when outside, to cheer the Riverdogs, or shout to a friend on the street. Mayor Joe knows best.”
ARIZONA BIKERS DERAIL “DANGEROUS DRIVING BILL” An anti-cruising bill which could have outlawed motorcycle events and rides with over 20 bikes was killed thanks to quick lobbying action by Arizona bikers.
HB 2386, the “Dangerous Driving Bill” introduced by John Nelson (R-Phoenix), would allow the towing of vehicles ticketed for drag racing or being part of a “procession” of more than 20 vehicles. Though aimed directly at street racers and cruisers, the bill’s vagueness could easily be extended to include motorcycles.
“Also, the new law would ask every city and municipality that wished to take advantage of the new towing language to pass its own language as to what and whom it would apply,” explained Roger “Priest” Hurm, Chairman and Lobbyist for the Modified Motorcycle Association (MMA) of Arizona and a member of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) Board of Directors. “Our job would be multiplied immensely as we would have to keep track of every city in Arizona to see if they included motorcycles in their ordinance.”
The anti-cruising bill had already passed the House of Representatives and already had a lot of momentum when the MMA, ABATE of Arizona and the Confederation of Clubs of Arizona were alerted to the possible implications for motorcyclists.
“We had not picked up on it because no keywords got our attention early,” said Priest, “But as I read it, I inserted the word motorcycle into the language and started seeing unintended possibilities for us. The vagueness continued throughout the language and a meeting with sponsor John Nelson, John Gonzales the city attorney, and Erik Edwards the police representative just reinforced in my mind the vagueness. So we went to work on the Senate Transportation Committee to kill it because of the ramifications implied to motorcyclists.”
The first two senators the bikers met with were Marsha Arzberger and Robert Cannell- Marsha, a rancher from Bisbee area and Bob, a pediatrician from Yuma. “Neither would vote yes on the bill. They saw no cruising problem in their areas — heck Marsha asked me what cruising was. Both had shown us support in previous years,” reported Priest. The next senator approached was biker-friendly Carolyn Allen from Scottsdale, home of the Barrett-Jackson Car auction. “Carolyn gave the keynote speech at the 1999 NCOM Convention in Phoenix and has always expressed the view to me that ‘helmets mess up my hair’,” said Priest. The auction people move cars all over–very expensive cars — and Carolyn expressed that her “motorcycle and car friends would be unhappy if I voted yes on it.”
“We had our third NO vote,” recalls Priest. “The day of the hearing I accompanied Ray Huston, MMA lobbyist, and Bobbi Hartman, ABATE lobbyist, to the hearing needing one more NO vote to kill the bill.”
In the hallway before Ray got up to speak, new information surfaced from the Phoenix city attorney. Ray had asked him on the towing section if the owner of the vehicle could go down and retrieve the car. For instance, if a teenager gets arrested and his dad’s car is towed. Can the dad go get it? “The city attorney hemmed a bit and hawed some more,” said Priest. “Ray pressed the issue. The result was information that the arrestee would have to go to a hearing before the release of a vehicle. Whoa….the scenario got worse for the anti-cruising bill: Now dad could not get to work the next day because of the new language. We seemed to have stopped the bill’s momentum.”
Finally, reason and common sense prevailed and six senators voted NO. The opinion from the Chair was that the bill was too “vague” and had too many “unintended possibilities” — the exact contentions made by the bikers. The final vote: No-6, Yes-0 and one went to the bathroom.
“We got a potentially dangerous bill to our motorcycling health — the so-called ‘Dangerous Driving Bill’ — killed in Arizona,” says a happy Priest. “We’ve learned to check all bills for unintended language that could affect the way we ride. Rust never sleeps, and neither can we!”
RIDER ED FUNDS UNDER ATTACK A few months ago, our Oregon A.I.M. (Aid to Injured Motorcyclists) Chief of Staff Gunny warned in his “Gunny’s Sack” that due to budget deficits across the country, Rider Education Program funding could be robbed unless motorcyclists made sure they were dedicated funds that are used specifically for motorcycle training and protected against being raided.
Since that time, the Utah motorcycle safety fund has come under attack, with their legislature attempting to divert rider ed funds to try to balance the state budget.
Now comes word from Michigan that, in a similar fashion, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has eliminated funding for Michigan’s motorcycle rider education program in her proposed 2004 budget for the Department of Education.
“The Motorcycle Safety Education Program and the Off-Road Vehicle Safety Education Program have been eliminated as part of an effort to focus limited state staff resources on core missions. These two programs provide grants to instructional agencies to help subsidize safety-training courses for individuals interested in operating motorcycles and off-road vehicles, whereas the department’s core focus is providing educational services to children. The total reduction as a result of eliminating these programs is $2.0 million. The fees that previously supported these programs will be eliminated and interested individuals can purchase safety training directly from private providers,” she explained.
Michigan’s motorcycle safety program is funded 100% by fees paid by licensed motorcyclists in that state. Michigan motorcyclists pay the costs that the Department of Education incurs to administer the program, so the move is not likely to save any money.
In fact, Michigan riders asked the state government in 1984 and again in 1996 to tax them to raise money to provide low cost rider education. All the state government does is collect and administer the funding, with bikers even paying for the costs of providing those services to them.
“The Governor’s suggestion that training can be purchased from private providers is not a good one,” reasons Lindsey Higginbottom, a motorcycle safety instructor in Whitmore Lake, MI. “We trained 1,000 students last year in Ann Arbor alone. About 5,000 were trained throughout the state. Our local Riders Edge program couldn’t begin to handle that number of students. We charge $25 for a course fee. A privatized course would likely cost $250 to $300, as it does in any of the private programs in other states. Our local RE classes cost $295. How many of our 5,000 students per year do you think would spend $295 for training and how many do you think would just enroll in the less expensive school of hard knocks and just go riding without training?”
If you live in Michigan, please contact the Governor, your state representative and your state senator and ask them to restore the motorcycle rider education funding for on and off road motorcycles in the Michigan Department of Education’s 2004 budget. If you live elsewhere, consider contacting the Michigan Department of Tourism and telling them that you will spend your motorcycle vacation dollars in a more motorcycle friendly Great Lakes state if Michigan eliminates rider ed funding. Be sure to send a copy of your letter to Governor Granholm.
OREGON HELMET REPEAL BILL INCHES FORWARD “The inch worm made a good move and the Helmet Bill received a work session this morning,” reports BikePAC of Oregon. A nice step for Bikers was completed with the Helmet Bill receiving the required 4 votes of the 7 committee members and was moved from the committee for a vote on the floor with a DO PASS recommendation.
Later, the Committee Administrator said the Lane Splitting bill was still on the short list to receive a work session, but had not been scheduled and she did not know when and if it would get a hearing.
TENNESSEE HELMET BILL PASSES COMMITTEE, REACHES IMPASS Tennessee House Bill 952 allowing freedom of choice for motorcyclists concerning helmets passed the House Transportation Committee meeting on Wednesday, April 4, with one amendment to require motorcyclists to have proof of health insurance. However, the bill now goes before the Finance Committee, chaired by State Representative Tommy Head (D-Clarksville), whose personal opposition to this bill, coupled with his influence as Chairman of Finance, has insured that no helmet modification has ever made it to the full House for consideration.
“With HB952 passing through the House Transportation Committee with a ‘Recommended Do Pass’ vote, we feel it is inappropriate for personal prejudice to prevent this legislation from reaching the House floor,” said Steve Lundwall, Director of the Concerned Motorcyclists of Tennessee/ABATE and member of the NCOM Board of Directors. “This is in conflict with the idea of a democracy.”
“All we want is a VOTE on the house floor,” he added.
“In the opposition’s testimony they tried to state that allowing freedom of choice would COST the state money in TennCare dollars,” said Wayne Shaub, CMT/ABATE State Legislative Officer. “They failed to see that it reality will add to the state budget through tourism, bike sales and increased economic activity.”
Shaub testified at the Transporation Committee hearing that “Today we have 84,130 street motorcycles registered in Tennessee. If we were to apply the same 20% growth in registrations that Florida experienced during the first year after their helmet law was repealed, that would mean the potential for:
16,826 new bikes at an average of $10K each: $168,260,000
Sales tax potential (at 9.25%): nearly $15.5M for Tennessee’s budget
Add in the income from Registrations, Change of title, and sales of apparel and accessories (and sales tax on them), we come up with around a QUARTER OF A BILLION DOLLARS of economic impact.”
Shaub pointed out to the committee that “As you can see, this change will not only return personal freedom, it will also increase funds to the state by millions of dollars.”
WASHINGTON’S “HELMET IS A HELMET” BILL PASSES A bill to define “what is a helmet” in the state of Washington passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 89 Yays to 9 Nays, and will soon be on the governor’s desk.
“Thanks to everyone who went to the state capitol and or called their Representatives, said Rich Bright, legislative advocate for ABATE of Washington. “YOU MADE IT HAPPEN!”
The helmet definition bill had already passed the Senate on March 11 by a vote of 44-3, and will redefine current law to state that a helmet is a hard shell with a padded liner, a chin strap, and a DOT sticker affixed by the manufacturer.
Previously, the Washington police had the latitude to define a helmet by their opinion, leading to thousands of traffic stops for “illegal” helmets with no recourse for the rider.
Also going to the Governor for his signature will be a bill to incorporate sidecar / trike training into the subsidized portion of the Washington Motorcycle Safety Program.
The Washington Road Riders Association reports that WRRA representatives met with Governor Locke’s transportation advisor, and the feedback was very positive.
FLORIDA PURSUES PRO-MOTORCYCLE AGENDA: ABATE of Florida, Inc. reports that they have three bills they are supporting this legislative session. The biker anti-discrimination bill has passed two committees in the Senate and will be facing its final senate committee hearing. It has already passed one committee in the House.
“Besides our discrimination bill, the stiffer penalties traffic bill has passed two committees in the senate and one in the house, and it will also be heard soon in a house committee,” reports James “Doc” Reichenbach, President of ABATE of Florida and Chairman of the Board of NCOM.
The final bill is for the state’s first specialty motorcycle tag. It is Red, White and Blue. It had final passage in the Senate and is in messages to be voted on by the House. Doc says that they also are waiting on their Governor to sign a proclamation for May as Motorcycle Safety Month.
“It is a testament of the hard work of the members of ABATE of Florida that these bills are moving through the legislature,” commends Doc.
WEIRD NEWS OF THE MONTH: PETA Tries to Whip Leather Fetishists Into Shape — The fur flew at the annual “Leather Weekend” last January in Washington, D.C., as activists with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sought to persuade the slaves of fashion and their biker buddies gathered for the fetish convention to give up black leather – studs and all.
“Why would I?” demanded Norman Wagner of Scottsdale, Ariz. “I’m 6-foot-3, and 230 pounds, and I can wear anything I want to.”
Wagner told reporter Lance Gay of The Knoxville News Sentinel that he is not harming anything by wearing his black leather biker duds, and he questioned the sanity of activists picking on those who chose to wear animal skins. “It’s been around for a thousand years, it’s durable, and I’m not wasting resources by using it,” he said. “Why would someone wear burlap?”
Kayla Rae Worden, a trans-gendered PETA activist from Asheville, N.C., who showed up to leaflet the event decked out in skimpy dominatrix hot pants in spite of freezing Washington weather, sought to persuade the fetishists that synthetics are just as erotic.
Worden, who said she used to wear leather and eat meat when she was a boy 15 years ago, contended the synthetic lifestyle provides even more protection than leather, and can be much more comfortable to wear. Besides, she said, leather smells.
One PETA activist showed up in a black biker outfit made of “pleather” – a silky synthetic black rubber, and white synthetic snakeskin boots. He said he was trying to show that fetishists can make a fashion statement without using leather.
Glen Sams, a 50-year-old member of the Centaur Motorcycle Club of Virginia, said the only requirement for those attending 33rd annual Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend was to have “a pronounced interest in leather” and he was not pleased that PETA is picking on the gathering.
When a mistake or accident causes a biker to put his motorcycle down on the pavement, nothing protects the skin from being scraped off on the asphalt like leather, Sams said. He dismissed the PETA protest. “We were here before PETA, and I imagine we will be here a long time after,” he said.
GOING TO MILWAUKEE FOR HARLEY?S 100TH? And who isn’t? Consider supporting bikers rights while you’re there. ABATE of Wisconsin is hosting two campgrounds within 30 minutes of downtown Milwaukee, with easy access to major highways.
For more information or reservations, call Greg or Diane at (262) 334-5079 or 306-0606, or by e-mail at biker@milwpc.com. You can also visit the ABATE of Wisconsin website at
QUOTABLE QUOTE: “The average man’s love of liberty is nine-tenths imaginary. It takes a special sort of man to understand and enjoy liberty – and he is usually an outlaw in democratic societies.”
H.L. MENCKEN, Newspaperman & Political Commentator (1880-1956)
April 14, 2003
By Bandit |
Title: Justin’s Trophy
by Wrench
photos by Sin Wu
There’s a party weekend in Charlotte each year that culminates in a Sunday gathering and a grand bike show. The humid weekend escape was created five years ago by Mike Pullin a member of the Charlotte H-D team, after his son, Justin, died of asthma complications while Mike was on a run. Mike discovered, that the American Lung Association created camps for educating asthma inflicted kids, parents and friends on how to deal with lung associated complications. With the correct information, used promptly at the proper time, kids can survive asthma attacks readily and live long healthy lives. This crucial knowledge is critical for kids, so Mike kicked off this party weekend to support the learning camps and make a hearty donation to the American Lung Association program. For two years Bandit was the proud grand marshal of this event, “Bikernet will support and sponsor this weekend for as long as Mike’s involved,” Bandit said recently after a three-day drunk. This year Bandit couldn’t attend, but got a call from Mike’s better half, Meanest, who also works at the dealership. “Bandit,” She said in distinctive southern slippery words that slid through the receiver and lingered on his ear lobes, like butter running off the side of a stack of pancakes, “honey, since you can’t make it to the event, I would sure appreciate it if you would make us a special trophy for the Best of Show Class.”
Could Bandit turn her down? There’s no way he could muster the heartless nature to deny this woman and or the event that means so much to this bikin’ community. Besides, he had recently purchase a new Millermatic 175 MIG welder and needed the practice.
“Of course, baby,” he said into the phone to her glee. He pondered a variety of Rube Goldberg art objects, turned trophies at last year’s HORSE Smoke-Out. Hackasaw welded various motorcycle parts together, then chromed the H-D part number trophies and presented them to Edge, the show promoter. The winners were dazzled by the creative nature of the trophies and the deft construction and welding abilities.
Bandit was challenged. Could he weld a myriad of ring gears, clutch hubs and connecting rods together to create a 50 pound tribute to the Best Of Show Bike? He was perplexed. He brought up his pappy, a big surly bastard who ran a machine shop for a nationwide oil well testing company. The man welded oil derricks together, if needed, during his 40-years in the oil fields. His law of welding was, “Never lose the bead,” he grumbled and reveled in vast deep burn wounds, “even if you catch fire. Just keep welding, someone will put you out.” Bandit watched him as a kid, arc weld with bare hands, the slag sizzling on the back of his hands. He wouldn’t flinch until the job was done. “Boot tough and rattlesnake mean,” David Mann, the artist, said about Bandit’s dad.
Bandit’s dad made some of the finest metal art sculptures I’ve ever had the privilege of viewing. He handled iron like a sculptor molds clay. With his artistic tradition in mind Bandit went to work. He’s been welding for 30 years, off and on. Back in the 70s he made towel racks with worn out chains. Door knobs were brazed tranny gears and cam shafts. There were motorcycle kitchen utensils that never wore out.
He scratched my thinning hair and faced the project at hand. A long shoreman, who stops by the headquarters from time to time, delivered chunks of iron and steel. Bandit planned a new steel-based fence made out of angle iron, solid steel spikes, corrugated steel sheets and old bike wheels for the headquarters. We’ll report on that later. The —– Union man recently brought dropped off a 6-foot length of 6-inch diameter, scrap steel tubing. It was Bandit’s inspiration. He decided to form the leather jacketed arm of a man holding a wheel for the world to see.
We started the project by cutting the steel tubing with a reciprocating saw then split it down the middle with a cutting torch. Bandit dug out his HA leather shirt and studied the cuff and cut of the forearm. He needed heat like a blacksmith. He cut a wedge out of the tubing with the torch then created a stand for his rose bud torch tip, which you can see in the back of some of these shots. With that blasting away and a set of vice grips firmly clamped to the tubing he began pounding the red hot mild steel until he blacksmithed the desired shape. Another portion of the rusty tubing was used for the buttoned placket.
Here’s the beginning of the segment built base and a mild-steel ring Bandit decided to use for the rim. He has a dozen of these rings, he’s carried and moved from place to place for 20 years. It’s about time he found a use for them.
While hunting through a metal supply joint, Bandit discovered pressed segments of steel scattered around the concrete deck and hit up one of the workers. The biker looked both ways and let Bandit bag a bunch of punched out hole segments. You can order a sheet of steel with holes pressed into it without drilling. Massive presses snap round shapes out of the material with immense strength. Some were an inch thick. They’re like thick, mild steel, quarters, dimes and fifty-cent pieces. He used them to form my base, then welded them together with the Miller MIG welder. He also used various sized segments to form the initial shape of the hand. After the base for the palm was welded together, he began to fill and shape the muscles of a hand with beads of weld. He made the wrist long enough to protrude deep into the sleeve or be adjusted to fit.
The process continued from weekend to weekend. The Bikernet schedule is hectic and a stack of articles, to be written edited and prepared for posting, grew. If Bandit was missing from his desk, we immediately checked to see if sparks were flying in the garage. In the old days he found time behind a doobie to lose himself in the flame of a cutting torch. “It was actually a good feeling to disappear in the quiet cubicle of steel and wail away,” Bandit mumbled. One afternoon he snuck out of the headquarters and dug through drawers to find just the right hub nut for the trophy wheel. He bought some 1/8-inch diameter brazing rod for spokes and went to work building the wheel. The rods are labeled bronze, yet to Bandit they’re brass. With the wheel set aside and the sleeve MIG welded to the base, the hand was the difficult sculpture’s task ahead.
Time is at a premium at the headquarters. Yet Bandit attempted to carve out an afternoon for Trophy progress. A Saturday afternoon availed itself and he hauled ass to the garage, but as he snapped on the Miller MIG his weld sputtered unnaturally. He double-checked the setting on the dinky 50-pound tank filled with Argon and Carbon Dioxide (75%-25%). It was next to empty. Two more beads and welding was shut down for the rest of the day.
The headquarters went into red alert for an Argon refill. It was after noon on a Saturday–welding supply joints were closed… There was hell to pay until Monday.
With a new gas supply torqued into place, he went after the hand like Frankenstien forming the monster. He welded long flowing beads, then yanked off my welding glove to inspect the lines and curves of his right hand. Back and forth he poured long beads of mild steel in patterns to mirror a fortune teller’s image of his palm. With a satisfactory underside region “in hand”, he turned the 10-pound claw over and began to work the wrist area. Then it dawned on the big bastard, “I better bend this sonuvabitch,” Bandit growled, “before I started forming the back of the hand and knuckles.”
The tough part was bending the hand. Some of the elements were almost 1-inch thick. Bandit used vice-grips and chunks of pipe wrapped around the massive fingers to pull the palm into shape. He yanked, snarled, lurched and beat it with a ballpeen hammer. He broke digits off and had to re-weld them, but with the garage fuming with steaming sweat and the heat of red hot chunks of steel, it began to take shape.
Finally, Bandit started to fill in the back of the hand and build the knuckles. MIG welding is like working in a lightless tunnel. You can’t see shit until you strike an arc. Then you can only view about a 1/4-inch radius circle from where the wire is feeding. You can slow your progress, or weave in the same area, but while you’re trying to find your bearing or direction, you’re building a puddle of metal. Your mind must fixate on the position of the wire and give guidance immediately to your hand, as the wire feed won’t stop and allow you to check out the situation. The more he worked with the excellent MIG machine, the more he adjusted his sight to see ahead and understand the form or shape he was searching for.
The monster’s hand took form and he studied every element for needed filling and shaping. The wheel actually slipped between the thumb and forefinger effortlessly and seemed to fit snugly, as if the monster had come to life and knew its mission was to clutch the ultimate symbol of motorcycling forever more. The wrist fit neatly in the sleeve and Bandit welded it into an everlasting position and then welded the wheel.
Bandit was fortunate to have several true, trained artist, who are life long friends, and are only to happy to tell him when his design is shit. Nuttboy, who teaches art at several colleges and Chris Kallas, a biker artist who’s work is for sale in the Bikernet gulch, risked their lives, to stick their heads in our garage from time to time. Nuttboy told Bandit to go wild with the buttons he planned for the lapel of the sleeve. He pondered polished brass nuts, but while working on the King, discovered a couple of chromed license plate skulls with 1/4-20 studs on the back. He drilled and taped the holes. The skulls fit neatly into place. It was beginning to take shape.
Bandit contacted “Meanest” and requested the exact wording, she requested engraved into the trophy for the Best of Show recipient. She dictated each word to him, in no uncertain terms. May Ling, the new girl, feverishly hauled ass to the San Pedro trophy barn where she ordered a brushed brass plate engraved in black. It took the trophy bastard longer to computer-engrave a 2-inch piece of brass than it took Bandit to hand make the goddamn trophy.
Bandit asked his artist friends for finish input. He had a chrome credit and considered show chrome. Chrome has strange effects on various objects. It reflects the world, which works for custom parts, but often not on sculptures. Nuttboy again stepped up to the plate, since Chris sensed an evil spirit in Bandit’s seaweed green eyes, each time he lit the torch. Nuttboy suggested Bandit leave the corrosion-covered sleeve alone and bead-blast or wire brush the hand and base to give those areas a variety of treatments. He sorta took his Ph.D. advice. He polished the wheel and spokes, then wire-brushed the hand and the base.
When it came to the sleeve, he learned something about MIG welding. There are anti-splatter sprays to prevent slag from sticking to the welded surface and to the MIG tip. He hadn’t experienced this treatment, so the trophy was scattered with small beads of weld. He couldn’t leave the steel leather sleeve alone. He wire brushed it, but only to remove the slag. The rusty hue and the varied corroded pits remained.
Finally he dug through the garage box of spray cans for a heavy clear coat. He discovered Rust-oleum gloss, metal clear and doused the trophy. After it dried he peeled the skin off the double sided tape, on the back of the engraved brass plaque, and stuck it against the welded billboard. Done deal.
Two more tasks await. Sin Wu will find a thick felt lining to be glued to the bottom to prevent the 40-pound trophy for cutting the surface of furniture. The lovely one also suggested a light be dropped in the depths of the sleeve so he will drill a hole in the back for an extension cord. We’ll post another shot of it glowing. Hang on.
For information regarding the July 27th Run For Breath contact Meanest or Mike Pullin at Harley-Davidson of Charlotte, (704) 847-4647. Don’t forget to compete for this trophy by entering your bike. Make sure you have a back-up truck to haul the trophy.
–Wrench